《Incarnation Of Gods: Endless War》 Chapter 1 - 1.The Beginning "Madam, hang in there! The baby is coming out! Just push a little bit more!" Set aside the manners, the mid wife kept talking to the lady that covered in cold sweat. The white sheet was covered in blood and water. "UGGHHH" The lady gave her last push. "Madam congratulation! It is a young miss!" The mid wife and the maids cheered gleefully whilst showing the little baby to her mother. Before the mother could touch her daughter, a maid suddenly burst into the room. Maid: " MADAM, THERE ARE ASSASSINS! QUICK TAKE A PROTEC..." A slim silver metal went through her heart, stopping her from finishing her words. The maid dropped to the ground when the person behind her pulled away the silver metal in her heart. The other maids and mid wife immediately on their defense mode, they quickly stood in front of the tired lady and the maid that was holding the little baby, shielding them from the . Maid: "Protect madam and young miss even if it cost our life!" They create a magic barrier around them but luck was not by their side, one of the assassins appeared beside the maid that was holding the baby, and disappears together with the maid and the baby. BANG! "Qing er!!" A tall man barged through the door and sprinted towards the lady. He supported the pale lady and anxiously asked her. Tall man: "What happened?! Are you okay? Where is our baby?" Maid: "Master! Young miss was kidnapped! This slave is useless, the assassins are too strong. We couldn''t block them!" The mid wife quickly explained to the tall man with tears streamed down from her eyes. Tall man: "What?!" Before he could scold the maids for being careless, a soft hand firmly hold his strong and big hand. Lady: " Tingfeng, you must find our daughter, I managed to put a spell on her, as long as she is alive, I can feel her lifeforce." The lady weakly said to her husband. Tall man:" Don''t worry, I will definitely find her, you need to rest now." The tall man left the room after he gave his wife a gentle kiss on her forehead. The lady went to a deep sleep while her lips whispered "My daughter..." *** Assassin: "Sh*t! That Xu family is as strong as master said." The assassin managed to slip away from the residence, he killed the maid and took the baby with him. The 19 expert assassins were killed by the great general, leaving him alone with heavily injured body. After running for 4 hours, he could feel their presence getting closer and closer to him. He looked around and decided to hide the baby in a well at the nearby village. He put on a magic barrier on the well so they couldn''t feel the baby''s presence, he picked a thick wood and wrapped it with the cloth that the baby used. He ran to the opposite direction from the well. *** After stabbing the last assassin, Xu Tingfeng( the great general) commands his soldiers to search all areas. Xu Tingfeng: "I will reward one thousand gold taels for the one who found my daughter!" All the soldiers immediately obey the command and start the searching until sunrise. *** At Xu residence Bai Huiqing: "Tingfeng, I can feel our daughter''s lifeforce. I think by letting her live outside is better." Bai Huiqing(the madam) sadly looked at Xu Tingfeng. He knew what his wife wanted to say, it didn''t mean that she doesn''t love her daughter, rather, it because she loves her daughter so much that she was willing to part with her daughter. The enemies were still roaming around without them knowing. They purposely let their daughter live for some reasons. Announcing the baby''s death could let the enemies'' guard down and it would be easier to find the culprit. This was the first time he had ever seen his wife cried non-stop for a night. And since then, he swore to the gods that he would kill all of the people that hurt his family. *** At a small village In the morning, an old woman woke up and started her daily routine. The white hair and wrinkles on her face shows that her age no longer small. She went to her backyard and prepares a bunch of buckets beside an old well. When she tried to pull the rope, she was confused that the bucket weights more than usual. As she pulled up the bucket, she was shocked to see a baby in it. She immediately picked up the baby and wrapped her in a soft blanket then she ran to the kitchen to find some food for the baby. Old woman: "This baby is only a day old and abandoned by her parents. What a pity." After she fed the baby, the old woman wash bloodstains on the baby and noticed there is a red lotus mark on her forehead. But the old woman didn''t know what the mark means so she shrugged her shoulders as she continues to bath the baby in warm water. *** Imperial consort: "USELESS, even kidnapping a baby you can''t do it right!! Is that Bai Huiqing s.l.u.t dead?" Assassin: "N-no, Your Highness." The woman that was known as Imperial consort threw the cup on her hand to the assassin''s head while roared at the assassin for being useless. Emperor: " My beloved consort, don''t be angry, it will ruin your beautiful face." The man in golden robe whispered to the woman''s ear. Imperial consort: "But your majesty, she is still alive, what if she and her husband notice that it is us that is behind all of this, they will kill us and take your throne~" The woman said in flirty voice whilst her finger making a circular motion on his chest. Emperor: "It''s okay, the baby is dead. The Xu family will be depressed and weaken by the death of their firstborn. And at that time, it will be our golden opportunity to bring them down." The emperor proudly said with his chest puffed out. Imperial consort: "Your majesty is the smartest of all, we will definitely succeed." The woman kissed the emperor. Noticed the change of atmosphere, the servants backed down and closed the door behind them, knowing what the emperor and the imperial consort would do. Chapter 2 - 2. 6 Years Later " Hong er" an old woman lying weakly on her bed, her face is so pale, but the gentle smile on her face is giving out a pitiful aura. 6 years has passed by since Hong er live with this old woman. The old woman named her Hong er because when she picked her up, she was so red. That''s why she named her hong which means red. Hong er POV " Wait a sec granny, the medicine will be ready in a minute." I said loudly while fanning the fire. Huff, what should I do? We have no more money to buy medicines, even if I sell all our firewoods it still won''t be enough. Gosh, being poor is so hard. Should I go find a job in town? No no no, what if something happen to granny while I''m in town. Hhmm, maybe selling vegetables and firewoods is the best idea. I bring the medicine to granny''s bedroom, we share the same bedroom though. In our house, we only have a small kitchen, a small bedroom and a table. We have a backyard to plant vegetables, sometimes we eat it sometimes we sell it. After I put down the medicine beside the bed, I helped granny sit up and spooned her the medicine. After I done that, I helped granny lie on the bed to rest. I washed the bowl and I went to backyard to grab my cutting woods tool. I went to the forest that granny usually take me to, she warned me to not go too far because we live in the border between Da Qi and Da Chu. I never learned any martial arts but I learned cooking, reading, and writing from granny. She was a maid when she was young, but she was kicked out after being framed by her own master. After 2 hours, I feel that I had collected enough firewoods. I was searching for herbs while walking back home. A tree branch moved slightly when I was picking herbs. " Thank you for covering me from the sun" I touched the tree with my palm while smiling. Suddenly a gentle breeze touched my face, the sun is not as scorching hot as before now. Since I was little, I feel like I can communicate with nature, they always protect me, especially when I am humming or singing. Maybe the nature likes my voice? Hhmm, I''m not sure, I will ask granny when I come home. I was humming a song when a gust of wind suddenly came. Something bad is gonna happen! I run across the forest to my home and what met my eyes is something I will never forget in my life. I walked towards the door and I noticed there are bloodstains on the floor. My body froze and my mind went blank. My face is as pale as paper, my hands won''t stop trembling. Tears started to form in my eyes. Impossible, maybe it is someone else''s blood, yeah, of course it isn''t granny''s blood, granny is the strongest woman I ever met. I kept reasoning in my mind but all of that is useless. The bloodstains are getting worse as I walk to granny''s bedroom. Third person POV The girl standing in front of the bedroom, her hands are trembling as she opens the door. What greeted her wasn''t the granny that smiles warmly and greets her home but a body that is covered in blood lying on a bed. The bedroom was wrecked, all valuable things were taken. Her hand is griping on something, even though her hand''s covered in her own blood, it looks like she didn''t intend to let go no matter what. The shocked Hong er dragged herself towards her granny, she kneeled beside her granny and using her hand to close her granny''s eyes. She cried and hugged her granny while kept calling the granny. She shook her granny''s body but to no avail, her granny will never wake up and call her name again. She opened her granny''s hand, a white jade that has "wo de sun n¨¹" ( my granddaughter) craved on it. Even though the jade is low quality but this jade is the most invaluable treasure for Hong er. She took the jade and kissed it. She put the jade in her pocket. The sky suddenly darken, rain starts to pour down, covering the cries of a little girl. A little body carrying a body that is twice her body, her feet is bleeding after walking for 2 hours. After arriving at her destination, she gently put down the body and help sit it up while leaning on a tree. Then she put her palm on the tree, "Please take care of her for a while", the tree moved slightly to cover the granny from the rain. She walked towards the middle of the field and starts to dig the ground. Even though her hand is bleeding, she didn''t stop digging. After digging, she carry the body towards the place she had digged out and gently put her body in it. Before she bury her, she kissed her forehead three times. She kowtowed to the granny''s grave three times. But before she can stand up, she felt her head being hit by something hard, her eyes blacked out and her body dropped to the ground beside her granny''s grave. Chapter 3 - 3. I Become A Chef Hong er POV Ughh, my head hurt so much and my body feels heavy, I tried hard to open my eyes but suddenly my head crashed to the floor make me fully awake. I rub my head and push my body to sitting position. When I realize that I''m not alone, I panicked, I use my hand to fix my hair so it cover my eyes. I never met anyone else other than granny and the shopkeeper whom I sell my firewoods. Granny told me to not let anyone see my eye because I have a rare eye colour. Granny said that if I met a bad guy, they will gouge both of my eyes. NO! I don''t want that. That''s why I always use my bangs to cover my eyes. When I try to move, there are chains on my feet. I looked around and saw there are a bunch of kid around my age. There are fear and sorrow in their eyes, some of them are crying but they didn''t dare to make any sound. The cart stopped and the curtain opened revealing 5 burly and tall men. My hand start trembling, other kids start crying but I won''t cry, crying is for weakling. The man pulled the chains that tie all our feet together so we were walking in row. Then I saw there a dead body on the road, there are whipping marks all over his body. He is even younger than me, I didn''t dare to look around anymore as I kept walking. I lower my head and looked at my finger, I bumped the kid in front of me, actually not a kid, he is taller and older than me. I apologized and suddenly a voice startle me " what the hell are you doing?! Even walking you can''t do it right!" the burly man grabbed my hair and throw me to the ground. I kneeled and apologize to him, I kowtowed until my head start to bleed. " Hah! Useless!! Oh? Looks like you have a good skin for a slave don''t you?" he lift up my chin and when is going to sweep my bangs "please no master, I have a disease, if you look at my eyes you will be contracted." I said while holding on my bangs. "Hmph! Really useless!! Then what can you do?!" he threw me away and wipe his hand that was holding my chin. " I-I can cook and clean houses" unexpectedly he looked at me and asked " Oh? You can cook? Then follow me." He untie my chain from the other and only pull me to somewhere. After walking for a while, a voice sounded out " Who is she? Why did you bring her her?" I looked up and saw a skinny with prodding teeth man talking to the man but his eyes are looking at me. " She said that she can cook that''s why I bring her here to test it out. If she lied, I will kill her right here, right now." My body shivered after I heard what he said. " I can''t eat that old man cooking anymore, it taste like sh*t".Then he pulled me inside a tent, he sat on a chair in a corner while tying the chain to a pole so that I can''t run away. " Start cooking" he said while watching me move around to pick the ingredients. 1 hours later, I bring the dish and put it on the table in front of him. He smelled and picked up the chopstick, he tweezed the fish and he put it in his mouth, his eyes went big " HAHAHA, good good." Then he pulled me out of the tent and kept pulling my chain toward a podium. " From now on, she is our new chef!! Kill that old man and throw him out!" the burly man shouted. Since then, I became a chef. Based from their uniform, they are Da Chu soldiers. There was once granny took me out and showed me Da Chu''s border wall. Granny said that the tall man that is riding a big red hare is Da Chu''s great general, he is well known for being carefree and kind. And he is very loving towards his family but his daughter died after being born. The red one is Da Chu''s and the black one is Da Qi''s. When I was observing Da Qi''s soldiers, they suddenly split into half, giving way to an important figure. Then I saw a boy around 10 years old riding a young black hare, wooow the hare is so cool, and beside him there are two burly men. Maybe they are his bodyguard or something. Granny said that he is Da Qi''s crown prince and he is the representative of Da Qi and Da Chu peace treaty at that time. Wow, he is only 5 years older than me and already become such a great role model. But when I look up to see the boy again, I saw him looking at me. I froze then he looked away, his eyes are ink black with a tint of red in it. Then I noticed that the Da Chu''s great general eyes are unique too, his eye colour is golden, wow those aristocrat are blessed with good looks. Before I can fulfill my curiosity, granny told me to go home. But granny said that the soldiers under the Da Chu''s great general are kind but why are they slaving kids and elderly at here. Maybe they are someone that using Da Chu''s identity to cause a war between Da Qi and Da Chu. But I don''t have the prove to that, well I will just obediently become their chef. Chapter 4 - 4. Encounter Hong er POV I work in the kitchen, I sleep in the kitchen, I entertain myself in the kitchen, I do everything in the kitchen. I woke up at 3 in the morning and start to cook breakfast, I am alone in the kitchen that''s why I have to woke up early. I have to serve their meal at the dine hall and that''s how all my muscle build up. My knife skill is improving too. After they had their breakfast, they start to practice while I''m here washing dishes and cleaning the dine hall. After I finished cleaning, I always sneak out to peep on their practices, their weapons are really weird, it isn''t what Da Chu''s Soldiers use. I learned their swordmanship and martial arts, but I never tested it out before, I only learned their stance and moves. Even though I really want to learn archery, I can''t just steal their bow and arrows, what if they noticed, of course I will be killed. My hand are getting more and more callous on my hand, carrying a pot of soup that weight about 30 kilos everyday from morning till night. Practice martial arts and swordmanship using kitchen knife in midnight. That is my everyday life. And I noticed that sometimes the soldiers use Bei Zhou''s language and dialect while talking to each other, of course I eavesdrop on their conversation. My suspicion kept growing but I can''t do anything. Every night before sleep, I always holding on the jade that granny gave me. I talked to the wind if I feel lonely, I kissed the jade if I miss granny, but I never cried since the day granny died. Granny told me to always keep smiling and try my hardest to solve the problem, crying won''t solve anything. I always kept smiling even after being whipped, I purposely make them think that I am crazy idiot who always smiling and laugh for no reason. In this kind of situation, being smart is not a very good choice because the smarter you are the more they suspicious of you, they will kill you right away, they are heartless than animal. 18 months later Third person POV Around the camp, a hundred of elite soldiers in black clothes surrounding the camp. A boy standing in front of two tall young man, they age are about 16 years old but their eyes showed the opposite, their murderous glare can kill anyone with just a glance. How dare they use kids and elderly to do this rough work. Kill when they are hungry or sick, the little girls are used as a s.e.x toy. The killing intent keep growing until the boy hand rise, they immediately erase all the killing intent in their eyes. How can they let the enemy notice the murderous glare. They quickly kneeled " We apologize for not being cautious Your Highness". The boy only put down his hand while looking at a girl that is carrying a pot of hot soup. The pot is bigger than her body but she can lift it up with that skinny bare hand. Her hair is jet black and long, even though it is a bit messy but it looks so fluffy. Her bangs is covering her eyes making her more mysterious but her smile brighten her little pale face. And at that moment he felt his heart beating so loud. If the two subordinates know what he is thinking right now, they will be praying the gods to enlighten them. This prince always known for hating women because all the women he knew only want his position and looks. The only women he cares about are his mother and little sister. One of the subordinates, Hui Qing, braced his heart and called out " Your Highness, it is time to¡­" before he finish his sentence, " kill all of the enemy, capture and interrogate the victim, you know what to do and leave that girl for me" Then give them a nod and all of the soldiers come out from the hideout start the killing spree. The boy followed the girl to the kitchen, he peeped her from the window. Even when she was slaved, she is still smiling brightly. He sighed but the sudden voice shocked him " Who? " But she was replied with silence. She shrugged her shoulder and continuing to wash the dishes. Her voice is soft and calming. He had underestimated her, she is sharper than he thought. When she rolled up her sleeves, his blood immediately rose to the sky. HOW DARE THEY HIT HER?! Then he left to solve some business, let''s pray so that they can die peacefully. But god not on their side, he tortured all of them until they wished die than live. After he is done with his business, he came back to the kitchen. He saw her skillfully skinning the boar, even though he couldn''t see her eyes but he can feel her seriousness in it. He start to admire her for a little bit. He watched her from beginning till the end, then he knocked on the door. The girl turned around and saw a boy standing straight in front of the door. She had to look up because she is way shorter than him, her parted lips when she look up is so cute, the pink and plump lips look like a small kitten. She looked at the dazed boy, she is confused, why does she felt that he is so familiar? Then she saw that his clothes is covered with blood, she immediately run to one of the drawer and took out a box. She ran back to the boy, " Where does it hurt?" but the boy only look at her, then she tilted her head, " Where is your injury?". The boy grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. " At here". The girl''s eyes widened in shock, " Aiya, that''s bad, quickly take off your shirt" The girl quickly open the box and took out a pill and bandages but when she turn back to look at the boy " Eh? But it is not bleeding." And she is in silent for a while and asked again " What do you feel?", " My heart suddenly sped up and it is throbbing." The girl mouth is in agape, " Aiya! This is an emergency! You should immediately go find a physician. I only know how to treat external injuries!", " No, I only need you." "Aiyoo, I don''t know how to treat you. I never treat internal injuries." The boy: " She is as dense as a rock." Chapter 5 - 5. Suspicion Hong er POV While I am preparing to wash the dishes, I heard a sound but when I ask who is it, there is no one. Maybe it is the wind being naughty again. the kitchen is quite far from the other section, if it isn''t meal time, there were no one except me at the kitchen. After I stayed here for 18 months, I realized that the nature have different personalities based on the location. The wind here are quite childish and naughty, they always tease whenever I sleep. But they are harmless. After I finished everything, I heard a knock and when I look over, I saw there is a boy standing in front of the door. I have to look up because he is taller than me, he kept staring at me, I was confused. Maybe he is shy, then I look at his body, I realized that his clothes were covered in blood. I immediately went to one of the drawer and took the medicine box. My kitchen became some kind of infirmary to the soldiers, they came here if they have external injury, but if they have internal injury, they will go to the physician. The first time I asked him, he didn''t reply. Then I asked him for the second time, he suddenly grab my hand and place it on his chest. Hm? Injury at heart is really risky, how can they practice this dangerously?! I quickly told him to take off his shirt while I take out an anesthetic pill and bandages. I turned around and checked his body. He got a nice body for a kid but there is something more important. After I saw his body in perfect state, I start to think again. Clogged blood? Coronary artery disease? Dilated cardiomyopathy? Even though I know the types, I don''t know how to treat it. "What do you feel?" "My heart suddenly sped up and it is throbbing." Is it Arrhythmia? ( Arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat). Aiya that is really bad. I told him to go to find the physician but he said that he only need me? Da ge( big bro) didn''t I say that I can''t treat internal injury. I tell him gain that I only can treat external injury but he only look at me with a weird expression. Liu Weisheng ( Da Qi''s Crown Prince/ the boy) POV She is smart but dense to the hell. I sighed and I look at her again, I saw her bangs is covering her eyes. When I try to touch her bangs, a hand suddenly approach me, I jumped away and unsheathe my sword. When I focused again, I realized that it is the little girl. With kitchen knife on her right hand, she is on defense stance. Oh? She can use Bei Zhou''s martial arts? Is she on the same side as them? " Who are you?" the girl asked. " Why do you want to know?" I replied. " Why should I tell you? Just answer, who are you?" This girl got a big guts for her little body but her hand is trembling non stop. Just like a kitten trembling while baring her teeth. " I came here to inform you that the soldiers are taken down." Let see which side she is from. ( what he mean is by looking at her reaction). A smile crept up to her face, she put down her hands. " Oh, I want to apologize for my previous behavior. Are you new here?". Is she asking me am I a new slave? " uh, yeah." "ohh, so that''s why you don''t know anything. Here is kitchen and infirmary but I only treat external injury. Only soldiers can come here, slaves didn''t get food, they only drink water to survive. Of course the slaves won''t get treated if they got injured, that''s why I start to suspect you." I can''t help but curious, " But why don''t you attack me at that time?". " oohh, that is because everyone at here knew me. If you look at my eyes you will get contracted by a disease. So I thought that you were send here to kill me, hahahaha." Hm? There are that kind of disease? Maybe I will go ask imperial physician when I go back. " What is your name?" her voice brought me back from my thought. " Sheng er" I shouldn''t reveal my identity yet. " Yours?", "Mine is Hong er, see you again" she smiled and walked out. Third person POV After Hong er walked out, two figures appeared beside Weisheng, " Your Highness". Weisheng raised his hand and the two bow once then retreat. He walked out of the kitchen and followed Hong er. Hong er walked towards the middle of training field. While she was on her way toward the training field, she saw many corpse laying on the ground, blood is everywhere. Her face hold a slight smile, ''granny, the people who had harmed you are dead.'' *FLASHBACK* Hong er POV When I was serving the food like usual, a loud voice sound out " Really man, all the village here are poor. Especially the last one, that old woman''s house is emptier than my pocket. She gripped something on her hand even after I stabbed her. I was too angry that I wrecked all her house." All my body froze, my hand shaking. I look at the soldier with eyes full of hatred, my murderous gaze was noticed by him. He looked at me and throw me with his tray full of food. " WHAT THE F.U.C.K ARE YOU LOOKING?" he shouted at me. I kept glaring at him, the hot soup on my face can''t compare to the hatred in my heart. I was dragged outside and flogged 20 times, but my heart hurt much more knowing that the killer of granny is living under the same sky with me. *FLASHBACK END* Chapter 6 - 6. A Ball of Sunshine Third person POV Hong er stood in front of the crowd, because she is the longest slave that had stayed here. A burly tall man stood bravely on a podium, " From now on, All of you are released. You can go back to your hometown." After he finished his speech, Hong er walked forward and raise her hand. The two bodyguards in front of him blocked her with their sword. She stopped and kneeled, " We are grateful to have our freedom back, please accept our gratitude by having dinner at here." The general is suspicious of her, is she one of the enemy or slave? Poisoning? She won''t do it bluntly like this. While he was thinking, he noticed the crown prince standing behind the crowd, nodding his head toward the general. " Then we will accept it." Hong er smiled gleefully while leading them to the dine hall. She serve them like how she usually serve it. All the soldiers pitifully look at her, she is so tiny and skinny, but she cooked meals for hundreds big man. She carry the big pot herself, she washed all the dishes by herself, isn''t it cold if it is in winter. That tiny hand had to be in freezing cold water for hours and hours. She didn''t get any break, 3 meals a day, hundreds of servings. At least she had to prepare it 3 hours prior, after serving it, she had to wash and clean all of it for another 2 hours and start preparing for lunch again before she can take a break. While she serve them, her face is full of smiles. Finally she can visit granny''s grave after one and half year. Her smile makes all the cold hearted soldiers become warm and fuzzy. Even though she is being slaved for such a long time, she can still maintain a smile. What a strong mentality! All the soldiers even the prince praised her in their heart. Hong er looked at all the soldiers, she was amazed, they are so disciplined. After they took their tray and sit down, they didn''t eat it right away. It seems like they are waiting for all of their friends and eat together. Then her smile become brighter, it feels like a big family. While on the other side, all the soldiers started to melt by this ball of sunshine. Her messy bangs that covering her eyes are so fluffy just like a kitten. And when one of the soldiers can''t hold the urge to pat her head, he was cutely rejected. She put both of her hand on her bangs and pressing them down so it cover more of her face. " No¡­" she pouted her lips and her cheeks puffed up. OHMYGOSH! All of their heart are pierced by a cupid arrow, HOW CAN SHE BE THIS CUTE?! The one that was going to pat her head hesitantly ask her while gripping on his heart, " Wh- why I can''t pat your head?" He tried hard to not scream out because of this cuteness overload. But Hong er thought that she had hurt his feeling. After helping them(slaves) get their freedom back, she rejected his pat. She feel guilty all over her body, she feels bad for lying to them. But she don''t want her eyes to be gouged out, it is way too scary. She opened her mouth and close it again, she lower her head, " Because if you look at my eyes, you will contracted by a disease.." my voice getting smaller and smaller. " Oh¡­ok" the soldiers replied then he turned around and take away his tray. He couldn''t hold it in anymore, he go out of the dine hall and went to one of the tree, then he slammed his head on the tree. '' Get yourself together Lei Ruifeng, you were trained in the most elite force in Da Qi''s Kingdom. Don''t let a little kid wash away all of your effort. I must stay cold hearted, keep my face expressionless, inhale, exhale, huuu, haaa '' He go back to the dine hall. Meanwhile, Hong er once again thought that he is disappointed in her for lying to him. She must apologize and compensate him. After she serve all of them, she tidy up all the plates and bowls. When they offer a help, she politely reject them. She said that, " All of you had worked hard today, let me repay you with this small dinner." How can this heavenly food can be considered a small dinner?! Hey! Can we change our chef too?! While in one of the corner, a murderous aura spread through all of the dine hall. All the soldiers shocked by the aura, they turned around and saw the prince glaring at them. Then they obediently went back to their seat. . . . Right before they depart, a hand grabbed Lei Ruifeng''s sleeve, he looked down and saw Hong er with her head lowered. " Mister, can I ask for your name?" She looked up while holding his sleeve with her little hand. His heart squeezed, " My name is Ruifeng, why?" Then she shoved a wooden dagger in front of his face, " I apologize for my previous behavior but you will really get contracted by a disease if you look at my eyes. And this is a wooden dagger that I carved, even though it won''t be that useful, I hope it will always protect you whenever you go Feng dage(da ge means big brother in Chinese)." His heart become so warm and full of butterfly, ahhh what a perfect little sister. I, Lei Ruifeng, announce that from today onward, Hong er is Nation Little Sister. " Thank you, I will bring it whenever I go." He smiled gently and took the dagger, he put in one of his pocket. He didn''t know that the dagger was blessed by the spirits. Meanwhile on the other side, Weisheng kept glaring at their interaction. He was the first one that found her but why is she nicer to that guy. His vinegar jar is spilling like a waterfall. After the dinner, Weisheng ordered them to depart first so that she didn''t suspect his identity so that''s why he is standing behind her all this time but she won''t look at him even once. His mood is getting worse and worse, all the soldiers know the signal, they immediately depart as soon as Ruifeng took the dagger. Even after they depart she still looking at their direction. Right before he call her name, she turned around and walk toward him while holding a box wrapped in a white cloth. " Sheng ge, I''m sorry that i didn''t went to your table ( while dinner) before. So I specially cooked a chicken soup. I hope that you won''t be hungry while on your way to your hometown. Chicken soup is my speciality so I hope you will like it. I put some herb in it so it is good for your body. Please don''t mind the poor packing, I don''t have anything else other than this." She smiled brightly at him while holding out the box. All of his vinegar were washed out by her smile. She think about him more than that guy. The way she speak more comfortably than before already make him this happy. What if she cook for him everyday? Won''t he be die that day? " Thank you Hong er, I will definitely eat it until the last drop." He took the box and smiled warmly at her. Then she do something he never thought before, she hugged him, " I will miss you Sheng ge, I hope that you safely arrive to your destination. And I hope that we will meet again in the future." Weisheng immediately said '' of course, you will cook for me everyday in the future.'' In his heart. He should go slowly, he shouldn''t scare her away. " yeah, I will miss you too. We will definitely meet again in the future. Be safe Hong er." He hugged her back, why don''t he enjoy this moment while he can''t. she hugged him first so¡­ yeah. She watch him depart with a box in his hand, she kept waving her hand until his figure disappear. Chapter 7 - 7. Met Someone When I Pay a Visit Third person POV Hong er turned around after Weisheng silhouette disappear from her vision. She should start packing all her things and visit granny''s grave. After she lived here quite long, she knew where she is, it need about 3 hours walking from here to granny''s grave. After she packed some food, clothes and water, she went to the training field. All the corpses had been disposed, it just like nothing ever happened. She praised the soldiers professionalism in her heart. She went to an arsenal ( a place to keep the weapons), she looked around, her face show some disappointment. Most of the weapon are twice bigger than her body. It will too troublesome to bring such a big weapon on travel.Maybe she will just pick a dagger. She grabbed a sharp looking dagger and put it in her bag. She left the camp and start her journey to find a new home. . . . On the other side, Weisheng quietly watching her walking to the forest. He can''t help but worry about her safety. He commanded one of his subordinates to watch over her until she is a good hand. The subordinate immediately disappear from his side. Then he turned around and left. Hong er POV I kept walking without taking a rest, I have to get out of this forest before the sun set. It will be dangerous for a kid like me to travel alone in a forest, there is too many beasts and poisonous insects in this forest. After three and half hours of walking, I finally arrived at granny''s grave." Granny, I came back." I said while caressing thetombstone. I looked around the grave, there are so many leaves and branches, I need to clean up. 30 minutes later, I cleaned the tombstone and the field around the tombstone.Finally statisfied with the result, I plop down beside the tomstone, I took out the lunchbox and picked up my chopstick. I start eating quietly, the wind gently blow my face. " Hahaha, you guys still remember me? I will play with you after I eat." I sat on the groundwith my leg crossed, I like to sit and touch the ground because I can feel a relaxing energy flow to my body. But I feel a weird vibration on the ground and it''s kept growing bigger and bigger. This isn''t an earthquake, then I put my hand on the ground, this is horses! Why are there so many horses heading here? People rarely go here because the amount of the beasts. I close my lunchbox and wrap it back with a cloth. I touch granny''s tombstone for the last time, "I will visit you again." I ran back to the forest and hide in the bushes. I observe my surroundings carefully, the vibration has gone. Where did they go? Suddenly there is sword on my neck, " who are you? Why are you in the Thousands Beasts Forest?" a deep voice sounded out behind me. So that is the name of this forest, why granny never tell me. I stand up but the sword pressed harder to my neck, " don''t move. Just tell me your identity." I sighed,'' why is my luck so bad?'' " I was a slave but their camp attacked by Da Qi''s army, then I was released." There is no movement, so I turn around and shocked. How can a hundreds of men with horses suddenly appear behind you? They are Da Chu''s army and that flag is the Great General Xu''s family logo. The soldiers give way to a tall man in a red hare. It is the Great General Xu! " Kid, are you a slave from the valley back there? Did they wear the same uniform as us?" the Great General Xu asked me. " Yes, I am and yes they did." The tall man look at me with a warm gaze, " where do you come from? Da Chu or Da Qi?", he asked me with a gentler voice. Maybe I am a kid that''s why he didn''t his guard up agaisnt me. " Neither" I answered. Xu Tingfeng ( the Great General Xu) POV When I got a message from Da Qi''s crown prince that Bei Zhou used Da Chu''s identity to attack some of the villages around Da Qi to start a war betwween Da Qi and Da Chu. I immediately deploy some special forces to spy on them. After I got the evidences, I instantly brought my elite forces to destroy them. But on my way there, I got a message by an owl from the Crown Prince. It said that the killing part had been done, I should annihilate Bei Zhou to avoid any touble in the future. This rascal really is something else. Right before I command to slow down the pace, a weird and familiar energy come out from nowhere. It seems like a bunch of energy of the spirits is flowing towards the place ahead of us. This wasn''t any beast''s presence around here. I gave my subordinates a hand signal to quietly approach the source of energy. We slowly approach the source of the energy while hiding behind the trees. Huh? A little girl and a tombstone? The little girl seems like talking with the tombstone before running towards the forest. How a little girl like her can be in this dangerous forest? And where all the beasts go to? Sigh, her age maybe the same as Hong er. (A/N: Xu Tingfeng gave his daughter a name. It is Xu Feihong. So he used the last name Hong and put er{ affectionate way to call someone, mostly for their child.} but both of the Hong is in different meaning but same pronounciation.) We ( he, his wife and his family) have been searching non stop for her but there wasn''t any clue to find her. I hope she live well out there. We (he and the soldiers) have been watching all her movement from behing the tree. She is a bit clumsy but not bad, she knows where to hide and what to do. If she is under my training, I think she will be a great soldier. We moved to her behind and approach to her. No matter what, we shouldn''t lower our guard. Based on her outfit right now, maybe she is a beggar or a slave but she is clean, there are so many patches on her clothes. Maybe she only have a few clothes to survive. When we ask her identity, it confirm my suspicion. And I continue to ask, " Do you know who attacked the valley?" " Yes My Lord, it is Da Qi''s army." Oh? She seems to know a lot. So that crown prince really kill them all, woohooo~ less work. " So where are you going?" I need to recruit her, she got some skill ain''t she. She seem to shocked, " uumm, I don''t have any place to go My Lord." Hhmm, good good. " Then do you want to follow us? We are kind despite our look." She was surprised by my offer and she smiled, " Thank you very much My Lord. Hehehe." She giggled. I look at her. Why does it feel so comfortable when I am with her? Its weird, hhmmm~~. Chapter 8 - 8. With Great General Xu Xu Tingfeng POV She sit on a horse with one of my subordinate. I only brought cavalries when I depart, there is no way I let a little girl walk on her bare feet while we use horse. I''m not that bad yknow. ( A/N: you can know Xu Tingfeng''s personalities from here. He is a carefree and funny guy.) I noticed that her bangs is covering her eyes, how can see the road if her eyes covered? " What is your name and why are you covering your eyes?" I asked curiously. " She looked at me and smiled, " My name is Hong, My Lord. I covered my eyes because if you look at my eyes, you will get contracted by a disease." I froze after I heard her name. Even their name is similar. " Ohh, what a pretty name. Where are your parent?" " I don''t have any parent. I was raised by a granny, My Lord." She said it leisurely. Don''t tell me. After I look closely, her lip and jaw are similar with Qing er(his wife). " Do you know who are your parent?" I hesitated but I braved myself to ask. " No I don''t. Granny said that I was found in a well, there are no letter or anything about my identity." She look up the sky and smiled. Maybe the tombstone before is the granny that she is talking about. " Ohh, we will continue the conversation later." After we arrived at the border, we were greeted by a lot of commoners. I reassure them that there will be no problem. I directly go to my residence. Hong er POV Woooww the wall is so tall. I have never been this close to the border so I didn''t realize that it will be this tall. After we passed the big door, there are so many people greet us with worried faces. Their face immediately brightens after they heard the General Xu''s explanations. After 15 minutes, we arrive at a big house, no, residence. The gate is made with black with a tint of red wood. I know the wood but I don''t know the name. I don''t have any book granny''s house. I saw this wood for a few times in the forest but I don''t know he usage so I just left it behind. " Xu Residence" it were carved in the same wood as the gate and have a gold frame around it, even the name were gold. Damn riches. We enter the residence and greeted by the servants. They are looking at me with a weird expressions. I only flashed them my white teeth and bow my head towards them. They hesitated but still bowed at me. Their eyes followed me even though I passed them. Xu Tingfeng POV I instruct the maids to properly serve the little girl and tell her to come to the main hall. After I instruct all the things that need to be done, I went to Hong er and put my hand on her head. " I tell the maids to clean you up and then take you to the main hall. If you need anything else, just tell the servants. If they mistreat you in any way, I will punish them for you." I smiled gently at her. She were surprised for a moment then she look up at me. She smiled widely that my eyes hurt. The she kowtowed " Thank you very much My Lord. This is more than enough." I immediately lift her up, " Aiya, it''s okay. Do you like to kneel that much? Should I make a new fighting techniques for kneeling? Ei? It''s not a bad idea don''t you think?" I look at her questioningly. I hope she think it is funny. " Ahahahahaha, what''s with that, My Lord? But it''s not a bad idea. You can repel any attack even while you were praying. Hahaha." She laughed. SHE LAUGHED. All this time, no one understand my jokes, it is so funny but no one laughed. But she thought that my joke is funny, even Qing er only gave me cold shoulders when I told a joke. I lift her up and spin her in the sky. " Ahahaha, finally I met a person that I can share my jokes with. I''m so happy right now." I didn''t realize that I spun her too fast so I immediately put her down. " Are you okay? Sorry kid, I spin you too fast. I was overexcited." I look down at her but I found that she is smiling at me. " I''m fine, My Lord. And I think that it is quite fun." My heart, exploded. She is so cute that I think I''m gonna die. Chapter 9 - 9. I think I Found Our Daughter Xu Tingfeng POV I went to Qing er''s study room but I felt a hot and cold aura from inside seeping out. I immediately open the door without knocking. "Qing er!! Are you okay?!" I looked around but I can''t found her. I start to panic but before I can call the servants, a smack landed on my head. " What aren''t you knocking? It is dangerous. And what the hell are you doing here? Aren''t you on a mission?" I turned around and hugged her. " Qing er, don''t you miss your husband?" she smacked me again. " I miss you. I was only confused." And she smacked me again. " That rascal (Liu Weisheng) kill all of them. I left some troops to clean it up." I kissed her forehead and smiled at her. She smacked me again, " Just say that you are lazy." " My Qing er know me the best." I laughed. Even though she often smack me, she didn''t put any strength in the smack so I just called it Smack Of Love. " Did it fail again?" I asked. " yeah, this is the twentieth time. The stones won''t let me approach them. It feels like they are rejecting me. Even after I tested it with many different way, it stays stubborn." She tiredly sit down and drink the tea that I poured for her. The stones that I found in Mountain of Goddess while on one of the mission. I can''t enter the mountain because it had a very strong magic barrier, only people that were selected by the gods can enter the mountain. Even if I can''t enter it, we still protect the mountain from the outside of the barrier. When I was strolling around the base of the mountain with some of my soldiers, I found out that the aura around the mountain are different than usual. Suddenly a gust of wind pushed me inside the barrier, the wind is too strong and sudden for me to block. So I fell to the other side of the barrier. I was confused because how the hell can I enter the barrier. While I was thinking, my subordinates were panicking outside the barrier. They are banging the barrier and shout something but I can''t hear them. So I gave them hand signals to guard the barrier and don''t let anyone know about this thing. If that shitty emperor know that I entered the Mountain of Goddess, he will do anything to kill and harm my family again. I turned around and followed the wind. The trees and the plants give way for me, maybe the gods had something for me to do. I used qinggong and after 2 hours of running, I arrived at the peak of the mountain. There is a cave in front of me and the wind stopped at here. The aura is getting stronger as I entered the cave. The cave isn''t that deep but it is huge. I found 5 stones laying on a white jade table. The jade is so beautiful but it was freezing cold. The five stones are emitting different light and different aura. There are white, red, dark blue, sky blue, and green. Is this the Stones of Gods? There was a myth about gods had their own stones. If anyone own a stone, it means they are blessed by the god of the stone. It said that even if it was in someone''s hands but they are not the selected one, they won''t be able to use the power. No one knows how big the power is. But even until now, people still looking for the stones. Even if they can''t use the power directly, at least they can use the Selected One''s power. I think the gods were telling me to take it, but I don''t think that I''m the Selected One. Maybe the gods are telling me to pass it to the Selected One. So I took the stones and wrap it with a cloth. I kept it in my pockets and put a barrier on the stones to block the aura. It will be bad if someone notice the aura. I didn''t waste any time, I immediately bring it to Qing er to investigate it. She is a one of the greatest mage in this realm. Usually normal people are not blessed by the spirit. Even a genius usually blessed on by two or one spirit. But she was blessed by 5 spirits together with her bestfriend blessed by 6 spirits. Even though her bestfriend blessed by more spirits than her, they will have a draw if they fight each other. Because Qing er is better at controlling her power than Zhenxin (Bai Huiqing''s bestfriend). Me and Zhenxin''s husband both have two spirits and we are bestfriend too. When Guizhi (his bestfriend) introduce Zhenxin to me, she brought Qing er with her too. The very first time I laid my eyes on her, I fell in love with her. Guizhi fistbumped me, " Whaddya think bro?" he asked me. " Perfect bro" I fistbumped him back. Okay okay back to the story, Qing er''s spirits said that it was God of Fire Sheng Huo, God of Water Qing Shui, God of Wind Feng Mian, God of Earth Shu Lin, and God of Light Sheng Jie. Both of us were surprised and confused. The gods guided me bring back the stones but the moment after I put the stones in Qing er''s study room, it won''t let us come near the stones. It has been 1 month since I brought back the stones. I suddenly remembered Hong er, I hugged Qing er thighter. " What''s wrong?" she worriedly asked me. "I think I found our daughter." Chapter 10 - 10. I Think I Found Our Daughter pt 2 Third person POV " W- what did you just say?" Bai Huiqing turned around and grabbed Xu Tingfeng''s hand. " D-did you just say you found o-our daughter?" Her eyes started to water. " Where is she? I need to look at my daughter." Her tears fell down but her face is full of smiles. Before she can run out of the room, Xu Tingfeng grabbed her shoulder and hugged her. " I instruct the maids to let her take bath and rest for a while. We can meet her in dinner time. So you take a rest too. What if you faint after seeing her?" Xu Tingfeng guided her to a nearby chair and let her sit. " W-Where did you find her? How?" Her face is wet with tears but she can''t hide her excitement. After 6 years of separation with her daughter, she can''t sleep peacefully. Sometimes she will cry in her sleep, meeting her daughter in her dreams. Xu Tingfeng smiled at her wile wiping her tears, " I found her when I was on mission earlier. I can only say this to you. Later you can ask her. She still don''t know anything so ask her slowly, okay?" He kissed her head. She nodded. Hong er POV The beautiful sister brought me to a room and she suddenly start to strip me. I used my hand to hold on my clothes, " Beautiful sisters, what are you doing?" I asked them with scared face. I heard them giggling and say "cute". My face redden and when I try to run away, she grabbed my hand. " We are here to help you bath." She smiled gently at me. " I-I can bath alone." " Aiya, that won''t do Miss. What if you made the Lord and Madam waiting?" I looked at them for a while then I loosened my hand, " O-Okay, it won''t be good if made them wait for me." I let them undress me but still, IT WAS SO EMBARRASSING. But after I enter the bathroom, all my embarrassment gone. WASEI! ( a Chinese slang to wow!) the bathroom is bigger than my house. The interior are amazing! Even the bathtub can fit 20 people. The moment I put my foot in the water, I was surprised. Then I dipped my body into the water, uwaah it feels really good. I smiled and closed my eyes. When I feel water running through my hair, I immediately opened my eyes. I touch my bangs, thank goodness they haven''t washed my bangs. ( the maids only soaked her hair form behind) " Uumm, I can wash my own hair." " Miss, your hair is so long, so it will take a long time if you washd it by yourself." "B-But you shouldn''t look at my eyes okay?" "Yes, Miss" I closed my eyes tightly while they wash my hair. It is so comfortable but I shouldn''t lower my guard. After they washed my hair, I used a towel to cover my eyes until I finished my bath. When they put the clothes on me, I closed my eyes, because I need to extend my hand so they could put the dress on. And they guided my to a chair and start to dry my hair. I feel hot air blowing my hair. I was curious " What is this hot air?" I still closing my eyes so I don''t know what they use. " This is the magic that Madam created. She put some fire magic in a magic stone and the wind mage can use the magic stone to create hot air to dry hair and clothes in winter. And there is a magic stone with ice magic, we can use it in summer. The cold air is so refreshing in those seasons." I was amazed by the Madam creativity. Maybe people won''t call me weird when I do those things in here. I giggled by my own thought. " Okay Miss, we are done. Woow, Miss''s hair is so smooth and pretty." One of the maid said. I touched my bangs and relieved after knowing that they still keep my bangs long. I cover my eyes with the bangs and slowly opened my eyes. I was really surprised, I never really know how I look because I never had a mirror. I have a jet black and long hair, it looks so fluffy. I have a plump lips and sharp chin, I look too thin. I had a small and straight nose. I smiled and look at my teeth, I got white and straight teeth. I am still touching my face until I heard the maids giggled. I immediately put my hands down and my face redden. Someone knocked " Miss, the Lord and Madam are waiting for you in the main hall." " The Miss is done, we will be right there." The maid outside bowed and left. And when I stand up, I realized that the dress is longer than my usual clothes. The pink dress is so soft and beautiful, it must be really expensive. The embroidery on the dress is really pretty too. I almost fell when I stepped on the skirt. The maids were panicked and helped me up. " Please be careful. What if you got hurt." The maids worriedly tell me. A warm feeling spreading around my heart. I smiled at them and bowed, " Thank you for helping me up. No need to worry about me, I had a strong body, I hardly get hurt. Hehehe." When I look at the maids face, I was surprised to see tears on their eyes. " Miss is too kind to us. We will definitely serve Miss with our best." I only smiled and followed them to the main hall. Chapter 11 - 11. Dinner Together Third person POV In the kitchen* " The chef fainted! Someone call the physician!" people are surrounding the fainted chef. The commotion caught Hong er''s attention. Hong er''s approach the crowd and asked, " What happened?" The servants are surprised by the soft voice, they turned around and saw a little girl. Before they even can reply," Give way." An old man with white beard jogged here. The physician squatted beside the chef and checked his pulse, after a minute, he retracted his hand. " He will be fine for now but it still need a treatment. Carry him to my hall." A guard came and piggyback the chef. After the chef and the physician left, the servants start to panic. " What''s wrong?" I asked. A maid stepped forward with worried face, " When I want to take the tray from the chef, he suddenly faint, the food for the Lord''s and Madam''s dinner were spilled. Because the Lord hardly trust anyone, there is only Uncle Mu that can cook in this residence. He work alone in the kitchen so there were no experienced cook in here." Her eyes start to water. She covered her eyes and kneeled " I will definitely get punished boohoo~" Hong er POV I went to her side and pat her back, " It is okay, the Lord is a very kind person. He won''t punish you for this." I smiled at her and wipe her tears with my sleeve. " Don''t cry anymore, it will ruin your beautiful face." I glanced the spilled food '' what a waste''. I pull her up and look at the other servants. " I''ve got some experience in cooking. I will cook the Lord''s and Madam''s dinner." I turned around and walk in to the kitchen. I look at the remaining ingredients '' Yeah, this is more than enough.'' I start to wash and chop the ingredients, I do it carefully so I didn''t dirty this beautiful dress. ( A/N: I will skip the cooking process, idk how to cook) After 2 hours, I passed the food tray to the maids. I followed them to the main hall. Bai Huiqing POV I can''t wait for dinner time, after 6 years of searching, finally I found my daughter. I give the maid a pink dress that I made myself. Every year, I made clothes for her despite not knowing her size. I always imagine her wearing it but I can see her wearing it now. I was excited until it passed the dinner time. I told the maid to take the young miss here if she is done. She said that Hong er is on the way here but 30 minutes had passed, she still hasn''t arrive. I started to worry, " Hubby, why she haven''t arrive yet? Is something happen to her? I''m gonna check her." But Tingfeng hold my hand. " She is okay, there are 10 shadow guards to protect her. Just give her some times." He pulled me down to the chair. After an hour, he suddenly stand up, " I can''t hold it anymore." He run out the hall and I followed him. When we are on the way to her room, there is a crowd standing in front the kitchen. Both of us stopped and asked the servants. They were shocked and immediately kneeled. " Why aren''t you working? Is there any problem?" I asked with a serious tone. " Madam, the chef fainted when he was cooking. Then a little girl came and offer a help to cook. At first we want to reject it but after seeing her cooking, we were fascinated." A footman that kneeled at the front told me everything. " A little girl?" ''Is it her?'' I walked towards the kitchen and smelled something delicious. I peeked inside and saw a little girl with pink dress skillfully cooking. She was so busy cooking that she didn''t realize that the loud crowd became as silent as night. After 50 minutes watching her cook, she almost finished all the dishes. They food looks so delicious. I decided to return to the main hall with Tingfeng to wait for her come here. 15 minutes later, a group of maids holding trays of food and a little girl walked behind them entered the main hall. My tears fell after looking at her walking toward here. She was looking down and bangs were covering her eyes. She kowtowed " My Lord, Madam, I''m sorry for arriving too late. Please punish this useless slave." I feel a thousand knifes stabbing through my heart. I walked up to her and pull her up. " You don''t need to apologize, I heard what you did for you to be so late. And please don''t call yourself useless and slave my dear." I hold on her hands like she was going to disappear in any second. " Madam?" her voice woke me up. I wiped my tears away and guided her to sit on the chair between me and Tingfeng. I looked at the food on table, " Are you the one who cook all of this?" I asked her. " Yes Madam" she bowed. I picked up one of the food with chopstick and put it in my mouth. " Wow, it is very delicious. You should eat too. Look! You are so thin, here." I put many meats on her ricebowl. "Thank you Madam." I only smiled at her. But suddenly a loud voice disturbed us, " WASEI! Kid! You cook this? Ya got skillful hand there dontcha? HAHAHA. Wow all of them are delicious." I frowned, this guy really can''t read mood. Before I can scold him, a cute laugh stopped me, " hahaha, I am happy that My Lord found the food I cooked delicious." I looked at her '' they even have the similar personality''. " Don''t talk while you eat." I scolded. " Yes ma''am." They dispiritedly replied. They really are similar. Chapter 12 - 12. Checking the Truth Third person POV The maids clean up the table and left the hall. Only leaving the three of them. " Hong er, how is your life until now?" Bai Huiqing asked Hong er while gently holding her hand. " uhm, quite good." Hong er replied. Bai Huiqing :" Where do you live before you come here? Where is your guardian?" Hong er: " I live in a small village beside Thousands Beasts Forest with my granny. She died one and a half year ago. Since then I was a slave until this morning. I became a chef in there that''s why I had some experience in cooking." Bai Huiqing:" y-you were slaved?" Hong er: " yes ma''am" Suddenly a frightening aura come out from Bai Huiqing, the ground shook by its aura. A large hand hold her hand, she looked at Xu Tingfeng. Seeing his bad expression too, make her a little bit calm. The ground stop shaking. Hong er: " Madam, are you okay?" Bai Huiqing caress Hong er''s hair. Bai Huiqing: " I''m fine. You are a good child for worrying about me. What did they do to you?" Hong er: " nothing special, they whipped me, flogged me, and beat me up. But I was lucky enough that I got to eat even if it was only once a day." Hong er lean closer to Bai Huiqing''s hand, '' uhm, it feels warm.''. Bai Huiqing''s hand shook , the ground start to shook again but it is stronger this time. Xu Tingfeng was angry after he knew that she was slaved by those Bei Zhou. But after listening to what she had been through, he is furious. " My Lord! Madam!" A voice woke them up. Bai Huiqing: " What''s wrong Hong er?" Hong er: " My Lord and Madam both have a very scary expression. So I thought that you were disgusted by me. I am sorry if I dirty this place with my lowly presence but please don''t kick me out. I have nowhere to go." Hong er quickly kowtowed and slammed her head on the floor for a few times. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing are shocked by her action. They immediately pulled her up and stopped her from slamming her head on the floor. Bai Huiqing: " No, that isn''t what we mean. We are just angry by how they treat you. And why would you think we will kick you out?! Don''t ever slam your head like that ever again!" Hong er: " Really? I can stay here?" Bai Huiqing: " yes, you can." Xu Tingfeng stood silently, not uttering a word like how he usually did. '' I WILL ANNIHILATE BEI ZHOU!'' " My Lord, Madam." The physician from before bowed. Bai Huiqing: " Why are you here?" Shu Huatuo: " My Lord had ordered me to come after dinner time. As what I''m going to do, I still don''t have any idea." Bai Huiqing: " Why?" Xu Tingfeng: " Uncle Tuo, please check her. She said that if someone look at her eyes, they will be contracted by a disease." Shu Huatuo was shocked, is there a disease like that? He sit beside Hong er and checked her pulse. Right now Hong er is sweating, she is afraid that they will find out she is lying to them. After a while, Huatuo retracted his hand. Shu Huatuo: " There is nothing wrong with her, she is as healthy as a normal person." Hong er face paled, her life is done. Just after she found a kind master, she is going to die. She closed her eyes tightly. Bai Huiqing: " Would you let us see your eyes?" Bai Huiqing asked gently. Hong er opened her eyes and nodded. '' What is the use of protecting your eyes being gouged out when you literally going to die.'' She sweep up her bangs and slowly open her closed eyes. She looked down, afraid of looking at their face. But she was suddenly hugged by Bai Huiqing. She was too shocked that she can''t move. '' I have not die?'' then she look at Xu Tingfeng that have a shocked expression on his face. He couldn''t hold his tears, he really found his daughter. Hong er realized that the Madam is also crying. She patted Bai Huiqing''s back with her little hand. '' What is Happening?'' After 30 minutes of crying, Bai Huiqing finally released her from her hug. She laughed after she saw Hong er''s super confused face. Bai Huiqing: " hahaha, maybe you are confused by this." Bai Huiqing ordered a maid to bring a mirror. After the maid gave Hong er the mirror, she froze. This is the first time she see her eyes, granny only told her that she had a unique eye color. She touched her eyes. She had a golden eyes. The same golden as the General Xu. Chapter 13 - 13. Soup Third person POV Hong er was shocked by the truth of her eyes. She didn''t believe what is happening right now. She was a poor villager and became a slave, and she is a legal daughter of the Great General Xu. Even the emperor need to think twice before he talk to this general. Xu Tingfeng noticed Hong er''s disbelieve expression on her face. He chuckled and patted her head. Xu Tingfeng: " we will explain it to you tomorrow. You need to rest after what happened today." Xu Tingfeng summoned the maids to guide Hong er to her bedroom. After Hong er left the main hall, the three of them looked at each other. Bai Huiqing: " Uncle Shu, please don''t tell this to anyone until she can protect herself." Shu Huatuo: " yes Madam" Bai Huiqing: " Hubby, you know what to do right?" Xu Tingfeng: " Uhm." Xu Tingfeng nodded and walk out the hall. *** Hong er POV I had changed to my sleepwear, wasei~, even the night gown is high quality. Even if I sell my house and all my belongings, I still can''t buy this nightgown. At that moment I didn''t realize that the maids are looking me. I rub the gown like it is the softest thing I ever touched. Their chuckle woke me up from my imagination. I coughed and said " You can take a break, I am going to sleep. Good night." I quickly run to the bed and wrap myself with the fluffy blanket. How many times do I have to embarrass myself? My eyelids slowly close and I drift off to dream. 3 AM I slowly open my eyes. I drag myself out of the bed and washed my face. I stretch my body and tidy up myself. I cover my eyes with my bangs, I''m still not used to people staring at my eyes. I grab a simple looking cloak and wrap myself with it. I open the door and noticed that there are guards patrolling. '' They must be cold.'' ( November) When I was still a slave, I always woke up at 3 AM so it became a habit now. Huft¡­ I have nothing to do. I don''t really know the wind here ( she always play with the wind if she got bored). Meh¡­ I will just cook. I try to remember the way to the kitchen, the guards noticed me and bowed to me. I bowed back but their expression is so funny. ( They are shocked that a noble bowed to a servant.) They work really hard in this cold night. Should I make them a soup? I kept thinking what soup I should make while I walk to the kitchen. I didn''t realize that there are 10 shadow guard following me. At last, I decided to make ginger soup and breakfast for the Lord and Madam. After 1 hour, I wrapped the bowls with a cloth and shouldered it with my hands carrying a pot of soup. When I walked outside, suddenly 2 men appear in front of me. I jumped, the soup in my hands almost fall. Ah Tong: " Miss, we will carry the pot and the bag." Hong er: " Who are you?" Ah Xi: " We are here to protect miss." I looked at their clothes, I saw the Xu family'' logo. I let out a sigh and asked. Hong er: " How many are your friends that are still hiding?" They were surprised, they thought that I didn''t know they followed me since yesterday. I only know they followed me but I don''t know how many and where they were hiding. Since they didn''t attack me, I don''t care about them. But after I knew that they are here to protect me, I feel safe around them. They are too shocked that they forgot to reply me. Hong er: " Gege ( brother), I mean no harm. Just tell them to come out here." They made a hand signal, not long after, 8 people came out from nowhere. There are 5 women and 5 men, all of them wear black clothes with black mask covering half of their face. I put down the pot and unwrap the bag. I took out ten bowls. I pour the soup to the bowl and pass it to them. Ah Xi: " M-Miss?" Hong er: "hm?" I raised my eyebrow and smiled at them. All of them: " ?" Hong er: " hahaha, I made it for you guys. All of you had worked hard in this cold night to protect me. I only can repay you with this." Ah Tong POV The soup is warm and smell good. I was touched by the Miss''s kindness. She think about us, she is worried about us. Because we are shadow guard, no one knows our existence except the Lord and Madam. No one cared about us except the Lord and Madam. But no one had been this kind toward us like the Miss. All of us are orphans. We were picked up and trained by the Lord. He took care of us and we serve him. It is a mutual relationship between us. I drink the soup and surprised, it is so delicious. After I swallowed the soup, I feel a warm sensation inside my body. I look at my teammate, their cheeks are rosy. Hong er: " If you guys wondering what I put in there, don''t worry its good for your body. It is only a normal ginger soup with some herbs to warm up your body. Okay, up we go, I have to go see the other servants." She lifted up the big pot, I immediately snatch it from her. " Miss, this is our duty to serve you. Not you serve us." I sighed. Hong er: " hahaha, okay okay, you carry the pot." We literally went to all of the guard posts but there isn''t any tiredness on her face. She is better than I thought, as expected, the daughter of General Xu. Even their personality are similar. I think the Miss is unconsciously grabbed all the servants heart. By looking at their expression after they drink the soup is obvious. She even gave the soup to the servants that passed through. At last, we went to main gate and gave them the soup. But unexpectedly My Lord came home with his troops. Blood on his clothes, oohooo~, so he already kill that troublesome king Bei Zhou. How could a small kingdom dare to provoke the two biggest kingdoms in this realm? But someone tugged on my sleeve, " Ah Tong, quickly bring new sets of bowls." She pushed my back. I used qinggong and I came back in 1 minute. You must be wondering how can a pot of soup feed all the servants in this residence? It is because the bowl is quite small and the soup is enough for more than a hundred people. My miss is cool right~ Chapter 14 - 14. They Drink My Blood Xu Tingfeng POV After I left the main hall, I directly went to Bei Zhou. We used the combination of Qinggong and wind magic, that''s why we can arrive there in 2 and half hour. We killed all the royal family because all of them are sc.u.mbags too. They were the usual royal family, killing each other for power. Then why don''t I help them with that? We killed the corrupt officer and minister too. After one hour of killing spree, we left Bei Zhou. I kept thinking about Hong er waiting for me at home. I always pray to the gods so that Hong er can live a better life out there. But It still didn''t work, she lived as a slave, how can a father not be furious after knowing his daughter was slaved? I was too absorbed in my thoughts that I didn''t realize I had arrive. I noticed that a little white creature is talking with the guards. When I want to scold the guards for not properly di his job, I realized that they were talking to Hong er. What is that in their hand? A bowl? Hm? It smells like ginger. Then I saw that she pushed Ah Tong and walked here. She bowed, " My Lord, you had come home." I nodded. " ehm, What are you doing this early? The sun hasn''t even rise yet." Hong er: " ooohh, I cook for the soldiers when I was a slave. That''s why I had to wake up early and now it became a habit. Hehehe." Xu Tingfeng: " But it is cold out here, why don''t you go back to your room and warm yourself up? Look, even your hand had become this cold." I rub her hands to make it warm but what I saw is scars. Her little white hands had scars everywhere. Xu Tingfeng: " How did you get this?" Hong er: " I practice swordmanship with a kitchen knife that''s why I got so many cuts on my hands." I looked at her solemnly, " tell me the truth." Hong er: " ¡­ they cut my hands and drank my blood. If I refuse or struggle, they would tie me with prickly wire. Then the blood will come out if I struggle. They used their sword to cut my palms, my arms, my legs and my thighs after that they will drain my blood into a cup." Third person POV Xu Tingfeng''s hand froze. All the soldiers, the guards, and the 10 shadow guards are shocked. They drank her blood? She was this skinny and little, they still drain her blood?! Xu Tingfeng: " Wh-Why?" Hong er: " They said that my blood can heal their wounds and make their body stronger. Sometimes they drank my blood only if they were heavily wounded. But every month they would drink my blood before they went to the battlefield. A spoon for a person, there are 5 hundreds of them. They cut my neck once because they suffered huge casualties. But my body healed quite fast." The atmosphere is so heavy right now. All of them had a scary expression on their face. Hong er felt guilty for making the atmosphere heavy. She noticed Ah Tong had come back. She smiled brightly and take the bowl from Ah Tong. Hong er: " Aiya, My Lord and the others might be hungry right now. I made a ginger soup to warm up your body. Here you go, My Lord. I made your breakfast too, I will bring it to My Lord and Madam later. Drink it before it gets cold." Hong er smiled as wide as she can to lift off this heavy aura. She is happier after watching them gulp down the soup. '' We will protect Miss even if its cost our life.'' And since then, the elite forces vowed to always be loyal to the Miss. The heavy aura disappeared right after they drank the soup. It is truly delicious aa~. Hong er went back to the kitchen, she saw the chef is running. " AHH, I woke up late. I only have 30 minutes left to make the breakfast. Agghh" he shouted while running. He entered the kitchen and surprised to see a little girl with a black clothed man. " Kid, what are you doing here?" Hong er: " eeerrr, cook?" Uncle Mu: " hm? No one is allowed to enter the kitchen without my permission." Hong er: " I''m sorry." Uncle Mu: " Its okay, no big deal. Hm? You cook these?" Hong er: " ehm" Uncle Mu look at the food on the tray, '' smell delicious, beautiful plating, looks delicious, and now the taste¡­'' Uncle Mu ate the leftover in the pan. '' taste good too, no poison'' Uncle Mu nodded his head with his eyes closed. " Kid, this is for the Lord and the Madam right?" Hong er: " yes it is. I cook it because I thought that Uncle Mu need some rest after what happened yesterday." Uncle Mu looked at her and nodded his head, '' ehm, attitude is good''. " Thanks kid, I wil cook for you as my gratitude. Now go bring it to the Main Hall." Hong er nodded and take the tray. " Yo, you there. Who is she? Never saw her before." Uncle Mu asked Ah Tong. " She is our new Miss." Ah Tong leave the shocked Uncle Mu and followed Hong er. '' I-I just ordered our young miss around like a maid. Sh*t!" " Miss! Miss! Miss!" Uncle Mu chased Hong er. Realized that someone called her, she turned around and saw Uncle Mu panting. Hong er walked to Uncle Mu, " What''s wrong?". " Miss, haah haah, I haah haah apologize for haah haah my previous behavior." Hong er was surprised but quickly smiled, " it''s okay, I don''t mind it at all. Then I will continue delivering the food. And Uncle Mu." Uncle Mu looked at her. " please don''t run like that, it is bad for your heart. What if you faint again?" she smiled and turned around. Uncle Mu just stand there looking at the leaving silhouette, '' kindness perfect''. Chapter 15 - 15. Father, Mother Third person POV Bai Huiqing was sleeping peacefully for the first time after 6 years. Xu Tingfeng didn''t wake her up, he sat beside her. He swept away her hair that is covering her face and he kissed her forehead. Xu Tingfeng instructed the maid to tell the Miss to have breakfast in here. Not long after, Hong er gently knocked the door, " My Lord, Madam, I am here to bring your breakfast." Xu Tingfeng: " come in." The maid opened the door from outside. Hong er entered and saw a tall figure sat on a white jade chair, holding a book in his right hand and a cup of tea in his left hand. His jet black hair compliment his shining golden eyes. The black silk nightgown revealed a little bit of his chest muscle. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Hong er saw a woman figure sleeping on the bed, '' the Madam has not woke up yet.'' She put the tray on the round white jade table and sat on the opposite of Xu Tingfeng. She saw the book on Xu Tingfeng''s hand, her eyes start to glimmer. Xu Tingfeng noticed her excitement toward the book, he found it funny. He tapped her head with the book, " Do you want to read it?" " Uhm!" she nodded quickly, her big eyes staring at him with excitement. Xu Tingfeng chuckled '' she is just like a puppy wagging her tail.'' He gave the book. A grunt from behind the curtain make them turned around. The Madam sleepily looked at them, " hm? Are you guys waiting for me?" " Uhm, go wash your face and have a breakfast." Xu Tingfeng said while patting her head. " okay" After 3 minutes, the Madam sat between Xu Tingfeng and Hong er. They silently ate but the atmosphere evidently happy and light. They are enjoying each other presence while eating. Xu Tingfeng: " Qing er, these are made by Hong er." Bai Huiqing: "Really? It is so delicious so I thought that Uncle Shu made it." Bai Huiqing looked at Hong er with a proud smile. Hong er was embarrassed by the sudden attention, she lowered her head. Hong er: " ehehehe, I just woke up too early and had nothing to do. And when I saw the guards were working so hard, I feel like I want to make them some soup to warm their body. I suddenly remembered that My Lord and Madam had a very tired eyes, so I thought that it would be good to make a healthy food for My Lord and Madam." Bai Huiqing: " uhm, what a good child." Bai Huiqing patted Hong er head and put meats on her rice. Hong er was so happy, she finally can feel what parent''s love is. Bai Huiqing: " where do you learn how to cook?" Hong er: " I look at granny cooking and I learned it by myself." Bai Huiqing: " wow, even though you learn it by yourself, it taste like professional chef made it." Hong er: " Hehehe, Thank you ma''am" . . . After they ate, the maids take out the plates and bowls. They silently sat there looking at each other. Bai Huiqing gripped her hand beneath her sleeve. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, do you want to know why we cried yesterday?" Hong er: " uhm." Bai Huiqing took a deep breath and try to calm herself. A hand hold her hand tightly, encouraging her to tell Hong er the truth. Bai Huiqing: " 6 years ago, I gave birth to a daughter but before even I can hold my own daughter, she was kidnapped by assassins. I used my last energy to put a magic on her, a lotus mark would appear on her. The magic allow us to feel her lifeforce. Just by that, we still had a hope. We searched her for six years and finally we found her." Bai Huiqing caressed Hong er''s face. Hong er was shocked. She really was their daughter. But how? Hong er: " But how can you know that I was your daughter just by looking?" Bai Huiqing: " Your eye color. A real noble have a unique eye color. It is difficult to inherit the real noble eye color. The rule to inherit the real noble eye color is you are a direct descendant of the particular family. But that is not the hard part. The descendant had to have a noble aura. And to get that, you have to be chosen by the ancestor of the family. They can give you the noble aura and they take it back too. All your power will disappear and your eyes will be all white. And every full moon, the curse will be activated, you will feel your eyes being gouged out for a whole night. The Xu family had a golden eye color. That''s why we can that you are our daughter just that lotus mark on your forehead and your golden eyes." Xu Tingfeng: " uhm, and now you know that you are our daughter. Don''t call us " My Lord" or " Madam" again, call us father and mother." Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng got up and hugged Hong er. Feeling warmth spread through all of her body, Hong er hugged them back. " Yes, father, mother." Chapter 16 - 16. Hei An and Sheng Jie Third person POV Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, do you want to know your real name?" Hong er : " uhm, I want to. But I still like the name that granny gave me. Bai Huiqing: " It is okay, actually there are no difference. Because your name is Xu Feihong, it means '' a swan goose soaring high in the sky'', we really hope that you will have a bright future. We can still call you Hong er. Your father was the one insisted on giving you this name even though I said that it is too boyish for our daughter. Hmph! " Xu Tingfeng: " But it is cool right?! Hong er, do you like the name?" Hong er''s eyes were sparkling, she quickly noded her head. '' She likes it this much?'' They chuckled while patting her head. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, do you have any hobby?" Hong er: " I like cooking, reading, and practicing martial arts. Even though I like to read, I never really had a book." Xu Tingfeng: " Ohoo~, you like martial art dontcha? Do you want to learn martial art? I will teach you everything I know." Hong er: " Really?!" Xu Tingfeng: " Of course! Hahaha." Hong er: " Thank you so much father!" Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, What book do you like to read?" Hong er: " Uumm, I don''t really know, I like to read everything." Bai Huiqing: " Is that so? Well, I will bring you to our library. You can read everything in there." Hong er: " Thank you mother! I will study hard from now on so I won''t disappoint you." ''Our child is so cute'' . . . Bai Huiqing brought Hong er to the library, she explained each section of the books to Hong er. Hong er was fascinated by the library. There are 3 floors, the first floor is literature section, the second floor is magic section, and the third section is war and military section. You can see all the book neatly placed on the book racks from the first floor. Each floor have 2 bridges connecting each side of the library. The wood crafts are amazing. And on the first floor there are tables and chairs, so you can read without getting sore legs. Bai Huiqing saw Hong er''s amazed expression while she looks around the library. She feels like she saw a puppy wagging her tail while looking around with sparkling eyes. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, do you want mother to hire a teacher for you?" Hong er: " Uhm, there are so many things that I still don''t know." Bai Huiqing: " Good girl, do you want to study magic with mother? But even if you are my own daughter, I won''t go easy on you." Hong er: " I want to! No matter how hard the lesson is, I will not give up!" Bai Huiqing: " Then, follow me to my study room." . . . The maids that follow behind are giggling, this pair of mother and daughter are so cute. They hold hands while walking, they swung their hands front and back like little kids. Bai Huiqing was explaining about magic all the way to her study room. And Hong er was really focused on listening to her explanation. Bai Huiqing: " In this realm, we have gods and spirits. There are 3 types of gods, the oldest god is God of Light Sheng Jie and God of Darkness Hei An. In myth, they are husband and wife. Hei An, God of Darkness, the one who ruled the underworld fell in love with the God of Light Sheng Jie. Every creature were afraid of Hei An, they never talk or stand close to him, that''s why he was very lonely. And when his power was unstable, it can cause death of many creatures. Sheng Jie couldn''t bear looking at her beloved creatures suffer so she went to find the God of Darkness. But what she saw is the crying Hei An. The kindhearted Sheng Jie immediately hugged Hei An, " Why are you crying?" she asked Hei An. " I am lonely, no one loves me. They hate me because I took their beloved''s life. But that is my job, I''ve got no choice." He cried in Sheng Jie''s bosom. " Shh Shh Shh, I am here, I will accompany you." And since then, their love grew and they became inseparable. But it wasn''t enough to prove their love to the other gods. Even if they were the oldest gods, they still have someone with a higher authority than them, their Creator. The Creator gave them a test, they have to reincarnate and they have to be in love. A boy would be blessed with the God of Darkness'' power but the darkness can easily corrupt the boy and make him go berserk. That''s why there would be a girl blessed with the God of Light''s power to suppress the God of Darkness'' unstable power. The boy and the girl who were blessed by the gods, we called them the Selected One. But the book never mention when will the Selected One appear. It said that the girl of the Selected One will be loved by every creature. The second type is the main element of the world''s god. There are four gods, God of Fire Sheng Huo, God of Water Qing Shui, God of Wind Feng Mian, and God of Earth Shu Lin. They control the main elements in this world. Usually the girl of the Selected One will be blessed by these gods, because they are God of Light''s follower. They love Sheng Jie so much like their own mother. That''s why they were upset when Sheng Jie fell in love with Hei An, they can''t accept Hei An as their father. They will never bless the boy of the Selected One because he will have a hard time to control his own power and if they bless him with more power, it will be a disaster. They can bless someone else other than the Selected One but they don''t want to. That''s why, blessed by the gods of main element is nearly impossible. And the third is the other element god. They are the branches of the main element gods. Example: God of ice, she is the branch of the God of Water. Even though it was hard to get blessed by these types of gods, still, it was easier than the main element gods. In the history, people that was blessed by these types of gods can be counted by a single hand. Next, the spirits. Spirits are god''s minions. Each place has different spirits. That''s why you can feel the difference in each place. The easiest blessing is the blessing of the spirits. Normal person can use magic even though they are not blessed. You are considered a genius even if you are only blessed by one spirit. I have the blessings of 5 spirits. Water, Ice, Gravity, Wood, and Wind. Your father has 2, Fire and Lightning. Even if I have more blessings, I still can''t beat your father. He has a longlasting physical power, I have a huge magic power but still magic power decrease faster than physical power. Now do you understand the origin of the magic?" Hong er: " uhm, I understand." Chapter 17 - 17. The Selected One Third person POV As they got closer to Bai Huiqing''s study room, they felt a strong aura hit them. '' The stones! They never react like this before!'' Bai Huiqing told the maids to wait outside, she entered her study room and saw the stones are violently shaking. '' What is happening?'' Hong er POV I feel like someone is calling me and I can feel the strong aura but it is comfortable. It feels just like when you come home and a bunch of dogs jump on you, but you are happy knowing that they missed you. But who missed me? I walked to the source of the aura. The maids keep calling my name but they can''t move because the aura suppressed them. I ignored them and kept walking. I saw mother panting on the floor while holding her chest. " Mother! Are you okay?!" I run to her side. When she saw me, " What are you doing here?! Quick run!" The aura kept growing stronger. She can''t breathe because of the aura. I look around to find the source and I saw 5 stones on a table. But only 4 of them are glowing and shaking. I quickly run to the table and shout, " What the hell are you doing?! Stop it right now!" The aura disappeared and the stones stopped shaking. Even the 4 stones light dimmed. I feel guilty, I stroke the stones, " I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to shout at you guys but you are hurting my mother." The stones glowed and slightly shaking. Oh? They apologized. I smiled and stroke them again. . . . At the same time Third person POV Xu Tingfeng was training his soldiers when he suddenly sensed a strong aura from his residence. ''Qing er! Hong er!'' He ran to the source of the aura. He saw Bai Huiqing''s maids laying unconscious on the ground. He immediately ran to Bai Huiqing''s study room and he saw Bai Huiqing panting on the floor, he went to her side and hold her. Even though he was suffocated by the aura, he still had to protect his beloved. He realized that he didn''t see Hong er when he ran here. Just when he wanted to ask Bai Huiqing, he saw her shocked expression. He followed her vision line and shocked by what he saw. Hong er was running toward the stones and shouted, " What the hell are you doing?! Stop it right now!" The aura immediately disappeared. Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng can finally breathe normally. They looked at each other, they had a confused expression on their face, '' What is happening?''. The stones dimmed. " I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to shout at you guys but you are hurting my mother." The stones glowed again. Xu Tingfeng helped Bai Huiqing stand up, they walked to Hong er side. This time they can stand closely to the stones. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, do you feel anything towards the stones?" Hong er: " Uhm, I feel like they missed me. It seems like I had known them for so long but I can''t remember." Bai Huiqing was shocked, she looked at Xu Tingfeng. He was shocked too. '' Don''t tell me she is the Selected One.'' Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, try touching the white stone." Hong er picked up the white stone with her hand. Suddenly the white stone float in the air and glowed. Because the light is too blinding, the three of them closed their eyes. After a while, the light disappeared. They slowly open their closed eyes, '' The stone is gone!'' They looked around but Hong er felt something dangle on her ears. She touched her ear, ''(?? ) ? When did she wear earrings?''. Bai Huiqing saw the earrings on Hong er''s ears. The phoenix shaped earrings are really beautiful, it was very well carved, even the feather is so realistic. There is no white jade like this in the world. '' She really is the Selected One.'' Hong er: " Mother?" Hong er noticed Bai Huiqing was staring at her. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, mother knows that you are a really smart girl. You are the Selected One. This white stone recognized you as it''s owner. But don''t let anyone know about this. You know what will happen right?" Bai Huiqing seriously looked at her, she is worried that someone will hurt her daughter again after knowing her status. Hong er smiled at Bai Huiqing. Hong er: " Yes, mother." . . . At the same time Liu Weisheng POV ''Thu Thump'' I hold my chest. '' What is this feeling?'' My heart beats really fast. I don''t know why but I feel excited, just like someone I have been waiting for came back. I looked into the mirror and saw the black jade on my forehead is glowing. It had been silent all this time, why did it react like this now? *Flashback Two months ago, I was on a mission at the mountain beside the Mountain of Goddess. I suddenly feel something pulling my heart, I looked around and there was nothing. But my vision suddenly blackened. I only saw black, there is no sound and I can''t sense any living creature. I keep my guard up, I had never let my guard down. A black stone with dark aura around it suddenly appear in front of me. I was confused at first, I checked the stone if this is a trap or what. But nothing''s wrong so I touched. Right after I touched it, my head hurts. I had a hard time breathing, but it disappeared not long after that. I rubbed my forehead that was hurt and I felt something on my forehead. I took out my sword and look at the reflection. Why are there a black jade on my forehead? I feel a surge of power flow through my body. I tested it out, a black aura appeared on my hand. Then my vision was back to normal. It seems like the time stopped while I''m in the other dimension. And when I take a bath at my residence, I noticed a huge dragon scale tattoo covered my back, shoulder, arms, and a little bit of my chest. *Flashback end After 5 minutes, my body back to its usual state. '' Just what the hell is this?'' Chapter 18 - 18. Studying Hong er POV After what happened yesterday, the other 4 stones changed into a 4 leaf clover jade neckale. Each leaf had a different color: red, sky blue, dark blue, and green. I can''t take off the phoenix earring no matter what I do so I just let it be. I woke up at 3 AM like usual, after I washed my face and grab my cloak, I went to the library. The guards bowed to me when they saw me. Hong er: " I''m sorry, I didn''t make any soup for you guys today." Guard: " No it is okay Miss, actually we are not allowed to eat while we work." Hong er: " Then why do eat the soup yesterday?" Guard: " We can''t reject something that was given by our master." Hong er: " Ohh, then Jia You!" (it means Fighting!) I entered the library and looked around the library, ''hhmm what should I read first?'' After 20 minutes of walking from the first floor to the third floor, I found 10 super thick books and 8 scrolls of bamboo scroll. Ah Xi helped me carry the books and I carry the scrolls, I''m still not used to let people do my job. I went to the first floor and sat on a chair. I read the book quietly while Ah Xi sit beside me. Actually a servant shouldn''t sit with their master but I insisted him to sit or else I will stand up together with him. I''m still not really good at reading because granny only teached me the commonly used words. So when I can''t read the words, I ask Ah Xi. He is very smart, of course he is. To be an elite soldier, you need to have a good physical power and a smart brain. There are so many candle lanterns around the library, they light up all the library. The sun had risen, the guard used his wind magic to blow off the candle all at once. Woow it is so cool, I can''t wait to learn magic from mother. I was only be able to read 2 books in 3 hours, Ah Xi said that the unread books will be sent to my room so I didn''t have to search for it. At 6 am, I went to Xu family''s training field with father. He said that he won''t be lenient on me even though I am his daughter or a girl. Firstly, he tested my durability, stamina, and strength. After he knew that I can lift 15 kg sandbag with one hand, he was very impressed by my strength despite my age and body size. Later, he made me run around the training field for 15 laps with 7 kg of sandbag on each of my limbs. God, it was tiring! But he did this for my sake so I won''t give up. After that, 30 push ups, 30 sit ups, 20 pull ups, 30 minutes of truss, 5 minutes of plank, 30 squats, and I have to do it for 3 sets with only 10 minutes break for each set. And what''s more, I have to do all of that while sandbags are tied on all of my limbs. The soldiers on the training field looked at me with a weird expression. Hm? Am I that ugly after sweating a bucket? Oh,I forgot to tell you that I am wearing a black shirt and pants.(A/N: just imagine a kung fu clothes because I don''t know the name. It is not hanfu.) I tied up my hair into a ponytail, I separate my bangs into halves. Mother said that it is not womanly if I cover face with my bangs. When I made an eye contact with the soldiers, I smiled but their face got red and they turned around. Are they angry because I smiled at them? Did they think that I mocked them? Maybe I should go apologize to them after the training. After the warm up, father taught me hand to hand combat. He said that after I learned hand to hand combat, then he will teach me how to use weapons. After the training* Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, did Qing er taught you magic?" Hong er: " Mother said that she will teach me magic." Xu Tingfeng: " Good, after you mastered magic and martial arts, I will teach you how to use magic while you fight." Hong er: " Thank you very much father." I went to the soldiers and bowed. And then I ran away. I smiled like an idiot on my way to my room. I took a bath and went to the main hall to eat lunch together with father and mother. After that, the new teacher that mother hired will teach me. There are 3 teachers, one teaches me music, one teaches me literature like poem, history, math, etc, and the last one teaches me medicine. Each teacher will teach me for 2 days in a week,3 hours a day. On Sunday, I will learn etiquette and embroidery from mother. After I ate my lunch, I chatted with father and mother, then I went to Lotus Pavilion to meet my new teacher. I saw a woman with a white hanfu, her dress fluttered in the air, it looks like she is flying. I cross the bridge and greet my new teacher. When I look up, I saw her surprised expression and she smiled sweetly at me. Am I that ugly? Lin Yingyue: " Greeting to Young Miss, my name is Lin Yingyue and I will be your music teacher." Hong er: " Lin laoshi (laoshi: teacher), my name is Xu Feihong, it is nice to meet such a beautiful lady like you." Lin Yingyue: " Oh my, it is my pleasure to be praised by Young Miss. Then let''s start the lesson." . . . For three hours, I learned how to play Guqin ( 5 stringed zither). It is a bit difficult actually, I never seen anyone play a guqin before so I don''t know anything about these things. I need to practice more. After that I went to mother''s study room to learn magic. *** The soldiers and Lin Yingyue: '' The Young Miss is so cute and pretty.'' Chapter 19 - 19. Studying II Third person POV Bai Huiqing was reading a book when Hong er knocked on her door. " Come in" Hong er entered and sit in front of Bai Huiqing. Bai Huiqing: '' She was the Selected One, maybe she can use all of the elements? I need to test it out.'' Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, do you feel any kind of connection with the elements out there?" Hong er: " I do, they like to play with me." Bai Huiqing: " Is that so? Follow me." Bai Huiqing stood up and took Hong er''s hand, they went to a lake in a forest behind Xu residence. Bai Huiqing instructed the maids to stand further. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, gods and spirits has their own personalities, they lent you their element''s magic. So you have to build a good relationship with the nature. If you upset the gods or the spirits, they won''t let you use their magic. There are some people who tried to slave their spirits, but their action angered the god of the spirits. All their family was killed, their house and money disappeared, and the god threw them to the deepest hell. So the first thing you have to do is connect with the nature. Now close your eyes, feel your surroundings." Hong er closed her eyes, she took a deep breath. She felt a relaxing aura around her, there are different auras enveloping her. Bai Huiqing looked at Hong er, she felt a strong aura around Hong er. Bai Huiqing: " okay, now open your eyes. Watch and learn." Bai Huiqing went to the side of the lake. She extend her hand to the front and moved her finger. Suddenly all the water in the lake became a phoenix flying in the air. Hong er was amazed by the phoenix, " WASEI" ''mother and father is really cool''. Bai Huiqing pointed her fingers downward, the phoenix fly downward and changed back into a lake. Bai Huiqing turned around and looked at the astonished Hong er. Bai Huiqing: " You use magic with your imagination. Imagine it in your head, gather your Qi ( It is like mana)on your hand, and release it. The Qi that you release is based on the strength and size. Just like what I did before, if I put more Qi on the phoenix, the phoenix will explode when it hit the ground and it will hurt the people below. The bigger the size, the damage area will be bigger too. That''s why people that are imaginative tend to have stronger control. Do you understand?" Hong er: " Yes, mother" Bai Huiqing: " now, try to create something with your element." Hong er POV I try to imagine something cool right now, hhmm, maybe a weapon would be great. So imagine a spear with wind element, put Qi on the tip of your finger, extend your hand to front. I want my spear to pierce all the way to the end of the forest, but it won''t be possible hahaha. Meh, I will just try to put more Qi, there are wind swirling around me, aannnddd shoot. '' SHWOOMM'' " Eh?" (?_?;) Third person POV A huge transparent spear appeared beside Hong er, it was pointing to the forest in front of them. And the wind around Hong er gradually got stronger, ''SHWOOMM''. The spear launched. Only a sound of wind passed by, the forest split into halves. The trees disappeared as it got pierced, leaving only its roots and a little bit of trunk. Everyone was very shocked including Hong er herself. Bai Huiqing smiled widely and hugged Hong er. Bai Huiqing: " Ahahaha, my cute little angel inherits my skills. I''m so proud of you. I will tell your dad about today. He will be happy too." Hong er: "¡­" Bau Huiqing: " But you have to control the amount of Qi you put in, okay?" Hong er: " Yes, mother." Bai Huiqing pecked Hong er''s cheeks and they continue their lesson again. After 2 hours, they went back to the residence and take a bath. They happily eat their dinner, Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng kept praising Hong er until she left the main hall with red face. The atmosphere suddenly got serious after Hong er left the main hall. Bai Huiqing: " Hubby, did those sc.u.mbags know about Hong er?" Xu Tingfeng: " No, I made sure all of his spies are dead." Bai Huiqing: " Good, I won''t let them hurt our Hong er again." . . . Hong er POV I went back to my bedroom and continue to read the books that I left this morning. I read a book about magic, it says that the user of a certain element had to be close to its main element to maximize the usage of their elemental magic. If you have wood element, you have to be close to the ground, the more fertile the ground the better it is. Each element have its own weakness, just like water and fire. But there are elements which are compatible to each other, like water and earth, fire and wind. There are some unique branch elements but the user need to have a main element. The most unique branch element is blood magic. Even though ice is the branch of water element but only water element user can do blood magic. And not all water element user can do blood magic, they have to be an expert. There are some branch elements that was a combination of two main elements. Ice is the combination of water and wind. Lightning is the combination of wind and fire. Gravity is the combination of earth and wind, etc. When I noticed that it had got quite late, I closed my book and put it on a table. I changed into a nightgown and blowed off the candles with wind magic. I lay on my bed and fell asleep. Chapter 20 - 20 Studying III Hong er POV I do my daily routine, wake up, read a book, train with father, and now I''m on my way to meet my literature teacher. I went to the library and saw a young man with light blue hanfu with cloud pattern on his sleeves sitting on a chair. Wow, what a handsome guy. There are stacks of books on his table, maybe that is what he is going to teach me. I went to him and greet him. Hong er: " Greeting to Lan laoshi, I''m the Di daughter of Great General Xu, Xu Feihong." ( Di daughter= legitimate daughter) Lan Qingshan: " Nice to meet you Miss Xu, my name is Lan Qingshan. From now on, I will be your new literature teacher. Now let''s start our lesson, should we?" Hong er: " Y-yes" I don''t know why, Lan laoshi is the scariest human I''ve ever met. . . . 3 hours later* As I thought, he is scarier than father when he is teaching. He never smiled at me like any other people. Maybe he thinks that I''m ugly. He made me memorize 50 poems in 1 hour. I''m just like. And for 2 hours, he was teaching me math that I have never heard or seen before. Thank god I can learn it quickly. I was curious just what kind of math is that so I went to ask him. Hong er: " Uhhmm, Lan laoshi, can I ask you something?" Lan Qingshan: " Yes, Miss Xu." Hong er: " Why have I never seen this math before?" Lan Qingshan: " Ahh, you are quite sharp My Lady. This is the newly founded mathematics from Lan Academy." My jaw dropped. Hong er: " T-then it means¡­" Lan Qingshan: " Yes, it is what you think it is. This is the lesson for the 12th grade." Hong er: " B-but I am only in 3rd grade." Lan Qingshan: " There is no excuses, I only teaches the best of the best. I don''t want a stupid student that can''t learn quickly. Then I''ll excuse myself Miss Xu. I hope you still remember what I taught you when we meet 3 days later." Lan laoshi had left before I could open my mouth. Hong er: " B-but I am only 7 years old.." I went to mother''s study room like usual and practice my magic. Then I ate dinner and reviewed what I have learned before I go to sleep. . . . Lan Qingshan: '' That Miss Xu is better than I thought. I thought that she was a spoiled young miss when Madam Xu ask me to teach her. Hmm, her ability is very outstanding, even better than my students in my academy. I should teach her harder so I can show off to that arrogant Lu young master." Hong er POV I started to get used to my daily routine and I''m getting excited for today''s lesson. I always like to pick herb when I was living with granny. I know some herbs but I don''t know the names, ironic right? I went to our residence''s infirmary, wow the racks that keep the herbs are amazing. It had names on every drawer boxes. I looked around with amazement, I didn''t realize there was someone looking at me. " Hey! Who are you?" I turned around and saw a girl around my age glaring at me. I realized that I entered the infirmary without knocking. Hong er: " I''m sorry, I forgot to knock. I am the Di daughter of the Great General Xu, Xu Feihong. And you are?" The girl: " I am¡­" Before she could say her name, an old man closed her mouth. He looks fl.u.s.tered. Shu Huatuo: " I deeply apologize for my granddaughter''s behavior. My name is Shu Huatuo and I''m Xu residence''s physician. Young miss had met me before, right?" Hong er: " Hm? Oh! The chef and the one who checked my eyes, I''m sorry for not recognizing you. Our meeting was too weird that I didn''t look at Shu laoshi''s face." Shu Huatuo: " It''s okay miss. But can I request something Yong miss?" Hong er: " Yes, what is it?" Shu Huatuo: " I have this granddaughter of mine that would like to learn medicine too. Can she study together with you? She is the same age as Young miss." Hong er: " No need to be anxious, I would love to have a friend that is the same age as mine. Hey hey, what is your name?" She glared at me like no tomorrow. Maybe she is not used to people talking with her. Even though we are the same age, she is way shorter than me. Actually I am too tall for girls around my age. Shu Zhiruo: " My name is Shu Zhiruo, nice to meet you." Hong er: " Agghh, you are too cute." I hugged her. She immediately smacked my head with her small hand. It feels like a kitty punch, oh yeah, why I never thought about that? She looks like a kitten, yeah, an angry kitten. Shu Huatuo: " Ruo er! Don''t hit the Miss!" Shu Zhiruo: " But!" Shu Huatuo: " No buts!" Hong er: " It is fine Shu laoshi. Actually I like how she treats me. Since I became the Young Miss, people were so polite to me that I feel kinda lonely. Ruo er, can I call you that?" Shu Zhiruo: " Why the hell would I let you call me that?!" Hong er: " I-I can''t?" Shu Zhiruo: " Urgh!" '' Don''t use that puppy eyes on me'' I keep staring at Ruo er. Shu Zhiruo: " Do whatever you want." Hong er: " Really?! Yey! Ruo er, from now on we are friends okay?" Shu zhiruo: " What?!" Hong er: " No?" Shu Zhiruo: " Fine fine fine, don''t look at me with those eyes." I was so happy I hugged her and lifted her. I spun her around. Hong er: " Yey! My first friend!" Shu Zhiruo: '' I literally can see a puppy tail wagging around. And how can she be this strong, damn it.'' . . . After the lesson, I was talking with Ruo er. She is way better than me in medicine kind of thing. Sometimes she explained it to me when I don''t understand. Shu Zhiruo: " So, do you want to be a doctor too?" Hong er: " Nope, don''t want to. Too many works." Shu Zhiruo: " then why are you even here?" Hong er: " Hahaha, calm down Ruo er. I study medicine for myself. You know, I want to be the strongest woman in this realm. But I will get hurt a lot if I want to reach that. So I learn these things so I won''t die easily. Hehe. I got a super smart friend here. If I got hurt then you will treat me." Shu Zhiruo: " Do whatever you like." Hehehe, she is shy. She has a sharp tongue but she is very kind. Look, she agrees with all my requests. I won''t be lonely in the future anymore. Chapter 21 - 21. Xiao Bai 1 month later Hong er POV Father also promised me that he will teach me horse riding after I mastered hand to hand combat. Even though I''m still far from defeating father, at least I can defeat some soldiers. I can''t compare my strength to an a.d.u.l.t man, so I focused on my agility. Of course if you mention agility, you can''t forget qinggong. Father taught me qinggong and I learned it in half a month so father asked me what I want as a reward. I said that I want to learn horse riding, he immediately agrees with it but it have to be after I mastered hand to hand combat. And now together with father, we went to Thousands Beasts Forest to tame a magical beast. I only realized that the red hare father rode isn''t a horse, actually it is a magical beast with fire element. After looking for 1 hour, suddenly a sound came out from the bushes. We are alerted as the bushes shook more violently, then a white horse came out. Our jaw dropped by its majestic look, its more like divine creature rather than magical beast. The beast was staring at me, I climb down from father''s magical beast. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, be careful. Remember what I taught you. Don''t rush it." Hong er: " Yes, father." I slowly walk towards the beast, it kept staring at me. I stared back, a feeling of sadness surge out from my heart, it made me want to cry. But I won''t cry. I stretch out my hand to touch it''s head. It lowers it''s head, '' she wants me to pat her head?''. I slowly caresses her head and she closes her eyes. She leans toward my hand, got closer to me. She openes her eyes and wagges her tail. ''Hehehe, is she a horse or a dog?'' I put my forehead on her head. Suddenly a name crossed my head, " Xiao Bai" She lifted up her head like she could understand what I''m saying. '' Eh? She cried?'' I wiped her tears with my hand. " Don''t cry Xiao Bai, I will always be with you." And she snuggled her head to the crook of my neck. I hugged her and patted her head. And that''s how I got my magical beast. Xiao Bai POV 50 thousand years ago I am a divine beast but I was abandoned by my family. My father and mother is a pair of the strongest divine beasts. But when my mother gave birth to me and my siblings, they found me different than the other. I can''t fly like my phoenix sister, I can''t roar like my kirin brother. I can only bark, my body''s size is way smaller than them too. Their body had incredible muscle and strong aura, not like me, fluffy and weak. My fur is pure white and super fluffy. (A/N: just imagine Samoyed puppy)Oh, and divine beasts actually are immortal but they are hard to get pregnant. Only once in every 10 thousand years. Every god has a divine beast as pet. They can have more than one but it is hard to find a very strong divine beast. The third grade gods can just randomly find a divine beast or magical beast, but a magical beast is very weak compared to divine beast, that''s why the first and second grade gods never took magical beast as pets. I heard that the God of Darkness Hei An already got the Shadow dragon as a pet. Woow, dragon is the ruler of the divine beasts so they are basically very very strong. And this year, the God of Light Sheng Jie had decided to pick a divine beast as her pet. I heard that the God of Light is a very kind person, do I have a hope that she will pick me? It is impossible, no matter how kind a god is, they won''t pick such a weak beast like me. The other divine beasts hate me and frequently bullied me. Even my own family despise me, I was kicked out and wandered the heaven alone for 1 thousand years. I tear up a little bit but quickly shake my tears off. But I still want to go to the Selection. So here I am, standing beside my giant brother. Actually not all divine beast can participate this Selection, only the strongest divine beast can participate. But my parent is one of the strongest divine beasts so I sneaked in. The music played and the other gods stand up, a very beautiful woman walked in. She is wearing a white and gold hanfu, her hanfu flutters in the air, making her look so divine. She is quite tall for a woman so I have to look up. She walked in front of me and stopped, she squatted and pat my head. " so cute." And now I can see her clearly, she has golden eyes and a lotus mark on her forehead. Small and straight nose, her cherry plump lips, she really deserves the title of being the most beautiful god in the heaven. When she was walking, the light around her made it difficult for me to see her face and now after I saw it, I really want her to pick me. She stand up again and continue to walk toward the throne. She sat down on the gold throne smiled brightly. All the gods bowed " Greetings to the God of Light, Sheng Jie." Sheng Jie: " ehm, sit down." The water god walked forward with a scroll on her hand. Qing Shui: " Master" She gave the scroll to the God of Light. The God of Light opened the scroll and quietly read it. Sheng Jie: " Okay, I have decided. The descendants of Yuyi and Fengli come here." ( Xiao Bai''s parent) The three of us walked toward the throne and stopped 10 meters away from the throne. I noticed that the other gods are laughing at me. She looked at us with a smile on her face. Sheng Jie: " Then, Yuyi, can you introduce your kids to me?" Yuyi: " Of course, Master. This is my eldest daughter, a phoenix and my eldest son, a kirin." ( A/N: even though he isn''t Sheng Jie''s pet, his master''s master is Sheng Jie, so he has to be more respectful towards Sheng Jie and call her master) I was disappointed that father didn''t introduced me. My ears flopped down. Sheng Jie: " But you have 3 kids." Yuyi: " I don''t have a weak descendant." Sheng jie: " Too bad that you had disowned him. I actually want him." Yuyi: " But he is very weak, it is a disgrace for Master to pick him." Sheng Jie: " I''m the one who is disgraced, not you. You abandoned your own child and I can''t forgive you. Now, you, come here." I was looking down when I heard that she picked me, I immediately look up and wagged my tail. My father lowered his head and glared at me. But knowing that I had a kind master, I ignored him. I walked up to her and she picked me up, she put me on her lap and caress my fur. Sheng Jie: " I declare that from now on I will only have Xiao Bai as my pet." So my name is Xiao Bai, Uhm! I like that name. Chapter 22 - 22. Hei An Fell In Love Xiao Bai POV Master brought me to her home. She sat on her bed and put me in front of her. I sat down and looked at her. Sheng Jie: " From now on your name will be Xiao Bai okay?" Xiao Bai: " Woof!" Sheng Jie: " Hehehe, you are so cute. Chu chu chu, how can you be this cute? Oh, I already checked your body. Actually you are a very strong beast , it is just.." She made a worried face, it makes me worried too. I whimpered with my ears flopped down. Sheng Jie: " Ahahaha, I was only teasing you. Don''t be that sad. You are only a late bloomer." I was so happy after I knew that I will be stronger when I grew up. I spun around and licked her hand. Sheng Jie: " I''m glad that I choose you, your siblings were so boring, why do they have to be so serious?" Xiao Bai: " woof!" . . . 1 thousand years later Master helped me to get stronger and now I can transform into any divine beast. Furthermore, I can talk now. But I am always in my puppy form because master like this form the most. I saw Master is worrying about something, I went to her side and put my paw on her lap. Xiao Bai: " Master, what''s wrong?" Sheng Jie: " Hei An''s power is unstable, he is causing many death on earth. I have to stop him!" She stood up and ran out from her room, I followed her. We went to hell and what we saw was a mess. The God of Darkness'' subordinates are trembling and hiding outside the Gate to Hell. Master used her power to heal all the injured monsters. They thanked master and master only smiled at them. She quickly entered the gate and directly went to the God of Darkness'' palace. She opened his throne hall and both of us were shocked to see the God of Darkness surrounded by dark aura. His pet, Xiao Hei, immediately went in front of him to protect him. He hissed at Master, I got angry and transformed into a phoenix. I went in front of master to protect her. That guy ( Hei An) was panting on the floor while pulling on his hair. Actually he looks pitiful. Master went in front of me and patted me. Sheng Jie: " Xiao Bai, transform back." I obeyed and transform back into a puppy. Sheng Jie: " Xiao Hei, I''m here to help your master, so calm down okay?" Xiao Hei: " No! All the gods that came here said the same thing but in the end they attacked master!" Sheng Jie: " They attacked him?" Master seems to be surprised Xiao Hei: " Yes! And I don''t believe you because they are your follower!" Sheng Jie: " I will punish them for you, I really don''t know that they do such a horrible thing to Hei An. So please let me help him." Third person POV Xiao Hei started to believe in her, because Sheng Jie was known as a kind hearted goddess. Xiao Hei stepped aside and Sheng Jie run to Hei An. She saw him crying and pulling his hair. He kept muttering unknown words, he still didn''t realize that someone was in front of him. Sheng Jie suddenly hugged him and caress his hair. Sheng Jie: " Why are you crying?" Hei An: " I am lonely, no one loves me. They hate me because I took their beloved''s life. But that is my job, I''ve got no choice." Sheng Jie: " Shh Shh Shh, I am here, I will be with you." Hei An hugged her and cried in her embrace. After 30 minutes of crying, Hei An looked up to the person who he hugged. He was surprised to see her again. Hei An: " Sheng Jie?" Sheng Jie: " yes?" Hei An: " W- why are you here?" Sheng Jie: " I''m worried about you, so I came to look at you. But here you are, crying like a baby. Hahaha." Hei An : " I-I am not!" Sheng Jie: " Yes you are." Hei An: " W- whatever" ***** There will be slighty s.e.x.u.a.l but still funny***** Hei An didn''t realize that he is still hugging her and his head is on her chest. Sheng Jie: " Uumm Hei An." Hei An: " ?" Sheng Jie: " Please don''t breathe on my chest, it is tickling me." Sheng Jie''s face went a little bit pink. Hei An''s face became as red as tomato and quickly released her. He turned his face so she can''t look at his face. But Sheng Jie saw his ears were red. She chuckled. Hei An: " S-sorry" Sheng Jie: " Hehehe, it is fine. Now look at me." Hei An: " N-no" Sheng Jie: " Why?" Hei An: " J- just no" Sheng Jie was having fun teasing him. She suddenly got an idea. She smiled evilly. Sheng Jie: " Even if I do this?" Sheng Jie went to his side and kissed his cheek. Hei An exe. stopped. His face got even redder than before, the palace starts to shake violently. Sheng Jie was surprised by the shake, she thought that Hei An''s power got unstable again. So she grabbed his head with her two hands and turned his head to make him look at her. Hei An got even more embarrassed, the aura around the palace got stronger. The shake got even stronger and caught Sheng Jie by surprise. Her footing became unstable and she staggered forward. Hei An got worried, he immediately grabbed her. And she fell on top of him. He opened his eyes and realized his face was planted on her cleavage. And when he moved his hand, Sheng Jie m.o.a.ned. And for the second time he realized that he was grabbing Sheng Jie''s bottom. He exploded again and the whole hell were shaking violently. The dense Sheng Jie didn''t realize what she had done. She noticed that the palace starts to shake again, she smacked his head. And miraculously it stopped. He removed his hand. She sat up and rubbed her forehead. Sheng Jie: " Ugghh, I hit my forehead." Hei An: "¡­" Sheng Jie: "?" Hei An didn''t reply to her and looked everywhere except her. Sheng Jie got curious by what he is looking at. So she turned around and looked around, she kept shifting around. Sheng Jie: " Huh? What are you looking at? I saw nothing." Hei An: " ugh" Sheng Jie: " Are you hurt anywhere else?" Sheng Jie got worried and checked all of his body. She moved up to check his head and moved down to check his abdomen. She was confused, she kept checking his body but there aren''t any injuries. But he kept groaning. Sheng Jie: '' Maybe I didn''t check it properly, let me check again.'' Hei An suddenly grabbed her shoulder with his hand. His face was red, he was panting and sweating non stop. Sheng Jie thought that he got fever. She put her hand on his forehead. Sheng Jie: " Hei An! You got a fever!" Hei An: " Just stop moving around. And gods can''t get sick, how can you forget this even though you are a god?" Sheng Jie: " Oh yeah! I forgot!" Hei An: " Get up." Sheng Jie: " O- okay. But are you really okay?" Hei An: " Hm" Hei An only hummed. Sheng Jie noticed there is a bulge on his pants. Then she touched the same part on her body. Sheng Jie: '' Hm? Why did he have that bulge? Tumor?'' Sheng Jie used her magic to heal it but it won''t go down. Sheng Jie: '' chop it?'' Hei An suddenly got goosebumps. Sheng Jie: " Hei An, want me to heal that illness of yours?" She pointed on his bulge. Hei An looked at the place she is pointing and immediately cover it with his cloak. Hei An: " No need, I can heal this myself. Since my power had stabled, you can go back to the heaven. Xiao Hei, send Sheng Jie off." Xiao Hei: " Yes master." Sheng Jie: " Okay then, if you are lonely just tell me. I will come here. Bye bye!" Hei An only nodded at her and turned around. . . . Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai watching them. Xiao Hei & Xiao Bai: '' Agghh we are being fed with dog food.'' ( it means that they have to watch a couple doing PDA) Xiao Bai: '' Mah, I''m okay since I''m a dog myself. But dang, I know that master is dense but I never imagined that she is this dense.'' Chapter 23 - 23. The Punishment Xiao Bai Pov And since then, Master frequently went to that guy''s palace to play. I can clearly see that he had fell in love with master. It is so obvious, he hugged and cuddled her every time they met. And his pet always hangs around with me, we started to get attracted to each other. We are dating but we take it slowly. On the other side, finally after 500 years, Master realized his feeling and accepted him. I am happy if master is happy but I got a bad feeling about this. 50 years later, the Creator appeared in heaven. He summoned that guy and that guy suddenly appeared beside Master. He was confused because he is prohibited from entering the heaven. But after he saw the Creator, he immediately kneeled. The Creator solemnly looked at them, he sighed. The Creator: " Do you know what have you done?" Hei An: " No Master." The Creator: " What did you just say?" Hei An: " I don''t know what I did to anger you Master." The Creator: " Sheng Jie, do you know what have you done?" Sheng Jie: " Master, please forgive this servant for being frank but I think to love someone is not a sin. I love Hei An as much as I love you as a father. So please grant this servant''s wish just this once, please let us love each other." The Creator: " I never said that love is a sin. but can you prove that you truly love each other?" Hei An & Sheng Jie: " Yes master" The Creator threw a sword in front of Sheng Jie. The aura in the sword is as strong as the Creator. The Creator: " I created you, I can kill you too. This sword can kill an immortal. So, Sheng Jie, I want you to choose. Kill me or him? If you don''t kill me, I will kill him. But if you don''t kill him, I will die. Now choose." Master grabbed the sword and stared at it. I have a bad feeling. Master lifted up the sword and pointed it at herself. Blood splattered, the sword stabbed through her stomach. Hei An: " SHENG JIE!" But master used her power to stop him. Master kneeled in front of the Creator with sword in her stomach. Sheng Jie: " I can''t choose. *cough cough." The Creator: " So that is your decision." The Creator swept his hand and all the blood disappeared. Even the sword is gone, just like nothing happened. The Creator: " this is too easy for you two." I glared at the Creator. Just what did he want from them?! The Creator: " Then I will give you two tests, the first one is you two have to be in Fallen God for 30 thousand years." Xiao Hei & Xiao Bai: " N-" Before we could say anything, Master sealed both of our voice. We kept screaming and begging for forgiveness but there is no sound that can be heard. I cried and tried to run to Master''s side but Xiao Hei hold me back. I can see tears in his eyes, he is sad for his master too. But this is their test, we can''t do anything about that. I stopped struggling but I can''t stop my tears. The Creator: " And the second test is you will be reincarnated and you have to love each other in that life. I will put many obstacles for you so try your best." Third person POV The Creator swept his hand and a barrier appeared. All movement stopped except the Creator and Sheng Jie. The creator looked at Sheng Jie. The Creator: " What is it that you want to tell me, my child?" Sheng Jie glanced at the kneeling Hei An. The Creator: " Don''t worry, he can''t hear us." Sheng Jie: " Can you please let Xiao Bai listen to our conversation?" The Creator: " Why?" Sheng Jie: " I want her to tell Hei An what will happen to me, or else he will wreck a havoc." The Creator: " Fine." The Creator opened the barrier for Xiao Bai but she still can''t speak because of Sheng Jie''s seal. The Creator: " Now say what you want." Sheng Jie: " Please let me take 10 thousand years of his punishment." (30 thousand years of punishment, 15 thousand years each) The Creator: " Are you crazy?! Do you know how painful the punishment will be right? Do you love him that much?" Sheng Jie: " Yes, I love him that much that I think I''m crazy." The Creator kept sighing. The Creator: " But why?!" But Sheng Jie smiled at him Sheng Jie: " Because he had been suffering all this time because of me. He is lonely because of me, I took all the love from the gods and the people. I owed him." The Creator: " You know why I do this right?" Sheng Jie: " Yes master." The Creator: " You are an immortal, if he betrayed your love, you will suffer for eternity. I love you as my own daughter, why do you have to be so kind to him? Never mind, you''ve made up your mind. But if he ever made you cry, I will definitely kill him and I will erase your memory about him." Sheng Jie smiled brightly at the Creator. The Creator: " How can you smile in this kind of situation?" Sheng Jie: " Hehehe, I love you too father." ( not biological) The Creator: "Humph!" Sheng Jie turned around and walked toward Xiao Bai. She hugged Xiao Bai and patted her head. ( they changed into human) Xiao Bai POV '' Master! Master! Please don''t leave me!'' But nothing came out from my mouth. I cried in her embrace. Why does it have to be like this?! Master stroked my hair. Sheng Jie: " Shh shh shh, it is okay. I will only leave for a while. Don''t cry okay? You have become this big but still cries like a baby." '' Even at this time, Master only think about other people. Why you never think about yourself?!'' I lightly hit Master''s back. My tears pouring out. Sheng Jie: " Hahaha, you still want to play? I will play with you later okay? But you have to do something for me." Master pulled me off from the hug and looked at me seriously. Sheng Jie: " After 5 thousand years, Hei An will be released from the punishment. No matter what don''t let him find me. If he saw my appearance, he will not love me anymore. I will be very ugly at that time. Hahaha. And if he''s going to go berserk, call the creator with the chant that I had taught you. Do you understand?" I looked at Master and nodded my head. She even tried to make a joke at this time? I looked at the Creator and he noticed, I pointed my mouth. He released Master''s seal. I kowtowed. Xiao Bai: " Grandmaster, I have a request. Please let me accompany my Master. I can''t leave her alone, she is always very clumsy. I-I will get worried if I am not b-by her side." I can''t help but stutter. The Creator: " Alright, I really appreciate your loyalty to her. You can follow her to the Fallen God but you can''t take the punishment for her." Xiao Bai: " Y-yes, grandmaster." I turned around and hugged master. Xiao Bai: " Masterrr! Please always remember me! No! I will follow you even if you forget about me! I will never ever leave your side!" Sheng Jie: " Yes yes, I heard you. No need to shout like that. And Xiao Bai." She pulled me off again and looked at my face. She wiped my tears with her hand and smiled. She put her forehead on mine. Sheng Jie: " Don''t cry Xiao Bai, I will always be with you." And she kissed my forehead. Chapter 24 - 24. The Punishment II Xiao Bai POV The Creator opened the barrier and everything was back to normal. We went back to our previous positions before the barrier opened so it won''t be suspicious. But I couldn''t stop my tears. The Creator: " While you are in there, I will help you watch the earth. Then let''s depart." Hei An & Sheng Jie: " Yes master." . . . The Fallen God is a very scary place for the gods. The room is very spacious, there are only big chains tied on every corner. The room have seals so gods can''t use their power and ability, so basically they became like a human. Master and that guy was holding hand all the way here. The Creator: " Then say what you want to each other." They looked at each other and smiled. Hei An: " I will definitely find you in the next life." Sheng Jie: " Uhm! You will. And promise me something." Hei An: " Whatever Sheng Jie wants." Sheng Jie: " Don''t go berserk no matter what happens or I will never talk to you again." Hei An: " Hahaha, if I don''t talk with my Sheng Jie, I will go crazy. Ok, I promise." They linked their fingers and kissed. Even though it was short, the feeling will last forever. They separated and went to their own room. Before they enter, they looked at each other for the last time. They smiled and waved to each other. Then they entered the room. The chains immediately catch them and pull them to the center of the room. I watched master from a room that was separated by a glass. Master can''t see me from there but I can clearly see and hear her. Sheng Jie: " Xiao Bai, if I scream too loud, close your hearing sense. If I look so ugly, close your eyes. If you can''t hold it anymore, leave this place. Wait for me in our bedroom, one day I will come back home. And please take care of Hei An for me." I cried and screamed. Xiao Bai: " Master! Please think about yourself! Stop thinking about me when you are the one who got hurt! Please¡­ I beg you¡­" Sheng Jie: " Hahaha, maybe you are saying '' aye, master''. I want to look at your cute face." I can''t say anything, I can only cry. Sheng Jie: " Xiao Ba- AGGGGHHHHHHH" I was shocked by master''s scream. I immediately looked up and banged the glass. Xiao Bai: " MASTER! MASTER! PLEASE STOP! YOU ARE HURTING MY MASTER! PLEASE! I BEG YOU! JUST TAKE MY LIFE AWAY!" I kowtowed to no one, I just hope that the Creator would come and release master from there. I kowtowed until my forehead was covered in blood, I could even see my skull from the reflection. It will heal in a minute, but master will be tortured for 25 thousand years. Sheng Jie: " AAGGGGHHHHHHH, XIAO BAI! CLOSE YOUR HEARING SENSE! AGGGHHHH" ''Master, why do have to be so kind?'' I closed my hearing sense and squatted at one of the corners. I hugged my knees and cried. Master is very strong, she never make any sound if she got hurt. But she screamed really loud right now. How could she not scream?! The punishment is insane! The room is filled with evil charm. From what master told me before, your head feels like they are splitting. Our veins feel like there are needles flowing inside, all of your bones will feel like being crushed to powder, your eyes feel like being gouged out, and there are thousands of sword stabbing through your body. Actually this was a punishment for the gods that broke the rules. But my kind master is in there. Tortured for falling in love. . . . 5 thousand years later Hei An POV " AAGGGGHHHHH" ''it hurts! Sheng Jie! She is hurting too! Sheng Jie!'' All this time, I only think about Sheng Jie. When I was prepared for the next attack, the chains suddenly released me. The door slowly opened, my body still hurts but if I walk out from here, I can see Sheng Jie again. I wobbled around and held on the wall to walk. After I passed the door, I felt my powers came back to me. But when I looked around, I don''t see anyone. Suddenly I heard a creaking sound, the door has opened! But why is it the small one? Why is it Xiao Bai? Where is Sheng Jie? Why does Xiao Bai look so battered? I had a bad feeling. I went to Xiao Bai and shook her body. Hei An: " Where is your master?!" Her tears poured down. I started to get suspicious. Hei An: " How long have I been in there?" She grabbed my hands and pulled me into the room that she came out from. And I regretted that I followed her in. Sheng Jie: " AGGGHHHHHH" I was shocked. Her limbs were tied by the chains. She struggled and another scream came out again. " AGGGHHHH" Her scream woke me up. I banged on the glass, I used my power to break the glass but it won''t work. Hei An: " SHENG JIE! SHENG JIE! WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU DOING THERE?! HELP YOUR MASTER! SHENG JIE! HOLD ON! I WILL HELP YOU OUT!" Xiao Bai: " IT IS USELESS!" Xiao Bai shouted. I slowly turn around. Xiao Bai: " i-it is useless, I have tried for 5 thousand years. M-master told me to explain it to you." Hei An: " THEN F*CKING EXPLAIN IT!" Xiao Bai: " M-master begged the Creator to take 10 thousand years of your punishment. At that time, the Creator put a barrier so you won''t hear us. A-and master wanted me to tell you something." Hei An: " w-what did she say?" I was too shocked that stuttered. Xiao Bai: " Close your eyes when you found her, she didn''t want you to abandon her because she would look ugly at that time. And she asked me to take care of you." I slowly look at Sheng Jie. She took the punishment for me. I knew how painful it was. She is suffering because of me. I felt my power starting to boil up. Xiao Bai I was crying when I noticed that the ground was shaking. I looked up and saw that he was enveloped in dark aura. His tears flowed down his face. The tattoo on his body started to spread around his body. He is going to go berserk! Xiao Bai: " REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE!" Hei An: " I don''t care. I can''t see her suffering in there. You don''t know how painful it is because you never felt it." Xiao Bai: " Master will be disappointed if she saw you like this! Do you know why she took the punishment in your stead? Because she loves you so much. She thought that she owed you! She thought that she stole all the love from you! She thought that it was because of her that you were lonely! Don''t you understand?! She sacrificed for you. She was thinking of repaying you with this. And if you go berserk because of her, all of her effort will be wasted! You won''t pass the test that was given by that Creator!" His aura slowly start to weaken. Hei An: " Then I will ask The Creator to give me back the punishment." He turned around and walk towards the door. I immediately grabbed his hand. Xiao Bai: " No! I asked but he said that he promised Master." His hand flopped down. Hei An: " sheng jie¡­" He looked at the glass and weakly called Master''s name. Chapter 25 - 25. Finally 20 thousand years later Xiao Bai POV For 20 thousand years, me and that guy sat inside that small room, looking at master'' suffering. We cried until no more tears left. The other gods knew what happened, they reacted like us. Banged the glass and cried. Every year, each god will come to see Master and they will report how she was doing. And this year, 4 main element gods came. Even though they didn''t say anything, but I knee, in their hearts, they blamed Hei An. Today is the last day, we gathered in this small room, waiting for the chains to release her. Our tears silently dropped, no matter how many times we saw her, we still couldn''t get used to it. It felt like a thousand knifes stabbed my heart. I didn''t know if I should be happy or sad, happy because today is the last day, sad because she had suffered for 25 thousand years. " AAAGGGGHHHHH" *clink We were surprised by the chains'' sound, we looked up and saw the main door slowly opened. We ran out from the room and went to the main door. Master slowly walked towards us, she looked up and saw us. She smiled and waved. Sheng Jie: " Hi hi, long time no see." We couldn''t enter the room so we impatiently waited her to come out from the room. The usually surrounded by the light became dull after she entered the room. As soon as Master stepped outside of the room, her body was surrounded by lights. She turned back to her usual appearance. Then she walked towards us. Hei An: " sh-sheng jie.." Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack She surprised us when she suddenly smacked our heads, she even smacked the other 4 gods. Sheng Jie: " What did I told you before? Take care of yourselves, Look! All of you have eyebags under your eyes. Now you guys look like a group of pandas. Humph!" Hei An: " S-sheng Jie.." Sheng Jie: " And you! Why do you become so ugly?! Where is my handsome Hei An?! I should find another guy. All of you looks so ugly! Quickly return to your palace and take a bath! Huft! I am so angry right now." Master, she never change no matter what happened. The 4 gods: " Master.." Sheng Jie: " Ohoo, so you still know that I am your master. Still don''t want to return to your palace and take a rest! If I know that you guys didn''t take a rest, I will disown all of you." The 4 gods: " Yes Master!" Even though they got scolded, they have a smile and happy tears on their face. Hei An: " Sheng Jie, I miss you. Why would you do that? Why are you hurting yourself?" Sheng Jie: " I miss you too but this is my decision. So let''s go back." She smiled at both of us and held our hands. We missed her touch, we missed her smile, we missed her presence. Even though I will only for a while, I''m fine with that. . . . I took a bath and went to master''s bedroom. I saw her sitting on her bed. I went to her side and massaged her shoulder. I realized that her hands started to fade. '' It hasn''t been a day and she is gonna leave me again.'' My tears started to gather in my eyes, I hugged master from behind. I cried on her shoulder, she lifted up her hand and patted my head, Sheng Jie: " I''m sorry. I am a really incompetent master, I left you for so long and just after I came back, I will leave you alone again. Would you forgive me?" I only nodded my head on her shoulder. Sheng Jie: " Wait for me Xiao Bai." Then she disappeared, my embrace became empty. I hugged myself, thinking that master is in my embrace. '' Master, I will follow you no matter where you go.'' . . . *Now I had been watching Master since she was born, I like master''s parents as they love her so much. The granny that took care of Master is kind too. When I saw Master was being slaved, I immediately got angry. But I couldn''t do anything, this is one of the tests that Creator gave her. And that Hei An came out and helped her. I should thank him for that so I helped him by asking the gods to take all the power from those bad guys. He easily killed them all. He fell in love with master at the first sight, as expected, his soul remembers her. Master, I am happy for you, you really found a great guy. Both of their personalities ( Hong er & Weisheng) are really similar to them ( Sheng Jie & Hei An) As soon as I knew that she wanted to find a magical beast, I immediately possess a light element horse. I scared all the beasts in the forest with my aura, so master won''t meet any beast. They didn''t deserve Master. That Xiao Hei did the same too when that Hei An was searching for a magical beast. He possessed a dark element horse. I came out from the bushes and stared at her. Haa, even her face is the same. She slowly approach me and stretched out her hand. All the memories from the first time I met her came back. I was sad, her hand touched my head, just like the first time in the Selection. ''Master, I miss you.'' I leaned toward her touch and I unconsciously wagged my tail, I forgot that I was a horse now. She put her forehead on my forehead. '' Uhm, just like that last time.'' " Xiao Bai" I immediately looked up, I can''t hold my tears anymore. '' Even after her memory was erased, she still remembers me in her soul.'' She wiped my tears with her hands. " Don''t cry Xiao Bai, I will always be with you." That was the same sentence she said to me. '' Master!'' I snuggled to her like I always do and she patted my head like she always do. Chapter 26 - 26. To The Capital Hong er POV I brought Xiao Bai home, I didn''t ride her because I haven''t learn how to ride a horse. But Xiao Bai is very tamed, even though we found her in the wild. I rode with father, when I looked at Xiao Bai, she seemed very down, maybe because I didn''t ride with her. After we arrived at home, father directly teached me how to ride Xiao Bai. Father said that Xiao Bai is very tame, maybe I can learn it faster than he expected. He put a black and gold saddle on Xiao Bai, wow it really suit Xiao Bai''s white hair. Father taught me how to ride a horse without a whip because they can feel pain too even though they are beasts. Father caressed Xiao Huo''s ( his horse) neck and whispered something. He patted him and Xiao Huo immediately started running around the training field. Xu Tingfeng: " Yuu~" Xiao Huo slowly stopped beside us. Xu Tingfeng: " We, as their masters, have a special ability with our pet. Such as, they can hear our voice no matter how quiet it is. Of course you have to put a little bit of your aura so they can easily recognize your voice. Because there are so many people that can imitate our voice. You whisper your order to them. Try it." Hong er: " Yes father." I hold the rein and put a little aura in my voice, I whispered. Hong er: " Xiao Bai, run." Xiao Bai run around the training field. I enjoyed the wind that blew on my face but I still stay focused. Hong er: " Yuu~" Xiao Bai slowly stopped beside father. Xu Tingfeng: " Good, my daughter is a century genius! Ahahahaha!" Hong er: " Of course! I am the Great General Xu''s daughter! Ahahahaha!" Xiao Bai: '' Master found her match.'' . . . When I saw that Xiao Bai didn''t want to stay in the stable, I requested father to let her stay in my courtyard. Father thought about it for awhile before he agreesld. I was so happy so I kissed father''s cheek. I don''t know why but father always seems so happy when I kissed his cheek, the same with mother. Look at that proud face on father''s face, he is so cute. I whispered to Xiao Bai that I want to go back to my courtyard. I forgot that this is the first time in here but unexpectedly, she knows the way. I patted her head and got down from Xiao Bai. Even though I should tie her so that she won''t run away, but I feel like she won''t. . . . 4 months later I took a bath and went to the main hall for dinner. Before I go, I patted Xiao Bai''s head. I had learned how to use dagger, double edged sword, and bow. The coolest one is I can shoot three arrows at once and put different auras in every arrow. Cool right? I entered the hall and sat between father and mother. After we ate, we talked for a while like usual. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, do you want to go to the capital with us?" Hong er: " Hm? Why so sudden?" Xu Tingfeng: " Because the spring festival will be held in the capital. And it will take us 1 week to arrive there from here." Hong er: " Spring festival?" Xu Tingfeng: " You donno?" Hong er: " I donno" Xu Tingfeng: " Eiiii, let me tell you. Actually it is just the usual festival but since we did the peace treaty with Da Qi 4 years ago, the Spring Festival became a festival to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. And this year, the festival will be held in Da Chu." Hong er: " But isn''t my identity still hidden?" Bai Huiqing: " Yes, but after I discussed with your father for a night, we decided to bring you along." Hong er: " But why?" Bai Huiqing: " You will be safer if you are with us." Hong er: " Reallyyyy~?" I doubtly look at father''s excited expression. Xu Tingfeng: " Ahahaha~ my daughter knows me so well! Of course the main reason is I want to show off my beautiful daughter to those rats. They always show off how great their daughter is, HUMPH! My daughter is the best! She is very beautiful, very good at martial arts, magic, and horse riding!" Mother smacked father''s head. Thank god, there is mother who keeps an eye on father''s behavior. Bai Huiqing: " What are you saying! Our daughter is proficient at poem, math, music, drawing, and dancing too. She is very kind and gentle too, but sometimes she can be rough and merciless. Our daughter is perfect." Hong er: " Mother!" I was getting embarrassed by their compliments. Bai Huiqing: " hahaha, so do you want to go with us?" Hong er: " Uhm, I want to. When will we depart? Bai Huiqing: " Tomorrow morning." Hong er: " I will tell Meiyun and Huayun to pack my luggages." . . . When I came back to my bedroom, I tell Meiyun and Huayun to start packing. They are my personal maids, I found them in the mountains when I was on a mission with father. I saw them laying on the ground covered in blood. I saved them with my light magic and brought them back. After they regained their consciousness back, they immediately begged me to hire them. It is fine even if they become a slave as long as it can repay my kindness. Of course I rejected them. Their expressions was priceless. I wanted to hire them as my personal maids not as a slave. They immediately kowtowed to me. After a while, they told me that they were ex assassins. This pair of twin sisters were the best in that organization even though they were only 12 years old, so they started to fear them. They planned to kill them when they were on a mission and that''s how I met them. Meiyun, the elder sister, is good at fighting and planning. On the other side, Huayun is good at literature and disguising. Even though both of them were good at fighting and planning but Meiyun is far better at those than Huayun. But! Meiyun can''t compare to Huayun if it is about literature because Meiyun is super lazy. She doesn''t like studying and stuff, she is more brawn than brain. But don''t think that Huayun is a very diligent person! She is very lazy too but she rather choose to use her brain than her muscles. That is how I have two lazy but useful personal maids. In just 5 minutes, they already packed my luggage. Wow! As expected of ex assassins, they have very fast hands. Chapter 27 - 27. Met Sheng ge Hong er POV Me and mother were in a carriage, meanwhile father rode on Xiao Huo. Xiao Bai followed us from behind with the soldiers to the capital. When I asked father why do I have to be in a carriage, he said that mother will protect me from inside and father from outside. I was so touched, I obediently sit in the carriage and mother talked about things that I have to be cautious of in capital. 1 week passed smoothly and now we are about to enter the capital''s main gate. I wore a hat veil to cover my face, I peeked out from the carriage and saw commoners happily welcoming us. I looked at father who is proudly sitting on top of Xiao Huo, I realized that he wore a red mask to cover his face. When I wanted to ask mother why father is wearing a mask, I was surprised to see a red mask looking at me. Ohh~ it is mother. Bai Huiqing: " Here, you wear one too. That veil is useless, it will be blown away just by slight breeze. This mask is specially made by me, it can only be opened by our aura. So it is very safe." I wore it and put my aura on the mask. And it is really effective, even mother can''t take my mask off. Hong er: " This mask is very comfortable but why do we have to use this?" Bai Huiqing: " To hide our emotions." Hong er: " From who?" Bai Huiqing: " Everyone." Hong er: " Ohh." When I heard mother''s serious tone, I didn''t dare to ask anymore. We arrived at our residence and the servants started to unpack our belongings. The residence in the main capital was more luxurious than the other residence we had in Xi An. But I feel more comfortable in Xi An than in here. Father directly went to the palace to report to the Emperor, father told me to explore the capital with mother, he will catch up. Mother, me, Meiyun, and Huayun went shopping, four of us wear a hat veil and a mask beneath it. Meiyun and Huayun was holding on Xiao Bai''s and Xiao Lu''s rein. The red mask was too eye catching, so mother changed the color to white. I was so excited, but I still managed to keep my composure. I was looking at the accessories shop, I saw a pair of beautiful jade hairpins. In the box there is a black jade and white jade hairpin. The shopkeeper saw me staring at the box. The shopkeeper: " Ohh~ Young Miss, you have good eyes dontcha? These hairpins just came in today. These pair of hairpins were inspired by the God of Light and the God of Darkness." Third person POV Hong er''s eyes were sparkling. When she wanted to take the box, at the same time, a hand touched the box too. Their hand was touching each other, they turned around and looked at each other. Hong er saw a boy that is a head taller than her, she look at his black clothes and the ribbon tied on his forehead. His face was covered by a black mask leaving only his black eyes. Hong er stared at those eyes, she felt something familiar about this boy. The boy: " This is mine." Hong er was surprised to hear his voice, even though it was deeper, she could still recognize this voice. Hong er: " Sheng ge?" Weisheng was surprised by the voice that called his name. '' Only Hong er calls me by that name.'' He is suspicious, he never seen Hong er''s face fully before because she always covers it with her bangs. He couldn''t see the girl''s face because she covered it with a veil and a mask. He carefully called. Weisheng: " Hong er?" Hong er''s face immediately brightened, she immediately hugged him. Hong er: " Sheng ge! You still remember me even though you can''t see my face! I missed you so much!" Weisheng: " H-hong er?" Weisheng fl.u.s.tered. Everyone that watches them froze, including Hong er''s and Weisheng''s shadow guards. Weisheng''s shadow guard: '' Hong er? Our sunshine?!'' Bai Huiqing looked at the boy, he seems familiar. ''Huh? Da Qi''s crown prince?! How can he be at public?'' Weisheng noticed Bai Huiqing''s stare, he knew that she recognized him. He immediately send a signal to her with his eyes. The sharp Huiqing knew what was happening. Hong er released her hug, Weisheng was a little bit disappointed. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, who is this boy?" Hong er excitedly looked at her mother. Hong er: " Mother! Let me introduce to you, he is Sheng ge. He helped me when I was slaved." Hong er couldn''t hold her excitement, she put her arm around Weisheng''s neck. Weisheng was in ecstasy by her action. But it was immediately ruined by Hong er''s next sentence. Hong er: " He is my best bro." Everyone immediately pitied Weisheng, he is being brozoned. Xiao Bai: '' Woow, he is being zoned for the second time.'' Hong er: " Sheng ge, why are you here?" Weisheng immediately threw away his disappointment. Weisheng: " Why? Is my cute Hong er curious? I was adopted by a rich family and here I am, strolling around the market." Hong er: " Ohh~ Then who are they?" Hong er looked at them and slightly bowed. Weisheng: " They are my bodyguards." Hong er: " Ohh~ Sheng ge do you want to eat with us? I want to introduce you to my father." Weisheng: " Alright." Chapter 28 - 28. With Sheng ge Third person POV Hong er let Bai Huiqing sit first before she took a seat. As soon as Hong er sit, Weisheng immediately sat beside her. His face showed how proud he was, everyone could only sigh. The oblivious Hong er was happily looking at the menu. They are waiting for Xu Tingfeng so they can order it together. Xu Tingfeng didn''t know about the new guest, he was so annoyed that he had to see that Emperor. But he knew that Hong er and Qing er were waiting for him, he calmed down a little bit. Together with his bodyguards, he happily entered the restaurant. He went to the third floor of the restaurant and happily opened the door. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er! Qing er! Father is here!" Bai Huiqing: "¡­" Weisheng: "¡­" Meiyun& Huayun: "¡­" Weisheng''s bodyguards: "¡­" All of the shadow guards: "¡­" Hong er: " Father!" Hong er leaped out from her seat and ran towards Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng caught her and spun her around and laughed loudly, still haven''t realize the new guest. Hong er took off half of her mask and kissed his cheek, after that she closed it back. Just after he came out from his shock, Weisheng got shocked again by the kiss. His hand violently shook, he gripped his fist. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er! My good daughter! Did you have fun with mother?" When Xu Tingfeng looked at Bai Huiqing, he saw a boy sat two seats beside her. '' Huh? It feels like I know him? Da Qi''s crown prince?! Why is that rascal here with Hong er?'' His face immediately changed. Hong er tugged his cloth and he changed his expression to happy. Hong er: " Father, let me introduce Sheng ge to you." Xu Tingfeng: " Sheng ge?" He looked at Weisheng doubtly, Hong er was still in his arms. Xu Tingfeng could clearly see Weisheng''s dissatisfied expression. Xu Tingfeng: '' Ohoo~~ He had a crush on my daughter, of course he will, my daughter is perfect!'' Hong er: " Uhm! He helped me when I was slaved. He is very kind so I asked him to eat together with us as my thanks." Weisheng''s face became proud, he lightly smirked at Xu Tingfeng. '' This rascal!'' Xu Tingfeng was annoyed. He immediately got an idea. He put down Hong er and Hong er followed him. Not like Weisheng, he proudly smirked at Weisheng. His eyes told Weisheng, '' Wait for it you kid.'' Then he sat beside Bai Huiqing. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, sit on father''s lap." Hong er: " Okay." Hong er sat on Xu Tingfeng''s lap and poured him a cup of tea. Hong er: " Father, you must be tired. Here, I specially ordered your favorite tea." Xu Tingfeng: " Aiyoo~ My Hong er always thinks about me." He drank his tea and Hong er wiped his mouth with her handkerchief. Xu Tingfeng''s face grew smugger, his smirk got wider too. He kept giggling while look at Weisheng. " Hehehe" Everyone except Hong er: '' He is trying to make him jealous. Is he the feared Great General Xu that we heard of?'' Bai Huiqing smacked Xu Tingfeng''s head and told Hong er to sit on her own seat. Bai Huiqing called the waiter and ordered their food. After Hong er sat on her seat, Weisheng suddenly grabbed Hong er''s hand and intertwined his hand to her hand. He was satisfied after looking at the result. He unconsciously fondled her hand. Weisheng: '' Her hand is small and quite rough, based on the calluses, she had been practicing martial arts and weapons. Hhmm, but why is it so pleasant to touch her hand?'' Hong er was confused at first but seeing his happy face, she didn''t shake him off and let him do whatever he wants. Xu Tingfeng''s chopstick broke into halves, '' How daring!'' but he couldn''t do anything to him because Weisheng''s status is higher than his. Meanwhile, Bai Huiqing calmly drank her tea. Bai Huiqing: '' Hmm, he is not bad as my son in law.'' When the food came, Hong er patted his hand and smiled sweetly at him. Hong er: " Sheng ge, let''s eat first." Weisheng nodded his head and reluctantly let go of her hand. Hong er felt bad for him, so she put a piece of meat on his rice to cheer him up. Weisheng was touched by her action, he put a lot of meat on her rice. Weisheng: " You should eat more." Hong er nodded her head but Weisheng kept putting meats on her rice that he didn''t eat his own food. Weisheng look at Hong er warmly, his eyes are full of love. But Hong er didn''t see it. Hong er: " Sheng ge, you should eat too." Weisheng: " Uhn." Weisheng finally eat his food but sometimes he will put meats on Hong er''s rice. But not long after that, Hong er stopped eating. Weisheng: " Done?" Hong er: " Uhn." Hong er nodded her head. Weisheng frowned while looking at her bowl. She ate until the bowl was clean but her rice is only half full compared to other. Weisheng: " No, eat more." When Weisheng was going to put another meat on her bowl, she hold his hand. She shake her head. Hong er: " No, I can''t eat anymore, I''m too full. If I eat again, I will get a stomachache." Weisheng: " But-" Bai Huiqing: " Sheng er, Hong er has a small stomach so she can''t eat that much. And she has a habit to eat a small portion. But we make sure that she got enough nutrients for her body." Seeing Weisheng stubbornly feed Hong er, Bai Huiqing decided to help Hong er. Weisheng can only silently eat the meat that he picked up for Hong er. Xu Tingfeng didn''t dare to glare at him as Bai Huiqing threaten him that he can''t sleep on their bed for 1 month. . . . The sun sets and they were preparing to go back home. Even though Hong er rejected him many times, Weisheng insisted to take her home. After arriving at Xu residence front gate, the servants who came out to greet their masters was surprised to see a special guest. Hong er dismounted from Xiao Bai and handed Xiao Bai to Meiyun. Hong er went to Weisheng''s side that just dismounted from his horse. She opened half of her mask and kissed his cheek. Everyone''s jaw dropped by what they saw. Weisheng''s eyes widened, he looked at Hong er. Hong er: " Goodbye kiss, be careful on the road, Sheng ge. Sheng ge?" Hong er called out his name when she saw his eyes bulged out. She waved her hand in front of his face but he still didn''t react. The first one to react is Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng: " H-hong er, w-what are you doing?" Hong er: " Hm? Goodbye kiss." Xu Tingfeng: " W-why?" Hong er: " I saw father always kisses mother''s cheek and forehead. And when I asked Huayun what is that for, she said that we should kiss the person that is precious to us. Sheng ge is my precious brother so I kissed him goodbye. Is that wrong?" Weisheng finally woke up from his fantasy. Weisheng: " No! it is not wrong!" Hong er: " Really ? hahaha, I''m glad that Sheng ge likes it. I thought that you hated it." Weisheng: " N-no, I don''t hate it." He glanced at Huayun and give her approving glance. Huayun noticed his glance and nodded, actually she didn''t mean it. Even though everyone were doing their work like usual, they still couldn''t believe what just happened. On the other side, Weisheng couldn''t stop smiling and laughing even when he sleeps. Chapter 29 - 29. Spring Festival I Hong er POV Today is the festival day and I''m kinda nervous because my identity will be revealed. Huayun was washing her hair and Meiyun was preparing the clothes. Mother said that the dress was made by one of her friends, she is a very famous designer, no one can compare to her uniqueness when it comes to designing. The clothes she made for me is spectacular, mother told her that I have to look gentle because I am a woman but I am from military family so it is a bit like an armor. The white dress with golden threat embroidery made the armor look gentle and majestic, the bottom of the sleeves were embroidered with gold phoenix so it looks like the phoenix was flying as sleeves were moving. Huayun asked me what kind of hairstyle that I want, I said that I want a simple hairstyle. Then she braided two sides of my hair and did a ponytail, she put on a little golden crown around the ponytail. Huayun: " Miss, what hairpin do you want to use?" A bunch of hairpins laid on the table in front of me. Meiyun: " Miss Miss, why don''t you just use this white jade hairpin? It suits your dress." Meiyun passed me the hairpin, I looked at the hairpin and the memories came back. Sheng ge insisted to buy me the hairpin so I let him buy it. He took the black hairpin and gave me the white hairpin, he told me to wear it. Maybe I should just wear this one. I nodded, Meiyun passed the hairpin to Huayun. Huayun slided the hairpin into the crown and now it looks like I am a little general. Hehehe. Even though I said this is a dress but there are trousers. Actually I really like this idea. I put on the golden boots and took my white golden mask. I put it on and went out to greet father and mother. I went to the main hall and saw mother was sitting alone. She was wearing white and red dress with golden thread embroidery, she looked fierce but elegant. I was staring at mother foolishly in front of the door. Mother saw me and waved her hand telling me to come here. I went to her side and she looked at me closely. Bai Huiqing: " My, my, you are so beautiful even with your face covered. Let''s go, your father is waiting for us." Hong er: " Uhm." Mother took her red and white mask from the table. After she put it on, she held my hand and we walked together hand in hand. I went to the main gate with mother and saw father with a dozen soldiers, he was giving instructions to the soldiers that will follow us to the palace. They are the elite forces that father personally trained. Father''s face was so serious, he looks very cool if he was like this. But I like the playful side of father too. After he finished, he turned around and looked at both of us, his face become gentle and a bit sad. Why is he sad? I wanted to ask mother but when I turned to her, she was looking at me too. She seemed to be sad too. Even though she is wearing a mask, I can feel her sadness just by looking at her eyes. I hold her hand with both of my hands. Hong er: " Mother, father, what''s wrong? Did Hong er do anything wrong?" Bai Huiqing: " No, my dear. Mother is very happy right now, finally we can tell to others about our daughter. When mother listened to them talking about their children, mother was jealous and worried. Jealous because they can laugh happily with their children and worried about your well being." Mother''s voice was shaking while she talked. I hold her hand tighter. Hong er: " Don''t worry, mother. From now on, I will be by your side and protect you with all of my strength." Xu Tingfeng: " Good, you have to protect your mother and yourself." Hong er: " I will protect father too." They nodded their head. We mounted our own horses and depart to the palace. Chapter 30 - 30. Spring festival II Third person POV The road was bustling with people, shops and performances was on the road side making the main road even merrier. But they immediately dispersed when they saw a black and red flag coming to their way. The front row is the Da Qi''s representative, Da Qi''s crown prince Liu Weisheng. Behing him is Xu family, they are one who escort the crown prince to the palace. All of them looks really intimidating especially their masks. The Da Qi wore black mask but Liu Weisheng''s mask is more special, his mask is black and gold, it is giving a frightening aura. The Xu family wore red mask but only Hong er wore white and gold mask. The people that are watching them were confused. P1: " Who is that? She must be someone special to Xu family, just look at her clothes, it must be very expensive." P2: " I don''t know. They said that their daughter were dead. Is that even possible?" P3: " But they never found the baby''s body." P1: " hmm, makes sense." They looked at Hong er once more, '' she looks like a goddess even with her mask on.'' Hong er felt that someone were staring at her so she looked at them. They were surprised that she looked back and what surprised them even more was she waved at them. They could only wave back at her. Hong er put down her hand and continued to what she was doing. P1,2,3: '' She is friendly¡­'' After they entered the palace, they dismounted their horses and walked towards Long Gong guided by eunuchs and maids. Long Gong is the throne room and the place where parties were held by the Emperor. Liu Weisheng walked in front while Xu Tingfeng walked behind him. Followed by Bai Huiqing and Hong er, they stopped at the door and waited for eunuch to announce their name. Eunuch: " The Crown Prince of Da Qi enters the hall." The eunuch shouted with all of his strength. Liu Weisheng entered the hall with two of his aides. Liu Weisheng''s soldiers waited outside together with Xu Tingfeng''s soldiers. His charisma was very outstanding even for a 12 years old kid, he is the rumored Cold Hearted Genius Prince. He is strong, tall, rich, and very handsome, but no one except his mother, sister, and his closest aides had ever seen his face. Liu Weisheng coolly went to greet the emperor and the empress. He didn''t waste any time, he immediately went to his seat and sit down. Some of the people in the hall looked at him with admire but some of them looked at him with resentment. They were jealous at him. Girls looked at him with eyes full of love, he didn''t even glance at them. In his head, he only think about his Hong er. Liu Weisheng: '' haa~ Hong er is as beautiful as always, especially when she rides her horse. But it is not fun, she didn''t talk to me like the way she did before. Is it because she didn''t recognize me? Does it mean she only treats me ( Sheng ge) like that? not to the other boy or guy? Should I be happy happy or sad?'' If anyone know what he was thinking right now, they would puke blood. His aura was so intimidating, making him unapproachable. Eunuch: " The Great General Xu and Xu family enters the hall." The eunuch shouted again. Xu Tingfeng walked in front and followed by Bai Huiqing and Hong er. Everyone was very surprised by the newcomer, especially the Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort(Huang Gui Fei). The girl was walking fearlessly, just like his father and mother, she had a menacing aura. Liu Weisheng: '' Look at how beautiful the way she walks.'' Hong er felt like she was being stared but she ignored it, she has to concentrate. Mother said that being here is more dangerous than in battlefield. The three of them greets the Emperor and the Empress who sat up there. They could feel the glare from the person that sat on the top. Xu Tingfeng: '' Heh! Do you feel intimidated by my daughter''s presence?'' Bai Huiqing: '' Not for the second time you piece of garbage.'' They coldly turn away and walked to their seat, they sat down and started to chat with each other. The Emperor disdainfully looked at that family, he didn''t know why but he had got a bad feeling from that white clothed girl. But when he saw her body, he was astonished. ''How can a little kid like her can have such a beautiful body? Maybe I should try to marry her to that useless son of mine.'' Emperor: " General Xu, can you introduce that beautiful lady that you brought with you?" Xu Tingfeng squinted his eyes beneath his mask, he stood up and cupped his fist to the Emperor. His voice was cheerful like usual. Xu Tingfeng: " Your Majesty, I purposely brought her here to introduce her to everyone. Hong er, introduce yourself." Hong er stepped forward with powerful but gentle steps, she kneeled with one knee and cupped her hand. Hong er: " I am the Di daughter of the Great General Xu, Xu Feihong, greets Your Majesty." The girls giggled after they heard her name. Emperor: " Silence! Di daughter? General Xu, didn''t you say that your daughter was assassinated right after birth? Did you lie to Zhen? ( Zhen= the way emperor calls himself)" Xu Tingfeng acted like he was being wronged. He stepped forward and kneeled beside Hong er with one knee. He cupped his hand lower his head. Xu Tingfeng: " Your Majesty, I found her 4 months ago and I had checked that she indeed is my daughter. As I can''t find my daughter for 7 and a half years, I assumed that she was dead." The emperor couldn''t find any fault in Xu Tingfeng, so he can''t kept asking the death of Xu Tingfeng''s daughter. He could only confirm the truth. Emperor: " Then how can you prove to Zhen that she is indeed your daughter?" The emperor grinned. Xu Tingfeng: " Her eye color, Your Majesty." The emperor widened his eyes, '' Xu family''s golden eye is very precious! How can a little girl like her can have that?!'' he calmed himself down and smilingly asked Xu Tingfeng. Emperor: " What if you adopt her from the Xu''s second branch family?" Xu Tingfeng: " Only main family can inherit its unique eye color, Your Majesty." Emperor: " Then show me her eyes." Hong er looked up to the emperor, she directly looked into his eyes. He felt his soul being pierced by her golden eyes. His back was sweating making his clothes wet, his face paled. Chapter 31 - 31. The Emperor I Third person POV He couldn''t blame Xu Tingfeng, Xu Tingfeng didn''t found her body, it wasn''t weird if he announced his baby daughter was dead. He tried to think how to bring down this general of his. And by looking how the gnarl acted, it seemed like he hasn''t know the culprit yet. The emperor was relieved, he sighed and looked at Hong er again. Emperor: " Can you take off your mask?" Hong er lowered her head and said. Hong er: " I can''t, Your Majesty." The emperor immediately became angry, the vein in his forehead were going to pop. '' This family is too much! How dare they disrespect me!'' Emperor: " Impudent!" The hall became silent, the ministers didn''t dare to breath loudly. The emperor glared at Hong er but Hong er didn''t flich nor scared. Hong er: " Please ease your anger, Your Majesty. I have a reason for this." Emperor: " Speak!" Hong er: " I had vowed to the God of Light Sheng Jie to not show my face to the public before I marry. The only men that can see my face are my family, Your Majesty." The emperor was speechless. He clenched his fist under his sleeve, he can''t just force her to break her vow because he wants to see her face. And he couldn''t offend this general of his. The emperor could only wave his hand, Xu Tingfeng and Hong er went back to their seat. The Da Chu Crown prince, Long Shangu, stood up and lifted up the his wine cup. Long Shangu: " Let''s start the festival, shall we?" The emperor was relieved that his son lifted up the awkward atmosphere, he had a better impression on this son of his. Meanwhile, in Long Shangu''s heart, he was laughing. Long Shangu had always fights for the throne in the dark. He needs to give a filial son impression to that greedy father of his. But he couldn''t help but look at Hong er, even though she was still very young, she already has a great body. Long Shangu hungrily stared at Hong er, but suddenly he had goosebumps all over his body. He looked around but no one was looking at him, he scratched his head, '' Weird''. Liu Weisheng saw Long Shangu''s hungry stare, he was angry. He glared at Long Shangu murderously. Liu Weisheng: '' That useless crown prince! How dare he stare at my Hong er with those l.u.s.tful eyes?! I want to gouge out his eyes.'' . . . Hong er POV The food came and I sneakily checked the food with a silver needle, when I saw nothing changed, I lightly nodded. Then we happily eat the food. I always felt like someone was looking at me but I paid no heed. We ate until nothing was left, even though the food in our residence was more delicious, but we must not waste any food. The dancers were dancing gracefully with music playing on the background. But when I was watching the dancers, I noticed that the Huang guifei was staring at father. The way she looked at father was weird, it was almost like how mother looks at father. No way¡­ Then I turned around to look at father and mother. Father was playing with mother''s hand and mother was smiling gently at father. There were flowers and hearts floating in the air, the only way to describe them was they are lovey dovey. And I look at Huang guifei again, her face was truly priceless. Her face was showing all of her emotions right now. Jealousy, hatred, envy, greed, and disdain. Of course she likes father more than that emperor husband of her. Even though father''s and the emperor''s age are close, but the differences are large. At the age of 30, father was actually richer than that emperor. Father is taller and more handsome than that emperor. And father is more popular than that emperor. That''s why that emperor hates father so much that he wants to kill father. I smirked beneath my mask, they were jealous with what father has. If that emperor knew that father is richer than him, maybe he will puke blood. I continued to watch the dancers, I heard giggling sound from beneath. I looked over and saw girls who were sitting under us looking at something with love in their eyes. They were squirming on their seat, I looked at what they were looking at. I saw the Crown prince from Da Qi silently sat on his seat, he seemed so serious, are the dance really that good? Maybe he purposely ignored the stares that was given by the girls. I shrugged my shoulders and drank my tea. Chapter 32 - 32. The Emperor II Hong er POV After the dancers finished dancing, they retreated and now was the time for the officials'' daughters or sons to show off their skills. I just sat here watching the drama unfold. There was a girl with a light pink dress who stepped forward, she smiled sweetly at both of the crown princes. She is quite a beauty, she had an impression of a fairy. Maybe she is around 10 years old, and she already wants to find a marriage partner. No matter how dense I am, I can still feel those flirtatious glances towards the crown princes. Li Qianzi: " Greetings to Your Majesty. I have a performance that I want to show to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty enjoys the performance." Emperor: " Uhm, good." Servants put a guqin in front of her and a chair behind her. She gracefully sat down and put her hand on her guqin. She closed her eyes and opened it. She moved her hands and started to pluck the strings. Everyone seemed to enjoy her performance, they praised her silently. I looked at mother and saw her having this bored look. Bai Huiqing: " What are they praising so highly for? Hong er can play better than that." My face became red underneath the mask, even though mother said it with the voice that only the three of us could heard, but it was still embarrassing. I was so embarrassed that I didn''t realize the girl had stopped playing. The clapping sound surprised me. The people said '' good good'', I only lightly clapped. I saw the Da Chu crown prince looked at her with a smile on his face, the girl looked at him shyly. Are they lovers? But when she looked over to Da Qi crown prince, she was disappointed and suddenly glared at me. I was confused but when I looked at Da Qi crown prince, he was talking with his aide. Emperor: " Hahaha, as expected of the Music Prodigy. Reward!" Li Qianzi: " Thank you very much, Your Majesty." She bowed and went back to her seat. Then a girl came in from of the door, she was wearing a light blue dress. Is she going to dance? She bowed to the emperor and the emperor nodded. She was dancing elegantly but there was some flirtatious meaning in it. Like the way she bended her body to make her bottom and chest look bigger. I sighed, '' why are all of them so crazy about guys?'' I was getting bored so I talked to father and mother. Just like usual, the emperor rewarded her with accessories and gold. '' Are they showing off their wealth to Da Qi crown prince?'' I sighed again. They didn''t know that Da Qi crown prince is 3 times wealthier than Da Chu. I looked at Da Qi crown prince again but this time he was staring at me. I cupped my fist and bowed at him, he nodded his head at me and turn away. ''?'' After the dance, there were many other performances like poetry, singing, drawing, etc. Just when all the performances finished, a fat minister that sat at the table opposite of us sneered at us. Prime minister: " Hehehe, General Xu, why is your daughter so silent? Or is it because she can''t do anything?" The three of us didn''t reply to him, we could only think about how can he be so stupid for a prime minister? He dared to openly offend Xu family in the public when the emperor himself didn''t dare. He really got a leopard''s gut. Everyone I this room has the same thought as us. Prime minister: " Are you even sure that she is still pure after she lived out there with that body?" '' Hey! I am only 7 years old, what body do I have to seduce people? Even my b.o.o.b.s haven''t grow yet.'' I calmly sip my tea and listen to his crap. Everyone knew that this prime minister is utterly useless. His father is a genius and everyone respects him so much, including father. But after the coronation of the new emperor which is the emperor that sat at the throne just now, the genius prime minister and his eldest son died mysteriously. Leaving his useless son to inherit the prime minister''s position. Xu Tingfeng: " Mind your language, prime minister." Prime minister: " What''s wrong about my language?!" Bai Huiqing: " It. Is. Disgusting." Mother cold voice rang in the room, the room became more silent than when the emperor got angry. The prime minister froze, his hands started to tremble. His face changed from red to white, he shakily pointed his finger to mother. Prime minister: " Just who do you think you are?! You are just a woman, your job is to serve man in the bed so shut your mouth." Third person POV *Crack The cup in Xu Tingfeng''s hand broke into pieces, his face was as black as ink. Xu Tingfeng glared at the prime minister. Bai Huiqing put her hand on his hand, she took the glass pieces from his hand. Hong er wiped his hand with her handkerchief. The on looker were touched by the harmonious family. The prime minister was afraid of Xu Tingfeng but when he thought about his position and status right now, he became confident that Xu Tingfeng couldn''t hurt him. He thought that the emperor would help him because the emperor had helped him to get this position by helping him kill his own father and brother. Prime minister: " How dare you ignore me you s.l.u.t?! And do you serve men with that s.l.u.t daughter of yours?! Hah! Look at how she pretends to be pure but actually she slept with men to survive out there?!" The ground was shaking uncontrollably as soon as he finished talking. They could see the aura that was coming out from Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing. But there was a stronger aura than those two. The aura was suffocating, the prime minister could hardly breathe. The prime minister fell from his seat. He was struggling on the floor, his fat was jiggling as he struggled. Hong er: " Enough." All the aura disappeared, the ground had stopped shaking. The prime minister could finally breathe again, his hair was in disarray making him looked like a beggar. He was panting on the floor without realizing his messy appearance. Hong er stepped forward and stopped in front of the prime minister. Hong er: " If the prime minister said that I was too silent, then could you please tell me what I should do?" The prime minister was scared out of his wit, he crawled backwards until his back hit a chair. He pointed at Hong er and shouted. Prime minister: " W-what did you do to me?!" Hong er: " I didn''t do anything." Hong er''s cold voice made him shudder. His mouth opened and closed, he kept doing that but not a word came out from his mouth. The emperor helplessly sighed. Emperor: " Guards, come and take the prime minister out." Two guards came in and dragged the prime minister out. He was too scared to call for help. After they couldn''t see his figure anymore, Hong er turned to the emperor. She cupped her fist and bowed. Hong er: " Your Majesty, as the prime minister didn''t tell me what should I do, why don''t His Majesty decide it for me?" The emperor suspiciously looked at her. Emperor: " Are you sure?" Hong er: " Yes, Your Majesty." Emperor: " Then I want you to dance." Hong er bowed once again, " As you wish, Your Majesty." Chapter 33 - 33. Sword Dance Third person POV Hong er went to the changing room, but she felt like her dress was more suitable for the dance that she will perform. She looked around the changing room, she had to find the thing. After searching for a while, she finally found it. She took it and went back to the hall. When she entered, the girls was giggling and mocking at her. " Why is she holding a sword? Is she a boy or a girl?" Hong er just walked passed them without giving any reaction. They were annoyed by Hong er, they thought that Hong er was being arrogant for ignoring them. They looked at each other with evil smile on their face, they will definitely will make her lose face. Beneath the mask, Hong er was dissatisfied. She felt that the fake sword is too light for her, the usual swords she used were 10 times heavier than this. She started to feel helpless, she was nervous that the sword will break in the middle of the dance. She bowed to the emperor and the guards came to her, they checked the sword. They nodded their head after confirming that it was a fake sword. Hong er stood in the middle of the hall, she closed her eyes, she inhaled. The guqin played, the music started with a calming flow. Hong er followed the music with slowly moving her sword. The drum slowly build up the intensity of the music, Hong er''s movements started to move faster. The on looker were amazed by the fierceness yet graceful movements, they saw Hong er span the sword with one hand. They became silent as they emerged into the dance. When the music enters its peak, an aura suddenly shoot towards Hong er. Hong er gracefully blocked it with her fake sword, no one noticed the aura except Xu Tingfeng, Bai Huiqing,and Liu Weisheng. They clenched their fist,'' How dare they scheme Hong er?!'' Hong er noticed there was a crack on the sword, she frowned. '' The sword will break with the second attack''. Just as she thought, the second attack came and this time it was stronger than the first one. Hong er span and slash the attack with her sword, the sword broke into pieces. But suddenly a black sword appeared in front of her. She throw the broken sword and grabbed the black sword. She felt a strong aura flow through her body. The sword is heavy, but she likes it. She look at Liu Weisheng and lightly nodded. Liu Weisheng noticed the crack on her sword and as soon as her sword broke, he summoned his sword and throw it to her. At first, he was concerned that she won''t be able to dance with the sword because it was really heavy. But after he remembered how she carried a pot of soup when she was younger, his worries disappeared like a dust. But he never imagined that her dance got better after she used the heavy sword. The audience was flabbergasted, every warrior had their own personal sword and they won''t let anyone use it. The same as the sword, it has a soul in it, it won''t let anyone use them as they want. But right now, the Da Qi crown prince just took out his personal sword and gave it to her like nothing. And to make it worse, the sword allowed her to use it. Everyone can see how big and heavy the sword is. The sword is even bigger than her body but she waved it around like a piece of paper. They starts to admire her power a little bit. Hong er''s movements were really fast and strong that its create a strong wind with every swing. The dance and music was making every fighter''s blood boils with passion. They reminisced their past when they fight in the battlefield. Hong er didn''t even sweat, she was having fun playing with the sword. She spun the sword with one hand and creates a tiny tornado outside the hall. She somersaulted 3 times in the air before landing with her left hand. Her right hand was spinning the sword, making the tornado bigger. As the music got calmer again, Hong er slowed her movements and this made the audience anticipate with what was coming. Hong er kneeled on the floor with one knee and held the sword with both of her hands. She rested her forehead on the sword, like praying. She touched and caressed the floor, then she used the same hand to caress the sword. She slowly stood up and slid her hand across the sword. The sword glowed and startes to throb following the drum beat. Hong er stood with her eyes closed, she didn''t move. She was feeling the throbbing sword, the sword throbbed even faster and faster. And as the music reached it''s peak again, Hong er took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her movements this time were fiercer and faster than before. She backflipped and span the sword across her back to her left hand. And now she swung the sword with her left hand fiercely. When the music was going to end, the drum beat was getting faster and faster. Hong er spun her body like a ballerina and with the sword pointing to the sky. The audience could feel the tornado was getting stronger. But they couldn''t take their eyes off Hong er. She was like a god that controls the world with her sword. Her white gold dress fluttered in the air as she spun. At the last beat, she stopped and slashed the air. The tornado disappeared like nothing, the sun shone through the hall, illuminating Hong er''s figure. She proudly looked at the emperor, making him tremble in fear. At that time, everyone had the same thought. '' She is like the God of Light Sheng Jie.'' Chapter 34 - 34. Insistence Third person POV Liu Weisheng was really amazed, he didn''t blink at all when he watched Hong er. It seemed like his world had stopped moving, he just wants to reach out to her and hides her in his bedroom. He noticed many guys were looking at his Hong er with those pervert eyes, especially that Da Chu crown prince. He glared at Long Shangu but Long Shangu didn''t notice it at all, he was too busy thinking how to make Hong er his woman. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing enthusiastically clapped their hands like a seal, the audience were woken up by their claps. When they finally graspsd what had happened, they happily clapped and shouted '' good , very good''. Liu Weisheng was clapping and smiling underneath his mask, if the girls knew this, they would puke blood. Hong er stepped forward and bowed to the emperor. She purposely made a little tornado to scare him but she didn''t think that it would scare him until he couldn''t talk. After a while, the emperor opened his mouth. Emperor: " Reward." Hong er bowed again and thanked the emperor. Then she went to Liu Weisheng and kneeled on one knee, she held up the sword with two hands. Hong er: " From the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate His Highness'' help. Thank you very much." Liu Weisheng nodded and the sword disappeared from Hong er''s hands. Hong er didn''t give him another glance and went back to her seat. She sat there like she had nothing to do. The emperor was glaring dagger at Hong er, he was thinking how to marry her to the royal family. If she marry one of the prince, that Xu Tingfeng wouldn''t dare to do anything as his daughter''s life is in his hand. He can take the Xu family''s military power and controlling Xu Tingfeng will be easier. After thinking for a while, he decided to ask Hong er. Emperor: " Feihong, how old are you this year?" Hong er smirked, '' So he is gonna do it this way.'' Hong er: " Replying to His Majesty. I will be 8 years old this spring." Emperor: " Do you have any candidate as your marriage partner?" Hong er: " No, Your Majesty." Emperor: " Then what will you do with your marriage?" Hong er: " I don''t think about marriage yet as I still have a long way to go." Emperor: "Do you have anyone you are interested in? What do you think about the princes?" Hong er: " I don''t have anyone that I am interested in." The emperor became speechless, '' she purposely dodged the last question.'' He couldn''t ask any further regarding Hong er''s marriage or else people will think that he had nothing to do but matchmaking underage kid. He started to get frustrated by Hong er, she is smarter than he thought. He could only give up for now, maybe he will pursue this matter when she almost enters the marriageable age. Now he needs to know how strong she is. The tornado she created before showes that she is quite powerful for her age. He can use a tournament to test her strength. Emperor: " Then how about participating the Spring Tournament?" Hong er had heard about this tournament from Xu Tingfeng, there are 4 tournaments every 4 years. Each tournament was named after the seasons of the year and every year the tournament will be different. This year will be the Spring Tournament, next year will be the Summer Tournament and goes on. That''s why each tournament has different winner because of the season and the element power of the participants. If it is winter, the winner would mostly be the ice element user. Hong er looked at Xu Tingfeng''s and Bai Huiqing''s eyes before she replied. Hong er could understand what they want by just looking at their eyes. Maybe this is because they are close to each other unlike those other power thirsty family. Hong er: " Yes, I will participate the tournament." The emperor was delighted that she had fallen into his trap but he didn''t realize that he was the one that fell into her trap. Emperor: " Hahaha, good good. Then how about Da Qi crown prince?" Liu Weisheng only shake his head without saying anything. The emperor was a bit annoyed by Liu Weisheng but he held back because Liu Weisheng almost held the same power as the Da Qi emperor. Emperor: " Is that so? What a pity that I couldn''t see your performances." Liu Weisheng had won the tournament once when he was 7 years old. He swept all the challenger with just one movement and since then he never join the tournament again. He doesn''t even show up to watch the tournament. The tournament didn''t differentiate women or men but it was divided to ages. The beginner level was from 6-10 years old, the amateur level was from 11-16 years old, the advanced level was from 17-30 years old, the master level was from 31-50 years old, and the expert level was up to 51 years old. If there are winners from the lower level but their power were higher than their supposed age, they could challenge the winner of the higher level. If the challenger win, they could stay on that lever and challenge the higher level next year. Hong er: '' I''m just gonna stay low.'' Chapter 35 - 35. Surprise! Hong er POV After an hour of those ministers licking the emperor''s boot, we left the palace and visited a market. Father gave order to the soldiers to go home first and took our horses home too. Even though Xiao Bai rejected, I consoled her that I will be okay. She reluctantly left with the soldiers. And now I am shopping with father and mother in the market, which is the center of the festival. Mother held my hand as we walked and father followed us from behind. But actually he is the one who buy most of the things. If father saw anything pretty, he immediately buys it for us even though we didn''t ask for it. When it started to get out of hand, mother smacked father''s head like usual. The pedestrians were looking at us whenever we go, maybe our clothes were too eye catching. In the Spring Festival, people usually visit their family and ask for blessings. But father said that grandfather and grandmother were so far away, it will be difficult for us to visit them. Even though I had never met them before, they are so kind to me. Sometimes they sent me letters asking about my condition and health. They sent me gifts too and it''s kind of funny to see grandfather''s and grandmother''s gifts. Grandfather tend to send me armor, books about martial arts or strategy, weapons, and things like that. On the other side, grandmother tend to send me accessories, cute dresses, embroidery thread, and other girly things. Actually I prefer grandfather''s gifts but I don''t dislike grandmother''s gifts. I always use the thread and cloths that grandmother gave me to train my embroidery skill with the dresses as a reference. But I felt guilty for not wearing the accessories, even though all of them are so pretty. But I can''t wear those things as it will be a hassle when I was training. When we walk around the shops, I saw a familiar figure. I decided to surprise him from behind. I asked for a permission from mother and father, and I got permitted. I used qinggong to pass through the crowd and sneaked to his behind. His bodyguards noticed me, they grabbed their sword and before they unsheathe their sword, they recognized me. They loosened their hand and nodded at me. I counted to three and jumped on him. Hong er: " Sheng ge!" He seems to be surprised, I was very satisfied with my plan to surprise him. Hehehe, the plan went smoothly. He turned his head and stared at me, I tilted my head as I don''t understand why he didn''t reply to me. Weisheng: " Oh! It is Hong er ah!" He rubbed my head and laughed. I got off from him and took his hand, I pulled him to the place where mother and father was waiting for me. When I saw father and mother, I noticed father flinched after he looked at Sheng ge. Mother kindly greeted Sheng ge and asked about his day. Bai Huiqing: " If you want, you can join us for lunch." Xu Tingfeng: " Wha-! No!" Mother smacked father''s head. Bai Huiqing: " You must be hungry right? Come with us, we had reserved a room in a restaurant and it is too big for the three of us. It would be hard for you to reserve a room as it was fully booked because of the festival." Weisheng: " Thank you auntie. I have troubled you." Third person POV Weisheng cupped his fist and bowed to Bai Huiqing. Bai Huiqing nodded and waved her hand. Bai Huiqing: " Aiyah! No need to be so tense, as we will be a family sooner or later." Xu Tingfeng whipped his head to Bai Huiqing. Xu Tingfeng: " W-what the hell!" Bai Huiqing: " Language please." Xu Tingfeng: " I-I mean what do you mean?" Bai Huiqing ignored him and walked away, Xu Tingfeng chased after Bai Huiqing and tried to calm her. Hong er and Weisheng only shrugged their shoulders and followed them to the restaurant. In the restaurant* The bodyguards were guarding outside the door, leaving the four of them in the room. Weisheng sat beside Hong er and acted like nothing was wrong while Xu Tingfeng was glaring dagger at him. This time Bai Huiqing was too tired to smack him so she just let him be. Hong er was openly staring at Weisheng, and when he started to feel uncomfortable, he asked Hong er. Weisheng: " Why are you staring at me?" Hong er: " Why do I feel like I have seen you before?" Weisheng calmly drink his tea and closed his eyes. Despite him looking so calm, actually inside of his heart, he is panicking right now. Weisheng: " Where? Who?" Hong er: " Ah, I remembered. You look like Da Qi crown prince." Weisheng chocked on his tea, Hong er was fl.u.s.tered, she wiped his mouth with her white sleeve and patted his back. After Weisheng calmed himself, he opened his eyes and saw a splotch of tea on Hong er''s white sleeve. Weisheng: " Your sleeve got dirty because of me." Hong er: " It is fine, it can be washed." Weisheng only nodded, thinking that she had forgotten about the previous conversation. Hong er: " So how can you look like the crown prince?" Weisheng: " cough cough, ahem, the Da Qi crown prince is very famous in this world. And I think that looks so cool, so I tried to copy him." Hong er: " Ohh~" Even though Hong er was suspicious, but she decided to trust Weisheng. She didn''t pursue the problem anymore, Weisheng was relieved that she believed him. He patted Hong er''s head and took off his mask. Weisheng: " Here, you can see my face as much as you want." Hong er was fascinated by his face, he can bewitch any woman with this face. Hong er was touched that he showed his face to her, it means he trusts her deeply. Hong er: " Aiyoo~ How can you be so handsome, Sheng ge? You can easily find wives with this face of yours. Wow, I still can''t believe that you are this handsome." Weisheng was embarrassed by Hong er''s compliments but as soon as he heard that he could easily find WIVES easily, he was crying in his heart. When he was too focused on his broken heart, he didn''t realize that Hong er had took off her mask. He looked up when Hong er called out his name. Hong er: " Sheng ge, taa daa~" Hong er smiled brightly at him. Weisheng felt like her smile had blinded his eyes. Even Xu Tingfeng squaled when he saw how Hong er cutely said taa daa~. '' Cuteness overload!'' Only at these time, they are agreeing with each other. Seeing their reaction, Hong er was disappointed. She pouted and she put on her mask. The dazed Weisheng come back from his imagination as he saw her put her mask back on. Weisheng: " W-why do you put it on again?" Hong er: " Be-because I saw Sheng ge''s shocked expression. My face is too ugly that you are shocked, I''m sorry to disappoint you." Hong er said it with a very sad voice, making Weisheng''s and Xu Tingfeng''s heart squeeze. Weisheng: " No! You are not ugly at all! You just too cute that it caught me by surprise. No words can explain your beauty, so please don''t call yourself ugly, okay? Can you let me see your face again?" Weisheng smiled gently at her. Hong er slowly took off her mask and pitifully looked at him. When Weisheng saw her cute pouty lips, he died. Chapter 36 - 36. Taa daa~ Weisheng POV After that boring festival ended, I directly went to change my clothes and mask. I tracked Hong er''s location and found her in a market. I went to the market and waited for her to notice me. I knew that she was sneaking behind me, '' How cute'' My bodyguards knew what they had to do, they acted like they were surprised so Hong er won''t be suspicious. When I started to get impatient, she suddenly jumped on me and shouted my name. I froze, I didn''t expect her to be this happy. I turned around and stared at her, '' Wooww~''. I don''t know how to react so I only foolishly looked at her. When she tilted her head, I realized that I hadn''t replied her yet. Weisheng: " Oh! It is Hong er ah!" I said while rubbing her head, she got off from me and pulled my hand. I don''t know where she took me to, but I don''t care. I was enjoying the bliss before I saw that annoying old man. It seemed like he recognizes me too, I smirked and gave him a thumbs down. Heh, just look at his reaction, he was definitely provoked. We talked for a while and went to a restaurant. It seemed like my mother in law had accepted me as her son in law but it will be hard if I want to be accepted by that father in law. I swiftly sat beside Hong er and ignores that old man glare. I felt uncomfortable under Hong er''s stares, she didn''t steal glances like those girls usually do. She just stares at me, openly and her face was so close to mine. I asked her what''s wrong and when she said that I looked similar to Da Qi crown prince, I choked on my tea. She patted my back and wiped my mouth, after all this time, I realized that she is very attentive towards people who are close to her. I opened my eyes and saw a splotch of tea on her white sleeve. I felt guilty and apologized to her, she just brushed it off like nothing happened. I am really grateful that I found the right person. When I thought that she had forgotten about it, she asked me again. I just nonchalantly replied to her . When I saw her just believe my lies, I can''t help but pat her head. Her hair was very fluffy and smelled good. I decided to show her my face and her reaction was priceless. I got really embarrassed by her compliments but why does she had to say I can find " wives"? I only want you as my wife, I don''t want anyone else. I found you first so you can only be mine. She cutely called my name and I looked at her, '' Holy sh*t''. Why do you have to crush my heart like that? That taa daa~ was way too much for my fragile heart. Her golden eyes are so lovely. The red lotus mark on her forehead added a mysterious aura on her. While I am having an internal struggle, Hong er put her mask back on. I panicky asked her. Weisheng: " W-why do you put it on again?" Hong er: " Be-because I saw Sheng ge''s shocked expression. My face is too ugly that you are shocked, I''m sorry to disappoint you." What kind of nonsense is that?! If you are ugly then there is no beauty in this world. I consoled her to let me see her face again and she slowly took off her mask. Oh my gosh, that pout, it''s illegal! I was KOed with her continuous cute attacks. Weisheng: " Hong er, you have to promise me about one thing." I seriously said to her. Hong er: " Hm?" She tilted her head and gave me her puppy eyes. My eyes trembled, '' Liu Weisheng! Focus! You need to properly tell her!'' Weisheng: " Don''t show your face to anyone except me okay?" Hong er: " I''m sorry, I can''t" Weisheng: " W-why?" Hong er: " I had shown my face to the Xu residence''s people." Weisheng: " It''s fine, but don''t let anyone else beside them and me look at your face ok?" Hong er: " Uhm!" Bai Huiqing: " Okay, the food has come. Eat first, we will talk later." They took off their mask and started eating. They saw Hong er really trusts me, they decided to took off their mask too. . . . After we ate, we talked for a while before I gave eye signal to mother in law and father in law and they nodded. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, help mother choose something." Hong er: " Yes mother." They put on their mask and left the room, leaving only me and old man. I ordered my bodyguards to put a soundproof magic around the room. The atmosphere got serious between us. I played with my cup and asked. Weisheng: " How is the situation, old man?" Xu Tingfeng: " It went smoothly here. How about yours, kiddo?" Weisheng: " Hm, better than yours. And do you know what the other thing that I want to discuss?" Xu Tingfeng: " Hm, I know. Hong er is very cute, right?" Weisheng: " Heh, I have to agree with you in this." Xu Tingfeng: " And I have to thank you for saving my daughter. But I haven''t accept you as my son in law!" Weisheng: " You won''t know what will happen." Xu Tingfeng: " Hmph!" Chapter 37 - 37. Danger Third person POV After Weisheng and Xu Tingfeng finished their discussion about Hong er, they removed the soundproof magic barrier and went out to look for Hong er and Bai Huiqing. Hong er and Bai Huiqing were looking at a performance. They were clapping their hands like a seal after the performance ended. Weisheng said his farewell to Hong er before he left. The three of them continued their shopping until sunset. They went home after they had their dinner. On the way home, Hong er asked Bai Huiqing. Hong er: " Mother, when will we go back to Xi An?" Bai Huiqing: " Why? Don''t you like the capital?" Hong er shook her head. Hong er: " It''s not that I don''t like it. I don''t feel safe in here. I feel like someone watch my every move so I want to quickly go back to Xi An." Bai Huiqing: " Okay, we will depart tomorrow." . . . As soon as they arrived at their residence, the servants started to pack their luggage. Xu Tingfeng had a bad feeling about this, he went to his bedroom and saw Bai Huiqing sitting on their bed and looking at the moon. He sat on the bed and hugged her from behind. Xu Tingfeng: " What are you looking at?" Bai Huiqing: " The moon." Xu Tingfeng: " Are you the one who told the servant to pack our luggage?" Bai Huiqing: " Uhm, but it is Hong er that want to go back." Xu Tingfeng: " I got a bad feeling too." Bai Huiqing: " You too? *sigh Tonight will be a bloody night." . . . *** In a dark base room, a fat figure sat in front of a scary looking man. The scary looking man has a big scar on his left eye, his eyes were as black as ink, like a fathomless pit. Based on his face, he is still young but his intimidating eyes made him look older than his age. He looked at the fat man in front of him. The fat man was so arrogant, he kept talking and spit his saliva whenever he open his mouth. The scary looking man started to get annoyed by the fat man. Scary looking man: " Just say what you want, I don''t need your bullshit." Fat man: " How dare you disrespect me! Do you know who I am?!" Scary looking man: " I know, and I can kill you right now if I want to." The fat man was scared, he held down his anger. He looked at the scary looking man calmly drink his tea. Fat man: " So do you agree with the job I gave you?" Scary looking man: " Based on who you want to kill." Fat man: " I want you to kill Xu Tingfeng and all of his family. Kill his servants" The scary looking man froze, he put down his cup and clearly rejected the fat man. Scary looking man: " I refuse." Fat man: " Why?! I will give you 10 thousand gold taels!" Scary looking man: " I won''t accept your offer no matter how much you gave me." The fat man was annoyed by the Scary looking man but he need his power to kill Xu Tingfeng. Fat man: " 15 thousand gold taels!" Scary looking man: " No" Fat man: " 20 thousand gold taels!" Scary looking man: " No" Fat man: " 25 thousand taels!" Scary looking man: " No means no." The fat man felt like he couldn''t persuade him with money so he tried to provoke him. Fat man: " Hmph! I don''t know that the strongest assassin guild would be scared of a mere general." The fat man peeked on his reaction Scary looking man: " You don''t know him. Even his chickens are strong." Fat man: " Wha-" Scary looking man: " I want you to get out from here now." Fat man: " Ugh! You will regret this!" The fat man angrily left the room. The scary looking man sighed and leaned on his chair. Scary looking man: " You will be the one to regret this." *** The fat man went to another assassin guild, he sat in front of a skinny old man. The fat man was unsure if this old man can defeat Xu Tingfeng. But this guild is the rival of the previous assassin guild he went before. The skinny old man greedily looked at the paper check in front of him. '' Skinny old man: " 25 thousand gold taels, agree." Fat man: " Good!" . . . In midnight, all the candles had been blown off. A few guards patrolled around the residence. There were about fifty people wearing black clothes sneaking around the residence. They observed the patrolling guards with sharp eyes. They didn''t make any sound when they walk, they didn''t even breathe loudly. The opponent they are facing right now is the Great General Xu, one of the greatest fighter in the history. Not only him that they had to be wary of. One of the greatest mage in this world, Bai Huiqing, is more fearsome than the General. They shuddered when they remember the shocking news 8 years ago. The most famous assassin guild was annihilated in one night by unknown group. But you don''t need to think hard about the culprit, the annihilation was happened a day after Xu Tingfeng''s daughter''s assassination. Everyone knew that Xu Tingfeng used his elite forces to annihilate the assassin guild, that''s why he is more feared by others than the emperor himself. Their client said to kill all of them even the chicken shouldn''t be left out, they knew that they can''t beat Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing. So they will just kill the weakest one. The assassins surrounded Hong er''s courtyard, the room was dark. They peeked from the roof, they saw she was sleeping peacefully. They couldn''t see her face as it was hidden by a blanket. The assassins that hide in the roof silently jumped into the room, he landed perfectly without a sound as he uses his wind magic. 6 assassins successfully entered the bedroom and slowly approaching Hong er. They didn''t get any sign from their comrades who were guarding outside the bedroom. They looked at Hong er who was still in a deep sleep, step by step, they surrounded Hong er''s bed. Chapter 38 - 38. Danger II Third person POV The moment they rose their weapon, their vision darken. The last thing they saw was a girl with a mask standing on her bed. 6 heads fell from their neck and rolled to the floor. Hong er casually looked at those heads and the blood splattering on the floor. She summoned her sword and disappear. Hong er Pov I was pretending that I was sleeping, I could feel their aura and presence. Is this the well known first rate assassin? Just like what father said, they are nothing to us. I moved my finger under the blanket as they got closer to me. I used wind magic and when I felt like they were going to attack me, I launched the wind magic that I had put on their neck before. I clenched my fist and all of their head slashed. I got out from my blanket and stood up from my bed. Ahh~ I dirtied the floor with their blood. There were still many of them roaming around, gotta clean this place up. I summoned my sword and activated my 6th sense. I jumped on the roof and observed them with my 6th sense. Uhm, I can handle this alone. I used wind magic to jump down from the roof to my bedroom''s front door. There were about 10 assassins in front of the door. The moment my toe touched the ground, I spun my body across them and slashed their head in one go. I moved my left hand and used water magic to prevent their body and head to fall to the ground. The water slowly put their body to the ground and disappeared. I slowly walked to the side of my courtyard, there were 6 assassins who watched over the patrolling guards. I stood on a tree behind them, I store back my sword and summon my bow. I made 3 arrows with wind magic and shot the three of them. I didn''t waste any time, as soon as I released the arrows, I immediately made 3 more arrows and shot the other three assassins. There was a small hole on their head, I used water magic again to put their body down. I purposely made the wind arrows disappear as soon as they shoot across their head. I went to the other side of my courtyard. I used qinggong and saw 8 assassins standing right there. It seemed like they noticed my presence, I ran at full speed and summoned my sword again. Before they could unsheathe their sword, I slashed their head with my sword. My mask was splattered with their blood. I did the same to the assassins who were hiding behind my courtyard, they were about to flee as they noticed there was no sign of their comrades. But I shot them with my arrows, they fell, lifeless, to the ground. Now, the one that was hiding in the forest. As the forest is wide and hard to kill one by one, I decided to kill all of them in one go, but it will cost much more Qi than the previous attacks. I went into the forest and squatted. I touched the ground and closed my eyes, I activated my inner sight. I saw more than 15 people''s aura all around the forest. I removed my hands from the ground, I couldn''t feel their movement after I removed my hand from the ground but I can still see their aura. I made a few hand gestures and a bunch of magic circles appeared above the forest. They noticed the magic circles that appeared above them, their aura started to move around. I raised my hand and took a deep breath, I slammed my hand down to the ground. Ice spears and water spears came out from the magic circle and pierced their heart. The ground below them opened and swallowed them. I breathed out and inactivated my inner sight, I opened my eyes and stood up. I went back to my courtyard and saw many people in there. Father and mother stood in the front row, they were wearing their armor and their mask. Behind them were the elite forces, there were 70 of them and they wore a mask too. I walked towards father and mother, they didn''t move for a while. Father was the first one to break the silence. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, you did well but there are still many things that you have to learn." Hong er: " Thank you father." Xu Tingfeng: " How many of them?" Hong er: " About fifty." Xu Tingfeng: " Meiyun, Huayun." Father called out their name, they appeared behind me. Father had known their identities, he made them my bodyguards and personal maids at the same time. Meiyun & Huayun: " Yes, My Lord." Xu Tingfeng: " Do you who they are?" Huayun: " Yes, they were from our previous guild." Xu Tingfeng: " Hoo~, so they are the ones who tried to kill you two?" Meiyun: " Yes, My Lord." Xu Tingfeng: " Then do you want to join our fun tonight?" Meiyun & Huayun: " With pleasure." They kneeled on one knee. Then father looked at me. Xu Tingfeng: " Do you want to join too?" Hong er: " Yes, father." Xu Tingfeng: " Change your clothes and follow us." Hong er: " Understood." I changed my covered with blood white gown. Father tested my abilities by letting me fight all of the assassins, but he was worried about me. He had been hiding in the dark together with mother and the elite forces. Father made the new recruited elite forces to watch me fight so they could learn. Hhmm, killing two birds with one stone. Chapter 39 - 39. Annihilation I Hong er POV We went to the guild with Meiyun and Huayun leading us to the main base. As they were one of the strongest assassins, they knew many of the informations regarding the guild. Their guild was only second to Spider Lily guild, but the difference between them are huge. They can only defeat Spider Lily guild in number. We didn''t use horse as it will make sound and vibration in the ground. They are skilled assassins, it will be easy for them to detect us if we use horse. After 3 hours of running, Meiyun made a hand signal, we slowed down our speed and stopped. Meiyun gave father a few hand signals. Meiyun: Xu Tingfeng: All of us nodded and dispersed. We followed Meiyun and stopped when she gave us a hand signal. We hid behind the bushes and trees, we were waiting for father to give thesignal. Right now Meiyun was giving father the tower''s layout. Meiyun: Father was silent for a while and finally turned around and gave us hand signals. Xu Tingfeng: We nodded and still waiting for father''s last signal. He was estimating the time for mother''s group to arrive at the end of the escape tunnel. After 5 minutes, father gave us " go " signal. We immediately disperse and went to do each task. Third person POV Bai Huiqing commanded them to divide into 4 groups, each group went to the location Huayun explained before. Right after Bai Huiqing arrived at one of the tunnel with the forces, she put a barrier with 3km radius. The barrier was effective even in the ground. So the earth element user can''t escape from below. All of them were hiding their aura and presence so they will fall into their trap and kill them. Meanwhile in Xu Tingfeng''s side, they sneaked into the tower and silently killed them. He separated with Hong er and went to the bas.e.m.e.nt. In front of the assassins, he summoned and unsheathed his red fiery sword. The fire on his sword was blazing hot, even his soldiers were standing further away from him. Assassins: '' Xu Tingfeng and his elite forces!'' All of the bas.e.m.e.nt assassins were assembled and surrounded XuTingfeng. Xu Tingfeng and his soldiers calmly stood there while being circled by the assassins. The mage assassins tried to seal them with a barrier but obstructed by Meiyun. Meiyun had known all of their tricks and schemes. Xu Tingfeng''s golden eyes grew brighter, he charged on them together with his soldiers. He slashed them with his fire sword , they were burnt into ashes as he slashed them. An assassin used his shadow magic to approach Xu Tingfeng but when he jumped out from Xu Tingfeng''s shadow, Xu Tingfeng grabbed the assassin''s head with his palm and crushed his head. The other assassins was shocked by Xu Tingfeng''s strength. '' He can crush a head like a tomato.'' Xu Tingfeng carelessly threw the lifeless body on a wall, then he glared at the other assassins. Xu Tingfeng: " Where is your master?" No one replied. Another assassin jumped on Xu Tingfeng, Xu Tingfeng easily cut him into halves with his sword. Xu Tingfeng: " It''s fine if you don''t tell me. Because there is someone who knew him better than you do." Meiyun appeared behind Xu Tingfeng, she opened her mask. Assassin1: " Code 011?! How can you-?!" (A/N: In the guild, they use code as name. Meiyun is Code 011, Huayun is Code 012.) Meiyun: " How can I still be here when you killed me with your own hand?" Meiyun smilingly said that but her smile made them shudder. Assassin2: " You traitor! So you work with Xu Tingfeng now?!" Meiyun: " Ahahaha! Traitor? Me? Gosh, you are so funny, ahahaha." Assassin3: " How dare you laugh-" Before he finished his word, Meiyun suddenly appeared beside him and slit his throat. Blood gushed out from his throat. Meiyun wiped her dagger with his clothes. Meiyun: " Of course I dare. You think only me that survived? Huayun also survived, mah~ you probably can see her if you manage to escape from here." Meiyun smiled sinisterly as she charged on them. She slashed them with her wind magic, meanwhile Xu Tingfeng patiently waited for her revenge end. After 10 minutes, Meiyun went to Xu Tingfeng and kneeled. Meiyun: " I, Meiyun, and in Huayun''s place, thank My Lord for letting me get my revenge on them. From now on, I and Huayun, devote our life to serve Young Miss, My Lord, and Madam." Xu Tingfeng: " Uhm, but you are still weak. You took too long to kill them, train harder and be stronger so you can protect Hong er." Meiyun: " Yes My Lord." Chapter 40 - 40. Annihilation II Third person POV Xu Tingfeng arrived at a big door that Meiyun showed. He looked around the door and saw the door has mechanism. Meiyun stepped up and spun the mechanism, after she spun it for a few times, the door opened. They entered the room and saw the room was empty. Meiyun: " He escaped!" Xu Tingfeng: " Calm down kiddo, you got your sister there." . . . On the other side, Bai Huiqing and the other group were on killing spree. They were like owls waiting for their prey to come out from the tunnel. They were merciless, as soon as someone came out from the tunnel, they immediately cut off their head. There were some smart assassins that didn''t escape from the tunnel because they knew it was a trap. The wind element assassins used their magic to fly but they underestimated Bai Huiqing and Huayun. They were killed by the wind element soldiers who had waited them from above. After a few moment, a skinny man came out from a tunnel but he didn''t expect that two people wearing a mask had been waiting for him in front of the tunnel. He immediately ran away but Bai Huiqing used her wood magic to prevent him from run away. Bai Huiqing wrapped him with her wood magic, making him look like a wooden doll. The skinny man used his water magic to break the wood, he attacked Bai Huiqing with his water magic to make her busy. He charged towards Bai Huiqing with his sword, he disappeared and appeared behind Bai Huiqing. He swung his sword towards Bai Huiqing, she blocked the attack with her palm. He was shocked and took a step back. He glared at Bai Huiqing and saw a barrier on her palm. '' So that''s how she blocked my attack.'' He sneered and disappeared again. He appeared above Bai Huiqing and swung his sword, Bai Huiqing blocked it again. Then he appeared behind her and swung his sword again, this time Bai Huiqing caught off guard. Before the sword touch Bai Huiqing, a water arrow shot across his right hand. He screamed and the sword fell off his hand. The second arrow shoot his left hand, he screamed again. Both of his hands were hanging on his arm. He couldn''t use his hand anymore, this thought made him furious. He looked up to the culprit and he saw a teenage girl with a red mask on. Just after he looked at her, she shot another arrow to his left leg. Skinny man: " AGGHH, YOU B*TC-!" Before he could finish his word, another arrow shot his right leg. He screamed in agony, the girl emotionlessly looked at him. Huayun: " I won''t kill you. But I will let you taste the pain Meiyun and I felt." Skinny man: " Y-you are 01- AGGHH" Huayun shot both of his thighs and arms, she didn''t want to hear that name anymore especially from his mouth. The skinny man fainted, Bai Huiqing sealed him. Bai Huiqing hold Huayun''s hands. Bai Huiqing: " Aiyo, thank you for saving me. I''m bad at close combat as I never train like Tingfeng do. But if it''s wide ranged fight, you can trust me." Huayun: " No, Madam. It is me who had to thank you." . . . 30 minutes ago* Hong er with her group entered the tower. She summoned her sword as she ran, she jumped to the third floor and stabbed an assassin. When an assassin was going to escape from the top of the tower, she made a whip with her water magic. She caught his leg and slammed him to the first floor, he coughed blood as his body slammed to the ground. But before he could move again, the soldier that was on the first floor immediately stabbed him. Just after 10 minutes of fighting, all of the assassins in the tower were cleared. They used their magic to throw the corpse outside of the tower. They cleaned the tower and destroyed any trace that they left. As they were the elite forces, this was done very fast. The fire element magic users burned the corpses to ashes and the earth element magic users bury the ashes deep into the ground. Hong er was helping them erase the evidence. After they finished this, they helped Xu Tingfeng''s group to dispose the evidences. Bai Huiqing launched a firework to gather them at here. 5 minutes after she launched the firework, Xu Tingfeng and Hong er arrived together with the other group. They saw a skinny man laying on the ground lifeless, he was sealed by multiple seals. Huayun stepped forward and reported what happened, including Bai Huiqing''s case. At first, Xu Tingfeng wanted to use ice water to wake him up but after he listened to Huayun''s report, he decided to use lightning to wake him up. He rose his finger and pointed at the skinny man. A huge lightning struck the skinny man awake. Skinny man: " AGGHHH" The skinny man screamed, he wanted to move but he couldn''t. He felt something tied him, he struggled and cursed. Bai Huiqing closed Hong er''s ears with her hands and gasped. Xu Tingfeng grabbed a fist of soil and rammed it into the skinny man mouth. The skinny man choked and spit out the soil. Skinny man: " *Cough coughcough, YOU B*STARD XU TINGFENG!" Xu Tingfeng: " I''m going to ask you kindly, who is your client?" The skinny man ignored the question and kept cursing. Xu Tingfeng took out his dagger and stabbed his left eye. The skinny man screamed his head off. Xu Tingfeng indifferently looked at the skinny head. Xu Tingfeng: " Let me ask you again, who is your client?" The skinny man only screamed, Xu Tingfeng stabbed his other eye and asked again. But he ignored Xu Tingfeng again, Xu Tingfeng knew that it will be hard to get any answer from the skinny man. Just as he was thinking about that, an owl flew towards them. All the soldiers immediately got alerted, they took out their sword and pointed it to the owl. But after they saw the owl, they sighed and unsheathed their sword. Xu Tingfeng extended his arm and the owl landed on his arm. Xu Tingfeng took out a small rolled paper from the small tube that was tied to the owl''s foot. He unrolled the paper and saw three words. " I know." ( Wo zhi dao) Chapter 41 - 41. Xu Brothers?! I Third person POV Xu Tingfeng instantly knew who was the sender, he burned the paper with his magic and patted the owl. The owl flew away as Xu Tingfeng put his hand down. Xu Tingfeng turned around and faced the soldiers. Xu Tingfeng: " Kill him." " Yes!" . . . Xu Tingfeng, Bai Huiqing, and Hong er climbed a mountain and they arrived at a big waterfall in the middle of the mountain. Hong er was puzzled, she didn''t know what were they about to do because Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing didn''t tell her anything. She saw Xu Tingfeng stopped in the middle of the forest. Shortly after, Xu Tingfeng signaled them to follow him closely. They used qinggong to jump on the trees that grew on a steep cliff beside the waterfall. They steadily stood on the tree branch and Bai Huiqing opened the barrier and used her water magic to split the waterfall. Hong er saw a cave emerged from the waterfall. There were 4 people with black clothes guarding the entrance. They looked at Xu Tingfeng, Bai Huiqing, and Hong er for a while and nodded. Xu Tingfeng jumped into the cave and both of them followed him. Xu Tingfeng: " Where is he?" The guard: " Please follow me My Lord." The three of them followed the guard and arrived at an expensive looking door. The door was carved with golden dragon on it, the guard knocked on the door and entered after she heard " come in". The voice was deep and manly, it was a bit similar to Xu Tingfeng''s voice. Not long after that, the guard came out and welcomed the three of them in. They entered the room and saw a man with his back facing them, his back was broad and he has a tall stature. He closed his book and turned around. His black menacing eyes were staring at Hong er but there was no hostility in it. Hong er stared back at him so now they were having a staring contest. A big scar on his left eye made him look intimidating, his lip was slightly raised, but his smile looked sinister. Xu Tingfeng cupped his fist and greeted. Xu Tingfeng: " Big bro, how are you doing lately?" Xu Yingjie: " En, very good." Hong er was stupefied, she whipped her head towards Xu Tingfeng and back to Xu Yingjie. ( big bro) Xu Yingjie chuckled by Hong er''s reaction, Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing took off their mask and smiled at Hong er. Hong er took off her mask in a daze way. Then Bai Huiqing turned to Xu Yingjie and smiled. Bai Huiqing: " Bai Huiqing greets Da Bo (Husband''s elder brother). I apologize for the late greeting." Xu Yingjie: " No need to apologize Di Mei ( Younger brother''s wife)." Xu Yingjie smiled lightly at Bai Huiqing, meanwhile, Hong er was still spinning her genius brain. Xu Tingfeng found her expression funny, he squatted beside Hong er and patted her head. He pointed at his face and Xu Yingjie''s face. Xu Tingfeng: " Do we look similar?" Hong er looked at the two of them continuously, after a while she can find some similarities between them. They have similar face shape and a sharp jaw line, their lips and nose were exactly the same but their eyes were totally different. Hong er slightly nodded her head but her eyes were still comparing both of them. Xu Tingfeng: " You are probably confused. Let me explain, he is your Bo Bo ( father''s elder brother). Maybe you are thinking how can he be alive when his name and-" Xu Tingfeng was interrupted by 2 people stormed into the room. They ran to Hong er''s side and were gawking at her with sparkly eyes. There were one tall man and one short woman, their sudden appearance alerted Hong er. Hong er stepped back and got into defense mode. Xu Tingfeng: " It''s okay Hong er, we are famiy." Hong er put down her hand and sighed, she looked at the 2 people in front of her. Their faces were filled with amazement, an underaged girl has a reflex as a skilled assassin. Hong er stepped up and bowed to them. Hong er: " I apologize for my previous behavior." The short woman cooed, she hugged Hong er tightly and rubbed her cheek to Hong er''s cheek. Hong er was dumbfounded by her action, Hong er just let her do what she wants. Xu Yingjie tiredly sighed, he had warned them not to barge into the room like that but they never listen to him. Xu Yingjie: "How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? Don''t barge into the room like that." Lan Mingzhu: " Uhh~, Jie er don''t be such a bore." Lan Mingzhu ( short woman) puffed her cheeks and pouted. And the tall man beside her pouted too. Xu Yongzheng: " That''s right Big bro! Da Sao ( Eldest brother''s wife) tell him!" Xu Yingjie sighed again and closed his eyes, Xu Tingfeng only laughed at the situation from the side. Hong er noticed there were 3 little boys behind the door peeking inside. They were pushed by a tall young man, he noticed Hong er who was foolishly looking at him. Behind him a woman holding a 3 years old baby boy entered. Hong er was surprised when she saw the woman. The woman only looked at her smilingly. Hong er: " Lin laoshi?!" Chapter 42 - 42. Xu Brothers?! II Third person POV Lin Yingyue: " How are you doing, my dear student?" Hong er was too confused by all of this revelation, her head became dizzy and she staggered. Lan Mingzhu caught her and worriedly asked Hong er. Lan Mingzhu: " Are you okay, my child?" Hong er looked at her worried face and calmed down. Hong er put her hand on Lan Mingzhu''s hand. Hong er: " I''m fine, thank you for helping me beautiful sister." Lan Mingzhu was ecstatic, Hong er called her beautiful and on top of that Hong er called her sister too. After she gave birth to two sons and one baby in her stomach, she didn''t feel youthful anymore. But after being called sister, she felt that youth had came back to her. Lan Mingzhu: " Oh my, oh my. You are such a good speaker. I am so jealous of your daughter Huiqing ah." Bai Huiqing: " Ahahaha." Lan Mingzhu: " You didn''t even deny it." Xu Yingjie walked towards Hong er, he put his hand on Hong er''s head. Xu Yingjie: " Please bear with her behavior, she always wanted a daughter." Hong er looked up to Xu Yingjie and nodded her head. Xu Tingfeng: " Now line up everybody, so Hong er can easily remember you." All of them line up in front of Hong er into 2 rows, Xu Yingjie and Xu Yongzheng stood in front of each line as they were the head of their family. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, This is father''s eldest brother, Xu Yingjie, he is your Bo Bo. ( father''s elder brother) And his wife, Lan Mingzhu, you have to call her Shen Shen ( Father''s brother''s wife). The tall boy there is Xu Zhiqiang, he is 15 years old now. And his little brother beside him is Xu Zihao, he is 13 years old now." Hong er: " Greeting to Bo Bo, greeting to Shen Shen, greeting to eldest Tang brother, greeting to second eldest Tang brother." ( Tang xiong= Tang brother= cousin from paternal side.) Hong er bowed to them and smiled brightly but she suddenly remembered something. She stuttered and suspiciously looked at Lan Mingzhu. Hong er: " T-then Shen shen( Lan Mingzhu) is Lan laoshi''s younger sister?" Lan Mingzhu: " Yes! Wow, she is so sharp!" Xu Tingfeng: " Now the next one, He is father''s younger brother, Xu Yongzheng, he is your Shu shu ( father''s younger brother) and as you had met her many times, she is Lin Yingyue. She is your mother''s bestfriend''s little sister. The little twin that stand behind her are Xu Yongliang and Xu Yongrui, both of them are 5 years old. And the baby boy there is Xu Zhaoyu, he is 2 years old." Hong er: " Greeting to Shu shu, greeting to¡­" Lin Yingyue: " Just call me like usual." Hong er: " Greeting to Lin laoshi. Hi, Yongliang and Yongrui, nice to meet you." Hong er smiled sweetly at both of them. Xu Zhaoyu: " Abuu!" Xu Zhaoyu stretched out his little hands towards Hong er, he cutely looked at Hong er with his big golden eyes. Hong er stretched out her hands to hold Xu Zhaoyu, Lin Yingyue passed Xu Zhaoyu over to Hong er. Lin Yingyue was surprised by Hong er holding Xu Zhaoyu in her embrace. Xu Zhaoyu squealed, Hong er kissed his cheek and pinched his nose lightly. Xu Zhaoyu looked at his 4 elder brothers and smirked, he ignored their glares and kept playing with Hong er. As for Xu Yongliang and Xu Yongrui were still young, they couldn''t held back their jealousy. They didn''t slept as they got news that their older cousin sister was coming. But their little brother took all of her attention. They went to Hong er and tugged both of her sleeves. They looked at her with their big puppy eyes. Xu Yongliang: " Hong jiejie, can you play with us too?" Xu Yongrui: " Pretty please~" Hong er''s heart was squeezed by their cuteness. She kissed both of their cheeks and smiled at them. Hong er: " Of course I will play with you two, but now you need to rest. The sky is still dark, little kids should get enough sleep so they can grow up well." Xu Yongliang & Xu Yongrui: " B-but-" Hong er: " No buts. I will visit you tomorrow, okay?" Xu Yongliang & Xu Yongrui: " Ok" They dejectedly replied, Hong er felt guilty for disappointing them. She kissed their cheeks again and she noticed 2 boys stood behind them. Their faces were gloomy, they looked at Hong er with anticipation in their eyes. Hong er was puzzled by their approach, she tilted her head and look at them. Hong er: " What''s wrong, eldest Tang brother, second eldest Tang brother?" Xu Zhiqiang: " Call me Qiang ge." Xu Zhiqiang solemnly said. Hong er: " Qiang ge?" Xu Zhiqiang nodded but his face didn''t change. Xu Zihao stepped up and expressionlessly said to Hong er. Xu Zihao: " Me too." Hong er: " Hao ge?" Xu Zihao: " Uhm, good." Xu Zihao patted her head but his hand was slapped by Xu Zhiqiang. Xu Zihao glared at Xu Zhiqiang but Xu Zhiqiang ignored him and just kept staring at Hong er. Xu Zhiqiang: " You do it to them but not to us?" Hong er: " Hm?" Hong er was really clueless, '' What is it?!'' Hong er kept thinking in her head. Xu Tingfeng knew that they will fall for his daughter''s charm, he sheepishly smiled. He waved his hand vigorously and Hong er noticed Xu Tingfeng''s call, Xu Tingfeng pointed at his own cheek. Finally Hong er''s brain clicked, '' Oh~ that~'' Hong er stepped forward and signal Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao to bend down. She tiptoed and kissed both of their cheeks. She showed her dazzling smile to them, but she never thought that the shine of her smile would blind everyone. Xu Yongzheng, Xu Yingjie, Xu Tingfeng, Lan Mingzhu, Bai Huiqing, and Lin Yingyue lined up to get their kiss too. Chapter 43 - 43. The Reason Third person POV After getting their kiss, Xu Tingfeng asked Xu Yingjie. Xu Tingfeng: " So how can big bro knew who the culprit is?" Xu Yingjie: " It is that useless prime minister. He came here first before he went to that guild." Xu Yongzheng: " Humph! They can''t compare to our Spider Lily. They are so scared of Xu''s family elite forces and tried to destroy it by hiring us. But they don''t know that we are the elite forces." Xu Yingjie: " So what are you gonna do to him?" Xu Tingfeng: " Better to keep him alive. Surround that sc.u.mbag ( The emperor) with useless people, it will be easier to crush him." Xu Yingjie: " Uhm." Hong er tried to connect all what they said but she still didn''t understand how can Xu Yingjie and Xu Yongzheng still alive. And how can they secretly built Spider Lily? Xu Yingjie noticed Hong er''s confused expression. Xu Yingjie: " Curious?" He asked Hong er. Hong er looked up and nodded her head. Xu Yingjie sat down on a chair, he lifted Hong er up and put her on his lap. Xu Yingjie: " Actually, It is not that complicated. I was once a great general like your dad, but I hate communicating and talk rubbish, especially with those rat officials. So in one battlefield, I fought with Wang Guizhi''s brother. Both of us was badly injured, it caused the scar on my left eye here. So I just made it like he stabbed my head and I died. I prefer the secluded life like these. We trained our elite forces here and earned some money as an assassin guild." Hong er earnestly listened to Xu Yingjie''s explanation, but she was still confused Xu Yongzheng''s death because in the family book, Xu Yongzheng disappeared when he was on a mission. No one could find him as they didn''t really know his face. Even though Xu Yongzheng was very playful, he never went out fron the Xu''s residence as he always trained with his brothers. Making it easier to fake Xu Yongzheng''s death. Xu Yongzheng: " My story is unexpectedly more complicated than big bro''s, yknow. When second elder brother brought Saozi ( elder brother''s wife) to our home, he brought Wang ge ( Wang Guizhi) and his fianc¨¦e ( Lin Zhenxin) too. Yue er ( Lin Yingyue) followed them too as she was a close friend with Saozi. But she played hard to get, I met her for the second time when she almost died in a forest. That time I was on a mission to find big bro''s main base. I helped her and brought her to here, mah~ after that I kept chasing her heart and I didn''t realize that 2 years had gone by. The situation in capital got tense as the new emperor ascended. The new emperor tried to eliminate Xu family, so they just told me to stay here from then on. They faked my death and that''s how I died. Ahahahaha." Xu Yongzheng laughed out loud, he was really proud of his story as Xu Yongzheng''s story really was more complicated than Xu Yingjie''s. Hong er was dumbfounded by the reason of their death. She wanted to puke blood when she heard Xu Yongzheng''s story. Hong er: '' Now, the last mystery, how can they don''t have golden eyes?'' Xu Yingjie: " Are you curious about our eyes?" Hong er widened her eyes in surprise, '' Can Bo Bo read people''s mind?'' Xu Yingjie: " No, I can''t read people''s mind." Hong er: '' OMG, then how?'' Xu Yingjie: " I read your expressions." Hong er: " Oohh~" (¡ã£ï¡ã) Xu Yingjie: " It is important for us, the elite forces, to have the ability to read people''s expressions. So we can know if they are lying or being honest when we interrogate someone." Hong er repeatedly nodded her head, she was amazed by her family''s abilities. Xu Yingjie slightly lifted his side lip, '' She is very cute'' Xu Yingjie glanced at Bai Huiqing and nodded his head. Bai Huiqing nodded her head and chanted a spell. Xu Yingjie, Xu Yongzheng, Xu Yongliang, Xu Yong rui, Xu Zhiqiang, and Xu Zihao''s eyes suddenly changed color into golden. Hong er was speechless, '' So they hide their eye color to hide their identity. Now the puzzle is completed. Fiuhh~" Hong er: " But why did Yu er''s ( Xu Zhaoyu) eye color was not hidden?" Bai Huiqing: " He is still very young and this spell was created by me and Lin Zhenxin. We never tried it on a baby so better safe than sorry." . . . After they discussed some stuffs, they reluctantly sent Xu Tingfeng, BaiHuiqing, and Hong er off. The three of them went home and took a bath. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing went to their bed and slept, on the other side, Hong er went to the library as her usual morning routine. Since it had past 3 AM, she couldn''t fell asleep so she just did what she usually do. The sun had risen, Xu Tingeng was preparing for morning court. He rode Xiao Huo to the palace and arrived before anyone else. Xu Tingfeng entered the hall and stood at his position. He waited until all of the officers and emperor arrived. The prime minister was horrified when he saw Xu Tingfeng. The emperor started the morning court and asked for the issues or cases that needed to be solved. The prime minister was scared and furious, '' How can Xu Tingfeng still alive?!'' The prime minister kept glaring at Xu Tingfeng during the morning court but when he made eye contact with Xu Tingfeng, his body froze and shuddered with horror. After 2 hours, the emperor asked. The emperor: " Are there anything else that needs to be discussed?" Xu Tingfeng stepped forward and cupped his fist. Xu Tingfeng: " Yes, Your Majesty. This official will depart from capital city today, please give this official the permission to leave the capital." The emperor slammed his hand on the arm chair. Emperor: " No!" Chapter 44 - 44. Her Unrequited Love Third person POV Xu Tingfeng: " Please cease your anger, Your Majesty." All of the ministers kneeled and kowtowed. The emperor was furious by Xu Tingfeng''s request, he couldn''t let Xu Tingfeng escape from his watch. He was terrified by the news that he got this morning, one of the strongest assassin guild was annihilated in a night by a mysterious group. The emperor wasn''t that stupid, he knew who did that but he didn''t know the reason why he did that. He had been traumatized by the news about the assassin guild that he had hired to kidnap Xu Tingfeng''s daughter was annihilated. Emperor: " State your reason!" Xu Tingfeng: " This official got some information that there were some unknown movement from west border. This official have to protect Xi An from any harm." The emperor was vexed by Xu Tingfeng''s reason because he really got that information from the other minister. Lately there were strange aura coming from the west, the aura almost reached the capital. The emperor''s spies didn''t know what aura it was, they only knew that it came out from the Thousand Beast Forest. But the emperor was still reluctant to let Xu Tingfeng escape. Emperor: " My general, I want you to rest at capital for a while as you had been working hard to protect this country. I will send Qu general to solve the problem." Xu Tingfeng: " Your Majesty, I''m afraid I can''t. As Your Majesty know, the aura almost reached the capital. It means our enemy is very strong. I can''t rest peacefully knowing that my citizens are in danger. I beg you, Your Majesty." The emperor''s face scrunched, he would be gossiped by these ministers for forbidding Xu Tingfeng to protect his own citizens. The emperor was thinking hard on how to make Xu Tingfeng stay in the capital but he couldn''t find any reason to detain Xu Tingfeng in capital. Xu family was very much loved by the citizens and they didn''t had any bad record in history. Emperor: " Alright, I give you the permission." Xu Tingfeng: " Thank you very much for your kindness, Your Majesty." . . . The emperor dismissed everyone in the hall, he angrily walked back to the Back Palace. He went to Huang Guifei''s chamber and when Huang Guifei''s maids saw the emperor coming to their master''s chamber. The maids hurriedly opened her mouth to announce the emperor''s arrival but the emperor beat her speed. He dismissed all of the servants. He entered the chamber and saw her holding a red pocket on her heart. She closed her eyes and her face was filled with sorrow and longing. She didn''t realize that the emperor was standing in front of her door, he knew that she loved Xu Tingfeng before she became his Guifei. But she is the one who was begging him to make her his wife. She was a beauty and her family was strong, obviously he didn''t reject her offer and married her. At that time, he and the Xu brothers had always been compared by others so he had hated them for a long time. When Li Zhenzhen ( Huang Guifei''s name) begged him to marry her, he was ecstatic, he thought that he had won over Xu Tingfeng. Everyone in Da Chu knew that Li Zhenzhen was Xu Tingfeng''s fianc¨¦e candidate and Li Zhenzhen was in love with Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng was in a war for many years so Li Zhenzhen was getting desperate. She thought that by marrying Xu Tingfeng, she will be the one of the most respected woman in Da Chu. But she didn''t thought that after the new young emperor ascended, the Xu family would be targeted by the emperor. As she didn''t want to be the victim of the emperor, she decided to marry the emperor and grab the highest position in the harem. But she never thought that the new empress won''t be her, rather it was the neighbor country''s imperial princess. She was furious, but she couldn''t take back her proposal. At the day she married, Xu Tingfeng came back from war and announced Bai Huiqing as his fianc¨¦e. Li Zhenzhen felt a little regret but she didn''t think much about it. But when she attended Xu Tingfeng''s and Bai Huiqing''s wedding, she saw Xu Tingfeng''s face for the first time. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing were walking towards the emperor to give their greeting and asked for his blessing. She really felt regretful as she kept staring at Xu Tingfeng''s handsome face. Xu Tingfeng''s sturdy body made her heart thump, even though her husband''s body was great too, but it wasn''t as great as Xu Tingfeng''s. She was jealous of Bai Huiqing, '' How can that orphan woman become his wife?! It should be me! Li Zhenzhen from Li family!''. She had been trying hard to seduce Long Quan ( Emperor) and was promoted to Huang Guifei ( Imperial Consort). As she got closer to Long Quan, the more secret she knew. She was shocked that Long Quan wanted to kill Xu Tingfeng, she wanted to stop him but she thought about a plan. She would support him to kill all of Xu family''s member, especially Bai Huiqing. And when Xu Tingfeng was in dire position, she would come out to help him like a goddess. Then he would fall in love with her. But she never thought that Bai Huiqing would get pregnant after 3 months they got married. Li Zhenzhen often invited Bai Huiqing to her palace, she would put a small amount of poison into Bai Huiqing''s tea. But Bai Huiqing never drank the tea nor ate the snack she gave. Not long after that Xu Tingfeng asked for Long Quan''s permission to let Bai Huiqing peacefully gave birth in his hometown. Long Quan and Li Zhenzhen was trying to hold them off like usual but it didn''t work. Li Zhenzhen made a red embroidered pouch for Xu Tingfeng so he would always remember her in his heart. But she was blandly rejected by Xu Tingfeng. At that time, Long Quan saw Li Zhenzhen gave Xu Tingfeng a red pouch, in her eyes, he saw love. He felt betrayed, he had always thought that she loves him, he thought that he had won over Xu Tingfeng by marrying Li Zhenzhen. But no. At night, he went to her chamber, she cutely greeted Long Quan like usual. Long Quan was drunk, he pulled her hair and threw her to her bed. He forced himself on her, if Li Zhenzhen struggled, he would slap her. The next morning, Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing departed from capital. 8 months later, the spy that Long Quan put inside Xu residence told him that Bai Huiqing would gave birth sooner or later. At this time, the empress told Long Quan that if a woman gave birth, she would be weak and her Qi would decrease rapidly. As Bai Huiqing was one of the biggest obstacle for him to destroy Xu family, this was the perfect opportunity to launch an attack. Long Quan hired the first rate assassins to kill the new born baby together with the baby''s mother. But Long Quan never thought that Xu Tingfeng would kill all of the assassins and annihilated the guild. Fortunately, the baby died. After thinking like that for 7 years, his hopes were shattered when Xu Tingfeng introduced Hong er to him. Li Zhenzhen destroyed all of her belongings, she screamed and laughed like crazy. For 7 years, she had been holding on the red pouch, thinking that Xu Tingfeng would regret his decision and come back to her. On that day, she vowed that she will kill Bai Huiqing and Hong er. Chapter 45 - 45. Do You Want To Be My Daughter? I Third person POV Long Quan slowly walked towards Li Zhenzhen, he slapped Li Zhenzhen hard. Li Zhenzhen was stunned by the sudden slap, she fell off her chair and the red pouch she held fell in front of Long Quan''s foot. Long Quan coldly stared at the red pouch, he stepped and grinded the red pouch with his foot. He summoned an eunuch to burn the pouch. The eunuch was scared to anger Long Quan, he carefully picked the pouch from the floor and burnt it with his magma magic. ( fire branch element) He shakily excused himself and swiftly walked out of the room. Long Quan looked at Li Zhenzhen coldly, Li Zhenzhen shuddered in fear. Step by step, he trudged towards Li Zhenzhen. He stopped in front of her and squatted, he gently caressed her cheek with his finger. Li Zhenzhen was trembling in fear, his touch was gentle but it was spine chilling. Long Quan lifted her chin with his finger, he looked at her lovely pink eyes but she wasn''t looking at him. He gripped her chin and whispered closely to her face. His breath touched her face, she hesitantly looked at him. She was terrified by his sinister smile, his grey eyes were looking down at her. Long Quan: " My beloved consort, do you still think about him?" Li Zhenzhen: " N-no Your Majesty." She timidly replied, not like her usual confident self. Long Quan: " Oh my dear, don''t be scared. I like your smile, now, smile for me." Li Zhenzhen lips were trembling, she couldn''t smile. Long Quan''s smile dropped, he slapped her other cheek and forced her to face him. Long Quan: " S.m.i.l.e." Long Quan said with his deep and indifferent voice. Li Zhenzhen forced herself to smile, tears welled up on her eyes. Long Quan smiled sweetly at her, he swept away her hair from her face and kissed her lip. Long Quan: " Uhmm~ This is the smile that I love. Please don''t cry my love." Long Quan wiped her tears with his thumb. Long Quan: " Forget him and love me. Why is it so hard? Don''t make me do this to you, okay? I will be sad too." Long Quan hugged her and patted her back. . . . When Xu Tingfeng exited the hall, Chen Wuyong (the prime minister) followed Xu Tingfeng''s behind and glared at him. Xu Tingfeng suddenly stopped, Chen Wuyong flinched and took a step back. His face became pale as sheet and his body shivered from the coldness that Xu Tingfeng emitted. Xu Tingfeng looked over from his shoulder at Chen Wuyong, his eyes were as cold as ice. Chen Wuyng could only tremble in fear, Xu Tingfeng ignored his glare and walked away. Xu Tingfeng went to the main gate and took Xiao Huo rein from the guards. He mounted Xiao Huo and left the palace. The time Xu Tingfeng arrived at Xu residence, Bai Huiqing and Hong er were done with the preparation, they were just waiting for Xu Tingfeng. They directly departed as soon as Xu Tingfeng arrived. After 5 hours of ride, they arrived at Spider Lily and took a rest there. Xu Tingfeng was discussing something with Xu Yingjie and Xu Yongzheng while Bai Huiqing and Hong er were talking with the others. Hong er was holding on Xu Zhaoyu while playing with the other 4 brothers. Hong er cooked chicken soup for them as a parting gift, she used Xu residence''s kitchen to cook the chicken soup and asked the servant here to warm it up. After Lan Mingzhu tested the chicken soup, she immediately complained to Bai Huiqing. Lan Mingzhu: " Why?! Why is Hong er your daughter?! Can you give her to me? I will gladly adopt her." Bai Huiqing: " Nope, I won''t. You have two cute sons, why do you want my cute daughter?" Lan Mingzhu: " Because they are not fun to play with! Their head are just filled with practice, practice, and practice! It''s hard for me to even see them smile! Hu hu hu~ just look at Hong er, she is cute, filial, has good cooking skill, smart, and most importantly is her smile!" Bai Huiqing: " No matter what you say, I won''t give her to you." Lan Mingzhu: " Hong er~, do want to live with auntie?" Hong er was playing with her cousins, she felt like someone called her name so she turned around and smiled dazzingly. Hong er: " Yes?" Lan Mingzhu was blown away by Hong er''s smile, she hugged Hong er and rubbed her cheek. Lan Mingzhu: " Never mind! I will just kidnap you and keep you in my room." Hong er: "?" Lin Yingyue chuckled by Lan Mingzhu''s childish behavior, now she felt like she wanted to tease her. Lin Yingyue: " Hmm~ As expected, Hong er''s chicken soup is the best. Can you cook it for me again in the next class?" Hong er: " Of course, Lin laoshi." Lin Yingyue: " Goo-" Lan Mingzhu: " What?! What did you just say?! Yue er, this is not the first time Hong er cooked for you?" Lan Mingzhu said with disbelief. Lin Yingyue drank her tea and smirked. After she saw Lin Yingyue"s smirk, she turned to Hong er. Lan Mingzhu: " Auntie will visit you frequently, so remember to cook for auntie, okay?" Hong er: " Uhm! I am happy that auntie will visit Hong er. And Hong er will try my best to cook for auntie." Hong er smiled at Lan Mingzhu and kissed her cheek. Lan Mingzhu melted on the spot. Xu Zhiqiang: " Mother, I want to visit Hong er too." Xu Zihao: " Mother, me too." Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao eyes were glittering with sparkles, Lan Mingzhu couldn''t help it, her two big sons were so cute. She wanted to ask Hong er''s opinion but what she saw was Hong er''s sparkling eyes. Hong er: " I will be glad if Qiang ge and Hao ge visit Xu residence in Xi An. We can practice together!" Both of them were overexcited, they can do the things they liked the most with the person they loved the most. They patted Hong er''s head while she just kept giggling. Lan Mingzhu: " I''m fine with it but you have to ask your father." They nodded and when they wanted to go ask Xu Yingjie, the three Xu brothers came out from their room. Xu Zhiqiang: " Father¡­" Xu Yingjie: " I know what you want to ask. Coincidentally, I discussed with Feng er ( Xu Tingfeng) and we decided to let you and Hao er ( Xu Zihao) to train with him for 2 years." Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao were elated, '' Two years with Hong er!''. Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao: " Thank you father." Chapter 46 - 46. Do You Want To Be My Daughter? II Third person POV Hong er: " Father, Bobo, Shushu, come and try the chicken herbal soup that I cooked." Xu Yongzheng: " Wahh~ It smells delicious, the smell even reached into the room yknow. The three of us had been wanting to eat the soup." Xu Yongzheng ran to the table and took a bowl of soup that Hong er served. He drank it in one gulp leaving the chicken leg on the bowl, he grabbed the chicken leg with his hand and gnawed it. He chewed it for a few times and swallowed the meat, he threw the bones back to the bowl. Hong er gave him a bowl of water and a towel to wash his hand. Xu Yongzheng washed his hands in the bowl of water and wiped his hand with the towel Hong er gave. He didn''t realize that it was Hong er that gave him the towel and water, usually the servants do it for him. Hong er looked up to him and smiled. Hong er: " Shushu, what do you think about the soup?" Xu Yongzheng: " It is amazing! More delicious than those restaurant foods. Eh? Are you the one who gave me the towel?" Xu Yongzheng looked at the towel in Hong er''s hand, he was touched by Hong er''s filial. Hong er nodded her head and tilted her head in confusion. He turned around and glared at Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng proudly rubbed his nose and smirked at Xu Yongzheng. Xu Yongzheng whipped his head towards Hong er and held her hand. Xu Yongzheng: " Do you want to be my daughter?" Xu Tingfeng: " Hey! That''s playing foul!" Xu Yongzheng: " No! I am playing veryyyyy fair!" Xu Yingjie: " Shut up. Hong er wants to talk." Xu Yingjie picked up Hong er and carried Hong er in his arm. He leaned his face towards Hong er, he was waiting Hong er to kiss him. Hong er smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. Xu Yingjie smirked at Xu Tingfeng and Xu Yongzheng. Xu Tingfeng & Xu Yongzheng: " Big bro! That is not fair!" Xu Tingfeng: " She is my daughter!" Xu Yingjie: " She is the one who kissed me." Xu Yongzheng: " I saw big bro leaned your face to her." Xu Yingjie: " I never forced her to kiss me. Hong er, do you want to be my daughter?" Xu Tingfeng & Xu Yongzheng: " Big bro!" Xu Yingjie ignored them and seriously looked at Hong er. Hong er was embarrassed by their argument, she chuckled and shyly smiled at the three of them. Her chuckle made Xu Tingfeng and Xu Yongzhen looked over. Hong er: " Bobo, Shushu, I''m sorry that I can''t be your daughter. I will always be father''s daughter. But it doesn''t mean I don''t love Bobo and Shushu. I love Bobo and Shushu as much as I love my own father. I love auntie and Lin laoshi as my own mother too. Everyone is my family and I love everyone." Everyone''s hearts were pierced by a cupid''s arrow, Lan Mingzhu and Xu Yongzheng turned around and wiped their imaginary tears. They hoped their children would be as cute as Hong er. Xu Yongliang: " Father, can we follow Qiang ge and Hao ge to Xi An?" Xu Yongzheng: " Ohh Hell No!" Xu Yongrui: " Why?!" Lin Yingyue: " You two won''t practice seriously, you only want to be with Hong er, so no. Even if your father allows you to go, I won''t." Xu Yongliang: " But-" Xu Yongzheng: " No buts! Only after you mastered what I taught you then you can go train there. And you two are still brats." Xu Yongliang and Xu Yongrui were like dejected puppies, they were looking down and tears started to well up on their eyes. Hong er felt pitiful for them, she tugged Xu Yingjie''s collar and she whispered something on his ear. Xu Yingjie lightly nodded his head and put her down. Hong er held Xu Yongliang and Xu Yongrui''s hands and smiled at them, she turned her body around while holding their hands. She looked at Lin Yingyue with pleading puppy eyes, Lin Yingyue''s body flinched. Lin Yingyue: '' No, not those puppy eyes. I am weak to that.'' Hong er: " Lin laoshi, can you bring them when you come to Xi An?" Lin Yingyue: " T-they won''t be safe if they kept traveling back and forth." Hong er: " Just once a month, pretty please~" Lin Yingyue: " ¡­Fine" Hong er: " Yay! I love you so much Lin laoshi, you are the best." Lan Mingzhu glared at Lin Yingyue with jealousy, she pouted and humphed. Hong er turned her body back to Xu Yongliang and Xu Yongrui, she hugged both of them and patted their head. Hong er: " Quickly master all of the lessons so we can practice together. And every month, I will check on your improvement. Don''t disappoint me, okay." Xu Yongliang & Xu Yongrui: " Yes Jiejie!" ( Jiejie = elder sister) Hong er: " Uhm! I will be waiting for you two." Xu Zhaoyu: " Abuu!" Xu Zhaoyu suddenly let out a wail, he cutely frowned at Lin Yingyue and puffed out his cheeks. Lin Yingyue chuckled and tapped his little nose. Lin Yingyue: " Alright, I will bring you too." Xu Zhaoyu giggled and Lin Yingyue snuggled his nose. Hong er went to Xu Zhaoyu''s side and kissed his chubby cheek. Hong er: " I will be waiting for you too, Rui er." Chapter 47 - 47. The Incident Third person POV Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao followed Xu Tingfeng''s entourage to Xi An, they dressed up like other elite forces and followed them from the dark. As it was one of their objective, this was part of their training. After 1 week, they arrived at Xi An''s main gate. Xu Tingfeng and his entourage were welcomed warmly by Xi An''s citizen. They communicated with the citizen for a while before they went to Xu residence. The servants were waiting for them in front of the gate and greeted them when they saw Xu Tingfeng and his entourage. The servants helped Bai Huiqing and Hong er out when they came out from their carriage. They were so happy that their masters were back. They prepared Xu Tingfeng''s, Bai Huiqing''s, and Hong er''s favorite dish. But what surprised them was the two newcomer that dressed up like the elite force. They didn''t recognize the two of them as they covered their face with a mask. But after they opened their mask, the servants immediately kneeled and apologize for not recognizing them. Even though Xu Zhiqiang''s and Xu Zihao''s eyes were black, the servants could still recognize them as they had trained with them in Spider Lily when they were younger. Since the incident 7 years ago, Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing don''t trust people as much as the past. The servants in this residence were trained in Spider Lily before they came here, their ability and capability were tested there. As for the personal servants, most of them were elite forces or ex elite forces. Xu Tingfeng''s butler, Song Tao, was Xu Tingfeng''s teacher when he was younger. He really trusted Song Tao as his confidant as he usually consoled many things to Song Tao. As such war strategy, residence''s management as well as elite forces mentor. Xu Tingfeng was called by Long Quan with his imperial edict one week before Bai Huiqing gave birth. Xu Tingfeng couldn''t reject the edict or else his action would be stamped as rebellion. All of his family could be sentenced to death, he had a bad feeling about this. Song Tao played a major role in that event, he sent a message as soon as Bai Huiqing''s water broke. He had been guarding the labor room for 4 hours straight when suddenly a group of assassins attacked the residence. But as the assassins targets were Bai Huiqing and the baby, most of the assassins were attacking him. The assassins were as strong as the elite forces and half of the elite forces followed Xu Tingfeng to the capital. And to make it worst, the elite forces that stayed at the residence were trainees. They couldn''t compare to the senior high leveled assassins as them. All of the servants who tried to protect Bai Huiqing were mostly killed by the assassins. Song Tao tried to hold back the assassins as much as he could but a sword stabbed through his stomach. He never give up even though he was badly injured. After an hour of fight, Xu Tingfeng arrived and what he first saw was red. The whole residence were covered in blood, corpes were laying everywhere on the ground. He ran to the labor room and saw Song Tao with a sword in his stomach, fighting with his last strength. Xu Tingfeng immediately killed all of the assassins and helped Song Tao to rest. Xu Tingfeng: " UNCLE SHU!" Shu Huatuo ran as fast as he could and immediately did a first aid to Song Tao. Song Tao grabbed Xu Tingfeng''s hand and gripped his hand, he weakly whispered to Xu Tingfeng. Song Tao: " G-go save madam." Xu Tingfeng nodded his head and ran to the labor room. He forcefully entered the room and saw Bai Huiqing was half conscious, after hearing the mid wife''s explanation and Bai Huiqing last words before she fainted, he was enraged. He ran out of the room and summoned an enormous lightning, the sound reached until the capital, Long Quan was terrified. Even the people from Da Qi can see the lightning from there, the ground shook when the lightning hit the ground. '' THIS IS WAR!'' Xu Yingjie and Xu Yongzheng who saw the lightning immediately fasten the pace and became enraged. Who was Xu Tingfeng? He was a playful and kind guy who rarely get mad unless you hurt his family. If Xu Tingfeng made that enormous lightning, that means someone got hurt really bad. Xu Yongzheng was on patrol that night when one of the elite force came, Xu Yongzheng knew that she was one of the elite forces that he sent to Xi An. Xu Yongzheng got a bad feeling and urgently asked what happened. Then Xu Yongzheng noticed that Gui An was badly injured, the other elite forces that noticed this immediately gave her first aid and one of them called the physician. Gui An: " M-master, s-save madam and the b-baby." Gui An fainted, Xu Yongzheng ran to Xu Yingjie''s study room and explained everything he knew. Xu Yingjie immediately summoned half of the elite forces. He went to find Lan Mingzhu and Lin Yingyue who were coincidentally together at that time. He quickly explained what happened and told them to protect Spider Lily, they would bring Bai Huiqing to Spider Lily for protection as they were chasing the culprits. Lan Mingzhu and Lin Yingyue nodded their head, Xu Yingjie and Xu Yongzheng together with the elite forces departed. They used the water way as it was faster than the land. It only took them 2 hours to arrive at Xi An, usually it took 5 hours to arrive if they used land way. ( A/N: they used the river and water magic so it is like water slide. You know what I mean. I had wrote it before that Xu Tingfeng and his entourage took 5 hours to arrive at Spider Lily from the capital. It took 7 days from Xi An to the capital, it means they need 6 days to arrive at Xi An from Spider Lily. The reason that it took so long for Xu Tingfeng and his entourage to arrive at the capital is they took a break, they used carriage and travelled in slow pace. I hope you get what I mean.) Just when they were 1 hour away from Xi An, they saw the lightning. They fasten their pace and arrived in 30 minutes. They didn''t had any time to waste, they went to the labor room and saw Song Tao laying unconscious on the ground. Shu Huatuo was treating Bai Huiqing after he ensured Song Tao stability. Xu Yingjie immediately commanded the elite forces to bring anyone alive to Spider Lily. Xu Yongzheng was tracking Xu Tingfeng when Xu Yingjie gave his command. Xu Yongzheng: " Big bro! Feng ge went out of the border!" Xu Yingjie: " They got the baby! Quick!" Xu Yongzheng: " What?!" They immediately departed and chased after Xu Tingfeng. After they found Xu Tingfeng, they helped him to find the baby but even until the sun had risen, they still couldn''t find the baby. Xu Tingfeng explained to them about the magic that Bai Huiqing put on the baby. They were relieved to know that the baby was still alive. After searching for another hour, they went back to Spider Lily. Lan Mingzhu and Lin Yingyue were taking care of Bai Huiqing and now her conscious had came back. They discussed for a while and decided to put the baby in other people''s hand. They cleaned up the residence and planned their attack. When night had fallen, they infiltrated the assassin guild and massacred all of the assassins including the master. Maybe it would be hard for Xu Tingfeng if he attacked alone but He wasn''t alone. Xu Yingjie and Xu Yongzheng joined Xu Tingfeng to kill them. If the Xu brothers were together, they were undefeatable. After Xu Weimin ( Xu Tingfeng''s father) heard the news, he wanted to take a revenge on Long Quan but he was held back by Xiu Rong. ( his wife) They acted like they were mourning for the baby''s death but actually they were holding their anger inside their heart. Chapter 48 - 48. Song Tao Third person POV After Song Tao got his injury at that time, he retired from the elite force and worked as Xu Tingfeng''s advisor and head butler. When he saw Xu Tingfeng brought home a little girl, he was suspicious and excited. He was an orphan that Xu Weimin picked up from the slums, he was treated as family by Xu family despite his status. And since then he had sworn loyalty towards Xu family, he would sacrifice his life to Xu family. Since he was in the elite force, he never marry anyone. So he had treated the Xu brothers as his own sons and Hong er as his own granddaughter. He had doted on Hong er since the first time she arrived here. He extended his hand to help Hong er get down from the carriage, but Hong er didn''t touch his hand at all. He was devastated, '' Does she forget about me after she went to the capital?'' When he was about to take a step back, a cheerful voice rang out. Hong er: " Song zongguan!" ( zongguan= steward/butler) Hong er jumped and hugged Song Tao, Song Tao managed to caught her thanks to his training in the past. Hong er took off her mask and smiled brightly at Song Tao. Hong er: " Waahh~ I miss you so much! Did you missed me?" The smile made Song Tao cooed and threw away all of his previous thoughts. He lightly knocked on Hong er head. Song Tao: " Of course I miss my little naughty Young Miss. It is dangerous to jump like that, please remind me before you jump. What if I didn''t manage to catch Young Miss? What if Young Miss get hurt? " Hong er: " I trust Song Zongguan, Song Zongguan is always there for me so I''m not worried." Song Tao: " But Young Miss-" Bai Huiqing: " It is fine Song Zongguan,. Hong er had been talking about how she miss you in the carriage. Now let her hug you for a little bit." Bai Huiqing was helped by Gui An to get down from the carriage. Gui An was promoted to Bai Huqing''s personal maid after her sacrifice in that incident. Bai Huiqing took off her mask and passed it to Gui An. Song Tao nodded his head toward Bai Huiqing and smiled. Song Tao: " How was the trip, Young madam?" Xu Tingfeng: " Song Zongguan! How can you not ask anything about me? You are still my butler right?" Xu Tingfeng dismounted from his horse and stomped towards Song Tao. He childishly complained to Song Tao. Song Tao: " Young Master, you are just gonna complain about that¡­" Song Tao put Hong er down and closed her ears with his big hand. Song Tao: " Sc.u.mbag." Xu Tingfeng: " Ugh!" Xu Tingfeng flinched and averted his eyes. Song Tao sighed and opened Hong er ears. He smiled at Xu Tingfeng and bowed to him. Song Tao: " Welcome back Young master, Young madam, Young miss." Xu Tingfeng: " Song Zongguan ahh, why you still call me Young Master? I had already grew this big." Song Tao: " You will always be Young Master to me." Xu Tingfeng: " Mahh~ I feel younger too if someone calls me Young Master." Song Tao: " Uhm. And what do we have here today? Young Master Zhiqiang and Young Master Zihao, are you here for training?" Xu Zhiqiang & Xu Zihao: " Yes, Song Zongguan." All of the servant were amazed by Song Tao, they knew that he was only second to Xu Tingfeng in term of authority. Bai Huiqing respected him so much because he had protected her with his life. Sometimes Bai Huiqing obeyed Song Tao''s advices or command. No one dared to disrespect Song Tao including Xu Tingfeng. Only Song Tao can scold Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huqing in this residence. Even the elite forces see Song Tao as the Head of the Elite forces. But despite all of this, he never flaunts on his authority, that was one of the reasons why Song Tao was very respected by all of the servants in the residence. Even though Song Tao occasionally scolded Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing, they never felt that Song Tao was being disrespectful. Rather than that, Bai Huiqing could feel the fatherly love in Song Tao''s scold. Bai Huiqing had treated Song Tao as her own father because she was an orphan and lived in the slum. Song Tao always comforted her whenever she felt shunned by the society because of her past. Song Tao guided them to the main hall and served their dinner. Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao joined the dinner and Xu Tingfeng explained about their training. They listened carefully to Xu Tingfeng''s explanation. They were surprised that Hong er would do the same training as them, they felt that it would be too hard on Hong er and wanted to complain, but they decided to close their mouth after they saw Hong er''s serious expression. . . . In the morning* Hong er went to the training field from the library together with Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao, she met them on the way here. They warmed up like what Xu Tingfeng told them, they were amazed by Hong er''s stamina. They decided to not underestimate Hong er. Chapter 49 - 49. Match Third person POV Xu Tingfeng always held a martial art duel every month, and this month was special, the last winner would fight him despite no one could win over him. 70 men and women line up based on their rate, there were 2 rate in the elite forces. 50 on the right side and 20 on the left side. The rate that has the most member was second rate, because they were trained in an assassin guild ( Spider Lily), they used assassin''s way of evaluation. The second rate soldiers were way weaker than the first rate soldiers, one first rate soldier could kill 15 second rate soldiers. The second rate elite forces were divided to 2 types. The first type is fighter, they majored in martial arts and strength. The second type is mage, they majored in magic. Actually they could do both martial arts and magic but the fighter''s martial arts was more advanced than the mage''s and on the other side, the mage''s magic was more powerful than the fighter''s. The rate that had the least member is first rate, they excelled both martial arts and magic. Most of the first rate soldiers were almost as strong as Xu Tingfeng. They were the best among the best in elite forces, that''s why their number was very little. One by one, they fought until they fell. They couldn''t give up as Xu Tingfeng would immediately kick them out from the elite forces. Shu Huatuo was standing beside Xu Tingfeng, if there was any emergency, he would be able to treat them quicker. After two hours of fighting between the second rate soldiers, there were 2 finales, it were Hong er and Ah Tong ( her shadow guard). They had to fight each other and decide who was the winner. Hong er summoned her sword and on her fighting stance, meanwhile Ah Tong summoned his halberd and getting ready. Xu Tingfeng: " Ready, fight!" Hong er immediately disappeared, Ah Tong was looking around before he swung his halberd to his back. '' Clang'' He immediately swung his halberd to his left side '' Clang'' and he spun around his halberd with his finger. The sound of metal clashing with each other sounded loudly on the training field which means the attacks were strong. Every time Hong er''s sword hit At Tong''s halberd, his halberd would shook, his hands started to feel sore. As Hong er was more focused on agility, her movements were nimble. The on lookers hardly could see Hong er as she moves so fast. Ah Tong: '' I have to attack!'' Hong er swiftly jumped up and swung her sword on his head. Ah Tong swung his halberd above his head, the attack this time was way stronger than the previous one. He fell on one knee but before his knee touched the ground, he swung his hand backwards and grabbed on Hong er''s collar. Because of Hong er''s small body size, he could easily swung Hong er''s body to his front. Before he could slam Hong er to the ground, Hong er spun her body and armlocked him but he managed to lift her up with one arm. Hong er knew it wasn''t gonna work, she unsummon her sword and summoned her dagger. She spun her body again, she headlocked him and point the dagger on his neck. Xu Tingfeng: " Match finished, the winner is Xu Feihong." Hong er relased Ah Tong and helped him up. They bowed to each other and got down from the ring. They went to Xu Tingfeng and kneeled, the dual was made to observe your improvement every month. That''s why after every match, Xu Tingfeng would gave them some advice and what they should improve. Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, your agility had improved a lot in these four months but don''t waste your ability, observe your opponent''s strength and ability. Your advantage and disadvantage is your body size. You are nimble with that body size but remember your body weight, it is easy for us to lift you with one finger and throw you away." Hong er: " I understood father." Xu Tingfeng: " Ah Tong, you knew that Hong er expertise in agility, you shouldn''t let her attack first. And you have to be more flexible in using the weapon. You have to change your weapon considering your situation. But despite all of that, you did a good job in detecting Hong er''s presence and blocking all of her attacks. Now, you two go rest." Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao were standing there, stunned. They didn''t expect their cute Hong er to be so vicious when she got serious. They gulped, '' women are scary.'' The match continued, the first rate soldiers fought in a very tense way, the bystanders were moving their body like they were the one who was fighting. The bystanders were too focused that they didn''t have time to cheer. The only thing that they could say was. " Agh- yes! No! Ah- no- yes" repeatedly When they were clashing each other, the sparks that was created by the collision were like fireworks. Their movements were extremely fast but they didn''t lack power in it. The more intense part was when they were fighting hand to hand. They just flipped each other like pancakes. Before they could flip the other, they were flipped and then they spun their body again and flipped their body again. Their body were entangled to each other. After an hour of fighting, the final winner of the match was Yao Jian. He was the leader of the first rate soldiers. Xu Tingfeng gave them advice and told Yao Jian to rest as he would fight with Xu Tingfeng. While waiting for Yao Jian to charge his energy, Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao were dueling. And obviously the winner was Xu Zhiqiang as he was more experienced. But it didn''t mean that Xu Zihao was weak. Xu Tingfeng observed their ability and satisfied by the result of Xu Yingjie''s training. Chapter 50 - 50. Happy Birthday Third person POV Xu Tingfeng and Yao Jian were standing on the stage, Yao Jian''s face was very serious and on the other side, Xu Tingfeng was smiling as wide as possible. Even though Xu Tingfeng was smiling but his eyes were bone chilling. Since Xu Tingfeng was on stage, Song Tao became the referee. Song Tao: " Ready, fight!" Both of them disappeared in the air, the bystanders looked around but didn''t find them. Then Song Tao pointed to the sky, they looked up and saw them fighting in the air. Every Yao Jian''s attacks were blocked by Xu Tingfeng. Then Yao Jian kicked Xu Tingfeng''s head but was dodged by Xu Tingfeng, Xu Tingfeng grabbed Yao Jian'' other leg and used his full strength to threw him to the ground. " BAAM" Yao Jian was slammed to the ground, dust were everywhere, blocking his vision. But he saw a silhouette that getting closer to him in rapid speed. He immediately dodged to the side and " BAAM". Xu Tingfeng sky dived from the sky and bashed his Guan Dao ( Guan Yu''s weapon. Guan Yu is not my character, he exists and he is my hero!) towards Yao Jian''s previous position. The impact was too big that it created a big hole. Then 5 knives flew towards Xu Tingfeng, he easily blocked the knives and he rapidly swung his Guan Dao behind him. The dust were instantly cleared, Yao Jian squatted as he dodged Xu Tingfeng''s attack. Hand claws appeared on his hand as he upper cut Xu Tingfeng with his claw. Xu Tingfeng somersaulted backwards while Yao Jian kept attacking him with the claw. But Yao Jian didn''t realize that when Xu Tingfeng somersaulted, Xu Tingfeng swung his Guan Dao and knocked Yao Jian feet. Yao Jian fell and before his back touched the ground, he managed to use his claw to support himself back up. But Xu Tingfeng was faster than him, the moment Yao Jian stood up, Xu Tingfeng pointed his Guan Dao on his neck. Xu Tingfeng smiled widely. Xu Tingfeng: " Bruh, I win." Yao Jian unsummoned his hand claw and chuckled. Xu Tingfeng unsummoned his Guan Dao, he laughed out loud and slapped Yao Jian''s back. Xu Tingfeng: " Ahahaha, I almost lost there." Yao Jian: " Please don''t joke Master. You aren''t even serious in the match." Xu Tingfeng: " Geehee~" Hong er always thought that she could defeat Xu Tingfeng with agility but after watching the match, she knew it would be hard. All of that happened in a very short time, Xu Tingfeng and Yao Jian''s match only took 4 minutes. After all of the matches ended, they went back to their usual training. Xu Tingfeng unsually left the training field but today he looked a bit fidgety. Hong er looked at Xu Tingfeng with a confused expression but she decided to not care about it. . . . Dinner* 5 people sat together in a round table, Hong er looked at their face and felt a little bit suspicious. Hong er: '' Since this morning, everyone had been weird. Lin laoshi and Ruo er ( Shu Zhiruo) are weird too. They looked like they were hiding something from me.'' But she just shook off her thoughts, '' maybe they have some problem.'' After they finished their dinner, Xu Tingfeng excitedly talked about Hong er''s performance in the duel match. Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Zihao nodded their head in agreement. Xu Tingfeng kept talking non stop that it started to make Hong er suspicious. Hong er: '' Father kept talking the same thing for 30 minutes already.'' Hong er: " Father, why are you so nervous?" Xu Tingfeng: " N-nothing¡­" While Hong er was focusing on Xu Tingfeng, Song Tao nodded his head towards Bai Huiqing. Bai Huiqing lightly nodded back. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, can you accompany mother for a second?" Hong er: " Yes, mother." The moment Bai Huiqing and Hong er left the hall, Xu Tingfeng sighed and loosened his body. Xu Tingfeng: " Fuuhh~ Hong er is so sharp, she almost exposed our plan. Now, let''s do the plan." . . . Bai Huiqing and Hong er were sitting at a pavilion, the pavilion was built when they were away to the capital. The pavilion was in the middle of a small lake beside Xu residence. Hong er liked the pavilion very much, it was peaceful and refreshing. This was a good place for moon sighting. Both of them were enjoying the bright full moon, the flower on the side of the lake added a happy atmosphere. But the dark sky slowly brighten, hundreds of small orange dots floated in the sky. Hong er was astonished by the floating things, she stood up from her chair and ran to the side of the pavilion. She looked up with mouth agape, her eyes reflected the light of moon. She still didn''t know what the floating things were, so she turned around and wanted to ask Bai Huiqing about the floaty things. But what she saw was more than a hundred people standing behind her with a lighted up paper lantern in their hands. There were Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng standing in the front, Xu Yingjie, Xu Yongzheng, Lan Mingzhu, Lin Yingyue, and all of the Xu family were standing there smiling at Hong er. Even Lan Qingshan was here. All of the servants and elite forces lined up behind them and waving their hand towards Hong er, Hong er waved her hand back and smiled brightly, but she still didn''t know what was this all about. Bai Huiqing stepped forward and handed Hong er the lantern. Bai Huiging: " Today is your birthday my sweetheart. Everybody had come here to celebrate this happy day together. And there is a surprise for you." Bai Huiqing walked to the side of the pavilion and stretched out both of her hands. the water in the lake started to swirl around and it shoots up. There was a pair of old couple appeared in the air, all of their body were made of water. They waved their hand towards Hong er then Bai Huiqing gave Hong er a letter. Bai Huiqing: " This is your grandfather''s and grandmother''s surprise for you. And they wrote a letter for you." Hong er opened the letter and read it. She was smiling from the moment she read the first few words of the letter. '' My cute little granddaughter, how are you doing? Of course you are fine right? Grandpa and Grandma specially prepared this surprise for you. Do you like it? The gifts are on the way to your residence, it will arrive tomorrow morning. Happy birthday Hong er, I wish you will always be healthy and happy." Then the pair of old couple water statue changed into 50 people lined up. Xu Yingjie: " They were the elite forces that stayed in Spider Lily. They had to protect the base so they couldn''t come to celebrate the party. The power of chicken soup is truly amazing. " The 50 water soldiers saluted Hong er, Hong er saluted back with a sweet smile. That day, Hong er told them to warm up the soup, but when they went to take the soup from the carriage, they were confused. '' Why are there 2 pots of soup? That''s too many.'' But they obeyed the order like a professional. When Hong er went to the kitchen to take a look at the soup, she saw the soldiers were standing in front of the soup, staring at the soup intently. Hong er found it funny, she laughed and went to the stove. She took a bowl and poured the soup into the bowl. She gave the bowl to a soldier then she took a new bowl and poured the soup again. The soldiers could only stand there with a bowl of soup in their hand, they were confused, '' Is this a new test? Holding our hunger?'' Hong er: " I purposely made these for all of you, so please don''t hold back, eat all of it as much as you want." And since that day, Hong er unconsciously and successfully grabbed all of their hearts. Xu Yingjie passed a letter to Hong er, Hong er bowed and took the letter. She opened the letter and immediatey laughed out loud. '' Young Miss! Happy Birthday! We miss you! Please come and visit us! We are trapped in here! And please don''t let Master see this letter!'' Xu Yingjie: " What did they write?" Hong er folded the letter and put it in her sleeve pocket. Hong er: " They congratulate me, that''s all." Xu Yingjie nodded and walked back to his previous position. The water went back to the lake like nothing happened. Bai Huiqing turned around and smiled at Hong er. The lantern in their hand started to float. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, this is the gift that Xi An''s citizens and everyone in here gave you. We wish you a happy 8th birthday, always stay healthy and happy Hong er." Hong er turned around and bowed to the crowd. She smiled brightly at them and shouted. Hong er: " Today is the happiest day in my life! I love all of you! Thank you so much!" Chapter 51 - 51. Spring Tournament Third person POV After the party was done, everyone went back to their own room to end the day. Hong er sat in front of her dressing table, she untied her hair and when she wanted to put back her jade hairpin, she noticed a white box with golden frame. She got cautious, someone could enter her room and put a box in her dressing room, this person must be strong. But after she looked at the top of the box closely, she saw a faint carving on the corner. '' From Sheng ge.'' Hong er sighed and opened the box, she saw a letter and a white jade thumb ring in it. Hong er read the letter and chuckled. ( Thumb rings are used for protecting your thumb when you shoot arrow.) '' Hong er, this is Sheng ge. I wish you a happy birthday and this ring is my gift for you. Wear this ring and don''t take it off no matter what, okay? I''m sorry that I can''t be there for you.'' Hong er folded the letter and put it back into the box, she took the ring and put it on her thumb. She rubbed the ring and smiled. But her hand stopped. Hong er: '' Wait¡­ How did he know my birthday?'' 1 month later* People were cheering loudly for their idol, people from different countries had came to watch Spring Tournament this year. All participants sat on the lowest right side of the stadium. Some of them were nervous and some of them were calm. One of the calmest person in there was Hong er. Hong er was sitting calmly, her eyes were focused on the stage. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing had warned her to stay low, they told her to lose this match. So she was thinking how to lose in a cool manner. But a shrill voice sounded out from behind her, disrupting her thoughts. Girl 1: " You know~ I heard that Great General Xu''s daughter had been found. Someone said that she was picked up from the slum, and apparently she participate in this tournament." The other girls beside the girl were giggling, Hong er didn''t react to her provocation. Ashamed that she was ignored, she shouted on Hong er. Girl 1: " You lowly slave! How dare you ignore me!" Hong er still didn''t react. The girl''s face got really red and her vein almost popped out from her forehead. Chen Lili: " Do you know who I am? I am the fourth daughter of the prime minister, Chen Lili! You dare to ignore me?!" Hong er sighed, '' Father and daughter maan~'' When Chen Lili wanted to shout at Hong er again, Hong er suddenly turned around and stared into her eyes. Chen Lili: " W-what?! How dare you look at me with those obnoxious eyes!" Hong er was internally screaming, '' What do you want me to do?!'' Just as Chen Lili raised her hand to slap Hong er, Li Qianzi grabbed Chen Lili''s hand. Chen Lili was surprised, she retracted her hand and greeted Li Qianzi. Chen Lili: " Sister Qianzi." Li Qianzi: " Little sister Chen, you shouldn''t do that thing here. There are people around watching your behavior. And what did she do to anger you?" Chen Lili: " I-I.." Li Qianzi: " Fine, just don''t repeat this anymore." Li Qianzi turned her head to Hong er and saw her calmly watch the match. Li Qianzi was irritated by Hong er''s ignorance. She had purposely waited until the situation got really bad and then came out to help her so Hong er and the others saw her as a goddess. Li Qianzi: '' But this b***h just continues to watch the match and ignores me?! She didn''t even say thank you!'' A sudden loud cheers from the audience surprised Li Qianzi. The MC used his sound magic to make his voice louder. MC: " And now! We will start the Spring Tournament with the match between Beginner Level! We welcome our Beginner Level participants!" Hong er stood up and walked towards the stage, ignoring Li Qianzi''s glare. Chen Lili and the girls awkwardly left their seat and went to the stage. MC: " And this year! We have Great General Xu''s daughter, Xu Feihong, as one of our special participants!" The audiences cheered and clapped their hands. Hong er cupped her fist towards the audiences and the MC. The MC lightly nodded and continued his announcement. MC: " And we have our champion for 4 years straight, Li Qianzi! The prodigy!" The cheers were different from Hong er''s, young men were screaming Li Qianzi''s name and how beautiful she was. Li Qianzi waved her hand towards the audiences and smiled. The men''s cheers got louder and fiery. All of the participantsstood from their position and summoned their own weapon. MC: " No killing, No cheating, or else you will be disqualified. You lose if you step outside of the ring. Ready, Fight!" Chen Lili dashed to Hong er''s side, she took out her whip and put her aura in it. She violently whipped it towards Hong er but Hong er easily dodged it. Hong er summoned her sword and blocked Chen Lili''s next attack. After 5 minutes of whipping around, Chen Lili started to get exhausted. Her chest heaved up and down, sweat trickling down from her face. Hong er was perfectly fine but she acted like she was tired. She used water magic to create sweat on her forehead. Chen Lili was furious, she sprinted towards Hong er. Hong er waited for Chen Lili and dodged when they were an inch away. Chen Lili fell off the stage and Hong er immediately ran away to the other side. As Hong er expected, Chen Lili was crying and cursing her name. Hong er only shrugged her shoulder and kept dodging the attacks from the other participants. After an hour of dodging, Hong er saw the remaining 5 people on stage. '' Its time.'' A sword swung towards her, she dodged it and pretended to lose balance. Hong er fell off the stage and rubbed her butt. '' My gosh, my butt hurts.'' Hong er nonchalantly left the stage and immediately went to Xu Tingfeng''s VIP room. The moment she entered the room, Xu Tingfeng lifted her up and spun her around. Xu Tingfeng: " My daughter did so well! I''m so proud of you!" Xu Tingfeng winked underneath his mask. Hong er smirked and winked back. Hong er: " Daddy! You think I did well? Ahahaha, I''m so happy, Daddy!" Xu Tingfeng: " Ahahaha, do you want anything? Daddy will give you anything because you did so well today." Hong er: " Waahh~~ Then I want¡­. Daddy!" Xu Tingfeng: " Ahahaha, My lovely daughter. Daddy will play with you today." Hong er: " Yay!" Xu Tingfeng: " Then let''s go home and play!" Hong er: " Uhm!" Xu Tingfeng, Bai Huiqing, and Hong er left the stadium and went back to Xi An. Since the tournament was held between Da Chu and Da Qi''s border, the distance between the Xu residence and the tournament wasn''t far. They arrived at their residence and went to the main hall. Once they confirmed there were no one following them, they laughed their head off. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing noticed someone was spying them. Then Xu Tingfeng winked towards Hong er so she played along their acting. And yes, it went successfully. The spy immediately reported to Long Quan and Xia Yu ( the empress). Long Quan sighed a relief that Hong er wasn''t a genius or prodigy. He was glad that they were only a pair of idiot father and daughter. Chapter 52 - 52. 7 Years Later Third person POV 7 years later* A girl with red clothes riding a white horse across the forest, ten black clothed men and women followed behind her. The girl slowly stopped and dismounted her white horse, the others followed her action and hid. They slowly but surely approached a small house that was located in the middle of the forest. The girl made a ''stop'' hand signal, everyone stopped on their track. She looked at one of the black clothed girl and nodded her head. The black clothed girl touched the ground and closed her eyes. After a minute, she opened her eyes and made a hand signal to the red clothed girl. Black clothed girl: '' 7 hostages inside the house, 5 people watching them. 12 people in the house, Young Miss." Hong er nodded her head and observed the house again. Then she made a few hand signals to the others. They nodded their head and separated to different direction. Leaving Hong er alone, Hong er summoned her bow and put five arrows on it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and her golden eyes became brighter, she released the arrows. The arrows shoot through the wooden wall of the house, piercing 5 heads inside the house. Then a bunch of black clothed man appeared from every direction and killed the guards before they could make a sound. They checked the house before they enter, after they checked it was safe, they entered and saw 7 people blindfolded with rope tightly tying them together. Hong er cut the rope and opened their blindfold. The moment the hostages opened their eyes and saw a group of people with scary masks on, they screamed and crawled backwards. Hong er: " No need to be afraid. We are here to save you guys." After they heard what she said, they looked closely at their mask and relieved. Seeing their relieved reaction, Hong er gently asked them. Hong er: " Can you tell me what happened to you?" . . . Hong er: " Fiuuhh~ Finally done!" (?? ? ??) After interrogated the hostages and took them back to their hometown, Hong er went back to Xu residence. She passed Xiao Bai to Mei Yun and went to main hall for dinner. When she entered the hall she saw Weisheng sat on the table together with Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huqing. (A/N: if Xu family or elite forces and Weisheng are outside they wear mask, if they are at home or alone, they don''t wear the mask. So I don''t need to keep writing " she took off her mask" , " She put on her mask") Hong er: " Oh! Sheng ge, you are done with your mission too?" Weisheng: " En." Weisheng nodded his head, he patted the chair beside him. Hong er sat on the chair and smiled at him. She had gotten used to Weisheng''s sudden appearance. A year ago, Weisheng suddenly appeared at Xu residence on her birthday. He said that he wanted to enlist in Xu family''s military. Hong er was very happy that she could meet him after 6 years. The last time she saw him was in Spring Festival. Even though he always gives her gifts every year for her birthday, she never saw him in person. So when he finally came to see her, she was ecstatic. Hong er asked Weisheng why did he want to enlist at Xu''s military. Weisheng: " I need to chase away the dogs that flocked around you." Hong er: '' Doggo?'' But Hong er shrugged it off as she didn''t really get what he means. Then Hong er asked again. Hong er: " Are you with your parent?" Weisheng: " No, they are travelling around the world." Hong er: " Then where do you live right now?" If it were the elite forces or frontline soldiers, they lived at Xu residence or the border. Since Weisheng arrived at Xi An not too long ago, maybe he lived at inn or somewhere else. Weisheng: " My residence was beside yours." Hong er: " ?" Weisheng: " Yes." Hong er: " Then everyday we can train together!" Weisheng: " En." Weisheng was immediately promoted as general the moment he entered the military because he won against Yao Jian in the duel match. But he couldn''t defeat Xu Tingfeng yet, even though they were draw in the match. Meanwhile, Hong er still can''t defeat Yao Jian, it means she can''t defeat Weisheng. Hong er: '' New rival!'' When Weisheng joined them for dinner, she was confused. Usually to avoid unfairness, all soldiers and elite forces were treated the same way no matter what their status were. But Weisheng casually ate dinner beside her, it wasn''t that she didn''t like it, she was just afraid that there would be a conflict between the soldiers. Bai Huiqing noticed Hong er''s confused expression. Bai Huiqing: " Hong er, since Ah Sheng''s parents has a special relationship with us, we decided to treat him as our own family. And there will be a possibility he will be our family." Xu Tingfeng: " No!" Bai Huqing: " Shut up." Xu Tingfeng dejectedly continued to eat his meal. Bai Huiqing turned to Hong er and smiled at Weisheng and Hong er. Bai Huiqing: " I hope you two can quickly give us a new family member." Xu Tingfeng: " WHAT THE F-" Bai Huiqing glared at him, Xu Tingfeng immediately shoved some rice into his mouth. Weisheng''s lips lightly lifted up, he cupped his fist towards Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng. Weisheng: " No need to worry, mother, f.a.t.h.e.r." Xu Tingfeng: " THIS RAS-" Bai Huiqing shoved a meat bun to Xu Tingfeng''s mouth. He silently chewed on the meat bun under Bai Huiqing''s glare. Weisheng looked at Xu Tingfeng with a slight smirk on his face. Xu Tingfeng could see the smugness in Weisheng''s black eyes. Weisheng: '' See, what did I tell you 6 years ago? You wouldn''t know what will happen.'' Xu Tingfeng glared back. Xu Tingfeng: '' Just see, I got a lot of backing!'' ( A/N: Weisheng used a spell like Xu Yingjie''s, he hides his red eyes and changed it to black." Chapter 53 - 53. My Chest I Third person POV *Now Weisheng kept putting meats and vegetables on Hong er''s plate. Hong er glanced at his rice bowl and saw that he hadn''t eat yet, she scrunched her eyebrow and pouted. Hong er took his rice bowl, Weisheng confusingly looked at her. She took a meat and put it on the rice, she wrapped a mouthful of rice with the meat and dip it into soy sauce. She brought it to his mouth and seriously looked at him. ( btw she used chopstick) Hong er: " Aaaah~" Weisheng''s ears got red while his face was expressionless. He opened his mouth and Hong er put the food into his mouth, he slowly chewed the food while looking at Hong er. Hong er nodded her head in satisfaction and wrapped the rice again with vegetable. After she saw him swallow the food, she put it in his mouth again. Xu Tingfeng who was watching them, started to get irritated but someone nudged his arm. He looked to his right side and saw Bai Huqing placed meat in front of his mouth. He was so happy, his eyes were sparkling and his tail was wagging around. Bai Huiqing: '' It feels like I''m feeding a big dog.'' . . . After Hong er finished feeding Weisheng and ate her food, they talked for awhile. Hong er: " Father, I heard that Da Qi crown prince''s coronation that was held last week went smoothly. That means the crown prince became emperor at the age of 20! Wasei~~ he is so cool." Xu Tingfeng: " *cough, y-yeah. But he isn''t that cool, he is someone who abandoned his job just to mee-" Bai Huiqing stepped on Xu Tingfeng''s foot and gave him a cold smile. Xu Tingfeng''s face got pale and decided to shut his mouth. Hong er tilted her head while looking at Xu Tingfeng. Hong er: " But he hasn''t got a wife yet right?" Weisheng''s mood had been bad since Hong er talked about other guy. Weisheng held her hand and gently squished it. Hong er turned her head to look at him. With a serious expression, he solemnly stared at Hong er''s eyes. Weisheng: " Don''t talk about other guy when I''m here." Hong er tilted her head in confusion. Hong er: '' Sheng ge''s mood is kinda bad, does he hate the new emperor?'' Hong er: " O-okay." Song Tao who was standing at the side of the hall could only facepalm and sigh. Song Tao: '' Your Majesty, how can you get jealous of yourself?'' While Bai Huiqing could only smile at their interaction. Bai Huiqing: '' Wahh~ My son in law is so protective. But why is my daughter so stupid at this thing when she is so smart at studying? *sigh. It will be a long way to meet my grandchild.'' Happy with Hong er''s obedience, Weisheng patted her head. . . . In the morning, Hong er did her training like usual until she saw Weisheng was teaching the soldiers some techniques. She looked at Weisheng closely, she had noticed that Weisheng was very tall since they met a year ago. But she didn''t know that Weisheng can even defeat all of the elite forces in term of height. Hong er kept her thought and decided to ask Shu Zhiruo for a potion to make herself taller. After she done all of her training routine, she decided to take a break. Weisheng walked towards her and looked at her appearance. He scrunched his eyebrow, he took a towel and wrapped it on Hong er. Hong er: " What''s wrong Sheng ge?" Weisheng: " Too thin." Hong er: " Yeah, because it got hotter everyday, summer is coming." Hong er took off the towel that Weisheng put on her. She had been sweating buckets because of the training and the weather. She purposely only wore a layer of clothing since it was too hot for her to wear 2 layers of clothes. But her sweat made her clothing stick to her skin, exposing her beautiful body line. A year ago, when Weisheng saw Hong er for the first time since 6 years ago, he was dumbfounded by what he saw. The Hong er from 6 years ago and the Hong er right now were so different. She grew taller, she even surpassed a girl''s average height for her age. Her body started to develop, especially her chest. In a year, her growth was really impressive. She was taller than Bai Huiqing but still she was way shorter than Weisheng. And what was more impressive was her chest grew thrice than before. So when she was running around the training field, Weisheng noticed her chest was bouncing up and down. But he was relieved that no one was paying attention to Hong er''s body. . . . Hong er took a bath after her training and went to find Shu Zhiruo at the infirmary. Hong er entered the infirmary and ran to Shu Zhiruo to hug her. Hong er: " Ruo er!" Shi Zhiruo: " What the¡­" Hong er giggled and released the frowning Shu Zhiruo. She sat beside Shu Zhiruo and stares at her with her puppy eyes. Shu Zhiruo glanced at Hong er and sighed. Shu Zhiruo: " What kind of potion do you want?" Hong er: " Wasei~ How do you what I want?" Shu Zhiruo: " Instinct." Hong er: " Waahh~ So cool." Shu Zhiruo: '' Bro, your face says it all.'' Hong er: " I want a potion to make me taller." Shu Zhiruo suddenly turned around and glared at Hong er. Shu Zhiruo: " What did you just say?" Hong er: " I say I want a potion to make me taller." Shu Zhiruo: " How dare you ask me that when you are already the tallest girl in this town HUH? Want me to kill you?" Hong er: " Ehhh¡­ but I want to grow tal-" Shu Zhiruo: " Shut your mouth, you giant. I am only 151 cm while you ALREADY 172 CM!" Hong er: " B-but.." Shu Zhiruo: " BUT WHAT!" Hong er: " Sheng ge is so tall and I want to be like him." Shu Zhiruo: " No, my friend. Listen to me carefully." Hong er: " Yes, I''m listening" Shu Zhiruo: " He is not normal." Hong er: "?" Shu Zhiruo: " 218 CM! Is that thing even a human?" Hong er: " But he is a human." Shu Zhiruo sighed and sat back to her seat. She glanced at Hong er''s chest and clicked her tounge. Hong er noticed that Shu Zhiruo glanced at her chest, Hong er touched her chest and asked. Hong er: " What''s wrong?" Shu Zhiruo faced Hong er and raised her hand. Hong er was confused for a sec before she felt someone slapped her chest. Hong er: " AHH! What was that for?" Shu Zhiruo: " For everything you have are bigger than me." Hong er: " Yeah, I can see that. You are flat." Shu Zhiruo pinched Hong er''s chest with both of her hand. While Hong er was screaming for help. Chapter 54 - 54. My Chests II Third person POV Hong er whimpered while she was walking towards Lotus Pavilion for her music lesson with Lin Yingyue. Coincidentally, she met Weisheng on the way there. He saw her pouting face and sometimes she would whimper while looking down. He immediately became worried, he bended down to her eye level and held on her shoulder. Weisheng: " What happened?" Weisheng: '' Who dares to hurt my wife?!'' Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge¡­ uuhh" Weisheng: " Tell me who hurt you." Hong er: " Ru- ruo er¡­ uuhhh it still hurts so much." Weisheng: " Ruo er? Shi Zhiruo? That shorty?" Hong er: " Sheng ge, don''t be rude to her. She is my bestfriend so don''t call her shorty. She is only a lil bit short." Weisheng: " Then why did she hurt you?" Hong er: " She was upset with me. Hhuuu, I don''t know why she suddenly pinched me so hard." Weisheng: " Where?" Hong er: " Here." Hong er touched the place where Shu Zhiruo pinched her. When Weisheng saw where she touched, he frozed. Hong er looked up and saw him staring at her chest with a shocked face. She waved her hand in front of his face and called out his name. Hong er: " Shenge ge. Hello~~ Sheng ge~~" After a minute of calling his name, Weisheng finally woke up from his wild imagination. His face was showing indifference but his ears were so red, betraying his cold look. Hong er sighed and dejectedly say. Hong er: " *sigh, should I go ask uncle Shu to apply ointment on it? It got a little bit blue when I checked it before." Weisheng: " Wha- NO!" Hong er startled when Weisheng suddenly shouted. She was stunned by how the usually composed Sheng ge became panic like this. Hong er: " Why?" Weisheng: " Just no." Hong er: " ?" Weisheng: " Don''t let anyone touch you especially there." Hong er: " Why?" Weisheng: " Because you are a woman." Hong er: " But I always touch men''s chest. See?" Hong er put both of her hand on Weisheng''s chest, Weisheng''s eyes bulged out. His neck started to get red and his brain stopped. Weisheng slapped his own face to stop his wild imagination. Hong er was surprised by the loud slapping sound, she looked up and saw the red handprint on Weisheng''s right cheek. Hong er was horrified, she immediately touched his cheek with her left hand. But he was taller than her so she need to get closer to him. She tiptoed and softly touched his cheek. Weisheng woke up from his daze when Hong er touched his cheek, she softly caressed his cheek while asking him a bunch of question. Hong er: " Why do you slap yourself that hard? Does it hurt? OMG It got really blue! Did you use your Qi to slap your own cheek? Are you stupid or what?!" Hong er''s legs started to get a little bit tired after standing with her toes while looking up. So she leaned on Weisheng''s body for support while tiptoeing. Weisheng noticed something soft touching his abdomen so he looked down and his face immediately became red. He was sweating non stop, he wanted to look somewhere else but his eyes kept glued on the soft thing that was pressing on his abdomen. Hong er: " OMG Sheng ge! Why is your face so red? Did you get fever from the slap? Is it even possible?" Weisheng: " u..umm¡­mm" Hong er who was wiping his sweat from his face with her sleeves so she didn''t hear what Weisheng muttered. She leaned closer and tried to tiptoe higher, but she had reached her maximum height. Hong er: " What?" Weisheng: " T-too c-close." Hong er: " Ohh~ Wait a minute." She placed her hand on his slapped cheek, a gentle light came out from Hong er palm. The bruise on Weisheng''s cheeks disappeared like nothing happened to his cheek. Hong er stepped back after checking Weisheng''s wound. Weisheng was astonished by Hong er''s magic. Weisheng: " What is that?" Hong er: " The magic? This is the magic that I developed on my own." Weisheng nodded his head, but then he remembered what happened just now and his ears got red again. Hong er suddenly realized that she was running late for her music lesson. She tapped on Weisheng''s shoulder and apologized. Hong er: " I''m sorry Sheng ge, I have music lesson in 5 minutes. Take care of yourself kay?! Don''t get sick!" Then she used qinggong to make it on time for her lesson. When she arrived at Lotus Pavilion, she saw three other people sat around the table. They turned around and saw Hong er, their face immediately light up. Xu Yongliang, Xu Yongrui & Xu Zhaoyu: " Hong Jiejie!" They ran up to Hong er and hugged her tightly. Hong er: " Oh? Why are you guys here?" Lin Yingyue: " They are here for the 2 years training." Hong er: " Yu er too?" ( Yu er= Xu Zhaoyu) Lin Yingyue: " En, he will be lonely if he was being left out by his brothers. And he wants to see you." Hong er: " Awww, Jiejie wants to see you too, Yu er. Jiejie miss you so much, do you miss Jiejie?" Hong er kissed his cheeks and booped his nose. Xu Zhaoyu: " Uhm! I miss Jiejie sooo much!" Hong er: " Uhm! Good!" Then Xu Yongliang and Xu Yongrui who were being ignored all this time tugged Hong er''s sleeves. They looked at Hong er with frown and pout on their face. Xu Yongliang: " Hong Jiejie being unfair." Xu Yongrui: " You miss Zhaoyu but didn''t miss us." Hong er panicked when she saw their upset face. Hong er: " No no, of course I miss Liang er and Rui er very much too. Sorryyyy, please don''t be upset." Xu Yongliang: " Humph, how can we believe that when you ignored us from the beginning." Xu Yongrui: " Give us our rewards and we will forgive Jiejie." Hong er: " Okay here are your rewards. * chu chu" Xu Yongliang and Xu Yongrui''s moods were lifted, their face brighten up. The three of them were looking at Hong er learning music with Lin Yingyue. They were impressed by Hong er''s music skill, it wasn''t the best but it wasn''t bad. Morelike above average, they happily listened to Hong er playing Chinese instrument and singing. They don''t know why their soul became light after they listened to Hong er''s singing. . . . Meanwhile, Weisheng went to his room and checked a few important files. Even though his hands were holding the files, his thoughts were at somewhere else. He kept remembering what happened an hour ago. Then he stopped all of his thought when he remembered what Hong er said. Weisheng: '' Wait, did she say she always touches men''s chest?'' Chapter 55 - 55. Rivalry Third person POV Weisheng immediately threw away the file and ran out of the room. Qiyi and Qier were terrified by Weisheng''s action, they quickly hid the files and followed Weisheng. ( Weisheng''s bodyguard) Weisheng stomped his way to Lotus Pavilion and was greeted by Hong er being hugged by 3 boys. He immediately stepped up and hugged Hong er from behind, he snatched Hong er from the three of them. They were surprised by the newcomer, even Hong er was shocked when a giant suddenly tightly hugged her. Weisheng put his right hand around Hong er''s shoulder and his left hand around Hong er''s waist. He put his face on her neck crook, inhaling her jasmine scent. He glared at the three Xu little brothers while protectively hugging Hong er. And the dense Hong er gently patted his head and laughed. Hong er: " Hahaha, Sheng ge, what are you doing?" Weisheng: " nothing." Hong er: " Oh! Let me introduce you to these three cute little boys. This is Liang er, this one is Rui er, and this little one is Yu er. They are very lovely right?" When three of them heard Hong er called them lovely, they smugly smirked at Weisheng. They had been glaring at each other since Weisheng came and hugged Hong er. Hong er who was clueless introduced Weisheng to the three little Xu brothers. Hong er: " Everyone, this handsome brother right here is Sheng ge. Please be kind to him because he is an important person to Jiejie." Weisheng was dumbfounded by Hong er''s words. Weisheng: '' Handsome¡­important¡­'' Overexcited by Hong er''s words, Weisheng kissed Hong er''s cheek for a few times before he snuggled to her. Lin Yingyue who was silently standing at the side was flabbergasted, she knew about Weisheng''s identity since he lived beside Xu residence a year ago. But she never seen his affection towards Hong er with her own eyes. Sometimes he would smile gently to Hong er when he talked to her, but never this shameless. But she chose to shut her mouth as Hong er wasn''t bothered by him. Xu Yongliang: " Stop, you giant!" Xu Yongrui: " Let go of Hong Jiejie!" Xu Zhaoyu: " Hong Jiejie, come here, we will protect you from that giant!" Hong er: " Hahaha, he really is a giant but he isn''t a bad guy." Weisheng: " En, Hong er knows me the best." Hong er: " Okay, okay. Since it is your first day here, I will reward the three of you with my special chicken herbal soup." The three little Xu brother: " Really?! Yay! Hong Jiejie''s chicken herbal soup is the best!" Lin Yingyue: " Hong er, can you cook some for me to bring it home?" Hong er: " Sure!" Lin Yingyue: " My husband had been noisy about your soup." Hong er: " Hahaha, then I will excuse myself." Lin Yingyue: " En." Hong er wanted to move but Weisheng was still hugging her tightly. Hong er patted his arm and smiled at him. Hong er: " Sheng ge, could you please let me go?" Weisheng''s face was planted on Hong er''s neck, he moved his head and peeked Hong er''s smiling face. He planted back his face and shook his head. Hong er: " Hahaha, Sheng ge, please act up your age. You can hug other girls, I have to cook." Weisheng flinched by Hong er''s words, he lifted up his head and directly looked at Hong er''s eyes. He scrunched his eyebrows, Hong er was a bit uncomfortable with Weisheng''s stares so she looked away. But Weisheng gently turned her head with his hand on her cheek. His voice was desperate. Weisheng: " I only want y-" The three little Xu brothers: " Hong Jiejie!" Then Hong er whipped her head towards them. Hong er: " Yes?" Xu Zhaoyu: " We are hungry, could you please quickly cook for us? Pretty please~~" Hong er: " Okay." Hong er faced Weisheng again and gently pushed him away. Hong er: " Sheng ge, I''m sorry, I will listen to what you want to say before at dinner. I need to go. Bye~" Then Hong er quickly escaped from Weisheng''s embrace. Weisheng gazed at his empty arms, he turned his face towards the three little Xu brothers and glared at them. The three of them jolted, they were scared but they didn''t want to lose to Weisheng. They glared back even though their bodies were shaking from fear. Weisheng was too heartbroken to fight with them, he dejectedly walked back to his study room. Qiyi and Qier who looked at the situation was starting to sweat. They were afraid but pitied their master. Qiyi & Qier: '' Young Miss, how can you say such hurtful words?!'' Chapter 56 - 56. The Scary Hong er I Third person POV Dinner* Bai Huiqing was puzzled by Weisheng''s weird behavior. He had been bumping onto things and his food even dropped out from his mouth. Even Xu Tingfeng was suspicious of Weisheng''s clumsiness. Weisheng was a dignified and noble person, for him to act like this mean something very bad happened. Hong er had been concerned with Weisheng that she couldn''t hold back her worries anymore. She took her handkerchief and dampened it. She grabbed his chopstick from his hand and put it down on the table, she wiped his messy mouth and his clothes that were stained when he dropped his food. After she wiped it off, she passed the handkerchief to Huayun. She gently put her hand on Weisheng''s big hand, Weisheng looked at her. Her face filled with worries, there was no smile on her face like the usual. He felt guilty for making Hong er worried about him, he put his hand on top her hand and smiled gently at her. Hong er knew that Weisheng wanted to reassure her that he was fine. Her worries flew away, she smiled brightly at him. She pulled her hand from Weisheng''s hand, Weisheng was a little bit disappointed but it disappeared in a second. Hong er took an empty bowl an poured chicken soup in it, she put 2 chicken legs into the bowl. Weisheng stretched out his hand to take the bowl from Hong er but Hong er didn''t see his stretched out hand. She took his spoon and scooped the soup, she placed it in front of his mouth. Weisheng happily ate what Hong er fed him, even though it was a bone, he would swallow it down for Hong er. Xu Yongliang: " Hong Jiejie, why are you being so unfair?~" Hong er: " ?" Xu Yongrui: " Hong Jiejie feeds him spoon by spoon but you didn''t feed us at all." The three little Xu brothers were staring at Hong er with puppy eyes and pout on their face. Hong er chuckled and put down Weisheng''s bowl. Hong er: " Hahaha, I thought that all of you had grow up. Liang er and Rui er had reached my shoulder, even Yu er had reached my chest when we were standing." Xu Zhaoyu: " But he is way older than us." Hong er: " Hhmm, makes sense. Then do you want Jiejie to feed you?" Xu Zhaoyu: " No need, we are mature. We don''t want to disrupt Hong Jiejie''s dinner by feeding us." Hong er: " Wasei~~ So mature." Weisheng: '' Hong er likes a guy who can eat their food by themselves?!'' Weisheng picked up his bowl and ate the soup in a gulp. He ate the chicken with a perfect table manner, he proudly showed the empty bowl to Hong er. Hong er glanced at the empty bowl and nodded her head, she smiled brightly and patted Weisheng''s head. Hong er: " Good good~~" Xu Yongliang: " Hong Jiejie, I finished mine too." Xu Yongrui: " Me too." Xu Zhaoyu: " Look!" Hong er: " Waahh~ What a good boy." Hong er patted their head while Weisheng glared at them from behind. He heard a chuckle and a bad feeling, Weisheng turned his head towards the source of the annoying chuckle. And he saw Xu Tingfeng with a big smirk on his face. Weisheng immediately got annoyed by that smirk, he glared at Xu Tingfeng. But Xu Tingfeng''s smirk got bigger and he pointed at the three little Xu brothers. Xu Tingfeng: " They are my little backings, pfft, didn''t I say just wait? I won''t let you off that easily. Ahahahaha!" Weisheng: " You old geezer." Weisheng''s hands were trembling from anger, when he thought that he can finally smoothly court Hong er to be his wife, there were obstacles from Xu Tingfeng. Hong er noticed Weisheng''s trembling hand, she held his hand and patted his back. Hong er: " Are you okay?" Weisheng''s anger flew away, he held Hong er''s hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed her hand and smiled gently at Hong er. Weisheng: " Hong er, I lov-" *BAAM Xu Zhiqiang: " Hong er!" Hong er: " Qiang ge?! How can you be here?" Xu Zhiqiang saw Weisheng was holding Hong er''s hand, he immediately ran to their side and slapped Weisheng''s hand away. Xu Zhiqiang wiped Hong er''s hand with his handkerchief, after a while he nodded his head in satisfaction. Xu Zhiqiang glared at Weisheng who was glaring at him too. Xu Zhiqiang who was on duty when he received a message from the three little Xu brothers. The letter said that a giant man was hugging and kissing Hong er as he likes. Xu Zhiqiang immediately reported this big news to Xu Yingjie and Xu Yongzheng. All of them had known about Weisheng since they lived beside Xu residence and enlisted to Xu military because Xu Tingfeng had sent them a message about that before. At first they were sceptical about Weisheng''s daring action because in Da Qi there were unstable politics between the Crown Prince and his uncle who wants to take the throne. They thought this was one of Weisheng''s plan, but they didn''t know that he came just to flirt with Hong er. Xu Zhiqiang: " Don''t touch Hong er with your filthy hand." Song Tao at the side was internally crying. Song Tao: '' He is the emperor of Da Qi! Why does all of you like to offend every country''s emperor?! Is Da Chu''s emperor not enough?!'' Weisheng: " Hah?" Weisheng glared at Xu Zhiqiang with murderous intent. He snatched Hong er''s hand from Xu Zhiqiang''s hand and hid her behind him. Xu Zhiqiang: " You wanna die?" Weisheng: " I''ll kill you." Bai Huiqing tiredly sighed at the situation, she only wanted a peaceful dinner but Xu Tingfeng decided to destroy her dream by laughing out loud. Xu Tingfeng: " AHAHAHAHA, see that?! Sucks to be you." Weisheng: " Shut up old man." Xu Tingfeng: " Ya kiddo got no manner." Bai Huiqing: " Shut your mouth or you are going to sleep outside forever." Xu Tingfeng: " ¡­" Xu Zhiqiang: " So you wanna fight?" Weisheng: " You are gonna lose though." Hong er: " Please don''t fig-" Xu Zhiqiang: " Then don''t come crying when you lose." Hong er: " Qiang g-" Weisheng: " It is gonna be you who will be crying." Hong er: " Sheng ge pl-" Xu Zhiqiang summoned his swallow ( search in " swallow weapon" on internet for the image) with lightning crackle around the swallow. Weisheng summoned his black sword with a dark aura enveloping his sword. Everyone in the room stepped aside to avoid getting injured by the fight. Both of them disappeared into the air and appeared outside of the hall. Then everyone went to the door to watch the fight. They clashed their weapon in a lightning speed. A cut suddenly appeared on Xu Zhiqiang''s right cheek, Xu Zhiqiang frowned and increased his speed. He slashed his sword towards Weisheng''s arm and blood poured out from his arm. More and more cuts appeared on their legs, arms, abdomens, and face. Hong er: " No! Please stop!" Suddenly a white sword from out of nowhere flew towards their direction, Xu Zhiqiang and Weisheng took a step back. The white sword penetrated the ground, causing the wind to explode and the ground shook. Xu Zhiqiang and Weisheng were slammed to the wall because of the explosion. They glared at the person who threw the sword, they saw Hong er stood with dignity in front. They shivered when they looked at her face, her face was as black as ink, her eyes glowed with bright golden light. She looked down at them with her cold eyes, there was no smile on her face. Her cold voice was deeper than usual, they can even feel the coldness spread through their body. Hong er: " I told you to stop." Chapter 57 - 57. The Scary Hong er II Third person POV Xu Yongliang, Xu Yongrui, and Xu Zhaoyu flinched when they heard Hong er''s cold voice, Xu Zhaoyu hid behind Xu Yongliang. They always heard Hong er''s cheerful and gentle voice, Hong er had always been kind to them no matter how childish they were. But now her voice was unrecognizable. The three of them were so scared that they were trembling, they felt that Hong er was scarier than Xu Yingjie when she got mad. Same with Xu Zhiqiang and Weisheng, they never seen nor heard Hong er got angry before. They were dumbfounded, they stood up and slowly walked towards her with their head down. They stood in front of her, they didn''t dare to look at her cold eyes or else it would haunt them in their sleep. Since they were taller than her, they could still see her glaring at them. The servants and guards were peeking from the courtyard gate. They heard a loud explosion so they immediately ran to the main hall, but before they could even enter the courtyard, they heard a bone chilling voice. They looked up and saw their usually cute Young Miss standing on top of the stairs with a frightening face. They could feel the cold aura that Hong er released and they saw two tall and brawny men lowering their head in fear because of the slim and small girl in front of them. Xu Zhiqiang and Weisheng noticed Hong er raised her hand from the corner of their eyes, they had prepared to get slapped. Hong er smacked their chest and coolly left the scene. They were confused by the kitty punch and then they realized all of their cuts were healed. They were touched by her kindness, even though she was angry at them, she still cares about them. They wanted to chase Hong er but was blocked by Bai Huiqing. Bai Huiqing: " Meet her tomorrow, she needs to rest. Zhiqiang, stay here for tonight, it is too dangerous to go home now." Xu Zhiqiang: " Yes, Auntie." They didn''t hide their identity from Weisheng as he already knew everything about Xu family. Weisheng only stood there staring at the direction where Hong er walked away. Then Bai Huiqing patted his back and smiled at him. Weisheng nodded his head towards her as he walked away to his own residence. Bai Huiqing turned around and saw Xu Tingfeng with his mouth wide open, his eyes bulged out and his face was pale. Bai Huiqing sighed after seeing his state. Bai Huiqing: " Why are you so shocked when it is not you that got mad at? *sigh" Then Bai Huiqing smacked him to wake him up. Xu Tingfeng finally regained his mind, he grabbed Bai Huiqing and hugged her tightly. His body was shaking from fear. Xu Tingfeng: " Q-Qing er, I-I''m so scared." Bai Huiqing: " Scared of what?" Xu Tingfeng: " M-my little angel has changed." Bai Huiqing: " *sigh,lets go back to our room." Xu Tingfeng: "U-Uhm." . . . Weisheng was sitting in his study room, holding a file in his hand but his mind was somewhere else. He felt guilty for making Hong er angry when she was literally a very gentle and forgiving woman. He sighed for the hundredth time, Qiyi who was standing beside him got worried. Qiyi: " Master, how about you call it a night?" Weisheng: " En." Since he couldn''t concentrate in reviewing the files, he would just sleep earlier than usual so that he could wake up early to apologize to Hong er. He changed into his nightgown and went to his bed. After an hour of flipping around, he still couldn''t sleep. His mind kept repeating Hong er''s cold voice, his heart was uneasy and afraid. Weisheng: '' What if Hong er hates me?!'' Weisheng immediately sat up and vigorously scratched his head, his eyes were wide open and his body was covered in cold sweat. The more he thought about the possibility of Hong er hating him, the more worried he got. He jumped out from bed and opened his door. Qier and Qiyi who were guarding the door were surprised when Weisheng suddenly opened the door. They noticed Weisheng was restless from the noise of him flipping around the bed. But they didn''t expect him to be so gloomy that the dark aura around Weisheng to leak. Qiyi and Qier panicked, but they didn''t dare to ask Weisheng anything. They obediently followed Weisheng. Since Weisheng lived beside Xu residence a year ago, they made a moon gate ( Chinese round gate) between the residences so they can easily go in and out. Weisheng silently went to Hong er''s courtyard, he stood on a tree branch while gazing at Hong er''s inner courtyard. As Weisheng and his bodyguards qingong were topnotch, Meiyun and Huayun didn''t notice their presence. Weisheng jumped down from the tree and went to the window, he heard a stable breathing from inside. He slowly opened the window and saw Hong er sleeping peacefully. He sat on the window frame and took off his black boots, he put it outside then he turned around and climbed to Hong er''s bed. But the first thing he saw was Hong er''s opened clothes, his whole body froze and his eyes glued to Hong er slightly exposed cleavage. His face was heated up, blood rushing to his junior. ( you know what I mean.) He took a deep breath and breathe out to calm his junior which worked a lil bit. Then he decided to look away but what he saw next was worse than before. Since summer was getting near, nights start to get hotter than usual too. Hong er had kicked off her blanket which exposed her bare legs. Her nightgown only covered half of her thighs, Weisheng''s face was as red as tomato. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath again. His junior got wilder than before, he meditated for a minute before he slowly opened his eyes again. His face went back to normal, but when he saw Hong er''s exposed skin again, his face got red yet again. He gently covered back Hong er''s exposed skin with her nightgown, turned away and closed his eyes tightly while he did that. His hand slightly touched her chest when he pulled her nightgown. He held his breath and told his junior to calm down. He pulled the blanket and covered her with the blanket. After he covered her nicely, he swept away her hair that covered her face. He smiled brightly when he saw Hong er face clearly. He caressed her head and gently kissed the lotus mark on her forehead. Then he turned around and left her courtyard with his bodyguards. Hong er slowly opened her eyes and touched her forehead, her face had a tint of blush. She smiled and went back to sleep. Hong er: '' How cute.'' Chapter 58 - 58. Depressed Giants I Third person POV When Hong er was sleeping, she suddenly felt a presence near her but she didn''t open her eyes. She was cautious as she felt that this person was very strong because she couldn''t feel his presence until he was very close to her. But she seemed to recognize this gloomy aura that leaked from the guy, she slightly opened her eyes to take a peek. As the window slowly opened, she caught a glimpse of the person who sneaked to her bedroom. Hong er: '' Sheng ge? What is he doing here?'' Then she felt the bed sunken in by the weight of his body. Since Weisheng opened the window, the wind from outside came in to the room. Hong er felt breezy on her b.r.e.a.s.t and thighs, she realized that her nightgown loosened as she moved around when she slept. She felt self conscious by her appearance right now. She didn''t feel any movement from Weisheng, she only heard him breathing in and out. She slightly opened her eyes and immediately close it. Hong er: '' Why is he meditating here?'' Not long after, Hong er felt someone touched her chest. Her chest and thighs finally didn''t feel breezy, then a blanket fully covered body. He caressed her hair and she felt something soft touched her forehead, after that he left the blushed Hong er. She felt her heart beats faster, she smiled when she touched her forehead. Hong er: '' How cute.'' . . . Next morning* Weisheng went to train like usual, but his face paler and gloomier than usual. He met Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Tingfeng on the training field, and their face looked worse than yesterday. A visible dark circle under their eyes and dry lips, they look really miserable. Then the three little Xu brothers came with the same condition. They had a nightmare that Hong er hated them and won''t talk to them. As they thought about that, Hong er arrived at the training field with a bright smile on her face like usual. Their miserable souls immediately healed after they saw her smile. But when they approached Hong er, she glanced at them and her smile changed into a frown. She turned around and walked away from them. They stopped and flopped down on the ground. The soldiers could feel a dark aura coming from a corner, a group of men squatting with a depressing atmosphere. Then they looked at the current jogging Hong er, they sighed in their heart. '' Man killer.'' After Hong er was done with her training, she directly went to her room to take a bath, ignoring the group of depressed men. Today her lesson was with Lan Qingshan, they discussed about the new founded mathematics method. Lan Qingshan noticed that Hong er wasn''t in a really good mood. Lan Qingshan: " What happened? You aren''t like usual." Hong er: " Lan laoshi, you are too sharp." Lan Qingshan: " So what happened?" Hong er: " Yesterday Qiang ge suddenly came and fight with Sheng ge. It''s fine with me if they only want to test out their fighting skills. But they started to hurt each other, they were bleeding all over their body. I told them to stop but they won''t listen to me. So anger got me right there, I threw my sword at them and smacked them. Now, I feel bad. *sigh" Lan Qingshan: '' So that''s why there is such a depressing atmosphere when I passed the training field.'' Hong er: " I saw their face this morning and they looked like a bunch of ghosts, it was so scary. I was too scared so I ran away. I''m really worried¡­ They must be disappointed at me, I disrespected the people that are literally older than me." Lan Qingshan: " No, they are just a bunch of idiots so you don''t need to be worried." Hong er: " So they are not angry at me?" Lan Qiangshan: " There is no way they would hate you." Hong er: " Then why are their face so gloomy and scary?" Lan Qingshan: " Didn''t I say they are just a bunch of idiots? What you did yesterday was good, they need to get rid of their c.o.c.ky attitude." Hong er: " Oohh~" Lan Qingshang: " They are just big brawny men with a heart weaker than a kitten." Hong er: " Thank you for the advice Lan laoshi." Lan Qingshan: " En. Then we will end our lesson for today, thank you for your hard work." Hong er: " Uhm!" . . . A group of servant crowded the kitchen entrance, they peeped the group of bickering men inside the kitchen. Xu Tingfeng: " Ya dumbass kiddos! That''s not how you do it." Weisheng: " I don''t want you to say that." Xu Zhiqiang: " Should we put this?" Weisheng: " What?" Xu Zhiqiang: " I dunno." Weisheng: "¡­" Xu Zhiqiang: "¡­" Weisheng: " put a lil bit." Xu Zhiqiang sprinkled the unknown spice into the soup and stir it. Xu Tingfeng: " You guys think this will work?" Weisheng: "¡­" Xu Zhiqiang: "¡­" Xu Zhaoyu: " I''m sure it will work!" Xu Yongliang: " Hong Jiejie is a very forgiving person." Xu Yongrui: " She will love our secret food." Xu Zhiqiang: " What did you three make ?" The three little Xu brothers: " Secret." Xu Tingfeng: " Then quickly finished it before dinner." Weisheng: " Brother in law, I-" Xu Zhiqiang: " Who the hell is your brother in law?" Weisheng: " You. I''m serious with Hong er so please give me your blessing." Xu Zhiqiang: "¡­" Xu Zhiqiang was silent, he was looking at the soup in front of him. Xu Zhiqiang: " I''ll see." Xu Zhiqiang: '' This guy is serious.'' Xu TIngfeng: " Hey hey hey! Why didn''t you ask for my blessing?" Weisheng: " Because you will at the end." Xu Tingfeng: " Ohoo, kiddo, how confident. Why would you think like that?" Weisheng: " Because I''m the best candidate to be Hong er''s husband." Xu Tingfeng: " Kiddo, there are still many good men in this world." Weisheng: " No." Xu Tingfeng: " Huh?" Weisheng: " They can''t make Hong er happy." Xu Tingfeng: " *sigh, what makes you qualify to become Hong er''s husb-" Then Xu Tingfeng abruptly stopped. He thought for a while. Xu Tingfeng: '' he is rich, he is Da Qi''s emperor. Good at fighting, genious, handsome, tall, and most importantly he has no wife yet. Ugh, I can''t find any fault in him.'' Chapter 59 - 59. Depressed Giants II Third person POV Dinner* Everyone sat on their seat like usual. The servants served the food and opened the lid. They opened the last bowl and revealing a grayish liquid in it. Bai Huiqing immediately lost her appetite after she looked at the soup. She glanced at the trembling servants. Bai Huiqing: " Who made this?" The servants didn''t dare to reply, they just stared at the three tall men who were acting like it wasn''t them. The three little Xu brothers were giggling at their ( ML, XTF, XZQ) ignorance, actually they realized how unappetizing it looked that''s why they were embarrassed to say it was them who made it. Bai Huiqing and Hong er understood who it was by looking at their reaction. Bai Huiqing couldn''t help but turn away when she saw the grayish liquid. It looked so ominous. *clink A clinking sound took all of their attention, they saw Hong er poured the grayish liquid to her bowl. All of them gasped, including Weisheng and the servants. Hong er spooned the soup and brought it to her mouth. All of their face were pale, no word could come out from their mouth. Hong er smiled after she tested the soup. Hong er: " En, it is delicious." Literally everyone: "*le gasp" Hong er: "?" Hong er chuckled when she saw their speechless face. Their mouth was agape, she poured them the soup and placed it in front all of them. They looked at the soup in front of them with fear. Bai Huiqing: '' Maybe I shouldn''t judge a book by its cover.'' Xu Tingfeng: '' What a frightening looking soup!'' Xu Zhiqiang: '' Even if I cooked this myself, I didn''t dare to test it. No, for Hong er''s sake!'' Weisheng: ''Is it even edible?'' The three little Xu brothers: '' NOOOOO!'' They looked up, Hong er smiled at them and she gulped down the soup until the last drop. Their hands were trembling, they looked at each other before they gulped down the soup. Bai Huiqing immediately closed her mouth with her hand and turned around, the servants had prepared a bucket beforehand. Bai Huiqing threw up into the bucket. The three little Xu brothers also threw up into the bucket the servants prepared for each of them. While Xu Tingfeng, Xu Zhiqiang, and Weisheng were sitting there, didn''t move, didn''t make any sound. Hong er looked at them and laughed out loud. Their body were shaking like crazy, their face were as pale as paper. There were some tears in the corner of their eyes. Xu Tingfeng: '' HOLD IT! YOU ARE A MAN! REMEMBER YOU ARE A MAN!'' Xu Zhiqiang: '' I wanna die.'' Weisheng: '' ....'' Hong er: " Ahahaha, what''s with that expression?" A dark aura started to leak from Weisheng''s body. Hong er''s hands lighted up, all of their nauseas were gone. They looked at Hong er with a weird gaze. Bai Huiqing: " How could you eat that ominous thing?" Hong er: " Because it was made by the people I love." Xu Tingfeng, Xu Zhiqiang, and Weisheng felt like they just arrived at heaven after coming out from hell. They almost cried on the spot but the next thing they saw made them stop. Hong er drank all of the soup from the big bowl. Weisheng: " Don''t drink it!" Hong er: " Why?" Weisheng: " It tasted disgusting." Hong er: " But it will be wasting food if we threw it away." Weisheng: "¡­" And Hong er got a new whole respect from everyone who saw this. Xu Tingfeng was hesitant but he hardened his heart. Xu Tingfeng: " H-Hong er, are you still angry?" Hong er: " Nope, why?" Xu Tingfeng eyes widened, then he sighed and laughed out loud. Xu Tingfeng: " Ahahaha, my daughter is the best. She never get angry." Hong er: " Ahahaha, what are you saying father? Of course, I was angry yesterday." Hong er gave him a smile, Xu Tingfeng flinched. Xu Tingfeng: " O-okay." Xu Zhaoyu: Hong Jiejie, we made a fruit shaved ice for you. Because we knew you hate heat so much, we made this dessert specially for you." Hong er: "Aww~~ Thank you so much, Eemm, it is so delicious and refreshing. How can you know Jiejie''s favorite food?" The three little Xu brothers: " Because we love Jiejie so much that we knew everything about Jiejie." Hong er: " Omg, how can you guys be so cute? Here you test it too. Ahhnn~" The three little Xu brothers happily being fed by Hong er, they glanced at the three giants and smirked at them. The three giants: '' We are defeated.'' . . . After they finished eating their dinner, they stood up and went back to their own room. Hong er felt that someone followed her, she turned around and threw a throwing knife. Huayun and Meiyun summoned their sword and stood in front of Hong er with sword in their hand. Hong er: " Sheng ge?!" Weisheng caught the knife with his fingers, he smiled gently at Hong er. Weisheng gave an eye signal to Meiyun and Huayun who were standing in front of Hong er. They nodded their head and retreated. Hong er walked towards him and scolded him. Hong er: " Sheng ge, why are sneaking around like that? What if the knife hit you?" Weisheng patted her head and gave back her knife. Weisheng: " Don''t worry, I''m strong." Hong er: " O-okay, but don''t approach me like that." Weisheng: " Fine, I won''t." Hong er: " So, what are you doing here, Sheng ge?" Weisheng: " To see you." Hong er: " But you saw me 3 minutes ago." Weisheng: " I have to charge my energy." Hong er: " Then sleep." Weisheng: " No, I don''t need sleep. You are my battery." Hong er''s face became slightly red. Since what happened yesterday, Hong er had been a bit more aware of Weisheng''s action. Weisheng saw her blushing face, he softly caressed her cheek and he bent down to her level. He affectionately stared at her golden eyes, his face got closer to Hong er''s face. Hong er''s face got really red, she closed her eyes tight, waiting for what to come. Weisheng''s smile got wider when he noticed Hong er closed her eyes. His face was only an inch away from her face. Meiyun and Huayun''s face was as red as tomatoes as they watched the couple''s face was so close. While Qiyi and Qier were cheering for their master in their heart. Hong er could feel his breath blowing on her mouth, his breath was very warm, contrary to his cold hand. Weisheng slowly closed his eyes and leaned his face towards her face. Chapter 60 - 60. Going To War I Third person POV Weisheng leaned his face and kissed her forehead for a great 5 seconds. After he kissed, he hugged her tightly in his arms. Hong er opened her eyes and smiled. She could feel Weisheng''s heart beating really fast, she put her hand around him and hugged back. Weisheng widened his eyes, he never expected Hong er to hug him back. He was so happy that he could die, Hong er could literally see his tail wagging. She snuggled her head to his head and whispered. Hong er: " Sheng ge, I love you." Weisheng gasped and before he could even reply, Hong er whispered the next hurtful words. Hong er: " You are the best brother ever." Weisheng was internally crying, he thought that she finally accepted his love but reality is cruel. He nodded his head and snuggled closer to her. Weisheng: '' At least, I can hug her like a couple.'' . . . Morning* Xu Zhiqiang had went back to Spider Lily at the dawn. Xu Tingfeng had Weisheng and Hong er come to his study room. With a scroll in his hand, he solemnly looked at the two of them. Xu Tingfeng: " Dong Fang declared a war and I want you two to follow me to the battlefield. Are there any complaint?" Weisheng & Hong er: " No, sir." Xu Tingfeng: " Good, then pack your things, we will depart in 30 minutes." Weisheng & Hong er: " Yes, sir." . . . Hong er was riding on Xiao Bai with Meiyun and Huayun following behind her. A hundred of Xu military soldiers lined up neatly behind them, marching towards Xi An''s lower border. After an hour, they arrived at the lower border. All of the soldiers from the border came to greet them. Xu Tingfeng was very well known in martial arts world, he is almost undefeatable. And they had heard a lot about the new general, he had made many achievements in a year. But they have never seen the girl that stood behind Xu Tingfeng. Hong er always does secret missions with the elite forces, elite forces operates in the dark so no one know how many are they or who there were but they knew one thing, elite forces were very formidable. They suspected Hong er as Xu Tingfeng''s rumored daughter. No one had ever seen her face before, so they didn''t dare to spout unconfirmed rumor. They weren''t Xu military''s soldiers, they were sent by the emperor to assist Xu Tingfeng in the battlefield. The dream of every Da Chu''s soldiers was to enlist to Xu Military, especially the elite forces. ( Xu''s Military/ soldiers are private military. Da Chu''s Military/ soldiers are country''s military.) They knew Xu Military has very strict rules so it was very hard to enlist into it. Xu Tingfeng, Weisheng, and Hong er went up to the borders and observed the opponent side''s condition. A vice general from Da Chu''s military came up and reported every single information they got. Vice General: " General Xu, 50 thousands soldiers had built their camp 10 km from here. Their leader is the Great General Di''s two sons." Xu Tingfeng: " Any report from the other border?" Vice General: " Yes, there are about a hundred thousand soldiers at Bei An''s border. And they were leaded by the Great General Di." Xu Tingfeng: " I got it, you go have some rest, good work." Vice General: " G-general, there is one thing that I wanted to discuss with you." Xu Tingfeng: " Hm?" The vice general looked at Weisheng and Hong er with hesitation. Xu Tingfeng: " It''s fine, they are trustable." Vice general: " The leader of Bei An''s border is General Lin." Xu Tingfeng: " Hoo~ That useless general? I will think about this, dismissed." Vice General: " Yes, general." Xu Tingfeng: " Hong er, check it." Hong er: " Yes father." Hong er cupped her fist and disappeared. Xu Tingfeng: " Kiddo, follow me." Weisheng followed Xu Tingfeng to Xu Tingfeng''s tent. They sat and drank a cup of tea, Xu Tingfeng sighed and sneered. Xu Tingfeng: " That sc.u.m emperor is truly hopeless, he thought that the me, who had survived in numerous battlefield would fall into his game." Weisheng calmly drank his tea while listening to Xu Tingfeng''s rant. Xu Tingfeng: " Yo, kiddo." Weisheng: " ?" Xu TIngfeng: " It''s a trap from that sc*mbag emperor right?" Weisheng: " En." Xu Tingfeng: " As expected." Weisheng: " How about Hong er?" Xu Tingfeng: " You go to Bei An with Hong er." Weisheng: " En." Xu Tingfeng: " Take care of her." Weisheng: " En." Xu Tingfeng: " And stick to the plan." Weisheng: " En." Chapter 61 - 61. Going To War II Third person POV Hong er appeared in the middle of the forest that located between Da Chu and Dong Fang. She knelt on one knee and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and activated her inner sight. She felt something strange, she smirked and inactivated her inner sight. She stood up and slowly opened her eyes, she summoned her sword and disappeared. Unknown: '' Where did she go?!'' Blood spurted out from his neck, then Hong er disappeared again. Hong er appeared behind a black clothed man then slashed his head off. After checking her surrounding, she jump off the tree. Meiyun and Huayun appeared behind her. Hong er: " How many?" Meiyun: " 2" Huayun: "1" Hong er: " Good, let''s go back." . . . Hong er directly went to Xu Tingfeng''s tent and saw Xu Tingfeng and Weisheng were arm wrestling. Hong er was speechless. Hong er: '' What the hell are they doing?'' Xu Tingfeng: " Oh? Hong er, you''re back." Hong er: " Yes, father. And what are you guys doing?" Xu Tingfeng: " Oh this? Arm wrestling." Hong er: " Yeah, I could see that. But why?" Xu Tingfeng: " Imma test this kiddo''s strength and it''s not bad." Hong er: " And how long have you been doing that?" Xu Tingfeng: " Since you left." Hong er: '' That is about half an hour ago¡­ *sigh'' Hong er: " 50 thousand soldiers on the camp but there are about 1 hundred thousand soldiers still inside the border and it is 16 km from here." Xu Tingfeng: " Uhm, you did a good job Hong er." Hong er: " And I met 5 assassins on the way there." Xu Tingfeng and Weisheng abruptly stopped their arm wrestling and dashed towards Hong er''s side. Weisheng: " Are you okay?" Hong er: " En, I''m perfectly fine." Weisheng: "*sigh, good." Xu Tingfeng: " Do you know where they are from?" Hong er: " Dong Fang." Xu Tingfeng: " Hhmm, Hong er, you will depart to Bei An with this kiddo." Hong er: " Yes, father." Xu Tingfeng: " You are not gonna ask why?" Hong er: " I trust father and I knew their plan." Xu Tingfeng: " Smart child." Hong er: " Hehe." Weisheng: " Should we go?" Hong er: " En." Xu Tingfeng: " Be careful." Hong er and Weisheng nodded their head before coming out from the tent. They directly went to the stable and rode their horse to Bei An. Only the two of them and their bodyguards went to Bei An, the Xu soldiers stayed at Xi An as Xu Tingfeng needed more assistance than them. After one hour, they arrived at Bei An''s camp. The gate guards blocked the entrance with their spear. Guards: " Could you please identify yourself?" Weisheng showed them his jade badge. The guards were surprised to see a jade badge from Xu Military. Weisheng: " We are here to assist General Li." They knew they were sent by Xu Tingfeng just by the badge. They were ecstatic to have Xu Military assist them, their General Li haven''t planned anything for the war. He was only relaxing in his luxurious tent but they only saw 6 people. (Meiyun, Huayun, Qiyi, Qier, Hong er, and Weisheng) They expect more people to assist them. Weisheng: " What? You don''t think we are not capable to assist the war?" Guards: " No, no, General Sheng. We really appreciate your assistance." The guards let them in and one of them went to report to Li Han ( General Li). The guard asked for permission from outside, the guard heard women voices and m.o.a.ns. The guard face became red. Li Han: " Talk from outside." The guard: " Great General Xu sent General Sheng to assist us in the war." After the guard finished reporting, slapping sound and a women''s scream was heard from inside of the tent. Li Han: " WHO THEY THINK THEY ARE?! I''M THE LEADER HERE! NOT THAT F*CKING XU!" While he was screaming, Qiyi and Qier were preparing Weisheng and Hong er''s tent. Meiyun and Huayun were unloading their luggage and in 30 minutes, they finished all of the preparation. The soldiers that saw this were amazed, they finally knew why Xu Military is one of the best military in this world. Li Han: " WHERE THE F.U.C.K ARE YOU?!" Hong er and Weisheng who only just sat down on their own tent, heard someone shouting from outside of their tent. Li Han stood in front of Hong er''s tent while roaring curse words, Meiyun and Huayun were blocking his way. Li Han: " WHO THE F*CK ARE YOU TWO? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I AM GENERAL LI, HUANG GUIFEI''S COUSIN. YOU SL*TS DARE TO BLOCK MY WAY?!" Huayun: " General, we kindly ask you to lower your voice as it will disturb our Young Miss." Li Han: " Hoo~ It is a Young Miss. Why the hell is there a woman in here to assist us? Oohh~ I know, she came to serve in the bed right? AHAHAHA. WOMEN ARE ALL THE SAME." Meiyun who was silent at the side snapped. She walked towards Li Han and coldly looked up. She suddenly pointed him a middle finger with her left hand. Li Han: " HA?! You think I wi-" Then Meiyun swiped her right thumb across her middle finger. Then she opened her two hands and fisted her hand tightly. The soldiers and Li Han flinched when they saw her gestures. They knew what she meant without her saying it. Meiyun: '' Say one more word about my miss, I will slice your manhood and crush your nuts.'' That''s why Huayun was the one who always do the talk because Meiyun was a very short tempered woman. Huayun sighed, '' This sister of mine'' Li Han: " OUTRAGIOUS! GUARD! BEHEAD THIS SLAVE!" Hong er: " What are you gonna do to my maid?" Hong er opened her tent and stepped up. Her eyes were as cold as ice. Li Han was surprised by the gentle but cold voice, the voice was very soft and light. When he saw Hong er''s body, he licked his lips and walked towards Hong er. Li Han: " Hoo~ What a beautiful sl*t you are." Li Han leaned his face to Hong er''s face, he sniffed and smirked. Li Han: " You smells good, tonight will be a fun night." Hong er only coldly looked at him. Hong er: '' What a waste of handsome face.'' Li Han lifted his finger and slid it across Hong er''s chin. Li Han: " What a smooth skin~ Smells good, smooth skin, and curvy body. Just by looking at your t*ts, I know you are a sl*t. How many men have you served?" Weisheng who just walked out from his tent heard what Li Han said, his face immediately darken. Dark aura leaked out from his body but before he could say anything, Hong er raised her hand and swung it across his face. Li Han flew across the field and slammed to the wall. Hong er slowly walked to his direction with her eyes locked on him. She stopped in front of him and looked down on him. Hong er: " How dare you disrespect women!" Chapter 62 - 62. Sacred Place I Third person POV Li Han grunted, he glared at Hong er with killing intent. He summoned his sword and jumped on Hong er. Hong er immediately summoned her sword and blocked his attack. Li Han attacked Hong er vigorously while roaring out of rage. Hong er''s face didn''t change at all after blocking all of his continuous attacks. Hong er saw Li Han started to get tired, she disappeared and appeared behind him. She slammed down his head to the ground with one hand. Blood flew down from his nose, he wiped it off with the back of his hand. He stood up and jumped on Hong er again. Hong er sighed and disappeared from his sight. He turned around, expecting Hong er to appear behind him again. suddenly a sword pointed his neck. Hong er: " I don''t want to fight with you. We came here just to assist you when you need. We won''t bother you." Hong er unsummoned her sword and left the frozen Li Han. She saw Weisheng standing in front of her tent entrance with a gloomy atmosphere. Hong er chuckled and patted his chest to reassure him. Hong er: " I''m fine." Weisheng nodded his head and watches her enter her tent. After Hong er entered her tent, Weisheng glared at Li Han with a murderous gaze. Li Han flinched, he turned around and saw Weisheng glared at him. He got goosebumps when he looked at Weisheng''s eyes. Weisheng turned around and entered his tent, ignoring Li Han''s rant. . . . After they ate their dinner in their own tent, Hong er went to Weisheng''s tent with a bunch of books in her hands. When she wanted to ask Meiyun and Huayun''s help, they didn''t appear. Hong er shrugged her shoulder and went out of her tent. She noticed that Qiyi and Qier were not guarding the entrance like usual, little did she knew, they were hiding when they knew Hong er was approaching Weisheng''s tent. Meiyun and Huayun told them to give their Young Miss a surprise. Meiyun and Huayun were praying in their heart so Hong er could quickly realize Weisheng''s feeling for her, they pitied Weisheng for their Young Miss'' denseness. Meiyun, Huayun, Qiyi & Qier: '' Master we are here to help you capture Young Miss'' heart with your body!'' They fisted their hand and gave an imaginary cheer to Weisheng. Weisheng who was bathing felt someone supported him in his heart, he scrunched his eyebrow and shrugged his shoulder. He heard someone opened the tent, he stood up and took his silk cloth to cover his lower part. He stepped out from the bath tub and walked out from the divider. ( Divider is room divider, a folding screen that used for dividing room. -_-) Weisheng: " Qiyi, clothes." *Thump Then he heard something fell to the ground, he turned around and saw Hong er standing there with her face as red as tomato. Books were scattered on the ground, Hong er was gawking at the almost n.a.k.e.d Weisheng. Weisheng frozed, he was confused and surprised by Hong er sudden appearance. The tent was so silent that the dripping sound from Weisheng''s wet hair can be heard. Weisheng''s ears started to get red, the silk cloth that covered his lower part became a little bit invisible because it got wet from Weisheng''s skin. Hong er''s hand started to move, Weisheng''s eyes followed Hong er''s hand movement. Hong er''s mouth parted, her eyes scanned Weisheng''s body up and down. Hong er touched her forehead. Hong er: '' Black stone on his forehead, Sheng ge always wear a headband¡­'' Hong er touched her shoulder with both of her hands. Hong er: '' Wide shoulder, black tattoo on shoulder¡­'' Then she gripped her upper arms. Hong er: '' Thick and bulky arms, tattoo¡­'' Then she touches her chests and softly rubbed it. Weisheng eyes widened when he saw where Hong er touched while looking at his chest. He gulped down his saliva. Hong er: '' His chest looks hard and full of muscle while mine are like pudding¡­'' Her hands touches her abdomen. Hong er: '' Why are mine so curved? And eight packs¡­.'' Her eyes lowered again. Then she slid down her hand to her lower part. Weisheng eyes followed her hand and a dark flame suddenly engulfed his body Hong er: '' What is that thing? Why I don''t have it? It is like a stick. OMG IS THAT THING WHAT MEIYUN ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT?!'' Hong er covered her blushed face, she looked up to Weisheng''s eyes and saw his dark eyes. Hong er flinched and ran away. Hong er ran to her tent and jumped onto her bed, she wrapped herself into a ball with her blanket. Hong er: '' OMG OMG OMG WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID HONG ER?! LOOK AT HOW ANGRY SHENG GE GOT. How can someone be not angry when their n.a.k.e.d body being stared like that? omg I''m doomed.'' Meanwhile, Weisheng was suppressing his fantastic wild imagination. His desire fired up as well as his body when he saw Hong er touched her lower part. He was holding back his body with all of his power to not jump on Hong er. But Hong er misinterpret his expression as angry. Weisheng: " Qiyi, Qier, explain." Qiyi and Qier appeared in front of Weisheng and kneeled, they were trembling under Weisheng''s glare. They didn''t expect Hong er to just run away from Weisheng like that. They immediately regret what they were doing. Qiyi & Qier: '' We''re doomed¡­'' Chapter 63 - 63. Sacred Place II Third person POV Morning* Hong er woke up at 3 AM like usual, she observed the soldiers around the camp. Hong er: '' They are in low spirit. No good.'' Hong er returned to her tent, she saw Weisheng sat on her chair while drinking his tea. Hong er''s face immediately became red, she turned around and wanted to leave. Weisheng: " Hong er!" Weisheng ran to her and hugged her from behind. Hong er got redder, she squirmed around as she was fl.u.s.tered by the sudden hug. But Weisheng thought that she hate his hug, felt like his world had ended, he hugged her tighter. He put his head on Hong er''s neck crook. Weisheng: " I won''t let you go." Hong er: " She-Sheng ge¡­" Weisheng: " Do you hate me now?" Hong er: " No!" Weisheng: " Then why do you want go run away?" Hong er: " L-last night?" Hong er start to stutter, her head became more dizzy. Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " Will you hate me if I say it?" Weisheng: " I will never hate you no matter what you do." Weisheng grabed her shoulder and turned her body. Now they were facing each other but their expression were the opposite. One was sad and solemn, while the other one was fl.u.s.tered and fidgety. Hong er: " Uu-mm.." Weisheng: " ?" Hong er: " Be-because I-I s-saw your s-sacred place." Weisheng: " What?" Hong er: " M-Meiyun once told me about that." *Flashback Meiyun: " Miss! How can you not know about that?! Don''t you learn it with Uncle Shu?" Hong er: " I only learn about external injuries medicine for 1 year." Meiyun: " *sigh Miss, I didn''t expect a genius like you to be this dense in those things." Hong er: " What?" Meiyun: " No, nothing. I will teach you miss, but never tell Huayun that I teach you this." Hong er: " Okay, I promise." Meiyun: " So every boys have a sacred place. They treasure it so much like it is their life. So if your opponent is a male, just hit or kick there with all of your power. Crushing their sacred place is like crushing their life. Hahaha." Hong er: " So where is their sacred place?" Meiyun: " It is at here. Women won''t have that thing, and people won''t show their sacred place to anyone, because¡­" Hong er: " Because?" Hong er''s eyes widened in curios. Meiyun: " I don''t know, I never seen it before in real life." Hong er: " Even you haven''t seen it?!" Meiyun: " Uhm, that''s how precious they are to men." Hong er: " Oohh~" Meiyun: " Oh! Miss let me teach you my special gesture. This was taught by one of my friend when I was still an assassin. And the result is really amazing." Hong er: " What is it?" * Flashback end Weisheng was dumbfounded by Hong er''s innocence and Meiyun''s explanation. He sighed, he wanted to blame Meiyun but what she said wasn''t wrong. It''s just the way she explained it was too ambiguous. Weisheng was curious by this gesture that Meiyun taught Hong er. Weisheng: " So what is the gesture?" Hong er: " She said to make a cold and disgusted face like you want to kill the person and then¡­" Hong er smile instantly disappeared and her expression changed into ruthless and frightening. Hong er pointed her left middle finger and slid her right thumb across her middle finger. Then a sinister smile appeared on her face, she opened her two palms and gripped on it while glaring at Weisheng. Weisheng shivered when he saw Hong er''s murderous gaze while doing those horrifying hand gestures. He felt that his junior had been chopped. Hong er: " And that''s it. Do you think I did it good enough?" Weisheng: " E-en." Hong er: " Why is your face so pale?" Weisheng: " Nothing, I''m fine." Horn sound interrupted their conversation, they walked out from the tent and saw the soldiers were marching towards the battlefield. The soldiers were dispirited, Li Han didn''t plan anything, didn''t give them any encouraging speech nor form any formation. He only said march to the battlefield. Hong er went up to the border wall and saw Li Han on a horse, proudly stood in front of the soldiers while facing the Great General Di. Great General Di: " Hoo~ So you are the famous General Li?" Li Han: " Hahaha, am I that famous that the Great General Di heard my name?" Great General Di: " Yes, your uselessness are very well known in martial arts world. Even though I really want to fight with my old friend." Li Han: " WHAT?!" Great General Di: " What? I only say the truth, why would you be that offended?" Li Han: " You son of a b*tch." Great General Di: " No, my mother is a great woman. It is yours that is a b*tch." Li Han: " I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!!" Great General Di felt someone was staring at him, he looked up and saw a girl with red mask. Great General Di: '' Xu family''s mask, then she must be his daughter.'' Great General Di lightly nodded his head towards Hong er. Hong er who wasn''t expecting that nodded back. Great General Di: '' At least his kid got manner.'' Great General Di gestured his hand. Great General Di: " Attack." Chapter 64 - 64. Battle With Great General Di I Third person POV Both sides clashed, screaming sounds and weapons clashing could be heard. Mages from the back of the line launches continuous magic, the earth element at the front forming a shield. The other magic elements were on offensive side. Dong Fang''s side was leading the war, as their formation was perfect. Hong er: '' What a great teamwork. Father told me many things about Great General Di, he is a great strategist and fighter. He lived up to the rumors.'' Li Han was clashing with Di Yu ( Great General Di) and obviously Di Yu easily overwhelmed Li Han. More and more injuries appeared on Li Han''s body while Di Yu was unscathed. Di Yu raised his spear and stabbed Li Han''s thigh. He pulled out the spear and stabbed Li Han''s right arm. Di Yu swung his spear across Li Han''s forehead, a deep straight line appeared on Li Han''s forehead. Li Han was screaming in agony. Li Han: " How.. dare you.." Li Han said while blood flew down from his forehead. Di Yu looked down at Li Han with a cold eyes. Great General Di: " This is a battlefield, not a playground." Di Yu raised his spear again but before he could swung down his spear, he dodged his head to the side. He looked at the arrow that planted deeply to the ground and looked at the border wall, a girl with red attire holding a white bow that was pointing to his direction. Hong er gave Di Yu hand gestures. Hong er: '' Can you let him off?'' Di Yu glanced at the battered Li Han, he turned around and left Li Han behind. Weisheng who was standing beside her asked her. Weisheng: " Why?" Hong er: " We can''t let him die yet." Weisheng: " En." Weisheng: '' What my wife says goes." Weisheng: " Don''t you care about the dying soldiers." Hong er: " I care but they are Li''s soldiers not us, not Da Chu''s. The lesser their amount, the better it will be." Weisheng: " How could you know it was Li''s?" Hong er: " Instinct." Weisheng: " Hoo~" Weisheng: '' Then why are her instinct towards my love was so¡­ I don''t want to think about that. My heart hurts." . . . After a half day of battling, the sky started to get darker, horns were blown meaning the battle for today was done. Both side retreated to their own camp. Hong er saw the casualties from Li Han''s side and Di Yu''s side and it was depressing. About 30 thousand Li''s soldiers died and 40 thousand were injured. The soldiers'' spirit were lowered, they were scared as their side was losing. At this time, Hong er and Weisheng went to Li Han''s tent. They were blocked by Li Han''s bodyguard but Qiyi and Qier easily took care of them. Weisheng and Hong er entered the tent and saw the heavily injured Li Han helplessly laying on his bed with physicians surrounding him. Hong er: " We will lead the war tomorrow." Li Han: " WHAT?! NO- *cough cough" Physician: " General, please don''t move or else the injuries will open again." Li Han: " SHUT UP!" Physician: " Eeek!" The physician was scared out of his life, Hong er went to the physician''s side and asked him to wait outside. Hong er: " No matter what you say, we will lead the war tomorrow." Li Han: " No. I won''t let you do as you please in my territory." Hong er: " Considering your injury, you can''t fight for a month or more. So just obediently sit here and shut your mouth." Hong er turned around and left the tent. Weisheng stood in front of Li Han and gave him a bone chilling look, then he walked out of the tent. Li Han was scared and confused, he never offended Weisheng before but Weisheng''s attitude towards him was like he had heavily offended Weisheng. Little did he knew, if you offend his wife-to-be then you offend him. . . . Morning* The 30 thousand soldiers were lined up, their face were gloomy and dispirited. Hong er was riding Xiao Bai to the front line, the soldiers gave way to her. They gave a confused expression. Soldier 1: " Who is she? Why is there a woman here?" Soldier 2: " I heard that she was sent here by Great General Xu to assist us." Soldiers 1: " Then why didn''t she appear yesterday?" Soldier 3: " General Li forbid them to help us." Soldier 2: " And I heard that she was Great General Xu''s daughter, Xu Feihong." Soldiers 1: " I never seen her before. You think she can lead us to win this war." Soldiers 2: " I don''t know but I trust Great General Xu''s decision." Soldiers 3: Let''s see what she looks like." The moment they looked at Hong er, they saw a girl imposingly sat on a white horse with her eyes burning with passion. The fire in their heart lighted up. Hong er summoned her sword and pointed it to the soldiers. She took a deep breath and breathe out. She never lead such a huge amount of soldiers, she had always operated in a small group with the elite forces. Her heart was beating fast, she was nervous under the 30 thousand pair of eyes. Hong er: " WHO ARE YOU?!" Soldiers: " WE ARE DA CHU''S SOLDIERS." Hong er: " WHAT IS YOUR JOB?!" Soldiers: " TO PROTECT OUR LAND." Hong er: " THEN DO IT RIGHT! You are Da Chu''s pride! Protect our beloved home and family with all of your strength! But come out alive! So you can show what you did to your family! You hear me?!" Soldiers: " YES GENERAL!" Hong er: " I don''t want to see you die in there! You hear me?!" Soldiers: " YES GENERAL!" Hong er: " I will always protect your backs! In battlefield, we are brothers, we protect each other!" Soldiers: " YES GENERAL!" Hong er: " God speed." Chapter 65 - 65. Battle With Great General Di II Third person POV Hong er imposingly stood in front of the soldiers and in front of her was Di Yu that proudly looked at Hong er. Weisheng silently followed behind Hong er, he worriedly stared at Hong er. Hong er cupped her fist towards Di Yu and he cupped his fist back to her. Di Yu: '' This kid is something else.'' Hong er: '' Great General Di, known for his great skill in controlling magic and a great fighter. It will be a fun battle.'' *flashback Weisheng worriedly looked at Hong er, he grabbed Hong er''s hand and pulled her to his embrace. Weisheng: " Please come back unscathed." Hong er: " Uhm, I will." Weisheng: " Why do you have to personally fight him?" Hong er: " Because I don''t want to be a woman waiting for someone to protect me." Weisheng: " But you will get hurt." Hong er: " It is normal to get hurt in battle." Weisheng: " Let me take your place." Hong er: " No, I don''t want that. I want to face Great General Di myself." Weisheng: " But I can''t bear to see you get hurt." Hong er: " If Sheng ge helps me when I fight with Great General Di, I won''t talk to you anymore." Weisheng: " But-" Hong er: " Sheng ge, do you trust me?" Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " Trust me, I can do this." Weisheng: " En, I trust you." *flashback end Di Yu: " Are you Tingfeng''s daughter?" Hong er: " Yes, I am." Di Yu: " Hhmm, you are different from him." Hong er laughed out loud. Hong er: " Ahahaha." Di Yu: " What are you laughing at?" Hong er: " No, people usually said that I''m very similar to father. it is new to hear that I''m different from him." Di Yu: '' I take back my words, her and that stupid friend of mine''s laugh are exactly the same.'' Di Yu: " Then I hope we have a fun fight." Hong er: " Me too." Di Yu put on his battle mask, his eyes never left Hong er''s. A horn sounded out, the soldiers shouted and marched in full speed. They clashed but it was different from yesterday, Da Chu''s soldiers spirit were at peak. Dong Fang''s soldiers were caught off guard, they thought that it would be as easy as yesterday, they went all out in offense. At the same time Di Yu and Hong er immediately disappeared from their horse, they appeared in the air. They swung their weapon in full strength and aura, the moment their weapon clashed, a strong gust of wind blown away the soldiers below. Underneath their mask, a wide smile appeared on their face. Di Yu: '' This kid is strong!'' Hong er: '' As expected of father''s friend!'' Di Yu had 3 element magics, gravitation, lightning, and earth. The sky above them started to darken, a grey cloud whirled above them, lightning started to crackle inside the whirlwind. The lightning started to acc.u.mulate to Di Yu''s spear, every time his spear clashed, a lightning struck Hong er''s sword. As Hong er possessed almost every element, she used the lightning that Di Yu had gathered. She gathered the lightning into her sword and when the two weapon loaded with Qi ( Aura/ magic) clashed, caused a big explosion. The dark clouds immediately cleared up, the people below them retreated as they felt another explosion would happen. Di Yu used his gravitation magic to slam Hong er flat to the ground, as Hong er was slammed to the ground, a huge hole appeared. He immediately used his earth magic to bury Hong er inside and pierced his spear to the ground, after 5 seconds there was no movement nor sound under the ground. Weisheng''s eyes widened but he continued to slash the enemy soldiers. Weisheng: '' I have to trust Hong er!'' Di Yu scrunched his eyebrow, he suddenly summoned his Guan Dao and swung it to his side. A sword stroke his Guan Dao in a full force as he flew and was slammed to one of the mountain. Right after Di Yu was slammed to one of the mountain he swung his Guan Dao to his front as Hong er flew towards his direction and swung her sword to him. The trees were blown as the wind exploded from the impact of their weapons. Hong er used both of her hands to push her sword towards Di Yu while Di Yu was holding his Guan Dao with both his hand to block Hong er''s sword. They were staring at each other with respect. Hong er: " Uncle Di, you are stronger than what the rumors said about you." Di Yu: " Hahaha, you are more amazing than what Tingfeng said in the letter." Hong er''s smile got wider as she used gravitation magic to add more pressure on her sword. Di Yu used his gravitation to lessen the pressure as he used his earth magic to sneakily attack Hong er from behind. A huge sharp spear that made of soil pierced down to Hong er''s back, but a gust of wind destroyed the spear. The ground and wind around them start to clash with each other, the mountain was shaking as the fight between them became more and more tense. As the magic reached its peaks, a huge whirlwind enveloping the mountain, not long after, an enormous explosion blew everything away. The whirlwind slowly dispersed and the tall mountain that proudly stood there was gone. As all of the soldiers had stopped fighting because they were too focused on Di Yu and Hong er''s fight, suddenly a figure flew down from the sky and rolled across the battlefield. The soldiers immediately swept their eyes to look who was the fallen figure. Hong er slowly stood up and got on her stance, a quarter of her mask cracked, revealing half of her face. Blood flew down from her cheek but what caught their attention was her smile. Even with her body covered with cuts and blood, she still maintained her smile. Di Yu landed across her, then the Dong Fang''s soldiers was shocked to see their general''s condition. Half of his mask were sliced into halves, a long cut on his left cheek. His arms and legs were full of cut and blood. They never saw their general this battered before. All of them had the same thought when they saw their condition. '' Who will be the winner?'' Chapter 66 - 66. Battle With Great General Di III Third person POV Hong er launched at him with full speed, Di Yu blocked her attacks with his Guan Dao. Dong Fang''s soldiers and Da Chu''s soldiers had completely stopped fighting and stood side by side to watch the once in a lifetime thrilling fight. They were cheering and shouting like they were watching a performance. They couldn''t see Hong er as she moved too fast, they could only see the sparks that were caused by their clashing weapons. The soldiers started to retreat step by step as their fight was getting more tense. All: '' Whoa, they were using their magic as they fight with their weapons.'' Even though there are many people that can fight and uses magic at the same time, they used their weapon as the capitalist to use their magic. But Hong er and Di Yu''s fights were like clones fighting with clones. They didn''t use their weapon as capitalist but they used their mind to create a new weapon with magic and fought using the magic''s weapon they created. It was like 4 people fighting at once but in actual there were only 2 people. Two hours passed by, Hong er and Di Yu were still vigorously fighting until a horn sound stopped them. They put their last strength on their last attack, another explosion caused the soldiers around them to flew a few steps back. But they didn''t care if they were just blown away, they immediately rose up and looked at the fighting pair. The field became silent, a wave of dust appeared by the explosion, surroundinf Hong er and Di Yu. The soldiers were so curious with what happened after the last clash but didn''t dare to go near the pair or else they might accidentally lose their head. Weisheng''s heart was beating very fast, his eyes were searching for Hong er. He was worried that Di Yu would kill Hong er but he believed that Di Yu wouldn''t do that to his friend''s daughter. His face started to get pale and his body was covered in cold sweat. As the dust slowly dispersed, they saw two silhouettes stood in the middle of the field. One was tall and bulky, one was slim and short. The soldiers were silent as they were gawking at the two figures but a movement from the slim figure caught their eyes. The slim figure staggered as the sword in her hand stabbed the ground, suddenly her knees fell onto the ground while her hand holding the sword for support. Da Chu''s soldiers: '' We lost...'' No one dared to make sound. As the vision was cleared, they saw Hong er was kneeling on the ground while panting, her hand never let go of her sword. Da Chu''s soldiers immediately saddened after they looked at Hong er''s state. Her face was covered in blood, even though the blood covered her eyes, she still opened her eyes widely while staring at the man in front of her. Hong er lowered her head and put her right hand on her heart. Hong er: " I''ve lost." Then the soldiers looked at Di Yu, they were shocked to see him to be so heavily injured but he still imposingly stood in front of Hong er while holding his Guan Dao. No matter how heavily injured he was, the one that stand until the last is the winner. As Di Yu raised his Guan Dao, Da Chu''s soldiers immediately alerted and shouted. Weisheng: " HONG ER!" Da Chu''s soldiers: " NO!" Di Yu swung down his Guan Dao, Weisheng and everyone in there widened their eyes. A Guan Dao planted to the ground beside Hong er, Di Yu stretched his hand towards Hong er with a gentle smile on his face. Hong er smiled back and put her hand on his hand. Di Yu helped her stand and faced the soldiers. Di Yu: " I, Great General Di, declare Dong Fang lost to Da Chu." Hong er whipped her head to Di Yu, her eyes widened in disbelieve. Hong er: " W-why? But I am the one who lost." Di Yu only smiled at her and left with Dong Fang''s soldiers. Weisheng immediately ran to Hong er''s side and lifted her up, bridal style. He carried her all the way to her tent and scolded her from start until they arrived. Weisheng: " What did I say about don''t get hurt?! Did you even listen to me when I was talking to you?! Look! Not even a spot was left unscathed, *sigh, what am I going to do? You can''t get hurt in the future, do you hear me?!" Hong er looked somewhere else and acted like she didn''t hear anything. Weisheng: " You naughty girl, I will tie you down in the future." Hong er: " ?" As soon as they arrived at her tent, magically, Shu Zhiruo appeared in her tent. Three hours ago, when Hong er was fighting with Di Yu, Meiyun ran all the way back to Xu residence and kidnapped Shu Zhiruo. Meiyun carried Shu Zhiruo all the way here on her back, while Huayun was preparing everything that was needed for Hong er''s treatment. Shu Zhiruo immediately scolded Hong er after she saw Hong er''s battered condition. Shu Zhiruo: " Go! Fight until you die! How many times had I told you to not get hurt?! Did you ever listen to me?!" Hong er looked at Weisheng with pleading eyes. Hong er: '' Sheng ge, help me! I''m scared!'' Weisheng with heavy heart shook his head. Weisheng: '' Hong er, you need someone scary to wake you up. I''m sorry.'' Hong er: '' Sheng geee!'' Shu Zhiruo: " And what the hell are you doing here? Get out, I need to undress Hong er." Weisheng looked at Hong er for the last time before he left the tent. Then he heard Hong er''s screams from outside. Weisheng: '' Hong er, hang in there!'' Chapter 67 - 67. Deal I Third person POV After 2 hours, Shu Zhiruo finished treating Hong er. All of her body was covered in bandages. Shu Zhiruo glanced at her and sighed. Shu Zhiruo: " Why don''t you just use your magic to heal yourself? It is quicker and more efficient." Hong er: " I can''t heal myself with my own magic, that''s why you need to stay by my side forever. Hehehe. But my body heals quicker than others." Shu Zhiruo: "Hhmm, just don''t get hurt." Hong er: " Uhm, I will try." Shu Zhiruo: " *sigh, whatever, I will leave first to boil you some medicine." Hong er: " En." A voice sounded out from outside. Huayun: " Young Miss, General Sheng came to see you." Hong er: " En, come in." Shu Zhiruo: " Then, bye." Hong er: " En." Shu Zhiruo and Weisheng passed by each other without sparing any glance. Hong er looked at Weisheng with a smile on her face. Hong er: " Sheng ge, can I ask for your help?" Weisheng: " What?" Hong er: " Please bring me to Great General Di''s camp." Weisheng: " Why?" Hong er: " Hehe." Hong er only laughed mischievously at him while Weisheng got a bad feeling about this. . . . Dong Fang''s camp* The guards that stood in front of their camp''s gate saw a huge group of people marching towards their camp. The guard wanted to ring the warning bell but a figure suddenly appeared in front of him grabbing his hand. He nervously looked at the figure and saw a girl with a red mask that was covered in bandages and she was holding 6 jars of liquor. She lifted up the jars to his face and laughed. Then he looked behind her and saw many of Da Chu''s soldiers holding jars of liquor in their hands. The other guard ran to Di Yu''s tent and reported Hong er''s arrival. Di Yu laughed and told the guard to let them in. The guard: '' Can the opponent''s soldiers enter our camp just like that?" The guard went back to the gate and told his friend to let them in. They let Hong er in, Hong er lightly nodded at them and they hesitantly nodded back. Di Yu''s bodyguards led Hong er and Weisheng in to Di Yu''s tent. Hong er: " Uncle Di, I''m coming in." Hong er and Weisheng entered the tent and saw a half n.a.k.e.d man with bandages all over his body sitting on a chair. The moment Weisheng saw Di Yu was half n.a.k.e.d, he immediately whipped his head towards Hong er but Hong er didn''t react at all. She smiled like usual and went to Di Yu''s desk and put a jar of liquor on his desk. Weisheng looked at Hong er with confusion and a thought suddenly appeared in his head. Weisheng: '' Did Hong er only reacted like that because it was me?'' After he thought for a while, he decided to not get ahead of himself because Hong er was too dense for that. Di Yu looked at the liquor then looked at Hong er and waited for an explanation from her. Hong er took off her mask and smiled widely at Di Yu. Her face was patched with bandages and were almost covering all of her face. Di Yu: " Hoo~ Aren''t Xu family rarely show their face to others?" Hong er: " Ahahaha, father told me that I can trust you." Di Yu: " That Tingfeng never change. So what is your purpose coming here with those liquors?" Hong er asked Di Yu''s bodyguard for a wine cup and 10 seconds later the bodyguard brought 3 wine cups. Hong er opened the lid and a sweet fragrance emitted from the jar, the fragrant caught everyone''s attention including Weisheng. Hong er poured the liquor into the cup, a clear liquid filling half of the cup. Hong er offered the cup to Di Yu, Di Yu took the cup and brought it to his mouth. Bodyguard: " Master! We need to check it first" Di Yu: " It''s fine, they won''t use cheap tricks." The bodyguard went back to his position and worriedly looked at his master. Di Yu swirled the clear liquid and smelled the liquid. Di Yu: " What a sweet aroma but there is a little bit of herbal fragrance." Di Yu gulped down the liquid in one go, his eyes widened as he swallowed the liquid. He lowered his head in contemplation, the bodyguard summoned his sword and pointed it to Hong er''s neck. Weisheng immediately summoned his sword and pointed it to the bodyguard. Hong er only calmly looked at Di Yu with a sly smile on her face. Weisheng was surprised to see such an unfamiliar smile on Hong er''s face, he looked at Hong er in disbelieve but he trusted Hong er no matter what happened. The bodyguard started to get anxious, he glared at Hong er. The bodyguard: " Master, are you okay?" Di Yu raised his hand to signal him to put down his weapon. The bodyguard reluctantly put down his weapon, he didn''t dare to ask Di Yu again because he knew Di Yu never repeat twice. Di Yu raised his head and leaned on his chair while staring at Hong er with a smirk. Di Yu: " So what is your real motive to make me drink this?" Hong er: " Uncle Di is sharp, you instantly exposed me like that. Please don''t embarrass this youngster like that." Di Yu:" Hahaha, I knew that you are a bright child the moment I fought with you and I knew that behind your cute smile, a sly fox lying deeply inside you." Hong er: " Hahaha, Uncle Di is joking, how can I be that smart like what uncle described me? I only did this to survive." Di Yu: " Hoo~ I like the way you think. So tell me what you want." Hong er: " Of course uncle Di already knew what I want." Hong er gave him a sly grin. Hong er: " Money." Chapter 68 - 68. Deal II Third person POV The bodyguard widened his eye in anger while Di Yu laughed out loud. The Bodyguard: " How dare you?!" Di Yu: " Hahaha, Anyi, calm down. Just listen to what she is going to say." Hong er poured the liquor into a new cup and offered the cup to Anyi( bodyguard). Anyi looked at Di Yu, Di Yu nodded at Anyi. Anyi took the cup and dipped a silver needle in it but the needle didn''t change color whatsoever. Anyi kneeled on one knee and apologized to Hong er. Anyi: " This lowly one apologize to General Xu, please forgive this servant for doubting you." ( General Xu= Hong er, Great General Xu= Xu Tingfeng. And the "you" that Anyi used is the formal kind of you if I translate it to Chinese.) Hong er gently smiled at him and patted his shoulder. Hong er: " It''s fine, it is your job to protect Uncle Di and I appreciate your effort, what you did was right." Anyi looked at her with amazement. Anyi: " This servant thanked General Xu for forgiving this servant." Hong er: " Aiya~ There is nothing to forgive, now, drink the liquor I gave you." Anyi: " Yes." Anyi instantly gulped down the liquor in one gulp, after he swallowed the liquor, his eyes widened while gawking at Di Yu. Di Yu nodded his head in agreement. Di Yu: " Now Hong er, so your father told you about this too?" Hong er: " Yes, father told me to ask for your opinion about this liquor. As Uncle Di was father''s drinking buddy, I trust Uncle Di''s taste buds." Di Yu: " Hahaha, what you say is right, in our group, I am the best at tasting liquor. They will drink anything that have alcohol in it without caring the taste and it makes my head aches. If it is not me that chooses the liquor, they would never drink a good liquor." Hong er: " I agree with that." Di Yu: " So where did you get this? I never drank this kind of liquor before." Hong er: " I made it." Di Yu: " It''s you?" Hong er: " Yes and with a friend of mine." Di Yu: " Hoo~ Then explain to me everything about this liquor." Hong er: " As both of you had tested it before, there are herbal fragrance and taste in it right?" Di Yu: " En." Hong er: " The recipe is a secret. This liquor is good for health in many ways, it can refill our energy and Qi. Plus it was good to improve the fertility for women and men. Anyone can drink this, pregnant women, elderly, and patients. And it tastes good, what else do liquor do other than enjoying the taste hahaha." Di Yu: " What you say was right. So what about this money stuff?" Hong er: " I want to sell my liquor to Dong Fang could you help me?" Di Yu: " Nothing is free in this life." Hong er: " Of course, we will give discount to Di''s family. We will give you 15% of the profit." Di Yu: " Too low." Hong er: " And a jar every month." Di Yu: "..." Hong er: " 2 jars every month." Di Yu: "¡­" Hong er: " Fine, fine, 3 jars." Di Yu: " Deal. How much are you going to sell this?" Hong er: " 5 thousand gold a jar." Di Yu: " Too cheap, 7 thousand." Hong er: " Hoo~ Then our agreement went smoothly right?" Di Yu: " En. Then what are those other jars? The color is different from this one." Hong er: " Oh, this~ I will treat everyone here with liquor. What do you think? It''s free~" Di Yu: " En, you good at this, kid." As soon as Di Yu finished his sentence, a voice sounded out from outside. The voice sound rushed and panic. Guard: " G-great General Di, there is a guest. It is Great Gen-" Before the guard could finish his words, a tall bulky man barged into the tent. Anyi immediately summoned his sword and prepared to attack. Di Yu: " Anyi." Anyi looked at Di Yu, Di Yu lightly shook his head. Anyi looked at the tall bulky man again then he saw the man was wearing a red mask. The man stomped his way towards Di Yu''s desk with a menacing aura. The cloud above the tent started to swirl as lightning started to crackle. Di Yu: " Long time no see, Tingfeng." Xu Tingfeng slammed down his hand to Di Yu''s desk, the desk cracked and Hong er quickly grabbed all of the liquor on the desk. The desk shattered into small pieces, Xu Tingfeng glared Di Yu with his golden eyes as he summoned his Guan Dao. Anyi gripped on his sword as he was ready to attack Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng looked at Anyi without moving his head, his golden eyes were filled with killing intent. Xu Tingfeng: " Back down, kiddo. Or I will kill you." Anyi flinched in fear, he knew Xu Tingfeng could easily kill him in his angry state. Anyi didn''t move but he never loosened his grip on his sword. Anyi: '' Even if it costs my life, I will protect master.'' Xu Tingfeng turned his eyes to Di Yu who was calmly drinking Hong er''s newest liquor. Xu Tingfeng: " Explain to me what happened or else I will kill you, Yu ge." ( Xu Tingfeng called him Yu ge as Di Yu was older than him.) Chapter 69 - 69. Inside of Great General Dis Tent I Third person POV Hong er sighed and put down her liquor on the floor, then she slowly stood up. Weisheng noticed that Hong er was trying to stand up, he immediately ran to her side and helped her. Hong er smiled and held Weisheng''s hand as she walked towards Xu Tingfeng. Hong er put her palm on Xu Tingfeng''s back to calm him down. Hong er: " Father, I''m fine." Xu Tingfeng: " But he caused you those injuries." Xu Tingfeng spoke without turning around which was unusual for him to not hug Hong er. Hong er smiled gently at Xu Tingfeng even if he didn''t turn around. Hong er: " Father, I know you are worried about me but this is my decision. I want to seriously fight with Uncle Di until I fell." Xu Tingfeng: " But not like this." Hong er: " Father, could you please turn around?" Xu Tingfeng didn''t reply for a while then he turned around facing Hong er. Hong er made a hand signal for Xu Tingfeng to bend down. Xu Tingfeng bent down to her eye level. Hong er touches Xu Tingfeng''s mask while staring into his golden eyes. Hong er: " Father, could you open your mask for me?" Xu Tingfeng casted a spell then the mask loosened, Hong er took it off with one hand. She immediately laughed after she saw Xu Tingfeng''s expression. Hong er: " Hahaha, father, what''s with father''s expression? Where did the all mighty and scary Great General Xu I just saw disappeared to? Ahahaha." Xu Tingfeng: " Don''t laugh¡­" Xu Tingfeng pouted, his eyebrow scrunched and his eyes were glassy. He glared at Weisheng and scowled at him. Xu Tingfeng: " What did you promise me? Have you forgot about that? Weisheng: " No." Xu Tingfeng: " Then why would you let Hong er got hurt like this?!" Weisheng: " I decided to trust Hong er." Xu Tingfeng: " What?" Weisheng: " if she said she will be fine then she will be fine." Xu Tingfeng: " So she said that then you just let her fight?" Weisheng: " I will always trust what Hong er say no matter what." Hong er: " Sheng ge¡­" Xu Tingfeng looked at Weisheng''s expression then he sighed. Xu Tingfeng could see the pain in Weisheng''s eyes, Weisheng was worried about Hong er but he had to trust Hong er even if he wanted to jump into the fight and save Hong er. Xu Tingfeng thought that Weisheng had suffered too and decided to let him off as this wasn''t his fault. Xu Tingfeng: " Fine, it''s not your fault. But Hong er, please don''t do things like that again." Hong er only smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Xu Tingfeng widened his eyes and smile start to creep up to his face. Hong er: " Better?" Xu Tingfeng: " Once more then you are forgiven." Hong er kissed his other cheek and smiled at him, Xu Tingfeng felt his energy suddenly surged up, he lifted up Hong er and spun her around. A wide smile appeared on Xu Tingfeng''s face, his face instantly lighted up. Xu Tingfeng: " My beloved Hong er will always be my little angel~ Ahahaha." Hong er: " Fa-father, my wound, it hurts." Xu Tingfeng: " Omg, I forgot, I was too happy that Hong er kissed me. How has it been since you kissed father''s cheek? Last month? Since you grew up, you rarely kiss me." Xu Tingfeng put her down and pouted again. Hong er noticed Xu Tingfeng had a few bandages on his face and body but suddenly there were two tall men rushed into the tent. Di Tian: " Father, are you okay?!" Di Yu: " Oh, Di Tian, you are back. So early?" Di Tian: " Uncle Xu!" Di Yu: " It is already solved, calm down." Di Tian and Di Shang sighed in relief, then they looked closely at Di Yu who had bandages all over his body, they were shocked by how injured he was. Then they saw a tall man with black clothes holding a girl who had bandages all over her body too. They pointed at Hong er and looked at Di Yu with dumbfounded expression. Di Yu: " It was hard to believe but yes, she is the cause of these injuries." Xu Tingfeng: " My good Hong er managed to land a few blow on you." Di Yu: " I will admit that your daughter is very strong." Xu Tingfeng: " Of course she is." Hong er: " But still, Uncle Di won the fight and my injuries were much more severe than uncle''s." Di Yu: " For you to make me this miserable is already enough to prove that you are strong." Hong er: " Aiya~ Thank you for the compliment." Then Hong er turned around and bowed to Di Tian and Di Shang, she cupped her fist and smiled brightly at them. She noticed there were bandages all over their body too. Hong er: '' Did they fought with father?'' Hong er: " Greetings to General Di Tian and General Di Shang. Let me introduce myself, I am the Di daughter of Great General Xu, Xu Feihong." Di Tian and Di Shang were gawking at Hong er, they still couldn''t believe a girl, younger than them, and she was the shortest person in this tent, to fight with their tall and bulky father. And to make it worse, she landed some blows on Di Yu which was pretty hard even for them. Di Yu noticed that Di Tian and Di Shang didn''t reply to her, he scowled at them. Di Yu: " Di Tian, Di Shang, where are your manners?" Di Tian and Di Shang finally realized their mistake, they immediately bowed and cupped their fist to Hong er. Di Tian: " Pleased to meet you Miss Xu, I am the second eldest son of Great General Di, Di Tian. Hope that we will be a good acquaintance in the future." Hong er: " Pleased to meet you too." Di Tian smiled at her, ignoring the fact that Weisheng was glaring at him with murderous eyes. Di Shang: " I am the eldest son of Great General Di, Di Shang. Nice to meet you." Hong er: " Uhm, nice to meet you too." Di Yu looked at them with an inspecting look then he nodded in satisfaction. Di Yu: " Miss Xu, what do you think about my sons?" Di Shang blushed while Di Tian whistled at how smooth their father was. Hong er: " I think that they are cool in their own way." Di Tian: " Hey hey, Hong er is it? Can I call you that?" Hong er: " Uhm." Di Tian: " Do you want to be my fianc¨¦?" Hong er: " Wha-" Weisheng lightly pulled Hong er''s hand and hide her behind him while scowling at Di Tian. Di Tian smirked at him, a smack suddenly landed on Di Tian''s head. Di Shang: " Di Tian enough." Di Tian: " Shang ge meanie~" Di Shang ignored Di Tian complain and looked at the scary Weisheng. Di Shang: " I apologize for my little brother''s behavior." Weisheng looked at Di Shang and nodded his head. He knew that Di Tian was only playing around but if it concern his Hong er, he never play around. Weisheng: " En." Chapter 70 - 70. Inside of Great General Dis Tent II Third person POV Di Yu saw Weisheng''s reaction and sighed, he didn''t knew that Hong er has a lover. He threw away the thought of making Hong er his daughter in law. Di Yu stood up and took a jar of liquor that Hong er put on the floor then he poured into his cup. Di Yu: " Anyi, bring more cups." Anyi: " Yes, Master." Di Yu: " Tingfeng, come here and drink with me." Xu Tingfeng: " Oh? Is that Hong er''s handmade liquor? Man, I haven''t even tasted it yet." Xu Tingfeng sat beside Di Yu and took a cup that Anyi just brought. Xu Tingfeng poured the liquor into the cup and gulped it down. Xu Tingfeng: " Wasei~ It is so good. My body feels lighter." Di Yu: " Right? Your daughter is amazing. You kiddos come here and drink with us." They sat around the new brought table because Xu Tingfeng destroyed the previous one. They drank while talked about various things. Xu Tingfeng: " Yu ge, why did you suddenly declare a war with Da Chu?" Di Yu: " The same case as yours." Xu Tingfeng: " Your emperor is a sc*mbag too?" Di Yu: " En, and he is super annoying." Xu Tingfeng: " *sigh, what the hell do they really want from us?" Di Yu: " I don''t know but what I know for sure is that they don''t like the fact we are more popular than them." Di Yu smiled sarcastically, Xu Tingfeng filled his cup and Di Yu''s cup until full. Xu Tingfeng: " Gahahaha, then it is their fault for being too weak and pathetic. Here, drink and forget about them." Di Yu: " Agree." Weisheng looked at Hong er and noticed that her face was slightly red. He took her wine cup and drank the liquor in it. Hong er dazedly stared at Weisheng then she cutely giggled at him. Weisheng''s heart felt like it was being pierced by a cupid arrow, his ears got red and he gulped down his saliva. Di Shang''s face became red when he saw the two of them acting lovey dovey in front of him. The first time he looked at Hong er''s face, he was fascinated. He never saw someone this beautiful and pure yet strong and fierce, his heart wad beating really hard. But when he saw Weisheng acted protective around Hong er and Hong er''s behavior towards Weisheng, he already knew that he had no chance. So he decided to back out before he fell too deep. Hong er kept staring at Weisheng with a dazed look, it made him imagine something inappropriate. Hong er touched his abdomen and giggled again, she groped on his abs and his thighs. Then she slapped her chair a few times before she pouted. Hong er: " Uhh~ Hard." Hong er stood up and stared down at Weisheng, Weisheng looked up to her with a confused expression. Hong er''s next action made everyone around her shocked and speechless. She plopped on Weisheng''s thighs and snuggled. Di Shang choked on his liquor, liquor spurted out from Di Tian''s mouth while Di Yu smirked and looked at Xu Tingfeng. Di Yu was surprised to see Xu Tingfeng enveloped in flame, Di Yu immediately threw away the thought of teasing Xu Tingfeng. While the situation around them were hectic, Weisheng sat there frozed. Hong er glanced at Weisheng''s chest and her eyes were gleaming, she patted his chest and giggled. Weisheng almost lost his sanity by Hong er''s cute behavior. After Hong er patted and groped Weisheng''s chest for a while, she stopped and stretched out her hand. All of them looked at Hong er with curiosity, then Hong er plopped down her head on Weisheng''s chest and hugged him. Hong er: " Hehehe~ Sheng ge~ So soft~" The cup in Weisheng''s hand immediately crushed into dust, his eyes almost bulged out and his heart was going to burst by how rapid it beats. The flame around Xu Tingfeng flared up, he slammed his hand on the table. Di Yu immediately used his gravitation magic to held down the burning Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng: " KIDDO, LET GO OF MY HONG ER." Hong er was surprised by the sudden screaming so she hugged Weisheng tighter and nuzzled her face on his chest in fear. Her b.r.e.a.s.t was pressing against his abdomen while her lips touched his skin. Weisheng was on the brink of losing his sanity, he took a deep breath and exhaled, inhaled, exhaled. Hong er felt empty, she kept changing her position but wasn''t satisfied by any of the position. Then she looked up to Weisheng and pouted. Hong er: " Sheng ge~ Hug me like you usually do." Blood flowed down from Weisheng''s nose as he stared at Hong er''s pout. Xu Tingfeng snapped by what Hong er just said. Xu Tingfeng: " WHAT THE HECK DO YOU MEAN BY ''USUALLY''?! HUH?!" Di Yu increased his gravitation magic on Xu Tingfeng as Xu Tingfeng forcefully tried to stand up. Xu Tingfeng: " Yu ge, don''t stop me. I need to beat his ass." Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge, I''m scared.." Weisheng: '' I lost it.'' Then Weisheng lifted Hong er in bridal style, he walked towards the tent''s entrance with Hong er in his arms. Di Tian and Di Shang instantly stood up and held Weisheng''s shoulder. Di Tian: "My, my, where are you going with Miss Xu in your arms?" Weisheng: " Bring her home." Weisheng continued walking towards the entrance while Di Tian and Di Shang pulled his giant body. Di Tian: " It didn''t sound convincing with blood dripping from your nose all over your face!" Meanwhile the soldiers outside that were drinking and partying, looked at their general''s tent weirdly. They felt the gravitation around the tent was weird and various screaming came out from the tent. The soldiers: '' What the hell are they doing in there?'' Chapter 71 - 71. Imperial Edict Third person POV Hong er woke up on her bed like usual except she didn''t remember how she got to her tent from Dong Fang''s camp. Meiyun and Huayun came in and saw that Hong er had woke up, they offered Hong er a glass of water. Hong er looked at both of them and asked. Hong er: " Did father went back to Xi An?" Huayun: " Yes Young Miss. And Master told us to directly go back to Xu residence." Hong er: " En, I get it. Tell Sheng ge about this and pack our things. We will leave as soon as possible." Hong er: '' Because I got a bad feeling.'' . . Hong er walked out of her tent and saw Weisheng standing in front of his tent with his black horse. Hong er: " Sheng ge." Weisheng finched, Hong er tilted her head in confusion. Hong er: '' It is really rare for Sheng ge to get surprised.'' Hong er: " Sheng ge?" Weisheng slapped himself then turned around to face Hong er. Weisheng: " What is it?" Hong er: " Are you okay?" Weisheng: " En." Hong er looked at him suspiciously but she shrugged it off. She lightly pulled Xiao Bai''s rein and walked towards him. Hong er: " Sheng ge, are you the one that brought me back?" Weisheng: " E-en." Hong er: " Oh, thank you." Weisheng widened his eyes in surprise. Weisheng: " You didn''t remember?" Hong er: " Did I forget about something?" Weisheng: " No." Qiyi, Qier, Meiyun, and Huayun appeared beside them and bowed. Qiyi: " General, Young Miss, the preparation was done." Hong er: " Then let''s depart from here." . . . After 3 hours, they arrived at Xu residence and saw Xu Tingfeng and his entourage were unloading their luggage. Bai Huiqing was standing at the gate, waiting for them to return. Hong er dismounted her horse and went to greet Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing. Hong er: " Father, Mother, I''m home." Bai Huiqing: " Aiyo! Look at yourself! Injuries everywhere! *sigh, how many times have I told you to think about yourself first before go fighting like that?!" Hong er: " Hehehe~" Bai Huiqing: " Don''t laugh, I will punish you later after all of your wounds healed." Hong er: " En." Hong er nodded her head and chuckled. Suddenly an entourage barge into the gate, the guards blocked their way with their spear but the eunuch shouted at them. Eunuch: " Impudent! How dare you block us?! We were sent by the Emperor to give Great General Xu''s daughter an imperial edict!" Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng whipped their head towards the eunuch in shock. Then they looked at each other in confusion Xu Tingfeng: '' Imperial edict?!'' Bai Huiqing: '' For Hong er?!'' Xu Tingfeng & Bai Huiqing: '' No good!'' Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing walked towards the gate with a scowl beneath their mask. Weisheng that was standing silently at the side gritted his teeth in anger. Weisheng: '' So this is how you gonna play the game.'' Xu Tingfeng: " Let them pass." Xu Tingfeng commanded the guards, the guards lightly nodded their head and retracted their spear. The eunuch humphed and stepped forward, he stopped in front of Xu Tingfeng and sneered at him. Xu Tingfeng cupped his fist and spoke with a happy tone. Xu Tingfeng: " Aiya, Eunuch Zu, long time no see." Happy with Xu Tingfeng''s greetings, Eunuch Zu''s smirk got wider. He cupped his fist and lightly bowed to Xu Tingfeng. Eunuch Zu: '' He knew his place.'' Eunuch Zu: " Yes, how is the war going?" Xu Tingfeng: " Hahaha, it was going smoothly like always." Eunuch Zu: " Hahaha, good to hear." Xu Tingfeng was disgusted by Eunuch Zu''s laugh, he wanted to strangle him to death but he held back his desire. Xu Tingfeng: '' Sooner or later I will kill you.'' Eunuch Zu stretched out his right hand and the eunuch beside him gave him a golden scroll while bowing 90 degrees. Eunuch Zu slowly opened the golden scroll then he glanced at Hong er and sneered. Eunuch Zu: " Receive the imperial edict." Everyone kneeled including Weisheng but his knee didn''t touch the ground. His clothes made him looks like he kneeled. Weisheng: '' I will never kneel before him.'' Eunuch Zu glanced at all of them and continued to read the content. Eunuch Zu: " Miss Xu, please step forward." Hong er stood up and walked towards Eunuch Zu and knelt in front of him. Eunuch Zu: " Zhen personally request the Great General Xu''s Di daughter, Miss Xu Feihong, to participate the Crown Prince''s bride selection in the capital. As Miss Xu Feihong still had not engaged to anyone, Zhen gave her an opportunity to become Zhen''s beloved daughter in law." Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing gritted their teeth in fury, they knew this would happen sooner or later but the timing was too bad. They didn''t expect that Long Quan would rush Hong er to marry his son. Their plan was almost complete only to be destroyed by this imperial edict. Weisheng clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his skin, blood seep out from his fist as he tried to control his anger. He glanced at Hong er and saw her calmly listening to the edict. Weisheng: '' The plan need to be done quicker.'' Eunuch Zu: " Miss Xu, accept the edict." Hong er stretched out both of her hand and lowered her head, Eunuch Zu put the golden scroll on her hand. She took the golden scroll and bowed again. Hong er: " Thank Your Majesty for the kindness." Chapter 72 - 72. Travelling I 7 Third person POV Shortly after Hong er received the edict, Eunuch Zu left Xu residence and went back to the capital. Xu Tingfeng, Bai Huiqing, and Weisheng gathered in Xu Tingfeng''s studyroom, the atmosphere was tense and frightening. Xu Tingfeng couldn''t hold his anger anymore, he slammed his hand on his desk. Xu Tingfeng: " Outrageous! If he wants to die that badly then just say it! I will happily kill him!" Bai Huqiing: " Calm down Tingfeng, death is too easy for him, we need to crush him physically and mentally." Weisheng who was sitting silently at the side suddenly stood up, he glanced at Xu Tingfeng. Weisheng: " Old man, give me a mission, a very hard one." Xu Tingfeng: " Hoo~ You got a plan under your sleeve?" Weisheng: " En." Bai Huiqing: " Is it what I think it is?" Weisheng: " En." Bai Huiqing: " Please go easy on Hong er." Weisheng: " En, I will borrow Hong er for 2 weeks." Bai Huiqing: " En, take care of her." Weisheng: " En." Xu Tingfeng: " Tell me when you are ready." Weisheng: " En." Weisheng bowed his head towards Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing before he walked out of the room. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing looked at each other in concern, it would be hard for both Weisheng and Hong er. . . . Weisheng went to Hong er''s courtyard with Qiyi and Qier behind him. Meiyun and Huayun noticed Weisheng''s arrival, they went to Hong er''s chamber and reported his arrival. Huayun guided him to the outer courtyard to wait for Hong er. Not long after, Hong er arrived at outer courtyard with a simple white hanfu. Weisheng looked at Hong er with amazement but when he looked at Hong er''s calm face, his face saddened. Hong er noticed Weisheng''s changes in mood, she dismissed Meiyun and Huayun including Qiyi and Qier. She slowly walked towards Weisheng and sat beside him. Hong er: " What is it?" Weisheng: " Hong er¡­" Hong er grew worried as she heard his low energy voice, Hong er placed her small hand on top his big coarse hand and gently caressed his hand. Weisheng looked into her eyes and took off his mask. He smiled gently at Hong er and took her small hand into his hand. Hong er''s heart beat really fast after she saw his gentle smile. But she set aside her thought and worriedly asked Weisheng. Hong er: " Sheng ge, if something is bothering you, you can just tell me." Weisheng: " Hong er, I will be on a mission but the date hasn''t been confirmed." Hong er: " Where?" Weisheng: " Da Qi." Hong er: " Then why are you so sad?" Weisheng: " I don''t know when I will come back so I want spend all of my time with you before I go." Hong er: " Sheng ge, why are saying it like you will never come back?" Weisheng didn''t reply, he brought Hong er''s hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. Weisheng: " Hong er, I will bring you to somewhere, do want you want to accompany me?" Hong er: " I have no problem with that but father¡­" Weisheng: " I had asked your father and he say it''s fine." Hong er: " Oohh, where will we go?" Weisheng: " Secret." Weisheng kissed her hand and stares at her eyes. Hong er''s face slightly blushed, she averted her eyes and stuttered. Hong er: " U-uhm." Weisheng: " We will depart tomorrow morning." Hong er: " Uhm." Weisheng noticed Hong er''s face was slightly pink, he brushed her cheek with his finger. Weisheng: " What''s wrong?" Hong er''s heart almost burst out from her chest, her face became hotter and redder. Her breath fastened, she touched her heart and lightly gripped Weisheng''s arm. Hong er: " I-I''m not okay." Weisheng: " What?! Qier, call uncle Shu!" Hong er: " No!" Weisheng: " But you said you are not okay." Hong er: " It didn''t hurt or anything¡­" Weisheng: " ?" Hong er: " Actually I feel kinda happy and excited¡­" Weisheng''s body froze, then he stares at Hong er, her face become redder and redder as the time passes by.He slowly moved his hand and covered his mouth, he wanted to scream at how cute Hong er looked right now, his hand was shaking uncontrollably. Weisheng: '' She is getting embarrassed when I get near her, then does it mean¡­'' Weisheng wanted to test out his suspicion, he leaned his face towards Hong er''s face and stares into her eyes. Smokes came out from Hong er''s head as Weisheng leaned his face closer to her face. Hong er closes her eyes tightly as she couldn''t bear looking at Weisheng''s manly face. Weisheng looked at her face and chuckled. Her eyes and lips were trembling as she squeeze them, her eyebrow was scrunched into one line. Weisheng was very satisfied by her reaction, he kissed her both her cheeks and her forehead before stopped in front of her lips. Hong er slowly opened her eyes as she didn''t feel anything then she saw Weisheng kissed his two fingers and lightly pressed it on her lip. Hong er dazedly stares at him as her heart was filled with flowers and butterflies. He smiled widely and patted her head, Hong er saw his happy expression and smiled widely too. Weisheng''s heart instantly melted. Weisheng: '' I can''t defeat her, better leave first before I do anything to her.'' Weisheng stood up and quickly turned around. Weisheng: " Then I will leave." Hong er immediately stood up and grabbed his arm, Weisheng turned his head around and looked down. Hong er kissed her two fingers and pressed it on his lips. Hong er: " Revenge, hehehe~" Weisheng immediately hugged her and lifted her up, his right hand was under Hong er'' h.i.p.s to supports her weight, his left hand was behind Hong er''s back. Weisheng''s face was blushing as he sternly spoke. Weisheng: " Never do that to anyone except me." Hong er: " En." Chapter 73 - 73. Travelling II Third person POV Night* Hong er sat on her bed while staring at her thumb ring that Weisheng gifted her 7 years ago. She never took it off except when she was bathing, she would immediately put it on after she finished her bath. She stroked her thumb ring whenever she felt uneasy and now it became a habit to stroke her thumb ring whenever she was thinking hard. Hong er: '' Why did my heart beat so fast when Sheng ge''s with me? I had known him for a long time but why does it only happen now? Is it some kind of sickness? Qi deficiency? But I was fine yesterday, hhmm¡­. I want to ask Ruo er but she won''t be here for 1 month, hhmm¡­.'' Hong er sighed and plopped down on her bed, she stared at the ceiling suddenly, Weisheng''s face passed by her mind. Hong er: '' Eh? Why did his face suddenly passed like that? That''s weird¡­.'' Hong er thought for a while and didn''t find any clue by how can Weisheng face passed her mind like that, she gave up and went to sleep. . . . Morning* Hong er was talking with Xiao Bai when suddenly someone hugged her from behind, she grew alert as she grabbed the arm that hugged her and threw his whole body to the ground. She locked his arm with her leg and when she was going to crush his arm, the man used his other arm to grab Hong er''s collar and lifted her up. Hong er used this chance to kick his head but her kick was blocked by him. In an instant, she spun her whole body in full speed to kick his head with her other leg. He managed to block her kick from his head but he couldn''t block the kick''s power. The man took a few steps back before he looked at Hong er and smiled at her. Hong er smiled back at him but she still maintained her fighting stance. Hong er: " Sheng ge, wanna go for a round?" Weisheng: " En." Hong er took a step forward and disappeared, Weisheng elbowed to his right side, Hong er used her palm and a little bit of power to push his arm up. She used her palm to hit his ribs but was blocked by Weisheng''s other hand. She rotated her palm and managed to slip from Weisheng''s fist. Then she was blocked again with his other hand, and this continued for an hour. After half an hour passed by, they were slightly panting with little sweatdrops on their forehead. Hong er was smiling widely at him and walked towards him, Weisheng''s lips slightly lifted. Hong er: " As expected, Sheng ge is very strong." Weisheng: " You are strong too." Hong er: " How can I be called strong when Sheng ge didn''t go all out? On top of that I still couldn''t beat you." Weisheng: " Hong er is strong in her own way." Hong er: " Hahaha, no need to compliment me. But I hope Sheng ge will fight me seriously." Weiseng: '' How can I bear to hit my beloved wife." Hong er signaled him to bend down as she took out an embroidered handkerchief. Weisheng bent down and Hong er gently wiped his sweat off. Weisheng: '' Just be my wife already.'' Hong er: " Okay." (A/N: what she meant was she was done wiping off his sweat.) Weisheng: " Huh?" Hong er: " What''s wrong?" Weisheng: " N-no." Weisheng: '' I thought that she heard what I said, but let''s just think it as she agrees to be my wife.'' Weisheng straighten his body as Hong er wiped off her sweat with the same handkerchief. Weisheng noticed how she used the handkerchief that had his sweat without any hesitation made him feel warm inside his heart. Hong er mounted Xiao Bai and went to Xu residence''s main gate together with Weisheng and their bodyguards. She saw Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing standing at the gate waiting for them. Hong er immediately dismounted Xiao Bai and ran to their side. Hong er: " Father, mother, what are you doing here?" Bai Huiqing: " Of course to see you off." Hong er: " Hahaha, we will only go for 2 weeks." Bai Huiqing: " So we can''t look at our daughter?" Hong er: " Hahaha, of course you can look at me." Xu Tingfeng: " Go have fun but you need to be cautious, okay?" Hong er: " Okay, father." Weisheng: " Hong er." Bai Huiqing: " Now now, he is waiting for you, go and have fun." Hong er: " Uhm, then father, mother, I will leave first." Hong er waved her hand towards Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng and mounted Xiao Bai. Weisheng turned around but before he could take a step forward, Xu Tingfeng called him in low voice. Xu Tingfeng: " Kiddo, please take care of her." Weisheng nodded his head without looking back then he continued to walk towards Xiao Hei and mounted Xiao Hei. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing watching their figure slowly disappeared from their sight. Bai Huiqing leaned on Xu Tingfeng and worriedly spoke. Bai Huiqing: " I hope Hong er won''t be too sad after realizing her feelings." Xu Tingfeng: " En." Chapter 74 - 74. Travelling III Third person POV Hong er and Weisheng leisurely strolled around the market while holding on their horse''s rein. Even though they were wearing commoner''s clothes, but their body figure still caught passerby''s attention. A very tall and bulky man with a black veil hat covering his face and beside him was a woman that was shorter than him but taller than any women in the market, even taller than some of the men. Her body was slim but curvy, there were some people looking at her with l.u.s.tful gaze as they were ogling at her body. The woman was wearing a white veil hat but inside of their veil hat, they wore a face veil that covered half of their face, it made them look more mysterious. Even though they tried really hard to cover their face from public, they still couldn''t hide their eyes. The woman''s eyes were big and lovely, it gave a warm and gentle feeling but also strong and wise vibe. On the other side, even though the tall man''s eyes were fierce and frightening, they couldn''t stop staring at those eyes. But whenever the man looked at the woman, his eyes became gentle. Then they figured out the relationship between them. People: '' They must be newlywed.'' They didn''t realize that they stared at Hong er too long until Weisheng moved his body to block Hong er from their sight and glared at them with murderous gaze. They flinched and immediately scurried away as they didn''t want their head to be chopped off by Weisheng. People: '' He is only gentle towards his wife, aiyo, what were we thinking? Of course every man will be angry if their beautiful wife was being stared by others.'' Hong er used a spell to change her eye color to black, so it could be considered quite safe because no one could recognize her without her golden eyes. No one had ever seen her face before as she never shown them in public. As for Weisheng, even his minister or subjects never seen his face before, he showed his face to Xu family as they were his one of the closest aide and his to be family in law. Hong er actually noticed that there were some people stared at her with l.u.s.tful gaze but she couldn''t do anything about that as she couldn''t just beat them or chase them away. And when Weisheng blocked her from their stares, a warm feeling swarmed her heart. Hong er looked up to Weisheng with a smile. Hong er: " Sheng ge, thank you." Weisheng: " En." Weisheng nodded while glaring at the passerby, Hong er went back to looking around the market. Hong er saw a food stall at the corner of the market, she took Weisheng''s hand and pulled him to the food stall. Hong er: " Uncle, give me 2 of that." Uncle: " That will be 6 bronze coins Miss." Hong er took out her small pocket and gave him 6 bronze coins, the uncle took the coins and gave her 2 sticks of meatballs. Hong er took the meatballs and nodded at him, she turned around and gave Weisheng a stick of meatballs. Weisheng scrunched his eyebrows in dissatisfaction. Weisheng: " Why don''t you tell me to pay it?" Hong er: " Eh? Why?" Weisheng: " Because I''m the man here." Hong er: " So?" Weisheng: " I should be the one to pay it." Hong er: " Why does it have to be like that? I just wanted to enjoy the money that I have earned." Weisheng: "¡­" Hong er: " Then how about Sheng ge pay next time and we will be equal, right?" Weisheng thought for a second and nodded. Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " Now, the meatballs are going to get cold, ahhnn~" Weisheng was fl.u.s.tered by Hong er''s action because they were at public and being watched by passerby. But Weisheng couldn''t deny that he was very happy and his ears got slightly red. He slightly lifted up his face veil and bite the meatballs. Hong er''s smile got wider that Weisheng could see her smile through the face veil. Hong er: " Delicious right?" Weisheng: " En. Weisheng replied while deeply staring at Hong er''s eyes, but Hong er was oblivious at his stares as she was too busy feeding Weisheng. The uncle was gawking at them, he playfully chuckled at them and whispered. Uncle: " What a happy newlywed." Weisheng heard the uncle''s words, his mood became a lot brighter, he puffed up his chest and snorted. Hong er was confused by Weisheng''s changes in mood, Weisheng suddenly took her hand and walked around the market. Hong er just shrugged her shoulder and let Weisheng pull her around. After 1 hour of shopping, they mounted their horse and continued their journey. They stopped in every city and travelled around the city. They spent a day in every city and stayed at inn, they slept in different room but the rooms were side by side so they could assist each other when they were in danger. Chapter 75 - 75. The Mysterious White Clothed Woman I 75 Third person POV Night at inn* Weisheng stared at the ceiling while lying on his bed. He was afraid that after the time they spent together, it would be hard for Hong er and him to separate, especially Hong er. He was worried that the impact towards Hong er would be too big and it would affect her mental and personality. Then he turned his head and stared at the wall that separated their room. He had to follow the plan so he could marry Hong er and protect her by his side. But the plan would be very painful for Hong er, he hoped to make a few good memories between them for these 2 weeks. Weisheng sighed and closed his eyes to sleep. . . . Morning* Hong er woke up and quickly dressed up as she was excited to explore the city. After she was done with dressing up, she went out of her room and looked at Weisheng''s room. She saw Qiyi and Qier stood in front of the door guarding the room. Meiyun and Huayun was resting in Hong er''s room as they had guarded Hong er and Weisheng''s room in the midnight. Qiyi and Qier rested when Meiyun and Huayun was guarding the room, at 2 AM, they changed shift for guarding their master. Qiyi and Qier knew that Hong er had a habit wake up early, but they didn''t know that she would wake up this early even though there was no morning practice or anything else. They greeted her in a low voice as their master was still asleep. Since Weisheng''s power was darkness, he is a night owl and not a morning person but because of the usual morning practice, he had forced himself to wake up and practice. If Weisheng didn''t have morning practice, he would wake up at 8 AM or 9 AM but that rarely happens too as he had to be a role model to his people so he had to wake up early and does his job as an emperor. That''s why his eyes are always dark and his expression is really bad everyday especially in the morning. Hong er asked them using hand signal. Hong er: Qiyi & Qier: Hong er: Qiyi: Hong er: Qier: Hong er: ( Ah Tong and Ah Xi) Qiyi: Hong er: Hong er went to the inn with Ah Tong and Ah Xi following her in the dark. At first Xu Tingfeng insisted on giving Hong er 10 shadow guards but after Hong er got stronger and stronger, plus she had Meiyun and Huayun beside her, Hong er asked Xu Tingfeng to just give her Ah Tong and Ah Xi. The reason for her to choose Ah Tong and Ah Xi among 10 shadow guards was because they were the strongest in the group and they were closer to Hong er than the others. Hong er saw a teenage boy that sat behind the counter, the teenage boy''s age was around 18 or 19 years old. Hong er went to the counter and knocked on the counter to call the teenage boy. The teenage boy immediately stood up and greeted Hong er. Teenage boy: " What can I help you, Miss?" Hong er: " Brother, is breakfast done?" The teenage boy was surprised by Hong er''s gentle and soft voice, but he couldn''t see her face as she covered her face with two layer of veil. His heart became calmer as he heard her gentle voice early in the morning, he apologetically spoke. Teenage boy: " I apologize Miss, but the breakfast will be served at 6 AM." Hong er: " Ohh~, it is fine. Then could you please tell me a food stall or restaurant that had opened?" The teenage boy looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall and think for a while. Teenage boy: " 4 AM, hhmm, ah! If go straight from the inn and turn right at the corner, there is an old man selling buns there. It is a small food stall and people rarely buy his buns but I can guarantee Miss that it is delicious." Hong er: " Ohh~ Thank you brother." Teenage boy: " The pleasure is mine." Hong er left the inn and followed the direction that the teenage boy told her. the teenage boy stared at her back dazedly. Teenage boy: '' Wasei, I never met someone with such a calming voice before. Is she single?'' Hong er walked in the middle of the quiet road, the road was bright despite the still dark sky. Hong er turned right and saw a small food stall with steam came out from a big bamboo steamer plate. Only a lantern light up the small stall, the old man sat behind the stall, patiently waiting for customer in the quiet road. Hong er walked towards the food stall and suddenly a group of bulky man came from the other side and surrounded the food stall. A bulky man lifted up the old man by the collar, the old man struggled from his grip then the bulky man threw him to the ground and kicked the old man on the stomach. The old man puked out blood and his face got really pale. The people that lived around there were peeking from their window, they were trembling in fear and pitied the old man for being the victim of the ruffians. They wanted to help the old man but they couldn''t as they were just normal citizens that only have weak magic compared to the ruffians. The other member of the group was searching something around the stall and put the buns inside of their bags. The bulky man that kicked the old man was shouting at him. Bulky man: " Stinky old man! Where is your money?!" Old man: " I-I don''t have any money." Bulky man: " Bullsh*t! Then why are you selling things here?! Kids! Destroy everything!" Hong er: " Wait." Hong er appeared under the building''s shade to hide herself. They were surprised by the sudden voice, they turned around and saw a girl with white veil. They couldn''t see her face at all as she was standing across the street from them and under the building''s shade. Bulky man: " Who the f*ck are you?!" Hong er: " That should be my question. Who are you?" The bulky man noticed that it was a woman''s voice, his face immediately changed into lecherous expression. He slowly walked towards Hong er while leering at her. Ah Tong and Ah Xi who were hiding gripped their sword in anger. Ah Tong & Ah Xi: '' I will kill this guy!'' Bulky man: " Aiyo~ Little lady, what are you doing at dark place like here? Want to accompany these big brothers for a round? Old man: " Yo-young lady, run." The bulky man whipped his head towards the old man and angrily shouted. Bulky man: " Shut the f*ck up you stinky old man! Or I will kill you!" The bulky man slowly turned his head towards Hong er again. Bulky man: " Then what do you think?" Hong er: " Do you have money?" Bulky man: " Ahahaha, of course I have, I will pay you handsomely if you serve us real good." Hong er: " Then how rich are you?" Bulky man: " We are the Skull Gang, the leader of this town, everyone bow before me. I''m the richest man in this town. So don''t be afraid that I won''t pay you." Hong er: " Hoo~ So you are that famous Skull Gang?" The bulky man opened her veil hat and saw a pair of beautiful eyes, her eyes were lovely and seducing. Then he excitedly lifted up her face veil but he immediately shivered after he saw Hong er''s cold smile. The other members of the Skull Gang was impatient as their boss was taking too long to talk with Hong er. Then they saw his head slowly slide off his neck and fell to the ground. Hong er calmly tidied her veils back to its places. The head rolled to their feet, their face were as pale as sheet, they slowly looked up to Hong er and saw a girl in white holding a sword covered in blood. Hong er: " Then who''s next?" Chapter 76 - 76. The Mysterious White Clothed Woman II 76 Third person POV The people who were watching them were shocked to see a head rolled on the ground. And when they wanted to look at the person who chopped off his head, a gust of wind and fog suddenly blew towards them. They couldn''t see anything as their vision were covered by the fog. The other members of the Skull Gang were bewildered by the sudden thick fog, they swung around their sword to disperse the fog and shouted each other''s name. But the street became more and more silent as the members that were shouting names became lesser and lesser. After 10 seconds the street became dead silent but the fog was only getting thicker. Hong er flicked her sword and the blood that covered her sword disappeared. She unsummoned her sword and coldly looked at the bodies that were lying lifelessly in front of her. Hong er slowly walked towards the old man and looked at his destroyed stall. Hong er picked up the still closed big bamboo steamer plate from the ground and opened the lid, there were a few buns left in the bamboo steamer plate. Hong er took all of the buns and put it in a box, then she wrapped the box with a white cloth. Hong er took the bag where they put the buns, then she looked at the buns that were scattered on the ground. She picked up the buns one by one and patted off the dust from the buns. After the dust was cleared, she put it into the bag. She gave hand signals to Ah Tong and Ah Xi that were standing behind her without turning around. Hong er: They cupped their fist and bowed then disappeared in to the fog. Hong er glanced at the old man that was weakly lying on the ground, she squatted beside the old man and softly touched his shoulder. The old man flinched, he was shaking vigorously and closed his eyes tightly. Old man: " I-I really have nothing. P-please don''t kill me." Hong er: " Uncle, everything is fine. No need to be afraid." The old man slowly opened his eyes and looked at the white veiled Hong er. He couldn''t see her face clearly as his head was dizzy and because of the thick fog. Old man: " Y-young lady, r-run, they will kill you if you stay here." Hong er: " It is fine, they are gone." Old man: " They are gone?" The old man looked at Hong er in disbelief. Hong er: " Yes. And uncle, I want to buy all of the buns. Here is the money. Then, farewell." Hong er put a few chunks of unknown things on his palm and left the old man. Before she walked off, she glanced at the destroyed old food stall. She moved her fingers and left the quiet road. The thick fog slowly dispersed after Hong er left. After the old man felt his head was fine, he sat up and was surprised to feel nothing wrong with his old body. He moved his body around and found out his sprained waist had healed too. He couldn''t feel any of his old sickness in his body then he realized there were something hard in his hand. Then he opened his palm and saw a few chunks of pure gold in his dirty wrinkly hand. For a poor old man like him, it was rare for him to see such pure gold let alone touch it. These few chunks of gold could feed his whole family for a lifetime. He slowly lifted up his head to see his old food stall which became a new and high quality wooden food stall. He whipped his head towards the direction where Hong er left, but there was no one. Tears welled up in his eyes, he kowtowed towards the direction where Hong er left. His tears flew down from his eyes as he kowtowed for 1 hour. Since the fog had dispersed, the people peeked again and saw the old man was kowtowing to no one. Then they looked at the old man again and realized that the old food stall had changed into a newer and prettier food stall. Old man: '' Goddess of Light had blessed me with her kindness.'' . . . After Hong er left the old man, Ah Tong and Ah Xi appeared behind her and reported. Ah Tong: " Young Miss, we had cleaned up everything. Is there any order?" Hong er: " Uhm, good. We will go to the slum." Ah Tong & Ah Xi: " Yes, Young Miss." The three of them went to the slum and quite surprised by how bad the condition was. As for Xi An, Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing had tried their best to decrease the slum over the year and succeed. Hong er faced Ah Tong and Ah Xi, the two of them knew what they were going to do. Ah Tong and Ah Xi nodded, Hong er looked around the slum and saw many malnourished children. She tore each of the buns into 2 halves and gave it to Ah Tong and Ah Xi, the two of them took the bag and disappeared. Hong er stood in a dark alleyway, she knelt and touched the ground to activate her inner sight. She saw many of them were on the brink of death as their Qi were very weak, she frowned and erased her eye color spell. Her eyes changed back to golden, she made sure there was no one around her then she made a magic barrier so no one couldn''t detect her magic. After she made a magic barrier, she took a deep breath and breathed out. She slowly opened her eyes, a bright white light shone out from her eyes. She looked up to the sky and released her magic. After 15 second of using a high leveled magic, Hong er dropped down to the ground and tiredly panting. Her inner sight was deactivated as she had used three quarters of her Qi to heal more than 50 people from the brink of death. She took a deep breath again and activated her inner sight, she looked around and found them went back to their normal state. She used her mind to use water magic, water slowly built up above her and flowed like a string of water to their mouth. Hong er silently fed them water that she had put some light magic in it. They unconsciously gulped down the water that flowed down to their throat. After she was done, she removed the barrier and sat on the dirty ground. She closed her eyes to refill her Qi by absorbing the wind and earth''s Qi. Ah Tong and Ah Xi appeared behind her and immediately transferred some of their Qi to Hong er''s body. While they were giving the buns to the beggars, they noticed Hong er''s magic as they were inside Hong er''s barrier. They quicken their pace and quickly went back to Hong er''s location to find her in Qi deficiency condition. They understood Hong er''s kindness towards them but as her bodyguards who had watched her from little till now, they were immensely worried about her health because she always pushes over her limit for other people. But they could only sigh. Chapter 77 - 77. Waking Up I Third person POV After Hong er filled a quarter of her Qi, she stood up and changed her eye color to black again. She turned around to thank Ah Tong and Ah Xi for transferring their Qi to her. She reassured them that she was fine and no need to worry about her. Ah Tong: " Young Miss, won''t the people from the slum notice?" Hong er: " I had made them unconscious when I released my light magic so no need to worry." Ah Xi: " But what if there was a high skilled mage in the slum?" Hong er: " Then we will face the problem ahead. Sometimes we can''t fully avoid trouble no matter how strong we are." Ah Xi : " *sigh, but Young Miss, please don''t be that careless anymore in the future. Qi deficiency could affect your health." Hong er: " Uhm, I will be more careful." They could only sigh in defeat and hide again to protect her from the dark. Hong er dusted off the dirt on her skirt and quickly left the slum before they woke up. Hong er arrived at the inn at 5 AM, the teenage boy was worried about her as she had gone for a long time. For a girl to roam alone in a quiet road was dangerous, he wanted to look for her but he couldn''t leave his job or else he would get fired. He worriedly asked Hong er. The teenage boy: " Young Miss, are you okay?" Hong er: " Uhm, I''m fine. Why are you asking?" Hong er jokingly asked him. The teenage boy: " I forgot to tell you that there is a group of ruffians called Skull Gang. They always hurt and kill people in this town if the citizens didn''t give them money. And the worst thing is the mayor of this town ignored the problem even though the citizens had complained about this for many times. Oh, I apologize that I was talking too much." Hong er: " No no, it is fine. It is better for me to know more about this city." The teenage boy: " Then if you don''t mind me asking this." Hong er: " Yes?" The teenage boy: " You didn''t buy the bun?" Hong er: " Aiya, the old man''s bun had been sold out. What a pity~" The teenage boy: " A-ah¡­" The teenage boy: '' Who would buy a whole amount of buns in the middle of night?'' Hong er: " Then, I will go back to my room." The teenage boy: " Ah, yes yes." Hong er went upstairs and saw Qiyi and Qier were standing in front of Weisheng''s room. Qiyi and Qier noticed Hong er had came back, they silently greeted Hong er. They were worried about Hong er because she hadn''t come back for an hour since she went to buy breakfast for them. They were prepared to go wake Meiyun and Huayun up, but Hong er came back before they could go wake them up. They saw that she didn''t bring anything back in her hand. Hong er noticed their thought so she used hand signals to explain it to them. She didn''t want Weisheng to hear this as she didn''t want him to worry about her. Hong er: They could picture what happened just by her short explanation, they nodded their head in unison. Hong er excused herself to her room, she took a bath and changed her dirty clothes. She changed into dark blue clothes to lessen the suspicion of the people that saw her white clothes. Then she sat on her bed and meditated for another hour to refill her Qi. . . She slowly opened her eyes after 1 hour, Meiyun and Huayun had woken up as they brought Hong er a glass of water. Hong er drank the water and went to Weisheng''s room, she asked Qiyi and Qier. Hong er: " Sheng ge hasn''t woke up yet?" Qiyi: " Unfortunately, no, Young Miss. Our master isn''t a morning person so it needs a lot of effort for him to fully awake." Qier: " Then let me wake him up for you." Hong er: " Ah, no need to disturb his sleep." Qier: " It''s fine, Young Miss. Master will gladly wake up if Young Miss asked him to." Hong er: " Ah~ Then please do." Qier nodded, he knocked on the door and gently called Weisheng. Qier: " Master. *knock knock knock. Master, it is time to wake up. *knock knock knock." Weisheng grunted with his low and husky morning voice. Qier: " Young Miss, master had woke up. But he is still dazed and sleepy." Hong er: " Oh~ It''s fine." Qiyi nudged Qier''s arm, Qiyi sent an eye signal to Qier while Hong er confusedly look at them. She didn''t suspect anything as she trusted the people that Weisheng trusted. Qier got what Qiyi eye signal means, he nodded his head and happily spoke to Hong er. Qier: " Young Miss, how about you wake master fully as sometimes he would fall back asleep again." Hong er: " Okay." Qier: " But Young Miss need to remember to call his name and say your name no matter what." Hong er: " O-okay." Qier opened the door and let Hong er in, after Hong er stepped inside the room, Qier slowly closed the door behind her. She went to Weisheng''s bed and saw him sleeping diagonally, his feet peek out from the blanket. The blanket could only cover half of his body, Hong er chuckled when she saw his way of sleeping. Hong er: '' Hehehe, even the perfect Sheng ge has weaknesses too.'' But when she took a step towards Weisheng''s bed, a shadow suddenly attacked her from behind. Hong er instantly summoned her sword to block the attack. Then she turned around to check on Weisheng, she was shocked to see the shadow was connected to Weisheng''s body. Chapter 78 - 78. Waking Up II Third person POV Hong er looked closely at the shadow and noticed that the shadow was similar to Weisheng''s silhouette. She recalled the times that a dark aura leaked from Weisheng''s body, Weisheng told her that his power was shadow magic ( Darkness'' branch element). The shadow was holding the sword the same way as Weisheng and the power was very strong. Hong er: '' So the shadow was like Sheng ge''s clone with the same strength as Sheng ge! Then I can''t defeat him without using magic.'' Then she suddenly remembered what Qier said to her. Hong er: " Sheng ge,this is Hong er!" Then the shadow halted and shrunk back to Weisheng''s body, Hong er sighed in relief and glanced at the still sleeping Weisheng. She unsummoned her sword and went to the side of his bed. She lightly shook his body and called out his name. Hong er: " Sheng ge, wake up." Weisheng scrunched his eyebrow in annoyance, he grunted and spoke with his husky morning voice. Weisheng: " Ugghh, 5 more minutes." Hong er: " Then I will go prepare warm water to wash your face." Weisheng: " Uhhmm¡­. *snore" Weisheng dreamed Hong er was taking care of him in the morning like how a wife would be. His lips were slightly lifted up, Hong er came back with a basin of warm water and a towel. She saw that Weisheng was still sleeping even though he said " 5 more minutes". Hong er huffed and put the basin on the small table beside the bed. Hong er: " Sheng ge, it''s time to wake up." Weisheng: " Uhhm¡­" Weisheng hummed and fell asleep again. Hong er sighed, she pulled off the blanket from him and took off her slippers before she climbed the bed. Hong er pulled Weisheng''s hand and helped him to sit up. Weisheng: " Sheng ge, stay." Then Weisheng stopped wobbling around and sat with his back slouched. Hong er smiled and patted his messy bed hair, Weisheng had regained 20% of his consciousness. Hong er took the towel and dipped into the warm water, she wringed the towel and gently wiped Weisheng''s face while humming a song. Weisheng''s mind become more tranquil as he listened to her hum. After Hong er finished wiping his face, she wanted to change his clothes and she finally noticed that Weisheng''s abs and chest was visible because he was slouching and his clothes were slightly opened. Hong er cheeks were flushed as she turned around to call Qiyi and Qier to change Weisheng''s clothes but she saw a neatly folded clothes on the desk. ( There were a nightstand, a desk, and a dining table in the room.) Qiyi sneakily put Weisheng''s clothes when Hong er tried to lift Weisheng up. Hong er took the folded clothes and her cheeks got redder. Hong er put down the clean clothes and slowly took off Weisheng''s shirt. She was amazed by what she saw, Weisheng''s back was fully covered in black dragon tattoo. The dragon face was frightening and menacing but Hong er saw loneliness beneath the dragon''s eyes. Hong realized what she was doing, she was fl.u.s.tered and quickly changed his shirt to the new one. After she changed his clothes, she went to the dressing table and took a comb from the drawer. She went back to Weisheng''s bed and combed his hair until neat, then she took his usual black ribbon and tied up his hair into a ponytail. Weisheng finally could grasp on what happened, he looked at Hong er who was standing behind him. He stared at her in a dazed way for 2 whole minutes then widened his eyes. Weisheng: " Hong er?!" Hong er: " Yes?" Weisheng realized that his clothes were changed, he immediately looked down and sighed a relief. Weisheng: '' Thank god she didn''t change my pants.'' Weisheng looked at her again and confusedly asked. Weisheng: " Why are you here?" Hong er: " I''m here to wake you up." Weisheng: " But it was Qiyi and Qier''s job¡­." Weisheng halted then he glared at the front door. Qiyi and Qier shivered in fear, they were crying inside their heart. Qiyi & Qier: '' We are just trying to help you, master¡­'' Hong er noticed his glares towards Qiyi and Qier''s direction, she patted his shoulder and smiled at him. Hong er: " It is not their fault. It was me that insisted on waking you up." Weisheng stares at Hong er''s face for a while and nodded his head. Weisheng: " En." Qiyi and Qier were relieved that Weisheng believed Hong er''s words. They gave Hong er a thumb up in their heart. The teenage boy with another little boy behind him were holding a tray of food. Qiyi took the tray from the little boy and Huayun took the tray from the teenage boy, the teenage boy peeked at Hong er''s door. Huayun slightly moved her body to block his vision and coldly looked at the teenage boy. Huayun: " We will definitely pass the food to our Young Miss. Do you need anything else?" The teenage boy noticed Huayun''s cold look, he took a step back and nervously laughed. The teenage boy: " N-no, then I''ll excuse myself." Huayun: " En." The teenage boy took the little boy''s hand and went downstairs, he let out a sigh and patted his chest. The little boy looked at him weirdly. Little boy: " Brother, what''s wrong?" Teenage boy: " Uhh¡­ n-nothing." Teenage boy: '' Omg so scary¡­'' . . Hong er went back to her room to eat her breakfast as she had to leave Weisheng''s room too because Weisheng needed to change his pants. They ate their breakfast and set out to continue their journey. When they were paying the inn''s fee, they heard the people that sat at the table across the counter. P1: " Hey, do you know the old man that sells buns around that corner?" P2: " Yes, what happened? I heard many people talked about him." P1: " Uhm, early at the morning, the Skull Gang robbed his food stall but suddenly a woman appeared and slashed all of them." P2: " Who is the woman?" P1: " I don''t know, because I heard this from the people that lived around there. They said that when they fought the woman, a thick fog covered their vision. Everything was gone after the thick fog dispersed." P2: " Wasei~ So mysterious." P1: " And you know what''s amazing?" P2: " What? what?" P1: " The bodies of the Skull Gang disappeared, not even a blood stain left on the road. And the old man''s food stall that was destroyed became new and pretty." P2: " Wasei~" P1: " And the most amazing thing is that the old man''s illnesses were magically healed. Now he could move freely." P2: " Wahhh~ I am curious who''s the woman." P1: " The old man said that it was Goddess of Light''s reincarnation." P2: " Why did he think so?" P1: " He said that the woman was very kind and wore white clothes like how Goddess of Light usually portrayed. And how could his illnesses just be cured like that, it must be the one and only Light Magic." P2: " Hhmm~ makes sense." Weisheng curiously looked at Hong er that was leisurely standing in front of the counter. He knew that it was Hong er''s doing but he decided to not meddle with it. They left after Weisheng sent a murderous gaze towards the teenage boy. The teenage boy trembled in fear as he tried to talk with Hong er. The more he talked to Hong er, the scarier Weisheng''s glares got. He sighed in relief after Weisheng and Hong er left. Teenage boy: '' Mah¡­.I will give up on her.'' Chapter 79 - 79. Vacation I Third person POV They had travelled for a week now but they hadn''t arrive at their final destination yet. Hong er was confused as Weisheng didn''t tell her anything about where they were going. And today they were ascending the mountains. Right before the sun set, they arrived at a simple looking house but the scenery around the house was magnificent. The house was surrounded by trees and various beautiful flowers, Hong er heard a faint sound of water flowing. She followed the source of the sound and found a river by the house. The water was clear and translucent as they could see fishes swimming in the water. The river was quite shallow as the deepest part of the river only reached her thighs. Hong er dismounted from Xiao Bai and excitedly took off her boots, she slightly lifted up her skirt as she slowly dipped her feet into the river. Hong er''s face instantly relaxed, she closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air. The fishes swam around Hong er''s feet and sometimes they slide their body against Hong er''s feet. Hong er laughed as she felt ticklish on her feet. Hong er: " Ahahaha, stop it. It tickles." Weisheng who was happily watching Hong er playing in the water suddenly frowned, he dismounted Xiao Hei and dashed to Hong er''s side. Weisheng lifted Hong er up in bridal style and hugged her tightly. The moment Weisheng''s feet stepped into the water, the fishes immediately swam away. Hong er was surprised by Weisheng''s sudden action so she held on Weisheng''s clothes tightly as she was afraid that she would fall into the water. Hong er slowly looked up to Weisheng''s face and noticed that he was glaring at something. Then she looked towards the direction that Weisheng was looking at, she saw a quite big stone in the middle of the river. At first she was confused of why would Weisheng glare at a stone then she noticed that the fishes were hiding behind the stone. Hong er laughed out loud, she tried to come down from Weisheng''s arms but Weisheng held her tighter and turned around. He walked towards the house without wearing his boots, Hong er panicked as she tugged his clothes. Hong er: " Sheng ge, wear your shoes ah! Your feet will get hurt if you step on the sharp rocks." Weisheng ignored her and kept walking towards the house, he entered the house and directly went to one of the room. He gently put her down on the bed and stood in front of her while staring at her with his eyebrow scrunched. Hong er stared back at him and still didn''t understand what had made him upset. She held his fist and asked him. Hong er: " Sheng ge, what''s wrong?" Weisheng: " No." Hong er: " Really?" Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " You really don''t want to tell me?" Weisheng: "¡­" Weisheng felt weak under her stares, he loosened his grip and took Hong er''s hand inside his hand. Weisheng: " Don''t let anyone touch you." Hong er: " Why?" Weisheng: "¡­" Weisheng didn''t reply to her as he held her hand tighter but not enough to hurt her hand. Hong er didn''t want to push him too hard to answer her question so she just shrugged her shoulder. Hong er: " Fine, fine, fine, I will listen to you." Weisheng nodded his head and placed Hong er''s hand in front of his lips, he kissed the back of her hand while staring at her. Hong er was fl.u.s.tered, her face reddened as she quickly retracted her hand. She whipped her head to the side to avoid Weisheng''s stares, Weisheng patted her head and left the room. After Weisheng closed the door behind him, Hong er plopped down on the bed and rolled around. She covered her red face in embarrassment as she felt her heart beated too fast. She hugged the pillow to calm her heart down but it didn''t work like how she wanted. The picture of Weisheng kissing her hand while staring at her kept passing her mind. She ordered Meiyun and Huayun to prepare a cold bath. At first Meiyun and Huayun wanted to reject Hong er''s order but after they saw Hong er''s face almost lit up into a fire, they quickly prepared the cold water. The moment the cold bath was prepared, Hong er immediately dipped her whole body into the cold water. Her body temperature slowly lowered to normal temperature. After dipping in the cold water for 30 minutes, she got out from the bathtub and dressed up. She went to the main hall and saw Weisheng already sat there waiting for her. She walked towards the table and sat beside Weisheng, she still remember about Weisheng kissing her hand so she was very nervous when she sat beside him. She stared at the empty table, impatiently waiting for the food to come and end this awkwardness. Weisheng had been staring at her since she entered the hall, her face was getting redder and redder as the time passed by. Hong er hadn''t looked at him in the eyes even once since she came. Weisheng started to get worried that Hong er hated him because he was too brazen by kissing her hand. Chapter 80 - 80. Vacation II Third person POV Weisheng stared at Hong er''s hands that she placed on her thighs, he reached out his hand to hold Hong er''s hand, Hong er flinched when Weisheng held her hands, she wanted to pull her hand away but Weisheng was faster than her. He grabbed both of her hands and worriedly looked at her. Weisheng: " Why are your hands so cold?" Hong er: " Hu-huh?" Weisheng gently rubbed her hands to make them warmer, Hong er''s face got redder as Weisheng was very gentle towards her. A warm feeling swarmed her heart as she looked at Weisheng anxiously rubbed her hand. Hong er stared at Weisheng''s face as she didn''t realize that Weisheng had called her name for a few times. She was surprised when Weisheng suddenly looked up. Weisheng: " Hong er? Are you okay?" Hong er: " Hu-huh? Y-yes, I''m okay." Weisheng: " Then why are your hands so cold?" Hong er: " I-I took a cold bath before." Weisheng: " Even though it is almost summer, you shouldn''t bath in cold water when we are at the peaks. Furthermore it is almost nighttime when you took a bath." Hong er: " U-uhm¡­" Weisheng: " Please think more about yourself." Hong er: " Y-yes." Weisheng put his palm on Hong er''s upper arm and frowned. Weisheng: " Your whole body is cold. Qiyi, tell the chef to make herbal soup." Qiyi: " Yes, master." Hong er: " I-it''s fine, I didn''t feel cold." Weisheng: " What are you saying? Qiyi, don''t listen to her. Go tell the chef." Qiyi: " Yes, master." Hong er: " Sheng ge, I''m really fine. You don''t need to trouble the ch-" Weisheng put his finger on Hong er lips, he solemnly looked at Hong er and caressed her cheek. Weisheng: " It is his job and¡­" Hong er: " And?" Weisheng: " Don''t think about other guy other than me." Hong er: " W-what?" Hong er''s face got red again as Weisheng''s face got closer to her face. Hong er wanted to back up but Weisheng held her head still. Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge? You are too close." Weisheng: " Hm?" Weisheng didn''t pay any heed to Hong er''s words as he stares at Hong er''s cherry plump lips. Hong er saw the way Weisheng stared at her lips, then she looked at his long eyelashes and bold eyebrows, her heart almost burst out of her chest. Hong er: '' How can he be so handsome?!'' Weisheng felt someone stared at him so he looked up, Hong er immediately looked somewhere else. Hong er weakly pushes his chest away but he didn''t budge at all. Hong er was desperate as she couldn''t push him away rather than that, his face got even closer to her face. She scrunched her eyebrow and puffed out her cheeks, and because of her red face, it made her look like a cute little puppy. Weisheng chuckled by Hong er''s cute reaction, her pushes were useless to him. He decided to tease her more so he gently brushed her pouting lips with his thumb as he looked at her lips with teasing eyes. Hong er shuddered when she looked at his eyes, she immediately spun her genius brain to find an excuse to get out from this situation. Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge, th-the food is almost ready. So please release me~" Weisheng: " Hm? Why do I have to release you?" Hong er: " Be-because it will be embarrassing if people saw us like this." Weisheng: " Why would you think about other people when you are with me?" Hong er: " Be-because¡­ because.." Weisheng: " Because of what? Hm?" Hong er: " N-no matter what, no means no." Weisheng: " But I don''t want to release you no matter what." Hong er: " Y-you have to release me." Weisheng put his finger on Hong er''s lips again. Weisheng: " Shh~ Don''t keep complaining or else¡­" Weisheng positioned his lips beside Hong er''s ear and whispered. Weisheng: " I will seal your cute lips with other thing." ( A/N: with his lips.) Hong er flinched as Weisheng''s hot breath brushed her ear, her whole face and neck were so red to the point it couldn''t get any redder anymore. Weisheng smiled as he noticed how her neck was flushed too. Then he whispered onto Hong er''s ear again. Weisheng: " It seems that the food had arrived, let us stop here for today." Hong er lightly nodded her head, Weisheng released her and went back to his seat. He glanced at her and saw Hong er was looking down to hide her red face. Several servants came in with trays of food in their hand. They glanced at the red faced Hong er and giggled in their heart. Servants: '' So cute.'' They served the food and bowed to Weisheng and Hong er, Hong er smiled and lightly nodded at them. They were surprised when Hong er nodded at them but they didn''t show it on their face. They smiled at Hong er and left the room. Hong er really wanted to ask Weisheng something but she was too embarrassed to ask because of what happened before. She opened her mouth and closed it, opened it and closed it again, it repeated for a while. Weisheng''s face became gentler when he looked at how nervous she got, he chuckled and decided to help her. Weisheng: " What is it?" Hong er: " Umm, th-there are servants here?" Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " Is-is this Sheng ge''s house too?" Weisheng: " En, this was given by my foster father as a gift." Hong er: " O-ohh, le-lets eat." Then she stopped asking and started eating their dinner in silent. In the middle of the dinner, Hong er''s hand halted. Hong er: '' What did Sheng ge meant with other thing?'' Chapter 81 - 81. Vacation III Third person POV After they finished eating their dinner, the servants came in and cleaned up the table. Hong er found the chance to escape from this awkward silence. She stood up and nervously smiled at Weisheng. Hong er: " Th-then, Sheng ge, I will go first." Weisheng: " En, rest early." Hong er: '' Eh? He agreed to it easily.'' Weisheng noticed that Hong er was staring at him, he glanced at her and grinned. Weisheng: " What?" Hong er was fl.u.s.tered when Weisheng suddenly looked at her and gave her a teasing grin. Hong er''s face got red as she shook her head vigoruously. Hong er: " N-no no no no no, I-I will go." Hong er quickly ran out from the main hall and went to her room. Meiyun and Huayun chased after Hong er in worry but in their heart they exactly knew why Hong er reacted like this. Hong er plopped down to her bed and buried her face onto the bed, she slammed her head onto the pillow for a few times before she sat up and took a deep breath. She opened the window beside her bed and looked at the moon, the wind gently brushed her face and swirled around her. Hong er smiled and moved her hand around the wind. Hong er: " Xiao feng, can I ask you something?" ( Feng means wind, Xiao means little. So she called the wind as little wind as it was easier to identify them.) Hong er felt the wind blew up and down on her hand. Hong er: " Do you know why my heart beated so fast? It felt like a hundred butterflies fly around your heart." Then the wind blew from side to side, Hong er scrunched her eyebrow in confusion. Hong er: " Do you think it is normal?" The wind blew up and down. Hong er: " Hhmm, who should I ask?" The wind swirled around Hong er''s hand, Hong er face immediately blushed. She shook her head vigorously. Hong er: " No no no, that won''t do. I can''t ask Sheng ge." The wind made a mini tornado and bent the tornado into a question mark. Hong er: " Because he is the cause of this weird feeling and he will think weirdly about me if I ask him about that." Hong er face saddened, the wind gently brushed her cheeks to comfort her. Hong er giggled as she felt ticklish on her cheeks. Hong er: " Hehehe, I''m fine, no need to worry about me." On the other side, Weisheng covered his mouth with his hand as he leaned on the wall beside Hong er''s window. His ears were red, he tried not to smile but he couldn''t hold back his smile after he listened to Hong er''s conversation. He noticed that Hong er had been aware of him as a man but since Hong er was only surrounded by family love, she also treated Weisheng as her brother. But one thing that Weisheng didn''t understand was why Hong er suddenly aware of him. He remembered that the first time Hong er blushed around him was the night when he kissed her forehead after he cooked that inedible soup. Weisheng: '' I had kissed her forehead once before that night but she was asleep. Or maybe she wasn''t¡­'' Weisheng widened his eyes in realization, he had made sure she was asleep before he climbed in to her room. Then he recalled that his mind wasn''t in a good condition at that night, he was slightly dazed as he was too shocked by the angry Hong er. He put his finger on his chin while he was in deep thought. Hong er: " Mah~ I will go to sleep first, Sheng ge told me to rest early. Maybe tomorrow will be quite tiring." Hong er''s voice woke him up from his deep thought, Weisheng immediately left the place and went to his study room. Hong er noticed a faint sound from outside, she summoned her sword and looked outside of the window. Seeing no one was there, she jumped to the roof and looked around. Hong er: '' Hhmm, weird.'' Hong er jumped down from the roof and went back to her room. . . . Morning* Hong er went to the main hall to eat breakfast but the moment she entered the hall, someone hugged her from behind. She spontaneously threw the person that hugged her to the floor with all of her strength. She bewildered when she saw the person she threw, the person laying on the ground not moving. Servants: " Your Majesty!!" Hong er: " Ohmygod, Sheng ge!" Hong er squatted beside him and helped him sit up, she checked his head and back then sighed. Hong er: '' Glad that his rib didn''t break.'' Hong er: " Sheng ge, why did you suddenly appear behind me? You know that I have that reflex if someone suddenly appear behind me." Weisheng was too sleepy to reply her, he just dazedly stared at Hong er and pulled her into his embrace. He buried his face on her neck crook and inhaled her scent. Hong er widened her eyes as she was dumbfounded by his action, she wanted to push him away but her hand was restrained by his hug. Hong er''s face got red as she was getting breathless inside of his embrace. Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge, pl-please let me go." Weisheng: " Hhmm, no¡­" Weisheng sleepily grunted. Hong er noticed his sleepy tone. Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge, are you not awake?" Weisheng: " Hhm¡­" Hong er: " Then how can you be here?" Weisheng: " Cause you aren''t the one who woke me up." Hong er: " Eh-ehhh¡­." Hong er turned her head towards the servants but they avoided her stares. Hong er sighed and slowly lifted Weisheng up but because of their height difference, Weisheng''s body overlapped Hong er''s body. The servants were worried that Hong er would fall down so they rushed to her side. Weisheng peeked and frowned when he saw the servants were so close to Hong er. He turned Hong er''s body and lifted her up, he effortlessly carried her in his arms. He went to his seat and sat down, he put Hong er on his thighs and hugged her from behind like a bodypillow. He closes his eyes and leaned his head on her shoulder while lightly rocked their body. At first, Hong er wanted to struggle out of his embrace but when she turned her head to the side to face Weisheng, she saw dark circles under his eyes. She felt pity towards him so she just let him do whatever he wants even though she was still embarrassed by the skinship. She gently leaned her head on his head and caressed his hands. She hummed a song while slowly transferring some Light Qi to his body through her hand. The servants smiled and blushed while being fed dog food, especially the head butler, he grinned at the couple in front of him. Qiyi and Qier who saw his grin instantly shivered in fear. Head butler: '' I have to report this.'' Chapter 82 - 82. Vacation IV Third person POV Qi zongguan (Head butler/butler Qi) stepped up and bowed to them. Qi zongguan: " Young Master, Young Miss, it is better to fill your stomach first." Hong er stopped humming and looked at Qi zongguan before she smiled brightly and nodded her head in approvement. Hong er: " Uhm, what you say was right. Sheng ge, wake up and eat your breakfast first or else your tummy will hurt." Weisheng: " Hhmm¡­" Weisheng grunted and snuggled closer to Hong er, but Hong er ain''t having it. She lightly knocked Weisheng''s head and huffed. Qi zongguan was surprised but he didn''t show it on his face. Qi zongguan: '' You just hit an Emperor''s head, wow.'' Hong er: " If you don''t eat your breakfast, I won''t talk to you again." Weisheng: " No, you have to talk to me." Hong er: " Then¡­." Weisheng: " I''ll eat." Hong er: " Good." Weisheng reluctantly released her from his embrace, Hong er sat on her seat and grabbed a bowl of congee that the servants just served. Then Hong er saw Weisheng only sat there, staring at his congee. Then he turned his head to Hong er and stared at her, Hong er tilted her head in confusion. Hong er: " What is it?" Weisheng: " Feed me." Hong er: "¡­" Everyone in the room: "¡­" Qi zongguan: '' Your Majesty, how can you be so childish¡­'' Weisheng: " I''m still sleepy, no energy." Weisheng faked a yawn and slouched his back, Hong er could only helplessly smiled at him. She knew that Weisheng likes being spoiled by her and acts childish around her. She was glad at the fact that he only acted like this to her. Qi zongguan: '' Your Majesty, please act like your status.'' Hong er: " Fine." Hong er put down her bowl and took his bowl, she spooned the congee and blew it to cool it down. After she blew it for a few times, she placed the spoon in front of his mouth, Weisheng opened his mouth and happily ate the congee. Hong er: " Is it still hot?" Weisheng shook his head. Hong er: " Do you want Youtiao?" ( Chinese fried breadstick, usually eaten with congee. It is delicious.) Weisheng nodded his head, Hong er tore the Youtiao and put it on top of the congee. She spooned the congee with a piece of Youtiao on top of it and fed Weisheng. Hong er: " Delicious?" Weisheng: " En." Weisheng: '' Because it''s you who feeds me.'' Hong er continued to feed him until the congee was eaten fully. Then she ate her congee while being stared by Weisheng the whole time. After she finished her congee, Qi zongguan stepped up and told the servants to clean the table. Qi zongguan: " Young Master, do you have any special order for lunch?" Weisheng: " No." Hong er suddenly remembered something, she turned her head towards Qi zongguan and tilted her head. Qi zongguan smiled at her and politely asked. Qi zongguan: " Are there anything that Young Miss want to ask this servant?" Hong er: " A-ah no, I just remembered that you guys called Sheng ge ''Your Majesty'' when I threw him." Weisheng and the servants flinched, they were cold sweating while Qi Zongguan kept calm. But in actual, he was panicking inside his heart. He spun his sly brain to find an excuse. Qi zongguan: " Aiya, my bad. We had served Young Master since he was little and he liked to be called ''Your Majesty'' when we were playing with him. Now it became a habit, please forgive this old man''s mistake, Young Master and Young Miss." Even though Hong er was still skeptical about the reason that Qi zongguan gave, she decided to not meddle their life. But she was a little bit disappointed because she didn''t know anything about Weisheng when he was a teenager. Weisheng noticed that Hong er was down, he held Hong er''s hand and patted her head. Weisheng: " I want to show you something." Hong er: " What is it?" Weisheng: " Secret." Weisheng lightly pulled her hand and went out of the hall leaving all of the servants behind. Qi zongguan looked at the couple with sly eyes, he grinned and followed the couple. Qi zongguan: '' This girl is interesting.'' Weisheng walked towards the river where Hong er played yesterday, the moment they arrived at the river, Weisheng suddenly carried Hong er in bridal style and ran up the hill. Hong er was holding onto Weisheng''s clothes tightly and buried her face on his chest because she didn''t expect that it would be this scary to be carried in full speed. She never being carried like this before, she had always ran by herself. After 10 minutes of running, Weisheng finally stopped running. He looked down at Hong er as he didn''t feel any movement. Then he saw Hong er was holding his clothes and her face was buried onto his chest. He was so happy that he was going to die. Hong er was a very independent woman so she rarely leaned or asked for help from others. Seeing her leaning on him made him so happy. He couldn''t hold back his happiness again, he giggled while staring at Hong er lovingly. Hong er heard his giggle, she whipped her head up to look at Weisheng. She pouted when she saw him laughing at her, she lightly punched his chest in embarrassment. Hong er: " Why are you laughing?" Weisheng: " Mygod, I swear to god that you are the cutest thing that I have ever seen. Hahaha." Hong er''s face immediately reddened as she kept punching Weisheng''s chest. Weisheng''s smile got wider, he lifted Hong er higher and kissed her forehead. Hong er''s mind froze, Weisheng leaned his forehead on her forehead and stared into her eyes. Weisheng: " Just quickly be mine." Chapter 83 - 83. Hong ers Insecurities I Third person POV Hong er: " W-what?" Weisheng didn''t reply her, he kissed her forehead again before he set her down but he was still holding her hand. Hong er''s face was still as red as tomato, she fanned her face with her hand, hoping that can blow away her blushing face. Meanwhile, Weisheng was enjoying this situation way too much, he was staring at her the whole time while smiling foolishly. After a few seconds of fanning herself, Hong er looked up and finally realized her surroundings, her eyes widened in amazement as she looked around. There was a field of flowers with a big tree in the middle of the field. There were various kinds of flowers in the field, lilac, white, pink, and other light colors. Hong er was too excited that she didn''t realize that she was grabbing Weisheng''s arm and jumping up and down. Then she turned her head towards Weisheng and looked at him with sparkly eyes and wide smile. Weisheng''s eyes almost went blind by the gleaming light that Hong er radiated from her smile. Hong er: " Sheng ge, is this what you want to show me?" Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " Wahh~ So beautiful." Weisheng: " It will be more beautiful at night." Hong er: " Really?! I want to see it." Weisheng: " I will bring you here tonight." Hong er: " Uhm!" Weisheng gently smiled at her, in his eyes, Hong er was way more beautiful than those flowers. The servants that were hiding in the forest behind them were smiling sheepishly, they happily congratulated Weisheng for succeeding the first step of their plan. Weisheng had been chasing Hong er for 7 years now, he had silently protected her, he had do his best to fight with his uncle for the throne. He did all of that so he could prove to everyone that no one could be more suitable to be Hong er''s husband other than him. The servants: '' Your Majesty, go for it!'' After staying for 30 minutes, they went back to the house but before Hong er could take a step forward, Weisheng scooped her up and grinned at her. The fl.u.s.tered Hong er instinctively hugged Weisheng''s neck and now they were staring at each other in the eye. They stared for a few second before Hong er panicky released her hand but because of her sudden movement, she almost fell. Weisheng quickly hold her tighter in his arms, Hong er''s ears were pressed onto Weisheng''s chest. She could clearly hear Weisheng''s strong heart beat, her face got warmer and redder. Her heartbeat was similar to his heartbeat right now, fast and strong. Weisheng worriedly asked her. Weisheng: " Are you hurt?" Hong er shook her head and replied in small voice. Hong er: " no.." Weisheng looked back down to her as he noticed that she didn''t reply like her usual cheerful way. He saw her pressing her ears on his chest and smiled with her red face. Weisheng became embarrassed too as she was too serious in listening to his heartbeat, his ears started to get red. Hong er: '' Oh? His heartbeat become faster.'' Weisheng: " Hold onto my neck, it is safer." Hong er: " Uhm." Hong er circled her arms around his neck and leaned her head on the crook of his neck. Weisheng''s body froze, he could feel Hong er''s lips touching his neck, her hot breath was grazing his neck. He didn''t budge from his position so Hong er peeked on his face. Hong er: " Sheng ge?" Weisheng: " H-huh?" Hong er: " What''s wrong? Am I heavy?" Weisheng: " No." Weisheng didn''t dare to look at Hong er''s face now, or else he would lose his sanity. He had always imagined this kind of situation in his mind but directly facing it was different. He never thought that it would be this hard to control his desire. He took a deep breath and exhaled, he repeated this action for a few times before his expression changed. The servants that were watching them flinched when they saw his expression. The servants: '' Your Majesty, your expression! It is demonic! This is bad, Young Miss will get scared when she sees his expression!'' Hong er saw his expression changed, she suddenly became self conscious. Hong er: '' Am I that heavy? Maybe he said no because he didn''t want to offend me as a woman. I need to go on a diet.'' Hong er gently put her palm on his cheek and turned his head to face her, she dejectedly said. Hong er: " Please don''t force yourself to carry me." The servants gasped. The servants: '' She can look straight to his demon expression! Our future empress has been confirmed!'' Weisheng''s face blushed, he had avoided looking at her face but now she made him look at her, his effort to calm his desire down was useless. But what caught his attention was Hong er''s worried face, his face became gentler as he smiled at her. Weisheng: " I''m fine, no need to worry. I want to carry you." Weisheng kissed her forehead but Hong er''s dejected expression didn''t change. He became quite worried about her so he quickly departed from there. Even though Weisheng had left the place for quite a while, the servants were still in shock. The servants: '' His Majesty can smile like that?'' Chapter 84 - 84. Hong ers Insecurities II Third person POV 10 minutes later, they arrived at the gate of the house, Hong er thought that Weisheng would put her down after they arrived but Weisheng kept walking with Hong er in his arms. Hong er: " Sheng ge, you can put me down now." Weisheng: " No." Weisheng looked at her and frowned, Hong er was speechless. She tried to find other excuse to make Weisheng put her down because her heart couldn''t handle Weisheng''s dominance and manliness. An idea popped out from her genius brain, she put on her smiley face and tugged Weisheng''s clothes. Weisheng looked down at her. Hong er: " Sheng ge, I need to take a bath so could you please put me down?" Weisheng: " You always take a bath before breakfast so no." Hong er: " But I''m kinda dirty and sweaty." Weisheng: " I''m the who carry you so how can you get sweaty and you are not dirty." Hong er: " Then Sheng ge need to take a bath." Weisheng: " Things like that won''t make me sweat." Hong er: " B-but.." Weisheng: " But what?" Hong er: " Th-this¡­" Weisheng: " You don''t like it when I carry you?" Hong er: " N-no, it''s not that." Weisheng: " Do you think I am not strong enough to carry you?" Hong er: " N-no¡­" Then Hong er glanced at his thick arms and his sturdy chest, her cheeks reddened. On the way back home, Hong er had been observing Weisheng''s body. He had broad shoulders, sharp jawline, slightly tan skin, large veiny hands, and he was the tallest man she had ever met. All of these characteristic had drove Hong er crazy, Weisheng wasn''t similar to her ideal man but Weisheng was her ideal man. Hong er: " ¡­too perfect." Weisheng didn''t understand what she was saying but still, he was very happy with her reaction. Then he teasingly asked Hong er. Weisheng: " So, why are so persistent?" Hong er: " I-I really don''t know, my heart is bubbling up so much that it makes me can''t think straight." Hong er said while fiddling on her finger, Weisheng''s iceberg heart melted like a chocolate. Weisheng looked away and shyly replied. Weisheng: " Me too." Hong er widened her eyes in surprise, she moved her face closer to Weisheng''s face and excitedly asked. Hong er: " Sheng ge too?! Do you know what it is? It has been bugging me for a while. It happened whenever I am near Sheng ge so it became really tough to talk to Sheng ge." Weisheng was so happy that he could die, he put Hong er down and ran into his room leaving the confused Hong er behind. He entered his room and closed the door behind him, he leaned on the door and slide down to the floor. He slapped his face and he could feel the pain on his cheek, the corner of his lips slowly rise up. Weisheng: " heheheHEHEHEHE AHAHAHAHAHA." From giggling to laughing, he had forgot about his cold hearted image. Qiyi and Qier that stood in front of the door were tearing up. Qiyi & Qier: '' Your Majesty, congratulation.'' Meanwhile, Hong er dazedly standing at the gate while looking at the direction where Weisheng run off to. Qi zongguan and the other servants slowly approach Hong er, they bowed to her and greet her. Qi zongguan: " Young Miss, why don''t we enter the house?" Hong er: " En. Oh, Qi zongguan, could you please tell the chef to cut my lunch portion to half?" Qi zongguan: " Yes, Young Miss. But if you don''t mind me ask you a question." Hong er: " What is it?" Qi zongguan: " Why would you cut your lunch portion?" Hong er: " Ahh~ I haven''t practiced for so many days so I want to stay in shape by watching what I eat." Qi zongguan: " Well then, Young Miss, this is only an advice from this lowly servant for you. Please eat healthily and don''t force yourself." Hong er: " En, I will take your advice." Qi zongguan: " I am honored that I can help Young Miss." Hong er: " Qi zongguan, please don''t be so polite to me. You are an elder to me, it should be me thanking you for giving me an advice." Qi zongguan: " As a servant it is my duty to serve my master and master''s guest with the best courtesy." Hong er: " Well if you insist. Then I will go back to my room." Qi zongguan: " I will pass your order to the chef, Young Miss." Hong er: " Thank you." Hong er smiled at him and went to her own room. Qi zongguan watched her figure slowly disappear with a grin on his face. Qi zongguan: '' Not bad¡­'' Hong er sat on a chair beside a window and sighed, she was really dejected and down right now. Weisheng''s face after he listened to her talk was too shocking, he scrunched his eyebrow and covered his mouth his hand as he ran away from Hong er. Hong er''s heart was crushed into pieces when she saw his expression. Hong er: '' Sheng ge must be disgusted by me. Of course he would, I''m not like the virtuous and gentle girl that everyone loves. By comparing Li Qianzi''s talents and skills to me, everyone could see that I''m just a failure to be a woman. She is pretty, gentle, virtuous, good at embroidery and girly stuff. Her skin and hands are so soft and smooth while my hands are rough and full of calluses. I''m only good at fighting and killing, who wants a woman like me?'' While she was lowering herself, the sky got darker and darker, the trees and flowers around the house were closed and facing down. Everyone in the house were looking at the sky weirdly. Everyone: '' Even though it was sunny before¡­'' Chapter 85 - 85. Hong ers Insecurities III Third person POV Meiyun and Huayun stared at the sky and sighed, they knew exactly what Hong er was thinking about right now. They grew up together with Hong er and they were only 5 years older than Hong er so they were like sisters to Hong er. Hong er has low self-esteem, she would always lower herself and comparing herself to others if she wasn''t in a good mood. Now she loves herself more than in the past. When she was just picked up by Xu family, Hong er always pushes herself over her limit to become stronger and better at everything so she wouldn''t embarrass Xu family. Even though Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing always said that it was fine to have weaknesses, Hong er only nodded at their advices and continues to press herself. In worse case, when she couldn''t do one thing perfectly, she would harshly critic herself and locked up in her room without eating and drinking until she could do the thing perfectly. There was once where Bai Huiqing was teaching Hong er embroidery, but that was the first time Hong er learned about embroidery. Bai Huiqing showed her how to embroider a hummingbird, then Hong er followed Bai Huiqing''s instruction but the outcome was messy. *Flashback Bai Huiqing giggled at how cute Hong er''s hummingbird was, Hong er face paled as her hands were trembling. Hong er took a new cloth and tried again but the outcome was still messy. She tried again for the third time and the result was still the same, Bai Huiqing started to get worried about Hong er so she told Hong er to rest. Hong er slowly stood up from her seat and bowed to Bai Huiqing before she left Bai Huiqing''s study room. Bai Huiqing told Meiyun and Huayun to take care of Hong er because she got a bad feeling about this and her prediction was right. That day was Sunday so Hong er didn''t have any lesson, Hong er directly went to her room and asked Meiyun and Huayun to prepare her an embroidery set. Meiyun and Huayun brought her the set and guard the front door like usual and they noticed that the sky was getting dark even though it was only 2 PM. 4 hours later, the sun started to set and it was the time for dinner but Hong er didn''t came out of her room like she always did. Hong er was a very punctual person, Meiyun and Huayun never called her for dinner as Hong er always came out from her room before dinner time and went to the main hall herself. But today was weird so Meiyun and Huayun decided to call out to Hong er. They knocked Hong er''s door but there was no answer, then they knocked for the second time and still no answer. They looked at each other and nodded their head, they slowly open the door and peeked inside the room. (A/N: let me explain the room bc idk the name of the rooms. Their bedroom was rectangular and they used things like those Chinese divider to divide their bedroom into a few part. The inner part is where they put the bed, dressing table, and their wardrobe or personal stuff. The outer part is where they put desk, books, coffee/tea table, and less personal stuff.) They didn''t see Hong er in the outer part of the room so they slowly approach the inner part of the room and saw Hong er sat on her bed with her back facing them. The room was quite dark as the candle hasn''t been lighted yet but since they had keen eyesight, they still could see even though it was dark. They sighed and relaxed when they saw Hong er was still alive, they walked towards Hong er''s bed and shocked to see a blood stain on her bed. They rushed to Hong er side and turned Hong er''s body around. Hong er was holding a needle on her right hand and a red cloth on her left hand but they noticed that it wasn''t a red cloth, rather it was a white cloth that was covered in blood. Hong er looked at them dazedly then turned her head back to her embroidery. Blood flew down from her fingertips and dripped onto the bed, they saw her fingertips were destroyed to the point you almost could see her bones. Meiyun snatched away the needle and the cloth from Hong er''s hand, Huayun ran out to call Shu Huatuo. Hong er only dazedly sat on her bed unmoving. Hong er: '' When mother saw my embroidery, she laughed. What if other people see my embroidery, they will laugh at mother and slander her for not teaching her child correctly. I have to practice until I can do it perfectly¡­'' Her surroundings were getting blurry as she plopped down to her bed unconscious. 30 minutes later she regained her conscious, she looked at her hands and saw bandages covering her hands. Then she looked up and saw Xu Tingfeng with a frightening face and Bai Huiqing with tears flowing down her cheeks. Xu Tingfeng: " Why do you have to hurt yourself like that?" Hong er: " Father, I apologize for making you angry¡­" Xu Tingfeng: " Don''t apologize! You didn''t do anything wrong, why do you have to apologize?" Hong er: " But I had made father and mother disappointed in me¡­" Bai Huiqing: " How can we be disappointed in you, you are the best daughter we could ask for." Hong er: " But I failed in embroidery, I will only be a shame to Xu family." Bai Huiqing: " No, you are not a shame to Xu family but a blessing from the god." Hong er: " Mother¡­" Bai Huiqing: " Promise me, don''t push yourself like this again." Hong er: " En." Xu Tingfeng: " And if you break the promise! I won''t let you practice martial arts and magic anymore! Humph!" Hong er: " Hahaha, father is sulking." Xu Tingfeng: " No, I''m not, just a little bit upset and I''m reallyyyyy serious right now, you hear me?!" Hong er: " Yes father." *flashback end Since then, she still pushes herself but not as much as that day. If Hong er was in this state, she couldn''t tell the time as she was too engrossed in lowering herself. Meiyun signaled Huayun to call Hong er for lunch. Huayun knocked on her door and gently called out. Huayun: " Young Miss, it is time for lunch." After a few seconds of silence, Hong er replied in weak voice. Hong er: " En." Meiyun sighed when she heard her weak voice. Hong er came out from her room with a gloomy aura around her. Hong er rarely get angry nor upset, even if she was upset, she tried her best to not affect people around her but she couldn''t hide the gloomy aura. Usually Hong er is very radiant even when she doesn''t smile, she has this positive and relaxing aura around her that can make people around her felt comfortable and pleasing. So it was easy to tell Hong er''s mood if she wasn''t in her serious mode. ( Serious mode= when she hide her emotions and put on her fake smile= business mode) Meiyun: " Young Miss, if you have any problem, please tell us. We are here to help you." Hong er stared at Meiyun for a while before she smiled gently. Hong er: " En." Chapter 86 - 86. Liar Third person POV Hong er concealed her emotion and went to main hall to eat lunch. She entered the main hall and saw Weisheng sat there staring at her with no expression on his face. Hong er''s heart throbbed when she saw his face, her face got slightly pale and her hands were trembling. She gripped her right hand with her left behind her hip, blood trickled out as her nails dug into her flesh. She smiled brightly as she walked toward the dining table and sat further away from Weisheng, Weisheng furrowed his eyebrow and clenched his fist. Qi zongguan looked at Hong er weirdly and ordered the servants to serve the food. Hong er stretched out her hand to take a slice of meat and was going to put on Weisheng''s rice but her hand halted in the mid air then she brought the meat to her bowl. Weisheng didn''t touch his food at all and just stared at Hong er''s rice, the second time Hong er stretched her and to take another dish, Weisheng grasped her wrist while staring deeply at her eyes. Hong er flinched but managed to calm herself down before she smiled at Weisheng. Hong er: " Sheng ge, what''s wrong?" Weisheng didn''t reply to her as his face became more and more frightening. Hong er''s heart was thumping, her palm started to get wet with cold sweat. She didn''t want Weisheng to notice her wet palm so she tried to retract her hand but Weisheng''s grasp getting tighter. Hong er smiled at him and politely asked. Hong er: " Sheng ge, could you please release my hand?" Weisheng gritted his teeth as he pulled Hong er into his embrace. Hong er widened her eyes in surprise, the servants got the signal and quietly retreated from the hall they closed the door to give the couple some privacy. After a few second of silence, Hong er finally snapped out of her mind then she tried to pushes Weisheng away but he was too strong. He hugged her tighter in his arms and buried his face on her neck crook. His voice was desperate and frustrated. Weisheng: " Hong er, why do you behave so strangely?" Hong er: " Wh-what do you mean?" Weisheng: " Why do sit so far from me?" Hong er widened her eyes and nervously replied. Hong er: " No-nothing." Weisheng: " You are lying." Hong er: " N-no I''m not." Weisheng: " And you even gave me a fake smile." Hong er: " No, I didn''t. And could you please let me go first? " Weisheng: " No, I won''t until you tell what happened." Hong er: " But nothing is wrong." Weisheng: " Then I won''t let you go." Hong er didn''t reply to him for a while before she helplessly sighed. She closed her eyes as she was afraid of seeing Weisheng''s reaction after he listened her reason. Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge must have hate me right now so could you please let me go." Weisheng scrunched his eyebrow as he sternly said. Weisheng: " Who said I hate you?" Hong er: " Sheng ge, your expression clearly said that you were disgusted by me and you ran away from me too." Weisheng: " When?" Hong er: " This morning." Weisheng thought for a while before he chuckled at how cute Hong er was. He snuggled up to Hong er as he was so happy that Hong er was upset that he ran away from her. Weisheng: '' It means that she wants my attention.'' Weisheng sat back up so he could look at Hong er''s face, her long black eyelashes were trembling as she shut them tightly. Weisheng found her expression funny and it made him want to tease her. He brought his lips in front of Hong er''s eye and kissed her closed eye. Hong er immediately opened her eyes and Weisheng''s wide grin greeted her, her mouth was agape as her face was slowly getting redder and redder. Weisheng evilly whispered. Weisheng: " How cute.." Hong er heard what he whispered, her face immediately reddened up, she quickly used both of her hands to cover her red face. Weisheng laughed at her cute reaction, Hong er flinched and backed away from Weisheng but Weisheng knew that she was going to run away. He grabbed both of her hands with one hand and the other hand pulling her waist towards him. And now Hong er''s face was fully exposed to Weisheng, Hong er was too embarrassed to face him so she whipped away her head to avoid looking at his smug face. Weisheng leaned his face towards Hong er''s ear and lightly blew her ears. Hong er''s body shivered as she tried to pull her hands away from Weisheng''s grip but it was useless, Weisheng has ridiculous strength when he''s excited. Then he whispered on Hong er''s ear with his husky voice. Weisheng: " You know, it is illegal to be this cute." Hong er flinched as she didn''t know why she likes his husky voice so much but she didn''t want to lose to Weisheng so she braved herself and stuttered. Hong er: " I-I''m not cute at all." Weisheng: " Oh~ Yes you are. And you can''t deny that." Hong er: " Why does Sheng ge have to say such an embarrassing stuff." Weisheng: " Do I? Then I will talk something more embarrassing than that." Hong er: " No! Please don''t! I don''t want to hear that!" Weisheng: " Then if you don''t want me to talk about that, tell me why you eat so little." Hong er: " I-I''m still full from the breakfast." Weisheng: " Then I will talk about it-" Hong er: " Fi-fine, I will tell Sheng ge." Weisheng: " Speak." Hong er: " I''m on a diet." Weisheng: " Hm? Why would you be on diet?" Hong er: " Because Sheng ge had a hard time to lift me up this morning." Weisheng: " No, I didn''t." Hong er: " Then why did you ran away with scary expression on your face?" Weisheng ears redden as he looked away to avoid Hong er''s stares. Weisheng: " Because you are too cute at that time, I''m afraid that I will attack you on the spot." Hong er: '' You will be attacked if you are cute?! So scary.'' Hong er: " But I''m quite strong though." Weisheng: " No, not that kind of attack. And let''s stop this conversation here, let''s eat first." Hong er: " Uhm." Hong er nodded her head while she nervously stares at Weisheng. Weisheng released her hands and lifted her up then put her on the seat beside him. Hong er tried not to smile but the corner of her lips kept rising. She nervously glanced at Weisheng. Hong er: " Th-then Sheng ge doesn''t hate me?" Weisheng: " Of course no. Even if I want to hate you, I can''t." Hong er face immediately bright up as she smiled widely at Weisheng. Weisheng''s eyes almost blinded by Hong er''s smile. Hong er: " Really?!" Weisheng patted her head and smiled gently at her. Weisheng: " En. Servant, more rice." Weisheng ordered the servants to bring in more rice for Hong er, they had prepared extra rice because they knew that Weisheng won''t let Hong er eat lesser than usual. they brought in the rice and put it on the table. Weisheng took the rice from the servant and fed Hong er. Hong er''s face slightly blushed as she politely rejected Weisheng. Hong er: " N-no need to feed me, I can eat it myself." Weisheng: " No, I want to feed you." Hong er looked at Weisheng''s slightly dejected face, her heart felt guilty as Weisheng''s shoulder dropped down. Hong er gently lifted Weisheng''s right hand that was holding the chopstick and ate the meat on the chopstick. She chewed the meat and smiled at him. Weisheng''s face brighten up as he kept feeding Hong er, in his heart, he laughed evilly. Weisheng: '' It is a good plan to pretend be sad.'' Chapter 87 - 87. Propose I Third person POV After they were done eating their lunch, Hong er stood up and wanted to leave the hall but immediately pulled by Weisheng to his lap. Hong er plopped down on his lap and hugged her from behind, she had quite used to this position as this morning Weisheng did the same because he was so sleepy. But she was still shy about how intimate they looked and she didn''t understand of what''s so fun in hugging her. Hong er just leaned her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the silence, she closed her eyes and hummed a song. Weisheng peeked at Hong er''s face and was stunned by her beauty, he wanted to keep her all for himself, only he can see her beauty, only he can feel her love, only he can touch her warm and soft skin. But he couldn''t, Hong er''s charm would be known throughout the world. She loves everyone, no matter what their status were, no matter how sick they were, no matter how ugly they were, she would always help them without asking anything back. She always thinks about others over herself, she would sacrifice herself to help a stranger. And that''s what makes Weisheng worry about her, he was afraid that she would just suddenly disappear from his embrace. Weisheng: " What song is that?" Hong er opened her eyes and looked at Weisheng. Hong er: " This? I made it by myself." Weisheng: " What is the lyric?" Hong er turned her head and stares at the ceiling for a while then smiled. Hong er: " I haven''t make the lyric yet, but I will tell you when I make it." Weisheng: " Promise?" Hong er: " Hahaha~ Promise." They interlocked their pinky and smiled at each other. The servants that were standing outside of the hall smiled, for these two days, they could see why their emperor fell in love with this girl even though there were so many beautiful and talented women that want to be his wife. He rejected all of the marriage proposals that his mother offered to him without even batting a glance on the girl. He didn''t say anything to his mother as he was concerned that his mother would go find the girl and disturb her. But a year ago, Hong er had just entered marriageable age, he immediately threw all of his country''s problem to his aides and went to find Hong er. His mother was confused by his sudden action of leaving his country behind so she asked him. ( I will just call her empress dowager as Weisheng already became an emperor now.) Empress dowager: " Why would you suddenly leave Da Qi?" Weisheng: " I have to go somewhere." Empress dowager: " Where?" Weisheng: " Da Chu." Empress dowager: " Da Chu?! Why would you go there by yourself?! Just send someone to do that job." Weisheng: " No, Imperial mother. I can''t let other people touch her." Empress dowager: " Her? Who are you talking about?" Weisheng: " Your daughter in law." Empress dowager: " Th-then¡­" Weisheng: " Yes, I have to claim my wife. Then, Imperial mother, I shall excuse myself." The empress dowager could only dazedly stare at the door that Weisheng exited, Princess Yue that was hiding behind the pillar was in shock too. Shortly after, she finally snapped out of her mind and quickly called Qi zongguan. (Princess Yue= Weisheng''s little sister from the same mother.) Empress dowager: " Qi zongguan! Check the girl that will soon be my daughter in law, I need it to be specific. Do you understand?" Qi zongguan: " Yes, Your Majesty." ( Actually it is Huang Taihou in chinese but idk what it is called in english so I will just use Your Majesty.) Qi zongguan quickly left the hall with some of his subordinates, Princess Yue ran out from the pillar and went to the empress dowager''s side then shook her arm. Princess Yue''s face was pure shock, the empress dowager looked at her with disbelief expression too. His son that had rejected all of her offer for his marriage partner, now went to claim his wife. Princess Yue: " I will have a sister in law." Empress dowager: " My my, I have to see what my soon to be daughter in law use to make my stupid son to fall in love with her." Then that''s how Qi zongguan suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the house when Weisheng and Hong er first arrived at the house. Weisheng was quite surprised by Qi zongguan''s appearance at here because he was the most trusted servant that they had. Weisheng was suspicious that his mother was the one who ordered Qi zongguan to come here. But he didn''t care because he will make Hong er his wife no matter what. The servants really like Hong er in various ways, at first they thought that Hong er would be like the usual arrogant young miss and only want their emperor''s status and wealth but they were immediately proven to be wrong. There was a time where they pretended to fall and spilled hot tea all over Hong er''s white clothes, they wanted to see Hong er''s reaction of this accident. But what Hong er did next made them baffled. Hong er ran to the maid''s side and took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, the maid looked at her handkerchief and noticed that it was made with a high quality material. Hong er wiped the hot tea from the maid''s hands and used her ice magic to cool the wound. The maid was surprised by Hong er''s quick reaction, then she acted like she was afraid and guilty. Maid: " Yo-young Miss, you shouldn''t use that expensive handkerchief for this lowly slave, it''s not worth it to waste that beautiful handkerchief for me." Hong er looked up to her and smiled gently at her, she caressed her head and bandaged her wound with a clean cloth. Hong er: " I can buy the handkerchief again and I''m more worried about you. It will be hard for such a beautiful girl like you to have a scar. If anything happened, I will take the responsibility." Hong er helped her up and patted her shoulder before she went back to her room to change her clothes. Meiyun followed Hong er to help her change while Huayun cleaned the mess in a few seconds. The maid stood dazedly in the hallway while grasping on her wounded hand. Her eyes were filled with admiration and respect. Maid: '' So cool¡­'' Chapter 88 - 88. Propose II Third person POV Weisheng and Hong er were cuddling for the whole afternoon, when their h.i.p.s got sore from sitting for too long, they had a duel in the backyard. Then they read books together in the same position where Hong er sat on Weisheng''s lap. They happily spent their free time like this. After they finished their dinner, the sky had got dark and the moon had risen up. Hong er suddenly remembered that Weisheng would bring her to the flower field that they visited this morning. She couldn''t contain her excitement, she had been smiling and stared at Weisheng since dinner. Weisheng found it really cute when she glanced at him then quietly giggled while covering her mouth with her hand. Weisheng glanced at Qi zongguan and Qi zongguan lightly nodded his head towards Weisheng. Then Weisheng ordered Huayun to bring Hong er''s coat, shortly after he ordered Huayun, Huayun came back with a white fur coat that was given by Weisheng for Hong er''s birthday. Weisheng was very satisfied knowing that Hong er uses everything that he had gave her. Huayun passed the coat to Weisheng, Weisheng dr.a.p.ed the coat on Hong er''s shoulder. Hong er smiled brightly at him and thanked him. Weisheng''s heart melted by the sight of Hong er''s smile. Hong er wanted to take off her coat but prevented by Weisheng as he took the coat and dr.a.p.ed on her shoulder again. Hong er: " Why do we have to wear a coat? It is summer." Weisheng knew that Hong er''s body temperature was rather high so she easily got hot but Weisheng was worried that she would get sick from the cold wind on the top of the mountain. Weisheng: " It is night, the wind will get colder and we are at the top of mountain." Hong er looked at his worried face and patted his hand that was holding the coat on her shoulder. Hong er: " Okay." Weisheng smiled at her and was ready to carry her in bridal style again but immediately stopped by Hong er. Weisheng scrunched his eyebrow, he wanted to hug Hong er everytime and everywhere so that everyone know that Hong er belongs to him. Hong er sighed and took his hand in her hand, she looked at him in the eyes and smiled brightly. Hong er: " If Sheng ge carry me, I can''t see Sheng ge''s face clearly and we can''t talk. If we hold hands and walk together, we can talk more and enjoy the scenery together." Weisheng''s mood immediately brighten up, he nodded his head and held her hand tighter. Then together they walked through the forest with a lantern in their hand. The servants and their bodyguards followed them from behind, they kept glancing at the pair in front of them. The pair was very compatible with each other, they unconsciously acted like a newlywed and feed the people around them with dog food. After walking for 30 minutes, Weisheng suddenly stopped in his track and turned his head towards Hong er. He let go of her hand and went to her behind, he used both of his hand to cover her eyes and continued to walk. The confused Hong er followed his instruction as he whispered on her ear. And Weisheng stopped again. Weisheng: " Ready?" Hong er: " En." Hong er: '' Ready for what?'' Weisheng slowly retracted his hands, Hong er who closed her eyes because Weisheng covered her eyes, slowly opened her eyes. The view in front of her made her speechless. The flowers that they saw this morning were totally different from the flowers that the saw now. The flowers were glowing, illuminating the dark night with their warm shine. But what caught Hong er''s attention was the big tree that stood alone in the middle of the flower field, the leaves were glowing with green light. Hong er stood there unmoved as her mouth was agaped, Weisheng gently held her hand and lightly pulled her to the middle of the flower field. The flower parted away as if they gave Weisheng and Hong er way. Weisheng and Hong er slowly walked towards the big tree, the moment they reached the tree, the flowers immediately closed the path. The servants and their bodyguards silently stood at the side of the flower field. Hong er touched a flower and the flower flickered, then Hong er touched another flower and the flowers flickered again. Hong er chuckled as she kept touching the flowers, Weisheng furrowed his eyebrows. He turned Hong er''s body around and solemnly looked at her. Weisheng: " Pay attention to me too." Hong er dazedly stared at him and laughed. Weisheng''s ears got red and his eyes widened, he released Hong er''s shoulder and turned around, he walked towards the tree and sat on the ground with his back leaning on the trunk. He patted the space between his legs, signaling Hong er to sit with him. Hong er felt bad for laughing at him but she couldn''t deny that Weisheng was so cute when he got embarrassed. She giggled while walking towards Weisheng, she slowly sat down on the space between his legs and leaned her head on his chest. Weisheng smiled as he wrapped his arm around Hong er. They were gazing at the full moon that was surrounded by the gleaming stars. Weisheng played with Hong er''s little hand and talked about the first time they met. They happily talked about the past events when suddenly a few dozens of small light floated around the flower field. Hong er was surprised and amazed by the flying fireflies, they flew around the tree like a little ritual. Then a firefly flew towards Hong er and landed on Hong er''s hand, Hong er smiled and showed Weisheng the firefly on her hand. Weisheng smiled back at her then the firefly slowly flew away. Hong er looked at the firefly with a sad smile. Hong er: " Sheng ge." Weisheng: " Hm?" Hong er: " I feel like that firefly was Granny." Weisheng: " Why would say that?" Hong er: " I don''t know. It had the same feeling when Granny patted my hands." Weisheng: " Maybe it means she is happy seeing you are surrounded by people that loves you." Hong er: " En." Weisheng rubbed the thumb ring that he gave her 7 years ago and kissed it. Hong er looked at him with a smile on her face. Weisheng looked back at her and leaned his face towards Hong er. Weisheng: " Hong er, do you want to marry me?" Chapter 89 - 89. Propose III Third person POV Hong er widened her eyes in surprise, her heart was beating so fast that it was going to burst out of her chest. Her face was getting redder and redder as the time was passing by. Then she looked down to hide her red face, she didn''t know how to describe the feeling that was bubbling in her heart. Weisheng lifted up her face with his finger and stared directly at her eyes. Weisheng: " Hong er, look at me." Hong er slowly turned her eyes to look at him and the moment she saw his face, her heart stopped for a while. Weisheng smiled gently at her and caressed her cheek with his rough thumb. Hong er unconsciously leaned towards Weisheng''s touch as she stared back at his eyes. Weisheng: " Hong er, do you want to be my wife?" Hong er placed her hand on top of Weisheng''s hand and smiled at him, she closed her eyes and nodded her head. Weisheng''s heart almost leap out of his heart, he started to stutter in his words. Weisheng: " W-we will have children you know." Hong er: " En." Hong er nodded her head for the second time. Weisheng: " Y-you have to always be by my side." Hong er: " En." Hong er nodded her head for the third tme. Weisheng: " Ev-even when we sleep." Hong er: " En." Hong er nodded her head for the fourth tme. Weisheng: " Y-you have to wake me up every morning." Hong er: " I will." Hong er nodded her head for the fifth time. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Weisheng''s eyes. Weisheng: " I-I will ask you for many things and I will be annoying." Hong er: " It''s okay, I like it." Hong er kissed his thumb and smiled at him. Weisheng''s face blushed as he never expect Hong er to agree to him that easily, and the worst thing was Hong er''s seductive move that she didn''t even know the affect towards Weisheng. Weisheng wanted to take revenge on Hong er for provoking him like that. So he kissed both of her cheek, forehead, and nose tip. Then he grinned at Hong er, Hong er''s face reddened as she used Weisheng''s big palm to cover her face. Weisheng: " I will do things like this too." Weisheng evilly looked at Hong er. He thought that he finally can won over Hong er but Hong er''s next action would make him unable to forget this moment in his entire life. Hong er cutely peeked at Weisheng from the space between his fingers with her blushing face. Hong er: " I-I like it." Blood flew down from Weisheng''s nose and dripped from his chin. Hong er was so shocked to see blood came out from his nose, she immediately pinched his nose and used her light magic to stop the bleeding. The bleeding instantly stopped, Hong er released Weisheng''s nose and took out her handkerchief from her sleeve. She used water magic to dampen the handkerchief and wiped the blood stain on Weisheng''s chin and nose. Hong er: " How can you suddenly have a nose bleed?" Weisheng grabbed Hong er''s hand that was wiping his nose, Hong er looked at him smiling at her. Hong er''s body relaxed and smiled back at him. Weisheng: " You know why I get this nosebleed?" Hong er: " Why?" Weisheng: " Because I can''t handle your cuteness." Hong er: " Wh-what?! I-I''m not that cute to cause you a nosebleed." Weisheng: " Yes, you are and only you can make me become like this." Hong er''s face got red as she cutely grunted at Weisheng. Hong er: " Uhhh, I can''t win against Sheng ge." Weisheng: '' You already are.'' Hong er: " And please don''t make me worry like that." Weisheng: " If I can get special treatment like this then I will happily hurt myself." Hong er: " No! Or I will hate you! You can not hurt yourself in any circ.u.mstances." Weisheng: " Then how can I get my special treatment." Hong er''s face blushed as she stared at Weisheng''s face. Weisheng started to get impatient as Hong er didn''t reply to him, he opened his mouth to complain. Weisheng: " Ho-" But he was immediately silenced when Hong er suddenly kissed both of his cheek, forehead, and nose tip like the way he did before. Weisheng widened his eyes in surprise as he gawked at the red faced Hong er. Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge could just ask me if you want it." A red liquid came out from his nose again, his mind was blown away by Hong er''s answer. Hong er was surprised to see blood came out from his nose again, she pinched his nose and used her light magic again to stop his bleeding. Hong er sighed at how Weisheng didn''t care about blood gushing out from his nose, he just kept staring at Hong er with his mouth agape. Hong er pushed his jaw up to close his mouth then continued to wipe the blood from his face. Weisheng still couldn''t believe that it was so easy to get Hong er''s consent to marry him. Shortly after, Hong er finished wiping off all the blood from his nose and chin but Weisheng still hadn''t snap out of his mind. Hong er placed her palm on his forehead and worriedly asked Weisheng. Hong er: " Sheng ge, do you feel dizzy?" Weisheng finally woke up from his wild imagination, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Hong er''s ( front ) body was now leaning on Weisheng''s chest, their face was an inch away from each other. Weisheng used his palm to cover her mouth and kissed the other side of his hand. After a few second of kissing indirectly, Weisheng retracted his hand and lips then smiled at Hong er. Weisheng: " I will take your first kiss when we got married." Chapter 90 - 90. Meiyuns Past I Third person POV Hong er dazedly stared at Weisheng before she tilted her head in confusion. Hong er: " What is first kiss?" Weisheng had expected this from Hong er so he wasn''t surprised when Hong er asked him this question. Weisheng caressed her hair and gently smiled at her, then he touched her cute cherry lips. Weisheng: " First kiss is the first time you kiss on others lips and you should only do it with the person you love. So you can only kiss me, okay?" Hong er nodded her head, Weisheng turned her body to their previous sitting position. They continue to enjoy the moon and the fireflies, their hands were interlocked as Weisheng''s arms wrapped her body. Hong er suddenly giggled and played with Weisheng''s big and rough hands, Hong er''s sudden giggle caught Weisheng''s attention. Weisheng: " What is it?" Hong er: " Hehe~ Sheng ge said that we will have children right?" Weisheng''s ears instantly became red, he was too shocked when Hong er agreed to marry him so he just blurted out every question that passed his mind. And now, he was so embarrassed that he had asked that questions. Weisheng: " E-en." Hong er: " And I thought that it will be great if our children inherit their father''s handsome face." Weisheng''s heart instantly melted from Hong er''s statement. But he prefer that their children would inherit Hong er''s face because he enjoyed to see Hong er''s face more than his own face. He rubbed his cheek on Hong er''s cheek, Hong er laughed as she felt ticklish from Weisheng''s stubble. Hong er: " Ahahaha, Sheng ge stop it. Your stubble is tickling me." Weisheng: " Then¡­" Weisheng locked her arms in his embrace then he brought his chin to Hong er''s neck and rubbed on her neck. Hong er immediately laughed out loud and wailed around. Hong er: " Ahahaha, st- ahahahaha, stop it~" After a few second, Hong er started to get breathless and her face was flushed, Weisheng finally stopped tickling Hong er. He lifted up his head and saw Hong er was panting tiredly with her flushed cheeks. Weisheng halted, his eyes were opened widely while gawking at Hong er. His mind had wandered to somewhere else, Hong er placed her palm on his cheek and caressed his stubble with her thumb. Weisheng stared back at her and smiled. Weisheng: " What is it?" Hong er: " I''m just thinking that I will be the luckiest woman if I marry Sheng ge." Weisheng: " Actually that will be me." Hong er: " Then it means we are the luckiest couple ever." Weisheng: " En." Weisheng''s ears got red as his heart was beating so fast. Hong er leaned back on his chest again and slowly closed her eyes. Shortly after, Weisheng heard a stable breathing from the person in his embrace. He looked down to Hong er''s face and saw her eyes were closed, he smiled gently and caressed her soft black hair. He was too whipped by the girl in his arms, he didn''t know why but just being by her side could make him so happy and calm. Since he was little, he had to conceal his emotion and expression so those ministers wouldn''t dare to approach him and cling around him. But after the day he met Hong er 7 years ago, his heart could feel many kinds of feeling. From envy, jealousy, anger, yearning for her and most of all was happiness. He couldn''t get her out of his mind even for a day, whenever he was sleeping or working, her smiling would always pass his mind. He was really grateful of Hong er''s existence in his life, his life has been colorful with her by his side. He stared at her with his eyes filled with affection and love, he kissed her cheek and tugged Hong er''s coat to cover her front body. He slowly lifted her up in bridal style and walked back through the flowers. Weisheng stopped in front of Qi zongguan and indifferently stared at him. Qi zongguan looked at the girl that was peacefully sleeping in Weisheng''s arms. Weisheng noticed that Qi zongguan was staring at Hong er with observing eyes, he used his shadow to tug Hong er''s hood to cover her face. Qi zongguan was aware of Weisheng''s glare, he decided to not annoy Weisheng so he took a step back and bowed to Weisheng. Weisheng took a few steps before he stopped again, he released a little bit of his dark aura and the servants around him flinched. Weisheng: " Qi zongguan, I respect you as my elderly and I don''t care what you are doing. But if you dare to do anything to my wife, I won''t forgive you. Even if imperial mother is supporting you. You have my warning." He spoke without looking back. His cold voice sent shiver to all of the servants, usually Qi zongguan was used to his cold and indifferent behavior but this time, he knew that Weisheng was really serious. Qi zongguan bowed to Weisheng once again. Qi zongguan: " Yes, Your Majesty." Weisheng continued to walk back to the house as he retracted his every dark magic to not leave any evidence of him using his power. Meiyun and Huayun that were standing on the side suddenly exhaled like they had held their breath for an eternity. They were confused as to why they felt like their world stopped. Qiyi and Qier bumped them and jokingly said. Qiyi: " How can you guys fell asleep in the middle of work?" Qier: " Ckckck, it seems like you two need to practice more." Meiyun would usually fight them back and Huayun was the one who silently cursing them. But the role suddenly reversed, Huayun knocked their head and scolded them while Meiyun silently stood there. Qiyi and Qier was surprised to see the usual cheerful and carefree Meiyun like this, so they peeked her face. Their body immediately froze after they saw her face, her face was as dark as ink and her eyes were filled with killing intent while looking at Weisheng''s back. They never saw Meiyun like this before even when she was in mission, usually it would be Huayun that acts like this. Huayun grabbed their shoulder and shook her head. Qiyi and Qier understood Huayun signal to not bother Meiyun. Then Huayun slowly approached Meiyun and called her name. Huayun: " Meiyun, what''s wrong?" Meiyun slowly turned her head towards Huayun with a smile on her face. Even though it was the usual smiley Meiyun, her smile sent a shiver down to Qiyi and Qier. Meiyun: " Nothing, let''s go back too." Qiyi and Qier mouth were wide opened. Qiyi & Qier: '' Is that even Meiyun?" Chapter 91 - 91. Meiyuns Past II Third person POV Weisheng gently laid Hong er down to her bed and sat on the bedside. He stared lovingly at Hong er and tugged her blanket before he walked out of her room. Like usual, Meiyun and Huayun were guarding the door and quietly greeted Weisheng so they wouldn''t wake Hong er. When Weisheng walked by Meiyun, she stepped up and smilingly bowed to Weisheng. Weisheng knew that both of Hong er''s bodyguards were ex assassins and were very professional in their job, he was quite impressed by their strength and skills. They took a good care of Hong er so he had a good impression on them. Of course he understood what Meiyun meant so he just told her to speak. Weisheng: " What is it?" Meiyun: " General Sheng, can we talk in more private place? I don''t want anyone to listen to our conversation." Weisheng looked at her with inquiring eyes before he nodded and walked away. Meiyun told Huayun to stay and guard Hong er. Huayun was confused to what kind of thing that Meiyun had to talk about with Weisheng that even she didn''t know. Their parents were killed since they were little but Huayun didn''t really remember what had happened because she was unconscious at that time. The moment she woke up, she was in a dungeon and Meiyun sat beside her with wounds all over her body. And since then, they were adopted by the guild master of their previous assassin guild. Meiyun didn''t tell her anything about the past, if Huayun asked her, she would just smile and said everything was fine. As Huayun didn''t want Meiyun to remember their painful past, she never asked Meiyun about it anymore. Meiyun followed Weisheng to his study room, Qiyi and Qier greeted Weisheng and when they lifted up their head, they were surprised to see Meiyun following Weisheng. Meiyun smiled at them and entered Weisheng''s study room. They were suspicious of Meiyun, actually they had trusted Meiyun and Huayun since both of their masters were very close and they occasionally practiced together. They admitted that both Meiyun and Huayun were very strong in their own way but they felt like Meiyun had been hiding something fearful that even Huayun didn''t know. But no matter how close they were, their master was their first priority so they worriedly called Weisheng. Qiyi: " Master¡­" Weisheng knew what Qiyi meant just by his tone, he indifferently spoke. Weisheng: " It''s okay, even if she wants to kill me, she can''t." Weisheng glanced at the still smiling Meiyun and walked in his room, Meiyun turned around and smiled at them. Meiyun: " You don''t trust me?" Qiyi and Qier didn''t reply to her as they glared at her. Seeing their hostile reaction, Meiyun''s heart felt like being it was stabbed. She had treated them like her brothers especially Qiyi, so it made her heart hurt knowing that they didn''t trust her like how she trusts them. Meiyun: " Guess so." She smiled at them once more before she closed the door. Qiyi felt something was tugging his heart when he saw Meiyun''s sad smile. He wanted to reach out to Meiyun but before he could do that, Meiyun had closed the door. He gripped his chest as he didn''t know what this feeling was. After Meiyun closed the door, she took a deep breath before she turned around and face Weisheng. Weisheng calmly looked at Meiyun that stood in front of his desk. Meiyun''s smile immediately dropped, she casted a magic barrier around the room. Weisheng''s interest was piqued by Meiyun''s bolt move. Then Meiyun''s next move made him widen his eyes and immediately summoned his sword. A black flame appeared on Meiyun''s hands, she stared dazedly at the black on her hand. Weisheng knew better than anyone else that was his power, he had tested every dark branch elements in this world and none of them had the same aura as his. The black flame on Meiyun''s hands was definitely his power but way weaker. He wanted to dig out as many information as he could then he would kill Meiyun with his own hand. Meiyun: " I know that you are thinking of killing me but listen to what I have to say first. I don''t know who you are but I know that you are hiding your true identity." Weisheng: " How?" Meiyun: " How? Do you remember the event that happened 13 years ago?" ( Meiyun, Huayun, Weisheng= 20 years old, Qiyi & Qier=24 years old, Hong er= 15 years old) Weisheng: " Which one?" Meiyun: " The bandit on the Hu Nan mountain." Weisheng: " And?" Meiyun: " And there were two little girls, one was unconscious and the other one was on the brink of death. Their parent and everyone they knew were killed in one hour." Weisheng: " So which one are you?" Meiyun: " The dying one." Weisheng: " Hoo~ How do you know it was me?" Meiyun: " At that time, I was begging you to save us without knowing that you were the killer. Maybe you feel guilty or what, I don''t know, but you transferred some of your power to save me and that''s how I can move till now. And when you sealed me and my sister before, I recognized you power." (A/N: It isn''t like Hong er''s healing power. It will be explained in the future chapter. No spoiler~) Weisheng: " So what do you want from me? Do want to take revenge on me for killing your clan?" Meiyun: " Nothing, I just wanted to ask a few things, that''s all. But first of all, I have to thank you for killing my father and his clan." Weisheng: " Why?" Meiyun: " At the end of the day, he will kill us too." Weisheng: " En, so what do you want to ask?" Meiyun''s face turned more serious as the black flame on her hands disappeared. Meiyun: " Do you really love Young Miss?" Weisheng: " Yes, I do." Meiyun: " Will you protect her even if it costs your life?" Weisheng: " I will." Meiyun: " You will never betray her no matter what happened?" Weisheng: " I won''t." Meiyun: " Uhm, that''s all I want to know?" Weisheng: " Why?" Meiyun: " There must be a reason for you to hide your identity from Young Miss. I know that you aren''t that kind of guy that you always display in front of Young Miss but one thing that I know is that you truly love Young Miss. So I wanted to make sure you will always be by her side even when I''m gone." Weisheng: " Hong er will be sad, yknow." Meiyun: " I know but it can''t be helped." Weisheng: " Then, are there other things that you want to talk about?" Meiyun: " Yes. I hope I can be your help in protecting Young Miss." Weisheng: " What do you mean?" Meiyun: " Please give me some of your power." Chapter 92 - 92. Meiyuns Past III Third person POV Weisheng: " Why?" Meiyun: " I want to protect Young Miss with all of my power but I know this isn''t enough. You know it by yourself, Young Miss will rush to our side to save us if we are in pinch and I don''t want that." Weisheng stared at the empty cup in his hand, he knew what Meiyun meant and that''s what worries him too. Shortly after, he looked up to Meiyun and made a few hand gestures. Meiyun immediately puked blood but she didn''t bother to wipe her mouth nor stop the blood from coming out from her nose and mouth. She kneeled to Weisheng and wiped the blood with her handkerchief. Weisheng: " Only use that power when it is urgent. I will immediately appear there." (A/N: if Meiyun use Weisheng''s power, he can immediately appear at her location. More or less like a portal door.) Meiyun: " Yes, General Sheng. And please don''t tell Young Miss and my sister about this." Weisheng: " En." After she wiped off all of the blood, she removed the magic barrier and walked out from the room. The moment Meiyun opened the door, Qiyi and Qier immediately unsheathed their sword. Meiyun halted as two swords pointed towards her neck. She looked at them with a sad smile, Qiyi''s hands flinched when he saw that sad smile for the second time. He looked closely at her face and noticed that her lips were as pale as paper and there was a blood stain on her inner lip. Weisheng: " Let her go." A voice sounded out from inside, they unsummoned their sword and gave way to Meiyun. Meiyun bowed to them and continue to walk back to her room. Qiyi watched her small figure slowly disappear, he felt like he had made a huge mistake but he didn''t know what was it. As soon as Meiyun entered her bed room, she immediately collapsed to the ground. She punched her chest, hoping it could make her heart feel better. Her tears dripped on the floor as she bit her lips so no one could her crying. After a few minutes of crying, she wiped her tears off and fixed her appearance before she went to Hong er''s room. Meiyun suddenly appeared beside Huayun and smiled brightly like how she usually did. Meiyun hugged Huayun and acted like a spoiled child while Huayun pushes her face away but in a playful way. Huayun looked at the cheerful Meiyun and sighed. Huayun: '' Maybe I''m worrying too much.'' . . Hong er woke up like usual and went to take a stroll around the house with Meiyun and Huayun following behind her. Then they went to the kitchen because Hong er wanted to cook something for Weisheng as her gratitude for carrying her from the top of mountain all the way to her bedroom. She happily made some wontons and handmade noodles with Meiyun and Huayun helping her to wrap the wontons. After 3 hours of cooking, they finally finished the wonton noodles, they cooked for all of the people in this house including the servants. Hong er went to Weisheng''s bedroom to wake him up, Qiyi and Qier greeted her and opened the door for her. Hong er noticed that Qiyi''s face looks tired with dark circles under his eyes. Hong er worriedly asked him. Hong er: " Are you okay?" Qiyi: " Ah, I''m fine. Thank you for asking, Young Miss." Hong er: " En, please don''t push yourself." Qiyi: " Yes, Young Miss." He bowed then looked up to see Meiyun stood behind Hong er with her usual playful smile. He felt guilty about what happened yesterday so he wanted to apologize to her. He kept staring at her but she didn''t even bat an eye for him. Hong er entered the room and Qier closed the door. And now the four of them were standing awkwardly in front of the door, both Qiyi and Qier were uncomfortable because yesterday they just pointed their sword to Meiyun''s neck. Huayun noticed the awkward atmosphere and tried to lighten up the mood with telling a joke. Qiyi and Qier looked at her with admiration and gratitude, Meiyun noticed the way Qiyi looked at Huayun, her heart was stung by needles. But Meiyun laughed at the joke like usual so they wouldn''t be suspicious. Qiyi saw Meiyun laughed like how she usually would, he feel relieved that Meiyun didn''t bring up about what happened yesterday. Then he looked at Qier that kept glancing at Huayun with blushed face. Since they grew up together, Qiyi and Qier could understand what they were thinking just by a glance. Qiyi silently congratulated Qier for finding his love of life. Then he glanced at Meiyun and saw that she kept nudging the blushed Huayun. Meiyun leaned her lips on Huayun''s ear and covered her lips with her hand so no one could read her lips. Meiyun: " You guys dating?" Huayun''s face immediately got really red as she smacked Meiyun''s head. Meiyun used both her hand to cover her head and laughed out loud. By Huayun''s reaction, Meiyun knew that they were dating. Meiyun smiled gently at Huayun and patted her shoulder, Huayun stopped hitting her and smiled back at Meiyun. Meiyun glanced at the dazed Qiyi, she took a deep breath before she smacked his arm and smiled brightly. Meiyun: " Qiyi ge, let''s go talk somewhere else." Qiyi looked at her for a while before he nodded his head. Meiyun: " We will leave for a while, kay?" Huayun: " En, don''t talk too long." Meiyun: " Aye." Then Meiyun and Qiyi went to the river behind the house, on the way there, Meiyun was weirdly silent. The moment they arrived at the river, Qiyi bowed at Meiyun and apologized. Qiyi: " I''m sorry for not trusting you and pointed my sword to your neck." Meiyun looked at Qiyi and laughed. Meiyun: " Hahaha~ It''s okay, it is your job to protect your master at any cost and I understand that." Qiyi lifted up his head and looked at Meiyun with surprised expression. Qiyi: " So you forgive me?" Meiyun nodded her head and smiled lightly. Meiyun: " En. But that''s not what I want to talk about." Qiyi: " What do you want to talk about?" Meiyun: " Do you like anyone right now?" Qiyi''s face blushed as he looked away from Meiyun''s stares. Meiyun: " It means you do right?" Qiyi didn''t reply to her, he turned his body around so his back was facing Meiyun. Meiyun: " Who is it?" Qiyi: " So-someone gentle, beautiful, and not tomboy like you." Meiyun''s heart ached as she heard the last few words, she bit her lips to stop her tears from falling. She took a deep breath and exhaled, she tried not to stutter in her words. Meiyun: " Mah~ I didn''t ask if you like me or whatsoever but I just want to warn you to not look at my sister like that. Because she and your little brother are dating. I don''t want you to ruin their happiness." Meiyun stopped for a while and continued. Meiyun: " And you don''t need to emphasize the part that you don''t like a woman like me. I, myself are aware of it." Qiyi didn''t mean to say that he doesn''t like Meiyun, he was in panic when she suddenly asked him those questions, so he blurted out everything that passed his mind. He wasn''t sure about his feeling towards Meiyun that''s why he didn''t dare to say that he likes her. Meiyun looked at his back and felt like a fool for hoping that he would turn around and take back what he said to her. But after waiting for a while, he still didn''t turn around and didn''t say anything to her. Meiyun smiled in disappointment and left the river. Qiyi finally made up his mind and decided to apologize to her for saying such a mean word, he turned around and called her name. Qiyi: " Mei-" But Meiyun already left, his hand dropped to the side as he stared at the spot where Meiyun stood. His heart was full of regret and guilt. Qiyi: " I''m sorry." Chapter 93 - 93. Like A Newlywed Third person POV Hong er walked towards Weisheng''s bed and called out his name. Hong er: " Sheng ge, it is me Hong er." Weisheng''s shadow halted and went back to normal. Hong er helped him sit up and wiped his face with damp towel. Just when she wanted to put back the damp towel, Weisheng grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his embrace. He stared at her and grinned. Weisheng: " Kisses?" Hong er: " Hahaha~ Sheng ge, why do you act like a spoiled child?" Weisheng: " You won''t give me kisses? Even though you are the one who told me to just say it whenever I want it." Hong er: " I know but it is still so early in the morning." Weisheng: " Hhmm¡­" Weisheng scrunched his eyebrow and hugged her tighter, Hong er chuckled when she saw him sulking. She pressed her finger the space between his scrunched forehead and lightly scolded him. Hong er: " Don''t keep frowning or you will easily get wrinkle." Weisheng relaxed his eyebrow and lightly smiled. Weisheng: " En. But where are my kisses?" Hong er: " Fine fine fine~ Here." Even though Hong er rejected at first, she would still kiss him no matter what because she felt like teasing Weisheng was very fun. The way he scrunched his eyebrow and sulked like a child when their candy was taken away. Weisheng''s face instantly bloomed into smiles as he snuggled to Hong er, Hong er patted his head and told him to let her go for a while. He reluctantly let her go but his eyes followed her whenever she go. Hong er went to his dressing table and took a comb from the table then she went back to his bed and told him sit still as she combed his hair. After she was done combing his hair and tied his hair into a ponytail, she told him change his clothes. Hong er walked out from his room and saw Meiyun and Huayun were talking like usual but she didn''t see Qiyi with them. She became worried because his face was pale when she saw him before. She asked Qier as he was Qiyi''s brother. Hong er: " Where is Qiyi?" Qier: " I don''t kno- Ah! There he is." Qiyi slowly walked towards them with a gloomy aura, Qier looked at him weirdly. Qier had noticed that Qiyi had been depressed since last night and now he became more depressed. Qier glanced at Meiyun who was smiling like usual then he scratched his head in confusion. He decided that he would confront Meiyun because every time Qiyi met Meiyun, he got more depressed each time. Hong er: " Why is he so gloomy?" Meiyun & Huayun: " We don''t know Young Miss." Hong er: " Qier?" Qier: " I don''t know too Young Miss. I will ask him later." Hong er: " En. Please tell the servants to prepare Sheng ge''s breakfast and you guys can go eat your breakfast." Qier, Huayun, Meiyun: " Yes, Young Miss." The three of them bowed to Hong er and walked away, Qier dragged Qiyi along the way to kitchen. Hong er waited Weisheng while leaning on the door, she watched their figure slowly disappeared. Weisheng suddenly opened the door causing Hong er to fall backwards. Luckily Weisheng managed to catch her in his arms, he furrowed and worriedly asked Hong er. Weisheng: " Are you hurt?" Hong er: " No, I''m fine." Weisheng: " Why are you leaning on the door like that? It is dangerous." Hong er: " Hehehe~ I didn''t realize." Weisheng sighed, they stepped out from the room and he closed the door behind him. He took her hand and together they walked to the main hall. Hong er had been concerned about Qiyi so she didn''t really pay any attention to what Weisheng was talking about. Weisheng glanced at Hong er and saw her was spacing out, he scrunched his eyebrow and gritted his teeth. Weisheng gently squished her cheek with both of his hand and directly looked at her eyes. Weisheng: " What are you thinking about?" Hong er: " Nawfing." ( Nothing.) Weisheng: " Lying." Hong er: " Qhiyi." ( Qiyi.) Weisheng: " Only think about your husband here. Don''t think about other people than me." Hong er: " Okhay" ( Okay) Weisheng stared at her for a while before he kissed her nose tip. Hong er''s face blushed as she looked away from Weisheng. Weisheng smiled in satisfaction and released her cheeks, they continued to walk towards the main hall while holding hand. . . They sat at their usual seat and talked about various things while the servants were serving the food. Qi zongguan stepped up and bowed to Hong er while smiling happily. Hong er was puzzled by his smile, usually he would just put on the business smile but this time was genuine smile. Hong er: " Qi zongguan, are there something good happened?" Qi zongguan: " Yes, Young Miss. We are really happy that our soon will be madam think about us and cook for us. I, as a servant, never ever been this happy." Hong er: " Ah~ It''s fine, occasionally I cooked for the people in Xu residence too so I don''t really mind cooking for you guys." Qi zongguan: " It is an honor for us." Hong er: " En, please enjoy." Qi zongguan: " Will do." Qi zongguan bowed again and went back to his position. Weisheng was very excited to try Hong er''s cooking because it would always came out really good and suited his taste. He scooped one wonton and soup with his spoon, he blew the steamy wonton to cool it off before he put it in his mouth. Hong er: " How is it? How is it?" Hong er looked at him with sparkly eyes and excitedly asked him while he was munching on the wonton. He almost cried when he ate the wonton, it was too delicious that he couldn''t believe that it was made in a small kitchen. Weisheng: " 12 out of 10." Hong er: " 12 out of 10? Why is it over the actual point?" ( Win, w g tau cemana tulisnya) Weisheng: " Because it is way too delicious, plus it is my wife that cooked it." Hong er blushed and turned away. Hong er: " H-how can you say such an embarrassing thing?" Weisheng: " Which part is embarrassing? I''m only flaunting at how perfect my lovely wife is." Hong er: " S-stop it. We haven''t marry yet." Weisheng: " We definitely will." Hong er: " Of-of course." Weisheng grinned and they continued eating their wonton noodles with Hong er''s face as red as tomato. Chapter 94 - 94. Qiers Confrontation Third person POV Meiyun, Huayun, Qiyi, and Qier were sitting at the same table and peacefully eating their breakfast. They put their dirty bowls back to the counter and walked out from dining hall. But Qier suddenly stopped in front of Meiyun and looked at her with suspicion. Qier: " Do you mind if we talk for a while?" Meiyun indifferently looked at him and nodded her head. Huayun grabbed Meiyun''s hand and looked at her worriedly. Meiyun smiled lightly at her patted her shoulder. Meiyun: " No need to worry, I won''t steal your boyfriend." Huayun: " Not th-" Meiyun gave her a reassuring smile and pushed away Huayun''s hand. Huayun really hate that smile of her, Meiyun always took the risk and just smiled it away like nothing without telling her. She understood that Meiyun did that to protect her but as her twin sister, she wanted to help Meiyun too. Qier smiled gently at Huayun and patted her head to assure her that everything would be fine. Qiyi scrunched his eyebrow and looked at Huayun hoping that she could tell him what happened. Huayun shrugged her shoulder as she didn''t know what happened between Qier and Meiyun. Meiyun followed Qier to the side building of dining hall, Qier stopped and turned around to face Meiyun. Qier: " What did you tell him that he became like this?" Meiyun: " None of your business." Qier: " Better tell me first before I use the hard way." Meiyun gave him a cold look and slowly walked towards Qier. Meiyun: " Why don''t you just ask him yourself? He is your brother, he will tell you everything." Qier shivered by Meiyun''s cold eyes as his hand prepared to summon his sword. Qier: " I don''t want him to remember those hurtful things that you said to him." Meiyun''s movement halted, she lowered her head to hide her face. Qier silently summoned his sword as he saw the wind around Meiyun started to built up. Meiyun slowly looked up to him with a frightening expression that made him to gripped on his sword tighter. Meiyun: " How can you say something like that even though you are not there?" Qier: " Meiyun! Calm your aura or I have no choice to attack you." Meiyun''s lips slowly lifted into a smile but Qier clearly could see that was a dangerous one. Meiyun: " Then come!" Two ring swords appeared on her hands as the wind around her start to get dangerous. Meiyun: " You don''t know anything yet you talk like you do!" Qier: " Then explain what happened!" Meiyun: " Do you even trust me when I say the truth?!" Qier suddenly remembered what Meiyun asked them last night and he knew that he was at fault. He lowered his sword and looked at her at the eyes. Qier: " I''m sorry for what happened last night." The wind around Meiyun slowly dispersed as she unsummoned her ring swords. Her face relaxed to expressionless and sighed tiredly. She felt like she was at fault too for being too worked up. Meiyun: " It''s fine, I don''t really want to think about that. And I''m sorry for getting too workep up." Qier: " En." Meiyun: " Let''s solve this like a.d.u.l.ts should do." Qier: " You are right. So, can you explain what makes him so depressed?" Meiyun: " Sorry, I can''t." Qier: " Why?" Meiyun: " Because I don''t know too, man~" Qier: " What?" Meiyun: " That''s why I told you to ask him yourself." Qier: "¡­" Meiyun: " And it is me that want to cry." After she finished her words, she immediately turned around and left the speechless Qier. Meiyun appeared behind Huayun and throw herself to Huayun. Huayun unamusedly looked at Meiyun and asked. Huayun: " So? What are you guys talking about? I could feel your aura, yknow." Meiyun looked at her with teasing eyes and nudged her arm. Meiyun: " Ohoo~ Someone is jealous~" Huayun: " No, I''m not." Actually Huayun was slightly jealous of Meiyun because she was alone with her lover but she knew better than anyone else that Meiyun would never do that kind of things. So she shrugged off her jealousy. But if it was another woman that she didn''t know, she would kill them for getting near her lover. Meiyun: " Nothing bigie, he just wanted to ask for my blessing." Huayun: " Wh-what?! Really?!" Meiyun: " Uhm! You don''t believe me?" Huayun: " A little, because you are so good at lying that you can lie like breathing." Meiyun: " Ahahaha~ You are so funny~" Huayun: " Humph." Shortly after, Qier appeared beside Qiyi and smiled lovingly at Huayun. Huayun smiled back at him and asked. Huayun: " Did you ask Meiyun for blessing?" Qier slightly widened his eyes as he glanced at the grinning Meiyun, by looking at Meiyun''s playful grin, he knew that she didn''t want Qiyi nor Huayun to know what they were talking about. He smiled at Huayun and nodded his head. Huayun: " So, did she give her blessing?" Qier: " Yes." Meiyun: " Wha-" Huayun: " Hm?" Meiyun: " Yes yes yes, of course anything for my little sister." Huayun: " Thank you." Meiyun: " En." They talked for a while before they went to the main hall and being fed with dog food. Qiyi had been staring at Meiyun since they were having their breakfast, he wanted to apologize to her but whenever he met her eyes, but not even a single word could come out from his mouth. And this continued for another 4 days with Hong er and Weisheng throwing dog food to everyone''s face. Chapter 95 - 95. Asking For Blessing I Third person POV Their two weeks holiday had come to an end and today was their last day together before Weisheng went on his mission. They were packing their luggage and prepared to go back to Xu residence. After they tied their luggage on their horse, Hong er said goodbye to the servants in the house and left the mountain while waving her hand to them until she couldn''t see them. The servants were quite touched by Hong er''s politeness towards people that had lower status than her. As soon as they couldn''t see Hong er''s figure, their smile immediately dropped. They cupped their fist to Qi zongguan and waited for his next order. Qi zongguan indifferently looked at the direction where Hong er and Weisheng left. Qi zongguan: " Go back to Da Qi. We will give Her Majesty our last report." . . . On the way home, Hong er stared at Weisheng with worried eyes. She didn''t know why but her heart felt restless at the thought of him going on this particular mission. Even though whenever Weisheng went on a mission she would be worried about him too but this mission really bugged her. Weisheng felt that he was being stared, he turned his head to face Hong er and smiled at her. Weisheng: " What is it?" Hong er looked at him with sad eyes. Hong er: " Sheng ge, do you have to go to that mission?" Weisheng: " Why?" They stared at each other for a while then Weisheng stretched out his hand to pat her head. Weisheng: " Trust me, I will be fine." Hong er looked at him and nodded her head. Meiyun looked at the pair in front of her with a smile. She believed that Weisheng had a plan behind his sleeve and based on how he talked, it would be a tough one. She braved herself and vowed to stay by Hong er''s side no matter what till death drift them apart. Meiyun: '' You better marry my Young Miss, you giant.'' . . . They arrived at Xu residence at the next day, they dismounted their horse and directly went to Xu Tingfeng''s study room. Coincidently, Bai Huiqing was there too. Weisheng and Hong er cupped their fist and bowed to Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing. Bai Huiqing: " Aiyo~ The aura between you two had changed. I wonder what happened~" Xu Tingfeng: " Humph, in my eyes, everything is still the same, right Hong er?" Hong er only blushed at her parent''s questions, she didn''t dare to look at the two of them as she didn''t expect that her relationship between Weisheng and her would become like this. Weisheng smiled at the blushing Hong er and gently held her hand. Hong er looked up to Weisheng and smiled back. On the other side, Xu Tingfeng almost cried when the thought of his daughter would be married off passes his mind. Meanwhile, Bai Huiqing was grinning at the love bird young couple in front of her, she already started to think about Hong er''s wedding dress and the things that needed for the ceremony. But they knew that it would take a while for this mess to be fixed. After they stared at each other lovingly, Weisheng turned his head to look at Xu Tingfeng. His eyes were filled with sincerity and determination, he slowly kneeled on both of his knees and kowtowed to Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing. Their eyes widened in surprise when Weisheng suddenly kneeled down to them. As for the reason why they were this surprised was Weisheng has a higher status than both of them and it wasn''t any kind of high status, he was the emperor of the biggest country in this world. Weisheng: " Father in law, please let me marry Hong er." Xu Tingfeng had always give Hong er the best of the best things in this world to compensate the 6 years where he and Bai Huiqing weren''t by her side. He didn''t want to see his daughter suffer anymore, that''s why he was tough and hard when it comes to Hong er''s husband. Because she would spend the rest of her life with her husband. Seeing Weisheng threw away his status and pride to kowtow in front of someone who was lower in status than him for a woman he loves was very impressing. Xu Tingfeng was contemplating about the effect of Hong er marrying to the emperor of opposing country. As the current head of Xu family, he must think about the life of his soldiers and family. He couldn''t just decide everything on a whim or based on his feeling. While Xu Tingfeng was deep in his thought, Hong er stepped forward and slowly kowtowed beside Weisheng. Weisheng looked to his side and saw Hong er peeking at him with a smile on her lips. A warm feeling spread throughout his heart, he always thought that he should face everything by himself but Hong er had changed his mindsets in many things. Hong er: " Father, please let me marry Sheng ge." Hong er: '' Sheng ge, as your fianc¨¦e, I want you to share your burden with so we can support each other in any kind of situation.'' Without Hong er put it into words, he knew what she was trying to tell him just by looking at her eyes. He finally found someone that could stand beside him and shoulder the burdens together. Xu Tingfeng looked at their gaze and understand how they wanted their relationship to be. Bai Huiqing: " Tingfeng¡­" Bai Huiqing placed her palm on his hand and smiled gently. Bai Huiqing: " Let them be." Xu Tingfeng looked at her eyes and pouted. Xu Tingfeng: " Fine fine fine, I give you my bless-" " NO!" Before Xu Tingfeng could finish his sentence, a bunch of voice suddenly pierced their ears. They barged in the room and ran to Hong er''s side, they hugged Hong er protectively and pointed their finger at Weisheng. Xu Yongliang: " Hong Jiejie won''t marry you!" Xu Yongrui: " That''s right! Hong Jiejie will always be with us!" Xu Zhaoyu: " Go away, you giant!" Xu Tingfeng: '' Hoo~ My little supporter come in the right time!'' Suddenly another deep voice sounded out from outside. Xu Yongzheng: " Ya kiddos got no manner! Who teach you that?!" The three little Xu brothers flinched when they heard this familiar voice. Three little Xu brothers: " Fa-father?" Chapter 96 - 96. Asking For Blessing II Third person POV Xu Yongzheng lightly knocked their head with his fist, the three of them immediately released their hands from Hong er and stood at the side. Xu Yongzheng: " What? I can''t be here?" Three little Xu brothers: " Y-yes, you can." Xu Yongzheng: " Then why are you so surprised? And Feng ge too, close your mouth. Is it that shocking to see me here?" Hong er giggled by the funny situation they were in, her giggle caught their attention. Xu Yongzheng looked at her and finally noticed that there was someone kneeling beside Hong er. Then he realized that it was Weisheng after looked at his face closely. Xu Yongzheng: " What the fu-" Bai Huiqing: " Language!" Bai Huiqing rebuked with a loud voice, Xu Yongzheng abruptly closes his mouth and smiled foolishly at Bai Huiqing. Xu Yongzheng: " Hehehe~ Oopsie~" Bai Huiqing sighed tiredly, since Xu Tingfeng and Xu Yongzheng were only 2 years apart, their personalities were quite same, even the way they talked were same. Xu Yingjie was 8 years older than Xu Tingfeng, that''s why he had always tried to be a role model for his little brothers but it didn''t work. Among the three of them, he was the calmest one. Xu Yongzheng didn''t expect that Weisheng would kneel down, he thought that was one of Xu Tingfeng''s subordinate that made a mistake and asked for forgiveness. That''s why he didn''t realized that was Weisheng even though he had looked at him for a few times. Xu Tingfeng: " What is your business here, Yongzheng?" Xu Tingfeng''s voice woke him up from his unraveling thought. He turned his body towards Xu Tingfeng and laughed awkwardly but his eyes never left Weisheng. Xu Yongzheng: " Ahahaha, nothing important, just a letter from big bro. What''s more important is why that kiddo kneeling?" Xu Yongzheng pointed his finger at Weisheng. Weisheng: '' Even after you aware of my identity, you still disrespect me.'' Weisheng held back his desire to backflip them and punches their guts. Xu Tingfeng: " He wanted to marry Hong er and now he is asking for my blessing." Xu Yongzheng: " Hoo~ Coincidentally big bro send you a letter about that too." Xu Tingfeng: " Ohoo~ Gimme the letter." Xu Yongzheng walked towards Xu Tingfeng''s desk and gave him the letter then he went behind Xu Tingfeng and peeked the letter while leaning on Xu Tingfeng''s chair. Bai Huiqing leaned on Xu Tingfeng to read the letter. After a few second of silence, the three of them suddenly widened their eyes and their mouth was agape. Xu Tingfeng crumbled and burned the paper with his fire magic. On the other side, Xu Yongzheng was rolling on the ground laughing his head off. Bai Huiqing used her sleeve to cover her lips with her shoulders moving up and down. Xu Tingfeng''s face got really red as he shouted at them. Xu Tingfeng: " Don''t laugh!" But his shouting only caused them to laughed louder. Since he couldn''t do any harm to Bai Huiqing, he went to Xu Yongzheng that was on the floor and sat on his back. Xu Yongzheng: " UGH! Ya heavy as fu- AGGHH!" Before he could say his swear word, Xu Tingfeng grabbed his chin and pulled it backwards. Xu Yongzheng frantically slapped Xu Tingfeng''s arm while screaming out of pain. Xu Yongzheng: " My back! My back gonna crack!" Xu Tingfeng: " Ya still want to laugh at me?!" Xu Yongzheng: " No! No! I give up!" Xu Tingfeng let go of his chin but he didn''t get up from Xu Yongzheng'' back. His face was still red from embarrassment then he noticed that Bai Huqing hasn''t stop laughing. Xu Yongzheng: " Fe-feng ge, do you realize that you are a giant? I-I can''t breathe with you on top of me¡­" Xu Yongzheng wheezed underneath Xu Tingfeng''s weight. Xu Tingfeng stood up and rushed to Bai Huiqing''s side and turned her head to face him by grabbing her chin with his finger. Then he pressed his lips on her lips, Bai Huiqing''s body froze as she was too shocked by the sudden kiss. Xu Yongzheng looked at them and whistled playfully. Xu Tingfeng retracted his lips and whispered. Xu Tingfeng: " We will settle it at night. Prepare yourself." Bai Huiqing immediately smacked his head away with red face, she coughed into her fist, hoping to hide her embarrassment. Hong er tugged Weisheng''s bottom shirt and looked at him with curiousity. Hong er: " Sheng ge." Weisheng: " Hm?" Hong er: " Is that what you mean by kiss?" Weisheng knew that Hong er would ask him about what Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing just did. He leisurely replied to her with a small smile on his lip. Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " Oohh~ So that''s what we gonna do when we got married." Weisheng: " En. It must be done everyday or else the husband will get stress." Hong er: " Wasei~ I don''t know that the effect is that strong." Weisheng eagerly nodded his head. Then Xu Tingfeng''s loud voice caught their attention. Xu Tingfeng: " How can big bro betray me like that?!" Xu Yongzheng: " Come on~ What big bro said is not wrong." Xu Tingfeng: " Wha-" Bai Huiqing: " I agree with him." Xu Tingfeng: " Qing er too?!" Xu Tingfeng''s shoulders dropped down in disappointment. Bai Huiqing chuckled and turned her head towards the confused Weisheng and Hong er. Bai Huiqing: " Curious?" Hong er: " En." Bai Huiqing: " Your first uncle happily gave you his blessing." Hong er: " First uncle?!" Weisheng: '' Xu Yingjie?! Isn''t he very protective towards Hong er?" Bai Huiqing: " Uhm, and what funny is he called your father '' Dumba** kid but with giant body'' for hindering your marriage with Sheng er." Weisheng: '' That''s kinda true.'' Hong er: " Ahahaha~" Xu Tingfeng: "Hong er ahhh, why are you laughing?" Weisheng: '' It means she agree, you dumba** kid but with giant body.'' Chapter 97 - 97. Departure I Third person POV Xu Tingfeng: " You guys don''t know how it feels to see your daughter leave your side." Xu Yongzheng: " Aiya~ Don''t be a crybaby. That kiddo will surely take care of her." Xu Tingfeng turned his head to glare at Xu Yongzheng that was lying leisurely on the floor. Xu Tingfeng: " Then how about you?" Xu Yongzheng: " Huh?" Xu Tingfeng: " Do you give your blessing to them?" Xu Yongzheng: " Actually I want to say no but when I imagined myself in his position, maybe I would pray so that I get the blessings from my wife''s family." Xu Tingfeng: " So?" Xu Yongzheng: " So yes, I give my blessing to them." Xu Tingfeng sighed in defeat, he had decided to give his blessing to them from the beginning. He just wanted to see what Weisheng would do to obtain his blessing. Xu Tingfeng: " Fine, I give you my blessing. You can marry her after you are done with the mission." Weisheng: " Yes, father in law." Weisheng''s face was stoic when he replied to Xu Tingfeng but they could hear the excitement in his voice. Hong er''s heart thumped when she heard about the mission, her heart was beating really hard as if it wants to tell Weisheng to stay. But she knew that it was an important mission and she trust Weisheng would accomplish the mission safe and sound. Weisheng excused himself from the hall and preparing to depart for his mission. Hong er talked with her parent and Xu Yongzheng for a while before she excused herself to chase after Weisheng. They let her go and felt guilty when they saw her worried face. Hong er''s instinct had saved them a bunch of times, if Hong er say she had a bad feeling,, it meant something bad would happen. Qiyi and Qier were tying Weisheng''s and their luggage on their horse while Weisheng was looking at a map. Hong er ran to the main gate and saw Weisheng''s broad back, her heart felt heavy and she started to get breathless, she really didn''t want him to go for this particular mission. She slowly walked towards Weisheng, she stretched out her arms and hugged him. Weisheng had sensed her presence from afar but he was curious of what she was going to do so he was pretending to be unaware of Hong er until she hugged him. He could feel her body was shaking, he immediately turned around and hugged her back. He caressed her back to soothe her and guided her to breathe normally. Weisheng: " What''s wrong?" Hong er clutched his shirt and buried her face into his chest. She really want to tell him to cancel this mission or let other people do it but she couldn''t be egoist. She inhaled his scent and her body started to relax in his embrace. Weisheng: " Hong er?" Hong er didn''t reply to him for a few second, she took a deep breath and braced her heart. Her mouth was opened but no words could come out from her throat, her breathing was uneven. Weisheng noticed that she started to get panic again, he gently patted her back and whispered to her ear. Weisheng: " It''s fine, take it slowly." Hong er ''s heart calmed a little bit after listened to his soft whisper. Hong er: " Sh-sheng ge, promise me¡­" Weisheng: " Hm?" Hong er: " Pl-please come back safely." Weisheng: " I will." Hong er: " If you are surrounded, retreat. Don''t be reckless." Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " You still have to marry me." Weisheng: " En." Hong er: " I will do my best in the Bride Selection and Sheng ge do your best in the mission." Weisheng: " En." Hong er lifted up her head to look at Weisheng''s face, she wanted to imprint this moment in her memory. Weisheng smiled gently at her and kissed her forehead to reassure her that everything would be fine. Weisheng retracted his lips and smiled at her. Weisheng: " Where is mine?" Hong er''s pout changed into a smile. She gently kissed his forehead with her hands on both side of his face. After that, she kissed his right cheek and left cheek, and the last kiss landed on his nose tip. Weisheng''s eyes were slightly widened because he didn''t expect that she would give him the almost complete set of kisses. And now, he want to end this mess quickly and take her lips. Hong er: " I hope this will give you more energy to fight." Weisheng: " En. Can you say ''I love you''?" Hong er: " Sheng ge, I love you so much." Weisheng: " En, I love you too." Weisheng knocked her forehead with his forehead but he put too much power in it and now their forehead was hurting a bit. They winced and rubbed their forehead with their hand, they looked at each other and laughed. Shortly after, they calmed down and stared at each other like this was the last time they see each other. Meiyun and Huayun silently stood behind the couple with a smile on their lips but the smile was directed to different people. Huayun smiled lovingly at Qier while waving her hand to him. She mouthed a few words to him and luckily with his keen eyes, he could read her lips. Huayun: '' Be safe, I love you.'' Qier smiled back at her and lightly waved his hand while mouthing his replies. Qier: '' I know, love you too.'' Meiyun stared at Qiyi who was smiling gently at Qier, she hoped that he would turn this way and smiled gently at her too. But she knew her place, she smiled sadly hoping it could hide her heartache and turned her eyes to Hong er. Seeing her Young Miss happy made her happy too, her smile changed into a genuine one. Qiyi looked at his little brother and smiled when he saw how happy his little brother was when he interacted with his lover. Then he looked at Meiyun, hoping he could get the same feeling that his little brother felt but to his disappointment, her beautiful and gentle smile wasn''t directed to him. He was mesmerized by Meiyun''s gentle smile, he had always seen Meiyun''s playful smile or grin but her genuine smiles were so rare. This was the second time he had ever seen her gentle smile, the first time was when they were on a mission and Meiyun was quite badly injured. He carried her on his back while fighting off the enemies that were attacking them. Meiyun assisted him in the fight by throwing her flying knives but they let their guard down. An assassin suddenly attacked from behind, Qiyi was too late in noticing the attack then Meiyun stretched out her body to take in the attack, blood gushed out from her back as she plopped down on his back. Then he sliced the assassin''s head off, he wanted to treat her wounds but a few enemies were still lurking around them. Fortunately, Qier and Huayun came in the right time and killed all of the remaining enemies. Qiyi quickly put Meiyun down to the ground and wanted to check her injuries. His heart was beating so fast and his breathe fatster, he felt like he was going to lose something important in his life. Then a slightly cold and we palm gently caressed his cheek, he looked at the covered in blood hand and slowly lifted his eyes up to see Meiyun look at him worriedly. She choked on her own blood when she tried to speak. Meiyun: " Ar-are you hurt?" Qiyi looked at her with wide eyes, his mouth quivered as he couldn''t spit out a word from his throat. He bit his lips and shook his head. A wide smile appeared on Meiyun''s face as her eyes was forced to close. Meiyun: " Good¡­" Meiyun''s hand plopped down to the ground and when he wanted to shout her name to wake her up, Hong er suddenly appeared beside Meiyun and slammed down her palms that were enveloped in white light to Meiyun''s body. Black blood spurted out from Meiyun''s mouth. Qiyi immediately knew that the sword that slashed Meiyun''s back was poisoned. He gripped on Meiyun''s clothes hoping she could wake up and laughed with him again. Chapter 98 - 98. Departure II Third person POV Meiyun was fully healed but that accident left a big scar across Meiyun''s back. The moment he recalled this memory, guilt hit his heart as he stared at Meiyun''s gentle smile that she showed him that day. He didn''t notice that he was staring until she lifted up her eyes to look at him. He jolted and immediately turned away his head in embarrassment then he thought that it was impolite of him to do that. So he slowly turned his eyes to peek at Meiyun and saw her still looking at him. Meiyun smile brightly at him and mouthed '' be safe'' before she bowed her head to him. Qiyi lightly nodded his head and turned his head away again to hide his red face but it had a different meaning to Meiyun. She gripped on her clothes to refrain her tears from falling down. She thought that he really disliked her until he didn''t want to look at her anymore, she regretted that she acted like they were close. She lowered her head and stared at her boots in shame, she get ahead of herself and was so happy that he finally look at her direction. She didn''t want to be greedy or anything else, she just really hope that he would be safe and sound when he was on the mission. Weisheng finally mounted Xiao Hei and reluctantly left Xu residence. Qiyi and Qier mounted their horse and Qier turned around his body to wave his hand to Huayun. Seeing his little brother unwillingly parted with his lover, he decided to see Meiyun''s reaction to him leaving. He turned his head to the side and looked at Meiyun over his shoulder, his hand froze when he saw tears silently flew down Meiyun''s face. He tightened his hand on the rein after he saw the sad smile on Meiyun''s lips, he wanted to jump down from the horse and take her in his embrace but he remembered his responsibility as Emperor''s bodyguard. Then a deep voice suddenly disturbed his thought. Weisheng: " Not gonna comfort her?" Weisheng had been aware of his two bodyguards'' relationship with his future wife''s bodyguards. He didn''t want to meddle with their personal life nor love life because it wasn''t his place to interfere. But he really supported them to pursue their beloved woman as he had treated them as his own brothers even though he never show it. Qier''s relationship with Huayun went smoothly but unfortunately not for Qiyi. There were too many misunderstandings between the two of them that make them drifting apart from each other. And this time Weisheng have to wake Qiyi up from his hestitation. But Qiyi''s response to his question before mad him side to Meiyun. Qiyi: " No." Weisheng: " You will regret this." Qiyi didn''t reply to him, he just stared at Meiyun and turned his head to look at Weisheng before he shook his head. Weisheng sighed and decided to not pursue Qiyi anymore. Meiyun quickly wiped her tears so no one knew that she was crying but no matter how many times she wiped her tears off, the pain in her heart seems like wouldn''t disappear. Xu Tingfeng approached them and ruffled Meiyun''s hair, he smiled at her and spoke in a voice that Meiyun could hear. Xu Tingfeng: " There is still many good fishes in the ocean." Xu Tingfeng lifted up his fist in front of Meiyun''s face, Meiyun stared at him and showed her toothy smile before she bumped her fist on his fist. Hong er turned around and saw they were fist bumping, she laughed and jokingly said. Hong er: " Why did father and Meiyun become all buddy buddy?" Xu Tingfeng: " Ahahaha, it is nothing. Just me encouraging a kiddo in distress, right Meiyun?" Meiyun: " Aye, sir!" Meiyun saluted to Xu Tingfeng and laughed out loud. All of them infected by Meiyun''s contagious laugh and laughed too. Then Hong er remembered something. Hong er: " Father, I will depart to capital today." Xu Tingfeng: " Why so sudden?" Hong er: " The selection is only a few days away and even if I travelled in high speed, it still need two or three days to arrive at capital." Xu Tingfeng: " Hhmm, fine. Pack your things and depart after having lunch." Hong er: " Yes, father." . . . Hong er said her goodbye to everyone after she ate her lunch. She mounted Xiao Bai and departed with Meiyun and Huayun. They travelled in high speed and only took a rest when the horses were tired and thirsty. The Xu residence in capital had got the news that Hong er would arrive there in 2 or 3 days. They prepared everything that was necessary for the selection like clothes and accessories but they didn''t choose the most beautiful or the most expensive things because they didn''t Hong er to be the spotlight and selected as Long Shangu''s bride. And exactly as what written on the letter, Hong er arrive at the Xu residence in 3 day at midnight. They directly guided Hong er to her room to rest and packed her luggage for tomorrow''s selection. The selection went for 3 weeks and all participants live in the palace for the time being. . . . The next morning, Hong er woke up and do her morning practice until 5 AM then take a bath to prepare herself for the selection. Hong er didn''t use any make up and dressed up like her usual white casual clothes. She thanked the servants in the Xu residence and walked out of the main gate just to see an annoying smug face that she wished never see again. Hong er showed her fakest and brightest smile she could make to Eunuch Zhu that stood in front of her carriage even though he couldn''t see her face because of her mask. Eunuch Zhu: " Are you ready, My Lady?" Eunuch Zhu said with a smirk on his face. Hong er: " Yes, I am. Thank you for asking." Hong er lightly bowed her head. Eunuch Zhu felt like he was above the prestigious Xu family when he saw Hong er bowed to him. Actually Hong er was just being polite to him but he took it as she was afraid of him. Eunuch Zhu: " My, my, you are welcome My Lady." Without another word, Hong er get into the carriage that was prepared for every participant and silently sat down. Meiyun and Huayun walked beside the carriage in their cautious mode. Meanwhile, Hong er was thinking how to lose the selection but didn''t bring any shame to her family. Chapter 99 - 99. Bride Selection I Third person POV The ride from Xu residence to the palace was silent, Hong er didn''t spoke even a word nor her breathing sound could be heard. Hong er could hear the hustle bustle of the people that watched the luxurious carriage passing through. Even though they were whispering, with years of training, Hong er could clearly hear what they whisper. P1: " It is Great General Xu''s daughter, I hope that she is as good as her father." P2: " Don''t you know the rumors flying around her? It says that she is very spoiled and arrogant." P3: " No way¡­" P1: " It is just a rumor, even though it make sense that she is a spoiled and arrogant Young Miss because her family is rich and powerful, it doesn''t mean that its true." P2: " But isn''t that how society works?" ( with mocking tone.) P3: " But not all of them like that, just look at Great General Xu and his deceased brothers. They never flaunt the wealth nor their status, they even used their own money to help the slums from hunger and disease." P2: " What if they just make it up to build a nice person mask?" P1: " You never went to Xi An before?" P2: " Why do I have to go there? It is just a place near border where it will be the first place to infiltrated when wars come." P1: " Pfft, that''s why you don''t know anything and just spout nonsense." ( in sarcastic tone.) P2: " Wha-" P3: " Figured it out, you should go there at least once." P2: " Why the hell do I have to go there?" P1: " *sigh, Xi An is comparable with capital, actually better than capital. Foreign merchants are welcomed there and they established some foreign system in their city, surprisingly it worked quite well. That''s why there are some people purposely moved there for business or peaceful life and it works. My friend become happier after he lived there for a week and he love the Xu family so much that he prayed to the god for them." P1: " Right?! My aunt live there and she get monthly allowance because there are no youngster or anyone that can work and she almost enter 80 years old. Only her grandkids and her sick husband in that house so she couldn''t leave them and go to work. It really helped her a lot." P3: " En, it really is helpful for elderly." P2: " Humph, they only want to let people know that they are rich." P3: " Wtf man?! You are just being jealous. This is ridiculous." P1: " You better not talk bad about Xu family in front of Xi An''s citizen." Hong er smiled knowing that the system that she and both of her parents discussed brought a good effect to the citizen in Xi An. She didn''t care about them talking bad about her but she was quite pissed when they talked bad about the Xu family. ( Her carriage is the one that use human to lift up, 4 hoomans) After 20 minutes of ride, the carriage stopped and slowly lowered down to the ground. Huayun gently called Hong er from outside and lifted up the curtain. Hong er elegantly stepped out from the carriage and looked around without moving her head. Right now she was at the main gate of the palace and there were many carriages beside her carriage. One by one the passenger inside came out with eyecatching accessories and clothes. Gold and jades hanging on their hair and whole body, the girls walked towards their other girl friends leaving Hong er standing alone in the middle of gate. Hong er noticed the largest group had Li Qianzi standing in the middle of the crowd like an innocent fairy, she wore a light pink hanfu with cute make up on her face. Li Qianzi suddenly looked at her direction and slowly walked towards Hong er with a gentle smile leaving the group of girls behind. The girls'' eyes immediately on Hong er, Hong er could see the hostile in their eyes despite the cute smile they were showing. Li Qianzi stopped in front of Hong er and politely greeted Hong er with a gentle smile. Hong er bowed to her because Li Qianzi was older than her. Li Qianzi had to look up to Hong er because she is a head shorter than Hong er. Inside her heart, she was jealous of Hong er''s body proportion especially her S line body. But she didn''t show it on her face, she need to maintain her innocent and gentle image. Li Qianzi: '' Xu Feihong, how dare you take my spotlight! I will defeat you in every subjects!'' Li Qianzi: " My, my, long time no see Miss Xu. How long has it been? Maybe since the Spring Tournament 7 years ago?" Hong er: " Yes, Miss Li. Pleased to meet you again." Li Qianzi: " Why you didn''t participate another year''s tournament?" Hong er: " Hahaha~ No reason for that." Hong er laughed at the question, Li Qianzi was stunned by Hong er''s laugh, it was very relaxing and calming to hear her laugh. Li Qianzi widened her eyes after she realized what she was just thinking about. She fisted her hand under her sleeve and showed her brightest smile. Her eyes and the girls around them were observing Hong er from tip to toe. Hong er only wore a simple white hanfu with golden embroidery on the end of the clothes and sleeve. Even though it was simple and nothing extravagant about the dress, they had to admit that the dress was very beautiful and elegant. It gave Hong er a mature and gentle vibe then they looked at Hong er''s mask and hair. Her hair was tied into a ponytail with a gold little crown and a simple white jade hairpin holding her hair together. Two little white phoenix earring gracefully hanging on her earlobe. ( Just like the cover but with mask and white dress.) And what really caught their attention was her height and body posture, her shoulders were quite broad for women in general and she was taller than most of the eunuch here. After all of the participants arrived, Eunuch Zhu guided them to the hall where their teacher waited for them. They would be taught palace etiquette and everything that needed to learn to be the bride of future emperor. Hong er bowed her head towards Li Qianzi before she walked away to line up. Since Hong er was the tallest among them, she stood at the last of the line and they could see her head poked out from the crowd. All of their personal maids or servants that followed their Young Miss to the palace had to line up behind and they shouldn''t help their Young Miss during the training except when the training was done for the day. Hong er had the least servant from all of them since most of them had more than 4 servants by their side. Meiyun and Huayun''s mask and aura intimidated all of the servants that lined up with them, including the palace''s servants. Even though they had a basic level of magic, they knew that they couldn''t compare to Hong er''s personal maids. They stood further away from both of them with pale face and trembling body. Meiyun and Huayun noticed it and smirked evilly underneath their mask, they purposely scared the servants a little bit to warn them who they shouldn''t mess with. They didn''t care what others think about them, their first priority was their Young Miss. Chapter 100 - 100. Bride Selection II Third person POV A maid gently called her master, afraid that she would anger the bewitching woman that laid lazily on her golden soft sofa. Maid: " Huang guifei, the participants for the Bride Selection had arrived at the Qingshui palace." Li Zhenzhen''s hand stopped after she heard what the maid said. Her hand slowly lowered down to her h.i.p.s as she stared intensely at the trembling maid. They could only hear the clinking sound from Li Zhenzhen''s accessories on her fingers and hands. Li Zhenzhen: " Xu Feihong, is she there?" Li Zhenzhen slowly spoke with her seductive voice. The maid quickly responded to her knowing that the beautiful woman didn''t like waiting. Maid: " Yes, Huang guifei." Li Zhenzhen hummed and slowly get off her sofa, the servants that were fanning beside her immediately put down the giant feather fan and quietly dashed to Li Zhenzhen''s side. One of them slightly lifted up Li Zhenzhen''s long train skirt and the other one offered her hand with a golden silk on top of her palm to Li Zhenzhen. Li Zhenzhen put her hand on the servant''s palm and walked out of her chamber to Qingshui palace. . . . The teacher was teaching the participants about palace etiquette and how to walk gracefully and dignified. Some girls struggled walking with porcelain cup on top of their head and both of their shoulder, some of the girls kept dropping the cups and some of them doing pretty good as they had prepared themselves for this event. The number one talented girl in Da Chu, Li Qianzi, walked perfectly with a gentle smile on her face. The teacher and her friends clapped their hands like a seal and complimented Li Qianzi to get a good side of her since she was the most suitable bride for the crown prince. At last, it was Hong er''s turn to walk. Hong er''s shoulders were trembling and her body was very stiff, the girls snickered when they saw how robotic Hong er walked. After a few step, the cup on Hong er''s right shoulder slowly slide down, Hong er immediately moved up her right shoulder and it caused the left shoulder''s cup to fall. Hong er instantly moved her head to look at the fallen cup and the cup on her head and her right shoulder fell. The girls instantly giggled when they saw Hong er panicked and lowered her head down. The teacher sighed looked at Hong er disappointedly but in her heart she was very happy that Hong er failed. She wanted her beloved student Li Qianzi to be chosen as the bride and no one could compare to her beloved student. Her name would rise if Li Qianzi became an Empress, she would be recognized as the Empress''s teacher and probably would be given prize by Li Qianzi for doing her job really good. That''s why she had treated Li Qianzi very kindly and with courtesy. Teacher: " Miss Xu, you have to practice your walk everyday. Do you hear me?" Hong er: " Yes, teacher." Hong er bowed her head and timidly walked back to her line with her head lowered down. The girls were looking at her scornfully when she passed in front of them, even though Hong er acted like this, inside her heart she was bored and careless about whatever others talked about her. In fact, she was very good at balancing because when she was training with Xu Tingfeng, there was a test that Hong er quite struggled in. She had to block and avoid every attack coming to her way with a small cup of water on top of her head. If the water in the cup spilled before the times up, she would be punished to do the devastating warm up for two set without a rest. This walking thingy was a piece of crumb for Hong er. Since she stood at the last of the line and the nearest to the door, the eunuch outside the door suddenly shouted. Eunuch: " Huang guifei enter the hall." The girls immediately turned their head towards the door and scurried to the side, they bent their knee and elegantly greeted Li Zhenzhen. Girls: " Greeting to Huang guifei." Li Zhenzhen slowly stepped inside the hall and hummed without looking at them. Her eyes stayed on the tall girl with a white attire that was looking down at her boots. The teacher rushed to Li Zhenzhen''s side to greet Li Zhenzhen. Teacher: " Greeting to Huang guifei." The teacher perfectly greeted Li Zhenzhen and guided her into the hall. But Li Zhenzhen raised her hand to stop the teacher. Li Zhenzhen: " No need." Teacher: " Ah-hahaha, this lowly one apologize for being braze." Li Zhenzhen: " Hm." The teacher was irked by Li Zhenzhen''s nonchalant answer but she didn''t dare to reprimand LiZhenzhen as she was the emperor''s favorite consort. If Li Zhenzhen say a word about her being disrespectful, she and her whole family would be killed in a night. Li Zhenzhen slowly walked towards Hong er with her h.i.p.s swaying side to side, she stopped in front of Hong er and looked at her mask. Hong er noticed that Li Zhenzhen was staring intensely at her, she properly greeted Li Zhenzhen and didn''t look up to her. Hong er: " Greeting to Huang guifei." Li Zhenzhen: " Hm. Raise your head." Hong er slowly raised er head and directly look at Li Zhenzhen''s eyes with her golden eyes. Li Zhenzhen had acted tough all the time but the moment her eyes met with Hong er''s golden eyes, she flinched and her blood slowly started to boil. She forced out a gentle motherly smile and patted Hong er''s hand. Li Zhenzhen: " Are you Xu Feihong?" Hong er: " Replying to Huang guifei. Yes I am." Li Zhenzhen: " Can you take off your mask?" The girls'' ears instantly peaked when Li Zhenzhen mentioned Hong er''s mask. Hong er: " My apologies Your Highness, I had make an oath in front of Goddess of Light''s statue to not let people outside my family see my face." Li Zhenzhen held Hong er''s hand tighter. Li Zhenzhen: " Even if I will be your mother in law?" Hong er smiled with her eyes and gently replied to Li Zhenzhen. Hong er: " We don''t know the future, Your Highness." Li Zhenzhen released Hong er''s hand and turned around while staring intently at Hong er over her shoulder. Li Zhenzhen: " Let see." Li Zhenzhen walked out of the hall with her servants'' face as pale as paper. The teacher immediately ran to Hong er and scolded her. Teacher: " Audacious! How dare you talk like that to Her highness!" Hong er turned her eyes to the teacher and directly looked at her with her bright golden eyes. The teacher''s face immediately paled and coughed into her fist before she scurried away from Hong er. Teacher: '' How can you be so stupid?! Don''t forget that her father is Great General Xu. he would kill me if I make his daughter cry.'' Li Qianzi had been glaring at Hong er since Li Zhenzhen patted her hand. Most people were afraid of her because she got her aunt ( Huang guifei/ Li Zhenzhen) on her back. So she indirectly showed off her aunt to other people and when they heard that Li Zhenzhen was her aunt, they would immediately surround her and praised her. But today, in front of her friends and other Young Misses, Li Zhenzhen didn''t even bat an eye on her and only came to take a look at Hong er. The worse thing was that Li Zhenzhen treated Hong er as her daughter in law, even Li Zhenzhen never treated Li Qianzi like that. Her friends would think that she was only bluffing around about her close relationship with Li Zhenzhen. Her nails dug into her skin as blood slowly oozed out, she gritted her teeth in anger. Li Qianzi: " Xu Feihong! I will defeat you!'' Hong er looked back down to her shoes as the bad feeling kept passing through her heart. Hong er: '' Sheng ge, I miss you.'' Chapter 101 - 101. Bride Selection III Third person POV The day passes by with Hong er finally could walk straight without dropping a cup in her third try even though her body posture was still stiff and unnatural. Hong er went to her room and sighed, these kind of things were more tiring for Hong er than her training. ( She means by the pressure of being fake.) She changed into her nightgown and laid on her bed with her mask on. She had to be cautious all the time especially when she was in enemy''s nest. She slowly closes her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Meiyun and Huayun stood outside of the room with their head nodding off. Two black clothed men slowly crept up from their hiding place. They nodded their head to each other when they saw the guard around Hong er''s room lowered. They cautiously walked towards the window and saw Hong er was sleeping peacefully with her mask on. They stretched out their hand to open her mask but before their hand could touch the mask, Ah Tong and Ah Xi suddenly appeared behind them and slashed off their head. Before blood could spurt out from their neck, their whole body was wrapped in black fabric and tightly tied with a black rope. Hong er slowly rise up and looked at Ah Tong and Ah Xi carrying the death bodies like a sack of potatoes. Hong er made a few hand signals to them. Hong er: [ Dispose them and disguise your face and your appearance. Go to their master and report to me.] They nodded their head and disappeared. After a few second of silent, three rhythm gentle knocks sounded out from her door. It were codes that only Hong er''s trusted people knew, these three knocks meant '' Are you okay?'' Hong er lowly hummed and went back to sleep after she closes the window. . . . Ah Tong and Ah Xi disguised their face with dough to make a face mask and make-up. They had looked at the secret agents'' face, took their belongings from their body, and checked their element magic by placing a drop of their blood on the magic tool that Bai Huiqing just created before disposing the bodies. After they had got rid every evidence, they looked at the two badges that they found on the death bodies and instantly knew who their master was. They disappeared and went to Long Quan''s study room. They were stopped by the guards and they indifferently showed the badges that they stole. The guard nodded their head in approvement after they saw the badges. Ah Tong and Ah Xi entered the study room and saw dozens of black clothed men standing on the side and a man in golden robe sitting on top of the golden throne. They walked towards Long Quan and stopped 5 meter away from him, they kneeled on one knee and cupped their fist. Long Quan: " What her face look like?" Ah Tong: " Replying to Your Majesty. Miss Xu''s face is beautiful but it can''t be called the most beautiful. She certainly have some similarities to Great General Xu and Madam Xu." Long Quan: " And?" Ah Tong: " Before we could take another look, Miss Xu''s bodyguards noticed us so we retreated." Long Quan: " Hhmm, how strong are her bodyguards?" Ah Tong: " Quite strong but we can handle them." Long Quan: " No need. That Xu Tingfeng and his daughter will be suspicious. Dismissed." Ah Tong & Ah Xi: " Yes, Your Majesty." Ah Tong and Ah Xi stands up and all of the black clothed men including both of them walked out from Long Quan''s study room. Ah Tong and Ah Xi didn''t know the personality of the secret agents'' that they killed so they were quite perplexed. Then they saw someone familiar walked past them, they quietly went behind him and slowly approach him. The man noticed their weird movement and his hands were ready to summon his weapon until he felt someone was drawing a tiny goose and tapped a few code morse on his lower back with their finger. He immediately knew who they were, he slowly moved his hand to his back and his finger pointed to the south without looking back. Ah Tong and Ah Xi walked away naturally without replying to the man. They went to a secluded inn that named Nan Gong that located in western part of the capital.( Nan= south) It was one of Xu famliy''s hiding place. They showed their personal badge to the old man that sat behind the counter, the old man was skinny and shaking like a sickly person that''s why there was no customer as they were afraid that he had any contagious illness. The old man''s face immediately changed and slowly stands up, he moved his chair away and tapped a few code morse before the wooden floor slides open, revealing the second layer that was an iron door and the third layer that was a magic barrier. Ah Tong and Ah Xi bowed to the old man and entered the magic barrier effortlessly. This magic barrier was created by Bai Huiqing and only the people that had the badge could enter. They went to the bas.e.m.e.nt and saw a few fellow elite forces teammate sat at one of the wooden table while discussing something. Ah Tong and Ah Xi sat somewhere else as they didn''t want to disturb their discussion. Not long after, the man that they met at the palace showed up. Ah Jian ( The man): " Whatcha name?" ( he has an accent and idk what his accent is. Just want to make him more unique.) Ah Jian sat across them and looked at them with probing eyes. Ah Tong and Ah Xi took off their face mask and bowed to Ah Jian. Ah Tong: " Greeting to Senior Jian. My name is Ah Tong." Ah Xi: " Greeting to Senior Jian. My name is Ah Xi and both of us are fr-" Ah Jian: " I know, I know. Ya two are from Young Miss rite?" Ah Tong & Ah Xi: " Yes." Ah Jian: " So watcha guys doin there?" Ah Tong: " We were sent by Young Miss to spy on His Maj-" Ah Jian: " Ya stap it with that Majesty thingie. I hate him." Ah Tong and Ah Xi looked at each other in confusion. Ah Tong: '' Then what am I supposed to call our emperor?!'' Then suddenly an idea passed through his mind, he wasn''t sure of the nickname but this nickname usually used by Xu Tingfeng so he would like to give it a try. Ah Tong: " Sc-sc.u.mb*g?" Ah Jian: " Hhmm~ Better. Continue." Ah Jian smiled brightly. Ah Tong sighed in relief in his heart while Ah Xi patted his back. Ah Tong: " We were sent by Young Miss to spy on that sc.u.mb*g." Ah Jian looked at them and waved his hand to shoo them away. Ah Jian: " Ya two go back to protect Young Miss. That''s ma job." Ah Xi: " That sc.u.mb*g sent two agents to Young Miss''s chamber and we had disposed them. If that sc.u.mb*g noticed that his two high skilled secret agents disappear, he will be suspicious and send more agent to Young Miss." Ah Jian was silent for a moment before he asked them again. Ah Jian: " So why call me?" Ah Tong : " We need to know these two agents personality, habit, and voice." Author thought: ( it was too long and it can''t fit in the author thought, hehehe~) What Ah Tong means by voice is they have to clarify how deep or high the agents that they were disguised as since they would be exposed if their voice different from the real one. How Ah Tong and Ah Xi could recognize Ah Jian and what is the meaning of the goose drawing and the code morse. Everyone in the elite forces knew Ah Jian''s face but no one know his face outside Xu family and he is in the same generation as Song Tao. He had worked as spy for a decade and quite trusted by Long Quan. Ah Tong and Ah Xi drew a goose, Hong in Hong er''s name means goose and they tapped the code morse to tell how urgent the case is. Oh, and one last thing. Meiyun and Huayun purposely acted like they were sleepy. Hong er is actually going to sleep but she is the person that easily woken up even by a slight noise. (there are people like that in this earth, believe me.)That is why Hong er woke up when Weisheng sneakily kissed her forehead that night and she really asleep before Weisheng sneaked into her room. (if you guys remember) And if you guys are confused with anything just comment and I will answer it. Chapter 102 - 102. Bride Selection IV Third person POV Hong er woke up like usual but she didn''t go out of her room as it was too early in the morning for a girl to wake up. She did her usual warm up except running because she couldn''t run in a small room and it would be noisy. After she was done with her warm up, Meiyun and Huayun prepared her bath and her clothes. Hong er took a bath and dressed up in her usual white attire, she sat on a chair and read books that she took from Xi An with her until the time for breakfast. Hong er went to Qingshui Palace and was the first one to arrive there, she sat on her arranged seat and patiently waited for the other girls to arrive. Not long after, Li Qianzi proudly walked in to the hall, she planned to be the first one to arrive and gave the diligent student impression to the other girls but Hong er beat her. Hong stood up from her seat and greeted Li Qianzi by slightly bowing her head. Li Qianzi forced a smile and greeted back before she went to her seat. 30 minutes later, all the girls finally arrived and the lesson started. Hong er''s mind only filled with Weisheng for the whole lesson, she couldn''t stop worrying about Weisheng. She clenched her hands and prayed to the gods for Weisheng''s safety. The lesson ended with Hong er got scolded by the teacher for not paying attention to the lesson. The girls giggled mockingly like usual but Hong er was careless about what they do so she just walked out of the hall after she gave her greeting to the teacher. Hong er was walking to her room with Meiyun and Huayun behind her when she suddenly heard a faint whimper, they immediately halted and looked around but they didn''t see anyone around them. They looked at each other and shook their head before continued their walk then they stopped again when they heard the whimpering sound again. They slowly walked towards the source of the sound and found out that it was in a quite secluded alley. Meiyun and Huayun immediately summoned their weapon, Meiyun dashed to Hong er''s forepart and Huayun turned her body to protect Hong er from the back. They slowly walked to the alley and the whimpering sound gets louder and louder, Hong er''s hand was ready to summon her weapon until she saw a man in a green attire crouching down on the ground. She couldn''t see his face as his knee was covering his face. Hong er didn''t let her guard down, rather than that, her sword slowly appeared on her hand. Meiyun cautiously approached the green clothed man and asked in low voice. Meiyun: " You there, with the green clothes, who are you?" The green clothed man flinched when he suddenly heard a woman''s voice. He slowly looked up and saw 3 masked women with one of them facing behind( Huayun). His face got pale when he saw the three masked women were holding a frightening weapon in their hands. He scurried away and begged to spare his life. Hong er tapped Meiyun''s shoulder and told her to lower down her weapon and ask kindly. Meiyun nodded her head and lowered her weapon. Meiyun: " Don''t be afraid. Just tell me who you are." The green clothed man slowly stood up and cautiously walked towards them. Hong er finally could see his face clearly, his face was a bit similar to Long Quan and Long Shangu. Green clothed man: " I-I am the Seventh prince, Lo-Long Yang." Meiyun slowly went to Hong er''s side and whispered to her ear. Meiyun: " He is the infamous useless prince, Young Miss. What should we do?" Hong er replied in a low voice that only Meiyun could hear. Hong er: " Ask him why he is here." Meiyun nodded and turned her head towards Long Yang. Meiyun: " Why are Your Highness at here?" Long Yang: " I-I¡­ Th-they were laughing at-at me. The-they said that I-I am useless an-and stupid." Tears flew down his cheeks as he stuttered in his words. Hong er stood still and stares at him without saying anything. Long Yang: " The-they bully m-me." Hong er unsummoned her sword and spoke in her gentle but firm voice. Hong er: " No one is useless. Your Highness, forgive me if I''m being nosy but let me give you an advice. If you can make even one person smile with your own ability, it proves that you are not useless. See, I''m smiling right now underneath my mask. It means you are not useless." Long Yang looked at Hong er with amazement and admiration, his hand gripped on his sleeve as he enthusiastically nodded his head. Hong er nodded back and waved her hand before she walked out from the alley. Long Yang realized that he hadn''t asked for her name, he chased after them but they were already gone when he looked outside of the alley. He gripped his chest as he felt his heart was beating so hard. . . . Three weeks passes by just like that, Hong er didn''t show any special trait except her dancing skill because she had shown a magnificent performance 7 years ago and it would be suspicious if she suddenly couldn''t dance. Li Qianzi was satisfied with how average Hong er''s abilities were so she didn''t bother to try very hard to defeat Hong er. And the last day of Bride Selection, the day that they had to show the result of 3 weeks training in front of all ministers except Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng had sent his apology letter a few days ago to Long Quan that he couldn''t attend the Bride Selection because recently there was a group of bandit roaming around Xi An. Long Quan sent some of his spy to Xi An to verify Xu Tingfeng''s letter truthfulness and it was confirmed that a group of bandit had been roaming around Xi An when they suddenly robbed one of the bank in Xi An. Fortunately Xu Tingfeng stopped the bandit before they got their hands on the money. Long Quan crumbled the letter in his hand and threw it at the spies. He swept away everything on his desk and roared in anger. He didn''t know why whenever he tried to lure Xu Tingfeng to come to capital, something always happened and coincidentally it needed Xu Tingfeng''s assistance. He couldn''t find any flaw in Xu Tingfeng''s reasons to leave the capital. Eunuch Zhu slowly called Long Quan, afraid he would anger the already angry Long Quan. Eunuch Zhu: " Your Majesty, it is time." Long Quan: " I know." Long Quan angrily stood up and walked out of his study room with his servants followed behind him. Chapter 103 - 103. Bad Feelings I Third person POV The girls were going all out for the last day of Bride Selection, they used their most expensive perfume, dress, make-up, and accessories. Meanwhile Hong er''s appearance was the same for 3 whole weeks except her clothes. Hong er''s clothes were mostly white color but the embroidery in her every dresses were different. Hong er didn''t put on anything special for the selection but she still attracted many people''s eyes. Hong er and all of the participants walked in to an opened garden and sat down on their arranged seat like how they were taught for the last 3 weeks. They waited for the royal family to arrive before they could start the selection. Not long after the girls sat down, an eunuch announced the royal family arrival. The first one to enter were Long Quan and Yugyul ( Empress) then followed by Long Shangu as he was the Empress''s son and the crown prince. The second row to enter were Long Quan''s high ranked concubines with Li Zhenzhen walked in the middle. The third row was the remaining prince and princesses. There was only one prince in the line and it was Long Yang, the useless prince. The ministers scrunched their eyebrow the moment they saw Long Yang entered the garden. They had disliked Long Yang because he was too indecisive and weak to be the next emperor. That''s why the only prince that suitable to be the next emperor was Long Shangu as all the other capable princes had died mysteriously. Long Yang lowered his head as he was too afraid to look at their scornful face especially his own father''s face. Even his own father wanted to disown him, he felt like his life was worthless after the death of her mother. He sat down on his seat that was below Long Shangu, his intention for coming to the selection was to find the white masked woman that encouraged him 3 weeks ago. His position in the palace was low so the servants were not bothering themselves to serve Long Yang 24 hour everyday. And with his cowardice, he couldn''t muster up his heart to order a servant to look for Hong er. Then he remember that his brother were holding his Bride Selection, he was betting on his luck that Hong er was one of the participants. That''s how he was here right now. With his head lowered, he peeked around the crowd to find the sun of his life. Fortunately, Hong er''s appearance was very eyecatching as she was the only one to wear a mask. Long Yang''s face immediately brighten up, he wanted to wave his hand towards Hong er but his hand halted when he saw how Hong er looked out of the circular gate. Even though he couldn''t see her face, he could feel the uneasiness and worries in Hong er''s golden eyes. He put down his hand back to his lap and just silently stares at Hong er. Hong er''s bad feeling getting worse and worse as time passes by, she looked outside of the circular gate, hoping that this could end earlier so she could run home to see Weisheng. Even after the music had played and people were cheering, she couldn''t feel a drop of excitement nor happiness in her heart. A voice woke her up from her train of thought, a palace maid that served at her side was caling her name. Maid: " Miss Xu, Miss Xu, it is your turn." She didn''t know that she had been looking outside for too long that the selection had long begun and it was her turn to play a song. She stood up from her seat and walked towards the music instruments that were neatly placed on the podium. The participants could just sit on the seat that had the music instrument that they wanted to play. Hong er sat behind a Guzheng ( similar to Guqin but bigger in size and they sound different.) and faced the royal family that sat in front of the podium. She bowed to them and gently spoke. Hong er: " Greetings to His Majesty and Her Majesty. This lowly one''s name is Xu Feihong, the Di daughter of Great General Xu." They were stunned by how calming and gentle Hong er''s voice was, they really want Hong er to sing a song but the rule was playing a music instrument without singing. Hong er took a deep breath and tried to get rid of her worries out of her mind. She placed her finger on the strings and gently plucked the strings. A soft melody echoed around the garden, the flowers and trees swayed lightly as the wind gently brushed Hong er''s mask. She purposely played a happy and cute song without emotion so her result would come out bad. But when she gets in to the middle part of the song, she suddenly remembered the moment where Weisheng proposed to her under the full moon. She didn''t know why her heart was so much in pain. Tears slowly flew down her cheeks and fell onto her hand. She was surprised to see tears fell from her eyes as she had never cried since granny''s death, her hand flinched and caused her to pluck the wrong string. Her hand immediately stopped moving as she slowly looked up to the audiences. Some of them had tears in their eyes while some of them had a sad face on their face. Hong er didn''t realize that she played the song in a sad tone, she gripped her hand and immediately stood up from her seat. Hong er: " My apologies for ruining the mood, Your Majesty. This lowly one will retreat and repent on her mistakes." Hong er bent her waist and lowered her head before she quickly walked away from the podium. Hong er walked out of the garden and went to a restroom, Meiyun and Huayun instantly followed Hong er when she came out from the garden. They worriedly asked Hong er while lightly knocking on the restroom door. Hong er didn''t want them to worry about her so she gently replied to them. Hong er: " I''m fine. It''s just, I miss Sheng ge." Huayun sighed in relief and gently comforted Hong er from outside while Meiyun stood there unmoving. After Hong er wiped off her tears, she opened the door and reassure Meiyun and Huayun that she was fine before she walked back to the garden. The selection continued with Hong er being average in every subject except dancing. Her poem was ordinary and her painting was mediocre, it wasn''t bad but there was nothing special or amazing of her works. Long Shangu furrowed his eyebrow, he really wanted Hong er to be his wife but he had promised Li Qianzi that he would marry her no matter what. The moment his eyes fall onto Hong er''s body, his desire started to boil but then he think that beautiful body could be found anywhere. He held back his desire and locked his eyes on Li Qianzi which made her blushed. But after he heard Hong er''s voice, the desire that he held back surged up again. His heart tells him that he have to make Hong er his. Since he had promised Li Qianzi to make her became the empress, he would just make Hong er became his Imperial consort. Meanwhile, Long Quan started to get anxious as he didn''t expect Hong to be this sly so she wouldn''t get chosen. If he make Hong er the winner, the ministers would complain because her result was only average. Then he noticed Long Yang''s gaze towards Hong er, he immediately knew what his useless son''s feelings towards Hong er. Rather than that, he was happier that Long Yang had feelings for Hong er. His plan would be a lot easier to be executed. He maintained his dignified face while on the other side, he was laughing maniacally in his heart. Chapter 104 - 104. Bad Feeling II Third person POV Hong er sat silently as she watched the performances from other participants. She knew that Long Shangu and Li Qianzi had a thing together from the information that she got from Ah Jian. He had been reporting everything that had happened in Long Quan''s harem and everything that circulate around Long Quan to Hong er. She could feel the stares and glares from everyone around her, especially from the royal family. But what makes Hong er confused was Long Yang''s stares towards her, she purposely avoid having eye contact with Long Yang because she felt like Long Yang wasn''t that average prince. There was something lies deeply inside Long Yang that makes Hong er uncomfortable. When it was the time for announcing the winner, all participants stood up and lined up on the podium. Eunuch Zhu stood in front of the line with golden scroll in his hand, he read out loud the content while facing the audiences and the royal family. The result came out as what Hong er expected, she didn''t win the selection. The winner was Li Qianzi with her score was the top in all subjects including dancing. The reason why Hong er''s score wasn''t high in dancing because she danced the exact sword dance that she did 7 years ago. Since it was nothing new nor amazing, the score barely passed the passing point. But Hong er knew that Long Quan wouldn''t give up just like that. By looking at his calm and relaxed posture right now, Hong er knew that he had another plan under his sleeve. Hong er tried to guess every possibility that Long Quan would do. If Long Quan was going to make Hong er become Long Shangu''s concubine, Xu Tingfeng would definitely be furious because it would mean that Long Quan looked down on Xu Tingfeng by making his daughter a mere concubine. As Hong er knew that Long Quan wouldn''t want to anger Xu Tingfeng, she threw away the idea of her become Long Shangu''s concubine. Then Hong er tried to guess again, if Long Quan tried to take Xu family''s power by her marriage then the only choice was marry her to Long Yang as he was the only prince that was near the marriageable age. The rest of the prince was still toddlers or babies. ( Long Yang is 15 y/o, the same as Hong er but boy''s marriageable age is 18 or above.) Hong er''s gaze turned dangerous from the second thought. Marrying her to Long Yang would be easier and safer for him to execute. Long Yang didn''t have any power nor supporter in Da Chu''s political field and military so it would be hard for Hong er to help Long Yang to become the emperor. Furthermore, it would be easier for him to control her when his husband was utterly useless. Then if Hong er refused to lend them Xu family''s elite forces or power, Hong er would be deemed for not being a virtuous wife. It would be hard for Hong er to stop them if Long Quan used imperial edict to announce her marriage with Long Yang. She need to go back to Xi An as quick as possible. The selection was finally over after Eunuch Zhu announced that Li Qianzi would be Long Shangu''s bride. There was an after party to congratulate Long Shangu and Li Qianzi as a new nation couple but it wasn''t a must attend party. Only the greedy ministers that wanted to lick Long Shangu''s boots attend that party. It goes without saying, Hong er didn''t attend the party. Hong er directly walked out of the garden with Meiyun and Huayun behind her. Long Yang immediately stood up from his seat when he saw Hong er walked away, he was in ecstatic when Hong er lost the selection, it means Hong er had no fianc¨¦. He wanted to make her be his wife that would always be by side, loving him. He ran to the circular gate while being chased by his servants for suddenly running away without asking a permission from Long Quan. A big smile was plastered to his face as he finally reached the gate, his chest was heaved up and down from running. His smile immediately disappeared when he didn''t found Hong er anywhere. Long Yang: " I lost her again¡­" Then suddenly a voice sounded out inside his head. '' She will always be yours, no matter what.'' '' She smiled at you.'' '' She loves you.'' '' Never let her go.'' Long Yang mumbled something while staring at the exit gate with delirious eyes. Long Yang: " She is mine¡­" . . Hong er quickly send a signal for Ah Tong and Ah Xi to retreat by pouring some of her Qi to her badge and tapped their code on her badge. Ah Tong and Ah Xi noticed that their badge were slightly vibrating, they took out their badge and felt Hong er''s Qi from their badge. They immediately disappeared from their spot and went to Nan Gong inn( their hiding place). They showed their badge to the old man and passed a letter. Ah Tong: " We were called by Young Miss. Please contact Senior Jian and pass this letter to him." The old man nodded his head and took letter from Ah Tong''s hand. After they passed the letter, Ah Tong and Ah Xi disappeared again. The old man turned around and tapped the book shelf behind him then he swiped his badge in front of the shelf before one of the book in the shelf clicked. The old man pulled out the book and revealed a small dark space, he tossed the letter inside the dark space and put back the book in its place. He tapped the book a few times and swiped his badge in front of the book shelf once again. After he was done with his job, he sat down on his old chair and sipped on his hot tea. Chapter 105 - 105. Sheng Ge is... I Third person POV Not long after the after party started, Long Quan and other member of royal family except Long Shangu went back to their own courtyard. Long Quan sat down on his seat and called Ah Jian''s disguised name. Long Quan: " Ah Jiang." ( Ah Jian''s disguised name. I purposely only add ¨Cg behind it so it is easier to remember.) Ah Jian immediately appeared and kneeled in front of Long Quan. Long Quan lightly nodded his head in satisfaction by A Jian''s capability in doing every job he gave him. Ah Jian: " What''s your order, Your Majesty?" ( A/N: When Ah Jian beside Long Quan, he didn''t use his accent for many reason.) Long Quan: " What do you think about marrying Xu Feihong with that useless son of mine?" Ah Jian had predicted that Long Quan would think about this plan so it wasn''t that surprising to him. Ah Jian: '' Young Master must already have a plan for this.'' ( A/N: Young master= Xu Tingfeng.) Ah Jian: " This slave think everything that Your Majesty planned will succeed." Long Quan sighed tiredly, he just want Xu Tingfeng to be gone from this world, why did it have to be that difficult. While Long Quan was deep in thought, a guard gently knocked the door and called out Long Quan from outside. Guard: " Your Majesty, His Highness prince Long Yang had come to see you." Long Quan: " Oh? Great timing. Come in." Ah Jian: " This slave excuse himself, Your Majesty." Ah Jian disappeared the moment Long Quan nodded his head. The guard opened the door for Long Yang to enter and closes the door after he stepped in. Long Yang was very nervous and surprised because this was the first time that Long Quan agreed to meet him. Even when Long Yang''s mother died, Long Quan never came to see him nor his death mother. And the worse thing was, Long Quan didn''t recognize Long Yang when they met in the palace. He nervously walked towards Long Quan''s desk and kneeled with his fist cupped. Long Yang: " Greetings to Imperial Father." Long Quan: " Mmm, what do you want?" Long Yang finally got his hope high that Long Quan would acknowledge him just to be crushed by Long Quan''s cold and indifferent treatment. Long Yang knuckles turned white as he gripped on his fist too tight. Long Yang: " This son want to ask a lifetime request from Imperial Father." Long Quan: " What is it?" Long Yang: " Please let me marry Miss Xu." Long Quan: " Miss Xu? Why?" Long Yang: " This son had fallen for Miss Xu in the first sight, Imperial Father." Long Quan: " Hhmm¡­" Long Yang''s head was lowered so he couldn''t see Long Quan''s sly smirk. Long Quan: " Fine." Long Yang immediately whipped up his head in surprise. His eyes were widened in disbelief and his mouth was agape from Long Quan''s statement. Long Yang: " Im-Imperial Father, you agree with my request?" Long Yang asked in disbelief. Long Quan: " Mm." Even though it was a cold response, Long Yang was still happy that he had possibility to marry Hong er. Long Yang: " This son thanked Imperial Father for your generosity." Long Quan: " Mm, if there is nothing else, get out." Long Yang: " Understood." Long Yang bowed to Long Quan and walked out from Long Quan''s studyroom. His heart was thumping really hard that he couldn''t hold back his smile from creeping out from his lips. Just with the thought that Hong er would marry to him and smiled at him all the time could make him this ecstatic. What would happen to him if his dream became reality, Long Yang couldn''t imagine how happy he would get. . . Li Qianzi sat beside Long Quan and smiling happily that she finally achieve her goal but she didn''t know why Long Shangu was distracted and frowning even though they were finally together like how they promised each other. She gently shook Long Shangu''s arm to wake him up from his daydream and worriedly asked him. Li Qianzi: " Your Highness, are you okay?" Long Shangu finally snapped out of his mind, he turned his head towards Li Qianzi and pushed away her hand from his arm before he stood up from his seat. Long Shangu: " I am going to talk to Imperial Father." Without bothering to hear Li Qianzi''s reply, he walked away with large stride. Li Qianzi could only dejectedly look at Long Shangu''s back. Long Shangu entered to Long Quan''s studyroom after he got Long Quan''s permission. He cupped his fist and bowed to Long Quan. Long Quan: " What is it?" Long Shangu: " Imperial Father, please allow me to make Miss Xu as my concubine." The moment Long Shangu ended his sentence, Long Quan slammed down his brush and look at Long Shangu with threatening eyes. Long Shangu shivered under Long Quan''s eyes. Long Quan: " No." Long Shangu: " But-" Long Quan: " No means no! If you understand what I am saying then get out!" Long Shangu bit his inner lip and gripped his hand. He bowed to Long Quan and walked out with a frown on his face. He knew what his father personality and temperament, Long Quan wouldn''t get angry easily in any matter except something that related to Xu Tingfeng or Xu family. If Long Quan was this mad at his statement, it meant his statement would interfere Long Quan''s plan. Long Shangu: '' Father, you think I don''t know that you didn''t want to pass me your throne. Then don''t blame me if I use force to take it. Everything I want, will be mine. And no one can change that.'' . . . Hong er arrived at Xu residence (capital) and told Meiyun and Huayun to pack her things as quick as possible. Not long after, Ah Tong and Ah Xi appeared behind Hong er and reported everything they knew. Hong er listened carefully and furrowed her eyebrow. After they finished reporting, Meiyun and Huayun came out from Hong er''s bedroom with three luggage. They tied up the luggage and ready to depart. Then suddenly a black clothed man appeared in front of Hong er. The black clothed men kneeled and cupped their fist to Hong er. Hong er recognizes him, he was in elite forces and specialized in passing message. Hong er'' bad feeling surged up again when she saw that he was panting tiredly. It meant the message was very urgent. Hong er cupped his fist back and worriedly asked him. Hong er: " Wh-What happened?" The black clothed man looked up to Hong er. Black clothed man: " Young Miss, please stay calm after you listen to this." Meiyun and Huayun looked at him with suspicious eyes, they knew something bad happened and it was related to Hong er. Hong er gripped her hand to calm down, she nodded her head towards the black clothed man then he continued his message. Black clothed man: " General Sheng has died in the mission." Chapter 106 - 106. Sheng Ge is... II Third person POV An enormous thunder suddenly strikes down behind Hong er. Fortunately Meiyun managed to dodge to the side with the shocked Huayun in her arm. Hong er widened her eyes in horror, she couldn''t believe that Weisheng would be gone just like that. Hong er slowly grabbed the black clothed man''s arm and lightly pulled his arm. Hong er: " Is-is it true? E-everyone?" The black clothed man nodded his head and didn''t dare directly look at Hong er''s eyes. The sky slowly darken and the grey clouds started to engulf the capital''s sky. Tears flew down from Hong er''s eyes and dripped to the ground. Meiyun looked at Hong er with sad eyes, she didn''t want her Young Miss to feel sad or heartbroken then she looked at Huayun that was crying silently in her embrace. She gently caressed Huayun''s back with one hand. Rain poured down but they still stood unmoving. Meiyun noticed that Hong er''s body was shaking, she walked to Hong er''s side while gently dragged Huayun with her. She held Hong er''s cold hand and warmed it with her hand''s temperature. She caressed Hong er''s back hand with her thumb and smiled gently at Hong er. Hong er slowly turned her head to look at Meiyun and her tears immediately burst out as she hugged Meiyun. Meiyun almost fell when Hong er suddenly jumped on her but she didn''t mind it at all. Rather, she caressed two crying girls'' back while whispering a spell to them. Not long after, Hong er and Huayun fell asleep in Meiyun''s embrace. The servants that stood beside them quickly bring the two girls to a room and changed their wet clothes. Meiyun went to her own room and changed her clothes, the room was so quiet that you could hear Meiyun''s tears fell to the wooden floor. She quickly wiped off her tears and walked out from her room. She instructed a servant to prepare a small, simple looking carriage and food supplies. The servant immediately complied to her orders because Meiyun was the one who usually take the charge if Hong er was not here. Meiyun slapped her own cheek to bring herself back from the sorrow and talked to herself. Meiyun: '' You have to be strong. You have Young Miss and Huayun to protect. At this time, they depend on you. And you have to trust that giant, he will definitely come back and marry Young Miss. And the last one, Qiyi¡­.'' Meiyun: '' He definitely will be fine.'' The rain has stopped the moment Hong er fell asleep, Meiyun went to Hong er''s room and carried the sleeping Hong er into the carriage while Ah Tong carried Huayun. Because they wanted to leave capital unnoticed, Meiyun told Xiao Bai to follow them without being noticed. She used her horse and Huayun''s horse to pull the carriage. Meiyun sat on the driver seat and commanded the horses to gallop. After a few hours, Hong er and Huayun slowly regained their consciousness. They rubbed their head and still couldn''t grasp what happened. Meiyun heard some movement from inside, she knocked the carriage with her knuckle and asked. Hong er: " Young Miss, Huayun, awake?" Hong er suddenly remembered the shocking news, her tears threaten to fall again but she bit her lips and held back her tears. She hummed in a low voice while Huayun was looking outside with dead eyes. Huayun: '' Qier¡­'' Meiyun: " Huayun!" Huayun immediately woke up from her daze. Meiyun: " I know you are sad but our first priority is to protect Young Miss. You hear me?" Huayun gripped her hand until her knuckles turned white, she threw away all of her thought and gained her composure. Huayun: " Yes." Meiyun: " Good. Reporting, we have passed three cities and the estimated time for us to arrive at Xi An in carriage is 4 days. But if we ride horse, it will only take 2 days. Young Miss, what is your order?" Hong er looked up and sternly spoke. Hong er: " Horse." Meiyun: " Understood." Meiyun slowly stopped the carriage and jump down from the driver seat, she took off the rope that connected the carriage to the horse and tied their luggage on their horse. Hong er stepped out from the carriage with Huayun''s help and whispered Xiao Bai''s name. Xiao Bai immediately came out from the bush and went to Hong er side. They mounted their horse and departed after gave their horses some water. Two days had passed by but Hong er still couldn''t believe that Weisheng had died. She believed in Weisheng''s words, he had told her that he would come back and marry her. They finally arrived at Xi An, but they saw a familiar entourage went on the same way as they did. Hong er galloped past them and arrived at Xu residence. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing instantly sprinted to the gate when they heard that Hong er had come back. Hong er dismounted Xiao Bai and went to greet Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing to show her filiality. They looked at Hong er in guilt, they could definitely see how dispirited Hong er was. They gently held her hand and asked. Bai Huiqing: " Are you okay?" Hong er knew that they had heard the news, she felt safe after arriving at Xu residence. She knew that Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng would protect her no matter what. Her tears poured down again as she hugged both of them, she cried in their arms. Bai Huiqing and Xu Tingfeng never saw her cry before because she always wanted to be dependent and strong. But once in a while, it is fine to cry. Seeing Hong er cry made Huayun''s tears started to well up on her eyes. She gripped her hands as her tears fell. Then a warm hand held her shaking hand and lightly gripped her hand, telling her that she would always be her side. She slowly looked up to Meiyun and saw that a drop of tears fell down from Meiyun''s eyes. Huayun had always been the mature one from the twin but at times like this, she lost to Meiyun. Even though Meiyun was also grieving, she always think about her loved person before herself. And that''s what make Huayun look up to her playful sister. Meiyun quietly whispered to Huayun. Meiyun: " Trust me. Everything will be fine. I am here." Then suddenly a loud voice sounded out from outside of the gate. Hong er looked behind and saw that it was the entourage that she saw before. The man that stood at the front of the entourage announced in loud voice again. " Receive the imperial edict." The End of Season 1 Chapter 107 - Announcement: Hiatus Hi, my dear lovely readers. I am going to be in hiatus for quite a while BUT not too long. Please don''t get mad at me. maybe i will hiatus for a month? At least until I wrote 50% or 75% of season 2. I will still read your comment and like it and reply it ( But no spoiler. hahaha) I want to take some rest and communicate with my family. I had locked myself in my bedroom for months without participating in any family events. My neck and waist was sore for sitting too long without exercising, my wrists were sore too. This story was actually one of my usual daydream that I always do when I''m bored or when I''m going to sleep. The idea of this story had been stuck in my mind for at least more than 2 weeks and as I write, the story kept changing. Lol. Then one day, I couldn''t contain my excitement as I thought that maybe my fellow readers would like the story. So I immediately took out my laptop and type it down, that''s why the first few chapters were very messy. Plus, my grammar is very bad but i think i had improved a lil bit now after writing for almost 2 months. I didn''t stock up the chapter so I feel really guilty when you guys want me to mass release. Then I decided to hiatus for a while. I want to stock up the chapters and properly proofreaded by my dear best friend. She had a job so I can''t bother her more than this. I want to give you guys the best experience of reading this story, the last few chapters hasn''t been proofreaded so maybe there were many grammar error, hehehe~ And the second season will contain more angst, twists, mystery, and heartbreaking moments, So PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO IT. YEAH!! Oh, and I will create a new account and post some necessary pictures like the map of the continent, the cultural difference, weapons, etc. so you guys wouldn''t get confused if i talk about the place or country. I am evil and I know it. *wink *evil laugh Chapter 108 - Im Back From Hiatus!! Hi hi guys, this is your author that had been hiatus for quite a while hehehe~ Starting tomorrow, i will start to update regularly again YAY! Even though i haven''t written half of the story yet, i can''t wait to reveal what i had written to you guys. In those hiatus time, i realized that the main motivation for me to write passionately is you guys'' comments. Some of it was hilarious and some of you guys gave me opinion ( which i appreciate too). i can improve my writing by having a frequent communication between us. Oh, i will change the title of the story from " The strongest female general and mage" to " Incarnation of Gods: Endless fight for love" and the synopsis bc it had became quite unrelated as the story flew. Sorry for the inconvenience. Follow IG: @al7773author So you guys can see the sketch of the characters, only the characters that will appear quite freuently in season 2 ( and bc i like the character) It includes some of the place that will be mentioned in the story therefore you will it be easy to picture it if i only write a short description of the place. Chapter 109 - 107. Marriage I Third person POV Hong er widened her eyes in shock, she slightly lifted her mask and wiped off her tears with her shaking hand then put back on her mask. Xu Tingfeng, Bai Huiqing, and Hong er slowly approached the entourage that was blocked by the gate guards and Hong er saw that the uniform they wore were different. Half of the entourage were wearing Da Chu''s palace uniform while the other half were unknown to her. They knelt in front of the eunuch that was holding the edict in one knee and cupped their fist. The gate guard instantly retracted their spear from blocking the entrance. The eunuch didn''t pay any heed towards the guards as he continued to read the content of the edict. Eunuch: " The Di daughter of Great General Xu, Miss Xu Feihong please step forward to receive the imperial edict." Hong er flinched when she heard that the edict was for her. She had always been a brave, independent, and strong woman since she was little but she just lost her beloved person and right now she was at the weakest state she had ever been. She slowly stood up and knelt right in front of the eunuch. She was feeling afraid and anxious, if the edict was really about her marriage then she had no choice but to marry the man that was mentioned in the edict. She didn''t want to betray Weisheng by marrying other man but if she rejects the edict then her whole family would be killed for rebelling. ( A/N: rejecting imperial edict means rebelling the emperor) She had to choose one of them, her love or her family. Then a loud voice disturbed her train of thoughts. Eunuch: " Miss Xu Feihong, for the sake of Da Chu, Zhen will bestow you a marriage to the Emperor of Da Qi. If this marriage went smoothly then you had contributed to the country and your heroic action will always be remembered in our heart." Hong er immediately whip her head up to look at the eunuch, she was too confused and shocked by what happened. The eunuch rolled back the edict and held it with both of his palm. Hong er snapped out from her shock and quickly offered her hands to receive the edict. Eunuch: " Miss Xu, receive the edict." The eunuch placed the edict on Hong er''s palms and took a step back. Hong er held the edict and lowered her head. Hong er: " Long live the emperor." The eunuch waved his hand towards his entourage and walked away, leaving the other half of the entourage that wore different uniform from them. Hong er was still looking down to the ground until one of the people with foreign uniform walked towards Hong er. With Hong er''s years of training, she was always aware of her surrounding especially when she was in panic or anger. She felt like everything around her was a threat towards her and she wanted to eliminate everything. The moment she sensed a movement in front of her, she immediately jumped backwards and looked at the man with threatening eyes. The man''s expression didn''t change, he still smiled at Hong er despite her cold behavior towards him. He stopped in his track and politely bowed his head towards Hong er. Man: " My apologies if I scared you, Miss Xu. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Lu Ping and I was assigned by His Majesty to prepare and teach Miss Xu for your coming marriage." Hong er: '' His Majesty? They were sent by Da Qi''s emperor?'' Hong er instantly stood straight and bowed to Lu Ping. Hong er: " The one in the wrong is me, I didn''t pay attention to my surroundings that it causes this misunderstanding. I apologize once again." Lu Ping: " It''s fine, Miss Xu. Then do you mind if we talk inside?" Then Hong er noticed that the citizens were crowding the gate with kitchen knifes and sticks in their hands. Based on their expressions, they were ready to attack Lu Ping''s entourage. Hong er immediately welcomed Lu Ping and his entourage into the house and calmed the citizens. After listening to Hong er''s words, the citizens smiled and slowly dispersed after they said a few words to Hong er. Citizens: " As Xi An''s citizens, we will protect Xu family no matter what. Xu family had protected us from any kind of danger, we can''t just receive your kindness without repaying." Hong er: " Uhm, thank you so much. We really appreciate your help and it is our duty to protect Xi An." Hong er went to the main hall after the crowd dispersed. She saw Lu Ping was sitting at the seat below Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing''s seat waiting for her. Lu Ping instantly stood up and smiled gently the moment he saw Hong er had arrived at the main hall. Hong er approached Lu Ping and curiously looked at the entourage behind him, her action didn''t escape from Lu Ping''s eyes. Lu Ping went to a middle aged woman''s side and politely placed his palm in front of her to introduce her. Lu Ping: " Miss Xu, firstly let me introduce you to your other teacher. This will be your teacher, her name is Laojin and she will teach you everything that you need to learn to be an empress." Laojin bowed to Hong er and smiled gently at her. Hong er was surprised when Lu Ping said '' to be an empress''. Because when a woman was offered to a neighbor country to be a bride, it doesn''t necessarily means that she would be the legal wife or first wife of the man that they were married to. Furthermore, the man that she would be married to was the man with the highest status in that country and more importantly, she would be his empress. All of these things didn''t make sense to Hong er, why would an opposing country''s emperor wanted to make her to be his empress, he could just make her be one of his concubines and that would be easier to control her. Hong er: '' Isn''t he afraid that I am a spy? Especially that I''m the daughter of the most powerful family in Da Chu.'' Hong er noticed that everyone was staring at her, she finally remembered that she hadn''t greet back to Laojin. She immediately bent her knees to the side and placed both of her hands on her waist and greeted like a graceful lady she was. Hong er: " Please forgive my clumsiness. I am the Di daughter of Great General Xu, Xu Feihong." No matter what happened to her, she shouldn''t be a disgrace to Xu family by not knowing any manner. Laojin chuckled when she saw how serious Hong er greeted her. Laojin: " Mah~ Maybe there is nothing that I can teach Miss Xu. Her posture and vibe when she greets are gentle and graceful but didn''t lose any dignity in it. It is my pleasure to teach Miss Xu." Hong er bent her knees again to thank Laojin for her compliments but Hong er couldn''t get happy even though she was complimented and the entourage that was sent by Da Qi was so kind to her. She still couldn''t get over Weisheng''s death, her sadness was noticed by all of them and they were satisfied by that. Chapter 110 - 108. Marriage II Third person POV Lu Ping was directly sent by Weisheng to protect Hong er from any harm. But he had another motive other than that. He wanted to see Hong er''s reaction when she was told that she would be an empress of another country. He knew that Weisheng was undercover as Sheng ge to court Hong er and that''s why he wanted to know if she would be happy to be an empress and decided to forget Sheng ge. But her reaction was different from what he expected, it seems like she wanted to reject the offer of being an empress but she was hesitant to reject it too. Then he noticed that she kept spacing out and sometimes she stares at Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing. For a genius advisor like him, it was easy to guess what bothered Hong er. Lu Ping: '' So she didn''t want to marry His Majesty but she can''t reject an imperial edict because of her family. What a filial daughter.'' Even though he stared at her with a smile on his face, Hong er shivered under his stares. It felt like everything inside her mind was being read by Lu Ping and it was similar to Lan Qingshan when he was teaching. Lu Ping noticed the slight changes in Hong er''s eyes, he only smiled at her and continued to speak. Lu Ping: " The dower will arrive in 5 days. We have an urgent matter to do so we left the other entourage that carried the dower from the capital of Da Qi. Please forgive us for the delay and here is the list of the dower." Lu Ping bowed his head towards the three of them and handed a black and golden scroll to Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng unrolled the thick scroll and the end of the scroll rolled down until it bumped onto Hong er''s foot, that shows how many the dower Weisheng gave to Hong er. Xu Tingfeng had expected Weisheng to do all of these things to marry Hong er but he didn''t expect that Weisheng would go all out on the dower. Even Bai Huiqing almost collapsed after she read the list of the dower, her personal maid managed to catch her before she fall. Just by looking at the length of the scroll, Hong er knew that it was no joke. She was aware that Da Qi was very wealthy and powerful thanks to the new emperor. He had made an alliance with Xi Bei the moment he ascended the throne, Xi Bei was well known in sea products and their fur coats since their country was at the northern part of the continent. Xi Bei''s economics state and wealth suddenly risen and acc.u.mulate for these 13 years and now they became one of the richest countries in this continent. But despite their acc.u.mulating wealth, their power in military was not very good and that was one of their reasons in alliance with Da Qi. Da Qi was famous for their military forces and their mining products, they created great weapons with their high quality material. Meanwhile, Da Chu was famous for their textile, herb and holy land. Many ancient and holy places were in Da Chu like Thousands Beasts Forest and Mountain of Goddess. Especially Mountain of Goddess, it was the place where the legends said that the Goddess of Light had descended from the heaven to visit the earth when there was a calamity where creatures suddenly found dead with unknown disease. She poured half of her power into the mountain and spread it all around the world from the ground, her light power stabilized the dark power and the world went back to its peace. Furthermore, her power had attracted many spirits to stay around the mountain and it results the land around the mountain to be very fertile. Since Da Chu was the nearest to Mountain of Goddess, the highest quality of herb likely to grew around the mountain. Even if it was in winter, every kind of herbs would still grew even though the herbs were supposed to grow in summer. Xu Tingfeng could only sigh and facepalm himself while reading the dower list. Xu Tingfeng: '' This kiddo wants me to go bankrupt. And I only just read a quarter of the dower. My god¡­'' The keen eyed Lu Ping noticed Xu Tingfeng''s concern, he slowly approached Xu Tingfeng and whispered in his ears. Xu Tingfeng slightly leaned his ears to listen to Lu Ping. Lu Ping: " His Majesty said that you can just use part of his dower as dowry." Xu Tingfeng touched his chin with his finger and nodded his head in agreement. Hong er who was standing on the side was baffled by Xu Tingfeng and Lu Ping''s close relationship, she never seen Xu Tingfeng being too friendly to anyone from Da Chu, rather than that, Xu Tingfeng''s friends were most likely live in different country. Sometimes he went to some hidden places to meet up with friends and have a drink with them, his friends always gave gifts or letters to Hong er and greetings to Bai Huiqing. Usually Hong er was very patient in everything but seeing his father''s expression after reading the dower list made her worry. She picked up the other end of the scroll that bumped onto her foot and read it, her body immediately froze after she read three lines of the list. She robotically turned her head and stared open mouthed at Lu Ping who was smiling at her. Hong er: " Ex-excuse me, I-I think you had make a mistake." Lu Ping: " No, we aren''t, Miss Xu. This had been checked 3 times and by the emperor himself." Hong er was once again dumbfounded by this Da Qi emperor''s action. Hong er: '' Does he has nothing to do? Is there something behind this? Is he trying to provoke Da Chu''s emperor?'' Hong er tried hard to find a reason behind the enormous amount of expensive things in the list. She scrunched her eyebrows and continued to read the list, even the list was written in golden ink. Hong er couldn''t bear looking at the list anymore, these kind of extravagant things were not suited for her. She couldn''t accept all of the dower as she felt that she wasn''t worth as much as the dower. Hong er rolled back the scroll and took it from Xu Tingfeng''s hand and handed it over to Lu Ping. The puzzled Lu Ping only look fixedly at Hong er without having any intention to take the scroll from Hong er''s hand. Hong er: " My apologies Lu Gongzi. I can''t accept this dower, this is too much for someone like me. I will still marry His Majesty even if he didn''t give me this much of dower. Please take it back." ( A/N: Gongzi = son of nobility.) Lu Ping''s smile grew bigger and he chuckled, he expected that she would jump up and down from happiness after seeing the list of the dower. Usually most of the girls would be elated if they were given expensive accessories but Hong er''s really a special one. He was very satisfied that Weisheng had chosen such a humble girl as the love of his life and as his empress, she would be a great leader for the people. Lu Ping shook his head to reject Hong er suggestion. Lu Ping: " No, Miss Xu. You have to accept this dower or else¡­" Lu Ping looked downwards in contemplation. Hong er became anxious when Lu Ping suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence. Hong er: " Or else?" Lu Ping: " Or else His Majesty will add more things into the dower." Hong er stood in silence. She really didn''t get what this Da Qi emperor''s mind, she started to think that he was crazy. Chapter 111 - 109. Dowry Third person POV Hong er slowly parted her lips and stuttered out the question she most wanted to ask. Hong er: " Why?" Lu Ping once again looked down in contemplation. After a few second, he lifted his head and smiled carefreely at Hong er. Lu Ping: " Since His Majesty didn''t forbid me to say this then I won''t hold back." Hong er: '' Is it really fine?'' Lu Ping: " Actually the first time His Majesty wrote out the dower, it was 2 times longer than this." Hong er: '' He is crazy but kinda funny.'' Lu Ping: " But Her Majesty Empress dowager rejected the list of dower seeing that it would be hard for Xu family to prepare the dowry. Therefore Her Majesty chose the useful things that were in the list and decreased it to half." Hong er could only gawk at Lu Ping, what he said only made her more confused. Not only the emperor himself wrote out the dower list, even the empress dowager was involved in the dower''s arrangement. The empress dowager could just pass it onto one of her experienced servant but she decided to hand pick it. Hong er couldn''t comprehend why did they have to go all out just for this marriage. Hong er: " Even Her Majesty empress dowager herself was involved in the dower''s arrangement, is it worth it to do all of that for someone like me?" The flaw in Hong er was her low self esteem and Lu Ping knew what causes Hong er to be like that, thus he smiled at Hong er. Lu Ping: " Once, I asked His Majesty if it is worth it and then he said this to me." Hong er stared at Lu Ping with curious eyes. Lu Ping: " '' She can''t be compared to these things. It is me that didn''t deserve her.'' " Hong er widened her eyes in astonishment, she took a trip down her memory lane to recall if she ever met Da Qi emperor but no matter how many times she spun her brain, she couldn''t remember. Hong er: '' Why is His Majesty so fixated to me?'' Lu Ping: " I think Miss Xu is worth it. And please be confidence of yourself as you will lead Da Qi together by His Majesty''s side." Hong er: " Uh-uhm." Even though she was praised by the emperor of Da Qi and a huge amount of dower, none of this made her as happy as when she spent her times with Sheng ge ( Weisheng). She was grateful by their compliments and praises but she still felt empty. Lu Ping let her rest for a day and would start teaching her tomorrow. Hong er went to her favorite place, Floating Lotus Pavilion, it was the pavilion that was made for her birthday 7 years ago. Floating Lotus Pavilion was her private place and the servants respected her privacy by not going near the pavilion except for cleaning. They even guarded the pavilion from far away and Hong er really appreciates their thoughtfulness. Only Meiyun and Huayun could accompany her to the pavilion as Hong er had treat them as her own sister. They had added an attached pavilion that can be used as a meditation place or a napping area. The floor was made from dark wood and the wood had cooling sensation therefore it suits Hong er''s taste as she easily gets hot especially in summer. Hong er likes to lay on the wooden floor and dip her feet or hands into the water to relieve herself from the heat. But today she didn''t feel like it, she just sat at the side while leaning on a wooden pillar. She dazedly stared at the fishes that were swimming around the lake. ( They didn''t wear their masks. Visitors had to report first before they enter the garden because Hong er always took off her mask when she is in her pavilion.) Meiyun and Huayun sat in silence until they saw a tear flew down Hong er''s cheek. Seeing Hong er''s tears, it made Huayun wanted to cry again. She gritted her teeth hoping her tears wouldn''t fall again then the same warm hand was placed on top of her hand. Meiyun gently patted her hand a few times before she went to Hong er''s side. She took Hong er''s hand and gently caressed her hand with her thumb. Meiyun: " Young Miss." Hong er looked over to Meiyun with tears blurring her vision. Meiyun smiled gently at Hong er and wiped away Hong er''s tears with her other hand. Meiyun: " Young Miss, you need to take a rest. It won''t be good for your body if you keep being like this." More tears came out from Hong er''s eyes as she leaned onto Meiyun''s hand. Hong er: " Whenever I close my eyes, the image of him dying always appear in my head. An-and I can''t se-see him suffer like that." Meiyun patted her lap and Hong er knew what she meant. Meiyun had taken care of Hong er since she was little and knew how to calm Hong er when she was in this kind of situation. When Hong er was still very young, she used to have nightmares and it was Meiyun that always led her to sleep again. Hong er laid her head on Meiyun''s lap with her tears wetting Meiyun''s clothes. Meiyun caressed Hong er''s hair and used her wind magic to create a gentle cool breeze to ease up the heat around the pavilion. After a while, Meiyun could feel Hong er''s body relaxed and she softly spoke. Meiyun: " Young Miss, do you trust me?" Huayun that was sitting silently at the back, slowly lifted her eyes to look at Meiyun. As Meiyun''s biological twin sister, Huayun knows what Meiyun had always wanted from people she respect or love. It was the hardest thing to gain and the easiest thing to broke, trust. Therefore, Meiyun would always ask everyone that she trusted if they trust her. And that''s why the question that Meiyun asked Hong er made Huayun looked up. Then she saw Meiyun was actually looking at her, she finally understood what Meiyun meant. Huayun: '' She is asking both of us.'' Huayun slowly crawled towards Meiyun and buried her face onto Meiyun''s shoulder. Hong er and Huayun nodded their head against Meiyun''s body at the same time. A gentle smile bloomed on Meiyun''s face as she leaned her head on top of Huayun''s head. Meiyun: " En, thank you for trusting me." Meiyun covered Hong er''s eyes with her palm, she could feel the wetness of Hong er''s tears. Meiyun: " Now, close your eyes and think of his smiling face." An image of Weisheng smiled gently at her while patting her head appeared. Meiyun patted her head and whispered a chant. Not long after, she heard Hong er and Huayun''s breathing had become stable. She smiled gently at the sleeping girls and looked up to the sky. She inaudibly mumbled something. Meiyun: " Please¡­ believe this once. They are fine, they will come back to marry you two." She saw the cloud''s shape was similar to Qiyi when he was riding his horse. It reminded her the day where Qiyi left the residence for the mission, then she closed her eyes trying to forget about her unrequited love. She didn''t want to chase after the impossible because she had other responsibilities to carry. She opened her eyes again and looked at her beloved Young Miss and sister. Meiyun: " I will always protect you. Even if it costs my life." Chapter 112 - 110. Secret Message I Third person POV ****Before Hong er went to the pavilion**** Meiyun and Huayun were standing at the side of the main hall when Hong er read the list of the dower. Meiyun was looking over Hong er when she felt someone stared at her, she shifted her eyes around to find that person and then saw Lu Ping was looking at her with a sly smile. Lu Ping parted his lips and mouthed a few words when everyone was focused on their own things. Meiyun scrunched her eyebrow in caution as she fisted her hands under her sleeve. Meiyun: '' Meet me at my quarter. Why is he telling me?" . . . Meiyun brought the sleeping Hong er and Huayun back to their own room before she went to Lu Ping''s quarter. She snuck into his courtyard and stopped in front of the two guards that were standing in front of his door. Based on their uniform, the two guards weren''t from Xu Military. Meiyun smirked underneath her mask as she summoned her ring swords and get on her fighting stance. The two guards immediately got alerted when they saw Meiyun suddenly summoned her sword, they gripped on their spear and were on their fighting stance too. They could be considered quite strong but they knew they weren''t on the same level as Meiyun. Then a calm voice sounded out from inside of the room. Lu Ping: " Let her in." The two guards instantly retracted their weapons and stepped aside for Meiyun to pass. When she thought that she finally could relieve some stress by fighting, Meiyun sighed as she unsummoned her ring swords. She entered the room and saw Lu Ping was writing something on his desk. Without looking up, Lu Ping continued to speak. Lu Ping: " Meiyun?" Meiyun furrowed her eyebrow when he said her name. No one would bother to investigate a mere servant except they had an ulterior motive. Meiyun calmed herself and kept her composure, she bowed her head and asked in her usual cheerful voice. Meiyun: " Forgive this servant for being rude but did I know you, Lu Gongzi?" Lu Ping: " Mah~ You don''t know me but I know you." Meiyun: " Mind if I ask, how and why Lu Gongzi know me?" Lu Ping: " His Majesty told me to pass you a message." Meiyun: " His Majesty?" Meiyun was puzzled, since Lu Ping had talked about how his emperor loved her Young Miss so much in the main hall, Meiyun had been suspicious of their identity but she decided to keep her mouth shut as she didn''t have any concrete evidence. It would be extremely dangerous for her to probe them especially the royalties and their aides. Lu Ping: " Yes. Or should I say General Sheng?" Meiyun widened her eyes in shock, she finally could put all of the pieces together. Meiyun had been suspicious of Weisheng''s identity since the first time he gave Hong er a birthday gift. Hong er''s thumb ring wasn''t something that you could find anywhere, it was made with the highest quality of jade and craftsmanship, the most important thing was the ring has magic in it but Meiyun didn''t know what was the magic for. And as years passed by, all of the gifts was so expensive and rare, she knew that Weisheng wasn''t how he looked like. But seeing Hong er being happy around Weisheng made Meiyun couldn''t confront him. She thought that Weisheng''s feeling towards Hong er was genuine therefore she didn''t probe him or ask anything about him until that day where she noticed his dark Qi. After putting all the puzzles together, Meiyun immediately knelt on one knee with her fist cupped. Meiyun: " This servant will obey each and every of His Majesty''s orders in the means that it could protect Young Miss from any harm." Meiyun declared firmly. Lu Ping was stunned by her sudden change in attitude, his first impression of her was playful, carefree, and lazy but he knew she was hiding something behind her smile. Lu Ping: '' She is very loyal.'' Lu Ping smiled in satisfaction, he was very content on how loyal Meiyun was. She even dared to make a bet with someone she was suspicious with. He admired her guts but someone like her in fact was very fragile. Loyal servants like her would risk their life for their master''s safety and happiness. Lu Ping: " His Majesty said to protect Miss Xu properly especially when she is on the way to Da Qi. Probably there will be someone plotted against Miss Xu." Meiyun: " Yes, sir!" Lu Ping: " And His Majesty told you to not drown in sadness or anger or else the power inside of you would be unstable." Meiyun: " This servant understood." Meiyun stopped for a while and decided to ask the question that had been bugging her for the whole time. Meiyun: " Mind if I ask a question, Lu Gongzi." Lu Ping: " Go ahead." Meiyun: " How are Qiyi and Qier''s condition?" Lu Ping: " Hm? They are fine, why do you ask about them?" Meiyun''s body froze then she remember what Qiyi said to her that day by the side of the river. She didn''t hate Qiyi or such, rather she still like him despite what he said about her. She knew that she couldn''t attain everything she wanted so she only hoped the best for them and kept being friends with them. Meiyun: " They are like brothers to me therefore it is not weird for me if I worry about them. Then I should take my leave, Lu Gongzi. Thank you for answering my question and I will definitely comply to His Majesty''s orders." Lu Ping: " En, go." Meiyun walked out of the room and met the two guards again. They stared at Meiyun with curious eyes, they were intrigued at how strong Meiyun was despite her small and slim body. Meiyun noticed the curiosity in their eyes, she chuckled and slapped their back lightly. Meiyun: " Wanna fight me?" They had heard about the Xu Military ''s prowess especially their elite forces, their coach said that Xu''s elite forces was comparable to Liu''s elite forces. ( Liu''s elite forces/ military means Weisheng''s own military forces, not imperial soldiers. He raised his own soldiers when he was still a crown prince and at that time he had a status as general too.) But as a man and a soldier from an opposing country, they couldn''t just nod their head when a petite girl asked them if they wanted to fight. Meiyun could understand why they were hesitating, she just walked off and waved her hands towards them. Meiyun: " If you guys are interested, just go to our training field when you are off duty and ask my name, I will bring my sister and Young Miss with me to fight all of you." They stared at Meiyun''s silhouette with astonishment then they quickly whipped their head towards the room where Lu Ping stayed. Lu Ping could feel their stare through the door, he let out a long sigh before he agreed. Lu Ping: " Go at night." The two of them immediately jumped up and down in joy, they never imagined that one day they would fight the Xu elite forces without losing their head. Chapter 113 - 111. Secret Message II Third person POV Later when Hong er opened her eyes, she noticed that she was back in her room. She sat up and rubbed her swollen eyes to clear out her sleepiness. Meiyun heard a movement from inside of the room, she lightly knocked the door and asked. Meiyun: " Young Miss, are you awake?" Hong er: " Uhm." Meiyun entered the room and poured a cup of water for Hong er. Hong er took the cup and asked. Hong er: " What time is it?" Meiyun: " It is 5 Am, Young Miss." Hong er: " Hoo~ Hm? Where is Huayun?" Meiyun: " My apologies on my sister''s behalf, Young Miss. I brought her to her room to take a rest as she fell asleep when she was on duty." Meiyun knelt and kowtowed but before her forehead could touch the floor, Hong er quickly lifted Meiyun up and scolded her. Hong er: " How many times have I said that you didn''t have to kneel to me? I have regarded you and Huayun as my sister." Meiyun: " Thank you, Young Miss." Meiyun stood up and helped Hong er to change her clothes, not long after, Huayun suddenly appeared and scolded Meiyun for not waking her up. They headed to the main hall and Lu Ping joined them in the dinner. The two guards from before stared at them with enthusiasm, the confused Huayun nudged Meiyun''s arm and gave her a questioning look. But Meiyun didn''t look at her nor reply to her. Knowing her sister had made some kind of weird agreement, she internally sighed and let her go. . . . After they finished their dinner, Xu Tingfeng talked about a lot of things to Lu Ping until he noticed the two guards were staring at the Yun sisters with sparkling eyes. Then he surprised Lu Ping with suddenly disappearing from his spot, Xu Tingfeng appeared behind the two guards without being noticed and put his arms around their neck. The two guards jumped up in surprise, they immediately whipped their head to the side to look at Xu Tingfeng. ( Everyone is using mask, except the ordinary servant.) Xu Tingfeng: " Hey hey~ Why are you looking at them with those eyes? Hmmm~~" Xu Tingfeng teased the panicked guards, they opened and closed their mouth repeatedly trying to get their voice out of their throat. Ah Su: " W-w-we, no-nothing¡­" (Guard 1) Xu Tingfeng: " Hm? Don''t you dare to lie in my territory." Xu Tingfeng gave them a threatening look, they gulped down their saliva when they felt Xu Tingfeng''s arms tighten around their necks. Ah Yu: " Gre-great General Xu, ple-please forgive us for being brazen but we promised someone that we will have a match." Xu Tingfeng: " A match?" Huayun immediately glared at Meiyun who didn''t dare to meet Huayun''s eyes. Xu Tingfeng looked over Xu Tingfeng: " Who?" Ah Su & Ah Yu: " Tha-that girl¡­" They shakily pointed at Meiyun and gave her an apologetic face. But suddenly a loud voice boomed through their eardrums. Xu Tingfeng: " HELL YEAH! Let''s have a match!" Ah Su and Ah Yu looked at Xu Tingfeng with weird eyes and turned their eyes to Meiyun, she gave them a thumb up. They thought that they would have to fight Xu Tingfeng, they were happy but scared at the same time. Xu Tingfeng: " Ya kiddos follow me too!" Xu Tingfeng yelled at Lu Ping and dragged the two guards to the training field. Bai Huiqing and Lu Ping could only sigh and follow Xu Tingfeng to the training field. Xu Tingfeng threw them into the middle of the field and sat on the seat he usually sat when he observe a match. Lu Ping, Hong er and Bai Huiqing naturally sat on the seat that the servants brought for them. Ah Su and Ah Yu were bewildered with whatever happened around them, Meiyun pulled the angry Huayun to the training field with her. Lu Ping looked at the 4 people standing in the middle of the field with a sly smile. Lu Ping: " Isn''t it unfair, Great General Xu?" Xu Tingfeng: " Hm~ Right. Hey you two! Bring your friends too! And call Xiao Ruo to come here." Xu Tingfeng shouted at Ah Su and Ah Yu, they knew that they were not on the same level as the Yun sisters so they weren''t offended by what Xu Tingfeng said. If they fight 2 on 2 with the opponent on the whole level ahead them then they would be defeated in the blink of an eye. 4 young men stepped in and formed a formation with their own weapons in their hands. Meiyun: " What is your position in the army?" Meiyun asked with her cheerful voice. Ah Su: " Newbie in elite forces." Meiyun: " Hee~~ Then I won''t go easy on you." Ah Su: " Please do so." Little while later, Shu Zhiruo appeared at the side of the training field with her medicine box. Song Tao stepped forward and raised his hands. Song Tao: " Ready¡­" Meiyun summoned her ring swords and stood in front of Huayun while Huayun summoned her fan with knives in it. Song Tao: " Set¡­" They started to acc.u.mulate their Qi around them. Meiyun and Huayun slightly shifted their feet. Song Tao: " Fight!" Meiyun immediately disappeared from her spot, Ah Su and Ah Yu wanted to advance but before their feet could leave the ground, they were slammed deep to the ground with Meiyun''s ring sword pressed on their neck. They coughed up blood as one of their ribs was broken. Their other 4 friends dispersed, 2 of them sprinted to Huayun and the other 2 went to Meiyun''s behind. Huayun swung her fan upwards, a thick ice wall appeared behind Meiyun and around her. Then Huayun swung her fan as water spears appeared and attacked the two men with her every swing. The two men were pushed by Huayun''s attacks, they gritted their teeth and nodded at each other before they slammed down their fists down to the ground. Huayun''s legs were suddenly locked by rocks and her ice wall changed into humongous trees as it slowly swallows Huayun down to the ground. Huayun: '' Hoo~ Wood and rock¡­'' While Huayun was being sucked to the ground, Meiyun was battling with 4 people while laughing hysterically. They knew that Meiyun didn''t use her full power yet, they wanted to corner her so she would fight them seriously. They growled as the Qi around them started to build up, they raised their weapons to the sky as the cloud started to whirl above them and purple lightning crackled around one of the 4 men. Behind her a firestorm and sandstorm started to approach her while the man in front of her was creating dozens of weapons with his metal magic. A few seconds later, 4 of them roared together as their magic merged and became one and attacked Meiyun who stood in the middle. A huge sandstorm encircled with fire, lightning, and swords, engulfed Meiyun inside of the storm. Lu Ping smiled as he glanced at the calm Hong er, he was quite amazed by Hong er''s calmness. Lu Ping: " Miss Xu, are you not worried about your personal maids?" Hong er instantly replied without looking at him. Hong er: " I trust them." Lu Ping: " Ohoo~ What a faithful master." Lu Ping muttered under his folded fan while watching the fight in front of him. Chapter 114 - 112. Lets Run Away I Third person POV After a few seconds of no movement from both Meiyun and Huayun, the 6 men started to get agitated, afraid they went too hard on the girls. And when they wanted to retract their magic, metal clashing sounded out and sparks from the clashing could be seen inside the storm. Then an energetic voice shouted out. Meiyun: " THIS IS FUN!" The four of them flinched and gripped their fists, they put more concentration in locking Meiyun inside the storm. On the other side, the 2 men that were facing Huayun also felt the ground vibrated, they could feel a strong Qi acc.u.mulating inside of the cocoon. An enormous whirlwind appeared inside of the sandstorm, Meiyun''s ring swords were flying around the whirlwind while clashing with the swords. At the same time, inside of the tree cocoon, water was spinning around Huayun in high speed. Huayun brought her fan in front of her face with her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and the water spun faster. She opened her eyes and closes her fan at the same time, the water exploded, the trees and the rocks around her destroyed into dust. While on the other side, Meiyun''s whirlwind had swallowed the sandstorm and blew all of them away. The 6 of them lying lifeless on the ground, Meiyun landed on the ground and catch her flying ring swords. Huayun went to Meiyun''s side and smacked her head with her fan. Huayun: " Don''t you ever invite anyone into a fight again." Meiyun: " Ehehehe~ Oh! Young Miss! We won! Yey!" Meiyun turned around and jumped up and down while waving her hand towards Hong er. Hong er laughed and waved back to Meiyun. Lu Ping: " What a great relationship Miss Xu have with her servants." Hong er: " They are more like sister to me." Lu Ping: " Hoo~" Lu Ping: '' What a beautiful relationship they have.'' Shu Zhiruo tended their injuries and brought them to her infirmary with Xu soldiers help. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing praised the Yun sisters'' improvements in combat and magic before they left to their rooms. Xu Tingfeng appointed his soldiers to protect Lu Ping until the 6 men recover. After that, Lu Ping went back to his room with his new bodyguards, he had to admit that Xu Tingfeng''s a very responsible person. The bodyguards that Xu Tingfeng appointed were stronger than the 6 of them. Lu Ping: '' Hoo~ He didn''t want me to die in his house.'' Meiyun and Huayun brought Hong er to her room and Meiyun could see the sadness in Hong er''s eyes. She just hopes that the wedding would be quicker so Hong er and Weisheng could meet again. After Hong er went to her bed, they walked out and guarded the front door like how they usually would do. But since they have a match with those 6 men, their clothes were quite messy and dusty. So Huayun went to their shared room to change her clothes while Meiyun was guarding the room. Few minutes later, Huayun came back with fresh clothes and it was Meiyun''s turn to change her clothes. She walked through the corridor and entered her room, the moment she closed the door, she dropped down to the floor. Her head was so dizzy and it felt like everything around her multiplied. Then she felt a liquid flew down from her nose, she took off her mask and touches the liquid with her finger. She saw a red liquid on her finger and only after a while she finally realized that it was blood. Meiyun: " Eh?" . . . Lu Ping taught Hong er the history and everything revolve around Da Qi, both politics and culture. Meanwhile, Laojin trained Hong er how to walk and speak like an empress, since Hong er was very good at balancing, Laojin showed the walk to Hong er only a few times, Hong er could imitate Laojin perfectly. Then, Laojin told Hong er about the activities as an empress and the rules in the emperor''s harem. But Laojin straight away said that the emperor has no concubine nor consort in his harem. Laojin: " Miss Xu, you don''t need to worry. The emperor said that he only wanted Miss Xu as his wife and no one else can take that place from you." Hong er: " Thank you, Jin Momo." ( A/N: Laojin is Weisheng''s nanny when he was still little. So basically Hong er had to call her momo in the meaning of nanny. I know this from other story so correct me if I''m wrong.) Hong er thought that there was no way an emperor would only have one wife. In every history she had read before, every emperor have at least 2 or 3 consorts beside him. They weren''t necessarily had to be in love with each other, mostly the emperor make the woman become his consort because of the woman''s family''s power. So Hong er didn''t believe what Laojin said to her, in her mind, she assumed that Laojin said that only to give a good impression of the emperor on Hong er. Five days passed by like wind and the dowry finally arrived at the gate of Xu residence. The citizens followed the train of dowry with their eyes and mouth agape. Who hadn''t thought that Da Qi''s emperor would be so generous in marrying their beloved Young Miss. Even the chests were made by black wood and gold, their eyes were blinded by the l.u.s.ter of luxury. Drools oozed out from their mouth thinking what if they take one chest out of hundreds of it, they would be rich! But they quickly wiped off their drools and reminded themselves of everything that Xu family had done for them. They believe that Xu family deserves all of the fortune they got. One by one the carriages filled up Xu residence''s front yard, the soldiers swiftly carried the chests from the carriage to storeroom with Lu Ping reading out loud the list. Before they placed the chest in the storeroom, they opened the chest and let the Xu family members to check the content. Xu Tingfeng told them to just carry it into the storeroom and didn''t need to check it anymore because he was pretty sure that Weisheng wouldn''t let anything go wrong in the matter of marrying Hong er. Hong er indifferently watches the soldiers walked back and forth carrying the chests then she looked at her parents'' mood, in Hong er''s eyes, they seems relaxed and content. Hong er: '' Weird..'' Hong er felt that it was very weird for Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing to be this relaxed when Hong er will be married to another country''s emperor just in a few weeks. She knew that many aristocrat family used their daughter to gain power by marrying them to another aristocrat family. Even if Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing used her as a tool to gain power, Hong er didn''t really mind it seeing that they had picked her up from slavery and feed her until she became a respectful lady. But what bugged Hong er was why would they agree to Sheng ge when he asked for their blessing. Sheng ge was from a rich family but his adoptive family didn''t have any position in the court nor they have noble blood running in their veins. If they had planned marrying Hong er to another aristocrat family or powerful groom, they wouldn''t have agreed to Sheng ge marrying Hong er. The best thing to do was get rid of any potential obstacle like how they always annihilate the assassin guilds that attacked them. While she was in her own thoughts, a figure stood silently in the sideline of the crowd staring at her. When he saw how Hong er wasn''t enthusiast about the dowry, a wide smile crept up his face. He still had a chance, he thought. Chapter 115 - 113. Let’s Run Away II Third person POV After two hours of moving the chests, all of the carriages were finally emptied. Xu Tingfeng sighed when Song Tao reported that 4 storerooms were filled to the brim by chests of dower and the worse thing was some of the chests were directly sent to Hong er''s quarter, like clothes and accessories. The crowds had dispersed as they had to continue their work and only leaving little kids being curious. Since Sheng ge had died, the Sheng residence was bought by Xu Tingfeng to expand his training field as well as for the Da Qi''s entourage to stay for the rest 2 weeks before they depart back to Da Qi with Hong er and her dowry. They gave their greetings to their future empress and one of their idols, Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing. Xu Tingfeng didn''t know he was this popular, he smacked their back and told them to join his morning practice together with other Xu soldiers which enthusiastically accepted. They could see why Xi An''s citizens love Xu family and there was no negative rumors about Xu family. Even if there was, it would fade away in a few days. Huayun reminded Hong er of Lu Ping''s lesson, Hong er turned around and before she could walk away, a maid bowed to Hong er and said that someone was looking for her at the front gate. Hong er: " Who is it?" Maid: " This servant doesn''t know, Young Miss. But based on his clothes, maybe he is a noble." Hong er: " En, you can go." Maid: " Thank you, Young Miss. Please be careful." Hong er: " En." (A/N: Hong er was still mourning for Sheng ge, that''s why her reply and action wasn''t cheerful like usual.) Hong er glanced at the man that stood in front of the gate staring at her, he was wearing a hooded cape that was covering half of his face. Hong er scrunched her eyebrows in suspicion, she glanced at Meiyun and Huayun that were frowning too. Hong er: " Who do you think he is?'' Meiyun: " I don''t know but he looks familiar. Young Miss, I think it is better if you don''t go." Hong er: " En." It wouldn''t be good for an unmarried girl to meet up with a man in a quiet place, especially when the girl''s the bride of the neighbor country''s emperor. And if the rumor of the illicit relationship reached Da Qi''s emperor, he would think that Da Chu purposely tried to provoke Da Qi then it could lead to war. Hong er turned around and told Huayun to invite the unknown man to the main hall. When Hong er was focused on the man, Meiyun glanced at Lu Ping who was standing at the side watching all the drama unveiled. Noticing her glances, he smiled slyly and unnoticeably nodded his head. Huayun approached the man and bowed her head. Huayun: " What can I help you with?" The man heard Huayun''s voice and noticed that it wasn''t Hong er that came to him. Long Yang: " I am here to look for Miss Xu." Huayun: '' This voice! It is prince Long Yang!'' Huayun furrowed her eyebrow as her voice started to get lower. She knew that everyone in the Long royal family were dangerous, she made a few hand signals behind her back. Hong er and Meiyun saw the hand signals and instantly frowned. Hong er & Meiyun: '' Prince Long Yang!'' Meiyun whispered to Hong er to quickly go look for Lu Ping, Hong er nodded her head and walked away to catch up to not so far away Lu Ping. Hong er called out to Lu Ping. Hong er: " Lu Gongzi." Lu Ping turned around and saw Hong er walking towards him. Lu Ping: " Yes, Miss Xu?" Hong er: " Since we have the same destination, why don''t we go together?" Lu Ping: " Mah~ My pleasure, Miss Xu." Hong er bowed her head in reply and continued walking. Lu Ping looked over his shoulder and saw Meiyun gave him a few hand signals. He smirked when he knew who was the hooded cape man. Lu Ping: '' Aiyo~ Prince Long Yang, you better run away before he kills you.'' ( A/N: he= weisheng.) . . Huayun: " Can I know who you are?" Long Yang: " It- it doesn''t matter, Miss Xu will recognize me if she sees me." Huayun: " But Young Miss is very busy right now." Long Yang gritted his teeth in exasperation and looked at the spot where Hong er stood before and found out that Hong er had left. He saw the familiar girl in the mask that was walking towards him then he remembered that it was the one that pointed swords at him. Meiyun: " Is there something wrong?" Huayun: " This person wants to meet with Young Miss but he won''t identify himself." Meiyun: " Hhmm, I''m deeply sorry sir. We are only mere servants, we can''t violate the rules in here." Long Yang: " I am an acquaintance of Miss Xu, that''s why you have to let me meet her." Huayun: " It is not that we don''t want to help you, sir. But we have our own rules that the servants and guests have to obey. Anyone that wants to meet with our masters has to make an appointment first and it will be approved by our masters." Long Yang: " This is an urgent matter therefore I didn''t manage to make an appointment with Miss Xu." Huayun: " If sir hadn''t make an appointment and didn''t manage to notify Young Miss, please identify yourself so we can ask Young Miss." Long Yang: " I can''t say my identity to people that I don''t know." Huayun: " Sir, both of us are the Young Miss'' most trusted servants. You can trust us with giving your identity." Long Yang: " But I don''t know you two. How am I supposed to trust you?" Long Yang said sternly. Huayun''s head was aching from talking with Long Yang, since she knew that he was a prince, she had to courteously talk with him. Then at time like this, Meiyun stepped forward and stood straight in front of Long Yang. Meiyun: " Same with our side, sir. We can''t just let someone we don''t know get into our place." Long Yang: " That''s why I said that she will know who I am if she sees me." Meiyun: " Just say your name and your purpose for meeting our Young Miss, sir. If you can''t identify yourself, please leave." Usually Long Yang never use his status to order people around but right now he didn''t have any choice. He learned how those nobles flaunt their status to servants or commoner to make them scared and now''s the perfect time to use his knowledge to scare Meiyun and Huayun. Long Yang: " How dare you! Do you know who I am?!" Meiyun: " No, I don''t know, Sir. That''s why I had been asking sire to identify yourself." Long Yang didn''t think that it wouldn''t work. He gritted his teeth and rebuked. Long Yang: " You will regret this when Miss Xu knew how you treated her guest." Meiyun: "Sir, please don''t force me to use the hard way." Realizing that he couldn''t proceed like this, he took out a letter and threw it at Meiyun. Long Yang: " Just passing letter is fine right?" Meiyun: " Yes. I will definitely pass this to Young Miss." Long Yang mounted his horse and galloped away from Xu residence. Meiyun sighed loudly and passed the letter to Huayun. Knowing that Meiyun had entered her lazy mode, Huayun took the letter from Meiyun''s hand and put it in her sleeve. Huayun: " That prince is so stubborn." Meiyun: " Yeah~ And his mind is a lil bit crooked." Huayun: " Aren''t they?" ( A/N: Huayun was talking about the Long royal family.) Meiyun: " Hhmm~ Yeah, but I have a bad feeling with this one." Huayun: " Whatever, we will just give this letter to Young Miss. And why the hell are you walking so slow?" Meiyun: " Aiyo~ Can''t you let me breath in the fresh air." Huayun rolled her eyes and walked away from her sister. Meiyun loosened her grip after Huayun had walked quite far away. Meiyun: ''¡­ so dizzy¡­.'' Chapter 116 - 114. Lets Run Away III Third person POV Hong er went back to her chamber after her lesson with Laojin and Lu Ping. She sat on a chair and glanced at Huayun. Hong er: " So, how is it?" Huayun took out the letter from her sleeve and handed it over to Hong er. Huayun: " He didn''t dare to reveal his identity to us but he kept demanding to meet Young Miss." Hong er: " And?" Huayun: " And Meiyun drove him out." Meiyun: " Hehehe~" Hong er chuckled by her maids'' playfulness, she opened the letter and read the beautifully written words. The more she read it the darker her face got, even Meiyun and Huayun didn''t expect Hong er to get upset by a mere letter. Meiyun: " What did he write, Young Miss?" Huayun: " Meiyun! You are being brazen!" Meiyun: " I mean, look! Even Young Miss is frowning, aren''t you curious?" Hong er: " It is fine, come here and let''s look at it together." Meiyun and Huayun quickly went to Hong er''s side and read the letter. Their face went from smiling to disgusted face immediately, hairs on their body stood up. Meiyun: " What the f-" Huayun: " I know it is disgusting but refrain from cursing when Young Miss is around." Even though Huayun said that, in heart she was cursing non-stop of how nauseating and disgusting the letter was. It could make anyone shudder just by reading it. Meiyun: " Bu-but, how can this person confidently assume that Young Miss loves him and wants to marry him?! EEAAGGHHH!" Huayun: " Ehem, that''s true. Maybe he misinterpreted Young Miss'' kindness to love. Truly, I have never seen someone more shameless than Meiyun." Meiyun: " Right?!" Huayun: " You¡­ How shameless of you to admit yourself shameless." Meiyun ignored Huayun''s remark and continued to read the letter. '' Dear Miss Xu, I am sure you still remember the person that you helped when you were in the palace for the Bride Selection. To be frank, I had fallen for you from the first time we met in the alleyway. I had paid attention to you when you were sitting beautifully in the garden, you were so beautiful that the flowers were ashamed, then I saw the loneliness in your lovely golden eyes. I wanted to approach and comfort you but you had left the capital before I can even talk to you. I knew that you are obliged to marry that cold hearted emperor therefore I came to Xi An to bring you with me and explore this world, leaving our status and wealth and live happily with only the two of us. Please consider this offer and your happiness. I will definitely make you happier than anyone else in this world. Come to the food stall near the west gate at 10 A.M tomorrow, I will be waiting for you. I am sure you will come. Long Yang.'' Hong er crumpled the letter and burned it to ashes by using her fire magic. She didn''t know that her action would cause trouble. Huayun and Meiyun were satisfied with Hong er''s decision, Hong er was famous for her kindness and magnanimous but one thing that everyone didn''t know was, Hong er was quite heartless. Being an elite force, no one could avoid their hands from being stained by blood, so does Hong er. She needs to kill to survive. She was very lenient if it involves her but she would become ruthless if it was concerning to her beloved ones. In war, she would give the opponent a chance to resolve everything in peace thus no lives would be taken. If the opponent insisted on using the harsh way then she would be merciless. In different cases, if the culprit''s crime had been proven, she would immediately seize them without any word. Hong er: " Report this matter to father and send some people to keep an eye on him until father decided on what we will do." Huayun: " Yes, Young Miss." Huayun bowed to Hong er then walked out of the room. Meiyun poured a cup of hot tea for Hong er and was gladly accepted by Hong er. Meiyun: " Young Miss, so you are just gonna leave him like that?" Hong er: " Then what am I supposed to do?" Hong er glanced at Meiyun and smirked under the cup. Meiyun flinched when she saw Hong er''s eyes. Meiyun: " Yo-young Miss, wh-why are you angry?" Hong er: " Hm? Do I look angry?" Meiyun: " Uuhh, uumm. No? But yes?" Hong er: " Ahahaha, nothing biggie. Just slightly pissed off by that prince''s way of using words." Meiyun: " Why?" Hong er: " He said it like it was my father''s fault for forcing me to marry Da Qi''s emperor. You know me right?" Meiyun: " Yes, Young Miss." Meiyun: '' Never ever talk bad or hurt the people she loves.'' Hong er: " And¡­" Meiyun: And?" Hong er: " No one can make me happier than Sheng ge." Meiyun was silent. Hong er: " Even if I am married to Da Qi''s emperor, my heart will always love Sheng ge." Meiyun smiled gently at Hong er and bowed her head. Meiyun: " Yes, Young Miss." . . . Hong er woke up and did her morning routine. Long Yang''s offer had been thrown away to the back of her mind. The day passed by with Long Yang sitting alone in the food stall while looking around him, hoping that the white masked girl would show up. Unfortunately, the girl didn''t show up. He didn''t dare to leave his seat, afraid that when he was away, the girl would show up and leave if he wasn''t there. He kept ordering food so he could sit for a day. Night came but he was still waiting for her, the owner of the food stall pitied him and decided to leave a chair for him to sit. He felt devastated, he thought that Hong er loves him that''s why she helped him. He didn''t know what he had done wrong in his past life to be treated like this. But then a piece of paper out of nowhere fell in front of him. Suspicion built up inside his heart, he picked up the paper and saw a beautiful handwriting on the paper. '' Your Highness, I have to reject your offer. Please forgive this lowly one for being audacious but I have to clear this misunderstanding. I am not forced nor obliged to marry Da Qi''s emperor, I am the one who accepted the decree in my own accord. Lastly, I can''t accept Your Highness'' feelings towards me as this heart has belonged to someone else.'' Long Yang widened his eyes when he read the last sentence. His hands gripped on the paper causing it to crumple. He couldn''t believe this and didn''t want to believe this. His mind was in disarray trying to think that it was all fake. Then his body froze at the thought. Long Yang: '' Ye-yes, that''s right! Maybe she was confined in her room and they found out about my letter so they decided to write this so I give up on her! How could I not think about that earlier?! Then the people who knew about this letter the two maids! How dare they lie to me! Miss Xu, please wait for me! I will definitely come back to save you!'' A wide smile crept up his face as he laughed maniacally. Chapter 117 - 115. Leaving to Da Qi I Third person POV A week had passed and the dowry had been sorted out by Bai Huiqing, the day she had to leave the Xu residence had come. She woke up like usual and took a warm bath before she dressed up with a glamorous dress that came with the dower. She had to put more accessories in her hair and her body but knowing that Hong er didn''t really like complicated accessories, Weisheng purposely chose simpler designed accessories. Huayun defined Hong er''s brow and put on some rouge on her cheek and lips, a little bit of eyeliner and done. At the same time Meiyun finished doing Hong er''s hair, Huayun choose a few hair accessories from 10 boxes full of jewelries. They were putting the hair ornament when Meiyun noticed at the corner of the dressing table there was the white jade hair ornaments that Hong er always uses. Meiyun glanced at the dazed Hong er before she took the white jade hair ornament and slide it in her hair. Meiyun: " Ooh la la~ Our Young Miss is the best." Huayun: " Meiyun, can''t you be more polite?" Meiyun: " I am just too stunned by Young Miss'' beauty that I don''t know how to talk properly." Huayun sighed, at the same time she agreed with Meiyun''s words. Hong er could bewitch anyone just by a glance, whether it was men or women, they would fall head over heels for her. Startled by Meiyun''s loud voice, Hong er looked up to the mirror and her jaw dropped when she saw her own reflection on the mirror. Meiyun: " Look! Young Miss likes the hairstyle I made." Huayun: " No, she likes the make-up." Meiyun: " No, the hairstyle." Huayun: " Make up." While Meiyun and Huayun were bickering of who did the best job, Hong er touched the white jade hair ornament and stared at it. Huayun: " Young Miss?" Hong er snapped out of her mind when Huayun called her. Huayun: " Are you okay? You have been spacing out since you woke up." Hong er quickly retracted her hand and shook her head. But she forgot that she wore a dangling hair ornaments, the clinking sound startled Hong er. Since she has to do missions in silence, she never wore something that could cause noises, that''s why she was quite surprised by the sudden noise. She chuckled by her own clumsiness. Hong er: " Hahaha, I am okay. Just reminiscing some memories." Without even saying it, they knew what Hong er was thinking about. Meiyun could only pat Hong er''s shoulder and smiled widely. Meiyun: " Ehehehe~" Hong er smiled back at Meiyun then a few knocks were heard. Maid: " Young Miss, the carriage had arrived." Hong er: " Yes, I will be there in a second." Hong er put on a veil and stood up from her seat. Meiyun and Huayun opened the door for Hong er, people had lined up outside her room, waiting for Hong er to show up. Sadness filled on their face, they didn''t want to be separated from their sweet and beautiful Young Miss therefore all of them wanted to send her off. Maybe they could meet again but no one knows how long it''ll take. Especially the soldiers and the elite forces, they wouldn''t know when they would die or maybe killed in war or mission. Hong er smiled gently and waved her hand to everyone as she walked towards the main gate. Some of them cried and some of them just sadly waved their hand back to Hong er. The line ended at the main gate and at the end of line, there were Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing with Song Tao standing behind them. Xu Tingfeng: " Aiya~ Look at how big and beautiful my daughter is. Seeing you like this makes me not wanting to let you go." Hong er: " Ahahaha." Bai Huiqing: " We will catch up to you and attend the wedding ceremony, my dear. Don''t worry, His Majesty will treat you kindly and lovingly. Trust mother." Hong er: " Yes, mother." Lu Ping: " Miss Xu, it is time." Hong er nodded her head, she bowed to Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing then she turned around and bowed to the servants. Hong er: " Thank you for taking care of me for all these years. I can''t express how much I love all of you in words. I will always remember all of you even if I had left Xu residence." They were very touched by their Young Miss'' humbleness, usually if a person said that they would always remember you, at the end of the day, they actually forget everything about you. But Hong er''s a person who keeps her promise. There was that time where she said that she would always come to visit an old grandma that she met in the slum. Not long after, the grandma got sick and couldn''t get up from her bed, Hong er took care of her and paid for her medical fees, however the grandma died a few weeks later. The grandma had no relatives nor acquaintance, therefore Hong er decided to cremate the grandma''s body and the reason why Hong er took care of the grandma herself was she resembles her granny. The sight of the grandma sleeping helplessly on her bed made her recall the times where granny was sick. Then the picture of granny lying in the pool of blood haunted her again, she didn''t want the same thing happen to the grandma. Every season of the year, Hong er visits granny''s grave and offers her foods that she dreamed to have when she was still alive. Then all of them kowtowed to Hong er and shouted. All: " Our pleasure to serve Young Miss and we will always remember Young Miss in our heart even if we get old. We hope you have a great life and fortune in the future. Have a safe trip, Young Miss." Hong er smiled brightly. Hong er: " Uhm." Hong er turned around and walked towards the golden carriage, she glanced at Lu Ping and smiled gently. Hong er: " From now on, I''m counting on you, Lu Gongzi." Lu Ping smiled back and bowed his head. Lu Ping: " My pleasure, Miss Xu." Chapter 118 - 116. Leaving to Da Qi II Third person POV After learning everything that revolves around Da Qi, Hong er was impressed at how Da Qi''s emperor govern over his country and his subjects. He was very strict in the matter of corruption, at the time he ascended the throne, he had executed the corruptors in front of the crowd and confiscated their property. Although he was strict, he was quite flexible in accepting foreign education and system just like how her father did. Since the age of his subjects were quite young, the older generation of ministers always rejected the foreign philosophy to preserve their ancient culture but as the people had entered the civilization era, they needed more advanced and developed systems to lead an easier like for the commoners. Slavery and drugs were banned in Da Qi and they had established a regulation for drugs dealer or user and slavery. Anyone that was caught in enslavement would immediately arrested and sentenced with life time prison or death penalty. If they were caught dealing drugs, they would be sent into prison, on the other side, for the people who are abusing drugs, they go to rehabilitation centre and would be released when they were fully recovered. Some of them were slaves and forced to use drugs so they could work longer and didn''t need to feed them food nor water. Hong er was really satisfied with these regulations, it feels like all of her prayers were heard by Da Qi''s emperor. She sat silently in her carriage while listening to the citizens congratulated her for her marriage. They stood at the side of the road and bowed to the passing carriages. They couldn''t be more happy to hear that their Young Miss are going to be an empress of Da Qi but they were quite worried about her seeing that the emperor''s cold blooded and merciless towards everyone. They didn''t want their beloved Young Miss to be mistreated in the foreign country. Some of them even kowtowed and prayed to the gods to protect their Young Miss. Hong er smiled gently under her veil and moved her hand around, dozens of cherry blossom trees suddenly emerged at the side road and the petals were falling on top of their head. They were stunned by the amazing view especially the children, they ran around the trees and playing around with the falling petals. Even the entourage was amazed then suddenly a gust of wind blew all the petals away. At first they were disappointed when the petals were gone but all of sudden, a little kid cried out while pointing to the sky. Kid: " Uppie!" Following the little kid''s finger, they saw a huge '' Xie xie'' ( Thank you ) word floating up in the sky. Their mouth was wide open and tears started to well up in their eyes, the people who have earth or plant elements used their powers to shower Hong er''s carriage and way with flowers. Hong er slightly lifted the curtain in front of her and looked outside. Hong er: " Beautiful." The flower stopped falling at the main gate and Hong er let down the curtain. She pulled out a set of embroidery tools from one of the drawer in the big carriage, Huayun brought it so Hong er could do some embroidery if she ever got bored. Hong er embroidered Xu logo in the middle and lilies around the logo. This was how Hong er spent her day in the carriage. . . . The soldiers started to set up tents when they saw the sun was starting to set. Hong er stepped out from her carriage and wanted to help them but was politely rejected. Firstly they set up Hong er''s tent and guided her into the tent to rest. Of course they couldn''t let their soon to be empress to help them do rough work. Seeing their burdened faces, Hong er obediently sat down on a chair inside of her tent. Meiyun and Huayun were guarding her tent from outside thus she was very bored. She had embroidered for a day and got bored of it too. She summoned her sword and wiped it with damp cloth, then she suddenly felt a new presence around her tent. She gripped on her sword and frowned deeply. If she could feel it from inside of her tent, Meiyun and Huayun must felt it too but they weren''t alerted. Hong er started to get anxious, she slowly approached the tent''s entrance and all of sudden Meiyun opened the curtain. Hong er: " Meiyun?" Meiyun: " Yes? Oh! Young Miss, there are guests for you but they have to enter from the window." Hong er lowered her sword and walked towards the window. Meiyun closed the curtain and continued to guard the tent. Hong er heard rustling sound outside of the window and she could hear someone whispering around. Hong er lifted up the window''s curtain and saw three boys squatting behind the window. Three Xu little brothers: " Hong Jiejie!" ( Whispering) Hong er: " Aiyo~ What are you guys doing here? First of all, come in." Hong er stepped aside and the three of them hopped into the tent. They immediately crowded Hong er and whining pitifully while tugging her clothes. Xu Zhaoyu: " Ho-Hong Jiejie, you are so cruel. How can you leave Xi An without saying anything?" Xu Yongliang: " He is right, Hong Jiejie is too cruel. She doesn''t love us anymore." Xu Yongrui: " You left us when we were training in the mountain." Xu Yongliang: " When we came home, we saw flowers all over the cities and when we asked second uncle, he said that you are going to marry the emperor of Da Qi! Do you know how much shock we got from that news?!" Xu Yongrui: " I almost fainted!" Xu Zhaoyu: " I actually fainted!" Hong er tried to calm the three giant puppies but they kept complaining with glassy eyes. Her heart was instantly pierced by their overwhelming cuteness, she hugged the three of them and patted their backs. Hong er: " I''m sorry, Hong Jiejie didn''t mean to leave you guys like that. I don''t want to make you guys worry over me that''s why I told father to not tell you about the marriage. I''m sorry, I''m really really really sorry~" Xu Zhaoyu: " Hong Jiejie, it''s not like we hate you but you lied to us and it breaks our heart." The three of them sniffled and pouted cutely. Hong er: " No no no~ Please don''t cry~ What should I do for you to forgive me?" Hong er hugged them tighter. Xu Zhaoyu: " Th-then, can we visit Hong Jiejie even after you are married?" Hong er: " Of course!" Xu Zhaoyu: " What if the emperor forbids?" Hong er thought for a while then smiled gently. Hong er: " I will talk to him, don''t worry about that." Xu Yongliang: " But an empress shouldn''t meet with another guy or else they would be accused for having an illicit relationship!" Xu Yongrui: " Yeah! They didn''t know that we are Hong Jiejie''s cousins and we shouldn''t reveal our identities to stranger." Hong er''s smile didn''t flatter. Hong er: " It is fine. I will take on the responsibilities, as long as my beloved brothers are happy, I am happy." The three of them instantly whipped up their head and shouted. Three little Xu brothers: " No!" Xu Yongrui: " We don''t want Hong Jiejie to get in trouble." Xu Yongliang: " If it''s going to be like that, it is better if we don''t visit Hong Jiejie. Hong Jiejie''s safety is the most important." Hong er: " Aww~ Fine, I won''t do that. I will just talk with His Majesty properly." Xu Zhaoyu: " As long as Hong Jiejie is safe." Hong er: " Uhm." Hong er closed her eyes and enjoyed her fluffy brothers'' warm body. Even though their muscles were getting harder and thicker compared to the past, she still loves to cuddle with them. She felt her heart was healed and less lonely but unknown to her, the three little puppies in fact were little foxes. They looked at each other and smiled slyly. Three little Xu brothers: '' Our plan worked. Hong Jiejie loves us the most.'' Chapter 119 - 117. Leaving to Da Qi III Third person POV After talking for a while, the three little Xu brothers left and went back to Xu residence. Hong er came out of her tent and saw the soldiers were cooking in the fire camp. There was a pot of soup and a roasted chicken on top of the fire, they didn''t expect that Hong er would came out so early. They thought that Hong er was tired and hungry from the ride and would get angry at them for not serving the food to her tent. Hong er walked towards the fire and took a sniff at the chicken then she took a few bottle of seasoning and sprinkled the seasoning on top of the chicken. After that, she spooned some of the soup and tested it, the soldiers that were in charge of cooking looked fixedly at Hong er. They flinched when Hong er furrowed her brows, actually they were very confident in their cooking as their fellow soldiers always complimented their cooking. But they forgot that the person that they cook for was a noble, a Young Miss on top of that. They never cooked extravagant nor luxurious foods since they always cook the easiest and simplest food like soup and roasted chicken or preys they caught. They had expected to get scolded by Hong er but rather than that, she went to a nearby tree and looked around the trees. Her face brightened when she finally found the thing that she was looking for. She plucked the little fruits and then used her combined magic on the fruits. The fruits changed into a little blackish thing similar to black pepper after a few minutes. Hong er walked back to the fire camp and threw the black thing into the soup, she stir the soup and tested it again. A smile appeared on her face as she closed the lid. The soldiers nervously asked Hong er. Soldier: " M-Miss Xu, is it not to your taste?" Hong er looked at them and finally realized what she had done, she thought that they were her fellow elite forces that''s why she just do everything without asking. Hong er: " Oh my! I''m sorry that I just added something without asking." Hong er said apologetically. The soldiers didn''t expect a high ranked noble lady to apologize to them, they were fl.u.s.tered when Hong er looked at them directly in the eyes. Soldiers: " A-ah no no! Miss Xu doesn''t need to apologize to this lowly servant. It is just that this lowly servant is afraid that the food isn''t to Miss Xu''s taste." Hong er: " Oh~ It is delicious but the night in the middle of the forest can be quite cold even if it is summer. Furthermore, you guys have to patrol around the camp . Therefore, I picked some pepper fruit and fasten its drying process with combined magic. The spiciness of the pepper could warm your body." The soldiers were very touched with Hong er''s thoughtfulness and they were curious of this combined magic that Hong er mentioned before. Hong er: " Basically, you use two or more element magics at the same time but in more complicated way. I used fire, air, and water magic to dry this black pepper, firstly boil it until it will turnedmm black or dark brown and then use hot air and fire to dry the pepper. Usually it still need at least 30 minutes to get it done perfectly but I put more Qi in it to quicken the process." Soldiers: " Hoo~" The soldiers listened to Hong er''s explanation with serious face. Hong er: " Even though combined magic sounds great and convenient, it consumes your Qi quicker than usual so it is not suited for battle or fight." Hong er warned them the flaws of combined magic. Lu Ping peeked through the curtain of his window, he had heard everything regarding Hong er from Qi zongguan. Lu Ping: '' Qi zongguan said that she is a good cook, humble even to servants, and likes to help. Hhmm, isn''t she too perfect that it''s weird?'' Lu Ping let down the curtain and continued to write his report. He purposely told the soldiers to cook the food instead of professional chef as he wanted to see the truth of Qi zongguan''s information with his own eyes. As one of the aide of Weisheng, he has to choose the best candidate to rule the country together by Weisheng''s side. He didn''t want an empress that only knew how to waste the country''s treasury for their own satisfaction. He, Lu Ping, was well known of his intelligent and sharp-witted mind. He was acknowledged by the Great Teacher Lan Qingshan and always topped in any exam, he wouldn''t let down Weisheng and his family. . . . After having dinner together with the soldiers, Hong er went back to her tent to take a rest. But she only saw Huayun guarding the tent alone, Hong er walked up to Huayun and asked her. Hong er: " Where is Meiyun?" Huayun: " She said that she has a stomachache but she had been gone for too long." Hong er: " Should we go look for her?" Huayun: " Young Miss stay here with the soldiers, I will go look for-" Meiyun: " Hey hey hey~ I''m back~" Hong er and Huayun turned their heads around and saw Meiyun rubbing her belly while groaning painfully. Hong er walked up to Meiyun and grabbed her wrist to check her pulse. Hong er frowned deeply and growled. Hong er: " Meiyun¡­" Meiyun: " Yes?" Meiyun asked innocently. Hong er: " If you are sick then take a rest." Hong er didn''t know what kind of sickness Meiyun got but based on her unstable pulse, Hong er knew that she wasn''t in a good shape. Meiyun: " I''m fine~ I''m fine~ Just have a bad stomach day, Young Miss. Ahahaha~" Hong er: " You didn''t lie to me right?" Meiyun: " Aiya~ No la~" Hong er: " But, still take some rest." Meiyun: "Yes, Young Miss~" Hong er glanced at the smiling Meiyun and walked into her tent. Huayun slowly walked towards Meiyun and worriedly asked. Huayun: " Are you really okay?" Meiyun: " What is with you? It is rare that you are worried about me." Huayun: " Of course I will be worried if your face''s as pale as paper for a few days already! And I''m your sister!" Meiyun: " Ahahahaha~ I''m really fine. I''m stronger than you in the first place so worry about yourself." Huayun: " No need to tell me that you are stronger, I know that well and I take care of myself reallyyyyy good not like you." Meiyun only laughed at Huayun''s statement, even though Huayun''s words seemed ignorant but deep down in her heart, she was really worried about Meiyun. Meiyun: " Let''s go back." Huayun: " En." . . . Morning* The entourage continued their journey and it was estimated that they would pass the Da Qi''s border in the afternoon. Once they entered Da Qi''s territory, their safety would be more guaranteed. The ride was peaceful until one of the commander of the soldiers walked up to Meiyun. Commander: " Can I talk to Miss Xu?" Meiyun: " For what purpose? Young Miss could hear our conversation from out here so just talk." Commander: " Okay. Our shadow guards had noticed a suspicious group of people from 2 directions approaching our way." Meiyun: " How many is it? How far are they from us?" Commander: " More or less, 25 people are coming from the west and 30 from the east. The estimated time they would catch up to us is about 30 minutes as they''re quite high skilled in martial arts and magic. And it seems like they were not from the same side." Meiyun: " How do you know?" Commander: " The shadow guards managed to kill some of them and noticed the differences in their clothes and badges." Meiyun: " Okay. Young Miss, let me investigate this matter." Huayun and Meiyun cupped their fist to the woman inside the carriage. Hong er lifted up the curtain and looked at Meiyun with worried eyes Hong er: " Bring some soldiers with you and be careful." Meiyun: " Yes, Young Miss. Huayun, I leave Young Miss'' safety in your care." Meiyun patted Huayun before she disappeared with the commander. . . Commander: " I will go to the east and you to the west. Bring them with you, even though they are not as strong as you, they will be quite helpful." 10 tall young men stepped forward and saluted Meiyun with solemn face. Meiyun could recognize two of them as they fought with her before. Meiyun: " Thank you, I really appreciate their help. I will be counting on you guys." Soldiers: " Yes!" . . . Hong er: " Huayun." Huayun: " Yes, Young Miss?" Hong er: " Is your sister really okay?" Huayun''s body twitched when she heard Hong er''s question. She gripped her hand until her knuckles turned white. Huayun: " She definitely will be fine, she is a very strong fighter." Huayun didn''t want to lose another person that she loves, she had lost her family and her lover, she didn''t want to lose her sister that had protected her and gave her love. Huayun: '' Meiyun¡­'' Chapter 120 - 118. Ambushed I Third person POV The commander went to the east direction with 15 people and Meiyun went to the west side with 10 people following behind her. She asked their elemental magic and told them to follow her command closely. If anything happened to her, they should immediately retreat and report to Hong er or her sister. They nodded their head and followed Meiyun. After running for 15 minutes, Meiyun suddenly raised her hand and hid behind a tree, the rest of them quickly hid behind a tree near them and peeked at Meiyun, ready for the next order. Meiyun quietly summoned her ring swords into one of her hands while the other hand was still hanging in the air. They could feel a faint presence of people coming their way in high speed, one by one they summoned their weapon and were ready to attack. Meiyun touched the tree behind her and closed her eyes, she activated her inner sight and observed her surroundings while giving hand signals to the other. Meiyun: [ 26, high skilled] She inactivated her inner sight when the group was getting near to their location. Meiyun was waiting for them to pass by and attack from behind, she hand signaled them to get ready. As soon as they passed Meiyun, she immediately disappeared from her spot and 4 heads fell to the ground in a second. One of the member in group noticed Meiyun''s presence, he shouted and charged at Meiyun. Assassin: " An attack!" The rest of the group instantly stopped in their track and turned around to fight with Meiyun''s group. One of her ring sword was flying around and slashing off their heads while the other ring sword was in her hand repelling their attack in close combat. Meiyun''s side was winning but one of the assassins suddenly took out a firework and launched it to the sky. The shadow of the assassin that launched the firework suddenly expanded and a bunch of people that wore the same clothes as them jumped out from the hole. Meiyun widened her eyes in shock when she saw the black hole. Meiyun: '' Dark magic!'' Meiyun immediately shouted. Meiyun: " Retreat!" The ten of them quickly stepped back the moment they heard Meiyun''s roar. They ran back to the entourage as what they were told before but their heart couldn''t bear to leave Meiyun behind to fight alone. When they wanted to run back to Meiyun, she roared in anger. Meiyun: " Don''t you dare come back! Remember what I said!" They gritted their teeth and continued to run to the entourage, they ran in full speed hoping they could arrive in a second and get help. Meiyun was circled by the assassins, they were trying to find a perfect chance to kill her in one swoop. The shadow magic user locked Meiyun''s shadow so she couldn''t move, they immediately charged at Meiyun when they saw the chance. Meiyun threw both of her ring swords to the air and summoned a sword. She was fighting in ranged attack with her ring swords and close distance combat with a sword. One by one the assassins fell onto the ground lifeless but she still couldn''t move from her spot because of the shadow mage. She was doing well then suddenly blood flew down from her nose, her vision started to get blurry. She bit her lips to keep her conscious, she could taste a metallic liquid seep out of her lips. She swung her sword with all of her Qi and strength, the assassins around her were immediately cut into halves by the sharp wind. Meiyun''s knees wobbled as she supported her body with her sword, her ring swords disappeared as her Qi wasn''t enough to use her magic ring swords. She tried her best to keep her eyes open while panting tiredly. Meiyun: '' This goddamn illness! Why does it have to be now?!'' The assassins sneered when they saw Meiyun crouched down, powerless and helpless. Assassin: " Now now, where is the heroic leader gone to?" ( A/N: They assume that Meiyun is the leader bc she gave order to the other ten.) Meiyun didn''t reply to him as she tried to catch her breath. The assassin walked towards Meiyun and lifted up her head with his sword. Assassin: " I think I know you. Hhmm, magic mask?" The assassin poured his Qi into his sword and sliced the side of Meiyun''s mask. Her mask dropped to the ground as well as the blood from her nose and the part where he sliced. (A/N: Bai Huiqing said that the mask couldn''t be taken off by anyone if it wasn''t the owner but at that time, Meiyun''s Qi was too low and it affected the seal''s durability. Summoning weapon, the mask, spell, almost everything they use was operated by Qi.) Assassin: " Hoo~ No wonder you felt familiar, so you are code 011~ Where is your sister? Code 012 is it?" The assassin grinned widely as he wiped the blood beside Meiyun''s left eyes and licked the blood on his thumb. Assassin: " Even though it is a pity that your pretty face was scarred, it is worth it to see how miserable you are now." The assassin raised his sword to the air. Assassin: " Say your last word." Meiyun closes her eyes, knowing that she couldn''t escape from the death. Meiyun: '' Thank god that it was me that came here. I hope Huayun can protect Young Miss. Qiyi¡­'' A light smile appeared on her face. Meiyun: " I love you¡­" Meiyun whispered. The sword strike down and a head rolled on the ground. Meiyun frowned as she didn''t feel anything on her neck. A clanking sound of metal was heard, Meiyun slowly opened her eyes and looked at the head that rolled beneath her. Her vision was too blurry that she couldn''t see the face of the head but she knew that it was the assassin that was going to chop off her head. Then a big and warm arm wrapped around her and pulled her to his embrace ,her body relaxed in his embrace as his warmness spread through her body. The man checked her pulse and sighed in relief when he knew that she would be fine for now, he looked at her bloody face and frowned. He took out his handkerchief and gently wiped off the blood on her face. After wiping off the blood from her face, he finally could see her face clearly. She has a quite beautiful face and he could feel her playfulness just by looking at her face but the long fresh cut beside her left eye caught his attention. The man: '' What a pity.'' He took out his personal ointment and smeared it on the cut. Meiyun''s eyebrow twitched when a cold substance touched her cut. His hand abruptly stopped, he looked at Meiyun''s face with worried eyes. The man: " Hold on for a bit." He had never handled a girl before in his life except his mother thus he was afraid that he was being too rough when he smeared the ointment. His colleague had always said that girls were very fragile, it felt like they would break with just a touch. His hand become clumsy after Meiyun winced in pain. He put his ointment back to his pocket after he was done smearing the ointment on her cut. Usually Meiyun wouldn''t let a stranger touch her, however, she felt really safe in his embrace. She reached out and touched his hand with her trembling hand. He felt a small hand touched his hand, he looked over and saw Meiyun smiling gently. Meiyun: " Thank you¡­" She whispered in a breathy voice before she fell asleep with her head leaning on his chest. He brushed away her hair and stared at her face. The man: " You''re welcome." While he was caressing her face, a group of soldiers marched towards him and saluted. A soldier stepped forward and spoke loudly. Soldier: " Reporti-" The man: " Shhh, lower your voice." The man quickly shushed and warned him in a low voice. The soldiers peeked over their general''s shoulder and noticed a beautiful lady sleeping peacefully in his arms. The soldier that was shushed spoke again but in a low voice. Soldier: " Reporting , the enemy had been cleared. Waiting for the order, General." The man stared at Meiyun''s face for a while. The man: " To the residence." Chapter 121 - 119. Ambushed II Third person POV The ten of them finally caught up with the entourage, they immediately went up to Huayun and told her what happened. Hong er: " We should quickly go and save her!" Hong er came out from her carriage and grabbed Huayun''s arm. Huayun''s body was as cold as ice, she couldn''t believe that her biggest fear happened. She was too shocked to move her body, meanwhile Hong er started to get panic and anxious because Huayun wouldn''t move even though she pulled her. Hong er: '' Why?! Everyone I love keeps dying, I don''t want to lose Meiyun after Sheng ge.'' Lu Ping: " Miss Xu.. Miss Xu! Calm down!" Hong er didn''t realize that she had been holding her breath for quite some time, her body was drenched in cold sweat. At that time, Lu Ping noticed that Hong er''s carriage stopped and then he heard a commotion from outside, he peeked outside and saw that Hong er had a panic attack. He quickly went to Hong er''s side and calmed her down. He gave order to the soldiers to aid Meiyun''s group, with more people, the ten of them became more confident in defeating the assassins. They quickly departed to where Meiyun was. Hong er: " I-I need to save Meiyun." Hong er staggered. Lu Ping: " Miss Xu, we have to pass the border as soon as possible. It is too dangerous in here!" Lu Ping tried to convince Hong er but not a word could pass through her ear. He glanced at the dazed Huayun and got an idea, he went to her side and snapped his fingers in front of her face to woke her up. Huayun slowly looked up to Lu Ping. Lu Ping: " Go convince Miss Xu to not go! It will be too dangerous for her." Huayun turned her eyes to look at Hong er, she remembered that she had promised Meiyun that she would always protect their Young Miss no matter what. Huayun immediately snapped out of her mind and held Hong er''s arm to stop her from going. Huayun: " Young Miss, you mustn''t!" Hong er: " But Meiyun needs our help!" Huayun: " Lu Gongzi had sent a reinforcement to help her!" Hong er: " But.." Huayun: " Our priority is to get Young Miss safely arrive at the capital! Meiyun wouldn''t want Young Miss to get hurt and we aren''t sure if she is dead or not therefore we have to believe in her." Hong er stopped struggling, at that time when Meiyun asked her if she trusted her and she said yes, if she went to Meiyun''s side right now, it meant she didn''t trust Meiyun''s capability. She gritted her teeth and went back into her carriage. Lu Ping sighed and told the entourage to continue their journey. Huayun looked up to the sky as she walked along beside Hong er''s carriage. Huayun: '' Please come back safely, Meiyun.'' . . . Meiyun slowly opened her eyes and dazedly stares at the grandeur ceiling. Meiyun: '' Wasei~ So pretty.'' Warriors wielding their swords while riding horse across the mountains together as a family, that''s what the crafting on the ceiling shown. Meiyun widened her eyes and abruptly sat up. Meiyun: '' Where the hell am i?!'' Then a few knock could be heard from the door, Meiyun immediately got alerted, she summoned her ring swords and hid behind the room divider. Maid: " Miss, are you awake?" Meiyun didn''t reply to her and kept hiding. Then a deep voice sounded out. The man: " Is she awake?" Maid: " A-ah, Ge-general, probably the lady is still sleeping since there wasn''t any sound when I knock on the door." The man: " En. Let me." Maid: " N-no General, this is my duty." The man: " It is fine, I have to talk with the lady." Maid: " Th-then if you insist." Meiyun didn''t know what they were talking about because they talked with their dialect. Meiyun: '' Dongfang''s dialect?!'' The maid opened the door for the man and closed the door back after the man stepped into the room. The man walked towards the inner part of the room (bedroom) then suddenly a woman appeared behind him with a sword pointed to his neck. Meiyun: " Who the hell are you?" Meiyun glanced at his hand and saw that he was holding a tray of food. The man stopped in his track and slowly put down the tray to a table beside him. Meiyun''s eyes followed his every single move. Meiyun: " Where am-" Then the dizziness suddenly hit her like a horse, her knees became like jelly and the sword in her hand fell. But before her body could touch the floor, a big arm wrapped around her waist and a hand behind her head. The man: " Careful!" Meiyun could recognize these hands, they were the hands that saved her before. She glanced to the side and saw a table corner almost hit her head then she turned her eyes to look at the man that had saved her twice. The man has bold eyebrows and it made him looks like he''s always frowning, he has a high nose bridge and his skin was quite tanned. She loves everything about his face especially his green eyes, it reminds her of mountains surrounded with forest. As her head was very fuzzy, she spoke out everything in her mind. Meiyun: " Beautiful¡­" The man immediately blushed from Meiyun''s statement, he pulled her head to his chest and now her face was buried into his chest. The fragrance that he emitted calmed her mind, it''s like the smell of forest after raining, she loved this fragrance since she was little. And it was one of the reason why she was attracted to Qiyi, whenever he passed by Meiyun, she could smell a faint fragrance of wood. But this man emitted more powerful and calming fragrance, Meiyun snuggled closer to his chest and inhaled the smell. His face became redder and redder as Meiyun kept sniffing on his chest, he felt like his heart wanted to burst out of his chest. He wanted to move her face so she wouldn''t sniff him but his hand stopped when Meiyun murmured a word. Meiyun: " Mother¡­" His hand that was supposed to move her head away turned into caressing her hair tenderly. Feeling safe and secure under his caress, Meiyun fell asleep for the second time in the arm of the man she didn''t know. Noticed that she had fallen asleep, he slowly lifted her up, trying to not wake her up, and gently laid her down on the bed. He quickly stood up and wanted to leave the room as he was afraid that it would ruin her reputation if they stayed in a closed room with only two of them. But when he turned around, he felt his finger was tugged by a small rough hand. he looked over his shoulder and saw that Meiyun was holding on his pinkie and nuzzled up against her cheek. He covered his face with his other hand and sighed. The man: " Cute." Chapter 122 - 120. His Tenderness I Third person POV For the second time, Meiyun woke up in the same bed and her eyes were staring at the same ceiling but it seems like she was holding on something. She pulled and looked at the thing, her eyes widened when she saw a big hand then she whipped her head towards the owner of the hand. Her face immediately paled after she saw the face of the man. Meiyun: " Ge-General Di?" Di Shang: " Do you feel better?" Di Shang placed his other hand on her forehead and checked her temperature. After checking that she had a normal temperature, he nodded his head and patted her head. Di Shang: " No fever, good." Meiyun widened her eyes in shock when she finally noticed that she wasn''t wearing her mask. Meiyun: " My mask?!" Di Shang: " It broke." Meiyun: " Br-broke?" He didn''t know why his heart ached when he saw her dispirited face. Di Shang: " I will get you a new one." Meiyun''s face instantly brightened, she was used to wearing a mask and now she was feeling uncomfortable without her mask on. She stared at Di Shang''s green eyes and her face blushed as she remembered what she had said to Di Shang. She immediately sat up and kowtowed on the bed. Meiyun: " Please forgive this servant''s rudeness and this servant owed General my life. This servant will do anything to repay General except harming the Xu family." Di Shang: " It is fine." Di Shang lifted her up and laid her on the bed again. He took the food from a table beside the bed, he spooned the food and placed it in front of her lips. Di Shang: " Eat, you haven''t eaten for a whole day." Meiyun blushed by the intimate action as she wasn''t used to it. Meiyun: " E-en....eh? A whole day?!" Di Shang: " What''s the matter?" Meiyun: " Oh my god, they must had searched for me." Meiyun rummaged her pockets and noticed that she was wearing new clothes. She immediately panicked thinking that she had lost her personal badge. Seeing her panicking, he pulled out a badge from his pocket. Di Shang: " Are you looking for this?" Meiyun looked at her badge that was in his hand, she bowed her head and smiled brightly. Meiyun: " Thank you very much!" After she gave her thanks, she immediately poured some of her Qi into the badge and tapped a few code before she sighed in relief. Di Shang: " You are Miss Xu''s bodyguard right?" Meiyun: " Yes, how did you know?" Di Shang: " From your badge and your earring, I saw you once at my father''s tent. You and your sister had this same earring but you only wore one side." Meiyun: " Oohh~ General have such a keen eye." Di Shang stared at her smile with dazed eyes but when his eyes landed on the cut beside her eyes, he frowned deeply. Noticed the change of his expression, Meiyun asked curiously. Meiyun: " Is something wrong, General?" Di Shang didn''t reply to her, he stretched out his hand and gently brushed her cut with his thumb. Di Shang: " Even though I have healed it, it will still leave a scar, I''m sorry." Meiyun: " No need to apologize, General. It is an honor for a fighter to have scars." Meiyun smiled from ear to ear. Di Shang''s heart ached when she gave him her careless smile. Actually she was casted-down by a scar on her face, even though she''s a tomboy, she still wants to have a pretty face. But she had prepared for this thing to happen since she joined the assassin guild. Di Shang: " En, you are still beautiful even with a scar." Meiyun: " Eh? HEEEEEEE?!" Meiyun''s face instantly exploded, she tried to hid her embarrassment by lowering down her face. Realized of what he had said, Di Shang blushed too but his hand was still caressing her cheek. Seeing her red ears made his heart beat faster, he wanted to see how she would look like when she was embarrassed. He raised her head and was taken aback by her fl.u.s.tered face, her eyes were looking down making her long eyelashes more visible. Her entire face and neck were flushed then he lowered his eyes and saw that she was biting her lower lip. He brushed over her lips with his thumb and gently said. Di Shang: " Don''t bite your lips. It will bleed again." Meiyun''s heart almost leaped out from her chest. Because she bit her lips too hard, it became quite red and swollen when she let go of her lips. She tried to act calm but her red face betrayed her, she had never being treated this gently by a male before so all of this thing made her nervous and shy. Meiyun: '' Wh-wh-wh-what i-i-is ha-hap-happening?!'' While she was screaming inside her brain, Di Shang stared at her red lip with adoring eyes. He wanted to know how it feels if he touched her red lips with his lips, he slowly leaned his face forward. Their nose were only an inch apart when Meiyun''s stomach suddenly growled. Di Shang widened his eyes and quickly backed away, meanwhile, Meiyun wanted to die of embarrassment. Meiyun: '' My goooooddd, why do you have to growl in front of him of all time?!'' Di Shang coughed into his fist, hoping he could hide his blushed face. Di Shang: " You are hungry, eat." Di Shang took the spoon and positioned it in front of her lips, since her mind was occupied by her embarrassing moment, she obediently ate the food without saying a word. Di Shang chuckled and spooned a soup so it would be easier for Meiyun to swallow the food. After he fed her a few mouth of food, he curiously asked her. Di Shang: " Is it good?" Meiyun: " Ehm¡­" ( Her mouth is full) Meiyun nodded her head then suddenly stopped when she realized that he was feeding her all this time. She wanted to apologize to him but she was afraid that the food in her mouth would splurt out so she stretched out her hand to take the plate from Di Shang''s hand. However, Di Shang evaded Meiyun''s hand causing Meiyun to lose balance and fell forward, Di Shang swiftly caught her with his other hand. Unknown to him, his hand was clutching Meiyun''s b.r.e.a.s.t. Surprised by the touch, Meiyun choked on the food in her mouth. Di Shang put down the plate and helped her sat up, he took a glass of water and gave it to her. Meiyun gulped down the water while Di Shang gently patted her back. Di Shang: " Better?" Meiyun: " Fuu~ Ye-yes, I''m perfectly fine." Meiyun smiled awkwardly, Di Shang furrowed his eyebrow in puzzlement but he just shrugged his shoulder and continued to feed her. Meiyun: " No no, it is unbefitting for General to feed a servant like me, let me-" Di Shang: " No." Meiyun: " Hm?" Di Shang: " I want to feed you." Meiyun: " But-" Di Shang: " I want to feed you." Di Shang said again with firm voice. Feeling hopeless, Meiyun nodded her head in surrender and ate the food that he spooned. Meiyun''s puffed cheek moved as she chewed the food, the corner of his lips slightly curved up by the sight in front of him. Meiyun: '' This General is kinda weird.'' Di Shang: '' Cute. Like a squirrel¡­'' Chapter 123 - 121. His Tenderness II Third person POV The evening after the ambush and before Meiyun wake up* The moment the entourage entered the main gate, people congratulating Hong er for the marriage and flower petals thrown to the carriage could be seen. Hong er thought that since she would be the empress of the people here, it would be better that she made her appearance to the public. Hong er lifted up the curtain and stepped out from the carriage, the crowd was stunned when the slim woman came out from the carriage. Her white and golden hanfu made her look like a goddess descending from heaven, her gentle and dignified movement brought out the empress aura. Hong er walked towards Xiao Bai and skillfully mounted the horse, her dress fluttered in the air like wings. The entourage continued moving after Hong er clopped to the front line while waving her hand to the citizens. The reason why Hong er was very welcomed by Da Qi local people was the Xu family has a very good reputation in Da Qi. Not to mention, Weisheng purposely spread good rumors to the commoner about Xu family especially Hong er. At first they didn''t believe the rumors but soon they believed after their friends or relative that worked in Xi An proved the truth. They crossed 2 small towns and stopped at a luxurious inn when the sun started to set. The servants from the inn quickly guided Hong er to her room and served her various of lavish dishes. They offered a warm bath when they saw how tired Hong er was which Hong er gladly accepted. Hong er turned her body to face Huayun the moment the servants retreated from her room. Hong er: " Any news?" Hong er asked anxiously, Huayun shook her head. Hong er: " What should we do? Should we go find Meiyun too?" Huayun: " Please don''t, Young Miss. If Meiyun knew about this, she will definitely be enraged." Huayun: '' Since she care more about Young Miss'' safety than her own life.'' Hong er: " Then what should we do?! I can''t just sit here while she is dying out there." Huayun: " Young Miss, please calm down. I''m sure she is just fine, maybe she is still resting." Flashback* The group that was sent to look for Meiyun finally came back after a few hours of searching. Their face looked dejected, Hong er and Huayun almost collapsed when they saw their faces. But the group quickly reported everything that they found. Soldier: " We found these pieces from the spot where we last saw Miss Meiyun. The way it placed looked like deliberately telling us that Miss Meiyun is alive. There is no trace nor clue about Miss Meiyun''s location and we suspect that there was another group who helped Miss Meiyun." The soldier handed Hong er the pieces that they found, Hong er inspected the pieces and found out that it were part of Meiyun''s mask by a faint residue of Qi in the pieces. Hong er: " Why is it?" Soldier: " The number of the assassins that suddenly appear were about 10 people. Even if Miss Meiyun managed to defeat all of them, she wouldn''t have enough time to erase all of the evidence in such a short time." Hong er and Huayun felt that his statement made sense, even for a single high skilled fighter like Meiyun, at least she needed 1 hour to defeat and dispose all of the dead bodies. The time that the group required to travel back and forward with qinggong was only 20 to 25 minutes, it meant there was someone other than the assassins in there. Hong er: " That makes sense but why are you so sure that she is helped by the other group? What if they killed Meiyun and make it look like she is still alive, we don''t know the motive of this group." Soldier: " We suspected that it was Dongfang''s troops, to be specified, General Di''s troops." Since Meiyun''s previous location was in west which was very near to Dongfang''s border, coincidentally it was the part where Di Shang guard. Knowing that Di Shang''s father was Hong er''s father''s best friend, she was quite sure that he would help Meiyun, plus Di Shang had a good disposition. Hong er thought for a while and nodded her head. Hong er: " En, continue the investigation, report if you find anything." Soldiers: " Yes!" All of the soldiers saluted and swiftly departed to continue their search again. Flashback* Hong er slumped down her bed after she took a bath. Usually she would have fell asleep at this time but her heart couldn''t stop worrying about Meiyun. After an hour of rolling around the bed, she sat up and opened the window, she was staring at the moon when the door suddenly opened. Huayun dashed to Hong er''s side with a big smile on her face. Huayun: " Young Miss! Meiyun sent us a signal! Green code! She is safe." Huayun''s voice was shaking when she said the last sentence. When she was guarding the door, her badge all of sudden vibrated. She instantly took out her badge from her pocket and saw a green light with Meiyun''s code above the light. Huayun almost cried on the spot but she wiped off the tears that started to built up in her eyes. Huayun was aware that it was rude to barge into someone''s room in the middle of the night, in spite of that, she was sure that Hong er wouldn''t mind especially when she was going to tell her a great news. Huayun showed Hong er her badge, Hong er took it and stared at the badge with bewilderment. Hong er: " Sh-she is fine. Thank goodness." Hong er hugged the badge and breathed heavily, she thought that she was going to lose her beloved again. Hong er: " Don''t make your master worry about you, silly Meiyun." Hong er scolded with a smile. Hong er gave back the badge to Huayun and laid on her bed, with contended heart. Huayun retreated while gripping on her badge. Huayun: '' You are safe, Meiyun.'' Chapter 124 - 122. His Tenderness III Third person POV Morning* Di Shang sat with his back straight, in front of him was his respectable mother, Naran. Her skin''s golden tan with blonde hair, it was indeed a rare hair color considering black hair as the common hair color everywhere. She was believed as the Daughter of Sheng Huo ( God of fire ) because of her blonde hair. But what makes her to get that title was her absolute control in fire element, even though she only has one element magic which is common, she''s considerably strong among multi element mages. Naran: " What is it? Ya face is so serious." ( A/N: They are talking in their dialect.) Naran asked whilst drinking liquor directly from the bottle, to be precise, it was the liquor that Hong er gave them. Di Shang didn''t mind his mother conduct as most of the women in their tribe were wild, opposite of the women in general. The women in their tribe likes to hunt, horse ride, fight, and drink alcohol because their ancestor hoped that the women could always help and accompany their husband no matter what, when, and where. If their husband''s going to war, they would follow him and fight alongside their husband. But there was a rule, the husband could only have one wife. If the husband wanted to have another woman in his house, he has to divorce his current wife whilst respecting her opinion and after his current wife left his house then he could bring the other woman into his house. If the husband broke this rule, the wife could sue her husband or do whatever she wanted to him. Because there was this motto in their tribe. " Wife risked her life in the battle for her husband. Husband must dedicate his life only for his wife. If not, he deserve a divine punishment." Which resulted Di Yu ( Di Shang''s father ) to only had Naran as his wife and he didn''t want to change that as he was very satisfied with his wife. She gave whatever he wanted, children, family, love, and her life for him. They were very compatible with each other, they like to drink alcohol and they have same taste in alcohol, whenever he was bored, she would gladly be his sparring partner or they would go hunting and riding horse across mountains. She''s the best wife he could ever ask for. But recently Naran was dissatisfied with her eldest son, she had tried to make his son to go on blind date but he politely rejected her. She really wants to have grandkids and teach them horse riding because children shouldn''t drink alcohol. Furthermore, her son''s already 25 years old, it was time for him to find a wife and make some babies. Di Shang: " Mother, I wanted to ask for your guidance." Naran: " What is it?" She lazily asked him, she was very disappointed with this son of her, although she was happy that he inherited his father''s demeanor but his father married her when he was 21 years old and he was very wild in bed. She smiled at the memories of their first night, her husband indeed was a great warrior in battle as well as in bed. Di Shang: " There is a woman-" Hearing a "woman" word, Naran immediately stood up and slammed down her liquor on the table. Naran: " Di-did you just say ''woman''? My son? My eldest son?" Di Shang: " Yes, mother. Your eldest son did just say '' woman''. Mother, please listen to me until the end." Naran smiled widely and sat back down with her eyes filled with sparkles. Naran: " Yes yes, I am listening. Go on my son." Di Shang sighed, he knew that his mother was very eager of him to marry and have a few grandkids. He didn''t want his mother to be disappointed after listening to his story. Di Shang: " There is this woman that I saved last night. She was attacked by a group of assassins near the border where I am commanding." Naran: " Oh no~" Naran quickly shut her mouth when Di Shang glanced at her. Di Shang: " And now she''s resting at my residence." Naran''s smile got wider. Di Shang: " She is Miss Xu''s personal bodyguard and she is very strong for someone as small as her." Naran enthusiastically nodded her head. Di Shang: " The main problem is whenever I saw her, it feels like everything stopped for awhile. I don''t know why but I lost my composure when I am around her." Naran: " Like what~" Naran grinned and her eyebrows were wriggling up and down. Di Shang: " Like how I''m always worried about her, she is very clumsy and frequently fell down, my body reacted first before my brain could process. And¡­" Naran: " And~" Di Shang: " She is weirdly cute when she blush, it makes me want to see more of her expression. As a man, I am ashamed that I wanted to kiss a girl that I just met." Naran: " My my my~ You want to kiss this poor lady?" ( A/N: The poor in the meaning of pitiful not penniless.) Di Shang: " Forgive me mother. It is just, her face is too cute that it is irresistible to not kiss her." Naran: " So so so~ Did you kiss her?" Di Shang: " No." Naran: " Tch, what a letdown." Naran clicked her tongue and frowned then her face brightened again when she realized something. Naran: " Oh! You said that she is blushing right?" Di Shang: " En." Naran: " Why?" Di Shang looked downwards and pondered for a moment, his face softened when the image of Meiyun''s blushing face passed his mind. Naran who had been watching his change of expressions grinned from ear to ear. Naran: '' I won''t let you escape, my daughter in law." Di Shang: " I told her that she was beautiful even with a scar on her face then her face got red. After that, her face got redder when she almost fell down from her bed." Naran: " Huh?" Naran: '' Something is weird.'' Di Shang: " Hm?" Naran: " What did you do when she fell?" Di Shang: " I caught her." Naran: " How?" Di Shang: " I put my hand in front of her." Naran: " Did you feel anything when you catch her?" Di Shang: " Hhmm, there is something soft and squishy." Naran: " Aiya~ I didn''t know that you are that wild~" Di Shang looked at Naran in confusion. Naran: " Fuu~ What a helpless son. What do you think that is soft and squishy in woman''s body?" Di Shang contemplated for a few seconds then his face flushed red after he realized what he had touched. What made him more embarrassed was he fondled it for a few times before he released his hand. When he went to his bed last night, his finger kept making those movements of gripping as he was thinking at how pleasing it feels. Di Shang: '' What have you done to a pure maiden?!'' Naran: " Bring that girl here." Di Shang: " Why?" Naran: " Just bring her here, no need to ask. Rest easy, your mother won''t harm her." Di Shang: " Okay." Chapter 125 - 123. His Tenderness IV Third person POV Meiyun: " Me? Go meet Miss Naran?" Because she was sitting on her bed, she had to look up to the standing Di Shang. Di Shang: " Don''t force yourself if you can''t." Meiyun: " No no no, the pleasure would be mine." Meiyun got out from her bed and stood in front of him. She looked at him with a wide smile on her face and glanced at the door but Di Shang didn''t move an inch, he just stared at her smiling face with gentle eyes. Seeing the man in front of her didn''t move, she glanced at the door again. And once again, he didn''t respond to her code. Meiyun: " Uuhh General?" Di Shang: " What is it, Meiyun?" Meiyun''s heart thumped when he called her name. Meiyun: " I am going to change my clothes, if you don''t mind, could you please¡­" Meiyun didn''t finish her sentence and just glanced at the door. Di Shang''s face blushed, he quickly turned around and went out of the room. He closed and leaned on the door, he could feel his heart thumping really hard. Then his brain slowly filled with image of Meiyun. Di Shang: '' If I could, I would just stare at her face for my whole life¡­.'' Di Shang roughly scratched his head when the thought popped out of his mind. Meiyun felt funny and chuckled when she saw how he scratched his head from the silhouette. She didn''t know why but her heart was always filled with warmness and happiness whenever she was near him. She briefly dressed up and put her badge in her pocket before she went out of her room. Di Shang was looking around the garden then he heard the door opened, he turned his head around and his breath was taken away when he saw Meiyun wore his tribe clothes. Meiyun was quite uncomfortable with the clothes that she was wearing because she could clearly see that the clothes wasn''t for servants, to be more specific, it was for the rich young ladies. She stiffly walked with both of her arms straight, afraid that she would make the expensive dress wrinkle. Then suddenly a huge shadow covered her completely from sunlight, she slowly looked up and saw Di Shang expressionlessly stared at her, yet, his eyes were so gentle that she almost drowned in his gaze. He brushed her hair to the side and slid a stem of peony flower to the side of her ear. He smiled lightly and caressed her cheek with his thumb. Di Shang: " Perfect." Di Shang: '' Our clothes matches.'' Meiyun''s face instantly flushed red, even though she didn''t love him, yet her heart beat faster than ever whenever he unconsciously does these kind of things. Di Shang slightly waved his hand to the servants behind him and took the paper umbrella that he had ordered them to prepare. He opened the umbrella and handed it to her which she gladly accepted. Di Shang: " You just recovered, avoid the sunlight for awhile or you will collapse again." She was very touched by his thoughtfulness, she smiled brighter than the sun. Meiyun: " Thank you very much for your consideration, General Di." Di Shang''s eyebrow twitched when he heard how she called, however, seeing her bright smile, he shrugged off those annoying feelings. As long as he could see her smiling, he was satisfied. Di Shang: " En." Di Shang took her other hand in his big hand. Di Shang: " Should we go?" Meiyun: " En." . . They rode a horse to Di Yu''s residence with Meiyun sat on Di Shang''s lap whilst hiding her face on his chest. Since her mask was broken and Di Shang didn''t gave her a veil, she didn''t have any option but to hide her face with his clothes and the worse thing was Di Shang only wore one layer of cloth, therefore her face was touching his bare chest. She had asked him to just give her another horse but Di Shang insisted that she should ride with him. He wanted to be close to her as much as possible because he knew that soon she had to go back to Hong er''s side. And he was worried that she would suddenly collapse again, furthermore, it would be extremely dangerous if she fell from a horse. His hand was wrapped around her waist securing her in his lap so she wouldn''t fall off but it only made Meiyun more embarrassed. The people on the street was staring at them with wide eyes, their famous bachelor general got a woman in his arm, it was a big news especially for Di Shang''s tribe. If the men in his tribe let a woman sit with them in their horse, it meant they had a special feeling for the woman. And now it happened! The unmarried girls were crying their heart out when they heard that Di Shang had got a lover. They had tried really hard to grab his heart but none of their plans worked, even some of them were high ranked noble lady but Di Shang politely rejected them. They were curious of this lady that had grabbed their stone heart general, is she beautiful? Or rich? Or maybe she''s a princess or a high ranked noble lady? Meiyun couldn''t handle their stares as she had never been stared by this many people before. She lightly tugged Di Shang''s shirt and mumbled with inaudible voice. Di Shang''s face got slightly pink when Meiyun''s breath brushed his skin, he moved his hand that was wrapped around her waist to pat her head. Di Shang: " It tickles." Meiyun flinched, Di Shang curiously peeked at her and saw her beet red ear. His chest moved up and down as he chuckled at Meiyun''s cuteness. Realized that she was laughed at, she kitty punched his chest which made him laughed more loudly. The on lookers were getting surprised once again when they heard him laughing heartily. On lookers: '' He¡­ laughed. But she punches him.'' Feeling guilty, Di Shang bent down so his lips were beside her ear. Di Shang: " Hold on. I will go fast." Di Shang held the rein with both of his hands and waited for Meiyun to find a place to hold her still but he didn''t expect her to hug him so tight. His heart was thumping so hard that he could hear his own heartbeat, he gripped the rein and stormed off with a wide smile. Chapter 126 - 124. Drunk Talk I Third person POV ( If there is " * " symbol, it means they were talking in dialect. And Meiyun can''t understand their dialect.) Naran: " *Hhmm, so this is the woman you are talking about.*" Di Shang: " * Yes mother.*" Meiyun kowtowed and greeted Naran. Meiyun: " Greetings to Madam Di." Naran: " * Damn~ She is pretty and got some manners.*" Di Shang: " *Yes she is.*" Naran raised her eyebrows in interest. Her feelings of getting them married increased. Meiyun nervously sat beside Di Shang, it felt like she was attending parents meeting. Seeing how nervous she was, Di Shang held her hand and gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. Naran: " * What happened?*" Naran softly brushed Meiyun''s cut that was beside her eyes. Di Shang: " My mother asked what happened." Meiyun: " A-ah, this is only a small injury during a fight. I deeply apologize if this scar made you unpleasant." Meiyun wanted to kowtow again but was halted by Naran. Naran: " * What did you have to be sorry about? That scar means that you are a great fighter and an independent woman. I like you, little girl~*" Di Shang: " My mother said that you don''t have to apologize because that scar means that you are a strong and independent woman." Naran: " * Why didn''t you translate the I like you, little girl?*" Di Shang: " *Mother, then why don''t you just talk without dialect?*" Naran: " *I don''t want to. Oh! Could you go get us our family''s liquor?*" Di Shang: " * I don''t mind but why don''t mother just call the servant?*" Naran: " * I want you to go and I want to have a chat with her.*" Di Shang: " *Fine, but please don''t say anything unnecessary to her.*" Naran: " *Aiya~ My son is so protective even to his own mother~*" Di Shang ignored her teasing, he looked at Meiyun and patted her head. Di Shang: " I will go out for a while. Don''t worry, my mother won''t hurt you." Meiyun: " E-en." Meiyun: '' Why does it feels like he is treating me like his girlfriend?'' Meiyun smiled at him and watched him left the room. Naran: " So~ Are you single?" Meiyun: " Eh? A-ah, yes I''m single." Meiyun was surprised when Naran suddenly spoke without her dialect. Naran: " Ahahaha~ Are you surprised?" Meiyun: " Ye-yes." Naran: " Hey~ What do you think about my son?" Meiyun''s face blushed when she recalled everything that Di Shang said to her. Meiyun: " Ge-general Di? I think that he is a very gentle and kind person." Naran: " Just that?" Naran stood up and went to one of her drawers, she pulled out a dark green beaded necklace and walked back to Meiyun. She waited for Meiyun''s next answer while holding the necklace in her hand. Meiyun: " General Di treated me like a woman which I had never experience of and I really appreciate him for showing his kindness even towards someone like me." Naran smiled gently at her and raised her head so Meiyun was face to face with her. She put the necklace on Meiyun and ruffled her hair. Naran: " It''s good to hear that. Please take care of him for me from now on." Meiyun: '' What does she mean?'' Meiyun: " Yes. But this necklace¡­?" Naran: " It is a gift from me." Meiyun: " O-oh, thank you very much Madam Di." The door suddenly slammed open, revealing the panting Di Shang. Di Shang: " * Mother, what did you just say to¡­.*" Di Shang abruptly stopped when he saw the necklace around Meiyun''s neck, the liquor in his hand almost fell from how much shock he got. That necklace was made together with his necklace when he entered marriageable age and it was supposed to be wore by his future wife. But he couldn''t deny that he was very happy seeing that the pair of his necklace was on Meiyun. He suspected that she didn''t even know the meaning of the necklace nevertheless it should be fine right if he didn''t tell her, then she would be his wife. Meiyun: " General Di?" Di Shang jolted by Meiyun''s gentle voice. Di Shang: " A-ah, I had bring the liquor." Naran: " Good, now let''s drink, Meiyun." Di Shang knitted his eyebrows. Di Shang: " Mother, Meiyun just recovered, don''t make her drink liquor." Meiyun: " A-ah, it is fine." Naran: " Yeah~ Don''t be a party popper." Di Shang sat beside her and worriedly stared at her. Di Shang: " If you can''t handle it anymore, just stop, okay?" Meiyun: " En." Di Shang: " Good." Di Shang patted her head and smiled at her, meanwhile Naran grinned from ear to ear seeing that the ship had sailed. Naran: " Now now, let''s open the bottle." Meiyun: " Yes." Meiyun took a bottle of liquor from the table but the bottle was snatched by Di Shang. Di Shang: " Let me." Meiyun''s cheeks turned pink. Even though she always said she''s a strong woman that didn''t need help from anyone but being spoiled wasn''t that bad. He popped open the lid and poured the liquor into Naran and Meiyun''s wine cup then the last to his cup. Naran: " Oh! By the way, how is your tolerance Meiyun?" Meiyun: " My tolerance is pretty high among my friends." Naran: " Oh, that''s good to hear cause our family''s liquor is super strong." Meiyun: " Hehehe~ I will try my hardest to not get drunk." . . After a few cups, Meiyun''s face was as red as boiled octopus, she hiccupped while placing the wine cup on her lips, just staring at the wine with no intention of drinking it. Di Shang smiled lovingly when he saw Meiyun''s body swayed side to side and giggled cutely. He leaned forward and took the cup from Meiyun''s hands. Meiyun watches her cup fly off from her hands, she quickly stretched out her hands to catch her cup, however, she had zero energy as she was too drunk for now which resulted in her fell onto Di Shang''s lap. She tried to get up but her hand slipped and fell again, this time she accidentally hit her forehead on the floor and made a loud thud sound. Surprised by how hard her forehead hit the floor, Di Shang quickly lifted her up and set her down on his lap with her legs on both sides of his waist thus they were facing each other. He massaged her forehead so it wouldn''t swell too much. Di Shang: " Why are you so clumsy?" Di Shang sighed but his hand didn''t stop massaging her forehead, she stared at Di Shang with half lidded eyes. Tears slowly swelled up in her eyes, one by one her bitter memories resurfaced. Di Shang and Naran widened their eyes when the tears flew down Meiyun''s cheeks. His heart ached so much seeing her cry, he wiped off her tears with his thumb and tenderly caressed her cheeks. Di Shang: " Why are you crying?" That was the softest voice that he had ever spoken with. Meiyun: " Why¡­. Why did he have to treat me so coldly? What did I do wrong that he had to point his sword on my neck?" (A/N: in chinese, he and she are both read " ta " but it is different in writing. So they didn''t know that Meiyun was talking about a man in her dialog.) Di Shang twitched when he heard that someone pointed a sword on her neck, based on how she said it, it seems like that person was close to her. He gritted his teeth in anger. Di Shang: " Shh~ Shh~ It is okay, I''m here. It is fine, no one will hurt you." Meiyun stared at him with watery eyes and held his hand that was caressing her cheek. Meiyun: " Why do I have to fall for him?" Di Shang was shocked, it means that the person she was talking about was a man. Naran knitted her brow in guilt, she thought that if Meiyun was single then everything would be fine but she disregarded Meiyun''s feelings. When she just wanted to take back the necklace, Meiyun''s next words made her stop. Meiyun: " It would be better if I just fall for you." Chapter 127 - 125. Drunk Talk II Third person POV Meiyun closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek on his warm hand, she loves the warmness of his hands despite the roughness of the calluses that he gained from holding sword. She wanted to enjoy this moment as much as she could while she''s still alive. Di Shang''s heart was beating so fast, his mind was wandering around hoping that he still has a chance to make Meiyun his. Meiyun: " Thank you for treating me like a woman, it is a first time for me. Thank you for being so kind and tender to someone unlady-like woman like me. I''m sorry that you have to look and touch my ugly and full of scars face, it must be hard for you. I will quickly go away from your sight but please let me feel this tenderness that I won''t ever feel again." Tears kept streaming down from her eyes to his hand. He clenched his hand and pulled her to his embrace. He hugged her tightly like he didn''t want to let her go. His hand was caressing her soft and straight hair, he buried his face onto her neck crook, inhaling her gentle scent. Di Shang: " I won''t let you go, you are not going anywhere. Stay here with me, I will give all my love for you so please don''t loathe yourself like that." Meiyun hugged back tightly. Meiyun: " But I''m not as strong as you see." Di Shang: " Then I will protect you." Meiyun: " I''m not lady-like at all." Di Shang: " That part of you is cute." Meiyun: " I''m not as beautiful as my sister or my Young Miss." Di Shang: " To me, you are the most beautiful woman that I ever met." Meiyun: " I will complain a lot when I''m angry." Di Shang: " I will listen to everything." Meiyun: " Please¡­. Don''t make me fall for you." Di Shang: " Why?" Meiyun was silent for a while before she parted her lips. Meiyun: " Falling in love isn''t as fun as I heard it was supposed to be. It hurts, it hurts so much that even if I punched my chest, the pain won''t go away. I thought that we will at least be friends but he won''t even spare me a glance. Even after I protected his life, he still didn''t trust me. He thought that I was a threat, he never apologize to me even after knowing the truth, rather than that, he said that he didn''t like a tomboy woman like me. Did he have to be that cruel to me?! Did he even know why I am like this?!" Meiyun''s breath hitched as she cried her heart out. Meiyun: " I just wanted to protect what is important to me. I acted tough and careless, always be happy go lucky but did he know that the nightmare of me getting tortured and assaulted in that dark room haunted me each night? I just wanted to be loved, is it too egoistic for me to ask him to love me back?" Di Shang''s knuckles turned white from gripping too hard. Di Shang: " You have done more than enough, now it is time for you to rest." Meiyun: " Can I? What if the enemy attacks us when I sleep?" Di Shang: " It is okay, I will protect all of us." Meiyun: " En¡­ Thank you¡­. Thank you¡­." Meiyun''s eyelid slowly closes as she fell into a deep sleep for the first time in the last 16 years. Di Shang didn''t stop caressing her hair, he glanced at Naran who was wiping her own tears. Naran: " Take a good care of her. Even though I don''t know what happened to her but I know that she had suffered so much in the past and now. Poor girl." Di Shang: " En. Mother, lend me a carriage." Naran: " Just go and take one." Di Shang: " En, then I excuse myself." Di Shang stood up with Meiyun in his arms, he tried hard to not wake her from her sleep as he went back to his own residence. . . . A little girl sitting alone in a cold dark room with chains around her legs and wrists, her bony body was covered in cuts and bruises. The coldness of the cement floor pierced through her bones, she hugged her own legs and buried her face in her knees. She wanted to run away from this horrible place but she was afraid, afraid that someone that she loves would sit here to replace her. If it was going to be like that, it would be better if she just stayed here forever. Then a light slowly shone from behind her, she turned her head around and saw a window that wasn''t there before. A clinking sound caught her attention, she glanced at the chains that bound her was now laying on the floor. She weakly crawled towards the window and peeked outside, a line of mountains and river were displayed in front of her eyes. The sunlight warmed her face and her heart... Meiyun slowly opened her eyes and noticed that she was hugging a super sized warm bottle while laying on a large bed. And to add it, her warm bottle smells so good, she rubbed her cheeks on the warm bottle but she felt that the surface of a warm bottle wasn''t supposed to be like this. Her heart was telling her that this wasn''t a normal warm bottle, she touched around the warm bottle and now her brain told her that it really wasn''t a warm bottle. Di Shang: " Satisfied?" Meiyun flinched when she heard a deep voice from above of her head. Meiyun: '' Don'' tell me¡­. Don''t tell me¡­.'' Meiyun slowly raised her head to look at her warm bottle and saw that Di Shang was smiling from ear to ear while looking down at her. Her face instantly flushed red and wanted to back away but a big strong arm was wrapping around her waist pressing her body to his body. She bent her back backwards and lightly pushes away using her hands so her chest wouldn''t touch him, she didn''t want him to notice her heart was beating so hard and fast. Di Shang stared at her and chuckled seeing how she wanted to get away but her eyes kept glancing at his abs. Hearing his chuckle, Meiyun smacked his hand that was holding her still. Meiyun: " Pl-please let me go." Di Shang: " No." Meiyun: " Uughhh¡­" Meiyun pouted and lightly smacked his chest. Di Shang laughed out loud by how she tried to hide her embarrassment, he placed his hand behind her back and pulled her to his chest. Di Shang: " Don''t bend like that, you will hurt your waist." Despite of how he kept teasing her, she couldn''t bring herself to hate him. Meiyun: " Ge-general Di, it is time for me to go back." Di Shang: " En, but let me enjoy this for a few minutes." Meiyun: " E-en." . . . Meiyun was wearing Dong Fang''s clothes as her previous clothes were torn apart from the fight. Di Shang had gave her a mask and a horse earlier so now she was at the main gate of Dong Fang and was ready to depart. She mounted her horse after she made sure she had brought everything that was necessary for the journey. Then suddenly a man on a horse stopped beside her, she glanced at the man and surprised to see Di Shang here, on top of that he was wearing commoner''s clothes. Meiyun: " Ge-general Di, what are you doing here?" Di Shang: " Follow you." Meiyun: " EH?!" Di Shang: " What?" Meiyun: " Wh-why?" Di Shang: " To protect you." Meiyun: " I-I am strong enough to protect myself." Di Shang: " Reason denied." Meiyun: " Eeehhhh~" Di Shang: " No matter what you say, I will still follow you." Di Shang pulled his rein and clopped in a slow pace. Meiyun smiled widely and pulled her rein to catch up. It felt good to have someone to rely upon, thought her. Chapter 128 - 126. Chang An I Third person POV After 4 days of travelling, they finally caught up to Hong er''s entourage not far away from the capital. Hong er and Huayun jumped onto Meiyun as soon as they saw her. Meiyun stumbled backwards by the sudden weight, fortunately Di Shang managed to catch her. He smiled gently at her and helped her get her balance back. Meiyun nodded her head in thanks which made Di Shang smiled wider. Hong er: " Aiya, it is General Di." Di Shang: " Nice to meet you here, Miss Xu." Hong er: " Me too, it is nice to meet you here General Di. On what occasion you come to Chang An?" (A/N: Chang An= Da Qi''s capital.) Di Shang: " Nothing important, just sending Meiyun off." Di Shang patted Meiyun''s head and smiled at her. Meiyun lowered her head in embarrassment, Hong er and Huayun saw her red ears and grinned mischievously. Hong er: " Hoo~ Oh, please let me treat you a dinner as thanks for saving Meiyun." Di Shang: " No-" Hong er: " And you can stay with Meiyun longer." At first he wanted to reject her offer, however, he immediately agreed at the thought he could be with Meiyun a bit longer. Di Shang: " Then I have to bother Miss Xu for this." Hong er: " It''s fine~ It''s fine~" Hong er and Huayun released Meiyun from their clutch and touched all over her body to check if there''s any injury. Huayun: " It is good that you are fine." Meiyun: " Uhm~ Only a scar here." Meiyun pointed her cut that was hidden by her mask. Huayun: " On your face?! How careless can you be? Oh? When did you wear a necklace?" Meiyun: " Oh this, this was given by Madam Di as a gift." Huayun glanced at Di Shang''s necklace and whispered to Meiyun. Huayun: " Yours and General Di''s necklaces are matching, it feels like you are a couple." Meiyun: " What are you saying?!" Meiyun whisper screamed with her face flushed red. Huayun sighed and patted Meiyun''s shoulder. Huayun: " I''m just happy that you found someone that you love." Meiyun stared at Huayun and smiled. Meiyun: " Thank you." . . . Di Shang was looking at Meiyun all the time during dinner, he even asked the Yun sisters to sit together and join the dinner. Hong er excitedly agreed as she always eat her meal together with them when she''s not in residence. They sat down and waited for their Young Miss and Di Shang to eat first. Di Shang as the oldest among them, took a piece of meat and placed it on Meiyun''s plate. Meiyun blushed deeply because she could feel the look that Hong er and Huayun gave her. She looked at Di Shang and wanted to refrain him from doing things that could make people misunderstand their relationship but the genuine smile on his lips stopped her. Furthermore, he looked very proud and happy when he saw that Meiyun accepted everything that he did to her despite the embarrassment. He stretched out his hand beneath the table and held Meiyun''s hand. Surprised by the sudden contact, Meiyun jumped up and her knees knocked the table. Hong er and Huayun who was peacefully eating while watching them at the same time jolted when the table almost turned over. Di Shang: " Don''t worry, let''s continue eating." Di Shang said with a polite smile on his face, meanwhile his hand was rubbing Meiyun''s knees which knocked the table. Meiyun''s face couldn''t get any redder than this, she admitted that his hands were very good at massaging but she couldn''t just being lovey dovey in front of her Young Miss. Hong er and Huayun saw Meiyun''s blushing face and grinned evilly. They closed their eyes and activated their inner sight, they saw that Di Shang''s hand was rubbing on Meiyun''s knees and Meiyun was placing her hand on top of his hand. Hong er blushed and quickly inactivated her inner sight. Hong er: '' Aiyo~ That was so rude of me to peek on someone''s privacy.'' On the other side, Huayun was still looking at them with inner sight then she saw Meiyun was moving her other hand. Huayun was so curious of what Meiyun would do, she followed Meiyun''s every hand movement. Meiyun: '' F*ck you, close your f*cking inner sight before I close it for you.'' Then Meiyun gave her a middle finger underneath the table, Huayun inactivated her inner sight and glared back at Meiyun. They finished their dinner and went to an inn to rest, since it was too dark for Di Shang to travel back to Dong Fang, he decided to stay in the same inn as them. His suite was across Hong er''s suite, he went outside and saw that Meiyun was standing in front of the door alone. He walked and waved his hand to her which Meiyun waved back. Meiyun: " Can''t sleep?" Di Shang: " En." Meiyun: " Why?" Di Shang: " I want to spend my time with you while I can." Di Shang saw her ears got red, he smiled as he touched her ears. Di Shang: " Let me see your face." Di Shang untied the ribbon on her mask and took off her mask, revealing the blushing Meiyun. He couldn''t think of anything but the woman in front of him. He caressed her cheek as he stared at her red lips, he leaned his face closer to Meiyun''s face. Their lips were now only an inch apart, she could feel his warm breath brushing on her lips. When Di Shang moved his face forward, Meiyun stopped him by lightly pushing his chest away. She lowered her head and her eyes were looking everywhere except his eyes. Meiyun: " Ge-general Di, I-I think th-this is too sud-sudden¡­" Her voice got smaller and smaller as she spoke. Di Shang understood what she meant, they met only a week ago and they weren''t officially a couple, furthermore, Meiyun had someone she actually liked. But he would never give up on Meiyun, if Meiyun disliked him, she wouldn''t have let him do as he please as such sleeping with her. (A/N: they only slept together once when Meiyun was drunk.) He won''t rush Meiyun to quickly fall in love with him, he would take it slow and steady. He knew that her heart had started to fall for him but since he had to leave her side for quite a while, he had to do something so that Meiyun would only think about him when he is gone. He shifted his face to the side and gave her a peck on her scar. Di Shang: " I will hold back for now. Wait for me, I will make you fall for me sooner or later." Meiyun looked up to him and nodded her head. Di Shang furrowed his brow and groaned whlist resting his head on her shoulder. Di Shang: " Ugghh¡­" Meiyun caressed his spiky hair and anxiously asked. Meiyun: " Is something wrong?" Di Shang: " Yes." Meiyun bit her lower lip as she was afraid that Di Shang was angry that she rejected his kiss. Di Shang: " If you kept being that cute, I think I won''t be able to hold back." Her face flushed red in an instant, her hand that was caressing his hair fastened and rougher. Di Shang laughed as he succeeded in teasing her. But unknown to them, there was a person who had been watching them since the beginning. The unknown person fisted his hand and gritted his teeth in anger, he didn''t even know why he was angered by the couple, it was just that his heart burned in anger seeing the two of them getting so close to each other. He was too entranced in his thought that he didn''t realize that he released his aura due to anger. Meiyun: " Who is there?!" A ring sword shot towards him and managed to leave a huge cut on his left arm. He gritted his teeth and quickly retreated, Meiyun jumped on the roof where the unknown person was hiding before to catch a sight of the person who ran away. Knowing that she couldn''t catch the person based on their speed and distance, she clicked her tongue in irritation. Di Shang appeared behind her and patted her head to comfort her. Chapter 129 - 127. Chang An II Third person POV Morning* While Hong er''s entourage was preparing to depart to Chang An, Di Shang gave his farewell to Hong er and Meiyun. Hong er: " Once again, thank you for saving Meiyun, I don''t know how to properly thank General Di for your kindness." Di Shang: " It is fine. But you can help me with a favor." Hong er: " What is it?" Di Shang glanced at Meiyun who was standing behind Hong er and grinned. Di Shang: " By giving Meiyun to me." Hong er: " Ahahah~ It will be quite hard for me too, General Di. Since Meiyun is a very precious sister of mine." Di Shang: " What a pity." Meiyun: " Ehem! Young Miss, General Di, why are you two talking about my ownership in front of me?" Hong er: " Hahaha~ Meiyun is embarrassed." Meiyun: " Of-of course!" Meiyun pouted and turned her head away. Hong er chuckled because all this time it was her or Huayun that was teased by Meiyun but knowing the tables had turned, she''s having too much fun in teasing Meiyun. Di Shang walked towards Meiyun and smiled seeing Meiyun was still ignoring him despite him standing in front of her then a mischievous idea surfaced on his mind. He took her hand in his hand and positioned it in front of his lips, Meiyun flinched when his warm breath brushed over her hand. She peeked at what he was going to do but she didn''t expect that he had been staring at her since the very beginning, their eyes were locked with each other. No matter how many times she look at his green eyes, she would always be entranced by it. Di Shang: " I will be back for you." Di Shang kissed her hand softly and walked away. Meiyun''s whole body and mind froze for a second, the time she grasped what had happened, Di Shang had went quite far away. Di Shang was peacefully riding his horse then suddenly a paper smacked his head from behind. He took the paper and saw a few words were written in the paper. '' I will wait for you, have a safe trip.'' Di Shang''s eyes instantly softened by the cute and caring letter, he waved the letter up to the air. Meiyun smiled from ear to ear seeing that her letter reached him. He folded the paper and kissed it before he put it in his pocket. Huayun: " It is time to go Meiyun." Meiyun: " En." Meiyun took a quick look of Di Shang''s silhouette one more time then followed Huayun. . . . They arrived at the capital in the afternoon and they were greeted by people throwing flowers and blessing words to Hong er. Meiyun was quite surprised by the warm welcome since this was the first time she entered the gate with Hong er''s entourage. Meiyun: " Wasei~ The people here are so welcoming." Huayun: " En, it was like this the whole way." Meiyun: " The whole way?! Even though Young Miss didn''t have any title whatsoever and is from foreign country? I really didn''t expect we would be welcomed by them." Huayun: " Me too." Meiyun: '' Is it his doing?'' (A/N: she was talking about Weisheng.) Hong er was waving her hand to the people the entire way to the main palace, the palace''s gate opened widely for Hong er to enter. She was directly guided to her palace which was newly built especially for the future empress under the emperor''s order and it was located beside the emperor''s palace. Her palace was named Fei Hong which had the same meaning as Hong er''s name. ( A/N: Lu Ping stopped following her after she entered her courtyard as it is forbidden for men to enter the emperor''s wife''s courtyard without the emperor''s consent.) Laojin: " His Majesty purposely built Fei Hong palace beside His Majesty''s palace therefore it will be easier for His Majesty to visit Miss Xu''s chamber." Hong er: '' Why is His Majesty so desperate about me?'' Hong er stared at the signboard that was hanging on top of the gate, she walked into her courtyard and noticed that her courtyard was bigger than what an empress supposed to have. Her chamber was almost as large as emperor''s chamber and beside her chamber room, there was a 4 floored building and based on what Laojin said it was her private library which consisted of almost all the books in this continent. Laojin: " It was made like this as His Majesty probably will spend most of his time with Miss Xu." Hong er: '' Just one question¡­ Why?'' Even Meiyun and Huayun had their own room in the west wing of the courtyard. Hong er looked around and found that everything in the courtyard was to her taste, the flowers in the garden were her favorite flowers too. Laojin explained each building''s purpose and at last, the backyard. There was a pavilion in the middle of a man made lake which was the exact same one as what she had in the Xu residence. A resting pavilion that was made with black wood and a pavilion for drinking tea, and of course the three of them were surprised by this. Noticed that the three ladies were frozen, Laojin stepped forward and explained the reason behind the exact same pavilion. Laojin: " His Majesty purposely made this pavilion the exact same one as Miss Xu had in Xu residence, seeing that Miss Xu can come here if Miss Xu misses her home in Da Chu. And His Majesty said that the name of the pavilion was up to Miss Xu to decide." Hong er skimmed the hand rail of the bridge with her hand while walking towards the pavilion. Hong er: '' Even the same material. Did His Majesty spied on our residence?'' Hong er abruptly stopped in the middle of the track and turned around to her chamber. Everyone except the Yun sisters and Laojin followed her every steps quietly, thinking that they had angered their soon to be empress. Hong er: " Jin Momo, can I visit the empress dowager now?" Laojin: " Of course you can, Miss Xu. But firstly let me notify the Empress Dowager." Laojin instructed a maid behind her to notify the people in the Empress Dowager''s courtyard about Hong er''s visit. Hong er: " En. And do you perhaps know where the kitchen is?" Laojin: " Yes, Miss Xu. Let me guide you." Hong er: " En." The new assigned servants were panicking as they thought of what''s Hong er going to do in such a lowly place. But since they''re only servants, they didn''t dare to voice out their mind. Laojin knew that Hong er was going to make a dish for the Empress Dowager as a gift because she had learned Hong er''s personality throughout the time they spent together. They finally arrived at the kitchen which was surprisingly close, Weisheng knew that she likes to cook so he made an exclusive kitchen for her. The servants that was working in the kitchen greeted Hong er the moment they saw her from afar. Servants: " Greetings to Your Majesty." Hong er: " En, and I am not officially an empress yet so please refrain from calling me '' Your Majesty''" Servants: " Yes, Miss Xu." Hong er nodded her head in acknowledgement. Hong er: " Mind if I borrow the kitchen for a moment?" Servants: " Please do, Miss Xu." When the servants who worked in the kitchen were assigned to work at Hong er''s courtyard, they had been informed that Hong er would occasionally come to the kitchen to cook and for that reason the kitchen must always be spotless. Hong er walked into the kitchen and looked around the ingredients they had which was unsurprisingly complete. Hong er asked Laojin about the Empress Dowager''s favorite food and body condition then she picked out the ingredients and started cooking. Chapter 130 - 128. Empress Dowager and Princess Yue I Third person POV Hong er went to the Empress Dowager''s courtyard with Laojin guiding her the way. Noticed Hong er from far away, an eunuch quickly notified the Empress Dowager of Hong er''s arrival. Empress Dowager: " En. Tell her to come in." Eunuch: " Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch bowed to her and quickly dashed outside to welcome Hong er in. Since Hong er had long legs, she arrived at the front gate of the Empress Dowager''s palace at the same time as the eunuch. Eunuch: " This servant heard that Miss Xu comes to visit Her Majesty, please come in." Hong er: " En, thank you." Hong er followed the eunuch and entered the palace, she walked into the hall and saw 2 women sitting on the highest seats. Hong er guessed that the woman in golden robe is the Empress Dowager and the girl in the pink dress is Princess Yue. She gracefully bent her knees and greeted the 2 women. Hong er: " Greetings to Empress Dowager. Greetings to Princess Yue." Empress Dowager: " Mian li." ( A/N: idk the English but it means stand up from superior to subordinates.) Hong er straighten her body. Empress Dowager: " Sit here." Hong er: " Yes, Your Majesty." The Empress Dowager patted the additional seat beside hers, since Hong er wasn''t a royalty nor had married to Weisheng, she couldn''t sit at the throne. Hong er obediently sat on the seat, she could clearly feel the stares from the 2 women beside her. Empress Dowager: " If Ai Jia is not mistaken, your name is Xu Feihong right?" ( A/N: Ai Jia= self-referring by a widowed empress.) Hong er: " Yes, Your Majesty." Empress Dowager: " Are you fully aware of the name of your palace?" Hong er: " Yes, Your Majesty. This lowly one really appreciate His Majesty''s magnamity." Empress Dowager: " En. His Majesty had taken a like on you therefore do your best to serve beside him. And do you know that it will be hard for you to take on that responsibility right?" Hong er: " Yes, Your Majesty. This lowly one will do its best to support His Majesty. " Hong er was fully aware that it would be hard for her to have a steady standing in the court especially she was from foreign country and didn''t have any family backup in Da Qi. But Hong er had long learned this type of thing considering that her family was hated by the royal family and other noble families in Da Chu as her family had too much power in the court and military. It was easy to take the heart of the commoners but not with the sly and scheming ministers that had worked in this field with full of tricks. The ministers in Da Qi would find many different ways to dethrone Hong er from her position and she was ready to repel all of their schemes and tricks. She had hardened her heart to be a merciless empress if it meant the commoner would have a happy life. Empress Dowager: " Ai Jia likes your answer. Huff~ The weather had got hotter and hotter." The Empress Dowager fanned herself with her circular fan. Princess Yue: " Yeahh~ I''m dying, Imperial mother~" Hong er: " Uumm, Your Majesty, Your Highness, this lowly one had made some cold dessert that can ease some of the heat from the body." Princess Yue: " Oh! That''s good! Ben Gong heard from Imperial brother that sister-in-law have a splendid cooking skill. I can''t wait to test out sister-in-law''s dishes~" Princess Yue that had been silent the whole time leaped out from her seat all of a sudden and energetically jumped up and down. Empress Dowager: " Yue er, Ai Jia know that you are excited but please conduct your behavior in front of our guest. And don''t call your brother Imperial brother, call him His Majesty as he is the emperor now." Princess Yue: " Uuhh~ No fun, even Imperial brother lets me call him Imperial Brother." Empress Dowager: " Huff~ This naughty daughter of mine. Ah, please don''t mind her childish behavior Miss Xu, she is spoiled by her brother and me that resulted in her to become like this." Princess Yue: " Imperial Mother~ There is no need to be that cruel towards me~" Empress Dowager: " You should be grateful that Ai Jia didn''t compare you to your sister-in-law. Look, your sister-in-law is only a year older than you but her behavior is far better than yours." Hong er: " Hahaha~ Mah~ It is fine for Princess Yue to behave a little bit childish as it makes her cuter." Princess Yue: " Uuhh~ I LOVE YOU, SISTER-IN-LAW!" Princess Yue jumped onto Hong er and hugged her. Hong er chuckled by Princess Yue''s cuteness, the Yun sisters passed the tray to the Empress Dowager''s personal maid to be checked with silver needle. They served the dessert to the Empress Dowager and Princess Yue after getting checked, they placed the jade pot on the table and opened the lid. The mother daughter pair were impressed by the moment the lid was opened, a surge of cold air immediately came out from the snow fungus soup. (A/N: if you guys are wondering what snow fungus is, I posted a pic of it and the recipe. It tastes good as my mom occasionally cooks it and it really has kinda cooling sensation to body.) Empress Dowager: " Ai Jia know that this is snow fungus soup but why does it emit cold air?" Hong er: " This lowly one noticed that the summer in Da Qi is harsher than in Da Chu, for that reason, I thought to pour some ice magic''s Qi to the soup therefore one''s body will be cooled from inside after one eat this soup. Please forgive this lowly one for doing such an outrageous thing." Hong er quickly get on her knees and begged for forgiveness, she was genuinely concerned about the Empress Dowager''s health but she forgot that it could cause her to be accused of Qi poisoning towards the royalty. Princess Yue: " What are you kneeling for, sister-in-law?! We are just curious about the cold air." Empress Dowager: " En, what Yue er said is right. We are from royal family so we are strong too you know. Do you think we can''t detect this kind of thing? How do you think we could survive this long in this cruel place if we were to be fooled by this?" Hong er: " Please forgive my audacity." Empress Dowager: " There is nothing to forgive. Join us to enjoy this delicious looking soup." Princess Yue: " Uhm!" The Yun sisters helped Hong er to stand up and sat back down. The mother daughter pair took the jade pot and their face instantly relaxed as they felt the coldness of the soup and jade pot cooling their palm. They spooned the soup and brought it to their mouth, their eyes widened in surprise after they tasted the soup. They expected that the soup would be freezing cold considering the cold air it was emitting, rather, the soup had a perfect temperature, it wasn''t too cold that they would get a brain freeze. And they could clearly feel their body instantly cooled off after they ate the first bite of the soup. The girls were eating and chatting leisurely while on the other side, Weisheng sat on his study room reviewing all the important reports that Lu Ping brought for him. Then an eunuch came and reported that Hong er had cooked some cold dessert for him and his family which made him really happy. Even though she doesn''t know about his true identity, she still cares about the people around her and that was one of a thousand reasons that he loves her. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he ate the soup. Weisheng: '' It would be better if she is here with me.'' Chapter 131 - 129. Empress Dowager and Princess Yue II Third person POV When Hong er was talking to Lu Cixi ( Empress Dowager), a bright and cheerful girl walked into the hall with an innocent smile on her face. Princess Yue slightly frowned her brow as she hugged Hong er''s arm tighter. Lu Cixi''s face remained calm but the servants could clearly felt the coldness in her eyes. Servants: '' We are dead!'' Hong er saw the eunuch that guided her was running panicky to chase after the girl but the girl didn''t pay any heed to the eunuch. Goosebumps rise up as he felt Lu Cixi''s cold gaze, his whole body was trembling in fear as he lowered his head. Murong Qing: " Greetings to the Empress Dowager! Greetings to Princess Yue!" Murong Qing greeted cheerfully. Lu Cixi: " Mian li." Murong Qing: " Thanking Your Majesty!" Princess Yue: " Hey you! Why you didn''t greet my sister-in-law?" Murong Qing turned her eyes to Hong er and cutely pouted. Murong Qing: " Eehh~ But she hasn''t become an empress yet, isn''t she should be the one to greet me~?" Princess Yue wanted to retaliate but Hong er''s hand stopped her. Hong er slowly stood up and walked towards Murong Qing then greeted her like how she greeted another noble lady. Hong er: " I apologize for my negligence, Miss Murong. Please accept my greetings." Murong Qing: " Aiyo~ It is fine since this is the first time for Miss Xu to come here right? But please refrain yourself from doing that again, if not, everyone will be become as disrespectful as you-" Lu Cixi: " Enough, Miss Murong. On what occasion did you came here for?" Murong Qing: " Why does Auntie call me that? When I was little, auntie used to call me Qing Qing." Murong Qing took Lu Cixi''s hand and cutely swayed it side to side while pouting cutely. Hong er turned around and wanted to sit back on her seat, but when she almost reached her seat, Murong Qing quickly sat on her seat. Meiyun and Huayun frowned deeply and were going to complain, then Hong er raised her hand and shook her head. Hong er: " There is no need to waste our time on someone like her." Hong er inaudibly whispered so that only the Yun sisters could hear her. They nodded their head and took a step back. Lu Cixi: " Miss Murong, why are you sitting on Miss Xu''s seat? If you want to sit, Ai Jia will tell the servants to bring another chair." Murong Qing: " Ehhh~ I thought that this is my seat and it is easier to talk to Auntie like this~" Lu Cixi: " Miss Murong, don''t forget your place." Lu Cixi said with a cold smile, Murong Qing flinched as she released Lu Cixi''s arm. Her eyes started to get watery and her face was truly pitiful. Murong Qing: " Pl-please forgive me, Auntie~ I-I just wanted to have a talk with Auntie but if Miss Xu insisted on sitting here then I have no choice but to move over." Hong er: '' I haven''t said a word.'' Hong er: " It is fine, Miss Murong. You can sit there as much as you want and please have a pleasant talk with Her Majesty. Then I shall excuse myself Your Majesty, Your Highness." Princess Yue: " Sister-in-law, how about you join our conversation?" Hong er: " Is it fine if this lowly one join the conversation?" Lu Cixi: " Of course, Ai Jia likes to talk with you. Come here~" Hong er: " Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty." Hong er bent her knees and lowered her head as an expression of gratitude. The servants brought another seat and placed it beside Lu Cixi. Hong er slightly unnoticeably widened her eyes in shock when she felt a faint of killing intent in the hall. She raised her head and took a brief look of Murong Qing. Hong er: '' The killing intent came from her, but why?'' Even though Murong Qing''s face was smiling but her eyes were not. Having years of experience in the battlefield, Hong er was very sure that she didn''t see wrong. But the killing intent only lasted for a few second, Hong er inaudibly sighed and sat on her seat. Murong Qing ignored Hong er and continued to talk with Lu Cixi and Princess Yue where they didn''t pay any heed to her talk. The bored Princess Yue went to Hong er''s side and talked to her instead of to Murong Qing. Murong Qing knew that Princess Yue didn''t like her that''s why her main target was Lu Cixi. Murong Qing: " Cousin brother treated me better than any girls he had ever met and I think he likes me." Murong Qing said shyly. Lu Cixi: " Audacious! You dare to call His Majesty cousin brother?" Murong Qing: " Bu-but cousin brother didn''t mind that I called him that." ( A/N: there will be an explanation on why Murong Qing called Weisheng ''cousin brother'' even though they weren''t related.) Murong Qing''s body shrunk as her eyes got watery again. Lu Cixi: " He didn''t mind, Ai Jia mind." Murong Qing: " Ye-yes, Aunti-" Lu Cixi: " And don''t call Ai Jia Auntie. It would be a bad example to the others just like what you said before." Murong Qing: " Yes, Your Majesty." Lu Cixi: " So? What is your purpose in coming here, Miss Murong?" Murong Qing: " Auntie, I want to marry His Majesty too." Lu Cixi''s hand that was placed on the table clenched, crushing the table. Murong Qing jolted up, she didn''t expect that Lu Cixi would be this angered. Murong Qing: " Yo-Your Majesty?" Lu Cixi: " What.did.you.just.say?" Lu Cixi''s face was as dark as ink, all of the servants knelt to the ground, afraid that the past Lu Cixi has awakened. Lu Cixi: "Who do you think you are?" Lu Cixi growled at Murong Qing which caused Murong Qing to fell on her knees. Murong Qing: " This lowly one didn''t mean to anger Your Majesty. Please cease Your Majesty''s anger. I really apologize for my bluntness but please, please, I really love cousin brother." Lu Cixi: " Someone, send Miss Murong off." Murong Qing: " Your Majesty¡­" Murong Qing stared at Lu Cixi with tears in her eyes but Lu Cixi indifferently looked back at her. A realization struck Murong Qing, how could she forget that the woman she was begging for forgiveness was the merciless and ruthless empress that rules over the previous emperor''s harem. Even though at the first sight Lu Cixi looked like a very calm and tranquil person, actually in the palace, she was the most feared person after the current emperor. Even the previous emperor, her own husband, feared his empress. One day, one of the previous emperor''s new beloved concubine entered the palace, she thought that the empress had fallen out of love as the emperor rarely went to Lu Cixi''s chamber. Getting big head from being spoiled by the emperor, she planned to poison Weisheng so that her son in her belly could be the new crown prince. Even after multiples warnings from her servants and other concubines, she still went on her plan. Weisheng ate the poisoned food but the deadly poison that could kill a bear with just a drop didn''t work on him. Bewildered by the unexpected situation, she immediately sent people to investigate Weisheng. But before she could get information from her spy, Lu Cixi barged into her room with whip on her hand. Concubine: " Greetings to Your Majesty. On what occasion-" Lu Cixi grabbed her hair harshly and dragged her outside, she was screaming the emperor''s name and asked for his help. Lu Cixi threw her to the ground and sat on the chair that her servants brought, she played with her whip on the crying woman while indifferently stared at her. The concubine looked up with tears streaming out from her eyes and was shocked to see every concubine and servants in the palace standing in front of her, watching her. Lu Cixi: " Don''t worry, those little spies of yours had been wiped off from this world." Concubine: " How dare you! Even if you are an empress, you can''t treat me like this! Just wait for His Majesty''s punishment." Just as she said his name, the emperor appeared from the side whilst panting tiredly from running. Concubine: " Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The empress wants to kill me! Please save me!" Chapter 132 - 130. The Cold Hearted Empress I Third person POV Lu Cixi stood up from her seat and graciously greeted the emperor together with everyone on the scene. Lu Cixi: " Greetings to Your Majesty." Emperor: " What is the meaning of this, my empress?" Lu Cixi: " Ben Gong is trying to discipline Ben Gong''s little sisters therefore we can live in peace and harmony in the Back Palace." ( Back Palace is where the emperor''s harem located.) Emperor: " But it is too overboard." Lu Cixi: " Ben Gong don''t think so, Your Majesty. If Ben Gong don''t do this then it is Ben Gong''s child that would be harmed." The emperor whipped his head towards his beloved concubine. Emperor: " You tried to harm Zhen''s son?" Concubine: " No! Your Majesty, Chen Qie is accused by Her Majesty. It is all Her Majesty''s plot. Please believe me." Emperor: " Just because I spoiled you, doesn''t mean I trusted you." He turned his head to Lu Cixi. Emperor: " Zhen will allow you to punish her whatever you want." Lu Cixi: " Thanking Your Majesty for the generosity." Lu Cixi bowed to the emperor and continued to whip the concubine with her full strength while declared loudly to everyone she purposely summoned here. Lu Cixi: " This is Ben Gong''s warning to all of you. I''m not a very kind person, even if His Majesty saved your little life, I will make you feel like it is better to die than live. Do you hear me?" Everyone: " Yes, Your Majesty." And the night ended with the concubine almost dead and her hair was shaved. It left a trauma to everyone there including the emperor. The reason behind Weisheng didn''t die was he actually didn''t eat the poisoned food, he threw away the food and told the servants to take away the emptied bowls to make the spy thinks that he ate the poison. Few years later after the accident, the son of the concubine tried to take revenge on Lu Cixi and Weisheng by trying to get the little Princess Yue gang r.a.p.ed by bandits. He despised and loathed them as people always compared him to Weisheng and to add it, his mother curses them all the time. ( A/N: at this time, princess Yue was 11 years old and weisheng was 18 years old.) ( Warning!! It might trigger some of you. Contains **** and violence.) His mother supported him when he told her about the plan and thought that it was a perfect plan since Weisheng was busy fighting for power with their uncle and on top of that, Princess Yue and Lu Cixi were Weisheng''s weaknesses. But before he could execute his plan, he was kidnapped and woke up as he heard m.o.a.ns and groans echoing in the dark room. He blinked his eyes a few times to see clear of the light in his head, and when he finally could see clearly, he was too shocked to speak. His mother was r.a.p.ed by men that he didn''t know. Then he realized there was someone behind him, he turned his head around and saw Lu Cixi indifferently sipped the tea from her jade cup. ( A/N: I will just call him son but he is not Lu Cixi''s son.) Son: " So it is you! What are you doing to my mother you witch!" Lu Cixi placed down her cup and coldly looked at him. Lu Cixi: " Can''t you see? Ben Gong is doing what you are going to do to Ben Gong''s daughter." Son: " What the hell are you saying?! I will tell Imperial father of what you did to mother and me!" Lu Cixi: " Then tell him. You think that I am afraid of him?" He widened his eyes in bewilderment. Lu Cixi: " You don''t need to pretend like you didn''t plan of harming Ben Gong''s daughter. I know everything about you, everything you and your mother said about me everyday." Son: " Ho-how?" Lu Cixi: " How? Hahaha~" Lu Cixi let out a cold sneer. Lu Cixi: " The people that you think that are yours, are mine." Son: " Wh-what?" Lu Cixi: " How stupid can you get?" Son: " How dare-" Lu Cixi summoned her whip and struck his face, blood flew out across his face. Lu Cixi: " Who do you think you are to show that arrogant behavior to Ben Gong? And you dare to blame Ben Gong for your own stupidity." Lu Cixi struck him for the second time with her whip. Lu Cixi: " Scheming in my nest, what a big gut you had." *whip Lu Cixi: " Ben Gong had warned your damned mother once and let her go. But she dared to challenge me after her son just got a little bit of power, how arrogant." *whip Lu Cixi: " Why do you think Ben Gong can sit on that throne for so long?" *whip Lu Cixi: " You think you are smart then Ben Gong is genius." *whip Lu Cixi: " If it is my son that handles this, you will have an easy death." *whip Lu Cixi: " How can Ben Gong let that happen?" *whip Lu Cixi: " An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth." Lu Cixi strangled his neck with her whip and tore his head from his neck. The servants that were standing beside her swiftly blocked the blood that spurted out from his neck from staining their empress''s clothes. Lu Cixi swung her whip and threw his head to the concubine. Noticed the rolling head, the concubine screamed in agony and died from shock. The emperor knew everything about what she did behind his back as she didn''t keep any secret from him. But he couldn''t do anything as his health had depleted drastically for the past few years and now the palace was mostly ruled by his son. Though he didn''t mind it as his son did a better job than him as a ruler. Then he suddenly recalled what Lu Cixi said to him when one of his other concubines before this one planned to kill Weisheng. Lu Cixi: " Ben Gong will never tolerate anyone that tried to harm Ben Gong''s child, even if it is His Majesty." And he could see that Lu Cixi wasn''t an unreasonable person, she always helped and supported him as long as it benefits the commoners and the country. Even though she never loved him as a husband, she tried her best to fulfill her duty as a wife. That''s why he let her do whatever she wanted if it concerns her child''s safety and happiness. Back to present* Murong Qing quietly excused herself from the hall while gritting her teeth in hatred as angering Lu Cixi wouldn''t be any advantage for her. Lu Cixi sighed tiredly after Murong Qing walked out from the hall, Hong er poured tea in her cup and handed it to Lu Cixi. Lu Cixi took the cup and drunk the tea to calm her anger. The eunuch that chased Murong Qing quickly kowtowed and slammed his head on the floor multiple times in front of Lu Cixi begging for forgiveness. Not knowing of what happened, Hong er glanced at Meiyun and Meiyun could tell what Hong er was thinking. Meiyun nodded her head and swiftly helped the eunuch up. Hong er: " What''s the matter?" Eunuch: " Th-this lowly one be Lu Cixi: " Punish him with 20 flogs." Guards: " Yes, Your Majesty." Hong er: " Wait!" Chapter 133 - 131. The Cold Hearted Empress II Third person POV Everyone including Lu Cixi turned their eyes towards Hong er. Lu Cixi: " Is something wrong Miss Xu?" Hong er: " Your Majesty, I deeply apologize but in my opinion, this eunuch didn''t do any mistake." Hong er said firmly, Lu Cixi didn''t see any fear nor hesitation in Hong er''s eyes. The eunuch gawked at Hong er with tears streaming out his eyes, even for trained soldiers to be flogged 20 times means they would definitely have a hard time to walk, if it was him then he would be dead. He looked at Hong er like she was his only hope to live. Princess Yue watches Hong er with interest. Princess Yue: '' Hoo~ My sister-in-law has quite a big gut huh~ Just like those drama, [ Mother-in-law vs Daughter-in-law]'' He didn''t hate nor blame Lu Cixi for punishing him because he knew his mistake and incompetence of doing his job right. Actually Lu Cixi was a very kind master compared to his previous masters, she accepted him as her close servant even though he was from the slum. She provided food and a place to rest for his little sister, since his little sister was too young and inexperienced to serve beside Lu Cixi, she was assigned as maid''s assistant. Lu Cixi never threatened him by using his little sister''s life that nobles in common always do. Lu Cixi: " Why did you say so? Are you saying that Ai Jia''s a cruel master that''s always punishing her servants? Hm?" Lu Cixi said lazily whilst sipping her tea, but she found out that her cup was empty as she drank up all of it when she was irked by Murong Qing. Then Hong er politely offered to fill up the cup for her which she gladly accepted. Lu Cixi: '' Even at time like this, she still pours tea for me.'' Hong er: " From this lowly one''s point of view, that eunuch was struggling on keeping Miss Murong to not enter the palace and even if what he did was wrong by letting someone without permission to enter, 20 flogs are too much. And this lowly one didn''t mean to say that Your Majesty is a cruel master, and if I have to say, though it may seem strange, Your Majesty is a very caring master." Lu Cixi slightly widened her eyes in astonishment, she didn''t expect Hong er to compliment her. She suspected that Hong er was trying to lick her boots to gain her favor but considering what Qi Zongguan and her son said about Hong er was an honest and straight-forward person, she pushed back her suspicion to the back of her head. She had always believed her son as he never lied to her whatever it was. Unknown to her, every servant in the hall nodded their head in their heart. Lu Cixi: " Ohoo~ What makes you say that?" Even though Hong er was wearing a mask, Lu Cixi could see Hong er''s smile through her eyes. Hong er: " Forgive me for being nosy but I had been observing the servants since I entered the palace. All of them seem to have healthy body even the lowest class of servants have pink rosy cheeks, that means they got enough food and warm place to stay. Even though the servants in Your Majesty''s palace looks serious and strict, I can see that they''re genuinely happy to serve Your Majesty." The servants kowtowed to Lu Cixi and spoke in unison. Servants: " This lowly servant will always be loyal to Your Majesty." Lu Cixi: " Hhmm, mian li. You aren''t lowly. How can Ai Jia''s servants be lowly?" Servants: " Your Majesty!" Tears welled up on their eyes as they happily kowtowed to Lu Cixi. Lu Cixi smirked, it felt like she had 20 children. Lu Cixi: " My,my~ What keen eyes you have, Miss Xu?" Lu Cixi glanced at Hong er. Hong er: " Your Majesty flattered me, it is only a habit of mine to look around." Lu Cixi: " It is good to have that habit in this noble society. You know what Ai Jia means?" Hong er nodded her head and smiled gently at Lu Cixi. Hong er: " Yes, Your Majesty." If one was not careful and cautious in other''s places, then they would easily fall into the trap of the enemies and Hong er understood that very much. She never let down her guard even when she was at her own house. But one thing that she found odd, why did Lu Cixi had to be that angered by Murong Qing''s proposal. She was informed that Murong Qing''s father was an ordinary soldier and one day, he had saved the current Da Qi emperor''s life and caused him to lose the ability to walk. To thank him for his sacrifice, the previous emperor gifted him the earl title and a small land to him. And rumors said that Murong Qing was his potential fianc¨¦e but it never happened. Hong er thought that it would be rude of her to ask Lu Cixi therefore she held back her question and would just ask Laojin or her elite forces to investigate. Then Lu Cixi''s voice stopped her train of thought. Lu Cixi: " Ai Jia admit that you have quite big guts to criticize me. Aren''t you afraid that Ai Jia will kill you?" Hong er stared at her tea and answered with firm voice. Hong er: " No, I''m not afraid. This lowly one believe that it is a right thing to do." Lu Cixi: " Why do you say so?" Lu Cixi looked at Hong er with curiosity. Hong er: " ''It''s the servants responsibility to correct the master, servants who are afraid of being killed and refrain from telling the truth are not righteous.'' I read this saying from a book and I found it is very interesting." Lu Cixi: " Hoo~" Lu Cixi hided her satisfied smile with her tea cup. Hong er had surpassed her expectation, she had heard that Hong er was very kind and gentle lady but at the same time, she could saw that wasn''t all. At first Lu Cixi was worried that Hong er would be too kind that she would easily deceived or swayed by those sly nobles'' sweet talk, however, after seeing Hong er''s unwavering eyes, her heart eased up a lot. Murong Qing''s arrival was not unexpected to her but she couldn''t tolerate of how Murong Qing treated her kind daughter-in-law. Fortunately, Hong er responded Murong Qing''s offensive words serenely which made Lu Cixi''s impression towards Hong er better. Even though at last Hong er was the one who apologized to Murong Qing, Lu Cixi could see that Hong er apologized wasn''t because she was afraid of Murong Qing. Rather, there was a tint of laziness and bored look in Hong er''s eyes and when Hong er''s bodyguards tried to fight back with Murong Qing, she heard every word that Hong er whispered to them. But deep down in her heart, she still hadn''t fully trust Hong er after what she had experience at the time she was still an empress and even now. Lu Cixi: '' I hope she isn''t a white lotus.'' Chapter 134 - 132. Preparation for the Huge Wedding I Third person POV As feeling indebted to Murong Qing''s father, Weisheng didn''t chase away his daughter even though he kept pushing his daughter to play with him. Weisheng had always been cold to anyone except his mother and his little sister, he would drive away all the women that tried to get close to him. But since he had a life debt to Murong Qing''s father, he let Murong Qing hang around him. However, he never replied to her talk, actually, he didn''t even listen to any word that she spout out. Sometimes when Murong Qing got too near to him, he would noticeably swift his body to the side so she couldn''t touch him and wouldn''t try to touch him again. Yet Murong Qing misinterpreted his action as he was only being shy around her which made her more brazen in getting near him. She rarely saw him as Weisheng started to engage himself into war and his secret training with his elite forces. She finally could see him again after a few years later but he became colder and more distant, not long after that, Weisheng got extremely busy again as he had to fight for power with his uncle. And at that time, his heart had already been stolen by the little Hong er therefore he rejected every Murong Qing''s visit. His mood was very good after he ate his beloved wife''s handmade dessert but instantly ruined when Qiyi reported to him that Murong Qing demanded to meet him. At first, Murong Qing tried to just barge into his study room, however, she was blocked by the guards and Qier. At this moment, she was still trying to get into his study room even though Qier said that Weisheng had no time for her. Weisheng: " Kill her if she dares to step into my courtyard." Qiyi: '' So cold.'' Qiyi: " Yes Your Majesty." Qiyi walked out of his study room to relay his message. Weisheng sighed as he leaned on his throne. Meanwhile, the girl that he was thinking about was peacefully sitting in her pavilion while sipping on her tea, she had been thinking about what happened in Lu Cixi''s palace. She wanted to ask her elite forces but it would be easier and faster if she just asked the people that were close to Lu Cixi. She glanced at Laojin and asked. Hong er: " Jin Momo, why did Her Majesty Empress Dowager was enraged by Miss Murong?" Hong er thought that it wasn''t weird when Murong Qing asked Lu Cixi to be married to the emperor and she believed that it was normal for an emperor to have many wives in his harem then why would Lu Cixi be angry when she was the one who desperately tried to. Laojin: " Miss Murong likes to use her status to threaten the servants in the palace and troubled the maids that served His Majesty. She entered the palace without any order from the upper nor was she summoned and it quite annoyed the royals." Hong er: " Why would she do that?" Laojin: " It is not a secret that Miss Murong has a strong feeling towards His Majesty and it had developed to obsession. We are only lowly servants, we couldn''t fight back nor retaliate Miss Murong and Her Majesty Empress Dowager sympathize with our concern therefore she never punishes us even though Miss Murong complained to Her Majesty Empress Dowager about how badly she was treated by the servants." Hong er: " There must be worse case that caused Her Majesty to hate Miss Murong, am I right?" Laojin: " Yes. I believe that Miss Xu is aware that Her Majesty Empress Dowager is very protective towards His Majesty and Her Highness Princess Yue." Hoong er: " I indeed am aware of that." Laojin: " One day, Miss Murong came to the palace to visit His Majesty like usual but at that time, His Majesty was teaching Her Highness Princess Yue on how to control her Qi. Consumed by jealousy, Miss Murong attacked Her Highness Princess Yue in full forces." Hong er: " And what happened next?" Laojin: " His Majesty swiftly protected Her Highness Princess Yue from the attack and banned Miss Murong from visiting the palace for 2 years. From that accident, Her Majesty Empress Dowager snapped and found Miss Murong''s attitude intolerable." Hong er: " Hoo~" Laojin: " The restriction was lifted last month and Miss Murong continued to visit the palace but since His Majesty ascended to the throne, the security in the palace grew stricter and tighter which causes Miss Murong''s access to the palace became very limited." Hong er: " Even if she threaten them?" Laojin: " If the person insisted then we are allowed to use violence and there''s this new written rule for the servants that His Majesty set on us." Laojin stopped and thought for a moment. Hong er was burning with curiosity as she asked with excitement in her voice. Hong er: " What is it?" Laojin: " Actually we are not supposed to talk about these rules of us but since Miss Xu will soon become our empress then it won''t be any problem. And based on Miss Xu''s personality, you will find it out even if I don''t say it." Laojin said jokingly. Hong er: " Hahaha~ Jin Momo knows me so well." Laojin smiled gently. Laojin: " The servants who were assigned on that particular palace would be punished with 20 flogs if anyone entered without permission as it means we didn''t do our best in our job." Hong er: " That means I just¡­" Laojin: " Yes, Miss Xu." Hong er: " Aiyo, how can I be so foolish to criticize Her Majesty Empress Dowager?" Hong er''s face paled, if she had known that it was a written rules to punish servants with 20 flogs for letting outsiders enter without permission then she wouldn''t have intervene. But she didn''t feel regret or guilty for what she said to Lu Cixi. Laojin placed her hand on Hong er''s shoulder and smiled reassuringly. Laojin: " It is fine, Miss Xu. Her Majesty Empress Dowager wasn''t mad nor upset with Miss Xu, believe it or not, Her Majesty Empress Dowager was quite contended when Miss Xu stood up for that eunuch." Hong er: " How?" Laojin: " That thing Miss Xu have to find out yourself." Hong er: " Hee~ What a tease." Hong er said with a teasing voice which made everyone around her laughed. Then they abruptly stopped laughing and their body moved restlessly. Hong er fully understood why they acted like that, servants weren''t allowed to make any unnecessary sound if they were around their master as to not disturb their master. But Hong er didn''t think so, she liked tranquility at the same time she liked to hear the happy laughter from people around her. Hong er: " It is fine to laugh. I don''t really mind it but remember to look at the situation okay?" Servants: " Yes, Miss Xu." Hong er smiled gently at them. Hong er: " There were some leftover of the dessert that I made, if you want it then eat it. There is no need to hold back." In their eyes, Hong er was like a goddess. Unknown to Hong er, they had been drooling to eat that cold snow fungus soup since they saw Lu Cixi ate it. The summer was slowly killing them, furthermore, they had to stand below the scorching hot sun. Servants: " We are deeply grateful for your offer, Miss Xu! We''ll definitely enjoy it!" Hong er: " Hahaha~ You flattered me." Chapter 135 - 133. Preparation for the Huge Wedding II Third person POV The servants quickly ran into the kitchen after they finished their shift, they looked around the kitchen and saw that it had already been cleaned. The chef looked at them with weird eyes and asked. Chef: " What''s wrong?" Servants: " Oh! Uncle! Uncle! Her Majesty Empress said that there was some leftover of that soup. Where is it?!" Chef: " Soup? ¡­.. Oh~ The snow fungus soup?" The servants nodded their head eagerly, the chef felt guilty when he saw their eyes were sparkling with hope. Chef: " Uumm¡­ sorry, there was nothing left." Servants: " WHAT?! WHY?!" Chef: " Hear me out first. Her Majesty Empress told us that we can eat the leftover after we delivered the soup to His Majesty and Lu Gongzi so we ate it. BUT! Before we could eat a spoon of the soup, His Majesty ordered to deliver all of the leftovers to his room right that instance." Servants: " NOOOOOO!" Servants: '' We didn''t think that our master would be our rival. Her Majesty Empress is ours!'' But then they thought again that their rival was the cold hearted emperor, they quickly dropped their hope and sobbed on the floor. And in that night, people could hear the cries of the griefing servants from the kitchen. Weisheng: '' My wife''s cooking is the best.'' (A/N: I made Her Majesty Empress Dowager and Her Majesty Empress so it will be easier for you guys to tell who they were talking to and about. The servants still call Hong er " Her Majesty Empress" behind her, it is not a typo.) . . . Hong er woke up rather early than usual to prepare for her wedding. Dozens of maids came into her room with boxes of accessories and a wedding dress that was beautifully displayed on a mannequin. The maids didn''t expect that Hong er had woke up, usually noble ladies didn''t wake up that early in their daily life. Maid: " Miss Xu, You have woke up. Do you need anything else?" Hong er: " Nothing for now." Since Meiyun and Huayun had always been the one to take care of her in the morning, she didn''t really know what to ask for the maids. Meiyun and Huayun take turns in guarding Hong er''s room, Meiyun guarded alone from 10 PM until Hong er woke up at 3 AM after that Huayun woke up and changed place with Meiyun at 3.30 Am. Meiyun went to take rest for 4 hours then woke up again to continue her job. (A/N: There is a slight change bc I think back the moment Hong er was asleep and both Yun sisters guarded her room all night, then a question popped out on my mind. " When did they sleep?" so from now on they didn''t guard Hong er''s room together, there were shift between the Yun sisters and the shadow guards.) At first Hong er was worried of their health especially Meiyun, but Meiyun said to her that it was her that didn''t want to sleep at night because she was afraid that the monster under her bed would crawl out and eat her when she was sleeping. Hong er didn''t believe Meiyun''s words but Huayun comforted Hong er that Meiyun''s a nightowl and not a morning person. Even though Hong er was still skeptical, she decided to believe in them. Huayun: " Young Miss?" Huayun called out to Hong er as she saw that Hong er was dazed out. Huayun: " Is there anywhere that''s uncomfortable, Young Miss?" Hong er: " A-ah, nothing. Just old memories came to my mind." Huayun hesitantly took a step back, she worriedly looked at Hong er. Huayun: '' Young Miss must be thinking about General Sheng.'' Huayun''s thought was half right as the moment Hong er looked at the wedding dress once again, she became aware of the fact that she was getting married to someone she never even met before. She only knew a few things about the emperor, his name was Liu Weisheng and he likes dark color especially black. He has a tall and big stature which means he could catch the eyes of the girls, his height''s estimated to be more than 2 meters. He only has one magic and it was dark element, despite that, he still could overpower everyone in the battlefield and even after he became the emperor, he didn''t stop giving advices and strategies to the military officers. The first time Hong er heard this information from her elite forces, she was quite taken aback by the similarities between the emperor and Sheng ge. But she shrugged it off as she thought it was just a mere coincidence. Maid: " Miss Xu, the bath is done." Hong er: " En." Hong er stood up and walked towards the bathroom, the maids helped Hong er to disrobe and saw a plenty small scars on her body, nevertheless they were not that noticeable. They had heard that their new empress was a fighter which explained how muscled Hong er''s body was. Hong er bathed in milk bath with rose''s petal floating on top so her skin would be as soft as silk. While she was relaxing in her milk bath, 4 maids pedicured her nails and 1 maid massaged her head and washed her hair. Huayun stood at the side looking at them serving her Young Miss, then a few maids came to her and dressed her up too. Huayun: " Wa-wait wait wait, I''m only a servant, why do I have to be dress up too?" Maid: " Aiyo~ Jiejie have to dress up prettily too because you will walk behind Miss Xu together with Meiyun Jiejie and hold Miss Xu''s train skirt during the ceremony. We have to show our greatest service towards our guest or else Da Qi will be looked down upon." (A/N: I will use Jiejie bc sister is just weird.) Huayun: " Wa-wait! Did you just say Meiyun?! But she is still sleeping." Maid: " Ye-yes. We entered silently so we don''t wake Meiyun Jiejie up" Huayun: " Don''t enter without knocki-" Before Huayun could finish her sentence, a woman''s scream and clashing sound could be heard from outside. Hong er: " Is it Meiyun?" Huayun: " Probably yes, Young Miss. I will go outside to look at the situation." Huayun dashed outside and sighed when she saw Meiyun bowing like crazy to the guards and the maids. Meiyun: " I''m sorry. Really sorry. Very sorry. I reflexly attacked when I sensed someone sneakily entered my room." Meiyun helped the maid that was crouching on the ground with her body shaking in fear to stand up. Meiyun: " Please forgive me oh beautiful lady~ I will buy you make-up and perfume so please forgive me." Meiyun pulled the maid''s waist to hers and whispered on her ear which worked perfectly on the maiden heart. The maid shyly nodded her head, Meiyun''s face brighten up when the maid agreed to her offer, she lifted her head and kissed the maid''s cheeks. Meiyun: " Thank ya beautiful lady." (A/N: Meiyun is a tease, she became a tomboy for a reason.) Maid: " N-no problem." Guards: " So it is only a misunderstanding?" Meiyun: " Yes, so sorry if I scared ya guys. Want me to treat you guys a drink?" Guards: " Hell yeah!" Meiyun: " Hehehe AAAHHHHH!" Huayun appeared behind Meiyun and pinched her ear as hard as she could. Huayun: " Don''t you go seduce every girl you see!" Huayun walked while pulling Meiyun''s ear then she abruptly stopped at her track and turned around. Huayun: " To not repeat this accident again, I remind you guys to knock first before entering any of our room, understood?" Everyone: " Understood!" Inside the bathroom, Hong er laughed out loud when she heard how smooth Meiyun seduced a woman and Huayun came in like a mood breaker. Huayun brought Meiyun to the bathroom and both of them got dolled up by the maids. Hong er: " Maybe you should go easy on Meiyun." Huayun: " I''m sorry if I''m being rude but I can''t let this brute go around seducing women when there is someone who is waiting for her." Meiyun blushed when Huayun mentioned Di Shang''s words to her. Meiyun: " Sthap it!" Hong er and Huayun burst out laughing which caused some of the maids to giggled by listening to their laughter. Hong er & Huayun: '' Now I know why Meiyun likes to tease people.'' Chapter 136 - 134. The Wedding I Third person POV After laughing quite hard, Hong er''s nervousness about the marriage more or less subsided. Then the maids massaged Hong er''s body with fragrant oil to make her skin smoother and shinier. They led Hong er to her dressing room and put on the wedding dress on her, the dress had a plenty of layers which Hong er somewhat dislike. Hong er: '' It is gonna be hot.'' Hong er slightly pouted, yet, even after the maid had put on the last layer, she didn''t feel suffocated. Laojin: " Are you wondering why Miss Xu didn''t feel hot despite layers of fabric?" Hong er: " Jin Momo! Since when?" Laojin: " Hahaha, my job outside was done, now I came to do Miss''s hairstyle." Hong er: " Oohh~ I''m curious of the fabric, it feels cool and soft." Laojin: " This fabric has a slight cooling effect and has a good airing therefore one won''t feel humid even with layers of cloth." Hong er: " Wahh~" Laojin: " His Majesty specially ordered this fabric for Miss Xu knowing that Miss Xu dislike heat." Hong er: " His Majesty did?" Laojin: " Yes." Hong er: '' How did he know? Were our security in the residence so loose?'' Hong er: " Please pass my regards to His Majesty for his thoughtfulness, I can''t thank him enough for everything he had gave me." Laojin: " Aiyo, Miss Xu~ You can thank His Majesty yourself tonight~" Hong er laughed awkwardly to Laojin''s joke, she really hope that the emperor won''t come to her room but it would tarnish her family''s name. Hong er: '' Sheng ge, I''m sorry. I love you but I''ve got no choice.'' She sat down in front of her dressing table and Laojin started to do her hair while the maids were choosing accessories and doing her make-up. They were stunned when Hong er took off her mask for the first time in front of them, her black eyelashes were so long and full contrasting to her bright golden eyes. Even Laojin''s hands stopped moving when she saw Hong er''s reflection in the mirror. Laojin: '' Her beauty can bewitch any man¡­'' Then Laojin glanced at Hong er''s mask, she was relieved that Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing decided to put mask on Hong er or else, many unnecessary troubles would come. Laojin: '' It is the beautiful bird that gets caged.'' The maids were still gawking at Hong er with wide eyes, even though they had seen many beautiful noble ladies make an appearance in the palace, they never saw this kind of beauty. The red lotus mark on her glabella complimented her fair skin, Hong er''s face exuded calming and serenity aura, they contemplated if they were going crazy because their eyes saw Hong er''s body emitted light. (A/N: Glabella= the area between eyebrows.) Hong er felt that it was funny by how the maids just stopped all of their movements just to look at her. She looked at them and showed them her brightest smile. They immediately squinted their eyes from the radiance of Hong er''s smile. Maids: '' MA EYES! Holly molly! Is she a goddess?!'' Meiyun: " HAH! All of you have fallen for my Young Miss doncha?" Meiyun appeared behind them out of the blue and made the maids shrieked. Huayun: " *sigh, Meiyun, stop teasing the poor girls. We haven''t been here for two days and you almost killed them from heart attack." Meiyun: " Nahahaha~ Sorry sorry, it was on purpose." Meiyun patted their back and apologized with bright smile, the maids turned their head around and almost got a heart attack when they saw Meiyun''s face. They didn''t know how to describe Meiyun''s face, she was pretty but at the same time handsome and considering Meiyun''s voice was lower than most women which were gentle and soft like Huayun and Hong er. Maids: '' Flower boy¡­'' After they saw Meiyun''s handsome face, they became curious of Huayun''s face as they hear that they are twin sisters. They couldn''t imagine that the gentle woman like Huayun to have the same face as Meiyun. They peeked over Meiyun''s shoulder and saw that Huayun had a completely different face from Meiyun. Maids: '' Noble lady''s face¡­'' Huayun had a slightly droopy eyes which made her appearance fragile and delicate, the opposite of Meiyun''s face. Hong er chuckled seeing the innocent reaction coming from the maids, she didn''t want to disturb them but their time was not that much. Yet, Laojin was a step ahead of her. Laojin: " Alright alright, get your hands moving. We don''t want to pass the auspicious time." Maids: "Yes, Jin Momo!" They swiftly continued what they were doing before while occasionally took a quick look of the trio sisters (Hong er, Huayun, Meiyun). Hong er glanced at Meiyun and smirked evilly. Hong er: " Hohoho~ Who''s that beautiful lady over there?" Huayun giggled at Hong er''s teasing. Meiyun: " Of course! It''s me! Meiyun!" Meiyun puffed up her chest and swept her hair with her hand while showing her sly grin. The maids'' heart thumped for a moment just from looking at Meiyun''s grin. Meiyun: "Mm mm~ Looking s.e.xy there huh Your Ma.jes.ty." Meiyun glided her finger across Hong er''s shoulder seductively. Couldn''t hold back anymore, Hong er and Huayun burst out laughing. Initially, Laojin wanted to scold Meiyun for her behavior towards Hong er but seeing that she made Hong er laughed happily, Laojin let this slide. After an hour, Laojin finally done with her hairstyle and was going to put on the hair ornaments. She took the hair ornaments from the maid and carefully slide it into Hong er''s hair one by one. Hong er: " Jin Momo¡­" Laojin glanced at Hong er and saw a white jade hair ornament on her hand. Hong er: " Can you put this one?" Recalled the words that the Qi brother told her, she guessed that that was the hair ornament that Weisheng bought for Hong er 8 years ago. She took the hair ornament from from Hong er''s hand and slide it into her hair. Laojin: '' She still couldn''t forget about him.'' Hong er: " And Jin Momo, I wanted to kept wearing this thumb ring, it is fine right?" Even though Hong er asked her, it felt more like a command to Laojin. Laojin: " Of course, Miss Xu." Hong er: " En." Hong er rubbed on the thumb ring while staring at it with downcast face. Hong er: '' I had promised Sheng ge to never take it off.'' And she would always kept her promise. Chapter 137 - 135. The Wedding II Third person POV With the help of Qiyi and Qier, Weisheng dressed up coolly for his big wedding. He had invited all of his ministers and famous people from around the world. But since some of them were military officers, they couldn''t leave their post to attend the wedding ceremony. Nevertheless, they sent apology gifts to Weisheng beforehand together with congratulatory letter, hence, he was reading every letter in expressionless face. It were the usual formal letter for him but he knew that these old men wouldn''t let him go without teasing him. He scrutinized the scroll carefully with keen eyes then he opened the top of the jade and found a small paper in it. '' Ya kiddo got a gurl, hope ya quickly got many dragon buns from that Xu Tingfeng''s beloved daughter. -Wang Guizhi-'' (A/N: If anyone forget, Wang Guizhi is Xu Tingfeng''s bestfriend and the one that introduce Bai Huiqing to Xu Tingfeng.) In spite of the informal word that Wang Guizhi used, this message worth much more than those formal kind of message. Then he took the next scroll and opened the hidden letter without reading the scroll. '' Ya kiddo better treat my daughter well, or else, I will take my daughter home with me and won''t allow you to get close to her more than 1 km. Ya got that?!'' Even if there was no name of the writer, Weisheng could instantly tell who was the writer. The writing was very rough and it seems like the writer put too much pressure on the brush in the last sentence that the ink was so thick and became unreadable. Weisheng: '' No one can take Hong er away from me.'' (A/N: I don''t know how ancient chinese marriage works, especially for royalty, so it might be incorrect in some parts. And some of it I made it up myself. I''m sorry if there were too many author note.) Weisheng proceed to read the other letters until Qiyi called him as it was nearing the auspicious time. Then Weisheng noticed how Qiyi''s left hand slightly trembling. Weisheng: " What happened to your left hand?" Qiyi: " Th-this¡­" Weisheng: " Speak." Qiyi: " This servant got this injury from two days ago when this servant was following Her Majesty Empress as Your Majesty''s command." Qiyi knelt on one knee with his fist cupped. Weisheng: " Stand up. It is not healed yet?" Qiyi: " No, Your Majesty. It seems like the weapon that caused this injury was enchanted with spell to slow the healing process." This spell was one of the high spell that ever created for its usefulness. Slowing the process of healing in every cut it made could raise the chance of killing the opponent and it was very useful for tracking as it would give time from one to recognize the injured opponent by the injury that they managed to laid on them. However, as good as its ability, it consumed much more Qi whenever it was used and the cost to apply the spell was extremely expensive. Weisheng: " Meiyun?" Qiyi''s eyes widened in bewilderment when he heard Meiyun''s name. Qiyi: " Ye-yes, Your Majesty." It was an easy guess for Weisheng as the creators of the spell were Bai Huiqing and Lin Zhenxin. For the sake of her daughter''s safety, Bai Huiqing wouldn''t mind to strengthen the power of Hong er''s weapon and her bodyguard''s weapons. And the main reason that Weisheng could guess that it was Meiyun rather than Huayun was because Qiyi had been thinking about Meiyun lately. Therefore, he assumed that Qiyi lost his concentration and leaked his presence to Meiyun then caused Meiyun to be on alert. Weisheng: " Hm, don''t let your guard down again. She attacked just because she didn''t who it was." Qiyi: " Yes, Your Majesty." Weisheng thoughtfully mentioned the last sentence so there wouldn''t be another misunderstanding between them. Just as he predicted, Qiyi almost doubted Meiyun hated him and purposely attacked him to get her revenge as that''s how Meiyun''s brain worked, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. . . . *Auspicious time ( idk what time it is, just say it was morning.) Laojin: " Miss Xu, the carriage has arrived. Let me put on the veil for you." Hong er: " En." Laojin took the long veil from the maid and placed it on top of Hong er''s head. Meiyun and Huayun went behind her and held on her long skirt. A little girl walked towards Hong er''s side and offered her hand. Girl: " My Lady." Hong er saw a little hand from below her veil, she gently placed her hand on top of the little hand and walked out of her room to the carriage. Her soon will be husband didn''t want an eunuch to touch his bride therefore he used a little girl to guide his bride. She entered the carriage and sat silently while looked vacantly at her thumb ring. (A/N: Check ig for the image of the dress.) The carriage headed towards the main palace with the groom waiting for the bride in front of entrance of the palace. Hong er''s accessories clinked as it swayed along with the carriage, she wondered how her husband looked like, she hoped that her husband wouldn''t threaten her family like Long Quan always did. She could hear the hustle bustle from inside of the carriage and guessed there was about 1000 people came to her wedding. Hong er: '' The officials brought their whole family here.'' As there were women and children voices in the crowd. Not long after, she felt the carriage lowered down and made an inaudible thump sound. Huayun: " Young Miss, we have arrived." Hong er: " En." The Yun sisters opened each side of the curtain and bent their waist with their head lowered down in respect. The little girl came and offered her hand once again, Hong er gracefully walked down the red carpets with the little girl guiding her. The Yun sisters followed Hong er''s every step while holding onto Hong er''s long skirt to keep the skirt straight. Maids lined up at the side line throwing rose petals up to the sky, showering the red clothed bride with blessing from the gods. (A/N: It looked like they were fallen from sky = blessing from god. Lol) The audience clapped their hands and congratulated the bride for the wedding which Hong er didn''t hope for. Since most of them were officials that worked under the emperor, they tried to get the bride''s favor by complimenting her and gave her flattery sentences as they were aware of the emperor''s favor towards the new bride. Little girl: " Please be careful of the stairs, My Lady." Hong er: " En, thank you." Little girl: " M-my pleasure, My Lady." The little girl fl.u.s.tered when Hong er thanked her as it was very rare for a noble, especially a royalty extend thanks to lowly servants like her. After the 99 steps of stairs, Hong er finally reached the top of the stairs where the groom was waiting her whilst holding onto a long red silk. The groom offered the end of the red silk to the bride with him holding on the other end. The little girl guided the bride''s hand to hold the red silk and retreated to the side. Huayun caught a glimpse of the groom and saw that he was using a black and gold mask. Huayun: '' Why is he so familiar¡­'' Meiyun: " Psst, concentrate." Meiyun whispered from the side. Huayun took her eyes off from the groom and focused to the front. Chapter 138 - 136. Unraveling his identity I Third person POV With music playing in the background the groom and the bride walked side by side with a red silk on their hand, connecting the two of them as a pair of lover. Not far from them was Lu Cixi sitting on her throne, watching her son marrying a beautiful bride. Meanwhile, at the side was Princess Yue together with other audiences gave their salutation and congratulatory to the pair that walked past them. The groom kept an eye on the bride''s every step to make sure that he didn''t walk too fast nor too slow. The audience fixed their gaze on the loving couple in front of them, they admired how suitable the pair was, both their appearance and aura. It seems like the overbearing aura of their emperor had softened ten times than per usual. But somewhere around the corner of the hall, Murong Qing gave the bride a death stare. Her hands clenched into fists, blood ooze out as her nails dug into her skin. Murong Qing: '' The one who was supposed to stand beside Cousin Brother is me! Only me!'' Her body was shaking from anger, everything she had done to get rid of Hong er failed miserably. The day when Weisheng announced his marriage with Hong er had her faint from shock. As soon as she regained her consciousness, she dispatched her father''s undercover agent without delay to spy on Hong er. However, Xu residence was protected by a powerful magic barrier and their security was very tight which was comparable to the security in the royal palace. None of the agent she dispatched came back, thinking that they ran away from their job, she dispatched another group to check on the previous group and there was only one who came back to her. The last agent to survive abruptly died right in front of Murong Qing without telling her any information and later, they found out that he was poisoned and his tongue was cut-off. Murong Qing''s father discovered her doings, thus scolded her and confined her for 1 week. While she was confined, she was thinking of how to get rid of Hong er then one of her male friends had told her about a dark guild therefore she went to meet him and begged him with her big doe eyes after she was released from her confinement. Weak to her charm, he decided to help her and hired the dark guild to attack Hong er. It was a good opportunity as at that time, Hong er had passed Da Chu''s border therefore it would take quite a long time for the reinforcement from Xu Family to come and rescue Hong er. But the plan was messed up by one of Hong er''s bodyguard, moreover he didn''t expect that Dong Fang would poke one''s nose into his plan. Because he failed in killing Hong er, Murong Qing was disappointed and ignored him until now. She really wanted to kill her right here and right now but she didn''t want Weisheng to misunderstand her as a bad person, she just had to do what she was supposed to do. That place was hers to begin with, she didn''t do anything wrong. Or so she thought. The groom and the bride were offering a cup of tea to Lu Cixi and she drank it gracefully then she handed back the cup to the couple. An eunuch came and took away the cup from their hand. After the tea ceremony, the couple had to bow three times, to pay respect to the heaven, paying respect to deceased ancestors, the bride and groom''s parents and other elders, and paying respect to each other. After the last bowing, they were now an official husband and wife. The audience kowtowed and loudly voiced. Audience: " Long live His Majesty Emperor! Long live Her Majesty Empress!" Lu Cixi nodded her head in satisfaction and clapped along with the audience. And now the couple would proceed to the bridal chamber to remove the bride''s veil. But firstly Weisheng had to toast with his officials before he could retreat to the bridal chamber therefore he instructed an eunuch to tell Hong er to go rest first. Hong er excused herself and went into her carriage with the help of the Yun sisters and the little girl. Huayun had been watching closely at the two masked men that were hiding behind the pillar in the ceiling since the moment she entered the hall. She admitted that they were high skilled but why it seems like one of the men kept revealing his presence to her. Meiyun: " Maybe he is trying to hit on you." Meiyun whispered beside her ear and blew a cold air on her earlobe. Huayun: " What the- Don''t whisper to my ear like that!" Hong er: " Hey, what are you two talking about?" Hong er who was curious from listening their conversation, knocked on her carriage to gain their attention. Meiyun: " Young- Oh no! From now on, I should call you Your Majesty~ Nahahahaha!" Meiyun poke fun of Hong er''s new title. Hong er pouted under her veil and huffed which made Meiyun laughed more. Huayun: " Enough, don''t tease Her Majesty Empress too much." Meiyun: " Hee~" Hong er: " So? What are you two talking about?" Despite her being teased by Meiyun, she couldn''t hide her curiosity and excitement from hearing gossip. Meiyun: " We sensed a presence from the ceiling in the hall. The worse thing is that there were 2 of them and one of them stared at Huayun the whole time, furthermore, we suspected that he purposely leaked his presence so Huayun noticed his presence." Meiyun: '' Is that Qier? Then, the other one must be Qiyi.'' Huayun: " Maybe he had fallen for my beauty?" Huayun smugly spoke with her hands on her waist. The three of them burst into laughter and caught the attention of the servants around them. Servants: '' They are like sisters.'' . . . Hong er sat silently on her bed, waiting for her husband to arrive and proceed with their wedding rituals. To not waste her time just from sitting, she closed her eyes and focused on circulating her Qi. Didn''t realize that the sun started to set, Huayun came in to deliver Hong er''s dinner, then out of sudden Meiyun''s voice rang out. Meiyun: " Her Majesty Empress? Yes, she is inside her room, Your Majesty." Meiyun knocked on the door for a few times and asked. Meiyun: " Your Majesty Empress, His Majesty Emperor had arrived." Hong er: " En, please come in." Hong er: '' He could just enter the room, he is the emperor.'' Huayun thought so too. The door opened, revealing a tall man in red clothes and black mask. Even though Hong er couldn''t see him, she still could feel his presence and it felt familiar to her. She stood up from her bed and bowed to him. She could hear his heavy steps slowly got closer and closer to her until it stopped right in front of her. His black boots with golden dragon embroidered on the side and mostly, the size of the boots was very similar to Sheng ge''s. Huayun gawked at Weisheng, feeling that the person in front of him was someone that she knew. Yes, there were many people that were tall but to have the same stature especially like Weisheng, could be considerably impossible. Seeing that Hong er was spacing out and Huayun''s gaping mouth, Meiyun swiftly covered Huayun''s mouth with her hand and politely asked the couple. Meiyun: " Your Majesty Emperor, Your Majesty Empress, do you need this servant''s assistance?" Weisheng: " No." Meiyun: " Then, these servants excuse themselves." Meiyun dragged Huayun out and quickly closed the door behind her. Hong er''s eyes widened from hearing his voice, she couldn''t stop the tears welling up in her eyes, her body trembled in anxiousness. Hong er: '' Impossible¡­. How can their voice be so similar¡­.'' Noticed that Hong er''s hand was shaking, he gently held her hand and guided her to sit on the bed. Hong er knew this hand so well, the roughness, the size, and most important of all, the warmness that spread through her heart just by a touch. *clack From the sound, it seems like the man in front of her took off his mask. Then a red stick appeared below her veil and slowly lifting up her red silk veil. Her eyes followed the red stick and at last, her veil was fully raised. Her lips trembled by the sight of the man in front of her, tears flew down her cheeks as she saw that gentle smile she had been missing for. Hong er: " Sh¡­..Sheng ge¡­." Chapter 139 - 137. Unraveling the identity II Third person POV Hong er''s eyes widened in disbelief then she thought back that this was royal palace, the nest of scheming foxes. In an instant, Hong er''s eyes became icy-cold as her tears dried on her cheek. Underneath her long sleeves, she clenched her hands tightly until her knuckles turned white, ready to summon her sword. Hong er: " Who are you?" Weisheng: " Hong er, you forgot about me?" Weisheng asked in stupefaction, he thought that by seeing his face and listening to his voice, she could recognize which she did, yet, she didn''t believe that it was him. Hong er''s right hand moved to the side and a white Qi slowly engulfed Hong er''s right hand. Not once had Hong er seen the face of his husband which he was the emperor of Da Qi and relating to her personal information had been leaked, she suspected the person in front of her wasn''t even the emperor of Da Qi. It could be an assassin that disguised in Sheng ge''s identity and tried to get close to her by weakening her guard as Sheng ge was her closest, therefore it would be easier to kill her off. Hong er: " Where is His Majesty Emperor?" Weisheng backed away as he thought the woman in front of him was not the same Hong er that was always smiling. He rarely accompanied Hong er in mission as he didn''t want his identity to be exposed or to be hated by her if he ever lost control of his dark power therefore he never seen the Hong er that''s full of killing intent in her eyes. Weisheng: " Zhen is the emperor. Here" Weisheng took out his royal jade, the jade that only the emperor of Da Qi could have. Seeing that the jade in his hand wasn''t fake, Hong er unsummoned her sword and showed her famous smile but her eyes didn''t smile. Hong er: " I deeply apologize for my unsightly behavior, Your Majesty." Hong er went down her knees and kowtowed to Weisheng, however, Weisheng was a step ahead of her. His hand swiftly lifted her arm up so that it wouldn''t touch the floor. Weisheng: " Don''t apologize. You did nothing wrong." Weisheng: '' My wife is never wrong.'' Hong er: " Chen qie is much obliged by Your Majesty''s forgiveness." ( A/N: Chen qie= the way empress called herself in front of emperor (correct me if I''m wrong)) Weisheng: " En. Hong-" Hong er: " Your Majesty, please forgive Chen qie''s bluntness but is it that fun to make fun of Chen qie?" Weisheng: " What are you saying?" Hong er: "Your Majesty knew everything about Cheng qie, Chen qie''s favorite place and hobbies, Chen qie deeply thank Your Majesty for your consideration." Weisheng: " Then that''s good." Hong er: " But to the point of using the face and the voice of deceased ex- fianc¨¦ of Chen qie''s is just too¡­" Hong er: '' Cruel'' Hong er''s eyes glistened with tears, however, she held back her tears and tensed her expression to hide the sorrow in her heart. Weisheng internally sighed in relief, he almost go crazy when Hong er kept talking formally to him. A gentle smile bloomed on his face, Hong er was astonished when she saw his gentle smile. Weisheng: '' She still remembers me¡­'' Hong er: '' Just like Sheng ge¡­'' No! She pinched her hand to wake herself up from all of this imagination of her. She shouldn''t be swayed by her own delusion no matter how beautiful it was, in this large country, she could only rely on herself. Just when Hong er parted her lips to speak, Weisheng took her hands and placed it on his chest. Weisheng: " Hong er, do you remember this heartbeat?" (A/N: Weisheng and Sheng ge is the same but I used Sheng ge to emphasize the timeline and which Weisheng''s identity that Hong er was talking about.) His heart thumped faster and stronger than normal heartbeat that even Hong er could hear the beating sound of Weisheng''s heart. Hong er recognized this heartbeat within a second, whenever Sheng ge carried her in bridal style, she would always laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Hong er: " Impossible¡­" Hong er had accepted Weisheng''s sudden death therefore to be told that her deceased fianc¨¦ was alive and now he was sitting in front of her with their wedding dress on, was just too unbelievable. They could disguise one''s face, voice, habits, and behavior but not their heartbeat which made it more believable. Then she thought again, the death of Sheng ge was very mysterious. Her elite forces told her that Sheng ge''s cause of death was unknown as they couldn''t find his body. The only thing that convinced her that Sheng ge had died was his deactivated badge. The badge that every Xu elite forces had was designed to connect with the Qi of the owner. If the owner died, his Qi would drop below the limit and the connection with the badge would automatically deactivate so enemy wouldn''t be able to use the badge as a disguise. The second reason was Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing''s response towards her wedding with Weisheng. Hong er: '' It means father and mother knew everything since the beginning.'' The more she thinks, the more it made sense. She looked up to Weisheng''s eyes, trying to find the answer beneath his endless loving gaze. She was really elated by the revelation but something inside her heart was burning up. Anger. Weisheng: " Do you believe me now, Hong er?" Weisheng caressed Hong er''s cheek lovingly with his other hand''s thumb. Weisheng: '' *Sigh, How long has it been since the last time I touched her?'' *Slap Weisheng widened his eyes in shock, Hong er pulled back her hand that was on his chest and slapped away his hand, really hard. Weisheng slowly turned his gaze from his slapped hand to Hong er''s face. Her empty eyes made Weisheng shivered down to his spine, would this be his doom''s day? Did he go too far with his plan? Thousands of questions flashed through his mind like an arrow. His hands were trembling as cold sweats dribbled down from his forehead down to his chin. He didn''t know why his 160+ IQ brain turned into 10 whenever it involves Hong er. Weisheng thought that maybe Hong er reflexly slapped his hand away because it had been a long time since he touched her. He parted his lips to ease the tense atmosphere that surround the two of them. Weisheng: " Ho-Hong e-" Hong er: " Don''t touch me like nothing happened." Chapter 140 - 138. Unravelling the Identity III Third person POV Hong er''s voice could freeze the whole lake. Her usual smile disappeared and replaced with a scowl. Hong er: " If Your Majesty truly is Sheng ge then please forgive Chen qie if the words that Chen qie will say offended Your Majesty." Hearing Hong er didn''t call him Sheng ge like how she always did in the past despite knowing his identity was too much for his fragile heart. Hong er: " Do Your Majesty know how it feels to be left by the person they love?" Weisheng: " E-en." Hong er: " Then that person resurrected from the death like a miracle, isn''t that surprising?'' Weisheng: " In-indeed it is." Hong er: " Forced to marry someone you don''t know. To be in the position of choosing between her promise with her lover or the life of her whole family is really tough. At the end of the day, you choose your family''s safety and had prepared to live in guilt." Hong er stopped her sentence and focused on her hand. Hong er: " And you realized that your whole family and that person planned everything behind your back without you knowing anything?" Weisheng: "¡­" Weisheng furrowed his brows as he blamed himself, in his heart he kept telling himself if he could just tell her everything then this wouldn''t happen. He clenched his hand until his knuckles turned white, how is he supposed to explain everything to Hong er. While he was contemplating about his life without Hong er, white small hands slowly reached out to his clenched hands. Those small hands massaged the big rough hands to loosened up its grip. Hong er: " Don''t clench Your Majesty''s hands like that, you will hurt yourself." Weisheng studied Hong er''s face, even though she wasn''t smiling, her cold eyes had gone and now it was the usual tranquil Hong er. Even though she was extremely upset with Weisheng lying to her, she still loves him and cares about him. Not to mention, seeing Weisheng''s guilty face made her heart softened. She almost laughed at his pitiful expression, it felt like she saw a big dog who was kicked out by its master with its tail and ears flopped down. Hong er caressed the calluses in his hands while pondering if she should forgive him or not. Eventually, the kind-hearted Hong er couldn''t stay angry for a long time, she sighed in defeat. On the other side, the over-thinking Weisheng thought that Hong er was disappointed in him and thinking about leaving his side. He didn''t want her to leave but considering the lies that he had told Hong er all these years, he felt that it was already very kind of Hong er to just leave him without killing him off. However, imagining that another man would hit on his wife when he was not there beside her made his blood boil. Hong er: " Your Majesty¡­" Weisheng took a deep breath and closed his eyes, he didn''t dare to look at Hong er''s disappointed face, afraid that it would haunt him for the rest of his life. He was ready to hear Hong er''s rejection. Weisheng: '' I''m ready!!.... or not?'' Hong er didn''t know his questioning face if he was ready or not to hear Hong er''s deadly words as she was too busy staring at his rough hands. Hong er: " Chen qie doesn''t blame Your Majesty. Chen qie knew that Your Majesty has a reason for doing this. After knowing Your Majesty for many years, Chen qie could see that inside of that cold demeanor is a kind hearted ruler." Weisheng widened his eyes as he didn''t hear any word of leaving the palace. He whipped up his head to look at Hong er''s eyes directly. Weisheng: " Yo-you are staying, right?" Hong er: " Hm?" Hong er tilted her head in confusion. But unknown to her, her head tilting action causes the man in front of her fanboying. Weisheng: '' My god, so cute.'' Weisheng: " Ehem! I-I mean, you are not going to leave the palace after knowing the truth right?" Hong er: " Hm? Why would I do that?" And now, Weisheng sighed in relief, he was just too over-thinking about anything that related to Hong er. Hong er: " Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Weisheng: " No, nothing. I just thought that you will leave the palace after knowing the truth." Hong er: " No, Chen qie will never do that. Even if Your Majesty isn''t Sheng ge, Chen qie would still keep living in the palace as Chen qie''s family''s life depends on every decision that Chen qie choose, no matter how trivial it is." Weisheng understood what she meant as he lived his 20 years of life just like how Hong er said. He even had to think carefully of what he ate and dressed. The more powerful one''s family is, the more cautious one had to be. Hong er: " Your Majesty¡­." Hong er hesitantly called out to Weisheng, Weisheng woke up from his train of thought and smiled gently while look fixedly at Hong er''s eyes. Weisheng: " En?" Hong er: " Ch-chen qie didn''t mean to break our promise. It-it''s just-" (A/N: Their promise is to marry each other but Hong er married another guy even though it is actually the same person.) Weisheng: " Shh shh shh~ It is fine, I understand." Weisheng put his finger on her lips and gave her an understanding look. Weisheng: " Just like what you said. I have my own reason to disguise as Sheng ge and you have your own reason to make the decision to marry someone else. Though it is still me that you married to so it doesn''t count as breaking our promise." Hong er: " En. And I think that this isn''t a coincidence too, am I right Your Majesty?" Hong er gave him a sly grin, Weisheng flinched as he was being exposed. Surprisingly, there was no marriage candidate for Hong er even after she entered her marriageable age. Considering the status that Hong er had even without being bestowed any rank by Da Chu''s emperor was high, it was quite unbelievable that no family wanted to offer their son to marry Hong er. Usually they would quickly secure the position by engaging their children to the powerful family but that''s not her case. Weisheng: " Ye-yeah¡­ probably?" Weisheng stuttered as his eyes wandered everywhere while maintaining his cold expression. Hong er giggled cutely and patted Weisheng''s hand. Hong er: " Okay, the night has arrived. We still have a long time to explain everything, firstly let''s continue the ritual, Your Majesty." Weisheng knitted his brows in dissatisfaction. Weisheng: " Hong er, why don''t you call me Sheng ge?" Hong er: " That would be inappropriate for Chen qie to call Your Majesty with a nickname." Weisheng: " No, it doesn''t." Hong er: " Yes it is, Your Majesty. People will start a rumor that Chen qie was being disrespectful towards His Majesty and didn''t learn any manner beforehands." Weisheng: " But I insisted." Weisheng said firmly with his hand gripping Hong er''s hand. He knew that it was inappropriate for Hong er to call him with nickname and it would cause unnecessary rumors to spread around but it felt so distant when Hong er called his name formally. His lips slowly arched down into a pout without him realizing. Hong er coed inside of her heart from the gap moe. ( A/N: Gap moe is when a character does something completely contradictory to what their usual habits/personality/character/appearance dictates.) Hong er: " Then how about I call Your Majesty with ''Sheng ge'' when we are alone. But if we are in front of public, I will use my utmost respect to address Your Majesty. Okay? Good?" Hong er smiled brightly at Weisheng which she knew that he couldn''t resist. And as she predicted, Weisheng clicked his tongue in defeat. Weisheng: " Ck, fine." Hong er: " Hahaha, don''t pout Sheng~ ge~" Hong er nudged Weisheng''s arm and cutely called his name. Hearing Hong er called him Sheng ge, the corner of his lip slightly arched. Weisheng: " En." Chapter 141 - 139. First Night I Third person POV Dragon and phoenix candles surrounded the room of the newlyweds couple, illuminating the room to drive away any evil spirit. Hong er was pouring wine into two golden cups with dragon and phoenix carved on it. After Hong er poured in the wine, she handed one cup to Weisheng and one cup for herself. The two golden cups were tied with a red string, they drank the wine with their arm crossed each other. Then Hong er took the cup from Weisheng''s hand and put it down on the table beside them. Next, she took a scissor that laid beside the cups and cut off a small amount of her hair and passed the scissor to Weisheng. Weisheng did the same as her and gave her his hair. She tied both of their hair into a knot, this ritual symbolize their bonding both body and soul and the determination of sharing each other''s life despite joy or sorrow. Hong er smiled joyfully as she wrapped the knotted hair with a red silk and put it back down. Hong er: " Have you had dinner, Sheng ge?" Weisheng shook his head and at the same time, his stomach growled lowly. Hong er giggled as she stood up from the bed and went to the table where Huayun put her dinner before. Hong er: " It seems like the portion wasn''t for me alone. Why don''t we eat together, Sheng ge?" Weisheng: " En." Weisheng rose up from their bed and walked up to the sitting Hong er. She took a slice of meat and offered it to Weisheng which he gleefully chomped down. Fifteen minutes passed by with Hong er feeding a big dog and herself, she called the Yun sisters to take away the tray. However, the one that came in was another palace servants, she asked the servants about her personal servants whereabouts and the servants said that they didn''t know. Servant: " Meiyun Jiejie asked this lowly servant to relay a message to Her Majesty that something came up and will come to report to Her Majesty tomorrow morning." Hong er: " En. And prepare a warm bath for His Majesty." Servant: " Yes, Your Majesty." The servants retreated from the room with empty plates and a tray in their hands. After the door closed, Hong er took off Weisheng''s headdresses and helped him to undo his hair to get him ready for the bath. Then she noticed the black mask that laid silently on their bed. Hong er: " Sheng ge." Weisheng: " En?" Hong er: " Are you going to continue to wear your mask?" Weisheng: " How about you?" Hong er: " Since I had married to Sheng ge, I have no purpose to wear this mask anymore." Weisheng: " Then me too. I will follow everything you do." Hong er''s cheeks turned rosy red as Weisheng caressed her cheeks while smiling gently at her. Hong er: " How can you say something so embarrassing?" Hong er turned around with her cheeks puffed up, Weisheng laughed out loud and hugged her from behind. Weisheng: " My, my, is my beautiful wife embarrassed?" Weisheng whispered to her ear, Hong er''s ears got redder as Weisheng''s warm breath brushed over her earlobe. Satisfied by Hong er''s reaction to his teasing, Weisheng kissed her ear and guided her to sit in front of their dressing table. Weisheng: " Let me help you take off of your headdresses." Hong er: " N-no need to bother-" Weisheng: " I insist." Hong er: " U-uhm¡­" Hong er lightly nodded her head and let Weisheng do whatever he wanted. Weisheng removed the red veil from Hong er''s headdresses and saw a familiar white jade hair ornament. Moreover, the hair ornament was on the most visible place of her hair, like it wanted to show everyone who she actually really loved. Then he glanced at Hong er''s hand, the thumb ring that he gifted her almost a decade ago. Just because she was told to never take it off, she really didn''t take off even on her marriage. At that time she still didn''t know his identity, weren''t she afraid that her husband will kill her for wearing something that she got from another man on their wedding? Furthermore, the man she was marrying to was the infamous cold hearted emperor who would kill anyone that he found displeasing. Felt touched by Hong er''s devotion towards him ( Sheng ge), he hugged Hong er once again and buried his face on the crook of her neck. Surprised by his sudden action, Hong er worriedly asked him if he was hurt anywhere but rather than answering her question, he professed his love to Hong er. Weisheng: " I love you." Hong er could felt the earnestness in his voice, she held his arm that wrapped around her shoulder and gently massaged his arm. Hong er: " I love you too." They enjoyed the loving silence for a while before Weisheng continued to remove Hong er''s headdresses. Not long after, a few gentle knocks sounded out from their door and a girly voice carefully asked the couple from the other side of the door. Servant: " Your Majesty Emperor, Your Majesty Empress, the bath is ready." Hong er: " En. Come in and help His Majesty to-" Weisheng: " No need. All of you retreat." Servants: " Yes, Your Majesty." The silhouette of the servant disappeared to the side. Hong er: " Then who will help Sheng ge to bath if you drive away the servants." Weisheng: " Isn''t it the wife''s responsibility to help her husband. Hm?" Weisheng raised one of his brows while staring at Hong er with a teasing smile on his lips. Knowing that she was being teased by her own husband, she didn''t want to lose to him. She stood up and walked towards the bathroom. Hong er: " What is Sheng ge standing there for? The water will get cold." She glanced at Weisheng before she entered the bathroom. Weisheng was slightly surprised at Hong er''s come back, he smirked and followed after Hong er. Weisheng: '' Let''s see who wins.'' (A/N: the bathroom had 2 entrances, one from their room and the other one is to outside. So the servants can prepare the bath without having to enter their room.) The mist caused by the hot water made their vision slightly obstructed. Hong er went behind Weisheng and helped him to take off his red clothes, revealing his shoulder to back tattoos and his defined muscle. Hong er''s lips parted in admiration, his skin was quite tanned, giving a s.e.xy and manly aura. Her cheeks were tinted in pink, now Weisheng was only left with his underpants. Just as she thought, her heart wasn''t ready to witness Weisheng''s sacred place. She quickly turned her head around and shut her eyes tightly when Weisheng all of a sudden pulled down his pants. Unknown to her, Weisheng was grinning from ear to ear from seeing her cute reaction. He took a towel from the side and wrapped it around his waist. Weisheng: " You can turn around now." Hong er slightly opened her eyelids and peeked if Weisheng''s sacred place was safely covered. She sighed in relief after she saw the towel around his waist but the blush on her cheeks didn''t go away as the towel he used was too small. Hong er: '' Why he didn''t choose the bigger towel?!'' Weisheng stepped into their pool-like bathtub and dipped half of his body in the warm water. Hong er took a tray of soap that had been prepared by the servants beforehand and sat on the side of the pool with Weisheng''s back in front of her. She grabbed a soap and rubbed it on a damp towel to create bubbles then she gently wiped Weisheng''s back with the full of bubbles towel. After Weisheng''s back had become quite slippery, Hong er put away the towel and started to massage Weisheng''s stiff shoulder. Hong er: " So stiff." Weisheng: " There are piles of doc.u.ments that I still haven''t looked over. Pulled an all nighter." Hong er thought for awhile and indeed she saw Weisheng''s tired face. He almost looked like panda with his dark circle around his eyes. Hong er: " Then let me help you to look over the doc.u.ments." Weisheng: " No need. I can do it by myself, you just need to be by my side." Hong er: " No that can''t do." Hong er turned Weisheng''s face to face hers with her hands on either side of his cheeks. Hong er: " I am your wife, it is my responsibilities to help my beloved husband within my capabilities. Isn''t it better if we do it together? We can spend times together even when you are working." Weisheng fixed his gaze on Hong er''s beautiful golden eyes, a gentle smile appeared on his thin lips as he lightly nodded his head. Weisheng: " En." Seeing that Weisheng agreed to her proposal, Hong er was elated. She brought her face closer to his face and kissed the black stone on his forehead. Hong er: " Thank you, Sheng ge." Chapter 142 - 140. First night II Third person POV Weisheng widened his eyes in bewilderment as he didn''t expect Hong er to kiss him even though it was only on his forehead. His lips curled into a smirk, he pulled Hong er into the water and wrapped her waist with his muscular arms. Their gaze locked to each other and it seems like they could do this for the rest of their life. Weisheng hugged her tighter into his embrace, afraid of losing the part of his life. Weisheng: " Finally¡­ we are together, forever." Hong er: " En. Forever." Weisheng: " Please don''t ever leave my side, Hong er." Hong er: " I won''t." Weisheng: " I am so grateful that I love you and have you as my wife." Hong er: " Me too." Hong er hugged him back with their gaze still locked. Weisheng stared at her cherry plump lips, he bent his back and lowered his head to Hong er''s eye level. He moved his hand from Hong er''s waist to her cheek, as it had turned into a habit, he lovingly caressed her cheek as he brought his face closer to hers. Now their face was only an inch apart, Hong er could feel his warm breath brushing over her skin. As dense as she was, she''s still aware of Weisheng''s presence, let alone when his handsome face was so close to hers. Her heart almost jumped out from her chest, she retracted her hands that were hugging Weisheng to her chest. Her hands were pressing her chest as if to keep her heart in its place. She closed her eyes tightly when their nose tip touched. Then she felt a soft and wet thing touched her right cheek then her left cheek then her forehead before it suddenly stopped in front of her lips as the warm breath was now brushed over her lips. She slowly and steadily opened her eyes and saw Weisheng staring deeply into her eyes. Weisheng: " Breathe." Hong er released her breath that she didn''t know that she had been holding for a few minutes. Weisheng gave her reassuring smile and continued to caress her cheek to soothe her. Weisheng: " Nervous?" Hong er timidly nodded her head then a moment later she shook her head. Hong er: " Yes, but no more." Weisheng smiled and brought his lips closer to her lips. Hong er slowly closed her eyes then she could feel the thing that touched her cheeks was now touching her lips. Their lips were connected for a few seconds then Weisheng retracted his lips. Hong er slowly opened her eyes as she felt the soft thing that was touching her lips was gone. Weisheng: " This is the kiss that only lovers do. That means you can only kiss me." Hong er: " En. If I did this, Sheng ge will love me more?" Weisheng: '' In whatever kind of situation, I will still love you." Weisheng: " En." Suddenly, Hong er stretched out her neck and kissed him on his lips which he absolutely never expected from his whole life. Weisheng''s eyes bulged out in astonishment. Hong er: " Hehehe~" Hong er giggled inaudibly as she felt she had succeeded in making Weisheng fell more deeply in love with her. Weisheng lips unconsciously curled up into a grin. Weisheng: " Ha¡­.hahaha¡­.AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." Weisheng laughed out loud and pulled Hong er into his embrace. Seeing how happy he got just from a little kiss, Hong er laughed in unison and made up her mind.. Hong er: '' Sheng ge looks so happy when I kiss him. I will do it more often to cheer him up. Hehehe~'' . After laughing for quite a while, Weisheng''s laughter slowly ceased and then looked down to Hong er with a big smile but his whole body immediately froze by the sight in front of him. Hong er''s white silk robe became sheer from being dipped into water and her red vivid du dou ( women''s underwear that had 4 strings.) was visible to his eyes. He stared at her intensely that Hong er had to look up to him and gave him a confused look. Realized that he was staring too hard, he gave her a reassuring smile and a kiss on her lips as a pay back for her previous surprise attack. Nevertheless, Hong er unconsciously attacked him back by showing her ultimate bright smile which worked perfectly on him. He bit his lower lip to maintain his sanity, he backed away from Hong er and sat down to let the hot water calm his nerve. Weisheng: '' I don''t want to scare her by attacking her. No, my little brother is standing. Calm down, take a deep breath, exhale, inhale, exhale, inha-'' While Weisheng was meditating with his eyes closed to calm his little brother, he could feel something slowly approaching him and stopped at between his thighs. Then he steadily opened his eyes and almost cost his little brother to explode. His body stiffed by the sight of Hong er only in her du dou, her white smooth shoulder and back were exposed to his eyes. Weisheng: " Ho-ho-hong er, wh-where are your cl-clothes?" Weisheng managed to stutter out the sentence without having a nosebleed. His face was as red as boiled octopus which didn''t compliment his stern expression that he was showing. Hong er: " Uumm¡­. Jin Momo said that by bathing together, the bond between husband and wife will be stronger. That''s why I-I want to test it out¡­" Hong er''s voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke the last few words. Hong er: " I-I hope Sheng ge don''t mind we bath together¡­." With Hong er''s back facing him, he couldn''t see her embarrassed face but the redness on her ear and neck proved that she tried her best to not run away from the embarrassment. Weisheng: " Of-of course I don''t mind. Rather, I''m glad that you want to bath with me." Hong er''s eyes twinkled by hearing Weisheng''s words. Bit by bit she leaned her back to Weisheng''s abdomen and played with his rough hand. Despite his unchanging expression, his brain was in war. Weisheng: '' MY GOD! Her bottom is touching my little brother, hope she didn''t notice. Please don''t notice, my life will be ruined if she gave me a disgusted look. And is she playing with my hand like a doll?! That''s adorable!!! Are there no such a tool that can capture moments like this? Maybe I will ask mother-in-law to try make one.'' Five minutes later, Hong er had to drag him out from the pool as his face was so red and he was spacing out even when Hong er yelled his name many times. And now Hong er was drying his long black hair while he laid on their bed with cold towel on his forehead. Weisheng: " I''m sorry to trouble you like this." Hong er: " No, it is fine." Weisheng: " This is our first night, I shouldn''t have ruin it. I will get up." Hong er: " No no no, just take a rest. Sheng ge had been pulling all nighters so Sheng ge must be tired. Let me take care of those things." Hong er carefully moved his head from her lap to his pillow then she stood up and went to the drawer where he put all of his doc.u.ments that haven''t been reviewed. He purposely put it in there so he could secretly review his doc.u.ments while Hong er was sleeping. But how the table has turned, he was the one laying on the bed and Hong er was the one reviewing the doc.u.ments whilst drying her hair. However, he found this situation quite pleasant. Sometimes Hong er asked his opinion about the matter and they discussed it together until they found the best solution to solve the matter. Hong er blew off the candles in the room when she started to get sleepy. She went inside their blanket and settled down beside Weisheng. Just after a second she laid herself on the bed, Weisheng pulled her to his embrace and hugged her like a body pillow. She smiled gently and fell into a deep sleep with a giant bear hugging her from behind. Chapter 143 - 141. Confrontation I Third person POV *the time when Huayun brought Hong er''s dinner. Huayun was easily dragged out by Meiyun. She was too shocked that not a word could come out from her throat. The servants that stood outside of the room looked at them with weird eyes. Seeing that this wasn''t the place to explain everything to Huayun, Meiyun left a message to a little maid beside her. Meiyun: " We will be off for a while. If Her Majesty Empress asked you about our whereabouts, just say that something important came up. Me and Huayun will come to report tomorrow morning, kay?" Maid: " Ye-yes, Meiyun Jiejie." Meiyun: " Good, then I leave it to you." After she was done saying her words, she quickly dragged Huayun to a secluded place and looked around to check if anyone following them before she shook Huayun''s body to wake her up from her state of shock. Huayun finally regained her sense after a few earth shaking shake from Meiyun. She grabbed both of Meiyun''s arms tightly and asked her with wide eyes. Huayun: " Meiyun, is-is that really General Sheng?" Meiyun didn''t dare to look directly to her eyes as she felt guilty for hiding these things from her closest sister, but sometimes it was inevitable. Meiyun: " En." Huayun: " H-how? Wasn''t he reported to be dead in a mission?" Meiyun: " I can''t tell you. I''m sorry." Huayun: " Aren''t we sisters?! What thing that you couldn''t tell me? Am I that untrustworthy? After many years living together, even after we had been through life and death experience shoulder to shoulder, you still couldn''t tell me?" Meiyun: " It is not like that. It is better if you don''t know. I don''t want you to get involved into this mess." Huayun: " What mess?!" Meiyun: " I can''t tell you, okay?! One day! One day you will know, but not now. Please, I beg you, trust me." Meiyun begged. Huayun couldn''t get angry at Meiyun after she saw how remorseful Meiyun''s face was. Actually she knew that sometimes it was inevitable that one had to keep the secret of their mission even from their closest. Before, she was too upset to think straight. Huayun: " En. I''m sorry too for yelling at you." Meiyun: " It''s fine." Huayun thought again then suddenly she realized something. Huayun: " I-if General Sheng is safe and sound th-then Qier¡­. How about him?" Meiyun didn''t reply to her for a while. Meiyun turned her head to the side and spoke in a clear voice. Meiyun: " Why don''t you personally explain it to her?" Huayun followed Meiyun'' line of sight and saw a familiar silhouette slowly emerge from behind the wall. Qier: " Huayun¡­" Huayun: " Qi-Qier, is that really you?" Huayun let Meiyun''s arms go and staggered towards Qier. Qier ran to her and helped her to stand straight. Huayun: " It really is you. Ho-how?" Qier: " I''m sorry that I left you without notice and for now, I can''t really explain the details but I promise that everything is fine." Huayun stared at him for quite long before she nodded her head. Huayun: " Good that you are fine. I really miss you." Huayun hugged Qier tightly as she cried in his chest. Feeling awkward from being stared by Meiyun, Qier glanced at Meiyun and gave her a meaning look. Meiyun: " Oookayyyy, I will just go." Meiyun turned around and walked out from the alley, thinking that she didn''t have anything to do, she decided to go back to Hong er''s chamber to guard. While she was on her way there, she was joyfully humming a children song and her necklace bounced on her collarbone as she skipped along the way. She lifted the necklace and observed it around before she giggled happily. Meiyun: '' I wonder what he is doing right now.'' However, her steps came to a stop. Meiyun: "Do all of you really like to hide behind wall?" Meiyun turned her body around with a sly grin on her face. A man that had the same height as Qier walked out from his hiding spot and unhurriedly approach Meiyun. Meiyun: " Yo! Long time no see~" Qiyi''s eye unnoticeably widened and in a second his face went back to normal. Qiyi: " En." Qiyi: '' She is as cheerful as always.'' Meiyun: " Everything is good?" Qiyi: " En." Meiyun: " Oohh~ That''s good to hear." Meiyun awkwardly replied. Meiyun: " Th-then I will go if there is nothing important. It''s my bad to call you out like that." Meiyun swiftly turned around and walked away with quick steps but Qiyi grabbed her arm before she could take another step. Meiyun: " I-is there something that you want to say?" Qiyi: " Wha- Don''t you have something to say to me?" Meiyun: " What? Why?" Qiyi: " I mean, like¡­." Qiyi: '' Like you miss me." Meiyun: " Like what?" Qiyi: " No, nothing. Forget what I said." Meiyun thought that it would be rude of her if she just walked away like that after seeing how disappointed Qiyi''s face was. Meiyun: " So, why are you here instead of watching over His Majesty." Qiyi couldn''t gave her an immediate answer. He couldn''t just say that he purposely followed her because he ''kinda'' miss her loud laughter and jokes. 2 minutes passed by, yet, Qiyi hasn''t reply to her. Meiyun: " It''s fine if you can''t tell me." Meiyun: '' Bet it is somekind of mission, or maybe to keep an eye on me because I know their master''s secret. Meh.'' Qiyi: " N-no, I have something to tell you." Meiyun: " Hm? What is it?" Meiyun asked with eyes full of curiosity. Qiyi: " Don''t be too close to that General Di of Dong Fang." Meiyun knitted her brows in displease. Meiyun: " Why do you say so?" Qiyi: " I had heard a few hearsay that he was not as good as he looked like." Meiyun clenched her hands into fists under her sleeve. Meiyun: " I know him, he is a good guy." Qiyi: " But you don''t know if he was only faking it. There are so many-" Meiyun: " Rumors? Heh, I didn''t know that the most elite warrior that stayed by His Majesty''s side is believing the rumors." Meiyun''s eyes turned icy cold. Qiyi gritted his teeth as anger started to boil in his heart. He didn''t expect that Meiyun would defend Di Shang, he thought that she liked him. Meiyun: " Did your teacher not teach you to not believe in rumors? We, the eyes and ears of our master, should not believe in rumors or gossips. We had to investigate the facts." Meiyun bravely took a step forward and stared at Qiyi with her eyes wide open. But Qiyi didn''t back down, he straighten his back and firmly replied to Meiyun. Qiyi: " Sometimes rumor can be the truth." They stared at each other without any intention of backing away. Even though Meiyun was upset with Qiyi for talking bad about Di Shang, she still had some feelings lingering deep down in her heart. Didn''t want to fight with him at the day they met after a long time, she sighed tiredly and broke their staring competition. Meiyun: " Fine fine fine, I don''t want to fight with you. I didn''t know why you are so upset about that. Btw, why do you even care?" Irked by Meiyun''s words, Qiyi unconsciously gripped her arm tighter than he intentioned. Meiyun: " OI! It hurts! Why are you acting so strange today?" Meiyun''s yelp slapped him out of his daze. Qiyi: " I-I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to hurt you." Qiyi apologized to her in a small voice. Despite her arm was throbbing non-stop, she didn''t even try to ease the pain on her arm. Rather, her heart hurts much more. Her face was facing downward so Qiyi couldn''t see her expression. Guilt started to built up in his heart Qiyi: " Me-Meiyu-" Meiyun: " I''m not angry or what but if you are in bad mood, don''t vent your anger on me. I''m not your sandbag, I have feelings too." Chapter 144 - 142. Confrontation II Third person POV The sadness in Meiyun''s eyes could be seen just by a glance. She had enough of Qiyi''s cold treatment towards her since that day beside the river. She didn''t even manage to confess her feelings and he already stomped on her self-esteem. She thought that it was fine if he didn''t have feelings for her as not every relationship works perfectly but to give her a cold shoulder for no reason, she ain''t having it. Meiyun: " Why?" Qiyi: " What?" Meiyun: " Why do you have to do this to me?" Qiyi''s body froze when he saw a clear liquid flew down from her dark brown eyes. Meiyun: " Am I guilty for loving you? Huh? I never asked you to love me back, never. Oh yes, you don''t even let me confess to you. Hahaha, what am I expecting. You dislike an ugly and tomboy girl like me, you want a beautiful and gentle lady like Huayun. I know! Who would even love such a worthless woman like me?! No one! I am ugly! I am full of scars! I am unladylike! What! What are you going to say more about me?!" Meiyun''s voice got louder and louder as her emotion became unstable. Her breathing was haggard and tears flew down like a stream. She only wanted to say a few words to make Qiyi feel bad but the anger that she had bottled up finally cracked. Unknown to them, Meiyun''s voice attracted the previous couple that was having a loving encounter in the valley not so far from them. They had heard what Meiyun said from the moment she raised her voice. Just to be safe, Huayun put on a soundproof barrier around them so now there were only four of them could hear each other''s voice. Meiyun: " I thought we could still be buddy like how we always do but you just give me a cold shoulder without telling me why. Did you found a tomboy girl like me confessing her love to you disgusting? At least, I thought that you trusted me after that time I sacrificed my life for you. But no. You didn''t even apologize for pointing your sword at my neck. At first, I didn''t mind it as it was your job to protect His Majesty. But even after knowing the truth, you didn''t even bother to give me a single sorry. To make things worse, your little brother pointed his sword at me for the second time without an ounce of hesitation and guilt. You know why?" Meiyun stopped for a sec and gave him a scornful smile. Meiyun: " It''s because I made his older brother sad, Heh, isn''t it more suitable that if I''m the one that was sad? I tried to forget that pain, slowly but surely, I could and when there is someone that genuinely cares about me, you came to me and talk sh*t about him. Do you think I will let that go just because I like you? Who do you think you are?" Meiyun finished her rant with roughly wiped her tears. Qiyi''s eyes were full of guilt but Meiyun didn''t saw through it as her attention was on Qiyi''s left hand. It was trembling non-stop which was not normal. Seeing that he had been silent when she was ranting, she didn''t want to blame him for everything that happened to her. Meiyun: " *Sigh, Sorry. I didn''t mean to shout at you. Works had been stressing me out these few weeks. And what''s wrong with your left hand?" Qiyi quickly gripped his left hand to stop the trembling, rather, his sudden move made his wound open again. He hissed in pain and Meiyun swiftly supported his body to stand. Meiyun: " What''s wrong?" Qiyi: " No-nothing." Meiyun: " What nonsense are you spouting? There is blood and that is nothing?! Sit down, let me take a look at your wound." Without even waiting for his reply, Meiyun pushed him down to sit on a nearby stairs and pulled up his sleeve. After examining his wound for a while, Meiyun found that the cut was quite suspicious. Knowing that Meiyun had figured out the cause of the cut, Qiyi looked away from her gaze. Meiyun: " Are you the one who hide on the roof that night?" Qiyi: " En." Meiyun: " And you saw me and General Di were talking?" Qiyi: " En." Meiyun: " So that''s why you know me and him¡­" Meiyun: '' Kissed.'' (On her scar.) Qiyi: "¡­" Qiyi gritted his teeth in anger. He didn''t know why his heart was so disturbed when he thought back about what Di Shang did and said to Meiyun. Maybe he was jealous but why would he? Qiyi''s silence answered her question. Meiyun''s cheeks immediately turned red in embarrassment. At that time she acted like a teenage girl in love and to have someone witness that moment was so embarrassing for her. The discomfort in his heart grew when he saw the blush on Meiyun''s face. It felt like he wanted to make her only look at him, he didn''t want anyone to see her blushing face and she should only blush for him, not to anyone especially that guy. Meiyun: " O-oh, just forget about that. I''m sorry that I caused you this injury. I didn''t know that it was you so I just reflexly attacked. Here, use this ointment two times a day. It will heal quicker." Qiyi: " En. Thanks." Qiyi took the ointment from Meiyun''s hand and put it in his pocket. Meiyun: " No problem, cause it''s my fault." Qiyi: " Can you please not talk to him again?" Meiyun: " Huh? Are we talking about this again?" Qiyi''s question caught Meiyun off guard. Qiyi: " It''s just that I have a bad feeling when you are with him." Meiyun was stupefied by his reason for telling her to not talk to Di Shang. Meiyun: " I''m sorry but I can''t." Qiyi: " Why?!" Qiyi raised his voice, his face was as black as ink. His loud voice surprised Meiyun as he rarely raised his voice. Between him and Qier, he is the calm one but he is still quite talkative despite his calm demeanor. That''s why Meiyun was irked when he replied to her with extremely short reply. Meiyun: " I had promised to him that I will wait for him." Qiyi: " Why would you promise someone that you only met for a week?! I know that you are not that stupid, Meiyun." Meiyun: " He helped me when I almost died. I owed him my life." Qiyi: " So?! Just by that, you let him do whatever he wants to you?!" Meiyun: " What do you mean by that?" Qiyi: " This necklace! Do you know what it means?!" Meiyun: " No I don''t! Madan Di gave it to me and I couldn''t reject them right?" Qiyi: " Tch!" Meiyun: " Why are you so pissed off?!" Qiyi: " I don''t know!" Meiyun gawked at Qiyi and sighed for the hundredth time. Meiyun: " Fine, I will leave you alone. I don''t know why you are acting so weird today but I will give you time to cool your head down, kay? And I will never break my promise with him." As soon as she finished her sentence, Meiyun walked off without giving him a glance. Qiyi reached out his hand to grab her hand but he failed this time. Qiyi: " What is happening to me?" Chapter 145 - 143. Confrontation III Third person POV Huayun had been silent throughout Meiyun and Qiyi''s heated conversation. She thought that something was off between Meiyun and the Qi brothers, they became more distant after the night where Weisheng proposed to Hong er. But never did she imagine that her lover pointed his sword on her sister, twice. She didn''t know what to say, should she scold Qier and take her sister''s side? Or acted like she heard nothing? She loves both Qier and Meiyun, she couldn''t choose whom to believe. She tried to reason to herself that this wasn''t true, Meiyun likes to joke around and sometimes she went over the line. She turned her eyes to look at Qier and the face that Qier was making confirmed everything what Meiyun said was true. Huayun: " Why would you do that? She is my sister." Qier: " I''m sorry, I know I''m at fault but I''ve got no choice." Huayun fully understood what he meant but it still left a bitter taste on her tongue. Huayun: " I will go cool my head down." Huayun left Qier alone in the narrow alley. Qier: " I''m sorry¡­" . . . The moon was up above their head, brightening the dark sky together with the stars. Meiyun stood straight in front of Weisheng and Hong er''s chamber front door as now was her shift to guard. But then a faint sound of footsteps made Meiyun on alert and took out her ring swords. She was on her stance and ready to fight anyone that come near her master''s chamber. Meiyun: '' From left!'' Meiyun turned her body to the left and saw a familiar figure. Meiyun: " Huayun?" Meiyun smiled happily even though she was quite confused by Huayun''s presence because Huayun should be asleep at this time. Huayun didn''t reply to her as she kept walking towards Meiyun. Seeing that something was not right Meiyun carefully approached Huayun. Meiyun: " Hey, you good?" Still no respond from Huayun. Meiyun: '' Is she sleepwalking? Hhmm, this never happened to her before.'' Meiyun was thinking how to tease Huayun when she was in this state then a voice scared the wit out of her. Huayun: " Meiyun." Meiyun: " Ye-yes!" Huayun: " I''m sorry, my ignorance caused you to suffer." Meiyun: " Yo~ What the hell are you talking about?" Huayun: " Qier pointed his sword to your neck right?" Meiyun''s smile instantly dissipated. Meiyun: '' Is it because my voice was too loud?'' Meiyun: " Mah~ Something like that, yeahhh~, did happen." Meiyun looked away from Huayun''s piercing gaze and used joking tone to ease up the tense atmosphere. Huayun: " Why didn''t you tell me?" Huayun asked with her head lowered but Meiyun could still see her expression as she was shorter than her. Meiyun sighed maybe for the thousand time for today. Meiyun: " So what if I tell you? You want to break up with him?" Huayun whipped her head up to look at Meiyun, she didn''t want to break up with Qier but she couldn''t just be blinded with love and ignore her sister that had took care her for her whole life. Huayun: " N-no, I don''t want to but-" Meiyun: " Shh~ Look up there." Huayun looked up to the sky and saw the moon and the stars shining in the dark sky. Meiyun: " What do you see?" Huayun: " Moon and stars." Meiyun: " They are beautiful right?" Huayun: " En." Meiyun and Huayun: "¡­" Huayun was confused by why would Meiyun asked her that question in this situation. Huayun: " So what?" Meiyun: " Nothing, I just want to show it to you. Ahahaha~" Huayun: " You! How can you be joking even at time like this?!" Meiyun: " Khehehehe~" Meiyun suppressed her laugh so Hong er didn''t wake up. Huayun slapped Meiyun''s back in annoyance, she always fall for Meiyun''s traps and never learnt from it. Huayun: " Is that necessary?" Meiyun: " Of course it is." Huayun: " Huh?" Meiyun: " You are not sad anymore right?" Huayun: "?" Meiyun: " Mah~ This is not something you have to ponder about. I am the one who decided to not to tell you so you don''t need to feel guilty about this." Huayun: " But after knowing this, how can I be so ignorance?" Meiyun: " They are not wrong for pointing their sword to me, that is their responsibilities to protect their master at any cost. I''m just quite upset that they didn''t apologize after knowing that I''m innocent." Meiyun said smilingly. She looked up to the sky and smiled brighter. Meiyun: " This is the scene that I always watch every night. The moon and the stars are the one who accompany me throughout the silent night. You know that I hate darkness right? I''m really glad that they gave light to go through all of this painful night, that''s why to thank their companion, I stayed up all night till they are going to go down." Huayun followed Meiyun''s eyes and saw that the moon became brighter than before. Meiyun: "Alright~ It is better if you go to sleep now. Tomorrow we will be quite busy." Huayun: " En. Then I will go." Meiyun: " Kay. Don''t think about those unimportant thing again, it''ll just make age quicker." Huayun: " En, I won''t. And thank you." Meiyun: " Your welcome, My lady." Huayun: " Hahaha~" Huayun laughed as she walked away to take a rest. Meiyun: " My my. What a rough day, right buddy?" Meiyun spoke while gazing at the bright moon. . . . The Qi brothers'' job was the same as the Yun sisters'' and they have the same shift system as they have, Qiyi had a night shift and Qier had the morning shift. They protect their master like the way the Yun''s sisters did, guarding the front door but since Meiyun was guarding the front door, Qiyi protected their master from the dark. He stared at Meiyun who was gazing at the moon with her back straight, sometimes she would smile gently like she was communicating with the moon. His heart would beat faster if she smiled, he didn''t know why she looked exceptionally beautiful under the moonlight. It felt like the moon was her dearest and they were separated by the space. Qiyi: '' Do I really like Meiyun?'' This thought had been repeated for numerous times in his head but he didn''t know the answer to the question, was it yes or no. It is safe to say that he enjoyed the time that he was spending with Meiyun. She would always talked and tell jokes even though sometimes it was so lame. She was very thoughtful of other people despite her tendency to tease people. She had said that she could die if she doesn''t tease other and it caused him to laugh his head off. The more he think about Meiyun, the more things that he found he liked about Meiyun. He just followed the trend that the gentle and virtuous women were better than women like Meiyun. Then he realized that he liked Meiyun more than he thought. Chapter 146 - 144. First Day As His Wife I Third person POV Hong er slowly opened her eyes and rubbed her eyes to dissipate the sleepiness. She felt something enormous and heavy was tying her waist tightly as she couldn''t even move an inch from her position. She looked down and saw a messy but fluffy looking black hair pressing her b.r.e.a.s.ts. Her cheeks became rosy pink as she could feel his subtle rubbing on her skin. Her nightgown around her chest was slightly opened because Weisheng kept rubbing his cheek on her b.r.e.a.s.t after he felt something soft there when he was sleeping. However there was something that preventing him for feeling the softness so he struggled to find the way to that fluffy thing and that''s how Hong er''s b.r.e.a.s.ts were exposed with his face planted on the cleavage. She was thinking of what should she do with him locking her in his arms. Usually she would have got up and went to her usual morning practice but she didn''t have the heart to wake him up when he finally got his sleep. Hong er: '' Maybe a lil bit sleep won''t hurt.'' Meiyun knocked the door very gently and opened the door a bit to peek. She knew that they didn''t do anything for their first night as she didn''t hear anything from the room when she was guarding. Her head poked out from the door and she saw Weisheng was hugging Hong er tightly while he slept peacefully. Meiyun: " Your Majesty, do you need any help?" Meiyun whispered almost inaudibly. Hong er waved her hand. Meiyun bowed her head and closed back the door. Meiyun: '' Even though they didn''t do anything, they still had a good time together.'' Meiyun smiled proudly at how her master has a happy marriage life. . . . A few hours later, the sun had risen and lightened up their chamber. Hong er was woken up by the blinding light and she noticed that Weisheng hadn''t move even an inch. She couldn''t fell asleep anymore therefore she didn''t have a choice but to wake Weisheng up. Hong er: " Sheng ge, it''s time to wake up." Hong er gently called his name but to no avail, Weisheng didn''t wake up. For the second try, Hong er lightly shook his body while calling his name. Hong er: " Sheng geeeee, wake up. We have to go meet Her Majesty empress dowager and give our greetings to her." Weisheng: " Uuhhmm¡­." Weisheng grunted and planted his face deeper to Hong er''s cleavage. Even though she thought that Weisheng''s reaction was very cute like a kid refused to wake up but she ain''t having it. Hong er: " Sheng ge, if you don''t wake up at this moment, you will have to sleep in your own palace for one month." Weisheng immediately opened his eyes at her words and looked up to Hong er''s face. Weisheng: " It''s not fair!" Hong er: " Then get off the bed and wash your face." Weisheng: " But I want to cuddle with you." Hong er: " It has its own time and now is not the time for that." Weisheng: " Ugghh¡­ Fine¡­" Weisheng groaned, yet he still complied Hong er''s commands. Hong er called the servants and the servants came in with two basins of warm water. They placed two small tables in front of them and helped them to wash their face. Other servants picked up the tray that had the couple''s hair tied together and the cups that they used last night and took it away from their chamber. The servants helped them to dress up in a different room. They put a light make-up on Hong er as her face was sufficient without make-up. Her dress''s color was white silk with golden phoenix embroidered on her lower skirt and both of her sleeves were embroidered with begonia flowers. Meanwhile Weisheng''s clothes were shining black with golden dragon embroidered in the same place as Hong er''s dress. Their clothes were made to match the most famous love story in history, Hei An and Sheng Jie''s endless love. Even though this theme had been used commonly by many couples in royalties, nobles, even commoners, but no one ever had such an imposing aura as the two of them especially when they stood together. And to add it, both of them didn''t wear their usual mask anymore. Their beauty was exposed to the world for the first time and it didn''t fail the expectation of the people, rather it exceeded their expectation. Together, they walked hand in hand to Lu Cixi''s palace whilst enjoying their surrounding. The servants had offered them to use a carriage as Lu Cixi''s palace was quite far away from their palace considering how massive all of the palaces were. However Hong er refused to ride on the carriage, she had skipped her usual morning practice and wanted to walk to warm up her body. Usually the husband was the one who decide on everything that they''re gonna do, yet, Weisheng only silently followed Hong er''s every wishes like a puppy. Lu Cixi''s servants that were guarding the entrance of the palace quickly ran to report their arrival to her and she sleepily dragged her body out from her cozy bed. Lu Cixi: " Why are they so early? It is only 6 AM." If it was Hong er, then it wasn''t too early but to Weisheng and both of his mother and sister, yes, it was too early for them. Weisheng and Hong er were politely escorted to the palace and served with a cup of hot tea while waiting for Lu Cixi to get ready. Just within 15 minutes, Lu Cixi came in to the hall gracefully with her personal maid escorting her by holding her hand, nevertheless if one looked closely to her eyes, one could see a little bit of sleepiness lingering in her eyes. The couple stood up and Hong er bowed to her while Weisheng greets her without bowing as he has a higher status than she has. Lu Cixi slightly bent her knees to Weisheng and helped Hong er to raise her head up. She had seen her son without his mask frequently but for Hong er, this is her first time and she was stunned by her beauty. It was rare for her to be stunned by beautiful woman as there were many beauties in her husband''s harem and as she''s a beauty herself. Lu Cixi: " My, my, you are so beautiful. My grandchild will be chased by many people just with their beauty. No wonder you wore a mask, your parents made a good choice." Hong er: " Your Majesty Empress Dowager flatters me. Chenqie can''t be compared to Your Majesty Empress Dowager''s splendor." Lu Cixi: " My~ Ai Jia is already an old woman, no need to gratify Ai Jia''s beauty when wrinkles start to appear one by one on Ai Jia''s face." Honestly, Hong er could barely see a single wrinkle on Lu Cixi''s face except the faint lines that appears when she smiles. Rather than making her look older, it made her appearance and aura gentler and wiser. Hong er: " Chen qie never lie to Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi: " Ahahaha~ Ai Jia only teasing you, no need to be so serious." Lu Cixi laughed heartily while patting Hong er hand with her smooth palm. Hong er: '' Wow, so smooth. Not like mine.'' Hong er smiled back at Lu Cixi. Hong er: " Chen qie may bother Your Majesty Empress Dowager from now on to teach Chen qie a few things as Chen qie is still inexperience in these fields." Lu Cixi: " En. Ai Jia will gladly answer to all of your questions within Ai Jia''s knowledge." Chapter 147 - 145. First Day As His Wife II Lu Cixi was leisurely talking to Hong er about the responsibilities of an empress that was never written in a book or taught by teachers before, she taught Hong er from her experience. What she found pleasing was Hong er silently listened to her every word without getting bored, Hong er maintained an eye contact with her and sometimes would refill her empty cup. Princess Yue: " Sister-in-law!" Hong er was quite surprised with the sudden yell as she could hardly hear any footstep. She heard a cheerful voice followed with a few pant, she looked toward to the source of the voice and smiled brightly knowing that it was the cute little sister. Hong er: " Yes?" Princess Yue gasped so loud that even the guard outside the courtyard could hear her. Who wouldn''t be surprised to see their already perfect in everything sister-in-law''s a rare beauty. Princess Yue: " My God¡­ My nephew and niece must be handsome and pretty looking." Princess Yue muttered to herself then she snapped out of her mind when she realized everyone was looking at her with weird eyes. She coughed into her fist to hide her embarrassment, she greeted the three of them and sat beside Princess Yue: " Aiya, sister-in-law. Why are you so early in the morning?" Hong er: " Early?" Princess Yue: " Yeah, and surprisingly big bro can wake up." Princess Yue''s eyes scanned Weisheng from head to toe, ensuring the man that sat beside her sister-in-law was indeed her big brother. Princess Yue: " What method did sister-in-law use to get my big bro out of the bed?" Hong er: " Just a few words." Hong er giggled at the thought of Weisheng''s panicked face when she said he would have to sleep in his own room. Princess Yue glanced at Weisheng''s indifferent face and she noticed some of his tea spilled on his fingers that held on the cup. Princess Yue: '' Is sister-in-law''s words are that shocking?'' Hong er: " How come Princess Yue be here?" Princess Yue: " Oohh, I was so curious of sister-in-law''s face therefore I rushed here after I got the news that sister-in-law arrived at Imperial mother''s palace. My goodness, your beauty exceeded my expectation." Hong er: " Ahahaha~ To me, Princess Yue is prettier." Princess Yue: " Really?" Princess Yue had listened to all flatter from those noble ladies that tried to get in her shoes, she would always just smiles back and curses them to death in her heart. But she didn''t feel like that when Hong er said she was prettier than her. Her face brighten as she moved closer to Hong er and talked about all the things that she liked. About half an hour later, Weisheng placed down his cup and stood up, he cupped his fist to Lu Cixi and said with a straight tone. Weisheng: " I''m sorry to interrupt, Imperial mother. But this unfilial son has to attend the morning court, therefore I excuse myself." Lu Cixi: " En. How about Hong er?" As they had got closer in the span of 1 hour, Lu Cixi decided to call Hong er with her nickname. Hong er: " Chen qie will just stay here and keep Her Majesty Empress Dowager a company." Weisheng: " Well then." Weisheng turned around and walked away but before he took his third step, Hong er called him. Hong er: " Your Majesty Emperor." Weisheng stopped in his tracks and turned his head around to look at Hong er. Hong er smiled brightly at him and made a yes gesture with her fist. She moved her lips without making any sound. Hong er: '' Jia You!'' ( Good luck or Fighting!) A second later, she felt a soft pair of lips touched her cheek and her body immediately froze. Lu Cixi and Princess Yue even the servants gasped in shock by Weisheng''s brazen action. Weisheng retracted his lips and grinned mischievously. Weisheng: " I''ll be back soon. Be a good girl." Weisheng coolly left the hall, leaving everyone frozen to the ground. Even his own personal servants didn''t realize that he had left for quite long, they snapped out of their mind and quickly caught up to him. Nevertheless, the hall was was so silent that Weisheng''s laughter could be heard from far away. Princess Yue was the first one to open her mouth. Princess Yue: " Ai-aiyoyoyoyooo~ What a lovely couple we have here, right Imperial mother?" Lu Cixi: " Ehem, yes they are." Lu Cixi cleared out her throat and glanced at Hong er with teasing eyes. She never see her son act like a mischievous kid like that. And the way he laughed so heartily made her heart contended that he didn''t marry someone out of power or political agreement. Princess Yue: " Sister-in law?" Lu Cixi''s attention went back to Hong er when Princess Yue called Hong er whilst shook her arm. However, Hong er remained unmoving. Then her face slowly redden until smoke almost came out from her head. Hong er swiftly hid her red face with her sleeves and apologize profusely to Lu Cixi. Lu Cixi: " Hahaha~ You don''t have to apologize. Rather it is good to see that the newlywed couple is having a good time together, right?~" Lu Cixi said teasingly, Hong er''s face got redder. Princess Yue: " Aiyo~ No need to be shy, everyone in here saw how big bro smiled so sweetly at sister-in-law. He rarely smile even to his own mother and little sister." Lu Cixi nodded in agreement, they didn''t know why but they found teasing Hong er was quite fun. Life has been boring they, the royalties, have to act composed and be a role model to others, but heyy~ the one they teased was their family and she didn''t dislike it so~~ let''s continue. Or so they thought. Thus the whole morning was Lu Cixi and Princess Yue telling Hong er how Weisheng kept talking about her and treated her very special. The more they teased Hong er, the more they found Hong er cute. . . . The morning court went on smoothly, the officials once again congratulated Weisheng for his marriage which he happily accepted with an indifferent expression. He really wanted to go see his wife as soon as possible but the amount of the doc.u.ments that he had to look over was enormous. Even though Hong er said that she would gladly help him with his work, he didn''t want to burden his wife. And speak of the devil, Hong er knocked on his door a few times to gain his attention. Hong er: " Your Majesty Emperor." Weisheng: " Hong er?" Weisheng was quite taken aback by Hong er''s visit to his palace. He sent a dangerous look to his servants for not informing him about Hong er''s arrival. Hong er: " Please don''t blame the servants, Your Majetsy Emperor. It was Chenqie that told them to not inform His Majesty of Chenqie''s arrival. Chenqie apologize for being brazen." Weisheng: " No, it''s fine." Hong er: " En." Hong er finally could escape from Lu Cixi and Princess Yue''s endless teasing by telling them that she would go visit Weisheng. Hong er went to his desk and saw mountains of scrolls waiting for him, she sighed and worriedly asked Weisheng. Hong er: " Has Your Majesty Emperor eaten lunch yet?" Weisheng: " No." Hong er: " What a great timing. Chenqie cooked a few Da Qi dishes and it turned quite well. Why don''t we take a little break?" Weisheng: " En." Chapter 148 - 146. Enraged I Third person POV After they finished their lunch, Hong er helped Weisheng with his works and went out to practice with him in the evening. She became fidgety if she didn''t practice for days, it felt like she breached a law. Then they went back to her palace to take a bath and a dinner before they continued to look over the doc.u.ments. Their day passed surprisingly normally, Hong er went to sleep earlier than Weisheng, not long after Weisheng went to a deep sleep too. Hong er woke up at 3 AM like how she usually did, this time she had something important to do therefore she couldn''t fall back asleep. She tried hard to slip away from Weisheng''s clutches and succeeded after 10 minutes of struggling. She went to her dressing room and changed her nightgown to her armor. Meiyun and Huayun were not going to sleep for today as they have tasks for investigating a case. They kneeled on one knee with their fist cupped while Hong er was changing. Hong er: " So what Ah Tong and Ah Xi got?" Meiyun: " Reporting, what they said indeed is true." Hong er: " Hoo~" Hong er cold response made the Yun sisters shiver. Meiyun & Huyaun: '' Young Miss is enraged.'' Previously, when Hong er was on her way to her palace to cook some dishes for Weisheng, she passed by the side gate of the main palace and there was quite a commotion at the gate, inaudible screams and cries of women and men. Hong er''s interest was piqued, she walked towards the gate and saw the guards used their spears to block the people from storming in. Seeing that the situation was pressing, Hong er''s face turned serious. The servants tried to prevent her from going but she blocked them with one hand. Hong er: " Anyone who dares to block Ben Gong''s way, will be punished." All the servants shivered to their spine, they kneeled and begged for forgiveness. Hong er: " Ben Gong forgive all of you." Hong er said and walked away. They obediently followed behind her with their lips zipped shut. P1: " Please! My daughter! Huhuhuuu¡­ Help my daughter." P2: " My son! They took my son!" Guard1: " Back down! Don''t push!" Guard2: " Unauthorized people can''t enter the palace!" As the guards started to get annoyed by the persistent protestant, Hong er appeared behind them and raised one of her hand. Hong er: " Stop!" All of their attention immediately went to a girl in white and golden robe, their mouth was agape by the beauty in front of them. The guards quickly cupped their fist and kneeled on one knee. Guards: " Greetings to Your Majesty Empress." She gracefully walked towards them and gently spoke. Hong er: " Rise." Guards: " Yes!" The guards stood up and glared at the protestant. Guards: " Bow before Her Majesty Empress." As if a lightning struck their head, they quickly kowtowed and greeted Hong er. Hong er could understand why they were late to greet her, she had only been their empress for one day and they never saw her appearance before therefore it was reasonable. Hong er: " Rise. Now explain to Ben Gong of what happened here." The protestants were surprised to hear what Hong er said. For the empress herself to listen their trouble was just too magnificent. The lady that stood at front started to explain their grievances to Hong er with utmost respect. P1: " Kids in our village got kidnapped right in front of us. To say they were pirates then no, they wore military uniform." Hong er: " Kidnapped right in front of you?" P1: " Yes, Your Majesty Empress. They tied me and my husband to the ground. At that time we could only hopelessly witness our daughter taken away by¡­" The lady couldn''t hold back her tears from remembering that horrible image. A white silk handkerchief appeared in front of her. She looked up and saw Hong er''s sad smile. Hong er: " Ben Gong knows it is hard and painful to recall those memories but Ben Gong need you to bear with it for a moment and tell Ben Gong every detail of the incident. Here, wipe your tears." Hong er gave the lady her handkerchief. P1: " This lowly slave sincerely appreciate Your Majesty Empress''s kindness." The lady took the handkerchief and wiped her overflowing tears. P1: " They beat us really hard but before I fainted, I vaguely heard their conversation about ship and auction." Hong er: " Do you hear anything else about name or place?" P1: " My sincerest apologies." Hong er: " It is fine, you did a good job." Hong er''s solemn face turned back to its usual gentleness. She could see where this was going and she wouldn''t let this case slip away without giving them the justice that they deserved. They had sent their complaints to court but they didn''t get any response from them. They sent it again in hope that the officials that work there would notice this case. However, what they didn''t expect was they got punished for sending false accusation. They were too poor and insignificant to send a direct report to the headquarter therefore they treat this encounter with Hong er like a gold. P2: " Yo-Your Majesty Empress, my-my son too. Please help us." Once again they kowtowed to Hong er with tears streaming down their faces. Hong er clenched her fist under her sleeve as she turned around. Hong er: " Don''t worry my subjects. I, Xu Feihong, swore under Ben Gong''s name that Ben Gong will definitely find your child and bring them to you alive. If they were to found dead, I will bring their body to you and hold a respectable funeral." With that Hong er walked away with eyes burning with rage. The protestants thanked Hong er and kowtowed to the direction where she disappeared to. Hong er had walked quite far away from the gate then she abruptly stopped midway, confusing the servants behind her. She waved her hand telling them to leave her alone, they walked to the place where they couldn''t hear Hong er''s voice. ( Meiyun and Huayun didn''t go.) Hong er: " Ah Tong, Ah Xi." The moment they name escaped from Hong er''s lips, Ah Tong and Ah Xi appeared in front of Hong er and kneeled. Ah Tong & Ah Xi: " Waiting for Your Majesty Empress'' instruction." Hong er: " You two had heard everything the lady said right?" Ah Tong & Ah Xi: " Yes." Hong er: "Investigate. Don''t leave anything out, even the smallest thing. Understood?" Ah Tong & Ah Xi: "Understood." Hong er: " Bring the elite forces. I don''t care what method you use, pass the full report to Meiyun and Huayun the next morning. Understood?" Ah Tong & Ah Xi: " Understood." Hong er: "Go." Ah Tong & Ah Xi: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." They disappeared into thin air. Hong er: " Meiyun, Huayun." Meiyun & Huayun: " Any instruction for us, Your Majesty Empress?" Hong er: "Be ready for tomorrow''s battle." Meiyun & Huayun: " Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er waved her hand again and the servants walked towards her. Hong er: " Don''t tell His Majesty Emperor about what you seen or heard just now. Understood?" Servants: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Ben Gong will tell him myself." Servants: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Chapter 149 - 147. Enraged II Third person POV Meiyun handed Hong er a paper scroll that contains information regarding the case. Hong er unrolled the scroll, the whole scroll was filled with names, places, etc. While Hong er was reading, Meiyun added a few things that Ah Tong and Ah Xi mentioned to her. Meiyun: " Senior Tong and Senior Xi investigated that these case were originated from neighboring country that allowed slavery. Usually they took the children from the slums to lower the risk of being noticed. But they had took most of the children in the slums in their territory and now they tried to spread their territory wider. But since the village is located in area that both countries fought for its ownership, the villagers became one of their target." Hong er: "Continue." Meiyun: " Yes. Their prime victim is children underage. The younger it is, the better it is." Hong er: " Why?" Hong er''s voice got colder and colder at the mention of victim was underage children. Meiyun gritted her teeth in anger as she knew what happened to those children, she was afraid that she would go berserk if she said it with her own mouth. Knowing that her sister was struggling at holding her own anger, Huayun step up and spoke on behalf of her sister. She herself despised them as much as Meiyun did, but she had a better control of her anger. Huayun: "They sell the children to those nobles that particularly like children in a s.e.x.u.a.l way." Hong er gripped on the scroll tightly. Huayun: "The price of each children was based on their appearance and power. The normal ones would just be sold in a lower price, the more special ones would be auctioned. The more beautiful and stronger the child is, the more expensive they would be sold." Huayun stopped for a while and took a deep breath before she continued again. Huayun: "The ending of the children were too tragic. Most of them died and the cause of their death varies. Some of them were forced in until they die, some of them committed suicide, but the most common case was their blood being drained and drank by their buyer." Hong er''s eyes widened in shock. She knew exactly how that felt as she had experienced her blood being drained. Bai Huiqing had researched this drinking blood practice and indeed it was proven that it could transfer some of the Qi to the drinker. The effect of drinking the blood depends on the power of the owner. Like how she had light magic that could heal people, they could heal themselves if they drank her blood. If water magic user drank wind magic user''s blood then it wouldn''t take any effect except Hong er''s light magic. Hong er rolled back the scroll and passed it to Huayun. Hong er: "Everything is ready?" Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress. Senior Tong and half of the elite forces are waiting at the side gate while Senior Xi and the rest are at the dock keeping an eye on the ship that held the victims." Hong er: "Good. Set out without delay." Meiyun & Huayun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er came out from her dressing room that connected to their bedroom and saw Weisheng was still sleeping peacefully on their bed. She walked towards him and bent down, she kissed his lips before she left the room together with the Yun sisters. Weisheng slowly opened his eyes when he couldn''t feel Hong er''s presence anymore. He turned over and vacantly looked at the spot where Hong er slept before. Weisheng: "Be safe." . . . Hong er arrived at the other dock where her ship waited for her. They get on board together with their horses as their magical beasts could be used to protect the children. The ship promptly set off after they saw Hong er on the ship. Hong er dismounted from Xiao Bai and directly went to meeting room at lower floor. The meeting room was not big but it could fit in about 15 people. Meiyun took the map from Ah Tong''s hand and spread it on the table in front of them. Hong er: "Speak." Ah Tong: "We pinpointed the locations where they would pass." Ah Tong pointed at the red dots on the map and continued to explain. Ah Tong: "The ship they used to transport the victims was average looking merchant ship, they take off from this dock. They purposely avoided Da Qi''s sea territory as slave auction is illegal in Da Qi. Their ship will stop in an island about 10 km away from here, they moved the victims to a cruise ship where they held the auction. The clients used their own ship to go to that island and boarded the cruise ship. They will only stop for about 15 minutes and set off again to the middle of the sea. In those times, they will held the auction and head back off only after the auction was done therefore we don''t know the exact time when they will head back." Hong er: "How many?" Ah Tong: "50 guards, 86 shipcrews, and 26 children. They hired high leveled fighters as this auction was held for nobles from all countries. And that''s not all, each client can bring 2 guards with them. Estimated that there will be about 15 clients." Hong er: "How many do we got?" Ah Tong: "We got 18 personnel here, including Your Majesty Empress. And 6 personnel in Ah Xi''s group." Considering how the enemy outnumbered them, they should be afraid now but no. What they were thinking was to capture all of clients without any of the children got injured. They must act fast but they shouldn''t be impatient. Hong er: "Any report from Ah Xi?" Ah Tong: " Yes. They departed half an hour ago. With our speed, we can catch up to them in anytime." Hong er: "Our destination is to the island but take an opposite route, don''t be seen by them. We will attack at the time where they were distracted the most. Got it?" Everyone: "Yes!" Hong er: "Take the children to this ship first then we will do our business. 3 personnel stay here to protect the children, look out of the cruise too. Don''t let anyone get away. The rest will follow me. I will give my further instruction when we are in action." Everyone: "Yes!" Chapter 150 - 148. Enraged III Third person POV The cruise was sailing slowly and finally stopped in the middle of nowhere, the crews threw an anchor down to the water. The guards were patrolling around the cruise with weapons ready in their hands. But unknown to them, a dozen of human were swimming under the ship and their head slowly emerged from water. Hong er and her group couldn''t use their ship to approach the cruise as it would be easily noticed even from faraway. If they used small boats, the guards would quickly notice the boats therefore swimming was the best option. They hid their presence and swam all the way here without using water magic that''s why the guards were not aware of their whereabouts. They closed their eyes and activated their inner sight, after a few seconds, they inactivated their inner sight and waited for Hong er''s instruction. Hong er told them her plan with hand signals Hong er: ''Divide to 3 groups. One group follow me to attack the bridge from behind. Meiyun to left, Huayun to right. Move after my signal. Go.'' ( The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded.) They nodded their head and without further ado they dived into the water. Hong er slowly emerged from water and used qinggong to climb the ship. She peeked to see if any guard was around then she made a ''safe'' hand signal to the group behind her. They advanced and followed Hong er. Slowly but surely they hid from the guards'' sight. They finally reached the bridge and cleared out the room for Hong er to enter leisurely. Their body laid lifeless on the floor with knife stabbed through their head, to ensure the crews were really dead, they checked their pulse and wrapped the bodies with cloth then they tied the bodies to the pillar with a rope. Hong er: "Ah Tong, go find Ah Xi and tell him to evacuate the children to our ship. Our ship will arrive in 10 minutes." Ah Tong: "Yes!" With that, Ah Tong and one personnel of their group disappeared into thin air. Hong er: "One of you stay here." One of the personnel: "Yes!" (A/N: There 18 of them including Hong er, 3 of them stayed at their ship and it left them with 15 people. Divide to 3 group= 5 person/group. Oh! All of them wore mask.) Meiyun and Huayun''s group were hanging on the side of the ship, waiting for Hong er''s signal to attack. Hong er took out a small mirror and aligned it with the sunlight. The moment they saw a small blinding light from the bridge, they launched themselves with weapons in their hand. The one that stayed at the bridge put on a magic barrier so the guards in the lower floor wouldn''t detect their Qi while the other one put on a soundproof barrier. Hong er jumped from the top floor and summoned her white sword in the air. She spun her body and sliced off two heads at once, only after a few second, the guards on this floor were wiped out. They hid and tied the dead bodies to a pillar. On the other side, the auction was going smoothly and no one seems to be suspicious of what happened up there. Ah Xi came into a room without his mask on, his handsome face was full of smile as he poured a wine on one of the clients cup. Each client had their own room and their room was facing the circle stage. There was representative for each room to raise the number plate so that the identity of the person behind the curtain remained unknown. Host: "And now! We save the best for the last. This is the most special kid we had ever auctioned! Congratulation to all ladies and gentleman who came here, even if you couldn''t bring it home, at least you witness this rare species!" The host''s speech piqued the clients'' interest. Host: "Without further ado, bring out the slave!" The door opened and two men pushed a white cage covered with white silk towards the middle of the stage. The clients stood from their chair to peek at the cage and clicked their tongue when they saw the cage was covered. Seeing the reaction of the clients, the host smirked under his weird mask. Host: "Now now~ Please don''t get mad first, Ladies and gentlemen. First I have to explain the specialty of this slave." The host said with teasing tone. Ah Xi eyed the cage and saw a pair of chained foot from the slightly opened curtain. The feet were as white as jade therefore the faint cut on his feet were quite noticeable. Ah Tong had gone to evacuate the children and he was here to make sure none of the people escape, furthermore the last child was here and he wouldn''t leave the child behind. Three of his comrade disguised as servants and were pouring wine in the other room. He caught a glimpse of the footmen that pushed the cage into the room, it seems that one of them was extremely familiar. He scanned that person once again. Ah Xi: ''Huayun?!'' Even though he almost had a heartattack, he still maintained his calm face. As if Huayun could hear his internal scream, Huayun glanced at him and unnoticeable tilted her head slightly to the side. Ah Xi got her message and glanced at the two guards that had been staring at him for a while. He smiled at them and bowed his head then he stood at the corner of the room. Meanwhile in the lower floor, the guards had been completely wiped out. The walls were painted in blood as dead bodies scattered on the floor. They didn''t bother to search for the keys to unlock the jail, they just used their sword to cut the bars into halves. They entered the jail and saw the kids were hiding in corners with tears streaming down their faces. They didn''t approach the kids because they saw how the kids flinched whenever they moved. Little did they know, they were wearing mask with demon face on it. Hong er sighed by their clumsiness and stepped up, she took off their mask and pointed her mask telling them to take off theirs too. They Ooooed and took off their mask then put on their brightest smile on, including Hong er. Hong er slowly approach the kids and crouched down when she was a few step away from them, she was afraid of scaring the kids if she was too close to them. She stretched out her hand to the kids and spoke with her gentlest voice. Hong er: "No need to be afraid, we are not bad guy. We are here to take you out from here." Chapter 151 - 149. Enraged IV Third person POV As they were just kids under 10 years old, they believed Hong er as she has a beautiful face and gentle voice, as well as the other brothers and sisters (elite forces). They were placed on jail based on their price point therefore there were only a few kids in this jail. Hong er: "Now let these brothers and sisters carry you. You are tired, right?" Kids: "En." The kids walked towards the other members of elite forces. Since the children outnumbered their personnel, each person carried two to three kids. The elite forces put back on their mask but it made the children scared again. Elite forces: "It is not scary. Don''t you think those bad guys are scarier?" The kids hesitantly nodded their head. Elite forces: "If you aren''t quick, the bad guys will come again." Hearing that the bad guys would come again, the kids quickly ran to the elite forces. The elite forces smiled under their mask and carried the kids on their back and arms. Elite forces: "And you have to promise us to not open your eyes until we said so." The kids shut their eyes tightly and nodded their head again. The elite forces walked out from the jail and saw Meiyun''s group came out from other jail with the kids. Hong er: "Is this all?" Meiyun: "Yes. The rest of the kids are already on our ship." Hong er: "Good, remember to come back." Meiyun: "Aye, sir." With that Hong er and Meiyun''s group went separated ways. . . Meiyun and her other group jumped over to the other ship effortlessly. They put down the kids and handed them to the personnel that stayed on their ship. At first the kids were hesitant to follow a new person but Meiyun convinced them with a wide smile. Meiyun: "This is my brother and he is very kind. You can play with him if you want." Kids: "We can?" Meiyun: " Of course! Look!" Meiyun headlocked him and laughed out loud. He could only sigh and let his head be an entertainment to Meiyun. The kids'' face brightened up and laughed along Meiyun. Meiyun: "Follow this brother and listen to him okay? We have to go back and give those bad guys ass beating!" Kids: " Yay! Ass beating!" Meiyun: "We will be back soon!" Meiyun and the others jumped back to the cruise and directly went to the auction hall. . . Host: "Ladies and gentlemen, this slave has a mysterious power that hasn''t ever been found on this continent before, even his appearance is out of this world. The bidding will start at 1 thousand gold tael." At first, the client was baffled by the price but they quickly threw their thought to the back of their mind after the curtain was pulled open. Their mouth was agape as they really never saw such an appearance before, they thought that the host was only exaggerating things. Ah Xi and Huyaun''s eyes were widened by the sight of the kid in the cage. His skin was so white that his vein was almost visible. His hair was silky white and almost reached his knees. But what was more surprising was not only his hair was white, his iris was pure white as well as his pupil. His long white eyelashes quivered under the gazes of the people behind the curtains. But what makes it scarier was that he couldn''t see them but they could see him. He bit his pale white lips in fear, he hate those looks, he hate it so much that he wanted to gouge out their eyes and step on it. C1: "1200 taels!" C2: "1500 taels!" C3: "2000 taels!" The price kept rising and rising until it reached 6 thousand taels by the man in the room that Ah Xi watched over. After a few second of silence, the battle of bidding started again but now only two or three clients. The host grinned from ear to ear seeing how those rich rats fighting over each other just for a slave. Then after the price raised to 8350 taels, the host counted to three and slammed down his gravel as he gleefully announced. Host: "Sold! For 8350 taels to buyer number 11! Congratulations!" Ah Xi: ''Are they not done?'' As if they could read Ah Xi''s mind, a few knocks were heard from the door where the slave brought in. The host''s face scrunched in displeasure, he had trained his crew to not disturb while the auction was on going. Then a female voice sounded out. Female: "Sire, there are important guests visiting over. Can we come in?" The look in Ah Xi''s eyes changed but his face remained still. His hand slightly moved to the side, which gained the attention of the two guards that were in the same room as him. Ah Xi''s hand didn''t stop even after the guards were scanning him with threatening eyes, he reached to his pocket. Guards: "Hey young man, show me your hands." But Ah Xi didn''t pay heed to any of his threats. Unknown to the two guards, the other personnel did the same thing as Ah Xi did and the other guards were alerted by their sudden weird gestures. Then the creaking sound of the door echoed through the hall. Everyone''s attention including the guards were on the people behind the door. 5 people with bloody red mask on and blood footsteps behind them clearly were not normal. Hong er: "Why hello~" The woman stood the most front greeted. The guards immediately on their fighting stance after they saw the red mask. Guards: "Xu elite forces?! Why are they here?!" Then they quickly turned their face towards the suspicious servants in their room. Their blood instantly runs cold when they saw a red masked human with a sword in their hand whilst putting a finger in front of their lips. Elite forces: "Shh~" A head rolled on the ground. With that, the battle started. Meiyun and the others who stood behind Hong er went in to join the battle. Meanwhile, Hong er dignifiedly walked towards the host that was scared witless by their entrance. Hong er caught a glimpse of the trembling child in the white cage and used her sword to cut the cage into halves. She stretched out her hand and called the child gently. Hong er: "Come here, my child. You are safe with us." The child jumped into Hong er''s embrace without any word, he didn''t care who it was, he didn''t care if she was bad or good, he just wanted to escape from here. But he didn''t know why his heart believed that she was a good person, maybe because she freed him from the cage? Hong er could feel him trembling in her arms and her shoulder started to get wet from his tears. She leaned her head to his and gently patted his back to calm him down. Feeling vexed from being ignored by Hong er. He pointed his finger at Hong er and shouted. Host: "I didn''t know that Xu family from Da Chu would poke their noses around like rat." Da Chu was at the southeast part of the continent, meanwhile, they were at northwest. Seeing that Hong er didn''t reply to his remark, he thought that Hong er was afraid. Host: "Hah! This is not your country! Don''t you think you can do whatever you want just because your forces are strong!" Hong er''s face was as black as ink, her golden eyes glowed brightly as she glowered at him. Hong er: "Then I will make it mine." Hong er then put a spell on the kid in her embrace so that he couldn''t hear what was going to happen. Host: "Don''t look down on us you b*tch! You think you''re that strong?!" Hong er walked towards him. Hong er: "Yeah." Hong er looked down on him. Hong er: "Because I have my husband on my back." The host''s eyes went wide, he heard a news that the daughter of Xu family from Da Chu would marry and became an empress to Da Qi. Host: ''That means¡­.she is Her Majesty Empress?!'' Before he could ask for forgiveness, Hong er grabbed and slammed down his head to the sharp edge of the cage. The bar went through his mouth to the back of his head. Hong er left the hall without sparing any glance on the hanging head. Not that long after that, the elite forces went back to their ship after destroying the cruise to pieces together with the bodies inside the cruise. Chapter 152 - 150. The White Haired Kid I Third person POV Hong er went to where the kids gathered with the white haired child still in her arms. Meiyun and Huayun followed her from behind but this time Meiyun hid behind Huayun and sneak around like a criminal. The kids were staring at the sea while talking how cool the brothers and sister that saved them when suddenly someone screamed on their ear. Meiyun: "GRAAAHH." Kids: "AAHHHHH!!!" Meiyun laughed out loud when she saw the kids almost cried. Then Huayun appeared from behind and smacked Meiyun''s head. Huayun: "Stop it. Are you a kid?" Meiyun rubbed the spot where Huayun hit her and tee heed which caused Huayun to smack her head once again. The kids cheered at the sight of Hong er and Meiyun. Kids: "Big sisters! You are back!" Meiyun: "Aye of course! And we beat their asses for y-AGGHHH!" Huayun: "Language please." Huayun pulled Meiyun''s ear. Hong er chuckled and looked at the kids. Hong er: "Are you kids hurt anywhere? If there is, tell this big sister." Kids: "Here! Here!" The kids lifted up their clothes and pointed at their injuries. Hong er nodded her head and put down the white haired child so she could heal them. Hong er: "Come closer so big sister can heal you easier and close your eyes kay?" The kids did as what Hong er told them to do. Hong er put her hand above their head and her golden eyes glowed brightly as light appeared on her palm. After a few seconds, Hong er told them to open their eyes and asked if there was any injury left. The kids jumped up and down and found their body was in its best state. They shook their head in no and thanked Hong er for saving and healing them. Kids: "Big sisters, are you fighters?" Hong er: "Yeah, we all are fighters." Kids: "So COOL!! What are big sisters'' job?" Hong er: "Hhmm, defeat bad guys and save people." Kids: "Woahh, we want to become like big sisters." Hong er: "You can but you have to train hard and have a pure heart to save people. Don''t bully others just because you are stronger than them ok?" Kids: "OK!" Then a small hand tugged Hong er''s sleeve took her attention from the cheering kids. Hong er: "Hm? What is it? Are you hurt?" Hong er asked, the white haired nervously shook his head but his eyes were telling her that he had something to ask. Hong er: "Why don''t we go somewhere more private?" The white haired kid lightly nodded his head and followed Hong er to inside. Hong er offered him to sit beside her while Meiyun and Huayun poured him a warm tea and a confection for him as they saw his extremely skinny body. His cheekbone and the bone on his wrist were poking out from malnutrition and they didn''t know if it was because of his pale colored skin or his face was actually pale but it seems like he was not in a well health. At first, the white haired kid was hesitant to take the confection but Meiyun shamelessly took one and put it on his hand. Meiyun: "Trust me. It''s hella delicious." Hong er: "En. Eat more. Here this one, it is easier to chew." Hong er chose one bite sized confection and positioned it in front of his mouth. His face brighten in delight as he had never ate sweets before then he chomped on the confection that Meiyun gave him. Hong er: "Eat slowly or you wi-" Before Hong er could finish her sentence, the white haired kid choked on his sweets. Huayun immediately grabbed a cup of tea and handed it to him. He gulped down the tea while the three of them patted his back to relieve his cough. After he calmed down, they gave him sweets again. He took a couple of sweets and now he slowly chewed on it. Hong er waited for him until he finished eating a few confections and the tea. Hong er: "What''s your name?" The boy shook his head and looked down in shame. Hong er: "It''s fine, you don''t need be embarrassed." Hong er comforted him and patted his head. Hong er: "Where are your parents?" The boy''s body froze when he heard the word ''parents'' came out from Hong er''s mouth. Seeing his reaction, Hong er knew the answer without him saying. She asked another question. Hong er: "Where is your house?" The boy shook his head again. Hong er: "Can you talk?" Hong er didn''t try be mean but she never heard his voice even once. Surprisingly, the boy nodded his head. The boy: "I-I''m afraid that big sisters will be cursed." Hong er: "What do you mean?" The boy became restless and fidgety. Hong er: "It''s fine, just tell us. Nothing bad will happen to us." The boy''s lips repeatedly opened and closed, unsure if he should tell them or not. The boy: "I-I lived in a small village and because of my cursed hair and eye color, my parents were afraid of me but they didn''t dare to kill me as they were afraid that they will be cursed. So they locked me in a dark bas.e.m.e.nt to not let any villager know of my existence." The three women furrowed their brows. The boy: "But a few months ago, one of the villager found out about my existence during a flood and told everyone that I was the cause of the misfortune things that had happened in their village. My parent quickly ran away from the village leaving me alone in the bas.e.m.e.nt. The villager pulled me out of my bas.e.m.e.nt and was going to burn me alive in the next day. They hired a mage and I saw that they did something to the cage so I couldn''t escape but somehow I managed to escape from the village. I ran for two days and two nights without food then at that time I had reached my limit. I hid in a dark alley to rest with only a piece of cloth to hide my hair. I thought that I was gonna die that night then¡­" The boy abruptly stopped and looked at Hong er with watery eyes. The boy: "Big sister appeared." Hong er''s eyes widened in surprise. Hong er: "Me?" The boy: "Yes. At that time, I was too hungry and cold. But out of sudden, I sensed a weird and strong aura surrounded the alley then a string of water flew inside my mouth and my body got warmer all of a sudden. I opened my eyes and saw a half torn warm bun in my hand and an expensive looking blanket on top of my head. I chomped it down like an animal and it was the most delicious meal I had ever had in my life." Hong er felt like the scenario he was telling was very familiar. She racked her brain and finally remembered, it was at a city where he was travelling with Weisheng and defeated Skull Gang but then she recalled that she had put on a spell and magic barrier so they wouldn''t be awake when she was treating them. Furthermore, he was only a weak child at that time, it was impossible for him to break her high leveled spell, unless he has a hidden ability that he himself doesn''t even know. Then if her assumption was right, that means he heard everything she said when she killed the host. What made her worry was if he really heard all those scream of people dying at such a young age, he probably would get traumatized. Chapter 153 - 151. The White Haired Kid II Third person POV The boy went on his knees and kowtowed to Hong er. Hong er quickly reached out to him but his words stumped Hong er. The boy: "Please let me properly thank big sister for saving my life twice. Even if I kowtowed 1 thousand times, it can''t thank enough for your gracious." Hong er knew how it felt to be saved and cared when one was at its lowest state so does Meiyun and Huayun. Hong er patted his head and gently said to him. Hong er: "En. I''m glad my action can save people''s lives. I will think of a way for you to repay me, no need to kowtow 1 thousand times." The boy: "Bu-but how? I don''t have anything right now." Hong er smiled at him. Hong er: "I have an idea but I won''t tell you yet." Even though the boy was curious, he obediently nodded his head. Hong er: "You said that you don''t have name and home right?" The boy: "Yes." Hong er: "Why don''t I bring you to my house and give you a name?" A wide smile appeared on the boy''s face. The boy: "Yes!" Hong er: "Hhmm, what should I name you? Meiyun, Huayun, help me to think up a name." Meiyun: "Hhmm, snow¡­.snow¡­" Huayun: "En. Snow suits him. But what is next?" Hong er: "Xue¡­Xue¡­" (A/N: Xue means snow.) The three of them put their finger on their chin and contemplated. Then Hong er recalled how his eyes looked like when he was still in cage. Hong er: "Wolf! Xue Lang!" (A/N: Lang means wolf) Meiyun: "Oh! Xue Lang! What a good name!" Huayun: "His hair indeed looks like a snow wolf''s fur." The three of them cheered as they came up with a suitable name for Xue Lang. Hong er realized that she hadn''t asked for his consent and just went on like a bull. She turned to Xue Lang and saw him looking down with a smile from ear to ear. He was blushing from his cheeks to his ears. The three ladies cooed and hugged Xue Lang whilst rubbing his head. . . Few hours later, they finally arrived at the dock where Hong er set off from. They took quite a long time as they had to destroy the buyers'' sh.i.p.s in that small island. Without any delay, the elite forces brought the kids back to their family and for the homeless kids, they were given an opportunity to work with Hong er. Hong er: "How about working in my place?" Kids: "Thanking big sister for your kindness!" It was better if they had to work as a servant rather than wandering around without food and shelter but what they didn''t expect was Hong er''s place was a palace. Their mouth was wide open as they entered the main gate of the palace. There were five of them excluding Xue Lang, they were sitting in a carriage and they couldn''t get over with the couch (idk what it is called, basically it is the seat.), it was so soft that they fell asleep during the ride. Hong er didn''t put Xue Lang together with the other kids as she saw how they were scared of his white hair and eyes so he was in another carriage. Hong er was greeted by the servants along the way to her palace while she was on top of Xiao Bai''s back. Servants: "Greetings to Her Majesty Empress." She dismounted from Xiao Bai when they reached the place where carriage was not allowed. The kids came out from their carriage and eyed every corner of the palace with their big eyes. Kids: "Big sister! Big sister! Is this where you live?" Hong er: "Yes." Kids: "Then are you a soldier?" Hong er: "Hhmm, no?" Kids: "Oh! Are Her Majesty Empress near here?" Hong er: "Hm?" The servants freaked out by the way the kids talk to Hong er. Servants: ''She is Her Majesty Empress herself!!! Oh my god!" Before the servants could scold the kids, they heard Hong er laughed out loud and the Yun sisters giggling behind her. Hong er: "Ahahaha~" Kid1: "Big sister, why are you laughing? And shouldn''t we greet Her Majesty Empress if she passes by?" Kid2: "Yeah, that is what my mom said to me too." Hong er took off her mask while still laughing at the kids'' cluelessness. She took a deep breath and her demeanor instantly changed. The kids'' eyes widened in bewilderment by the change, they were awestruck by Hong er''s majestic aura around her even though she still wore the same clothes as before. Hong er: "Ben Gong is the Empress of Da Qi." The kids looked at Hong er with disbelief and they forgot what they said before, ''must greet the Empress if she passes by''. They were in their own dimension until Laojin reprimanded them. Laojin: "Knowing Her Majesty Empress in front of you, still not give your greetings." The kids immediately fell on their knees and clumsily kowtowed to Hong er as they didn''t know the correct way to greet a royalty. Hong er: "Rise. It is not your fault, you''ve never saw Ben Gong before." The kids stood up and became nervous after knowing Hong er''s identity. Hong er: "These sisters here will teach you everything you need to know about your job so listen to them carefully. Not everyone in this palace is kind and forgiving. Do you understand?" Kids: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Good. I look forward to the day you will serve beside me." Kids: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress!" Hong er waved her hand to the kids and walked away whilst holding Xue Lang''s hand. She entered her palace and saw that Weisheng was not in there. She asked her servants of his whereabouts. Servants: "His Majesty Emperor had a meeting with Lu Gongzi and others official." She hadn''t greeted Lu Cixi for today, actually it had to be done in the morning but she had an important mission to do. She looked at the time and it was 2.34 PM. Hong er: ''I can make it.'' Hong er: "Get Xue Lang ready, I will be back in a second." Servants: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Then Hong er disappeared together with Meiyun and Huayun leaving Xue Lang to the servants'' care. Just in a minute, Hong er arrived at Lu Cixi''s palace. The guards suddenly on alert when they felt such a surge of Qi but they quickly put down their spear and bowed to Hong er. Guards: "Our apologies Your Majesty Empress-" Hong er: "It''s fine. Is Her Majesty Empress Dowager inside?" Guards: " Yes, Your Majesty Empress." One of the guards escorted Hong er to the palace. Noticed that Hong er was walking towards his direction, the eunuch quickly reported Hong er''s arrival to Lu Cixi. Lu Cixi''s eyes shined with interest and her lips curled into a smirk. Lu Cixi: "She had come? Let her enter." Chapter 154 - 152. What?! I Third person POV Hong er came in with her full armor on which was quite surprising for Lu Cixi. Hong er''s eyes were filled with determination and resolution. Lu Cixi felt like she was watching a warrior marching to a battlefield, she covered her lips with her fan. Hong er greeted Lu Cixi gracefully despite her in an armor. Hong er: "Greetings to Your Majesty Empress Dowager. This unfilial daughter-in-law sincerely apologies for not giving Her Majesty Empress Dowager a morning greeting." Hong er lowered her head and spoke in apologetic voice. Lu Cixi smiled gently and waved her fan. Lu Cixi: "It is fine, you have something important to do right? Besides, His Majesty Emperor told Aijia that you couldn''t come for greetings." Hong er: "Chen qie deeply apologies for bothering His Majesty Emperor and Her Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi: "So what is this important thing?" Hong er: "There is a case of child abduction in X village and the victims were going to be auctioned to Huang Gu. Chen qie took an immediate action to prevent our children from being harmed." (A/N: Huang Gu is the neighbor country that legalized slavery and the country that Da Qi is having some cold war. And, I named it X village bc that name won''t pop out again so I''m too lazy to think up a name.) Lu Cixi: "Where did you get that information from?" Hong er: "When Chen qie passed by the side gate, there was a commotion and Chen qie lent Chen qie''s ear to listen their grief." Lu Cixi thought for a while and spoke. Lu Cixi: "Why don''t you tell His Majesty Emperor first? What if anything happened to you?" Hong er: "Chen qie didn''t want to burden His Majesty more than this therefore Chen qie decided to help His Majesty with everything Chen qie have." Lu Cixi: "It''s good that you want to help His Majesty but please consider your status too. You are an empress of Da Qi, many people want to take your life without you knowing." Hong er: "Chen qie will be more cautious from now on. Thanking Your Majesty Empress Dowager for your advice." Lu Cixi: "En. Go change your clothes and take some rest. Don''t tire yourself out." Hong er: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager. Then Chen qie excuses herself." Lu Cixi lightly nodded her head and watched Hong er walk out from the hall. She glanced at her spy and asked. Lu Cixi: "Did you just say that Hong er brought home a special child?" Spy: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi: "How special is it?" Spy: "He has white hair and white iris. And he is about 7 years old." Lu Cixi: "Let''s see what she is going to do about that." Spy: "Your Majesty Empress Dowager" Lu Cixi: "What?" Spy: "It seems like we had been found out by Her Majesty Empress." Lu Cixi: "Hhmm." Lu Cixi gave them indifferent look. They shivered under her death stare. Spy: "Her Majesty Empress and her two bodyguards are very high skilled fighter. They glanced at our direction for quite a few times but didn''t approach us." Lu Cixi: ''She knew that I am spying on her but she didn''t do anything. Is she trying to say that she is harmless?'' Lu Cixi: "Just watch from appropriate distance, she won''t do any harm as long as you don''t cross over the line." Spy: "Yes, Your Majetsy Empress Dowager!" With that, the spies disappeared to thin air. . . Qiyi: "Your Majesty Emperor, Her Majesty Empress had come back." Weisheng: "En." Weisheng placed down his brush and passed the doc.u.ment to Wei Yunru, his other aide beside Lu Ping. Weisheng stood up and left the room without any word. Wei Yunru: "His Majesty Emperor is really whipped by Her Majesty Empress." Lu Ping: "En." Lu Ping indifferently replied. Both of them were single so they didn''t how Weisheng felt. They got busier and busier as Summer Tournament was drawing near and it would be held in Da Qi this year. Weisheng walked dignifiedly but today he walked faster than usual. Before the eunuch could report Hong er of his arrival, Weisheng opened the door and called out her name. Weisheng: "Hong er." But there were only palace maids, he looked around and didn''t see any trace of his wife nor her bodyguards. Maids: "Greetings to Your Majesty Emperor." Weisheng: "Where is my empress?" Maids: "Her Majesty Empress currently is in bath" Without replying to the maid, Weisheng impatiently pulled a chair and placed it in front of the bathroom door. He sat there and stared at the door unmoving, the maids were weird out by Weisheng''s action and decided to retreat from Hong er''s chamber. A few minutes later, Hong er and the Yun sisters came out from the bathroom and dumbfounded by the sullen Weisheng. Meiyun tugged Huayun''s sleeve lightly and spoke in teasing. Meiyun: "My~ my~ It seems like we have something to do. We have to excuse ourself, Your Majesty Emperor, Empress." But before the Yun sisters could escape from this depressing atmosphere, Hong er told Meiyun something that made the man''s mood worse. Hong er: "Bring Xue Lang here." Meiyun: "OK!" Meiyun and Huayun quickly ran away from the couple. Hong er chuckled seeing how Meiyun pulled Huayun with her but unknown to her, her husband had been upset since morning from the lack of love. Weisheng hugged Hong er''s waist and pulled her to his lap. His eyebrows were furrowed yet his voice was gentle. Weisheng: "Are you hurt anywhere?" Hong er: "Nope." Hong er shook her head and smiled brightly. Weisheng: "En, good. But you have to tell me if you are going anywhere." Hong er: "I was planning to tell Sheng ge after I got back but Sheng ge wasn''t there. So I visited Her Majesty Empress Dowager for a while." Weisheng: "Sorry, Summer Tournament is drawing near, I got busier." Weisheng snuggled closer to Hong er and inhaled his favorite scent. Hong er: "I have something to tell you, Sheng ge." Weisheng: "What is it?" Hong er passed him the scroll that she read this morning before she departed to her mission. Weisheng reads the name one by one and found a few familiar name in the list. Hong er: "I brought one of their head, what are you going to do about it?" Weisheng: "I will investigate it to the root so it will be easier to punish them with their piling crime." Hong er: "En. And the other gift is coming." Weisheng: "Gift?" Hong er: "Yes and I think you will be surprised." Hong er turned around and smiled at him. Weisheng''s heart melted by her smile but suddenly remembered the foreign name. Weisheng: "By the way, who is Xue Lang?" Hong er: "Xue Lang is-" Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, he is here." Hong er: "Oh! What a good timing!" Hong er jumped out from Weisheng''s clutch and skipped to the front door. Weisheng frowned by this so called ''Xue Lang''. Hong er: "My! How cute you are!" Got curious by Hong er''s exclamation, Weisheng rose from his seat and walked towards the door. Then he saw a small kid with white hair and white iris. Despite his indifferent face, he was stunned by Xue Lang''s appearance as it was the first time for him to see something like this. Hong er gently pulled the shy Xue Lang closer to Weisheng and gleefully introduced Xue Lang to Weisheng. Hong er: "Let me introduce to you, this cute little boy here is Xue Lang." Xue Lang blushed when Hong er called him cute meanwhile this vinegar giant was scanning Xue Lang from hair to toe. Hong er: "And he will be our son!!" All of their eyes widened in shock by Hong er''s announcement and screamed out of their lung. Xue Lang: "EHHHHH?!" Weisheng: "What?!" Huayun: "HEEE?!" Meiyun: "HOLY SH*T!" Chapter 155 - 153. What?! II Third person POV After a moment of silence, Hong er spoke with her cheerful voice. Hong er: "Let''s talk inside, Meiyun, Huayun, follow inside." The Yun sisters: "Ye-yes, Your Majesty Empress." Xue Lang''s mouth was wide open as he was still in shock. Meiyun nudged his shoulder from his behind and mouthed. Meiyun: "Greeting." She glanced to Weisheng. Xue Lang quickly bowed to Weisheng after realizing his mistake. Xue Lang: "Gre-greetings to Your Majesty Emperor." Weisheng: "Hm." Weisheng coldly hummed and turned around to take a seat in a round table. Hong er sat in front of Weisheng and Xue Lang between them. Xue Lang was trembling under Weisheng''s intense gaze, it didn''t have any killing intention in his gaze but the pressure was oppressing Xue Lang''s gut to its tiniest. Hong er patted Weisheng''s hand reassured him. Hong er: "Sheng ge, I have reasons for this. Could you please hear me out?" Weisheng: "En." Then Hong er held Xue Lang''s hand to calm him down. Hong er: "Don''t be afraid, His Majesty Emperor isn''t angry or anything. This is just his usual expression. And maybe my words might hurt your feelings a little bit but I don''t want to hide anything from you, my dear." Xue Lang innocently stared at Hong er and nodded his head. Hong er: "Now, I will get straight to the point. Sheng ge, you are aware of the case don''t you?" Weisheng: "En." Hong er: "Xue Lang is one of the victims. He didn''t have home to go back to and didn''t have any relatives which will be easier for us to adopt him. But that is not my only reason. Of course everyone know about his rare hair and eye color right?" Everyone including Xue Lang nodded their head. Hong er: "It seems like there is something more than that." Weisheng: "What is it?" Hong er: "I suspected that Xue Lang is immune to any spell without him even realizing." Xue Lang was surprised by his hidden skill. Weisheng: "Why did you say so?" Hong er: "When I asked him about his origin, I found out that he could breakthrough a magic barrier." Weisheng: "Can we test it out?" Hong er turned her head to Xue Lang and asked with a guilty face. Hong er: "Do you mind if we test a few things on you?" Xue Lang: "I-I don''t mind. The pleasure would be mine if I can be any use to everybody." Weisheng unnoticeably nodded his head in agreement to what Xue Lang said. Hong er brought Xue Lang to the middle of the room and everyone took a few step away from Xue Lang. Hong er: "If you hear a finger snapping sound, walk towards the source of the sound. Do you understand?" Xue Lang: "Yes." Even though Xue Lang didn''t quite get what they were going to do to him, he focused on what Hong er said to him and his face turned serious. Hong er whispered a few words to Weisheng and the Yun sisters and they circled Xue Lang as she ordered. They hid their hand behind their back and each of them casted an invisible magic barrier around Xue Lang. And now there were 4 layers of magic barriers that supposedly locked Xue Lang inside. Then a finger snapping sound could be heard. Xue Lang tuned his body around and walked towards the indifferent Huayun. All of their eyes widened seeing Xue Lang leisurely walked through their barriers. Even the indifferent Weisheng was impressed by Xue Lang. He whispered a few words to Hong er and Hong er nodded her head. Hong er: "Xue Lang, let''s move on to the next test." They purposely didn''t tell Xue Lang what they did to him. Xue Lang went to Hong er''s side and listened to her instruction carefully. Hong er: "This time you will stand here and listen to their conversation. Then you have to tell me the content of their conversation, ok?" Xue Lang: "En." The Yun sisters turned around and their back was facing them. They casted a soundproof barrier around them and started to talk. Xue Lang looked fixedly on them as his ears caught every words they said. Then the Yun sisters turned around after they finished with their talk. All of their attention was on Xue Lang. Xue Lang: "Meiyun Jiejie was talking about how beautiful is Her Majesty Empress and Huayun Jiejie said that she agreed with Meiyun Jiejie." Hong er: "Is that true?" Hong er asked the Yun sisters and they nodded their head in astonishment. A wide smile spread out on Hong er''s face, she easily lifted Xue Lang and throw him in the air. Hong er: "My! Isn''t my son so cool? Hahaha~" She spun Xue Lang around and laughed heartily. The Yun sisters clapped their hand like a seal while Weisheng internally smiling. Xue Lang: ''Wha-what is happening?'' Seeing his confused face, Hong er chuckled and explained to him. Hong er: "We have tested and you truly are immune to spells." Xue Lang: "But I haven''t started the test yet." Hong er: "No, you have passed all of tests. The first test is we casted 4 layers of magic barrier that prevents one to escape from the barrier but you just walked through it like nothing." Xue Lang: "Bu-but there is nothing." Hong er: "Hohoho~ That is our invention. The magic barrier you saw in your village is visible right?" Xue Lang: "En." Hong er: "We found a way to make the magic barrier invisible so the enemy won''t notice that they were caught by us. You got it?" Xue Lang: "Oohh~ Uhm!" Xue Lang nodded enthusiastically. Hong er: " And the second test is you could hear their conversation even with a soundproof barrier around them." Xue Lang: "Eh?! Your Majesty Emperor and Empress couldn''t hear them?" Hong er: "Nope!" Xue Lang: "Even though Your Majesties are so strong?" Hong er: "Yup!" Xue Lang''s face was filled with disbelief. He could do something that even the strongest human couldn''t do? Isn''t that amazing? Then Hong er turned to Weisheng and spoke in a firm voice. Hong re: "As Sheng ge can see, he is a really special existence. I purposely adopt him as our son so no one dares to touch him and uses him for their own purpose." Weisheng: "I understand." Weisheng took Hong er''s hand and gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Hong er: "Xue Lang." Hong er called his name gently. Hong er: "We do this not because we want to use your skill. It is because we want to protect you from those bad guys. I know the fear in your heart, I understand it. Being terrorized every second of our life because of our special power, I hate those times. Therefore, right here and right now. I want to ask your opinion. If you want to follow us and become my son, we will welcome you with open hand and protect you with all cost. But if you desire to live freely, we can''t hold you but we will still protect you from afar. What do you think?" Hong er took his hand with her other empty hand and smiled tenderly. Xue Lang looked up to them and almost cried. Hong er''s smile and Weisheng''s gentle eyes but intimidating expression made him feels like he has a family. Why would he reject Hong er''s offer when he can get a full set of loving family and a home to go back to. He smiled joyfully with crystal clear tears in the corner of his eyes. Xue Lang: "Imperial father, Imperial mother, please take care of me from now on." Weisheng: "En." Hong er: "Of course, my dear." Chapter 156 - 154. Why Don’t We Make One? I Third person POV Weisheng and Hong er gave Lu Cixi''s servant a notice that they would visit her palace to have a family dinner there which rarely happen in royal family. They walked together with Hong er in the middle and both of her hands were held by the two boys. Hong er explained the purpose of every building that they passed to Xue Lang. While they were having a happy family time together, on the other side, Weisheng''s subordinate was on frantic with the new family member. Meanwhile, Hong er''s subordinate had gotten used with her spontaneous decision which lead them to comfort Weisheng''s subordinate. Qi zongguan (from ch 82.vacation IV, in case you forgot) was busy looking for teachers that would teach Xue Lang. The main problem was to find a trustworthy combat teacher and magic teacher, because Xue Lang''s hidden skill''s a top secret. At the same time, clothing department was busy making new clothes for their new prince. Not long after, they arrived at Lu Cixi''s palace. Princess Yue happily waved her hand to Hong er and offered them a seat. She gawked at Xue Lang and touched his hair. Princess Yue: "Oh my! His hair is so smooth and shiny." While Princess Yue was admiring her nephew, Weisheng and Hong er were oppressed by Lu Cixi''s fierce gaze. Weisheng: "Imperial Mother, we can explain this." Lu Cixi: "Aijia doesn''t need an explanation, Aijia heard all of your reasons to adopt this kid." Hong er: "Your Majesty Empress Dowager, Chen qie knew this is a reckless decision but-" Lu Cixi: "Aijia never said that it is a bad thing but every decision has its own bad side. Aijia didn''t blame you, Aijia understand how you feels seeing that poor child as Aijia is a mother too." Hong er: "Chenqie sincerely thank for Your Majesty Empress Dowager''s graciousness." Lu Cixi: "But Aijia have a rule. That child should never become a crown prince nor an emperor." Everyone in the hall was silenced by Lu Cixi''s statement. Some of them were bewildered but they aren''t stupid to think that Lu Cixi was being cruel to Xue Lang. As servants that served beside Lu Cixi, they didn''t lack any knowledge. Without any hesitation, Hong er bowed and agreed to Lu Cixi. Hong er: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi: "En. Xue Lang." Xue Lang stride and stopped beside Hong er and gave his greetings to Lu Cixi. Xue Lang: "Greetings to Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi: "En. Rise, come here, let Aijia see your face." Xue Lang''s timidly walked towards Lu Cixi with his head hang low. He was afraid that Lu Cixi would hate him. Lu Cixi: "Raise your head." Xue Lang abruptly raised his head and saw Lu Cixi smiling at him. Lu Cixi tapped his chin with her fan and firmly spoke. Lu Cixi: "A prince should walk with his chin up." Then she tapped her fan on his slouching back. Lu Cixi: "Straighten your back." Then his shoulders. Lu Cixi: "Raise it a little bit. Good. This is how a prince from Da Qi should walk, you have to be confident and fierce." Xue Lang: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager. Thank you for the advices." Lu Cixi: "Remember to repay good with good." Xue Lang: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi: "En. You still lack in many things but these things could be learnt over the time. Keep up the good work." Xue Lang blushed by Lu Cixi''s praise which she found pretty cute. His son never acted this cute before even when he was at the same age as Xue Lang. Lu Cixi: "My~ What a cute child you are~ How about call Aijia "Grandmother"?" Xue Lang shyly spoke out those words that he never spoke before. Xue Lang: "Gr-grandmother." His cheeks became rosy pink when Lu Cixi''s smile widened. She took a piece of apple that was beautifully served by the servants for Lu Cixi to enjoy in her free time and positioned it in front of Xue Lang''s lips. Lu Cixi: "Here, eat some apple." Xue Lang: "En. Thank you, grandmother." Lu Cixi: "Good~" Xue Lang took the apple and ate it in a gulp. Dinner arrived not long after and they have a good time together as a whole family. . . Hong er: "Well then, we have to excuse ourselves Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi: "En." The three of them left hand in hand. Xue Lang lightly tugged Hong er''s sleeve, she glanced at him and smiled. Hong er: "What is it?" Xue Lang: "Mother, does grandmother hate me?" Hong er: "Oh no my child~ Why would you think so?" Xue Lang: "It is not that I want the throne but¡­" Xue Lang couldn''t find the right word to explain it as he could feel Lu Cixi''s love towards him but as he was illiterate, he didn''t understand why Lu Cixi kept him away from the throne just after their first encounter. Hong er patted his head and patiently explained why Lu Cixi said that. Hong er: "Since you are directly adopted by me, it made you have the rights to claim the throne. Furthermore, even if Ben Gong give birth to a son, you are still older than him and you are the first choice for the crown prince. But you don''t have any Liu blood running in your veins and it can cause dispute in political world. And because of your special treats, some people will be more malicious towards you and mother doesn''t want that." Xue Lang: "Un. I understand, Imperial mother." Hong er: "Xue Lang, mother have one request from you." Xue Lang: "Whatever Imperial mother wants, this son will try its best to fulfill it." Hong er: "If in the future you have a little brother or a little sister, protect them and support them like your own blood." Xue Lang didn''t expect Hong er to request him this, it felt like she is going to disappear. Xue Lang: "Of course, Imperial Mother." Hong er: "En. Good child." Hong er hugged him tightly. She''s afraid that if something happens to her in the future, she hopes that Xue Lang will replace her to take care of her children. She didn''t know for sure of what kind of thing will occur but since she has to expose herself to the world, more people will seek her life. Then a pair of big warm arms circled both of them, they looked over and saw Weisheng''s usual expression. Weisheng: "I will protect all of you." Hong er: "En." Hong er leaned her head on Weisheng''s chest and enjoyed their warmth. . . Xue Lang was asleep in his new room after he drank a cup of milk. So many things happened in one day and his eyelids instantly shut as soon as he laid on his bed. Meanwhile in the other room, Qi Zongguan stood with a serious expression on his face and handed them a scroll with a list of high skilled fighters'' name in it. Qi Zongguan: "Your Majesty Emperor & Empress, which master should we choose for His Highness?" Wiesheng and Hong er contemplated while staring at the famous name one by one. But none of them sparked their interest then an idea came into Hong er''s mind. Hong er: "Oh! How about this? Sheng ge teach Xue Lang martial arts and I teach him magic." Qi Zongguan''s face lightened up by Hong er''s suggestion. No one could beat this couple right here in the matter fighting and they didn''t have to worry about Xue Lang''s secret being exposed. Weisheng pondered for a while and nodded his head. Hong er: "I teach him in the morning and Sheng ge teach him in your evening practice." Weisheng: "En." Weisheng nodded his head and handed back the scroll to Qi Zongguan and dismissed him. Qi Zongguan retreated from their chamber and now leaving the two of them alone in the room. Hong er was thinking of what to teach Xue Lang for tomorrow''s lesson when Weisheng suddenly hoisted up Hong er in bridal style. Hong er: "Sheng ge? What''s wrong?" Weisheng brought her to their bed without replying to her question. He gently laid her down to their bed and started to take off his clothes which causes Hong er to blush deeply. Hong er: "Heee! Why are you taking your clothes off? Wait wait wait! EEEHHH?" Weisheng: "Hm? I thought that you said Xue Lang has to protect his little brother." Hong er: "So?!" Weisheng: "Let''s give him a baby brother~" Chapter 157 - 155. Why Don’t We Make One? II Third person POV (Warning: There will be slightly s.e.x.u.a.l scene starting from here. If you think it is disturbing, you could skip those scenes.) Hong er''s face was bright red from seeing Weisheng''s n.a.k.e.d body. His tanned skin complimented his black tattoo that''s covering his arms, shoulders, and his whole back. As he was a great fighter and never forget to do his daily training despite his workload created a defined eight pack on his abdomen and sturdy chest. And to add it, his arms were three times her arms. He unfastened his hairdo and let his pitch black hair to flew down his back. Hong er covered her blushing face with both of her slim hands, she didn''t want Weisheng to think that she''s a l.u.s.tful woman but her eyes were glued on his half n.a.k.e.d body as she peeked from the space between her fingers. Weisheng: "Hm? What?" Hong er: "N-n-n-n-no, g-g-go on wi-with your bu-business." Hong er stuttered so much that she almost bit her tongue. Weisheng started to take off his pants and his action caused Hong er to jump up. Hong er scuttered to the corner of the bed and pulled a nearby blanket but because Weisheng was on top of the blanket, she couldn''t pull it as her whole body weakened from the sight of her own husband. Weisheng stared at Hong er who was trying hard to pull the blanket from his hip and thinking that she succeed in hiding herself with the blanket was unbearable for his heart. A smirk crept up from his thin lips as he continued to take off his pants. He threw away his pants and slowly crawled to Hong er. Hong er became more panic and embarrassed as his scent got stronger and stronger. She tried to move backwards but her back had already touched the wall. She looked away from Weisheng''s body but a sudden pull on her feet brought her attention back to Weisheng. Weisheng was holding both of her ankles so she couldn''t escape from him. Weisheng''s waist was in between Hong er''s soft thighs, he could clearly see her underwear because her skirt was lifted up. He bent down and seductively whispered beside his wife''s ear. Weisheng: "My beloved wife, this husband''s worn out from work. How about helping me relieve some of this stress?~" He expected Hong er to refuse him cutely but never in his life did he think she would give in to him this easily. Her arms slowly circled around his back and leaned her lips on his ear. Hong er: "G-go on." Weisheng: ''HOLY MOLLY!'' Little Weisheng immediately rose from Hong er''s s.e.xy whisper. Actually Hong er didn''t really understand how lovemaking works but Laojin had taught her that a good wife have to fulfill one''s husband''s needs. (A/N: Things started to get hotter from here on.) Hong er could feel something was poking her lower part and the previously confident husband became embarrassed too when his little Weisheng overreacted. He didn''t know what to do at this point. Hong er saw how Weisheng''s became tense, she gently kissed his cheek and his lips. Hong er: "I-I maybe inexperienced in this field but I will try my best to satisfy She-sheng ge." Hong er spoke with her whole face red. Little Weisheng stood prouder after her encouraging words. Weisheng brought his lips to hers and started with gentle kisses, bit by bit Weisheng''s kiss become more intense and he slid his tongue inside Hong er''s mouth. Hong er jolted whenever Weisheng''s tongue brushed over any part of her mouth. Weisheng pulled away when Hong er started to get breathless. They stared at each other with their warm breath brushed against their faces. Weisheng: "Are you fine?" Hong er: "En." Hong er shyly replied and turned her head to the side. Weisheng smiled tenderly and kissed her jawline and down to her neck. Hong er giggled as she felt ticklish on her neck. Weisheng''s hand steadily undresses Hong er from top. Unknown to her, she was only left with her white silk du dou (Chinese undergarment for women). He slipped his hand inside her du dou and lightly massaged her b.r.e.a.s.t while giving little kisses to the other one. Hong er used her hands to cover her lips from making weird sounds but Weisheng pinned both of her wrists above her head with only one hand. Hong er: "Sh-sheng ge. It feels weird¡­ I kept making weird sounds." Hong er desperately asked with little crystal tears in the corner of her eyes. Weisheng smiled mischievously and spoke with his husky voice. Weisheng: "Let me hear all of it, Hong er." Weisheng started to tease her peaks while his eyes stayed on Hong er''s expression. Hong er gasped and accidentally let out a breathy m.o.a.n. His other hand wandered around Hong er waist and thighs. He could feel Hong er''s lower part is getting wetter with his teasing. Hong er occasionally jolted up when Weisheng sucked or pinched her nip and she unconsciously rubbed her lower part against little Weisheng. Weisheng groaned from the repeated friction. A few seconds later, Hong er''s back arched as her body twitched in pleasure. Weisheng''s pants became wet from Hong er''s climax. Hong er weakly slumped down to their bed and panting tiredly since this was the first time Hong er felt like this. Weisheng''s hormone was raging inside his body, Weisheng released her hands and undone her waistband. Her body was exposed to him but Hong er didn''t notice because she was still confused of what just happened to her. Weisheng took off both of her and his undergarment and now they were completely n.a.k.e.d. Weisheng rubbed his little brother on Hong er''s private part with moving his h.i.p.s. Hong er woke up from her daze and her hand reached out to the thing that rubbing against her. She couldn''t guess what it was so she glanced at it and bewildered by the sturdy and strong looking rod. Her hand trembled in embarrassment as she didn''t know that she had been touching Weisheng''s sacred place this whole time. She timidly looked up to Weisheng and saw him staring at her with his s.e.xy red eyes. A wide smirk crept up as he took Hong er''s hand and rubbed his little brother with her hand. Hong er looked away and blushed deeply. Weisheng brought his fingers to Hong er''s private part and slowly inserted one finger. Hong er gasped and her eyes went wide. She immediately turned her head to look at her beloved husband. Weisheng let go of her hand that was rubbing his little brother and lovingly caressed her hair. Hong er''s hand stayed on his little brother and made little circle motion on his little brother as she was too embarrassed to rub it like how Weisheng previously did. Weisheng: "Does it hurt?" Weisheng carefully moved his finger in her and asked with worried tone. Hong er shook her head shyly. Weisheng inserted another finger and his movement started to get faster. Hong er shut her eyes and m.o.a.ned breathily. Seeing that her expression didn''t show any pain, Weisheng added the number of his fingers and stretched her for a few minutes. Weisheng: "Even though I stretched it for a quite time, the fingers size can''t compare to the next one. Can you continue?" Hong er weakly nodded her head with her half lidded eyes but he wasn''t convinced. Weisheng: "If it hurts, just tell me to stop. Okay? Even if I want to consummate with my beloved wife, I couldn''t afford to see you in pain." Hong er vacantly looked into his eyes and kissed his lips Hong er: "Haa.. I.. will be¡­okay¡­" Weisheng wrapped her body with his arm and whispered. Weisheng: "Hold on my back." Hong er hugged him tightly and waiting for the thing that was going to enter her. She gasped loudly and gripped Weisheng''s back when she felt something stretched her private part wide. Weisheng held Hong er''s h.i.p.s so he could enter deeper inside her, he clenched his teeth from her tightness. He stopped moving when his little brother was half way in so Hong er can slowly get used to his above average length. He moved deeper in when Hong er started to relax her body. He halted again after the whole thing was inside. Hong er was panting heavily and m.o.a.ned the whole time. He slowly moved his hip and tenderly kissed Hong er to distract her mind from the pain which actually works. 14 minutes later, Weisheng released his seed inside Hong er and panted heavily. Hong er couldn''t think of anything aside her husband and m.o.a.ning. Weisheng lifted Hong er''s body to sit on his lap. Hong er rested her head on his shoulder thinking that they were done but then Weisheng thrusts his h.i.p.s in fast pace and surprised the tired Hong er. Hong er gripped his back again and m.o.a.ned. Hong er: "Sheng ge! Ahh~ Ha~! Too ah~ Too deep!! Haa~ I can''t! It''s too deep!" Weisheng didn''t stop, rather, his pace got quicker and harder. Weisheng: "We have to make sure it reached the deepest part to help the baby." Weisheng huskily m.o.a.ned into Hong er''s ear. Their night continued until Hong er fell asleep in his arms. Chapter 158 - 156. Xue Lang First Lesson I Third person POV Weisheng cleaned Hong er''s body with a warm damp towel and changed their bedding so she could sleep comfortably after their wild night. Weisheng''s face was shining brightly under the moonlight as he finally bonded with his beloved. After he wiped her body, he took a new set clothes and put it on her. He gave her light kisses on her face as reward for her hard work. He looked at the bitemarks and hickeys that he had left on her pale neck. At first he only wanted to give her some light hickeys but his mind became clouded as their night went wilder. He laid beside her and secured her in his embrace. He thanked the gods in the heaven for creating Hong er, she is the best gift that he could ever asked for. Then he fell into a deep sleep. . . Hong er tiredly woke up from her deep sleep. She noticed that she was wearing different clothes then she remembered of what happened in the previous night and blushed. She got off from her bed and fell at her first step. And now she was kneeling on the floor massaging her sore waist. She summoned her sword and used it as a support to go to toilet. Despite her calm reaction, she was having a conflict in her innocent brain. Hong er: ''My waist is so sore, does that mean I am getting weaker?! Are my daily practices not enough?! No! I must maintain my body to its best condition. It''s time for practice!'' Hong er changed into her training attire and went to the training field that Weisheng built for her. Meiyun followed Hong er with confusion, Hong er even called Ah Tong and Ah Xi out from their hiding place. Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, is something matter?" Hong er: "Meiyun, I have to tell you something very devastating." Meiyun: "What?!" Meiyun gasped and panickly asked Hong er. She was afraid that Weisheng forced his way into her master last night because she was standing there listening to every sound they made. She couldn''t just cast a soundproof barrier because she wouldn''t know if there is any possibility they got into trouble. And to make it worse, Qiyi was with her that night. At first he wanted to approach her and talked like how they usual would but then the couple''s mating sound were heard. They blushed and didn''t dare to look at each other and passed he night in silence (Plus background sound). Hong er: "I''m getting weaker." Meiyun: "Eh?" Hong er: "My body is aching all over and I couldn''t let that happen so I need all of you to have a match with me!" Meiyun sighed in relief and let herself being pulled by Hong er to the middle of training field. The area for training field was no joke, it includes a lake, a forest, and a man-made desert. It was so vast that they didn''t have to worry about disturbing others. Hong er had finally learned how to change the shape of her sword and now is a good time for her to test it out. They warmed up first before they went into the middle of the forest and took each of their positions. The palace guards would act as judges by watching over them from watch tower that located in every corner of the forest. Four of them were about 5 km away from each other and they have to steal the bell pendant that was tightly tied on their waist no matter what method one uses. The time limit is 2 hours and the one that has the most bell pendants would be the winner. Since the palace guards were not trained as hard as them, they were afraid that the guards wouldn''t be able to see them considering how fast they are. Therefore, Hong er''s other shadow guards accompanied beside the guards and cast a soundproof barrier around the forest to not disturb the people in the palace. The moment the beat of drum sounded out, the four of them launched to find their prey. . . At 4.30 AM, Huayun woke up and went to Xue Lang''s chamber to get him to his magic lesson. The servants had prepared him beforehand and he was ready to go his very first lesson with his mother. He was very excited that he didn''t realize he had been smiling the whole time. Huayun: "Prince Xue, this servant will guide you to the training field." Xue Lang: "Uhm!" Xue Lang took Huayun''s hand and together they walked to the training field in harmony. But what greets them in the training field was an enormous explosion that almost ruined half of the forest but without any sound because they were on the outside of the barrier. Xue Lang immediately went behind Huayun for protection, even the servants who followed them also hide Behind Hauyun''s back. Despite the fear of being blown away, they were curious who is in their right mind to fight like that in the palace ground. Then they saw 2 women soar into the sky and fought with four of their limbs in an incredulous speed. They were disappointed that they couldn''t see the fight that clearly because they were too high in the sky. Huayun sighed when she saw how their eyes were full of despair. She summoned her fan and lightly swept it upwards. A huge platform of ice appeared and brought them to the same level as the 2 fighting women. Just when they were about to cheer the women, they realized that one of them was their Empress and the other one that was fighting with her was her own bodyguard. They screeched in fear but Huayun quickly explained to them that this is how they usually practice in Xu Family. They turned their eyes back to the fight but suddenly a long chain shot out from the forest below and circled around Meiyun''s foot. She was thrown to the other side of the forest and before they could react, another two chains shot towards Hong er and caught both of her hand. Hong er was slammed down to the ground and her hands were restrained. The servants almost cried seeing their empress being chained like that but Hong er''s next expression made them shiver from head to toe. Hong er knitted her eyebrow and her golden eyes glow brightly. She gripped the chain and pulled both chains, Ah Xi and Ah Tong were slowly pulled out from the trees around them. After she got a clear sight of them, Hong er spun the chain in a full circle and now their neck was bounded by the chain. But before Hong er could pull the chain again, they managed to escape from the deadly strangle. Then they took this chance to attack her while Hong er was still hindered by the chains. A huge explosion of tornado and fire shook the palace ground, the servants were scared out of their wits by how aggressive their fight was. But then out of nowhere, a humongous wave of water ate the whole fire tornado into nothing. Just as the wave dissipated, a horn sound signaled the match was done. The soundproof barrier was nullified and they counted the bell pendant on each person. Hong er got 3 bell pendants, hers and the other two were Ah Tong and Ah Xi''s. Then it remains Meiyun''s bell pendant but she hadn''t show up at all since she was thrown away to the other side of the forest. When they''re about to search for her, Meiyun emerged from the forest and laughed heartily while wriggle around her bell pendant. Meiyun: "Hahaha~ Even though Your Majesty Empress won this match, you didn''t get mine tho~~" Hong er: "I will make sure to steal yours first in the next match, hahaha~" Hong er laughed alongside Meiyun but then Hong er noticed a blood stain on Meiyun''s collar. Hong er: "Why are there blood in your clothes?" Meiyun: "Hm? Ah~ I accidentally bit my tongue when I hit the ground, hehehe~" Meiyun shrugged her shoulder and acted like it was nothing to be worried about. Hong er believed her as it was a normal accident. Hong er: "Ok, be careful in the future." They walked out the forest and saw the shocked servants and Xue Lang plus the indifferent Huayun. Hong er: "Aiya~ Xue Lang had come. Mother just did some warm-up so why don''t we start the lesson right away?" Xue Lang: "En." Chapter 159 - 157. Xue Lang First Lesson II Third person POV Hong er demonstrated Xue Lang how to do his warm-up properly and asked many things about his element which he himself didn''t know. Hong er had tested out his element by a drip of his blood on her badge and it showed that Xue Lang''s element is ice. After he was done with his warm-up, Hong er showed him a few things that they could make with ice like shield, weapons, etc. Then Hong er explained to him every aspect that he had to be cautious of when using magic and the pros and cons of magic. Xue Lang listened to Hong er with full concentration and when Hong er told him to make a simple sword for his first try, he failed to do it even after many times of repeating the process that Hong er had told him. He couldn''t think up how a sword supposed to look like as he never seen one before. His eyes got watery, he was afraid that Hong er would threw him away after she saw how useless he was. Hong er thought up an idea and consoled him that it was fine for him to fail at the first few times. She brought him to a weapon warehouse near the training field and introduced the weapon on by one. She summoned her sword and excitedly taught Xue Lang everything related to weapon for 2 hours because she thought that for Xue Lang to cast a magic for his first day was quite challenging for him. They went back to her chamber and talked about a lot of things related to weapons and magic. They saw the servants who were in charge of her courtyard were still standing outside of the room. Hong er approached them and asked. Hong er: "Has His Majesty Emperor wake up yet?" Servant: "No, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Doesn''t His Majesty have a morning court in one and half hour? Why did Qiyi or Qier not wake His Majesty up?" Servant: "They had tried for a few times, Your Majesty Empress. But His Majesty Emperor said that he won''t get up if it is not Your Majesty Empress." The servant said timidly. Hong er sighed and told them to prepare breakfast for the three of them. The servants obediently complied to her order. Hong er and Xue Lang walked into the room and saw Weisheng lightly snoring on their bed. Hong er chuckled by how bad Weisheng''s acting skill was, she ignored him and poured herself a cup of tea. Hong er: "Sheng ge, wake up. Don''t forget that you have a morning court." Weisheng: "Hhmm." Weisheng hummed and pouted when he peeked at Hong er who was drinking tea peacefully with Xue Lang at the other side of the room. He waited for Hong er to approach him but after a few minutes, there was no trace of Hong er standing up from her seat. Weisheng furrowed his brow and get up from the bed and stomped his way towards Hong er. Hong er slowly looked up to Weisheng and smiled brightly. Hong er: "Aiya~ My husband had woke up. Wash your face and have breakfast." Hong er said sweetly and handed a towel to Weisheng. Weisheng took the towel from Hong er''s hand and left with a "hmph!" sound. Hong er chuckled seeing how giant her husband is but his mentality is like a 5 years old kid. Weisheng came back to Hong er with his hair around his face dripping with water. Hong er told him to sit beside her and took his towel from his hands to dry off his wet hair. She saw him avoiding eye contact with her and was frowning like he hates the world. Hong er smiled at him and pecked his lips a few times. Hong er: "En. My husband did a good job in waking up by himself." Weisheng''s eyes widened in surprise and his ears started to get red. A smile escaped from his lips as he pecked Hong er''s lips and spoke in low voice. Weisheng: "Go-good morning." Hong er was caught off guard by her husband''s shy behavior. She literally could see a tail wagging at full speed behind Weisheng, she giggled and pulled him to sit beside her. Hong er: "Hehehe~ Good morning~ Now, let''s eat our breakfast." Weisheng: "En." Weisheng took his chopsticks and out of nowhere, a piece of wonton was placed in front of his lips. He looked over Hong er who was smiling brightly at him while offering her wonton. Hong er: "Aahh~" Weisheng ate the wonton and munched in delight. Hong er took one piece of wonton and offered it to Xue Lang. Hong er: "Aahh~" Different from Weisheng, Xue Lang shyly bite the wonton and he felt his whole life was blessed. After feeding both of them, Hong er started to eat her wonton noodle. Their breakfast time passed by quickly and Weisheng departed from her palace for his morning court. Not long after, Xue Lang left for his next class leaving Hong er alone for now. After making sure each of them had left, Hong er went to Lu Cixi''s palace to give her morning greeting, they discussed various things like clothes, food, Da Qi''s economy, even politics. The cheerful Princess Yue was absent because she have classes too. Hong er went back to her palace an hour later, she looked over Weisheng''s doc.u.ments and separated all of the doc.u.ments into 2 piles. One pile was the doc.u.ments that she had already signed and the other pile was the doc.u.ments that Weisheng need to look over again. She was almost done with signing half of the doc.u.ments when Weisheng entered her chamber. Hong er: "Hm? The morning court ended?" Weisheng: "En." Weisheng replied whilst walking towards Hong er. Hong er: "Aiya, I am too caught up in the doc.u.ments that I forgot about the time." Weisheng pecked her lips and hugged her. Weisheng: "I had punished the party who were related to the case." Hong er: "En. They deserved that." They enjoyed the moment of silence then Weisheng recalled something. Weisheng: "After this, I am going to visit the place where the tournament will be held. Do you want to come?" Hong er: "I want to!" Hong er excitedly nodded her head, Weisheng smiled tenderly at her and tapped his lips with his finger. Weisheng: "Where is my reward?" Hong er: ''So childish.'' Hong er chuckled and gave him a long kiss on his lips. Hong er: "Satisfied?" Weisheng: "Very. Let''s change our clothes." Hong er: "En." They went into their dressing room to change their clothes into something more convenient. However, during their lovey dovey time, they didn''t realize that all of servants were watching them and their cheeks were red from embarrassment. Thus, the news about the inseparable love between the emperor and the empress spread all around the palace in the speed of sound. Lu Cixi who had heard about their intimacy became happier at the thought of her daughter-in-law. . . *Flashback to after the match between Hong er, Meiyun, Ah Tong and Ah Xi. Meiyun went to her room to take a rest before she could reach her room, a stream of blood gushed out of her nostril. She quickly covered her nose with her hand to prevent the blood from dripping to the floor. Qiyi who was passing by instantly ran to Meiyun''s side and helped her to stand up straight. Qiyi: "Are you okay?" Meiyun: "I-I''m okay. Just hit my nose while fighting so it''s fine. it will stop in a few minutes." Qiyi: "If you say so." Meiyun: "En. I have to go to take some rest. Bye." Meiyun hastily went inside her room and close the door behind her. Chapter 160 - First Date after Marriage III Third person POV Weisheng and Hong er finally arrived back at the palace and cleaned themselves up before having lunch together with Xue Lang. Hong er made a dessert from the dragonfruit that she bought not long ago and have it sent to Lu Cixi and Princess Yue who was coincidentally taking a break at Lu Cixi''s palace. She personally brought the dessert to Weisheng and Xue Lang and saw them having a father and son moment. She quietly stared at them with a smile on her face, Weisheng was looking over his doc.u.ments, while on the other hand, Xue Lang was practicing his calligraphy. Sometimes Weisheng would look at Xue Lang''s paper and teach him how to write in the correct way. He even used one of his important doc.u.ment as a reference for Xue Lang to write. Felt being stared by, Weisheng glanced at the person who was standing at the door for quite a while. Weisheng: "Hong er? Why are you standing there?" Hong er: "Hahaha~ I was too caught up at looking both of you getting along. Now, take a break and enjoy this dessert that I made." Both male tossed their work to the side and swiftly grabbed their own respective bowl. Xue Lang stared at Weisheng and followed his every movement. Hong er giggled inaudibly at the side by how cute Xue Lang is. Weisheng who didn''t know what is happening asked. Weisheng: "What?" Xue Lang: "N-no, there is nothing wrong, Imperial Father." Hong er: "Hehehe~ Don''t be shy Xue Lang, just tell your father what you are really doing." Hong er patted Xue Lang''s head. Xue Lang: "Ye-yes, Imperial Mother." Xue Lang''s face was red from embarrassment. He timidly faced the menacing looking father of his. Xue Lang: "I-I remember about what Imperial Grandmother said yesterday and I thought that I have to act like a true prince. Therefore, I-I-I¡­" Weisheng: "I what?" Weisheng impatiently asked Xue Lang while eating his beloved wife''s dessert. Xue Lang: "Th-therefore I tried to follow Imperial Father''s posture." Xue Lang said with his head lowered. Weisheng sighed and caused Xue Lang to flinch. Weisheng: "If you really want to act like a true prince, don''t stutter when you talk, be more confident and prideful. Don''t keep lowering your head, it means you are showing your weakness to the enemies. And¡­" Xue Lang quickly straighten his back and lifted his chin upwards after Weisheng''s comment. Waiting for the continuation of Weisheng''s speech, Xue Lang nervously stared at Weisheng. Weisheng: "Follow me closely." Xue Lang''s face instantly brightened with Weisheng''s approval and looked at Hong er to show her his approval. Hong er smiled and laughed heartily when she saw Weisheng''s ears got slightly red. Hong er: '' So cute.'' They continued on doing whatever they did previously after they were done with the dessert. Hong er saw a doc.u.ment which stated the number of slum in each area in Da Qi. She was quite surprised by the low percentage of the slum despite how vast the country is. Then she thought up a good idea, she moved closer to Weisheng and nudged his arm with her elbow. Hong er: "Sheng ge, Sheng ge, why don''t we build more schools for the commoners?" Weisheng: "It is a good idea but why so sudden?" Hong er: "You see, the physicians mostly only work for nobles therefore the commoners have a hard time to look for treatment. And I think that if we build schools which don''t cost any money, many commoners will be interested in studying and by having more people to do research, there will be more discoveries in that field." Weisheng: "Hhmm, indeed." Honger: "And not only we can improve the livinghood of the commoners, by doing this we can also find talented individuals among the commoners." Hong er said excitedly while staring at Weisheng for his approval. Weisheng contemplated for a moment and nodded his head. Hong er hugged Weisheng as her thanks, the tip of his ears got slightly red and his head got airy from happiness. Xue Lang who had been staring at them from the start also smiled happily by how his family is so perfect, he prayed to the gods so that they could always live happily like this. Hong er: "Oh, Sheng ge." Weisheng: "Hm?" Hong er: "It seems like the scale of this year''s tournament is bigger than usual." Hong er reviewed the expenses that they spent for the Summer Tournament and asked curiously. Weisheng: "En. I want it to be special." Hong er: "Hehehe~ Why? Is there something good going on?" Weisheng: "En. I married the love of my life and hasa! a son, isn''t that great?" Weisheng looked at Hong er and smiled softly. Hong er blushed and couldn''t stop the lips from smiling. Weisheng kissed her forehead and roughly ruffled Xue Lang''s hair. Hong er: "Bu-but does it have to be that extravagant?" Weisheng: "En. Have to. Because I want to show the world my beautiful wife and strong son. It have to be the greatest moment of all." Hong er: "How can you be so embarrassing Sheng ge?" Hong er''s face became redder from Weisheng''s word, meanwhile, Xue Lang was so touched that he almost cried, plus the way Weisheng ruffled his hair made him laugh. . . The moon was up above the sky with stars glistening around the moon. Hong er was leaning on Weisheng''s chest whilst reading a book together. From time to time, Weisheng would feed Hong er a piece of gr.a.p.e or another fruit that had been prepared by the servants beforehand. Feeling quite bored by the book, Weisheng glanced at Hong er''s slightly exposed cleavage. The nightgown she wore was very thin and flowy which distinctly displayed her body line and her undergarments. Hong er was unaware of his hungry gaze and kept reading the book. Weisheng snuggled closer to her neck to inhale her intoxicating scent, Hong er giggled softly as she felt ticklish on her neck. Weisheng stared at the kiss marks that he left last night and smiled mischievously. He planted a few gentle kisses on Hong er''s neck, Hong er who was oblivious thought that he was bored. Then he steadily slid his hand inside her nightgown and slip off the fabric on her shoulder so it was exposed for him. He continued to give kisses to her shoulder and slowly down to her collarbone. Feeling disturbed from her reading, Hong er squirmed lightly to stop him from tickling her and her attention went back to her book. Weisheng furrowed his brow seeing that his beloved wife didn''t pay any attention to his pitiful husband. (Warning: Kids go away, even though it is short, still contains slightly s.e.x.u.a.l scene.) His hand became more mischievous as his hand slowly make its way to Hong er''s b.r.e.a.s.t. Hong er unconsciously m.o.a.ned when Weisheng pinched her bud. She held his hand to stop his hand from teasing her bud but she couldn''t stop herself from m.o.a.ning and twitching. Her bottom moved as her body twitched in pleasure, unintentionally rubbed against little Weisheng. Weisheng smirked and moved his hand down to her private part, he rubbed and stretched her so that she wouldn''t be in pain when he entered her. Hong er''s m.o.a.n got louder and aroused Weisheng to his limit. He pushed her down and put away the book in her hand. He impatiently undressed himself and when he was going to undress Hong er, she stopped him. Hong er: "She-sheng ge, didn''t we just make babies last night?" Weisheng: "Hm?" Weisheng hummed beside her ear. Hong er couldn''t help but blush from his s.e.xy husky voice. Hong er: "I-I think it is better to let the baby take its time to develop." Weisheng sighed at Hong er simple minded thought. Weisheng: "No, I won''t stop." Hong er: "Ehhh?!" Weisheng continued to undress Hong er. Weisheng: "We have to give the baby good nourishment everyday so prepare yourself, my wife~" And that''s how the couple spent their every night with passionate exercise and nourishment for their baby. Chapter 160 - 158. First Date after Marriage I Third person POV Weisheng and Hong er were riding on their own horse to the place where the coming Summer Tournament would be held. Guards were lined up beside them to protect them from any kind of situation. The commoners who were doing their daily lifes were shocked to see 2 human with the highest power in their country walking down the market for commoners. They quickly knelt down to the couple and peeked from the corner of their eyes. They were awed by the beauty of the couple. The man has a cold and unapproachable aura around him, at the same time, that traits attracted many attentions from the girls. Meanwhile, the woman beside him exuded a calming and friendly aura which makes her way more approachable than her spouse. She smiled at the people and waved her hand at the children. Then a middle aged man ran towards the couple and caused the guards to be on alert. The guards pointed their spear on his neck and asked for his purpose on getting near the couple. The middle aged man realized his mistake and kneeled to ask for forgiveness. Weisheng nodded his head and coldly looked at the middle aged man. Middle aged man: "This lowly one is in charge of this area. Therefore, hearing His Majesty Emperor and Her Majesty Empress''s arrival, this lowly one rushed here to greet His Majesty Emperor and Her Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Rise. We are just passing by so we didn''t give any notice." The people around her were astonished by Hong er''s gentle voice. The middle aged man gawked at Hong er with open mouth but then he suddenly felt chill ran through his head down to his spine. He peeked to the side and saw Weisheng glowered at him menacingly. Middle age man: "Th-then, this lowly one wishes His Majesty Emperor and Her Majesty Empress have a safe trip to your destination." The middle aged man bowed as low as he could. Hong er nodded her head and continued their ride. 10 minutes later, they arrived at their destination which wasn''t finished. Everything had been set, only left with the decoration. They didn''t have to worry about not making it on time because the tournament is still 2 weeks away. The person in charge of the stadium came and greeted the couple. Man: "Greetings to His Majesty Emperor and Her Majesty Empress. What can this lowly one do to help His Majesty Emperor and Her Majesty Empress?" Hong er: "When will this project be completely done?" Man: "Since the only thing that hasn''t been done is putting up the decoration, we are confident to say everything will be done tomorrow evening." Hong er: "En. Good." Hong er nodded her head in satisfaction then she turned her head to Weisheng and asked him. Hong er: "Your Majesty Emperor, is there anything you want to add in this project?" Weisheng: "Nothing. How about you, my beloved empress?" Hong er slightly blushed from Weisheng''s way to call her. She pondered for a while and asked. Hong er: "What side dish will they serve to the VIP room?" Man: "We will serve the best side dish from the best chef in this country and we made sure everything that will be displayed represent Da Qi''s culture." Hong er: "En. Very good. I guess there is nothing more to add. You did a great job." The man smiled from ear to ear from hearing Hong er''s praise. He bowed to the couple and said his utmost thanks for having him do this big and important project. Hong er and Weisheng walked around the stadium hand in hand and very intimate towards each other. The guards who were following them from behind were enjoying the moment where their emperor wasn''t scary at all. Before Hong er arrived at Da Qi, they had suffered from being glared by Weisheng where ever they go, whatever they do, he just exuded this extremely intimidating aura to them which made them want to quit their job. However, since Hong er came to the palace, everyday is peaceful. Weisheng would always act obedient and spoiled around Hong er, he didn''t have time to glare at the guards since he has Hong er to look at. He couldn''t be bothered by them. Even the workers could see how close the couple was, it was undeniable that they are compatible just by how they look at each other. They heard about the empress adopted a commoner as her son which was very pleasing to the heart of commoners. They were glad that their empress doesn''t discriminate people from their status. Hong er even praised them for their hard work even though they were only ordinary workers there. She also gave each of them half of silver tael as a bonus for hundreds of worker. For her, that amount was nothing but to the workers, it was enough for them to feed their whole family for two weeks. They kneeled to Hong er and thanked her for her graciousness. Weisheng was confused of why would Hong er do that but Hong er quickly explained to him in a voice that only he could hear. Hong er: "To grab their heart. It will help us a lot in the future and our reputation will rise in good way too, no?" Weisheng: "But what if they forget about your kindness towards them?" Hong er: "Then there is no choice. We couldn''t force all of them to like us. Just consider it as I had done a good little deed." Hong er smiled at Weisheng brightly. Unconsciously, the corner of his lips arched a little bit which almost ruined his image as a heartless and cold emperor. Later when the workers went back to their own home, they told everything about what happened that day to their wife. Then their wife told their neighbor what their husband told them last night. After that, the neighbors told the other ladies when they went to market that morning and so on till the rumor reached the ears of a furious woman. Murong Qing: "Impossible! There is no way my cousin brother love that witch! She came into my life and seduced cousin brother! How dare her!" Murong Qing pushed everything off from the table in front of her while panting heavily. Her servants stood in the corner with their body trembling furiously. They knew that their master loves the emperor so much but now, they could only see her love as obsession. They had accompanied Murong Qing to the palace quite frequently and they had to admit that their master is a big fat idiot. The man clearly ignored her all the time and avoided her touch like he was disgusted by her. One of her loyal servants who has been serving her since she was little told her everything from her perspective and advised Murong Qing to find another better man. But beyond their imagination, Murong Qing pushed her down and tied the poor maid with her magic. Murong Qing took her embroidery needles and inserted the needle one by one to the maid''s nails. The maid passed out at the third needle but Murong Qing didn''t stop. Someone reported it to her father and the maid was taken away from Murong Qing. Murong Qing was grounded while the maid and the maid''s whole family were silenced for their whole life by throwing them off to the sea. Since then, no one ever dare to talk about Weisheng in front of Murong Qing. And now there were faced with Murong Qing''s rampage. Like usual, one of the servants called Earl Murong (Murong Qing''s father) to calm his daughter down. Earl Murong ran to his daughter and asked. Earl Murong: "What''s wrong, my daughter?" Murong Qing: "Father! We can''t let that witch take cousin brother away from me! She used a forbidden spell to seduce him!" Murong Qing cried hysterically in his arms. Earl Murong sighed and comforted his crying daughter. Earl Murong: "Don''t worry. His Majesty will never forget about my beautiful daughter." Murong Qing: "Really?" Murong Qing peeked at Earl Murong with her big watery eyes. Earl Murong nodded his head. Even though he said such a sweet word, he was cursing Weisheng in his heart. Earl Murong: ''How dare he disrespect me like this! I''m his life saver and he couldn''t even show a little bit of gratefulness?! I will definitely make my daughter become the empress and my grandson will be the crown prince!'' Chapter 161 - Summer Tournament I Third person POV *Two weeks later Many royalties and nobles from other countries all over the world came to Da Qi for this year''s Summer Tournament. Even the commoners had come to cheer for their idols and enjoy the festive moment of the year. Merchants were having their best time in the year by auctioning unique and uncommon stuffs as nobles and wealthy families from many countries gathered up in one city. Everyone dressed up beautifully for this event as this year''s tournament will be a little different than the previous one from what they heard. They couldn''t wait to see the newlywed couple to appear in the large stadium. There will be a speech and an announcement from the couple and more importantly, there was a word saying that the couple will be revealing their face for the first time to the world. As to why people was so curious about their face was because the rumors that are flying around Weisheng and Hong er. Based on the rumors, Weisheng has an unworldly face that every men would want to have, while on the other side, Hong er has a quite beautiful face but was ruined by a scar. Just by seeing the stadium, the differences between every floor was clear. 88 rows of seats for the audience, 3 floor of VIP rooms for wealthy families or low ranked nobles, 2 floor of VVIP rooms for princes or princesses and high ranked nobles or extremely important guest, and lastly, 1 floor and the highest floor which was VVVIP rooms for Emperors and Empresses (including empress dowager or retired emperor). (A/N: The stadium¡­.. just imagine the largest soccer stadium in the world. Bc that''s how I imagine it.) No one''s allowed to enter the VVVIP floor without the owner''s permission, including princes and princesses too. Everyone curious peeked at the VVIP and VVVIP floor to see whoever occupied those rooms. Each room had name plate on it so people could know the guest without seeing the person to protect their privacy. Almost royalties from all of countries came and the strongest power family in each country came. Lu family from Da Qi, Xu family from Da Chu, Di family from Dong Fang, Wang family from Xi Bei, and Jin family from Bei Zhou, as representative for the power family in every country. Meanwhile, Lan family and Lin family together with Shu family which are in neutral side also came to this occasion. People started to get more excited for the event as the most famous families have gathered together, they didn''t know what was going to happen but usually those families wouldn''t come to these kind of events unless they needed to. Everyone was perfectly seated and the drum started to roll as the event began. The main gate slowly opened, revealing the ruler of each nation with their own great general and his wife following behind whist holding their country''s banner in their hand. The first one to enter was Bei Zhou''s emperor and empress then followed by Xi Bei''s emperor alone (his empress had died) with Wang Guizhi (Xu Tingfeng''s bestfriend) and his wife. After that, Dong Fang''s young emperor and his empress with Di Yu(Di Shang''s father) and Naran. Next was Long Quan(Da Chu''s emperor) and his empress with Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing behind him. Audience''s attention was not on the emperor but on their general which damaged their pride. But before they could think about other thing, the music got louder and fiercer as the next power couple entered the stadium. Everyone''s mouth went agape including the other royalties who were standing quite far away from them. They couldn''t believe their own eyes, it was like 2 deities descent from the heaven. The couple walked down the red carpet with dignity and majestically which put the previous couples who walked on the same path on shame. Like how the rumor described him, Weisheng has the face that every man wants. His blood red eyes complimented his sharp eyes that could kill anyone just by a glance. The black stone on his forehead goes along with his black and gold themed attire. His pure black fabric embroidered with big menacing golden dragon in the middle showed that he is that golden dragon. Meanwhile, the woman beside him could only be described as heavenly. Her gentle smile calms anyone''s heart. And another thing that caught their eyes was her bright golden eyes. Her eyes were so clear and pure which shows her innocence and tranquil disposition. Yet, it was fierce and firm that it seemed like it was telling them to not mess with her. They were scolding the people who dared to spread rumor about Hong er''s beauty ruined by a scar when there was nothing on her face except the red lotus mark on her forehead and a beauty mark below her right eye. Hong er wore silky white dress with fiery golden phoenix embroidered on her skirt that contrasted to Weisheng''s black attire. Both of them were dr.a.p.ed with matching golden coat and matching accessories (You guys know what it is.). They greeted the other rulers and went up to the podium. A mage with sound element used his magic to amplify their voice so that everyone in the stadium could hear them. The audience cooed when they saw how the couple smiled at each other before they started their speech. Weisheng: "Zhen have two announcements. The first one is just a few weeks ago, Xu Feihong, has become Zhen''s empress. And the second one is, Zhen has a son. Therefore, esteemed guest, please do enjoy the party." With that, Weisheng coolly left the stage while holding Hong er''s hand to show how much he loves his empress. But little did he know, everyone except Weisheng''s close aides were shocked to the ground that they forgot to clap for his speech. Weisheng politely guided the other rulers to the VVVIP floor. The walk was awkward for the others but not for the couple as they were enjoying the silence. They wanted to ask what Wesheng meant by ''has a son'' but considering how their country wasn''t getting along, they didn''t dare to ask him. When each of the rulers entered their room, leaving only the Emperor of Xi Bei and the couple as their room were beside each other. The Emperor of Xi Bei saw this as a chance to talk to the couple privately, he braved himself and went to the couple to ask the question. Emperor of Xi Bei: "Emperor and Empress of Da Qi, firstly I congratulate both of you for your marriage as I couldn''t give my proper congratulatory on the date." Hong er smiled gracefully and bowed back to Emperor of Xi Bei. Hong er: "Emperor of Xi Bei, no need to be so polite as both of our country''s relationship are very good and as our senior, we couldn''t accept you to bow to us who are a generation younger than you." Emperor of Xi Bei: "Hahaha." The Emperor of Xi Bei laughed heartily and nodded his head in contentment. Hong er: "Is there something wrong with what I said?" Hong er asked softly. The Emperor of Xi Bei shook his head and stared at Hong er with satisfied look. Emperor of Xi Bei: "No, there is nothing wrong. It''s just that I heard from my close friend frequently talked about the Empress of Da Qi. They said that you are well-mannered, virtuous, intelligent and uphold justice which is indeed true after I saw it with my own eyes." Hong er''s eyes showed interest towards the ''close friend'' that the Emperor of Xi Bei talked about. Hong er: "If it is not rude of me, may I ask who is this ''close friend''?" The Emperor of Xi Bei smiled back at Hong er. Emperor of Xi Bei: "Why don''t we just go see my ''close friend''?" Chapter 161 - 159. First Date after Marriage II Third person POV Weisheng and Hong er left the stadium and went for a walk at the market near the stadium. The street was full of people as it was near lunchtime. The couple looked around the food stalls at the side of street with eyes full of excitement. The people in the market didn''t dare to come near the couple as the guards beside them were exuding such a fierce aura. They could only bow and look at them from far away. They didn''t know why but their heart was in peace when they saw the couple being intimate towards each other like how they would tug the other one and pointed at the thing they found interesting, then both of them would come over and buy a few things from the store even though it was a commoner''s store. Seeing the couple being very friendly towards the commoner, a little girl with her younger brother approached the couple with a bunch of flower in their hands. The guards were on their guard as there could be a possibility that the two children were trained assassin. But Hong er dismissed them and gently asked the scared children. Hong er: "What are you two doing here?" Little girl: "Gleetings to Yol Majesty Emperol and Yol Majesty Empless. Ah Yao, gib yol gleetings." (A/N: It is not a typo, the girl is too young to talk properly. I think it is quite readable so yeah I won''t translate it.) Little boy: "Geetings." (A/N: as well as the little brother.) The two children bowed and stretched out their hands that contained flowers. Hong er: "Wahh~ Are these flowers for Ben Gong?" Little girl: "Uhm! We wis you to always be hapy wit the person you love." Hong er: "Aww~ Thank you, you are so cute. Ben Gong is veryyyy happy right now with His Majesty Emperor." Hong er lightly pinched the little girl''s puffy cheek and smiled cheerfully at her. Unexpectedly, a big rough hand clumsily ruffled the little girl and boy''s hair. Weisheng: "Good." Even Hong er was shocked to see Weisheng being friendly towards a stranger, let alone the poor guards that always get glared by him. The two little children left whilst giggling and cheering that they got to talk with the couple. Weisheng was so happy that even the kids thought that he and Hong er''s a perfect match for each other. They continued to walk again and Hong er stopped again when she saw a particular fruit that was in a quite big basket and there was an old woman with a sleeping boy on her lap. Hong er pulled Weisheng to the old woman and excitedly showed him the weird fruit. Since he had gone to many missions in different countries, he recognized the fruit and gave Hong er a questioning look. Hong er: "Did Your Majesty Emperor know what this fruit is?" Weisheng: "En. It''s dragonfruit." Hong er: "En. And I will be making a dessert with this fruit." Weisheng: "But Imperial Mother doesn''t really like the red from the fruit." (A/N: if you eat plenty of red dragonfruit, your urine can turn slightly pink or reddish.) Hong er: "Ah, maybe Your Majesty didn''t know about this but dragonfruit have two types, red and white. And this is the white dragonfruit so maybe I can make Her Majesty Empress Dowager to like dragonfruit again." Weisheng: "En." Hong er: "Excuse me, granny." Granny: "Yes? What can this old woman help you with, Your Majesty?" Hong er: "How much is this fruit cost?" Granny: "2 bronze coins per piece, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Then Ben Gong will take all of it." As the fruit was not very well-known by the folks in Da Qi, the granny couldn''t sell any of the dragonfruit since this morning. Her grandson has a serious illness and she didn''t have any money to buy medicine for him, having Hong er to buy all of her stuff is just like her prayer had been heard. A drop of tear fell from the granny''s eyes. Hong er: "What''s the matter, granny?" Granny: "No no, this old woman is just too happy that someone as kind as Your Majesty Empress willing to buy these dragonfruits." The teardrops fell into the boy''s face and woke him up from his sleep. He reached out his hand to wipe his grandma''s tears and smiled innocently. Boy: "Grandma, please¡­don''t cry¡­. I will be sad too." Granny: "Huhuhu¡­ Grandma finally can buy you the medicine. Say thank you to Her Majesty Empress." The boy slowly turned his head towards Hong er and couldn''t hold back his cough. He coughed really hard that a little bit of blood came out from his mouth. The guards quickly went in front of Hong er and covered Hong er from the boy. Hong er: "Ben Gong is fine." Guard: "But what if it is an infectious illness? Your Majesty''s health can be-" Hong er: "Ben Gong said it is fine. Step aside." Hong er spoke with her low voice and made the guards shiver from fear. They apologized and stepped aside. Granny: "Ah Po! Ah Po! Are you okay?!" The granny cried in panic seeing the boy''s face got paler and paler. Hong er reached out to the boy and took his wrist to check his pulse. Her eyes turned grim when she sensed something from his pulse. Hong er: "He indeed has a serious illness and Ben Gong''s afraid he can''t last too long without any medicine or special treatment." Hearing what Hong er said, the granny cried louder. The guards also felt guilty seeing the granny prostate in front of them while crying her grandson''s name. Hong er placed her hand on the granny''s shoulder and gently spoke. Hong er: "Maybe Ben Gong can help you." The granny''s eyes went wide, she quickly kowtowed to Hong er and thanked her profusely. Hong er stopped her as she was an elderly and she has her grandson in her arms. Hong er: "Meiyun, Huayun, go get a carriage." The Yun sisters: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Not long after, the Yun sisters came back with a carriage that they bought from someone and the Qi brothers helped the granny to get into the carriage then they quickly took off to a nearby local clinic. The people who were watching the commotion were awed by Hong er''s kindness. To touch a sick and dirty boy was hard even for them, not to mention a noble and royalty like Hong er. Hong er was too kind and generous for someone in her status that it doesn''t feel real at all. . . They stopped in front of a local clinic and Hong er whispered some medicine name to Huayun''s ear and told her to go buy it. Within a few seconds, Huayun came out with a bag of dried herbs and handed it to Hong er. Hong er took the bag and entered the carriage where the granny and her grandson ride. She politely asked the granny to get out of the carriage so that she could heal her grandson which she obediently complied. Meiyun secretly casted a magic barrier around the carriage knowing what Hong er is going to do with the little boy. Hong er didn''t waste any time and used her light magic to heal the little boy. His breath became more stable and smoother. She sighed in relief after she checked his pulse once again to make sure he was fully healed. Hong er came out from the carriage and told the granny to brew the herbs everyday for the boy so he could be completely healed which is actually a lie. The recipe that Hong er told the granny was just to nourish the malnourished body of the boy. If the boy''s body didn''t get any stronger or nourished, sooner or later he would caught another illness again. Then Hong er told the granny to drink the brewed herb too to prevent his illness from being spread to her which is a lie too. The granny went on her knees and once again thanked Hong er. The boy also kowtowed to Hong er with tears streaming down his face because he had prepared himself to die but luck was on his side, he is alive because of Hong er. The granny asked Hong er how should she pay for the medicine but Hong er said it was a gift from her. Then Hong er slipped two gold taels in the granny''s hand and quickly left before the granny could notice. And therefore, Hong er gained loyal supporters without her realizing it. Chapter 162 - Summer Tournament II Third person POV Hong er turned her eyes to Weisheng and stared at him as if she was asking for his approval. Weisheng unhesitantly nodded his head which caught Hong er by surprise. Usually Weisheng would be very protective towards her even to her own brother (cousin). Hong er bent her knees to thank Weisheng and followed the Emperor of Xi Bei to his room. The servants opened the door and lifted the beads curtain for them. The room was so big that it provided a bed and bathroom like a hotel room should be. The first thing Hong er saw as soon as she entered was a screen divider and 2 silhouettes sat side by side and leisurely drinking their tea. Man: "Hoo~ Your Majesty Emperor XB had brought a few guest here." (A/N: XB=Xi Bei, DQ=Da Qi, DC=Da Chu, DF=Dong Fang, BZ=Bei Zhou.) The voice was deep and sounds a little old, showing that the man behind the screen was not young. Hong er didn''t think too much about it and continued to walk deeper into the room. She turned around at the corner and the silhouettes from before was an old couple. The old couple looked over to the guest and their face immediately brightened up the moment they saw Hong er. They quickly stood up and went to her to their greetings. Old couple: "Greetings to the Emperor and Empress of DQ." Hong er: "Rise." Hong er smiled politely and gave the Emperor of Xi Bei a questioning glance. Emperor of Xi Bei: "Why don''t we sit first?" Hong er: "Yes." All of them sat around the round table and the servants brought in more cups for Weisheng and Hong er and poured in some tea to their cup. They took a sip of the tea to relieve their thirst before continuing the conversation. Hong er quietly eyed the old couple in front of her and assumed that they were not someone that one should offend. Despite his not so young age, the old man''s body was very well taken. His muscles were still very visible even through layers of cloth on him and his shoulder was not saggy at all. Hong er became very interested in knowing who these people are. Hong er: "If it is not rude of me, may I ask who is this gentleman and lady?" Hong er asked smilingly. She felt it something familiar about the old couple but she couldn''t tell what it was. Rather than making her head spin from thinking, she decided to ask them directly. The old couple''s eyes widened after they heard Hong er''s question and laughed heartily. Old man: "Hahaha, she didn''t recognize us." Old woman: "What a funny girl she is." Hong er knitted her brow in confusion. The old man sighed. Old man: "That stupid son of mine, he probably didn''t explain to you anything about this. What if it became a misunderstanding?" The old woman silently nodded her head in agreement. Hong er spun her brain in the speed of light then an image from years ago came into her mind. Hong er: "Grandfather, grandmother?" Hong er asked with disbelief. Xiu Rong: "What is it, Hong er?" (Xiu Rong= Hong er''s grandmother. Xu Weimin= Hong er''s grandfather.) Xu Weimin and Xiu Rong smiled dotingly at Hong er. Xu Weimin: "You finally remember us. Took you so long to figure it out." No wonder Hong er felt Xu Weimin so familiar, his face and body posture were very similar to her father and her other uncles. Furthermore, about 8 years ago they sent her a message and their image with water magic on her birthday. She smiled brightly and stood up to give them proper greetings. Hong er: "This unfilial granddaughter give grandfather and grandmother greetings." Xiu Rong: "Aiyo~ Come here, let grandmother take a closer look of you." Hong er: "Uhm!" Hong er went to Xiu Rong''s side and Xiu Rong scanned Hong er from hair to toe. Xiu Rong: "Aiyo~ Our Hong er had grow up into a splendid woman." Hong er: "Hehehe~ Oh, how can grandfather and grandmother be in here?" Xiu Rong: "Aiyo, your father didn''t tell you?" Hong er: "No." Xiu Rong: "His Majesty DQ too?" Hong er: "No." Xiu Rong sighed and pulled Hong er to sit beside her. She looked at Weisheng and gave him a lecture. Xiu Rong: "Your Majesty DQ, forgive this old woman for being meddlesome but in a relationship, you have to tell your other one so there wouldn''t be any unnecessary misunderstanding." Weisheng: "Yes, Lady Xiu." Weisheng replied firmly and guiltily glanced at the confused Hong er. Xiu Rong: "You too, Hong er. If you have anything bothering you, tell His Majesty Emperor DQ. Don''t endure it by yourself. He is your husband, he will gladly help you." Hong er: "Yes, grandmother." Emperor XB: "Why don''t we use this chance to explain everything clearly?" Xu Weimin: "En, that''s indeed a good idea. Your Majesty Emperor DQ, you are not in rush right?" Weisheng: "No. Since we don''t have anything to do, it is better if we chat together here." Xiu Rong: "Then, Hong er, do you have anything that you want to ask?" Hong er: "En. Why grandfather and grandmother are here? Also why with His Majesty XB? Not with father?" Xiu Rong: "Well then, it seems like I have to explain from the beginning." Xiu Rong glanced at Xu Weimin and Xu Weimin nodded his head to Xiu Rong. Xiu Rong: "It is a bit complicated. It started with the previous emperor of DC. At first, the royal family and Xu family was very close but since your grandfather led our family''s soldiers to war because the imperial army had been infected by a disease, we won the war even though we were quite outnumbered. He became wary of the power Xu family had. He slowly and steadily pressed our family down and tried his best to not let us use our family''s soldiers nor even trained them. We noticed his intention and followed his wishes by staying low profile for many years until I gave birth to your eldest uncle. He became more and more afraid after seeing your father and two uncles'' prowess. We still endure it until he used the other powerful families that have grudges against our family to plot against us by making false information of us involved in bribery and corruption. We felt betrayed and retaliated back the false rumor which made him to hate us more. The hatred continued till his son, the current DC Emperor. One by one, your two uncles found a way to fake their death and live happily with their own family." Xiu Rong took a sip of her tea as she felt quite thirsty after explained so long. Xu Weimin decided to take over the explanation. Xu Weimin: "Before your uncles went on their own way, I had this one mission in Xi Bei and I met His Majesty Emperor XB." Emperor XB: "Hohoho~" Xu Weimin: "We talked and discussed many things until His Majesty Emperor XB told us his secret." Xu Weimin glanced at the relaxed Emperor XB and continued. Xu Weimin: "He couldn''t entrust Xi Bei to his descendant therefore he asked us a favor to help him with the court as His Majesty Emperor''s health and age is not that suitable to force himself to look over all of that doc.u.ments. And now I and your grandmother are taking care of everything that involves Xi Bei." (A/N: Emperor XB''s age is around 85, Xu Weimin''s is 54 and Xiu Rong''s around 52. I have lost count most of their age so pardon me.) Hong er''s eyes widened in disbelief. Hong er: "Th-that means-" Emperor XB: "Yes, they are de facto Emperor and Empress of Xi Bei." Chapter 163 - Summer Tournament III Third person POV Hong er didn''t know how things could turn so complicated. She pondered for awhile and felt that she had been too laid-back all this time that she didn''t notice her family''s relation with two countries. She was disappointed in herself despite herself being an empress and didn''t know anything. Seeing Hong er''s frustrated face, Xu Weimin chuckled and patted her head. Xu Weimin: "No need to be that anxious. It is no wonder that you don''t know these things, that stupid son of mine didn''t tell you anything even though I had reminded him to tell you everything before you marry His Majesty Emperor DQ." Hong er: "En." Hong er replied dejectedly. Xu Weimin sighed and patted her head gently. Xu Weimin: "I will properly reprimand him later." Hong er: "No no, it''s fine grandfather. Oh, so grandfather used uncles'' fake death as a reason to travel out from Da Chu to Xi Bei?" Xu Weimin: "En. That''s correct." Xiu Rong: "If we used grieving for the death of our two sons as a reason for retiring, the Emperor DC couldn''t rebuke us or else he would be rumored as a heartless ruler." Hong er: "Then, how did grandfather and grandmother hide your identity in Xi Bei?" Xiu Rong: "No one knows about our whereabouts except His Majesty Emperor DQ and Xu family. We solves and wrote everything out and His Majesty Emperor XB only need to stamp with his Golden Dragon Stamp, therefore no one knows that it is us all along." Hong er: "Since when?" Xiu Rong: "16 years ago, at that time, Huiqing still hadn''t had you in her stomach." Hong er: "Father have a connection with His Majesty Emperor DQ, His Majesty DQ have a connection with His Majesty Emperor XB and lastly His Majesty Emperor XB have a with grandfather and grandmother. That means I was dancing in your hand all this time." Hong er sent a meaningful glance to Weisheng and made him shiver down to his spine. Then a hand suddenly engulfed Hong er''s hand. Xiu Rong: "Hong er, you said that you had a son. Are you pregnant? But it is only a few week after your marriage." Hong er: "Hahaha~ You had misunderstood, grandmother. We adopted a little boy around 6 years old and His Majesty Emperor DQ didn''t convey it well." Hong er glanced at Weisheng with indifferent expression and smiled brightly when she looked at Xiu Rong. Hearing that she had a greatgrandson despite it was adopted got Xiu Rong estatic. Xiu Rong: "What is his name? Where is he right now? Why don''t you let us take a look at him?" Xu Weimin: "En, grandfather want to see him too." Hong er pondered for awhile and whispered a few words to Meiyun, she turned her attention back to Xiu Rong. Hong er: "His name is Liu Xue Lang. Uumm grandmother, grandfather." Xiu Rong&Xu Weimin: "?" Hong er: "This child have a very special trait so I hope both grandmother and grandfather will love him the same as normal children." Hong er said gently then a few knocks were heard. Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress DQ, His Highness is here." Hong er: "Let him come in." Meiyun: "Yes." Meiyun guided Xue Lang into the room, he didn''t know why he was called into here but he felt specially nervous. Xu Weimin, Xiu Rong, and Emperor XB were stunned, they didn''t know what to say in this situation. Hong er: "Xue Lang, come here." Xue Lang: "Yes, Imperial Mother." Xue Lang went to her side and gave everyone including Weisheng his greetings. Hong er and Weisheng nodded their head in acknowlegdment. Xiu Rong got out of her daze and smiled gently at Xue Lang. Xiu Rong: "Xue Lang, let greatgrandmother see you." Xue Lang: "En." Xue Lang shyly nodded his head as he make his way to Xiu Rong. Xiu Rong took his hands and firmly patted his hands. Xiu Rong: "Look at you, so skinny. Eat more so you can be stronger and more handsome." Xu Weimin: "En. What your greatgrandmother said is true. With your body condition right now, you won''t be able to wield weapon longer than 5 minutes, let alone magic weapon." Weisheng: "En." Xue Lang: "Xue Lang thank Greatgrandfather and greatgrandmother''s advice." Xue Lang bowed down. Xiu Rong: "Oh, did Tingfeng know about this?" Hong er: "Father? Hehehe~ Not at all." Xu Weimin: "*Sigh I''m pretty sure that stupid son is on frenzy." Xiu Rong: "Poor Huiqing had to hold him down." On the other side, Xu Tingfeng was walking back and forth his room whilst scratching his head. Xu Tingfeng: "Qing er! Our Hong er was ravished by that brute just after she arrived at Da Qi. I wil kill that kiddo, no, Hong er loves him so much. She will hate me if I kill him. Then what should I do?!" Bai Huiqing: "Calm down, Tingfeng. It really is weird that just within 2 weeks, Hong er is pregnant. Maybe there is something that they didn''t tell us clearly?" Xu Tingfeng: "If so, can''t that kiddo say a few more words?! Leading all of us to such a misunderstanding. Would he die if say a few more words?!" Bai Huiqing: "Lower your voice, Tingfeng. We are not at our house." Xu Tingfeng: "Humph!" Xu Tingfeng plopped himself down to his seat and tapped his feet like a kangaroo. But his body abruptly stopped. Xu Tingfeng: "Even if they had a son, whether it is adopted or pregnant, why are no news from them? Qing er ah!" Bai Huiqing: "Aiyo~ They must have their own reason to not tell us." Xu Tingfeng: "But how about our elite forces there?" Bai Huiqing: "Their master is Hong er, if Hong er told them to not tell anyone, how could they dare to tell you?" Xu Tingfeng: "But why do they have to hide it from us?" Bai Huiqing: "Aiyo~ So many but but but. I''m sure Hong er will properly explain it to us. Learn to wait." Xu Tingfeng: "U-uhm." Xu Tingfeng sat straight after he got scolded by Bai Huiqing. Yet, he couldn''t contain his curiosity as he kept glancing Hong er''s VVVIP. . . Xiu Rong: "Does Xue Lang take a part in the tournament?" Hong er: "He doesn''t. He only learned how to fight for a few weeks so I think that he isn''t ready enough." Xue Lang instantly downed from Hong er''s words. Xiu Rong who had been watching Xue Lang smiled tenderly. Xiu Rong: "Don''t be sad. Your mother is only worried about you getting hurt." Xue Lang: "Bu-but I want to show them that Imperial Father and Imperial Mother have a son they can proudly talk about." Hong er: "Xue Lang¡­" Xu Weimin: "If your mother is worried about you, that means she loves and proud of you. If you really want to die then go and fight. Let see if you can come back without getting beat up." Xu Weimin said solemnly while Weisheng silently nodded his head in agreement. Xiu Rong smacked Xu Weimin''s arm and sighed. Xiu Rong: "How could you talk to a child like that? Can''t you be more considerate?" Xu Weimin: "It''s because I''m being considerate of him so that I give him a short and clear advice. With his body and power right now, I doubt that he could fight more than 2 opponents." Xiu Rong: "You¡­ *sigh¡­ Because of you, Yingjie became such a cold person. Huff!" Hong er: "Grandmother, please don''t be angry. It will ruin your health." Xue Lang who had been hanging down his head was lightly got smacked on his arm. Xu Weimin: "What I said was the body and power you have right now is insufficient for the tournament. Eat healthily, train properly, build up some muscle, don''t slack off." Xue Lang''s eyes brightened up and nodded his head eagerly. Xiu Rong: "I know you care about him and bad at words but why don''t you try harder to be nicer to him?" Xu Weimin: "What? He will get spoiled if I''m being too nice. Furthermore, he is a man. In the future, he had a responsibility to protect his family. What will he do if he is weak?" Emperor XB: "Lady Xiu Rong, I had known Weimin quite long and I also think that his word is true. Don''t be so hard on him." Emperor XB that had been silent all this time spoke up for Xu Weimin. Hong er chuckled seeing the old couple argue with each other. Hong er: "Grandfather''s advice showed how much he cared Xue Lang, grandmother. Besides, Xue Lang is a very understanding kid so he wouldn''t fault grandfather." Xiu Rong: "Well if you say so." Chapter 164 - Summer Tournament IV Third person POV After they talked for a while, Weisheng and Hong er together with Xue Lang went back to their own room to enjoy the event. The music started to blast once again and the MC loudly announced the participants for the beginner level to step up to the stage. Kids around Xue Lang''s age one by one walked to the stage with their chin up. Xue Lang watches them with envy but Hong er''s hand stopped his thought. Hong er: "Are you envy of them?" Xue Lang quickly shook his head, yet he couldn''t lie to Hong er as she stared deeply to his colorless eyes with her bright eyes. Then he timidly nodded his head. Hong er: "It is fine to envy." Xue Lang whipped his head up to look at Hong er. Usually people would instantly reprimand other to be virtuous and big heart, however Hong er told him that it is fine to envy other people, it really confuse him. Hong er: "Being envy means you acknowledge that they are better than you do. And that means you have to do better than them, study harder, practice harder and you slowly will become better. Being competitive is fine but refrain from using harmful and despicable way. Understood?" Xue Lang: "Uhm!" Hong er: "Beside, the tournament couldn''t decide who is truly the strongest one. Many masters and experts are hiding from the eye of the world to avoid conflict so you don''t need to think much about those things." Xue Lang: "But Imperial Mother, what if they jealous of us and tried to harm us?" Weisheng : "At that time, you have to be smart, wise, and merciless in order to protect your beloved one." Weisheng answered his question instead of Hong er. Hong er made him sat on her laps and patted Xue Lang head. Weisheng widened his eyes in shock, he clenched his hand into fist and furrowed his brow. Hong er: "These things, you will learn it as time passes by." Hong er caressed Xue Lang''s soft hair and hummed the song that she usually hum when she is bored. All of sudden, both Hong er and Xue Lang were lifted up by Weisheng with ease. He plopped down Hong er''s seat and put her down between his thighs. He hugged her tightly and sent Xue Lang a warning glance. Hong er laughed when she saw how Weisheng stared intensely at the puzzled Xue Lang. she kissed his cheek and smiled at him to calm him down which perfectly work on the carzy in love Weisheng. She leaned her head on his shoulder and continued to hum her song whilst playing with Xue Lang''s hair. Seeing that Hong er was relaxed around him made him insanely happy, he leaned his head on her head and closes his eyes to enjoy Hong er''s humming. Xue Lang swayed his body side to side along the melody and got curious of this simple yet beautiful song. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother." Hong er: "Hm?" Hong er glanced at Xue Lang and tenderly smiled at him. Xue Lang: "What song is this? It is so beautiful, I like it very much." Hong er: "Hahaha~ Mother is happy to know that you like this song. It is mother who made it." Xue Lang: "Woah~ Imperial Mother is so talented." Weisheng: "En~ She is~" Weisheng muttered with his eyes still closed. Noticed that Weisheng slowly fell into a deep sleep, Hong er placed a finger on her lips to tell Xue Lang to lower his voice. Xue Lang nodded his head and proceeded to watch the tournament while Hong er kept on humming. . . Hong er: "Sheng ge, Sheng ge. Wake up, time to eat lunch." Weisheng: "Hhmm~" Hong er: "*Sigh Xue Lang, try to wake your father up." Xue Lang excitedly nodded his head and turned his body to face the sleeping Weisheng. Xue Lang: "Imperial father! Imperial Father! Wakie~" Weisheng: "Hhmm¡­" Xue Lang''s (imaginary) ears plopped down when he only received muffled grunt. He spun his little sly brain and an idea sprang up. Xue Lang: "Imperial Father! There is a handsome guy getting close to Imperial Mother!" Weisheng''s eyes immediately wide open and growled with a blood thirsty voice. Weisheng: "Who dares?" Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, Imperial Father had woke up." Hong er who was between them laughed out loud. Hong er: "Hahaha~ Yes, your father woke up. What a sly little wolf." (A/N: because his name is wolf so she said sly little wolf not fox.) Weisheng: "You two lied to me?" Weisheng asked with low voice. Xue Lang flinched by Weisheng''s voice, he thought that Weisheng was angry that he lied to him. Hong er only smilingly looked at them without intending to move an inch from her position meanwhile Xue Lang was beging her to save him with his pitiful eyes. Weisheng: "Who dares to lie to Zhen, deserves punishment." Weisheng stretched out his hands and easily locked Xue Lang''s both wrists with one hand. Xue Lang''s face paled as he thought Weisheng was going to punch him but rather, he felt ticklish around his belly and armpit. Xue Lang instantly burst out laughing whilst struggling to escape from this amazing torture. His face got red and he started to get breathless. Weisheng didn''t stop tickling with his straight face. Weisheng: "Zhen ask you, do you admit your wrongdoing?" Xue Lang: "HAHAHA I-I Do AHAHAHA." Weisheng: "Zhen didn''t hear your answer." Xue Lang: "I DO." Xue Lang screamed as he couldn''t laugh anymore. Weisheng released him and nodded his head in satisfaction. Hong er was laughing along Xue Lang cause of his hysterical laughter. Weisheng: "Let''s eat." Weisheng coolly stood up and walked away. Xue Lang''s hair and clothes were dishelveled, Hong er chuckled and helped him tidy up his long hair. Hong er: "Hehehe~ Here, all done. Now go eat." Hong er pulled him up so he could stand up, she lead him to the table and they harmonically eat their lunch. . . As the tournament had went up to advanced lever (for 17-30 years old), Xue Lang became curious of his adoptive parent''s achievement. Xue Lang: "Imperial Father, Imperial Mother." Hong er: "Hm? What is it?" Xue Lang: "Did Imperial Mother and Imperial Father participate in the tournament?" Hong er: "Hhmm, both of us had participated once. Why?" Xue Lang: "Did you win?" Hong er: "Your father did but I didn''t." Xue Lang: "Why? Imperial Mother is so strong. From what I see, Imperial Mother can wipe them off easily." Xue Lang glanced at the participants who were currently fighting. Hong er: "Because¡­" Xue Lang: "Because?" Hong er: "I''m too lazy. Hehehe~" Xue Lang was stupefied by Hong er''s answer but he knew, what Hong er said is true. They didn''t pay any heed to the tournament even at the day two of the tournament. What they really look forward to is the gathering of the high ranked nobles in their palace. They were quite sure there would be something interesting happen because usually those nobles usually tries to scheme each other in these kind of events. It was not a surprising thing or shocking news to them, however they shouldn''t let down their guard or else the victim would be them especially Xue Lang who was new to the society. Chapter 165 - Xu Family’s Visit I Third person POV Hong er was peacefully drinking her tea in her Floating Lotus Pavillion with Xue Lang who was practicing his calligraphy when a maid hurriedly walked towards her and reported. Maid: "Your Majesty Empress, Great General Xu and Madam Xu had come to visit." Hong er: "Hm? So sudden. Where are they?" Maid: "His Excellency is waiting in the front gate." Hong er: "En. I will personally escort them in. Prepare a new set of tea and side dishes. Xue Lang, you continue to practice." Xue Lang: "Yes, Imperial Mother." Then Hong er walked off, leaving Xue Lang bewildered. Even though Xu Tingfeng was impatient, he knew well the rules in royal palaces especially Back Palace (Palaces where Emperor''s wives stay.). Though he is married long ago and the one that he was going to meet was his own daughter, doesn''t mean that he could just enter without the master of all palaces, Weisheng. However, he had received the permission to freely enter Hong er''s palaces without having to ask for permission from him in every visit. Knowing that Hong er would be happy to see her parents, Weisheng didn''t really mind that Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing visited her frequently, only if it didn''t disturb his time with her. Their visit gave him some benefits too as sometimes they would bring information or new research''s prototype for him to see. Sadly, Weisheng was stuck on his court and couldn''t go to see his beloved wife. And for that, Hong er had solution to cheer him up during his worktime. Before he departed to his court, Hong er whispered to him. Hong er: "I will cook our favorite dishes so cheer up." And gave him a gentle peck on his lips as an energizer which works more than those Qi refill drinks (Energizer drink). Weisheng kissed her deeply for a minute and left with contented heart. Xu Tingfeng was thinking of the son that Weisheng talked about 2 days ago in the opening of the tournament. He called the elite forces that he assigned to protect Hong er and interrogated them. They said that Hong er wanted to be the one to tell him therefore she ordered them to not leak this information to any Xu family member. Hong er: "Father! Mother" Hong er joyfully called out whilst smiling as bright as sun. Xu Tingfeng turned his body around in the speed of light and smiled like Hong er. Xu Tingfeng: "Hong er!" They high fived and laughed out loud. Bai Huiqing and the servants around them had the same thought from seeing the scene in front of them. All: ''Like father like daughter.'' Realized that her behavior were unbefitting for an empress, Hong er quickly gained back her calm composure but her eyes were twinkling and her gleeful smile couldn''t be hidden.Xu Tingfeng who saw her change of composure also gave his utmost respect to Hong er as she is an empress despite being his daughter. Xu Tingfeng & Bai Huiqing: "Greetings to Your Majesty Empress." Before they could fully bow, Hong er swiftly take their hand and softly shook her head. Hong er: "This daughter doesn''t deserve father and mother''s bow. Please, treat Ben Gong like how it used to be and please do call Ben Gong as Hong er, because I like that nickname more." (A/N: Hong er uses "I" in the last part of the sentence as in normal way, it''s not like Ben Gong or what to show that she didn''t want Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing to treat her like she is higher than them.) Bai Huiqing: "En. I''m just concerned that some people will bad mouth you if we call you by that nickname." Hong er: "I don''t care what they are going to say about me. As long as we are happy, let them say what they want." Xu Tingfeng: "Hong er got my genes ah!" Hong er: "Yup!" (A/N: I''m sorry, it is me again. I just want to remind all of you that Hong er is still a 15 years old girl so sometimes she couldn''t hold back her playfulness if she is near someone as playful as her despite their old age (XTF=35)) Hong er chuckled then she suddenly remembered that she had left Xue Lang alone in her pavilion. Hong er: "Father, mother, I assume that both of you are curious of this ''son''. Firstly, I''m not pregnant. He is adopted and he will be 7 years old this winter." Xu Tingfeng: "His background?" Hong er: "Commoner, he was locked by his parents since he was born and almost got auctioned as a slave. Fortunately, I made it in time to save him and other kids." Bai Huiqing: "My, poor child." Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing suddenly recalled the first time Hong er arrived at Xu residence and that memory imprinted in their brain forever. They stared at Hong er with sad eyes as they felt guilty for not saving her quicker. Hong er saw their sad gaze ad asked with a smile. Hong er: "What is it?" Her smile showed that she didn''t live in misery anymore and that makes their heart relieved. They smiled and shook their head. Xu Tingfeng: "Nothing." They followed Hong er to her pavilion and saw a little boy with his whole appearance was white. Xue Lang looked up to Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing with his big doe eyes. Hong er: "Xue Lang, give grandfather and grandmother greetings." Xue Lang: "Greetings to Grandfather and grandmother." Bai Huiqing: "En. His name is Xue Lang? It suits him." Bai Huiqing patted Xue Lang''s head and smiled at him. Xu Tingfeng curiously scanned Xue Lang from head to toe with his chin resting on his fist. Xu Tingfeng: "Hhmm..HHMMM! His eyes even white, can he see colors?" Hong er: "Hehehe, he can, father." Hong er chuckled from seeing her father''s reaction. Xu Tingfeng lifted Xue Lang''s whole body and frowned deeply. Xu Tingfeng: "He is so light. Feed him more food." Hong er: "I had, but because he is not used to eat that many food at once, we slowly increased the food portion day by day. Therefore, he started to get much more flesh than the first time I saw him." Xu Tingfeng: "Hhmm, good good. If he is that kiddo and you son, I''m pretty sure you guys teaches him how to fight right?" Hong er: "Yes father. He has a better control in his magic than weapon, nonetheless, he is pretty good in wielding arrow and scythe. Just like Sheng ge." (A/N: As Hong er said before, she had learned how to change the shape of their iconic magic sword into a different shape, so do Weisheng to. He likes to change it into scythe as it had god of death kind of feeling.) Xu Tingfeng: "How about we test it out? Come on." Xu Tingfeng took Xue Lang''s hand and led him to training field. As soon as they reached training field, Xu Tingfeng instructed Xue Lang to shoot a few arrows which he could score one bullseye and the rest were near the bullseye. Xu Tingfeng: "Hhmm, for a few weeks training, this is pretty impressive. However, you are still shooting while standing still. Later you have to learn how to shoot while running, riding horse, and rolling around. Make sure to strengthen your shoulder and arm muscle and balance. Now, pull out your weapon and fight this old man." Xu Tingfeng summoned his Guan Dao and grinned from ear to ear. Xue Lang nodded his head enthusiastically and summoned his favorite scythe. He is very happy that he had learned how to summon weapon, therefore a wide smile was plastered on his face. Xu Tingfeng: "Come at me with all you have." With that Xue Lang launched himself to Xu Tingfeng and attacked him with his full strength. Xu Tingfeng leisurely blocked his every attack and his smile got wider and wider. Ten minutes later, Xue Lang was panting heavily as e had used up all of his strength yet he couldn''t laid even a scratch on Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng unsummoned his Guan Dao and smacked Xue Lang shoulder whilst laughing. Xu Tingfeng: "Good! Very good! You live up to your name." Xue Lang stared at Xu Tingfeng with weird eyes. Xu Tingfeng: "Enough for today, you are tired." Xue Lang: "Thank you, grandfather. Uumm, grandfather." Xu Tingfeng: "Hm?" Xue Lang: "Am I good enough?" Xu Tingfeng: "Hohoho, listen carefully little child, this old man is very good at giving advice." Xue Lang vigorously nodded his head as he stared at Xu Tingfeng with sparkling eyes. Xu Tingfeng: "You still lacks in stamina and strength. Your agility and flexibility are good but what made me impressed is your attack pattern. Hong er ah! You are really good at naming people." Hong er: "Hehehe~ Aye sir!" Xue Lang: "What does grandfather mean by that." Xu Tingfeng: "You kept targeting my vital part and you didn''t held back at all, it felt like you want to kill me, like a wolf. Ahahahaha!" Xue Lang''s face redden. Xue Lang: "Grandfather is very strong so I thought that even if I give my best, it wouldn''t leave effect on grandfather." Xu Tingfeng: "Uhm! Good! Grandfather is very proud of you." Xu Tingfeng lifted Xue Lang and put him on his shoulder then launched off with laughter that echoed all around the royal palace. Chapter 166 - Xu Family’s Visit II Third person POV Lu Cixi sat on her throne comfortably while listening to Princess Yue''s rant and gossip. She sighed when she heard a blast of laughter from far away. Princess Yue who didn''t have sound magic was confused of why her mother sighed. Princess Yue: "What is it, Imperial Mother?" Lu Cixi: "This laughter, haha, so nostalgic. Just a few old friends coming over." Princess Yue: "Who?" Then an eunuch walked up to her and reported. Eunuch: "Your Majesty Empress Dowager, Her Majesty Empress and her entourage had come for a visit." Lu Cixi: "Let them in." Princess Yue curiously looked at the entrance and saw a lot of tall people came into the hall. All of them greeted Lu Cixi and Princess Yue. Lu Cixi smiled and happily went to Bai Huiqing''s side. Lu Cixi: "My, Huiqing, how long has it been since we saw each other?" Bai Huiqing: "Hahaha~ Since the last time we hang out with Zhenxin." (Lin Zhenxin= Bai Huiqing''s bestfriend and the one who introduced Bai Huiqing to Xu Tingfeng.) Lu Cixi: "We had not talked except writing letters to each other. Btw, do you have any new magic research?" Bai Huiqing: "Oh yeah, I have. And I''m pretty sure you will like this one." Lu Cixi: "Oh my~ Don''t waste any time, come come come~" Lu Cixi guided them to sit and excitedly conversed with Bai Huiqing. Hong er stared at them with eyes full of puzzle, she didn''t know that her mother get along with her mother-in-law. Then she turned her eyes to Xu Tingfeng, trying to find some answer from Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng looked at her and mumbled. Xu Tingfeng: "Girls stuff." And winked at Hong er. Bai Huiqing''s servants brought in a quite large mysterious box that was covered with a cloth and place it in front of Lu Cixi. Bai Huiqing looked at Hong er and waved her hand to tell her to come here. Hong er sat beside Bai Huiqing and stared at the box curiously. Bai Huiqing: "I''m pretty sure you will like this one too. I know both of you have the same dislike of heat and coincidentally, these past few days had been pretty hot. Open it." Bai Huiqing told her servants to open the cloth and revealed a block of jade marble stone with lines carved through the stone. Hong er lost herself and went closer to the stone and groped it around. The inside of the stone was mostly empty, only a few machinery in it and there was 2 holes on the surface to place magic stones. She touched the stone and she could feel the stone was quite cold. Hong er stared at Bai Huiqing with eyes full of sparkles, expecting Bai Huiqing to explain everything to her. Bai Huiqing: "As you can see, this is cold jade marble and this stone is basically low in temperature. So I made a device that could release cold air and most importantly, it can operate even without having us to use our Qi all the time." (A/N: I don''t really have knowledge about stones but my father liked to collect stones. So he had this big stone just below my A/C, I always put my feet on it and it feels GREAT. My country is tropical, everyday is hot and humid.) Lu Cixi: "Wow! What a brilliant idea." Bai Huiqing: "I also made a small stone which we could pour our Qi in it to the fullest and then use it." Lu Cixi: "Wait wait wait, let me call my son over. He will gladly hear about this new research. Go call His Majesty Emperor." Eunuch: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager." The eunuch ran with all he got and called Weisheng over. Weisheng also brought Lu Ping along with him as it would be more convenient. Not long after, Weisheng arrived at Lu Cixi''s palace and gave his greetings to his and Hong er''s parent. Lu Cixi: "Your Majesty Emperor, Madam Xu had some interesting researches that she brought here." Bai Huiqing: "Well then, everyone is here, I will continue my explanation. This small stone is designed to change the source of the Qi to the element that it was customized to. Example, if you pour fire elemental Qi in ice magic stone, the Qi will automatically change into Ice Qi. Isn''t that cool?" Weisheng: "Indeed it is." Hong er: "What a great innovation mother! So by using this magic stone, we could operate this machine?" Bai Huiqing: "Yes, this device need two types of magic stones, wind and ice. Let''s test it out." Bai Huqiing inserted two magic stones and the device lightly glow up. Then cold air came out from the ventilation and cooled the whole hall in few minutes. Bai Huiqing: "You can even put your feet on the stone, it has a very cooling effect." Lu Cixi put her feet on the stone and smiled brightly when the coldness of the stone dispersed the heat in her body. All of them talked happily and sometimes the always silent Weisheng also spoke up to ask Bai Huiqing about the magic stones. Their day passed like that, Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing were escorted home by Hong er''s closest palace servants. . . . Like usual, Hong er sat beside Weisheng and helped him with his work when she suddenly feel nauseas. Weisheng noticed her slightly pale face and quickly put down his brush, he touched Hong er''s forehead and checked her body temperature. Yet, he didn''t feel anything wrong, then worriedly asked. Weisheng: "Is there anywhere uncomfortable?" Hong er: "No, I''m fine." Weisheng: "Want me to call physician?" Hong er: "No no, it''s fine. Maybe I ate too much for dinner hehehe~" Weisheng smiled tenderly and kissed her forehead. Weisheng: "If there is anything wrong, don''t hesitate to call me. Go take a rest, let me handle it." Weisheng swiftly took the brush from her hand and pulled the scroll to his front. Hong er who was quite stubborn in her own way, wanted to take back the scroll but Weisheng gave her a warning look Weisheng: "If you don''t rest, I will take it as your body is perfectly fine to take mine inside of you for the whole night." Hong er immediately blushed and pulled away her hand from Weisheng''s suspicious finger movement. Hong er: "I-I will take a rest, now." Hong er quickly stood up and ran off to her bed and hide inside her blanket. She recalled these past two weeks of their steamy night exercise and couldn''t help but blush deeper. Weisheng had taught her many things about those pervy things. He would explain detailedly how her lower part getting wetter and groaned how she seduced him with her beautiful body when she didn''t even do anything! Weisheng always released his seed inside her and gave her reasons such as, ''it is very nutritious for our baby'', ''I couldn''t help myself when my wife suddenly tightened up on me'' (okay, stop there) What makes Hong er quite upset was she always went into her climax a few times then Weisheng went into his climax for the first time. It ate up a lot of her stamina, so she was thinking of how to make her husband feel good when he is with her. Hong er clenched her hand into a fist and encouraged herself to learn new things. Chapter 167 - Garden Tour I Third person POV Today was the day where the nobles that came to the tournament were invited into a garden sightseeing. Of course they didn''t reject this kind offer and joyfully came to Da Qi''s Royal Palace. Not different from tea party, the guests were guided to the beautifully arranged seat at the imperial garden to enjoy the view. Knowing that this event was flower themed kind of event, the girls dressed up in flower embroidered dress and used Nanjing Velvet Flower as their hair ornament. (Look into story of Yanxi palace or Nanjing Rong Hua, the flower is very beautiful. It was an ancient art and to me, it is very impressive.) Hoping that they could catch the DQ''s emperor''s attention or another high ranked young master. Weisheng and Hong er arrived the last and their attire for today''s event were more simple and calming. Only a few accessories and simple yet beautifully made clothes. The rulers of each country greeted each other and then the officials greeted them one by one. The gathering was more relaxed that they thought. An opera performance, dancing, singing, and art appreciation, plus, accompanied with high quality liquor, tea, and confectionaries. Sound of people clapping and voiced ''Good! Good!'' could be heard all over the garden. Then Hong er invited all of them to stroll deeper into the garden which they happily accepted. Hong er had noticed a few people were missing from their seat and it were girls from one of the highest ranking noble in DQ''s daughters. She has keen eyes therefore she could notice their absence in a glance, furthermore, the guests were not that many in the first place and as an empress, she should know her subordinate''s face or else she would embarrass herself in the public for being ignorant. The entourage strolled around the imperial garden for a while and talked about how the garden was artistically made. Hong er briefly thanked them for their praises and saw the girls that were absence before were now gleefully talking and giggling except one girl whose face was solemn and grim. Yet, she noticed one of them was still missing. Hong er remembered her name is Huang Ming Yu. Ming Yu''s presence was quite unique in Hong er''s eyes, while other girls tried to sat closer to the bachelors young master, she sat quietly in the corner with a very simple dress and a gaudy looking accessories on her hair which didn''t suite her pure and innocent face. And despite her having such a innocent looking face, her gaze was fierce and firm. Hong er looked around when she heard an ear piercing screech from the girls in the entourage. Even Weisheng turned around to look at what happened as he was the master of this palace. If anything happened inside his territory, then it would be his responsibility. Girl: "How shameless of you to do such a filthy thing in front of His Majesties and Her Majesties! Huang Ming Yu! Not only you embarrass yourself, you also tarnished our family''s name!" The girl spoke in loud voice in purpose everyone in there heard and saw what happened. Weisheng and Hong er walked with fast footsteps yet their face was calm like nothing happened. The crowd split into two to give way to the rulers. There was a girl with her clothes and hair disheveled, her shoulders and half of her thighs were exposed to the eyes of the crowd. She hastily covered her exposed body part with her torn clothes. Her body was trembling vigorously under all of their stares, her face was as pale as paper and nothing could come out from her throat. She didn''t know what to say to protect her name and reputation. Her mind was blanked out and what she could do was lowering her head in shame and fear. Hong er swiftly took off her coat and dr.a.p.ed it on her shoulder, she tied her coat so Ming Yu''s front part was securely covered. Hong er and Huayun helped Ming Yu stand up while Meiyun uses her body to block the crowd''s view. Ming Yu looked at Hong er and Huayun with eyes full of grateful. Huayun comforted her and rubbed her back to reassure her. Seeing that her (the girl with grim face) plan wasn''t going right, she went to the front and kowtowed to Hong er and Weisheng. Other girl: "I deeply apologize for my little sister''s behavior. I, as her big sister had warned her to behave herself, yet, she didn''t listen to any of my advice. Please give me punishment for my negligence as a big sister." Ming Yu glared at her with her eyes full of disbelief. She didn''t dare to say anything back as she could tell everyone in the crowd, including her own father, were siding with her big sister. However, Hong er stepped up and stood dignifiedly in front of the girl. Hong er: "Ben Gong hasn''t said a word, yet, you had said hundreds of it." Hong er coldly glanced at the girl and spoke with low tone. The girl''s face paled when she heard Hong er''s cold voice. She thought that Hong er is very kind and forgiving therefore she dared to use Hong er as her sword to destroy Ming Yu, her blood related little sister. (A/N: I will just give her random name, kay. Bc it''s hard to use ''the girl'' lol. No need to remember her name as she will only appear in a few chapters. Her name is Huang Ming Zhu.) Ming Zhu: "I-I deeply apologize for my behavior, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er turned her eyes to the shivering Ming Yu without replying to Ming Zhu. Ming Zhu bit her lips in anger, she was older than Hong er a few years, yet, Hong er''s presence was tenth times stronger than her presence. Hong er: "You are Huang Ming Yu?" Ming Yu: "Ye-yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "En. Are you fine?" Ming Zhu: "Your Majesty Empress, my little sister had done the deed with a lowly servant. How can she be fine. She tried to ruin Your Majesty Empress''s face by doing this. Your Majesty Empress, please don''t be fooled by her act." Ming Zhu''s father started to panic and his face paled. At first, he thought that Hong er was an overly kindhearted person, therefore he was very happy that he could climb higher by taking Hong er''s kindness to his advantage. Yet, not even a week of her reign as an empress, she had killed two high ranked officers and gave her husband their head as a present. Weisheng showed them the heads during morning court and warned them to not mess around with him and his wife because these heads were personally prepared by her for them. And since then, everyone ran around to erase every evidence of crimes that they ever did. And now, it was her favorite daughter who would bring him to the death gate. Hong er: "Did Ben Gong ask you?" Hong er gave Ming Zhu a dead look and her voice changed drastically compared to when she talked to Ming Yu. Even Long Quan ( Emperor DC) and everyone shivers under her eyes. Her face was black as ink with her golden eyes shone brightly. Lu Cixi silently watching her from the side with indifferent look. She wanted to know how Hong er handle this situation and Hong er indeed surpassed her expectation. Lu Cixi herself had lived in the nest of scheming female foxes for decades, of course this cheap and unprofessional scheme wouldn''t be able fool her even tiniest bit. Ming Zhu was trembling in fear, she didn''t mean to anger Hong er. Ming Zhu: "N-no, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "And from your words, are trying to say that Ben Gong is a fool?" Ming Zhu widened her eyes in shock. She vigorously shook her head and didn''t dare to lift up her head. Ming Zhu: "Th-that isn''t what I mean." Hong er: "Then what do you mean by your words? Tell Ben Gong." Ming Zhu: "It-it is me who is the fool one." Hong er coldly stares at her kowtowing to her. She moved her fingers to tell her to stand up. Ming Zhu''s personal servants quickly went to help their Miss to stand up. Ming Zhu had to look up since Hong er is taller than her 10cm. Hong er: "Minister Huang." Hong er called Ming Zhu''s father, he quickly went to her side and bowed. Hong er: "Take better care of your family. Don''t bring your personal problem to the palace. Ben Gong doesn''t want this to be repeated again, do you understand?" Minister Huang: "Ye-yes." Then Hong er looked at Huayun and told her to take Ming Yu to guest room. She turned around and showed her bright smile. Hong er: "My my~ Let''s continue the stroll, shall we?" Hong er extended her hand to guide them and her behavior was like nothing happened a few seconds ago. Meanwhile, Lu Cixi smiled in contentment and continued to walk around the garden. Chapter 168 - Garden Tour II Third person POV Weisheng stood silently beside her all the time. He knew that she could handle this by herself therefore he didn''t say a word even though he really wanted to help her. Since Hong er''s coat is with Ming Yu for now, he took off his coat and dr.a.p.ed it around Hong er''s shoulder. The coat was too large for Hong er''s slim body, the coat touched the ground and the shoulder part almost reached her elbow. Hong er looked at him and patted his hand that was on shoulder while smiling lovingly at him. There was a few reason of why Weisheng took off his coat. First of all, he afraid that Hong er would catch a cold despite it was in the middle of summer. Second of all, he didn''t want other men to stare at her slightly exposed skin. Third of all, their coat was made to match each other, so if he kept wearing his coat, it would make him look like he and Ming Yu was a pair. He didn''t want that, he is Hong er''s and he would only devote himself to Hong er. The other empresses and wives of the nobles were jealous when they saw how Weisheng and Hong er acted so intimately yet didn''t look inappropriate. Weisheng''s attention was only attached to Hong er all the time, he didn''t even spare a glance to the girls that had worked hard to dress up beautifully for today''s event. The entourage continued the stroll again and forgot about what happened to Ming Yu after they saw the vast man-made lake. The water is very clear and translucent that they could see the fishes swam around the lotus and water lilies. Ming Zhu stood alone at the side of the lake with her brows furrowed. She was scolded by father and told her to reflect on her wrong doings. Hong er glanced at her back and smiled slyly, she touched Weisheng to gain his attention. She told him to wait for her as she has something to say to Ming Zhu. Hong er quietly approached the lone Ming Zhu and stood beside her while smiling softly. Ming Zhu was very surprised by her presence and quickly bent her knees to greet Hong er. Hong er told her to rise and accompany her for a while. Ming Zhu nervously nodded her head and followed Hong er to look at the lake. Hong er: "You are Ming Zhu, right?" Ming Zhu: "Ye-yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "And why would you want to harm your little sister?" Ming Zhu''s eyes went wide and her hand shook uncontrollably. Hong er: "Don''t worry. Ben Gong will keep this as secret to maintain your reputation. But you have to answer Ben Gong truthfully. If Ben Gong notices that you lie, you know what will happen right?" Ming Zhu vigorously nodded her head. It was not Hong er that was cruel but it was the rule that lying to the higher-up would have a consequence. Ming Zhu: "Sh-she is more beautiful than me so my fianc¨¦ attracted to her. I was jealous, her mother is only a low ranked concubine so I had treated coldly since we were young. But I quietly protected her from madam and any men that l.u.s.ted for her body. But I couldn''t hold my anger when I saw my fianc¨¦ looked at her with expression that he never even showed to me before." Huang Ming Zhu is a very talented and diligent woman, she tried hard to gain her father''s heart and protected her mother and her life. Her mother is the highest concubine in her residence, however, the legal wife of her father was not happy that her children were less talented than Ming Zhu. So she frequently tried to harm her and her mother. Hong er pitied her but hasn''t fully trusted her statement yet. She need to investigate everything to the core so it wouldn''t cause any unnecessary trouble in the future. Hong er: "En. Who is your fianc¨¦?" Ming Zhu: "Wei Fang Tan, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "En. Ben Gong give you an advice." Ming Zhu: "Y-yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "You are beautiful and smart, furthermore, you are still young. Don''t waste your precious life by doing these things. I know, you tried to use Ben Gong as your sword to eliminate Ming Yu." Ming Zhu''s breath hitched when her plan was exposed by Hong er. Hong er: "Yes, that is indeed a brave and smart movement but you have to see who you are facing with." Hong er glanced at her and smiled. Hong er: "Your teacher can open the door, but you must enter yourself." (A/N: It is a proverb. It means people showed you the way/enlighten you but when it comes to engagement and moving forward in new directions, the choice lies on your shoulder.) Ming Zhu stared at Hong er with watery eyes as she bowed her head. Ming Zhu: "This lowly one thanks Your Majesty Empress for the enlightment." With that Hong er walked back to Weisheng and smiled happily when she saw Weisheng didn''t move an inch from his position. She took his hand and together, they walked hand-in-hand. . . . Hong er visited Ming Yu in the guest room. Ming Yu''s face was still pale, Hong er glanced at Huayun who stood beside Ming Yu and she helplessly shook her head. The physician had came to inspect Ming Yu and said that Ming Yu was only traumatized, her body was perfectly fine. Only after a while, Ming Yu noticed Hong er had been sitting in front of her for 30 seconds. She quickly rose up from her seat and gave Hong er her greetings. Hong er told her to sit down and asked her a few things. Hong er: "Is it Ming Zhu who harmed you?" Ming Yu was hesitant to answer that question. She gripped the cup in her hand and lowered her head. Ming Yu: "Th-this lowly one also don''t know." Hong er: "Why do you say so?" Hong er''s face didn''t change slightest bit as she asked Ming Zhu firmly. Ming Yu: "Ming Zhu Jiejie had always been indifferent to me compared to my other siblings. She didn''t show my any love yet she didn''t hate me. Even though her attitude is cold, I noticed that she had helped quite a numerous times from my other siblings. When they were bullying me verbally, Ming Zhu Jiejie stood silently at the side and when they started to use violence, Ming Zhu Jiejie would invite them for a drink and they would go with her. Sometimes there were some men stalked me even though I was in the residence. It was Ming Zhu Jiejie who found me almost got attacked by him and punished him by saying that he trespassed our territory. Even though it is vague, I know deep down she is a very nice person." Hong er: "But it really is her who planned all of this." Hong er said while sipping on her tea. Ming Yu anxiously bit her lip. Ming Yu: "Then it must be him!" Hong er: "Him?" Chapter 169 - The Culprit I Third person POV Ming Yu''s face was as black as ink when the face of the man that had been flirting around her appeared in her brain. She lost Ming Zhu''s favor just because he kept lurking around her even after she had rejected him. And it causes her to suffer from her other siblings bullying because Ming Zhu wasn''t there to help her. Ming Yu: "He is Wei Fang Tan, Ming Zhu''s Jiejie fianc¨¦. He kept flirting with me and caused Ming Zhu Jiejie to misunderstand that I am the one who seduced him. One time, I followed him because I was curious and I found him flirting with other noble ladies and some p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.es. I wanted to tell Ming Zhu Jiejie about his lecherous behavior today but accident happened before I can tell her about him." Hong er observed Ming Yu''s expression and believed her. Hong er: "Do you remember who attacked you?" Ming Yu took a deep breath and decided to brave herself to ask Hong er a request. She didn''t know whether Hong er would accept it or not but she had no one else to ask for help. Ming Yu: "Your Majesty Empress, this lowly one is not very educated therefore this lowly one request Your Majesty Empress to help this lowly one to find the suspect and clean my name." Ming Yu looked at Hong er directly at her eyes and went to the floor to kowtow to Hong er. Hong er stared at Ming Yu and told her to sit. Hong er: "Fine. Ben Gong will help you as this case happened in Ben Gong''s tea party." Actually Hong er wanted to stay out from these kind of dramas as much as she can but as the host of the party, she had to clean up her own name or else she would be labeled as irresponsible and negligent towards her duty. Ming Yu replayed the scene in her mind where she was attacked and told Hong er every detail that she could grasp. Ming Yu: "At that time, I was told by my second eldest sister to accompany her to the side of the garden as she said she felt quite nauseas. I followed her and out of nowhere, there was a cloth blindfolded me and I couldn''t see anything. My mouth was also gag with a cloth so I couldn''t scream for help. I was pushed down by unknown man and he roughly ripped my clothes off. I struggled really hard, yet, he didn''t budge. Then he suddenly yelped in pain and released my hand. I ran away with everything I have. Because I don''t know anything about the palace, I ran without direction and with that I came out from the bushes and ran into the entourage." Hong er: "En. Explain to me in detail about the man that tied you." Ming Yu closes her eyes and took a deep breath. Ming Yu: "His hands are quite rough in a certain places, I assume that he handled sword. His clothes are high quality as it rubbed on my skin when he tried to restraint me. And¡­." Ming ZYu knitted her brow. Hong er: "Voice?" Ming Yu opened her eyes and gasped. Ming Yu: "It-it is Wei Fang Tan himself." Hong er nodded her head and waved her hand to Meiyun. Hong er: "You and Huayun go investigate this." Meiyun: "Who will protect Your Majesty Empress if we leave your side?!" Hong er: "Aiyo~ It is fine. Ben Gong has many bodyguards, furthermore, His Majesty Emperor won''t mind it if I borrow his personnel." Huayun: "But-" Hong er: "Aiya~ Just consider this as your holiday la~" Ming Yu stared at the three of them with bewilderment. She never thought that the relationship between one''s master and bodyguards could be this close and intimate. Hong er turned her attention to Ming Zhu and smiled tenderly. Hong er: "Miss Ming Yu don''t worry too much. With Ben Gong''s power, your name will definitely be cleared." Ming Yu''s eyes got watery as she smiled gratefully at Hong er as she bowed her head profusely. Hong er: "Meiyun, send Miss Ming Yu off." Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Meiyun politely send Ming Yu to her family''s carriage and immediately went back to Hong er''s side. . . . Weisheng: "Wei Fang Tan?" Hong er: "En." Hong er nodded her head as she signed the scroll in front of her. Since Xiu Rong (Hong er''s grandmother) gave them an advice to always tell each other their trouble, they had spoke out about everything that weighed their heart even to the most trivial things. Weisheng: "Qiyi, Qier." Qiyi and Qier suddenly appeared in front of his desk but Hong er wasn''t surprised by their sudden appearance. Weisheng: "Go investigate Wei Fang Tan." Weisheng threw a scroll at them, the Qi brothers gave their salute and departed. Hong er set down her brush and sat closer to Weisheng. Hong er: "I had dispatched Meiyun and Huayun to investigate. If Qiyi and Qier go, then who will protect you?" Weisheng: "Say the one who sent her bodyguards away." Weisheng glanced at Hong er and smirked. Hong er pouted and furrowed her brow to express that she was upset by his teasing but to Weisheng, she is too cute to be true. Weisheng: "That Wei family started to get ahead of themselves just because Wei Yunru is my close aide." Hong er: "What did they do?" Weisheng: "Bribing and drugs. Especially Wei Fang Tan." Hong er: "Hoo~" Weisheng: "He owned a gambling house and brothel in red district. He uses drug on innocent women and threatened them to work as p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e. And he also sells it to the customer." Hong er: "Hhmm." Hong er nodded her head and continued to sign mountains of doc.u.ments. . . Somewhere in the residence where Di family stayed, a young tall man sat at the side of a pavilion with a bottle of wine in his left hand and an empty cup in his right hand. He let out a long sigh and leaned his head on a pillar behind him whilst staring vacantly at the bright moon. He caught a glimpse of her in the Summer Tournament a few days ago, yet he couldn''t call out her name when he saw her serious and stern face. After not seeing her for more than a month which felt like an eternity for him, his body froze and could only stare at her in awe. And just like that she passed by him. He thought that maybe he shouldn''t disturb her when she was working so he tried to talk to her at the Tea Party. Yet once again, he was entranced by her charm and missed his chance again with the occurrence of the accident regarding Ming Yu. He really regretted his cowardice for not calling her out. Unknown to him, there was someone watching him depressed over his first love and that person went to call her husband. Di Shang stared at the moon and felt like he was connected to Meiyun then out of nowhere there was another bottle of wine appeared in front of his face. Naran: "Ya really head over heels for that Meiyun girl, huh~~" Di Shang glanced at both of his parent and lightly nodded his head. Di Shang: "En." Naran: "Hoo~ So honest~ Why don''t you go talk to her?" Di Shang: "She was working so I couldn''t call her out just for my personal reason." Naran: "Aiyoo~ It is fine. That Hong er is very kind, she won''t mind it if you borrow her bodyguard for a sec." Di Shang: "*Sigh, I know. But her crush was there." Naran: "Crush? Oohh~ That guy that she talked about when she was drunk. How do you know that it is him?" Di Shang: "I can tell that it was him just by how he glared at me." Di Yu: "So you give up on her?" Di Yu who had been silent all the time spoke up. They had already seated in front of Di Shang with a bottle of wine in each of their hand. Di Shang frowned by his father statement. Di Shang: "No, I won''t give up." Di Yu: "Then chase her. Be shameless, it is fine." Naran: "NAHAHAHA~ Do you know how shameless your father when he was chasing me down?! Your father kissed me right in front of my ex-fiance when he asked me to go back with him. Ahahaha~" Naran laughed out loud whilst smacking Di Yu''s arm. Di Yu silently took the hit and grinned from recalling those memories. Naran: "Let me tell ya, my son. Woman''s heart can change you know. Especially when you are there for her in her worst time. I can ensure you that she will fall in love with you." Di Shang: "En." A wide smile emerged on his lips as he remembered that Meiyun promised him that she would wait for him. Chapter 172 - 170. Don’t Touch My Woman! I Third person POV Meiyun and Huayun went to investigate Wei Fang Tan''s daily activities and his background. Then they found out that he owned a brothel and everyday he would visit his brothel to check his business and have some fun. Uniquely, his brothel has three floor and the first floor was a restaurant but the entertainer with revealing clothes would accompany the customer. Yet, they couldn''t do any s.e.x.u.a.l intercourse with the women, only watch, don''t touch. Then they went back to the palace to end the day. They woke up and gave Hong er their salutes before they proceed with their plan. They went on their own way to prepare themselves for the plan. Huayun dressed like a typical rich young lady, her face showed innocence and purity as she looked left and right under her pink paper umbrella. Wei Fang Tan passed by her and fascinated by her beauty. A smirk appeared on his lips as he scanned her body from head to toe. Huayun got a goosebump but still held on her lost and desperate expression. Wei Fang Tan approached Huayun and tapped her shoulder to gain her attention. Wei Fang Tan: "Ehem. Where are going, My Lady?" Huayun: "Uu uumm, I lost my way and don''t know which way my house is." Wei Fang Tan: "Are you not from here?" Huayun: "N-no, I''m from Da Chu. I came here to attend the Summer Tournament." Wei Fang Tan: "Well, luckily everyday I passes by this street so I know almost everything in the capital. Why don''t I show you the way?" Huayun: "My~ Thank you very much~" Huayun smiled sweetly and scooted closer to Wei Fang Tan. He grinned from ear to ear and guided Huayun to somewhere he thought that she didn''t know. Meanwhile¡­. Meiyun abruptly entered a dressing room without knocking and almost gave the lady that was doing her make-up to lose her heart. Lady: "Who are-" Meiyun: "Shh shh shh~ Beautiful big sister, please don''t ruin your peerless beauty with that frown." Meiyun gently placed her finger on the lady''s lips and seductively whispered on her ear. It seems like the lady was swooned by Meiyun''s words seeing that her face muscle relaxed and a tint of blush painted on her cheeks. Meiyun glanced at the cosmetics on the dressing table and smirked. She took out a gold tael and slipped it into the lady''s hand. The lady was quite confused by her action. Meiyun: "Go buy the best rouge, lipstick, and whatever you want with this. Those cheap things can''t bring out your true beauty." The lady seems to hesitate as she glanced at everywhere except Meiyun. Meiyun: "Don''t worry, I will take your place. The aunties won''t find out." (Aunties are the one who watches over the ladies.) The lady nodded her head and took the money with her. Meiyun smirked and locked the dressing room''s door. She took off her current clothes, leaving her only with undergarment. She took the cosmetics on the dressing table and started to doll herself up. However, her look was the opposite of Huayun''s innocent look. With red eyeliner winged up and the end of her eyebrow slightly slanted upwards makes her extremely enchanting and seductive. She changed into the lady''s clothes after putting on some velvet red lipstick. Her clothes were very revealing. Her nape and most of her shoulder were exposed, added with her pushed up average sized chest. She clicked her tongue in annoyance as the image of Hong er''s b.r.e.a.s.t came into her pervert brain. The long cut on her skirt revealed her smooth and slender legs everytime she took a step forward. Then out of blue, a black clothed woman appeared beside Meiyun and kneeled on one knee. Black clothed woman: "Senior Meiyun, Wei Fang Tan has arrived at the first floor with Senior Huayun." Meiyun: "En." With the short reply, the black clothed woman disappeared into thin air. Meiyun sighed when she saw the long scar on her back, she hoped that no one would notice it. Huayun showed a confused look to Wei Fang Tan and hesitant to enter. Wei Fang Tan smiled sweetly at her and ambiguously caressed her right shoulder with his hand. Wei Fang Tan: "This is one of the most famous restaurants in the capital. Let this young master treat you to a lunch." Huayun: "U-uhm." Huayun timidly nodded her head and let herself pulled by him into the restaurant. A servants swiftly went to his side and guided him to his special seat. Huayun sat beside him and silently stared at the stage in front of her. Not long after, the food was luxuriously served in front of them and the musician on the stage started to play their instrument. Huayun almost choked on her tea when she saw Meiyun came out from the backstage. Wei Fang Tan and all of the customers were also distracted by Meiyun''s seductive dance. Meiyun slowly stretched out her slender leg and bent down to spun the fan in her hand. but her move exposed more of her cleavage and up to half of her thighs. All of their attention were attached to Meiyun and forgot about their food. Meiyun finished her dance with bending her knees and smiled proudly. But when she was about to go back to the backstage, a servant called her to go to Wei Fang Tan''s table and serve him. She unnoticeably smirked under her fan and went to his table whilst slightly swaying her hip from side to side. She almost sat on the seat beside him when he suddenly pulled her waist and made her sit on his lap near his sacred place. Huayun was slightly shocked by this and almost throw the cup in her hand to his head. Meiyun was also surprised but she quickly dealt with it and played along. She wrapped her arm around his neck and purposely pressed her chest on his, she giggled and fed him some of the dishes. (A/N: Maybe some of you will be disgusted or triggered by Meiyun''s s.l.u.t acting. But I ensure you there will be no s.e.x.u.a.l content.) He completely forgot about Huayun''s existence because of Meiyun''s absolute experience in serving a customer. Wei Fang Tan caressed Meiyun''s waist and hip with his right and rubbed her inner thigh with his left hand. Little did he know, Meiyun was internally cursing at him with every curse words that she know. Then a man in guard attire jogged to Wei Fang Tan and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the woman in Wei Fang Tan''s lap. Meiyun and Huayun also surprised to see the man at here and at the worst timing. Wei Fang Tan noticed Meiyun and Qiyi''s surprised face and asked. Wei Fang Tan: "You two know each other?" Meiyun turned her eyes to Wei Fang Tan and smiled slyly. Meiyun: "Yes, I performed at his camp once and remembered him as he had a quite handsome face." Meiyun playfully winked at Qiyi. Wei Fang Tan got a bit jealous and moved his hand closer to Meiyun''s private place. Meiyun''s breath hitched and laughed awkwardly whilst restraining his hand from going closer to her private place. Meiyun: "My Lord, please don''t. it is inappropriate." Meiyun: ''I will kill this motherf*cker. Didn''t they say only watch and don''t touch?!'' Qiyi clenched his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth in anger seeing Wei Fang Tan''s hands l.u.s.tfully roaming around Meiyun''s body. Wei Fang Tan: "Heh! Ben Gongzi is the owner of this place. I can do whatever I want." (A/N: Be Gongzi=this young master. The way he refers to himself.) He buried his face in Meiyun''s cleavage and breathed in her intoxicating scent. Qiyi almost cough blood from anger but Meiyun glanced at Qiyi and softly shook her head. The cup in Huayun''s cup cracked from her gripping too hard. And Qier who just came to deliver another set of liquor was dumbfounded. (Qier disguised as a waiter) Meiyun kept smiling even after she could feel something poking her bottom. Wei Fang Tan lifted up his head to look at Meiyun and leaned closer to her face. Wei Fang Tan: "Your heart¡­here¡­is beating so hard for me." Wei Fang Tan used his hand that was holding her waist to rub her left chest and slowly moved his hip to create friction between his crotch and Meiyun''s bottom. Wei Fang Tan: "I like you. Why don''t we enjoy our sweet time in a more private place?" Meiyun noticed that Wei Fang Tan was biting a white pill and brought it closer to her lips. She guessed that the pill was the drug that they uses to fool the innocent women. She thought that since she had come this far, why don''t she as well as investigate his drug case. She brought her lips closer to him and locked their lips together. Huayun''s cup was crushed into pieces, Qiyi''s palm started to bleed from his nail digging into his skin. Wei Fang Tan pushed the pill into Meiyun''s mouth and skillfully twist his tongue to ensure Meiyun swallowed the pill. Qiyi couldn''t hold in his anger anymore, he stretched out his hand to the pair that was kissing passionately. Out of the blue, she was harshly pulled into a hard chest and an oversized tunic wrapped her exposed shoulder. A rough and big hand firmly held her in place then a deep and low voice roared with rage. "DON''T TOUCH MY WOMAN!" Chapter 173 - 171. Don’t Touch My Woman! II Third person POV Wei Fang Tan flew across the restaurant and slammed onto the other customer''s table by a punch from the newcomer. Seeing that the situation wasn''t that good yet curious of how the fight would turn out, the musicians and customers scurried behind the restaurant door and peeked inside. Wei Fang Tan groaned and spitted out a tooth and blood. He angrily stood up and attacked back without caring who punched him. But since he didn''t seriously develop his magic, his attack was dispersed just by a swipe by the newcomer. Meiyun slowly looked up to the man and saw a familiar face. Meiyun: ''Ge-general Di¡­'' Meiyun dazedly stared at Di Shang and turned her gaze away from guilt. If he was here right now, that meant he saw her kissing Wei Fang Tan while he groping her. Wei Fang Tan was vexed because none of his attacks managed to give Di Shang even a scratch. Wei Fang Tan: "Who the f*ck are you?! Do you know who Ben Gongzi is?!" Wei Fang Tan proudly pounded his chest to show his dominance yet his panting destroyed the image that he hoped to show. Di Shang growled viciously, his face was black as ink, even Meiyun didn''t dare to say a word right now. There was a saying, the gentler a person was, the scarier they would get when they were angry which is true. Di Shang: "Who cares who the f*ck you are. The moment you touches my woman, you are dead." Di Shang summoned his Guan Dao and was about to attack Wei Fang Tan when Qiyi blocked his attack with his sword. Although Qiyi wanted to kill Wei Fang Tan too, he couldn''t do that as he received mission from Weisheng to investigate Wei Fang Tan, not to kill him. Therefore he had to keep Wei Fang Tan alive at any cost. Di Shang: "Move." Di Shang snapped at Qiyi. Not only Qiyi was blocking him from killing Wei Fang Tan, he was also his love rival. Knowing the tension between them grew tenser, he released Meiyun and gently pushed her to the side. Di Shang: "Don''t come near." Di Shang didn''t want Meiyun got hurt from his fight with Qiyi but he forgot that Meiyun was also a great fighter. After he ensured Meiyun was standing at a safe distance, he swung his Guan Dao at Qiyi mercilessly. Qiyi blocked his attack once again with his thin sword. Now he knew why Di Shang was granted with General title at such a young age. Even though Di Shang''s attack speed couldn''t compare to his, the strength that Di Shang put in his every attack is very heavy. Since Qiyi was originally trained like an assassin, he focused on his speed and agility so he could kill his target in just one shot. Therefore, he took a step back everytime Di Shang''s Guan Dao landed on his sword. Wei Fang Tan had long been restrained by Huayun and Qier and for now he was unconscious from being hit on his acupuncture point. After quite a while, Qiyi''s hand began to tremble and his grip on his sword started to loosen. Seeing his chance, Di Shang used his full power to swing his Guan Dao vertically. But he immediately stopped his Guan Dao from hitting Meiyun who suddenly appeared between Qiyi and him. She firmly looked at Di Shang in the eyes, showing that she is serious at the moment. Di Shang retracted his Guan Dao and stared back at her. His heart felt like it was pierced by a sword. He never expected that Meiyun would risk her life just to save her unrequited love. He turned around and walked away with his shoulder slumped down. Meiyun could see his extremely pained face and guilt hit her like a truck. Qiyi stared at Meiyun whose back was facing him. He was distracted by her exposed nape then his eyes slowly landed on a long scar on her back. Without looking back at him, Meiyun spoke with serious tone. Meiyun: "Take Wei Fang Tan away and go. I will handle him." Qiyi: "How can I leave you with him?" Di Shang who hasn''t walked that far away got annoyed by Qiyi''s remark. He only walked away to take his tunic that fell off Meiyun''s shoulder when she ran at full speed. He stomped his way back to them and glared menacingly at Qiyi. He averted his eyes to Meiyun and sighed helplessly. He gently dr.a.p.ed his tunic on her shoulder. Di Shang: "At least cover yourself." Meiyun: "E-en." But suddenly her wrist was pulled by Qiyi. Di Shang frowned and smacked Qiyi''s hand really hard. He quickly pulled Meiyun to his embrace as he growled at Qiyi for not touching his Meiyun. But Qiyi didn''t back down. Qiyi: "Don''t touch her like she is yours." Qiyi took her wrist again but she couldn''t move an inch from Di Shang''s embrace. Di Shang: "Who are you to her? She is not yours too." Di Shang rebuked and carried Meiyun in bridal style. He was quickly stopped by Qiyi when he almost walked away with Meiyun in his arms. Qiyi: "Put her down." Di Shang didn''t reply to him. Qiyi: "I will bring her back to the palace. Mind your own business." Di Shang''s face turned darker as he scrutinized Qiyi. Di Shang: "She is my woman. Her business is my business. And it is my responsibility to protect my woman." Di Shang coolly left the restaurant and used his qinggong to jump from roof to roof rather than using the perfectly made road. Huayun and the Qi brother also left the restaurant after dismissed the crowd and searched for evidence of Wei Fang Tan''s crime. Qier glanced at the dazed Qiyi and felt quite sad for his brother. After he took a closer look at Qiyi for a few weeks, he noticed that Qiyi had romantic feelings toward Meiyun even Qiyi himself may not notice it. So he asked Huayun a question regarding Meiyun''s disguise and her relationship with Di Shang. As far as he know, Meiyun had a crush on Qiyi for quite a time so why the sudden she had such a intimate relationship with Di Shang. Qier: "Huayun, what is Meiyun''s relationship with General Di?" Huayun expected this question sooner or later would be asked by one of the Qi brothers. She purposely said it out loud so Qiyi could also hear her because she was too lazy to explain it twice. Huayun: "We were attacked on the second day of our departure from Da Chu. Then two group of unknown assassins approached our entourage. I stayed by Her Majesty Empress side and Meiyun went to fight the ambusher. But they got something up their sleeve and she was heavily injured. Fortunately, the location was near to General Di''s post so he made it in time to save her life. I don''t know what happened to both of them but when she caught up to our entourage, her relationship with General Di improved like a lot. I just let her do what she wants." However Qiyi was not satisfied with Huayun''s half-hearted explanation. Qiyi: "Meiyun is very friendly and know no boundaries even to opposite s.e.x. However as her sister, you should look over her. To dress up as a p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e, she should think twice before she acts." Huayun scoffed and gave Qiyi a death stare. Huayun: "No wonder she chooses him over you." (Him= Di Shang.) Qiyi''s brow twitched in annoyance. Qiyi: "What has this got to do with him?" Huayun: "Everything." Huayun clenched her hand. Huayun: "You knew that she loves you but you choose to throw her feeling away like it is a piece of garbage! She used her own body to protect you but have you ever cared about her?! I always scold her for not being so reckless and blinded by her love, yet she only smiled with those pale lips and begged me to not make anything difficult for you! Since she never asked anything from me, I listened to her for the hundredth time. She is my sister! I care about her! If you are not Qier''s brother, I would have killed you long ago!" Chapter 174 - 172. Why are you here? I Third-person POV Huayun roared at Qiyi. Qier could only stand silently at the side watching his brother being reprimanded by his girlfriend. Because he only had his eyes on Huayun and Weisheng, he didn''t notice Meiyun'' love for Qiyi. But after hearing everything from Huayun, he also thought that her brother was indeed too cruel on Meiyun who loved him unconditionally. Qiyi: "I don''t know about her feelings at that time and I do feel guilty for what she had suffered for me. That''s why I want to repay her." Huayun: "By what? By mocking her for dressing like a p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e? Huh?!" Huayun sneered at Qiyi. Qiyi: "That''s not what I mean." Huayun: "Then what do you mean? You always judged her without even bothering to know the reason why she did that. Fine, I will tell you right here, right now. She thinks about me, that''s why she disguised as a p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e in my place. Ok, you will probably say why don''t you disguise as other person. Wei Fang Tan is a pervert, he would show more interest in s.e.xier woman than an innocent woman like what I disguised as. Would he even bat an eye to Meiyun if she disguises as a maid? And she concerned about my relationship if I dressed up as a p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e even after knowing that she would get molested by him. What do you know about her to judge her like that?" Qiyi was silenced by Huayun''s rage. Seeing that he wasn''t going to say anything back, Huayun sighed tiredly and massaged her temples. Huayun: "At first, I thought that you can bring Meiyun a little bit happiness but because of your shitty pride and dignity, you disregarded everything about her. That''s the reason why I, as her sister, very happy that she found someone sincerely loves her. I hope you won''t poke your nose on their business." Huayun coolly left using her qinggong, she afraid that she couldn''t refrain herself from slapping Qiyi on the face if she stayed any longer. Qier turned his eyes from Huayun''s silhouette to his brother, he too sighed in disappointment. Qier: "Qiyi, how could you do that to Meiyun? If I know that she got that deep slash on her back from protecting you, I wouldn''t have pointed my sword on her but you dare? And what Huayun said is right, Meiyun looks happier with General Di so I hope you can move on from her." After saying his part, Qier left Qiyi and followed Huayun. . . It didn''t take Di Shang too long to arrive at his temporary residence. Because of Meiyun''s inappropriate dress, he ignored all of his family''s call and servants'' greeting and directly went into his chamber with an enchanting woman in his arms. Naran and Di Tian''s (Di Shang''s lil brother) jaw almost dropped to the floor. As far as she knew, her eldest son was crazily in love with Meiyun then why was he carrying such a s.e.xy woman into their residence. After a few seconds, her brain finally clicked. Naran: ''That woman is Meiyun¡­..right?'' Di Tian stared vacantly at the direction his brother left to. Di Tian: ''D*mn, I don''t know big bro likes that type of woman.'' Di Shang used his foot to close the door behind him and put Meiyun down to his bed. Meiyun hasn''t said a word when he carried her so he crouched down to look at Meiyun''s face but she abruptly stands up which caused his tunic once again to fell from her shoulder and rushed to a table with a set of tea displayed on it. Meiyun spat out a white pill on a basin that was for that purpose and gargled her mouth with the tea. She repeated this three times and panted heavily. The worried Di Shang went behind her and patted her back to calm her down. He took out his handkerchief and lightly wiped the tea that dribbled out from her mouth. Then his eyes slowly trailed down to her pushed up chest and his face became crimson red. Meiyun didn''t notice the change of his face and continued to pant heavily causing her chest to move up and down. The memory of her kissing that pervert Wei Fang Tan makes her want to puke out blood. And the feeling of her inner thigh being caressed hasn''t left at all, it felt like she wanted to rip off her skin and burn it into ashes. Tears unintentionally well up on her eyes, Di Shang''s heart instantly sank and his wild imagination was thrown away to the back of his mind. He bent down to her level and wiped her tears with his thumb. Di Shang: "What''s wrong?" He spoke with the gentlest voice he possibly had. However, Meiyun didn''t reply to him and her breath turned more haggard. Cold sweat built up on her forehead like she just took a shower. Di Shang: ''Panic attack.'' (A/N: Idk really know the specific details of panic attack so please spare me.) Di Shang immediately pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly but not enough to hurt her. His hand rubbed her acupuncture point to calm her nerve which worked incredulously. Di Shang: "Shh shh shh~ I am here, I am here to protect you." Meiyun''s trembling hand slowly wrapped itself around his waist and gripped on his clothes. They stayed this way for a few minutes then Meiyun suddenly regained her sanity. She quickly pulled away from Di Shang and blushed profusely as she apologized for her inappropriate behavior. Di Shang only smiled gently and pulled her back into his embrace. Di Shang: "I am willing to be your warm bottle, cushion, or whatever you want." Meiyun giggled at his offer. Meiyun: "Fine, I accept you as my warm bottle." Di Shang laughed along with Meiyun. Meiyun glanced at her clothes and felt slightly bashful when the thought of Di Shang and his people in this residence had seen her in this inappropriate clothes. Di Shang looked down and saw her slightly smudged lipstick. His already calmed down heart became furious once again. He roughly wiped Meiyun''s lips with his sleeve until her lipstick completely gone. Meiyun: "Umumumu~" Meiyun''s voice became weird because of the rubbing motion and before she could say a word, Di Shang locked her lips with his lips. Meiyun shut her eyes and blushed like this is her first kiss. Di Shang''s tongue infiltrated into Meiyun''s mouth and wandered to every corner of her mouth. He used his right hand to pull Meiyun''s head so he could kiss her deeper. Then with his other hand, he picked her up to the bed without separating the kiss. Meiyun was pinned to the bed with his body and could only silently get eaten by Di Shang. Di Shang pulled away after she got quite breathless. He looked down on her and licked his lips in satisfaction. Meiyun looked away from the s.e.xy scene in front of her, afraid that she would fall into his trap. Her eyes went wide and a m.o.a.n accidentally slipped from her lips. She looked down at her chest and saw Di Shang buried his face on her cleavage and sniffed her scent. Even though her dress was still perfectly on, she felt like she was n.a.k.e.d under his eyes. Meiyun: "Ge-ge-general D-Di, wh-what are you doing?! Please, sto- Hiiii~" Meiyun''s body twitched when his tongue brushed over her chest. He continued this until he heard a sniffle above his head. He slowly looked up and saw her cutely pouting with tears pooled on her eyes. He immediately released her and apologized with a coaxing voice. Di Shang: "Please don''t be upset. I''m sorry, I lost my control when I recalled how that bastard kissed and touched your body. Hey~ Look here." Di Shang turned her body to face him but she still didn''t look at him in the eyes. He smiled gently and pecked her lips. Di Shang: "Are we good?" Meiyun unnoticeably nodded her head and finally looked at him. Meiyun: "I''m sorry." Di Shang: "Hm?" Meiyun: "I should have saved my first kiss for you." Di Shang''s brow twitched. Di Shang: "So he is your first kiss?" Meiyun: "No" Di Shang''s eyes glinted a dangerous look. Meiyun: "It was long ago that I forg-" Didn''t want to hear anymore than this, Di Shang continued to kiss her until she tapped his back in K.O. Chapter 175 - 173. Why are you here? II Third-person POV Meiyun sat across Di Shang with her eyes darted to every corner of the room. Di Shang still couldn''t get rid of his vinegar after everything he saw in the restaurant. Meiyun: "So~ Why are you there?" Di Shang: "I got a bit lost and unconsciously went into the red district but who would have thought that I would see you there kissing another man." Meiyun: "A-ahahaha¡­" Meiyun laughed awkwardly when Di Shang gave her a meaningful glance. Meiyun: "So~ Just what did you see?" Di Shang: "My body immediately react on its own when I saw you." Meiyun: "Ohh~ So you didn''t see the dance." Di Shang: "What dance?" Di Shang asked with a firm voice, Meiyun covered her blabbermouth with her palm and vigorously shook her head in no. But knowing that Di Shang wouldn''t give up, Meiyun rose from her seat and walked to the middle of the room. Di Shang: "Where are you going?" Meiyun: "Haiii¡­ I will just show you the dance and you have to forgive me, kay?" Meiyun gave him a thumbs up and shamelessly winked at him. Di Shang leaned his back on his chair and nodded his head. With that, Meiyun began to dance as how she previously danced in the restaurant, flirtatious and provocative. Di Shang''s eyes glued on her h.i.p.s that swayed from side to side. What makes it worse, Meiyun frequently bent down which showed more of her cleavage and her plump buttocks. Without further saying, his little brother reacted to the dance and couldn''t help but stood proudly at the sight of the s.e.xy woman. Meiyun finished her dance and happily skipped towards Di Shang. Her face was completely different from when she was dancing. The sly and flirty face became a puppy that demanded to get praise after doing a good job. Di Shang peeked at her face and could literally hear ''Praise me! Praise me! Come on!'' from her glittering eyes. He hummed and petted her head. Di Shang: "En. You danced really good that it makes my little junior stood. Hm~" Di Shang smirked and slide his finger on her jawline. Meiyun''s eyes moved like a jet, from his face to his little junior and to the exit door. She smiled innocently and slowly but surely distanced herself from Di Shang. Meiyun: "We-well then, you do your business. I will take my leave fir-" (A/N: Warning! Kinda s.e.x.u.a.l. Kinda snu snu but not snu snu.) Meiyun swiftly turned around and was going to run away but he was a step quicker than her. He pulled her waist and made her sat in between his thighs. Her buttocks were pressing against his hard rock member. Her whole face flushed in crimson red and her breath fastened. Di Shang smiled slyly after he got the reaction that he wanted from Meiyun. His hand slowly trailed from her waist to her trembling hand. He leaned his lips to her ears and whispered with a husky voice. Di Shang: "Since you are the one who provoked him, help me to calm him down." Di Shang brought her hand to his little brother and exhaled when her small hand touched his little brother. He used her hand to release his little brother from the fabric that restrained him from standing straight. Meiyun closed her eyes from the sight of his n.a.k.e.d little brother yet because of curiosity, she peeked from the corner of her eyes. With his hand enveloped her hand, he moved her hand up and down whilst groaning huskily with his eyes closed. Noticed that Meiyun was peeking at him, he looked up and smirked. She was oblivious that she had been exposed, then he pulled her into a passionate kiss. She didn''t know why but she m.o.a.ned from the sound of him groaning in the kiss. Feeling that he was going to release, his hand movement quicken so do his kiss. A white liquid stained their hand and clothes but they didn''t pay heed to that. After kissing for a few seconds, his head slide down to her neck and left a kiss mark on her white skin as a commemoration for what they did today. Di Shang: "Sorry, I dirtied your clothes. I will bring you a new one." Meiyun: "E-en." Meiyun turned away and let her hand wiped by Di Shang. Her face was still hot like burning charcoal but there was one question that she wanted to ask him. Meiyun: "U-um.." Di Shang: "Hm?" Meiyun: "Di-di-did it feel good?" Di Shang''s eyes slightly widened and a mischievous grin crept up to his lips. He pulled her hand that he was wiping to make her face his way and kissed her for the tenth time. Di Shang: "It felt really good. Thank you." Di Shang pecked her lips and smiled slyly. Meiyun lowered her head in embarrassment and bit her lips to stop herself from smiling like a fool because of his praise. But Di Shang noticed the corner of her lips slightly curved up into a smile, his heart cooed and pulled her into a hug. Di Shang: "You are too cute to be true." Meiyun: "Y-you think I am cute?" Di Shang: "En. Very. And you are very beautiful today." Meiyun: "Hehehe~" Meiyun laughed sheepishly and lightly smacked his chest. Di Shang: "Tomorrow, I will go ask Her Majesty Empress for your hand in marriage." Meiyun whipped up her head to look at him. Di Shang: "I know that you think that this is too fast. But I can''t wait to make you my wife and have a few buns running around in our courtyard." Meiyun almost tear up by his dream, she also would like to see that scene with him. She leaned her head on his chest and hummed. Meiyun: "En." Then an image of Qiyi suddenly passed by her mind. She afraid that if she talked about Qiyi to him, he would get mad but she didn''t want to hide anything from him or feeling guilty to Qiyi. She placed her hand on top of his hand and gently caressed it. Meiyun: "General Di." Di Shang: "Qin ai de." (A/N: It means ''dear'', Di Shang wants her to call him ''dear''.) Meiyun: "*sigh Dear, uumm about Qiyi. Please forgive him, I was the one who told him to not save me so please don''t blame him." Di Shang: "Why do I have to forgive him?" Meiyun: "He is someone I cared for so please?" Di Shang: "So you still likes him?" Di Shang turned away and frowned like there is no tomorrow. Meiyun: "No, it is not like that. I did like him and it was in the past. And now, it is you who I love." Meiyun kissed his cheek and smiled brightly. Her method indeed powerful, his heart swayed by the sincerity in her words and peeked at her from the corner of his eyes. Meiyun: "He and I had fought shoulder to shoulder so I can''t help but worries about him. It seems like he is burdened by the works His Majesty Emperor had given to him and didn''t realize that he had offended you. For my sake, please forgive him." Di Shang contemplated for a while and asked firmly. Di Shang: "But what makes you so desperate to make me forgive him." Meiyun smiled like usual but he could see a tint of sadness and guilt in her eyes. Meiyun: "With that, we don''t owe each other anymore." (A/N: We= Meiyun and Qiyi.) Di Shang sighed and nodded his head to show that he had forgiven Qiyi. Meiyun smiled and pecked his lips which caused the corner of his lips to arch. Meiyun: "Thank you, my dear! Hehehe~" Chapter 176 - 174. Di Shang’s Proposal Third-person POV Hong er tapped her finger on armrest whilst pondering Di Shang''s proposal of marrying Meiyun. She unconsciously glared at Di Shang who was kneeling in front of her with eyes full of doubt. Huayun poured a cup of hot tea for Hong er while Meiyun massaged her shoulder to calm her down. Hong er: "Ben Gong trust you will treat her benevolently as your pair. But Meiyun is one of Ben Gong''s closest friends and you can say we are literally sisters. So it will be hard for Ben Gong to have her leave Ben Gong''s side." Meiyun snorted internally and glanced at Di Shang''s calm expression. Di Shang: "I planned to marry Meiyun in 8 months, therefore, I pleaded Your Majesty Empress to at least approve our engagement." They could clearly hear Di Shang''s sincerity in his voice. He bowed to Hong er once again and hoped that she would approve. Hong er glimpsed at the smiling Meiyun and she herself also smiled happily. But she wanted to test Di Shang so Meiyun wouldn''t be sad after she marry to him. Her happy face changed into fierce and intimidating. Hong er: "Ben Gong definitely won''t doubt Di family because of the friendship of our father and Ben Gong could feel the enthusiasm of Madam Di to have a descendant. But what makes you so rushed to marry her? What makes her so special that the mighty General Di has to bow his head just for a servant?" Hong didn''t mean to look down on Meiyun''s status and Meiyun also understood what Hong er trying to do. It didn''t take Di Shang 2 seconds to reply to Hong er. Di Shang: "If Your Majesty Empress telling me to say the reasons why I love Meiyun then it will take a month. I am aware of her status as a servant and didn''t mind it at all because what I love about her is her personality, not her status or her wealth. The reason why I am so rushed is that I am afraid that this beautiful lady would get stolen by someone who is cowardice and valued his pride more than her." Hong er: "Hoo~ It seems like you are referring to someone." Then a loud voice of an eunuch made them pause. Eunuch: "His Majesty Emperor arrived." . Weisheng walked in with the Qi brothers behind him. Meiyun was quite perplexed by Qiyi''s gaze that he directed at Di Shang and her. Hong er quickly rose from her seat and bent her knees to greet Weisheng Hong er: "Your Majesty Emperor, are you finished with the morning court?" Weisheng: "En." Weisheng took her and guided her to sit beside him. Weisheng: "May Zhen ask what are you doing here, General Di?" Di Shang: "I am here to ask for Meiyun''s hand in marriage." Weisheng: "So what Zhen''s wife says?" Weisheng glanced at the smiling Hong er and she nodded at him. Qiyi''s eyes widened when he saw Hong er approved Di Shang''s proposal but before he could voice out his opinion, Weisheng''s hand stopped him. Hong er: "What do Your Majesty Emperor think about this?" Weisheng: "Since Meiyun is your servant, it should be you who decides. But Zhen prefers Meiyun stays beside Zhen''s Empress as she is trusted and very capable in protecting Zhen''s Empress." Di Shang: "This can easily be done, Your Majesty Emperor and Empress." Di Shang spoke and gave Weisheng a meaningful glance. Weisheng unnoticeably nodded his head and turned away. Weisheng: "Beloved Empress, I have to go again. Sorry." Hong er: "En." Hong er smiled lovingly at Weisheng and waved her hand. Weisheng stopped at the exit and looked at the Qi brothers. Weisheng: "Only Qier follows me. Qiyi, clear up your misunderstanding." With that, Weisheng left coolly with Qier. Di Shang also bowed to Hong er and excused himself after smiled softly at Meiyun. Meiyun mouthed ''See you'' to Di Shang and smiled brightly while watching him exit the hall. Di Shang didn''t even spare a glance to Qiyi and brushed past him. Hong er nudged Meiyun''s arm and glanced at the standing Qiyi. Hong er: "Go talk to him." Meiyun: "En." Meiyun went to his side and tapped his shoulder. Qiyi turned around and stared at the woman that he neglected. Meiyun saw his sad eyes and worriedly asked him. Meiyun: "What''s wrong? Hey hey hey, why don''t we talk outside? It is inappropriate to talk leisurely in front of Her Majesty Empress." Qiyi: "En." They bowed to Hong er and went outside of the hall. Meiyun: "Now, is it okay if you tell me what''s the matter?" Qiyi didn''t reply and only stares at her worried face. Meiyun knitted her brow and sighed. Meiyun: "Fine, if you don''t-" Qiyi: "Do you like me?" Meiyun was caught off guard by his question and couldn''t answer him for a while. Meiyun: "Yes." Qiyi: "Th-" Meiyun: "I did." Qiyi was at a loss for words, she used past tense to reply to him. He snorted and stared at her in disbelief. Qiyi: "Can''t you give me one more chance?" Meiyun wasn''t stupid, by the sentence that he threw at her, she immediately realizes that he likes her. But right now, the man that filled up her heart with happiness is Di Shang. Meiyun: "I did like to but have you ever give me a chance to love you?" Qiyi: "I''m sorry. I didn''t know about your feelings." Meiyun: "It''s not that you don''t know but it is you who refuse to acknowledge it." Qiyi was stupefied by the revelation. It was him who kept on blaming other people for his own mistake. Meiyun: "I''m not mad. It is me who decided to love you, don''t blame yourself." And he didn''t expect that it would be her who consoled his broken heart but her next words made him feel guilty and dissatisfied. Meiyun: "You should find someone better than me and have a happy married life. The one who will protect you and care for you with her whole heart. And I hope we can still be buddy, it is very fun to have you as a friend." Meiyun tapped his shoulder and left with a free smile on her face. His expressionless face and with his death eyes made him look extremely pitiful. He leaned on the wall beside him and a smile filled with sadness displayed on his lips. Qiyi: "Sadly, there is no woman who would love me like you did." . . Weisheng and Di Shang sat across each other and leisurely sipped their tea. Qier was waiting outside and left them alone in the room to discuss about Di Shang''s another proposal. They didn''t feel awkward or unpleasant as both of them were men of few words. But since Di Shang was more generous in spitting out words, he started the conversation with a few words. Di Shang: "Your Majesty Emperor, I want to make a deal." Weisheng: "What?" Weisheng asked him nonchalantly. Di Shang slid a wooden box that was sealed with a high casted magic seal. He positioned his palm above the box and the seal was broken. Di Shang: "This scroll contains everything that is necessary and this plan has been approved by my father. If Your Majesty Emperor interested, give us a notice." Weisheng: "En." Weisheng nodded his head. Di Shang rose from his seat and bowed to Weisheng. Di Shang: "Well then, I excuse myself." Di Shang walked out of the room. Weisheng opened the unsealed box and took out a quite amount of paper inside of the box. He read a few pages and smirked, then he saw a few words that were recently written on the last paper. ''It is a surprise'' Weisheng leaned his back on his chair and sighed. It seems like he had to keep a few secrets from Hong er. Chapter 177 - 175. Dragon Child I Third-person POV Hong er was talking to Xue Lang when Weisheng out of nowhere appeared behind her. Xue Lang almost choked on his saliva meanwhile Hong er smiled brightly seeing her husband had finished his important meeting. She patted the seat beside her and spoke with a cheerful voice. Hong er: "Come here~ come here~ Take a seat. I made a Liang Gao to beat some of the summer heat." (Liang Gao is a traditional Han dessert popular in Beijing area. With soft, fresh and delicious tastes, it is often eaten during summer. This snack is also popular in Yibin city, Sichuan province. But different from that of Beijing, it is made of rice and brown sugar.) Weisheng: "En." Weisheng sat down and scooped up some of the white rice rake then put it in his mouth. Hong er: "So, what about Wei Fang Tan?" Weisheng: "Guilty." Hong er: "Hoo~ Well, it is good then." Weisheng: "You sly fox." Hong er: "Hehehe~" Qiyi reported to Weisheng that recently there was a rumor that spread among the nobles ad commoners like fire. It said that Wei Fang Tan tried to take the sister of his fianc¨¦e as his concubine too so he could enjoy two beauties at once. But failed because of the strong sisterhood between Ming Zhu and Ming Yu had. Before Wei Fang Tan could taste Ming Yu, Ming Zhu came in time to save Ming Yu. This rumor was easily believed by the folks as Wei Fang Tan was infamous for his Casanova behavior. Weisheng could see that Hong er changed the table by altering the attention from Ming Zhu to Wei Fang Tan as it would be easier to solve the problem. Weisheng: "Don''t you feel bad for blaming all the fault to Wei Fang Tan?" Hong er''s eyes changed drastically and had some killing intent in it, yet she maintained her gentle smile which made it more terrifying to the on-lookers. Hong er: "No, not even a little bit." Weisheng: "Why?" Hong er: "He assaulted Meiyun so I can''t let him go unscattered. Plus, he was the cause of Miss Ming Zhu''s anger." Weisheng smiled fondly at her and kissed her cheek. He was very proud of his wife that he wanted to lift her up to the sky and let everyone see how cool she is. This rumor caused Ming Zhu and Wei Fang Tan''s engagement to break. At first, Ming Zhu was depressed but the words that Hong er told her beside the lake kept spinning in her head. So she decided to move on and focused on her studies. Meanwhile, Ming Yu''s reputation had gotten better than before as rumors said that she got Hong er on her back. Her siblings became silent and didn''t dare to bully her again like how they used to after being lectured by their father. If their father was scared out of his wit from seeing Hong er, let alone them who didn''t have any title nor backing that could compare to Hong er. A few hours ago, the elderly in Wei family obliged him to convince Weisheng because he worked beside him so his request very likely would be accepted. Wei Yunru who couldn''t fight back his elderly, approached Weisheng and hesitantly asked him to be lenient on Wei Fang Tan''s punishment as Wei Fang Tan is his cousin. Weisheng: "No." Wei Yunru had expected to be rejected by Weisheng but he wanted to know the reason. Weisheng: "Zhen had reconsidered your family''s merit and only put him in rehabilitation. So Wei family is dissatisfied with Zhen''s decision." Wei Yunru: "No no, this official didn''t dare." Weisheng: "Bu zuo bu si." (''Not do not die'' = If you don''t do stupid things, you won''t end in tragedy.) With those four words, Weisheng dismissed Wei Yunru. Wei Yunru could only retreat and told the elderly every word that Weisheng spit out. The elderly silently complained Weisheng for being heartless and cruel even to their family that had served his father for decades. . . 1 month later Hong er was extremely confused by now. She hasn''t got her menstruation for this one and half a month, she told the Yun sisters and when they were going to call over a physician, she stopped them. Hong er: "Just call the physician after we come back from Her Majesty Empress Dowager''s place. We shouldn''t delay." They followed Hong er to Lu Cixi''s palace and coincidentally, Princess Yue made a dish especially for Hong er to express her gratitude for teaching her how to cook despite herself being extremely busy. Lu Cixi also had become very fond of her daughter-in-law and cared for her more than her own son. She could see the sincerity in everything that Hong er''s did and never expect anything back which made her so grateful to have someone like her beside Weisheng. After her husband gravely sick, her son become occupied with state affairs and seldom came to visit her. Without her realizing, she felt like she just lost a son. But ever since Hong er arrived here, Hong er wouldn''t fail to bring Weisheng along with her to greet her in the morning. And it made Lu Cixi''s mood better day by day. One time, she wanted to test Hong er and told the servants to gossip that she was unwell. To her surprise, her spy reported that Hong er immediately threw away her brush and commanded the servants to call several physicians like she was on a battlefield. Hong er ran to her palace with the speed of sound and her face clearly shown that she was worried about Lu Cixi. After checking Lu Cixi''s pulse, the physician realized that she was perfectly fine and he saw Lu Cixi''s sly gaze. The physician decided to act along her and told Hong er that Lu Cixi strained her waist too much. He also included that only by massaging that it could be cured and as a man, he shouldn''t touch Lu Cixi. Hong er quickly stepped up and determinedly said that she was very good at massage as she frequently gave her father massage. Although it was only her waist that hurt, yet Hong er professionally massaged her whole body without a single complaint. Lu Cixi felt like she was in bliss when Hong er massaged her and Hong er''s knowledge about the world was very wide and flexible therefore it made her fun to talk to. Two hours later, after Weisheng was done with morning court, he visited Lu Cixi after got news that a physician had come to check her pulse. As far as he knew, Lu Cixi was very healthy and rarely got sick so he was aware that his mother was teasing his wife. And when he arrived at her palace, he saw his wife, mother, and little sister was talking joyfully and ignored his existence until Lu Cixi stopped Hong er from massaging her. Then she saw his son was sulking like a spoiled brat when his candy was taken away. In the Liu family brain, they were thinking of how to keep Hong er for themselves. *Back to the present Lu Cixi was especially worried when she saw how pale Hong er''s face was. And when she was about to order the servant to call over a physician, Princess Yue opened the lid of dish that she made. The scent of heavily seasoned pork entered Hong er''s sensitive nose and a surge of nauseous suddenly hit her. However, she was quite used to pain so she only closed her eyes and elegantly placed her fingers on her pale lips to calm the nauseating feeling. Nevertheless, it didn''t escape everyone''s eyes that she felt somewhat uncomfortable therefore the Yun sisters quickly ordered a servant beside them to call a physician. The physician ran with all of his might and quickly take Hong er''s pulse. His brows were knitted and he checked her pulse for a few times before smiling brightly and gleefully stood up. Physician: "Congratulations to Your Majesty Empress Dowager! Congratulations to Your Majesty Empress! Your Majesty Empress has a dragon child!" Chapter 178 - 176. Congratulation! II Third-person POV Lu Cixi immediately stands up with a wide smile on her face. Lu Cixi: "Aijia didn''t hear wrong right?" Physician: "No Your Majesty Empress Dowager. Her Majesty Empress is indeed pregnant and it is already three weeks old." Lu Cixi turned her eyes to the shocked Hong er and grabbed her hands. Hong er couldn''t say anything back as her mind was jumping up and down. Then Princess Yue hugged her from behind and rambled about the gender of the child. Not long after, Weisheng appeared at the front gate whilst panting heavily from excitement rather than fatigue. His crimson red eyes were bright as sun as he stared at Hong er with a wide smile. He ran to her side and couldn''t help but let out a little laugh a few times. He scooped her up and spun her around whilst laughing out loud. Everyone immediately panicked and Lu Cixi smacked his head. Lu Cixi: "Put her down, you idiot! What if you hurt the baby?!" Weisheng finally realized his mistake, he quickly put Hong er down and scanned her from up and down to ensure that she is alright. He demanded the physician to check if the baby inside was healthy or not but the physician reassured him that Hong er has a very strong body and Qi inside her which strengthened the baby. Weisheng turned to the silent Hong er and saw her smiling from ear to ear while caressing her flat belly. She looked up and excitedly spoke. Hong er: "Xue Lang! Xue Lang needs to know that he is going to have a little sibling. Go call him!" Meiyun: "Yes!" The Yun sisters that were jumping up and down and circled around whilst holding hand immediately regained their composure and went to fetch Xue Lang up. Weisheng cautiously helped Hong er to sit down and earned a burst of laughter from his mother. Lu Cixi: "We pregnant women are not that weak and fragile. As long as you don''t do anything heavily or stressful, you will be fine." Hong er: "Thanking Your Majesty Empress Dowager for the advice." Weisheng: "But-" Lu Cixi: "What but? Your Majesty Emperor is the one who almost squashed her. Since Hong er is pregnant with Aijia''s grandchild, Aijia will protect you with all costs even from Your Majesty Emperor." Even his mother had ignored him and choose Hong er more than him, he thought. Hong er: "Hehehe~" Then Hong er thought back to the dish that Princess Yue made for her. Princess Yue: "It''s fine~ My seasoned pork could reveal sister-in-law''s pregnancy is already enough, hahaha~" The dish was taken away and quickly replaced with lightly flavored dishes for their lunch. then fast little footsteps were heard from outside of the hall. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother!" Hong er: "Xue Lang, come here." Hong er stretched out her hand and Xue Lang jumped into her embrace. He leaned his ear on Hong er''s belly and frowned when he didn''t hear anything. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, where is the baby?" Hong er: "Hahaha~ You can only hear it after it got bigger." Xue Lang: "Oohh~ I can''t wait to play with them." Everyone smiled warmly at the cute interaction between mother and son. Lu Cixi patted Cue Lang''s head and gently spoke. Lu Cixi: "Sit and eat your lunch." Xue Lang: "Yes, Imperial Grandmother." Later at the night, Weisheng couldn''t stop caressing Hong er''s abdomen and felt like he was in cloud nine. The security in the palace became stricter and tighter after the news of Hong er''s pregnancy. The news very quick traveled into Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing''s ears and they immediately sent a few gifts to Hong er. Even Xu Weimin and Xiu Rong secretly visited Hong er just to give her pieces of advice about what to do when she was pregnant. They gave Xue Lang a jade necklace with his name carved on it before they returned to Xi Bei the next morning. . . Xue Lang who couldn''t sleep went to take a walk around his mother''s courtyard and met Meiyun that was guarding in front of the door. Meiyun was surprised to see him walking alone in the middle of the night, she went to his side and worriedly asked him. Meiyun: "Why are you alone here? In the middle of the night?" Xue Lang: "Auntie Meiyun¡­" (Xue Lang called her auntie bc Hong er said that the Yun sisters are basically her sisters but he didn''t use ''imperial'') Meiyun: "Yes, Your Highness?" Xue Lang: "Do you think Imperial Mother will forget about me if the baby came out?" Xue Lang asked with his eyes downcast. Meiyun smiled brightly and ruffled his hair. Meiyun: "Of course not! Her Majesty Empress is not that kind of person, trust me." Xue Lang: "But I''m not Imperial Mother''s biological son. Imperial Mother will-" Meiyun: "Shh shh shh~ Being in the new family and didn''t know anything about them, and always afraid of being thrown away, I know, I know it well." Xue Lang: "How?..." Xue Lang stared at Meiyun full of puzzlement. Meiyun only smiled at him and didn''t r answer his question. Meiyun: "Your Highness, you should go to bed." Xue Lang: "En. But I feel lonely in that room." Meiyun: "Fine. Why don''t we talk until you fell asleep?" Xue Lang: "En." Meiyun and Xue Lang sat on the stairs in front of Hong er''s chamber and talked until his head nodded back and forward. Meiyun signaled the bodyguards that hid behind the wall to come and take Xue Lang back to his room. After Xue Lang was taken away by his bodyguards, Meiyun went back to her previous position and continued to guard her masters. But unknown to them, the couple inside heard everything that they talked about and felt sad that Xue Lang thought that they would throw him away just after she had her child. Weisheng sighed as he didn''t know how to comfort a kid. Hong er pondered for a while and thought up an idea. She took out her embroidery set and started to draw a design on the white cloth. Weisheng stared at her and also contemplated what should he gift Xue Lang. Then he recalled that Xue Lang hadn''t had his own weapon yet so maybe he would bring him to search for his affinity weapon. The couple made sure that their cute adoptive son would always feel loved. Chapter 179 - 177. Xue Lang’s Gifts I Third-person POV Weisheng asked Hong er a favor to wake him up earlier than usual cause he wanted to take Xue Lang to hunt and now, it was him who kept grunting that he didn''t want to wake up. After used some efforts, Weisheng freshened himself up by washing his face. He walked towards the dining table and saw three bowls of wonton noodles. He didn''t know why but he was sure that it was made by Hong er. And when he wanted to scold Hong er for being strenuous on herself, he was immediately stopped by a kiss from her. Hong er: "I know what Sheng ge is going to say. But exercising is very good when pregnant. And cooking is also an exercise." Hong er pushed his bowl closer to him and smiled with her puppy eyes. She knew his weakness and dared to use it against him. He could only sigh as he couldn''t punish her too hard on the bed because she was pregnant. They waited for a few minutes and Xue Lang finally arrived. Hong er patted the seat beside her and he quietly sat on the seat with his usual expression. Xue Lang: "Imperial Father, it is quite rare for you to wake up this early." Weisheng: "En. I will bring you to Frosted Mount and pick up some things." Xue Lang: "En." Xue Lang nodded his head obediently and didn''t ask any further. They finished their breakfast and the father and son were preparing to depart. Hong er lent Xue Lang Xiao Bai as only Xiao Bai could compare to Xiao Hei, Weisheng''s horse. She whispered a few words to Xiao Bai. Hong er: "Please protect Xue Lang, Xiao Bai." Xiao Bai rubbed her face on Hong er''s as a yes. Qiyi sat behind Xue Lang and held the reins as Xue Lang hadn''t fully master horse-riding. They departed and Hong er went to do her morning practice which almost made all of the servants panic. Hong er convinced them once again that it was fine as she wouldn''t have a match or a fight. The momo (nanny) that had bore babies before helped Hong er to reassure all of the unmarried folks. After they calmed down, Hong er continued her practice for 1 hour and took a bath she before proceed to give Lu Cixi her morning greeting. . . After 6 hours of ride, Weisheng''s entourage finally arrived at the feet of Frosted Mountain. Even though they were in the middle of summer, the snow on the mountain was extremely thick and the cold wind made their hair a bit tangled. But since Xue Lang had an ice element, he didn''t feel as cold as the others that don''t have ice element. Weisheng''s soldiers that had fire element transferred some of their Qi to the others so they would stay warm even in the horrendous blizzard. They continued to walk through the blizzard without rest. A few hours later, they reached the top of the mountain and saw an enormous ice block with a flat top which makes it more like a table. Weisheng had explained to him that he was going to find his magic weapon and since Weisheng was one of the highest status humans in this whole continent, of course his son had to have the best quality things in his hand. But Weisheng didn''t want to make it easy for Xue Lang, he wanted to test Xue Lang''s patience and insight in finding the magical weapon in the middle of the blizzard. Weisheng sat below the tree that was covered in snow and signaled Xue Lang to begin his search. Xue Lang scanned the area around him, the only thing that he could see was dead trees enveloped in snow and the ice block. From the books that he read before, those magical things would always appear majestically and unworldly. Nevertheless, Hong er often taught him to not look down on things. Even if it appears worthless, sometimes it works better than those with beautiful appearance. He placed his cold palm on the ice block and frowned. He didn''t feel any Qi nor aura from the ice, it was only a normal ice. At the same time, why would such an enormous sized ice block placed neatly on the tip of mountain? He hadn''t seen any ice since he entered the mountain as there was no water to be crystallized. When he was going to say that the ice was the magical weapon to Weisheng, he saw him staring at him with unfathomable eyes. Xue Lang: ''One shouldn''t be hasty.'' Xue Lang pondered once again and stared dazedly at the blizzard. Hong er''s words repeated inside his brain like it was to remind him something. His eyes brightened as he finally figured out the answer. He stretched out his hand and took a deep breath. He concentrated his Qi to his palm and the howling blizzard had gotten slightly calmer but didn''t really change that much. He gritted his teeth and continued to gather the blizzard on his little palm. After 10 minutes, his lips became extremely pale as water vapor came out from his mouth. the sweat on his forehead also frozen into water crystal from the low temperature. The blizzard had calmed a lot and sunlight finally shone through the gloomy mountain. Xue Lang: ''A bit more!'' As the blizzard above him finally became very tiny, he clapped his hand and the blizzard exploded with a bright light blinded their eyes. Then they felt a cold sensation fell on their face, they opened their eyes and saw the blizzard had turned into snowflakes. The sunlight engulfed the mountain after ten years of being covered by the blizzard. The ice block slowly emitted a cold glow, they could feel the Qi around them being sucked by the ice block. Then the ice block finally cracked into halves and revealed a long ice scythe in the core of the block. Xue Lang looked at Weisheng to ask for further guidance and greeted with a warm smile from Weisheng. Then the smile quickly disappeared and he mouthed two words. Weisheng: Xue Lang nervously reached out his hand and held the scythe tightly. The biting cold feeling from the scythe made him hissed for a moment, then after a few seconds, it became bearable and comfortable. He excitedly brought the scythe over to Weisheng to show his achievement. Weisheng nodded proudly and patted his head. Weisheng: "En. This shows that you are diligently practicing what you have been taught. Now that is yours." Xue Lang: "Really?! Thanking Imperial Father for the gracious¡­." Before Xue Lang could finish his sentence, he fell asleep from the exhaustion of overusing his Qi. Weisheng quickly caught him and carried him on his back until their palace. Hong er placed Xue Lang on her bed and pulled the blanket to warm up his body. Then Hong er continued to embroider her gift for Xue Lang while looking out for him. Chapter 180 - 178. Xue Lang’s Gifts II Third-person POV During his one hour of nap, Xue Lang sometimes would suddenly scream and sweat a lot. And at the end of his sleep talking, he would apologize with such a pitiful tone. Hong er felt a pang on her heart and couldn''t leave him alone. She sat beside the bed and would gently pat his chest to calm him down from his nightmare. She also whispered ''It is fine. Mother is here to protect you.'' And Xue Lang would fell back into his deep sleep again. Xue Lang woke up and he didn''t know that he had been sleep talking during his sleep. Hong er didn''t ask him any question as she didn''t him to remember those frightening memories of him. She pulled him closer to her and put on a white tunic that she had embroidered for day and night. Xue Lang looked at the tunic and didn''t see anything special about the tunic. It was indeed beautiful but compared to the embroidery that he had seen on the clothes he wore before, it was incomparable. Hong er: "Mother made this for you. Mother''s embroidery skill is not that impressive but still can make some simple animals and patterns. What do you think? Do you like it ?" Knowing that it was personally made by Hong er, his heart immediately filled with warmness and love. He nodded his head vigorously and clutched the tunic tighter around his body. Hong er smiled gleefully and reached out to take off the tunic which earned a reluctance expression from Xue Lang. Hong er: "Mother needs to add a few more decorations. Don''t worry, this will be yours." Xue Lang: "En." Xue Lang stared at his tunic being taken away with eyes full of sadness. Hong er sighed with a smile and ruffled his hair. Hong er: "Don''t be sad. How about we enjoy the scenery in Floating Lotus Pavilion?" Xue Lang: "En!" Xue Lang really liked to go to the Floating Lotus Pavilion and sat there dazedly together with his beloved mother. But since he got a magical weapon as a gift from his father, he needed to practice harder and more diligent to master the weapon so his father would praise him and be proud of him in front of his subjects. Hong er sat on the side of the pavilion with her back leaned on one of the wooden pillars. Since the pavilion was spacious enough for 4 people to do training, Xue Lang decided to practice his new weapon in front of his mother and ask for her opinion. Hong er''s eyes stayed on the tunic that she was embroidering and hummed the melody that she always hum. Xue Lang swung his ice scythe along the happy melody and felt his heart was in peace. Hong er abruptly stopped humming and commented without looking up. Hong er: "Your feet position are wrong, you bent it too much." Xue Lang quickly fixed his position and continued when Hong er hummed the melody again. This went until Weisheng came to the pavilion to look for them and heard that she was humming to the usual melody. A warm smile appeared on his lips and disappeared as fast as it comes. He approached them and intensely watched Xue Lang''s moves which made Xue Lang more nervous. Seeing that Xue Lang was quite tired from the previous activity, Weisheng stopped him and told him to sit in front of him. (A/N: This is not that important but they were sitting on the wooden floor with their leg crossed. Typical Asian people. Lol.) Weisheng: "What do you feel when you use it?" Xue Lang: "It feels really light and it is very easy to control." Weisheng: "En. Try to control it only with your magic." Xue Lang: "Yes." Xue Lang stood up and took a few steps back. He looked fixedly at his scythe and released his scythe so now it floats in the air and lightly swayed side to side. Xue Lang knitted his brow and th scythe made the same move as he previously did. Weisheng could clearly see that Xue Lang didn''t have the agility and creativity in using his magic. He couldn''t show him an example as he didn''t have any other element besides dark element. Then he glanced at the tranquil woman beside him, he nudged her arm and gave her signals with his eyes. Hong er immediately understood what he meant and turned her attention to Xue Lang Hong er: "Xue Lang, you have to be quick and precise in moving the Qi in your body. I will give you an example and Huayun will also give you an example of how to control your Qi as she had more experience in using ice element." Hong er glanced at Huayun and nodded her head. Then with just a little movement of the needle in Hong er''s hand and Huayun''s finger, the vast lake behind them was frozen within a second. Xue Lang stared in awe and more impressed in how the two women managed to stay expressionless even after using such a large amount of Qi. Xue Lang: "Wow! Imperial Mother, Huayun auntie, how can you freeze the lake so precisely without any frost on the wall beside the lake?" Hong er and Meiyun quickly retracted their magic before the flower and fishes in the lake die and Hong er melted the ice with her temperature element. Hong er: "We, Elite forces, have to have keen eyes. Just with a glance, one has to remember the anatomy of the place thus one can escape quickly and safely from the place." Xue Lang: "Hoo~" Hong er: " And everything in this world has its own Qi, however sometimes the Qi is too small that we can''t detect it. We spread the ice''s Qi by following the flow of the water''s Qi. Understand?" Xue Lang: "En. This son understood." Huayun silently stepped forward and spoke with her head bowed to them. Huayun: "Your Majesty Empress, the sky had gotten quite dark. It will damage your eyes if you continue to embroider." Weisheng: "En. Continue it tomorrow." Hong er: "En." Hong er passed the tunic to Huayun and stood up at the same time as the father and son. They went to their room to have their dinner. . . *The next day, in the afternoon A maid walked up to Hong er and kneeled on one knee. Maid: "Your Majesty Empress, Miss Ming Yu from Huang family came for a visit. What is" Hong er didn''t reply for a moment and nodded her head. Hong er: "En. Let her wait in the main hall." Maid: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Not long after, Ming Yu was guided to the main hall by the previous maid. Meiyun and Huayun helped Hong er to comb her hair and changed her casual clothes to more formal clothes Then Hong er entered the main hall gracefully with the Yun sisters following behind her. Ming Yu quickly stood up from her seat and greeted Hong er. Hong er sat on her throne and told Ming Yu to rise. Hong er: "On what occasion does Miss Huang have to visit Ben Gong?" Ming Yu nervously pinched her finger and lowered her head. Ming Yu: "This lowly one wants to thank Your Majesty Empress for helping me with the case one month ago. This lowly one couldn''t find a reason to meet Your Majesty Empress to give my gratitude. And since Da Qi is showered with great news of Your Majesty Empress''s pregnancy, this lowly one thought to give Your Majesty Empress a few gifts." Ming Yu took the basket from the table beside her and handed it to Huayun. Huayun unveiled the basket and saw two pairs of baby shoes and two set of baby clothes. Hong er smiled when she saw how meaningful the gifts were. The embroidery on each piece was extremely detailed and thoughtful. Since Ming Yu didn''t know what gender the baby would be, therefore she made both male and female baby clothes. The thread was not the expensive nor rare one, rather it could easily be found in any market and commonly used by commoner. However, the magnificent handwork overshadowed the cheap-looking thread. Hong er: "Ben Gong can see your sincerity from this gift. But Ben Gong also can see you have motive behind this." Chapter 181 - 179. Ming Yu’s Motive Third-person POV Ming Yu''s face suddenly paled and immediately kneeled with her head on the floor. She didn''t know that her motive was so easy to read. Ming Yu: "Yo-Your Majesty Empress, please forgive this lowly one for being brazen." Hong er: "Speak." Hong er nonchalantly replied. Ming Yu: "Th-this lowly one wishes that I can serve beside Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Serve beside me? But you are a noble." Hong er asked with her eyes flashed a tint of interest, Ming Yu didn''t see it and continued to speak. Ming Yu: "This lowly one''s mother had died a week ago, therefore, this lowly one didn''t have any desire to live in that residence where I am being looked down more than a dog." Hong er: "Deep condolences from Ben Gong. But how about your sister?" Hong er had known all of this information beforehand but decided to act clueless. Ming Yu: "Ming Zhu Jiejie is the only one who treated me like human and she had left Chang An to learn music from different cultures." Hong er: "You still have your father." Ming Yu: "He didn''t even spare a glance at my dead mother so why do I have to care about him?" Hong er sighed and felt that the girl in front of her was quite pitiful. Hong er: "Whatever you say, he is still your biological father. Even if you were forgotten by him, you shouldn''t forget him. Do you understand?" Ming Yu: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Since Hong er had said so, Ming Yu decided to forgive his father and would only speak to him if it was urgent. Hong er: "So, what makes you desire to be Ben Gong''s servant?" Ming Yu: "This lowly one owed Your Majesty Empress and doesn''t have anything to repay back the deed except this lowly one''s dedication and skills." Hong er stared at Ming Yu for a moment before she nodded her head. Hong er: "En. You can serve beside Ben Gong but with one condition. Change your surname." Ming Yu widened her eyes and quickly bowed her head. Ming Yu: "This lowly one understood." Hong er: "En. Clear up all of your business and come back in 3 days." Ming Yu: "Yes! Your Majesty Empress!" Ming Yu replied with a voice full of joy. She had been using her mother''s surname whenever she went out so she just decided to use her mother''s surname when she entered the palace. Even though Ming Yu was illiterate, she was clever and bright. She knew why Hong er wanted her to change her surname. Huang family was one of the most powerful families in Da Qi hence if the daughter of Huang family served as a personal maid of Empress, people would start to think that Hong er supports Huang family which is not good. Ming Yu retreated and quickly went back home to her residence to cut ties with Huang family. She didn''t look for Master Huang for permission, yet she went to Madam Huang who had hated her and her mother forever. Ming Yu deliberately didn''t tell Madam Huang why she wanted to cut ties with their family. Madam Huang happily agreed and immediately told the servants to clean up Ming Yu''s small courtyard. Ming Yu who had packed all of her belongings didn''t care about what Madam Huang was going to do with her courtyard and left the residence without another glance. Then she went to a shop to sell her unnecessary possession such as low-quality accessories and one or two things that her siblings gave her just to ridicule her. At least she got a few silver taels in her savings. She didn''t waste any time and went back to the royal palace to find Hong er. Hong er looked at her with a quite surprised face. Hong er: "So fast. It hasn''t been even a day." Ming Yu: "Yes! Your Majesty Empress. This lowly one had prepared everything in advance, therefore I can work right away." Hong er: "En. Well then, Meiyun and Huayun will teach you everything that you need to do. Do your best." Ming Yu: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Ming Yu walked behind the Yun sisters and smiled bashfully at them. She didn''t know if the Yun sisters would like her or not but her thought immediately thrown out the window when Meiyun slapped her buttocks and grinned from ear to ear. Meiyun: ''Ohohoho~ My teasing list has increased.'' Ming Yu stared at Meiyun like she had been wronged and pouted. Huayun patted her shoulder and told her just to ignore the annoying creature (Meiyun). However, the thing that made Ming Yu baffled was Hong er secretly high fived Meiyun for that butt slap. And once again, Huayun told her to ignore those two playful kids. . . Later, Huayun brought Ming Yun to accompany her to pick-up Xue Lang from his classes to Hong er''s palace. Xue Lang and Ming Yun got along quite well, they talked about how cool Hong er when Hong er appeared at the right time to save them. Then, just like their daily activities, Hong er enjoyed the scenery at her pavilion while continuing her embroidery. Sometimes she would ask Ming Yun''s opinion about embroidery and she found out that Ming Yun was very knowledgeable in this topic. Hong er didn''t care about her status, she asked her servant to teach her how to embroider better and prettier. This took up them a day to finish a little part that Hong er said it was the most important part. Xue Lang gleefully skipped towards Hong er and wore the tunic like it was the first clothes he had ever worn. He spun around to show it off to everyone, including to Weisheng that recently just arrived there. Weisheng stared at Hong er and waited for her to do something. Hong er tilted her head in puzzlement. Hong er: "Hm?" Some of the clever servants like Ming Yun and Huayun sympathized Hong er while some of the dense and stupid servants like Meiyun could only look at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Weisheng: "Mine?" Hong er finally understood Weisheng''s silent request. Hong er innocently looked at Weisheng and shook her head. Hong er: "Chen qie didn''t have any for Your Majesty Emperor. Chen qie deeply apologies." Even though it was not shown on Weisheng''s face, everyone could feel his mood has become sour by the drop of the temperature in the middle of summer. Everyone: ''Oh no, our emperor is jealous.'' Chapter 182 - 180. Sneaky I Third-person POV Hong er took Weisheng''s hand and patted it gently, in hope that it could lighten his mood. Hong er: "Your Majesty Emperor, Chen qie''s skill is not enough to make a dragon robe. Even if it took ten years, Chen qie can''t finish it. And it would only embarrass Your Majesty Emperor in front of officials if you wear what I made." Weisheng: "No." Weisheng squeezed Hong er''s hand and stared at her with resolute eyes. Seeing that her master being put in a difficult position, Ming Yu leaned forward to whisper into Hong er''s ear. Hong er''s eyes brightened and nodded her head. Hong er: "Ok, I will make one for Your Majesty Emperor but please don''t laugh at it." Weisheng: "I won''t." Weisheng brought her hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on her hand. All of the servants turned away as if they see nothing. . . *At night Hong er secretly took one of his undergarments while he was bathing and ran to Xue Lang''s chamber. Xue Lang who was studying at the moment surprised to see his mother holding a piece of cloth that was two times her size. He put down his brush and walked towards her. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, is there something wrong?" Hong er: "Shh~ Mother needs to stay here for a while. You go continue your homework." Xue Lang: "En." Xue Lang went back to his desk and continued his homework, meanwhile, Hong er sat beside him and embroidered a little dragon around the collar of Weisheng''s undergarment. Before she could even finish the head of the dragon, heavy footsteps approached Xue Lang''s chamber. Hong er frantically looked around for a place to hid his undergarment and thought about hiding it under Xue Lang''s blanket. She ran to Xue Lang''s inner bedroom at full speed but Weisheng already burst into the room before she could shove the undergarment in her hand under the blanket. The quick-witted Xue Lang ran to Weisheng''s front and nervously asked him. Xue Lang: "Im-Imperial Father, is there something you need here?" Weisheng: "En. Your mother." Weisheng walked past Xue Lang and split the hanging pearl curtain that separated the inner bedroom and the outer bedroom. Hong er was standing awkwardly in front of Xue Lang''s bed with a stiff smile on her lips. Hong er: "M-my~ Your Majesty Emperor, what a coincidence to meet he- EEPP." Hong er''s waist was pulled by his strong hand. Her soft chests were pressed on his firm chest and made her face slightly red. Weisheng leaned into her ear and huskily whispered. Weisheng: "Naughty Empress. Zhen has to punish you until you can''t take it." Weisheng lifted her with one arm and slipped his other hand under the blanket to take his stolen undergarment. Hong er''s face was red from embarrassment, she struggled to free herself from Weisheng''s clutch but suddenly she felt a smack on her buttocks. Weisheng: "Stop it." Hong er''s eyes widened in surprise, Weisheng had never hit her before, furthermore, he hit her for the first time in the buttocks and in front of Xue Lang. Hong er knew that she couldn''t escape from Weisheng anymore thus she stared at Xue Lang with pleading eyes. Hong er: ''Xue Lang, help your pitiful mother¡­.'' Xue Lang could only guiltily shook his head and looked away from Hong er. Xue Lang: ''I-I''m sorry Imperial Mother, this unfilial son can''t help you.'' Hong er cried internally with her hand stretched out to Xue Lang. Weisheng carried her back to their chamber and the servants pretended they didn''t see anything again. Weisheng put Hong er down to their bed and started to take off her clothes. (A/N: Warning, kinda s.e.x.u.a.l.) Hong er: "Yo-Your Majesty Emperor, if-if there is something disturbing you, please tell Chen qie." Hong er tried to change the subject but failed miserably when Weisheng pulled off all of her clothes in one movement. Hong er could just sit still like a doll whilst Weisheng kissed her lips down to her collarbone. Her face got immensely red and got a goosebump when Weisheng''s hand traveled over her body line with such a light touch. Weisheng stopped after he caressed her waist a few times. He took his previously stolen undergarment and put it on the dazed Hong er. A satisfied smirk crept up to his lips by the masterpiece in front of him. Her white soft skin complimented his black silk undergarment, furthermore, the undergarment was two times her size which made her look small in it. Feeling that the loving kisses had been gone for a while, Hong er looked up to Weisheng with her half-lidded eyes and spoke with a small voice. Hong er: "Sheng ge? Is it over?" Weisheng''s little brother immediately rises up like a proud warrior. He chuckled in a low voice as he pushed Hong er down. Weisheng: "No, it is just a start." . . Hong er was m.o.a.ning weakly under Weisheng. Her hand was gripping on the sheet as the pleasure was too much to handle. Her shoulder was exposed as the undergarment feel off her shoulder when she was on top of him. She didn''t know how long Weisheng had been ramming his rod inside her without taking it out even after the change of poses. She felt her inside full with warm liquid and once again Weisheng released inside her. His h.i.p.s movement became slower after the climax but he didn''t take it out. Hong er glanced at him and saw him was still fully clothed. She felt bashful as she was the only n.a.k.e.d one. She reached out and tugged his waistband. Hong er: "Sheng ge take it off too." Hong er pursed her lips into a cute pout, however, Weisheng had hardened his heart to properly punish Hong er and shouldn''t fall into her cuteness. Weisheng bent down and licked her exposed puddings. Weisheng: "No, it is a punishment." Hong er: "But it is embarrassi-" Before Hong er could finish her words, Weisheng pounded his rod into Hong er at a fast pace. Hong er m.o.a.ned uncontrollably when Weisheng hit her sweet spot over and over again. They continued their night activities until Hong er passed out. (A/N: I take back what I said. It is not kinda s.e.x.u.a.l, it is s.e.x.u.a.l) . . In the morning* Hong er slowly opened her eyes and her body felt like it was restrained by a bear. She lightly wiggled her body out of the clutch but the arm pulled her tighter into his embrace. Weisheng: "Don''t go." Hong er: "En." Since her body was extremely sore from yesterday''s activity, Hong er decided to lay her head on her pillow and vacantly stared at the other side of the room. Weisheng gently rubbed Hong er''s belly with his large hand and smiled. Weisheng: "Hope that it will be a princess." Hong er: "I don''t mind the gender, but we need a prince to continue the line." Weisheng: "But I want princess." Hong er: "Prince." Weisheng: "Princess." Hong er: "*Sigh Sheng ge, why are you so persistent?" Weisheng: "Little Hong er is very cute." Hong er''s face flushed red as she softly smacked his arm. Hong er: "So the little Hong er is cute, the big one is no longer cute." Hong er said with a pout to tease Weisheng. He smiled slyly and slid his hand inside Hong er''s clothes. Weisheng: "There is no word that can describe your beauty." Hong er: "My God! How can you say something so embarrassing?!" Hong er hid her face with her hands but Weisheng pulled her hand off her face and kissed her lips. Although she was still shy, she didn''t complain about the kiss. Weisheng retracted his lips and buried his face on her neck. Weisheng: "I called that shrimpy to Da Qi so she can look over you every day." (Shrimpy= Shu Zhiruo, Hong er''s best friend and a physician.) Hong er: "Ruo er? She must be busy helping Uncle Shu." (Shu Zhiruo''s grandfather) Weisheng: "Nah, he has his disciple to help him." Hong er: "She agree?" Weisheng: "En." Hong er: "Well then." Chapter 183 - 181. Sneaky II Third-person POV A few days later, Shu Zhiruo arrived at Da Qi''s royal palace with half a dozen of Xu soldiers to protect her along the way. Hong er came out to see her with Xue Lang holding her hand. Shu Zhiruo: "Greetings to Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Ohohoho~ You are as tiny as ever." Meiyun: "What Your Majesty Empress said indeed is true." Shu Zhiruo greeted her properly just to get teased about her height. She clenched her hand into a fist and forced a smile. Shu Zhiruo: "My my my~ It seems like Your Majesty Empress need some relaxing massage, huh~" Shu Zhiruo gave the two giggling girls a death glare. Shu Zhiruo''s deathly massage that no one could hold back their scream during the massage, even Xu Tingfeng went limp after the massage. Yet after a minute, one would felt his body become light as a feather. The two of them immediately shut their mouths and lowered their heads like a puppy got scolded by its master. Meiyun turned around and fake crying while complaining to Huayun that she got bullied by Shu Zhiruo. Meanwhile, Hong er hid behind the innocent Xue Lang and told him to avenge her. Xue Lang stared at Shu Zhiruo and gave her a respectful bow. Shu Zhiruo smiled softly at him and bowed back. Shu Zhiruo: "Cut out your horrible acting, let me check your pulse." Huayun guided them to the main hall and Ming Yu went to brew tea for the new guest. Shu Zhiruo checked Hong er pulse and said that she was perfectly fine. Hong er: "Xue Lang, if you ever feel uncomfortable, just go find physician Shu. You can trust her with your secret." Xue Lang: "Yes, Imperial Mother." Shu Zhiruo smiled and packed her stuff into her medicinal box then left to her designated chamber. . . 7 months later* Hong er''s belly had become very big compared to 7 months ago. She even found it quite hard to walk or run with the bulging stomach but she was contented that the baby was healthy and growing fairly well. Weisheng and Xue Lang like to rub her belly and told the baby inside to not bother its mother too much. She would just laugh it off and joined them to talk to her belly. During these 7 months, Hong er would do her daily practice in the morning and then spending the rest of the day doing a bunch of stuff that didn''t require strenuous movement. Weisheng hadn''t experienced any mood swings nor weird cravings from Hong er. He had collected plenty of information from several trusted sources such as his mother and his nanny. He thought that maybe because of Hong er good nature that she rarely got angry or upset. Like usual, he went to Hong er''s favorite spot, Floating Lotus Pavilion, to check on her. He saw her teaching Xue Lang how to draw and her laughter could be heard from far away. The servants in the palace adore their master and never slacked in serving her. They were very protective of anything that related to Hong er and Xue Lang. Hong er was very thoughtful towards her servants, she would give them a few days of leave when they have urgent matters in their house outside the palace. They didn''t know how but Ming Yu became the second Lao Jin (the one who taught Hong er before she got married). She was the fiercest among the young servants and would punish anyone who dares to talk bad about Hong er. Weisheng walked towards Hong er and crouched down to kiss the bulging belly. Then he sat on his seat and roughly ruffled Xue Lang''s hair. Xue Lang giggled and continued to draw. Hong er: "Your Majesty Emperor, it seems like you are getting busier and busier." Weisheng: "En. Big project." Hong er: "Hoo~" Hong er saw Weisheng didn''t want to talk about it, she didn''t question him and poured him a cup of tea. Weisheng took his coat and dr.a.p.ed it over Hong er''s shoulder. Weisheng: "Middle winter, wear more clothes." Hong er: "En." Hong er pulled the coat closer to her body and smiled when the leftover warmth from Weisheng''s body transferred to hers. Qiyi automatically went to get Weisheng a new coat. Xue Lang placed down his brush and let the servants take it away to dry it off. He poured himself a cup of tea and was enjoying the silence when he felt that someone was staring intensely at his direction. He glanced around and saw Weisheng looking at him. Then Weisheng moved his eyeball in a meaningful way, he winked at Weisheng as a reply. After dinner* Weisheng went to the library beside their chamber and called Xue Lang over. He dismissed the servants except the Qi brothers and now it left only four of them. Weisheng sat with his head leaning on his fist. Xue Lang: "What is it that Imperial Father wanted to talk to me?" Weisheng: "We have to give your mother a surprise." Xue Lang: "What should we do?" Weisheng: "Cook." Xue Lang: "Imperial Father knows how to cook?" Weisheng: "Not really good but experienced." The memories where he cooked something for Hong er together with the three Xu little brother, Xu Zhiqiang, and Xu Tingfeng. Although it didn''t end very well, at least he knew what seasoning he should use to cook Hong er''s favorite dish. He was quite confident in his not-so-sure cooking skill and decided to pull Xue Lang into his plan. Meanwhile, the face of the Qi brothers got worse at the mention of Weisheng cooking. The Qi brothers: ''There is no way he is experienced.'' However, they weren''t in the place to give their opinion on what their master was going to do. They could only pray that it would go well. . . Weisheng and Xue Lang went to the kitchen that Hong er often uses when she was visiting Lu Cixi. Weisheng had sent a message to Lu Cixi to keep Hong er there until further notice, Lu Cixi followed his order and kept talking to Hong er for almost two hours. Hong er found it quite weird for Lu Cixi holding her back like this but she just went along with it until a servant ran like his ass was in a fire. He didn''t bother to let the eunuch to announce his presence and fell on his knees in front of Lu Cixi and Hong er. Servant: "Hi-his Majesty Emperor and His Highness Prince!" Lu Cixi and Hong er were alarmed when the servant called out to Weisheng and Xue Lang with such a panic and anxiousness. Hong er''s calm face scrunched into a frown and stood up to face the servant. Hong er: "What happen to His Majesty Emperor and Xue Lang?" Lu Cixi also couldn''t stay calm, she gripped the armrest and almost smashed it to pieces. Servant: "The kitchen is in fire with His Majesty Emperor and His highness Prince in it!" Chapter 184 - 182. You Almost Died! I Third-person POV Hong er ran off without a word. The Yun sisters followed behind her and worried about Hong er''s safety. Hong er anxiously bit her lip as her heart beating like crazy. From afar, they could see a line of black smoke come out from afar. Not long after, they arrived at her courtyard and saw the fire had extinguished, leaving the wall a black stain of being burnt. The damage wasn''t that severe as the guards came pretty fast when they smelled something was not right. Hong er looked around and couldn''t find her husband and son''s figure. Then a servant ran towards her and bowed respectfully. Servant: "Greeting to Your Maje-" Hong er: "Where are they?" Servant: "His Majesty Emperor and His Highness Prince are in Physician Shu''s infirmary to receive treatment." Hong er''s face was black as ink, she turned around and went to Shu Zhiruo''s infirmary. The servants shivered under her intimidating aura and didn''t dare to breathe loudly. As she walked closer to the infirmary, she saw Weisheng and Xue Lang''s servants were pacing back and forward in front of the entrance. The servants noticed the intense aura and quickly gave their greetings to Hong er. Hong er nodded her head and let the eunuch to announce her presence. The servants opened the door after they heard Weisheng''s approval from inside. Hong er stepped in and furrowed her brow. Shu Zhiruo was applying medicine on Xue Lang''s palm while another old physician smearing the medicine all over Weisheng''s right arm. Since Shu Zhiruo is a woman especially unmarried, she shouldn''t recklessly touch men especially Weisheng as he is an emperor. Knowing that Hong er was not in a very good mood, Weisheng turned his head away to avoid her glare while Xue Lang lowered his head in guilt. Meiyun pulled a chair over to Hong er so she could take a seat. Hong er sat down and let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her belly. Just now she ran too fast and was worried if it would affect the child. Shu Zhiruo let her assistant to take over her in applying medicine to Xue Lang and went to Hong er side. She checked Hong er pulse and said that everything was fine, it just that Hong er suddenly used her energy in large amount that it made her dizzy. Weisheng: "Why do you have to run that fast? What if you fell?" Hong er: "Because of who, that I have to ran that fast?" Weisheng: "¡­" Hong er: "Do you mind explaining everything to Chen qie?" Hong er''s voice was colder than the blizzard in the Frosted Mountain. Xue Lang''s hands trembled more vigorous as he even saw his father was also scared by the pregnant woman. Weisheng: "¡­" Seeing that her husband turned his head away once again and refused to say a word, she changed her target to the pitiful looking Xue Lang. Hong er: "Xue Lang, tell mother what happened." Xue Lang flinched when his name came out from Hong er''s lips. Xue Lang: "Imp-imperial Mother, this son didn''t do it on purpose." Hong er: "What is it?" Xue Lang: "I don''t know that we shouldn''t pour water into hot oil." Hong er: "What?!" Weisheng: "It''s me. I don''t know too, so I told him to put the tofu into the hot oil." While Weisheng was doing the cutting job, Xue Lang obliviously put the tofu together with the water into the overheated oil. Hong er: "And?" Weisheng: "Hm?" Weisheng asked innocently with his face showing that he was not guilty at all. Yet, Xue Lang who sat across him couldn''t play along with his ''pretending to be innocent'' act. Xue Lang: "Imperial Father saved me and because of that, I only got burnt a little bit on my hand while Imperial Father got burnt all over his arm. I''m really sorry." Xue Lang spoke with a trembling voice. Hong er massaged her head and continued to ask. Hong er: "What''s more? I know there must be something that triggered the fire." Xue Lang: "I-I.." Weisheng: "SHHH!" Hong er: "Speak!" Hong er said with a firm voice that she never use on Xue Lang before. Although she was directing the command on Xue Lang, her eyes glared at Weisheng as a warning. At the same time, Lu Cixi arrived at the entrance and decided to just watch the drama since she saw that both father and son were fine. Xue Lang: "I thought that it was water so I poured it to put out the fire." Hong er: "So what is that thing that you poured?" Xue Lang: "I-I don''t know." Hong er: "Cares to say it, Your Majesty Emperor?" Weisheng: "Nothing." Hong er: "Hhmm." Hong er hummed coldly and the ground shook due to the overwhelming aura that she released. Weisheng was worried that the anger would affect her health and the child''s life. He approached her and took her hand with his uninjured hand. Weisheng: "White wine." Hong er sucked in a breath and closed her eyes to calm herself from exploding. She pulled her hand away from Weisheng''s hold and muttered under her breath. Hong er: "This bunch of fools." Everyone in the room was shocked to hear the emperor of the largest country being called a fool right in front of his face by his own wife. Yet, Weisheng didn''t deny and tried to take her hand once again. Hong er brushed his hand off the way and stood up. Hong er: "Chen qie doesn''t feel really well at the moment and have to excuse herself." She herself also didn''t know why she was so angry by this accident. She understood that they didn''t do it on purpose but she was dead worried about them that it made her heart almost stop beating. Even though she always looks calm and tranquil at the outside, she got upset a quite few times. It just that she didn''t show it to the public and vented it out by locking herself in her room and wait till she completely went back to normal. Weisheng reached out his hand again but Hong er stopped him with a few words. Hong er: "I want to be alone." Then she left coolly after giving Lu Cixi a full greeting at the entrance. Xue Lang tugged Weisheng''s sleeve and asked with a shaky voice. Xue Lang: "Imperial Father, is Imperial Mother angry at us?" Weisheng: "En. Very." Chapter 185 - 183. You Almost Died! II Third-person POV Just only in 5 minutes, Hong er''s front door was crowded with people. Weisheng and Xue Lang stood with their back straight, under the snow, in the middle of winter. Their actions caused many servants to kneel down and begged them to take a cover so they wouldn''t fall sick. Yet, the father and son were so stubborn and dismissed all of the servants. Xue Lang: "If you want to take a cover, then go. Imperial Father and Ben Wang will stand here till mother forgive us." (Ben Wang is the way princes call themselves.) Weisheng: "En." And of course, the servants didn''t walk away. How could they sit relaxedly while their emperor and prince standing under the heavy snow? So they follow suit Weisheng and Xue Lang to stand under the snow without umbrella or anything to cover their heads. And now, they have stood for almost an hour. Although Hong er said that she wanted to be alone, the Yun sisters still accompanied her as they were afraid if anything would happen to her when they were not by her side. Hong er sighed for the hundredth time, she just couldn''t get rid the bad feelings in her heart and it started to annoy the hell out of her. Hong er: "*sigh, what is with me?" Huayun: "Your Majesty Empress, you are worried about them because you care about them. And maybe the imbalance of hormones is partially the reason that you worked up more than usual." Hong er: "En, maybe because of that." Hong er leaned back her head on her chair and sighed once again. Then she suddenly thought up about her husband and son. When she walked to her room an hour ago, she saw snow had started to fall. Knowing that the father and son were very stubborn, she got worried again. Hong er: "His Majesty Emperor and Xue Lang?" Meiyun: "This servant will go and check." Hong er: "En. Go." Meiyun bowed her head and walked towards the door to open it. Then she immediately closed it and blinked her eyes twice before she opened it again. Her face paled as she turned her head to Hong er and pointed outside with her finger. Hong er rose from her seat and approached the door only to see two snowmen standing right in front of her door. Hong er gritted her teeth and yelled. Hong er: "Fools!" The heavy snow immediately stopped and vanished into thin air. Hong er pulled the two snowmen into the room and risen the room temperature. She anxiously swatted the snow on their body and kept calling them ''fools''. Meiyun placed a coal stove in front of them and Huayun gave them a bunch of thick blankets. Hong er sat down on a chair in front of them and glared at the two men. The two could only lower their heads and acted like wronged puppies. Hong er: "Do you know how stupid your action was? Hm?" Hong er took the teacup that Huayun just poured for her and gulped it down even though it was still piping hot. Hong er: "You two really want to anger me to death." Weisheng: "Hong er-" Hong er: "*Sigh, I should have not left you two alone. See what happened just after two hours of me looking away? First of all, you almost burnt to death and second of all, you almost froze to death. You two really want me to die of a heart attack." Their heart dropped when Hong er mentioned ''die''. They never seen Hong er being so emotional before therefore they panicked and Xue Lang almost cried. Xue Lang: "Im-imperial Mother¡­" Xue Lang reached his hand out to Hong er but retracted his hand when he heard Hong er sigh. Hong er: "Sheng ge, do you see how you look like right now? The undefeatable warrior, never lose in any battlefield. A fearless and powerful general that slays every obstacle that hindered him, yet almost died because of cooking. Do you know reckless you are? You clearly know that you can''t cook, yet you kicked out the chef and cooked by yourself and a child that never stepped into the kitchen even once. I don''t know what to say anymore. You are not a child so I don''t need to nag you. Furthermore, you are the emperor, you can do whatever you want to do." Hong er kept blabbering all things that had burdened her heart since long ago and felt like a jerk for blaming all the fault on them. She needed time alone but Weisheng and Xue Lang kept making her blood pressure to rise. Since they were warming themselves up in her bedroom, she thought that it would be better if she was the one who should leave the room and find another tranquil place. With that thought, Hong er stood up without giving them another glance. But, never did she thought, her action would cause the father and son to misunderstand. The moment Hong er rose from her seat, they also jumped out from their seat and ran to hug her. The big one hugged her upper body while the little one restrained her legs. Xue Lang: "Im-Imperial Mother, don''t leave. I''m sorry for being bad, I''m really sorry." Hong er: "Wha-" Weisheng: "Hong er, you can''t leave me." Hong er: "What the hell are you two thinking?" Xue Lang: "Pl-please don''t leave Xue Lang¡­. Xue Lang begs mother¡­" Xue Lang sobbed with his snots and tears wetting her clothes. While the big one held her tighter and rubbed his cheek on her head. Weisheng: "Can''t leave." The Yun sisters who were standing at the side, could only stare in bewilderment. The Yun sisters: ''Wow, what a sight to see.'' But they knew their own place and leave the room to let the family to resolve their misunderstanding. Hong er that was also in confusion, tapped Weisheng''s back with her right hand and caressed Xue Lang''s head with her left hand. Hong er: "Uumm¡­ It is hard to breathe." The two of them quickly released her and checked if the baby is fine. Hong er chuckled and took a seat as she suddenly feel tired. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, are you really fine?" Xue Lang asked worriedly with his snots smeared around his nose. Hong smiled softly and used her handkerchief to wipe his nose clean. Hong er: "En, mother is fine. Look at you, so messy." Xue Lang: "Ehehehe~" Hong er: "*Sigh Seeing you two like this, what would you do if I''m gone?" Hong er complained while curing both Weisheng and Xue Lang''s wounds with her light magic. Weisheng immediately took her hand and gripped it with an adequate amount of strength so it wouldn''t hurt Hong er. Weisheng: "We will always be together." Hong er laughed from seeing Weisheng''s stern expression. Weisheng: "Promise me." Hong er stare at him with a gentle smile and nodded her head. Hong er: "En." But will they? Chapter 186 - 184. Investigation Third-person POV Another peaceful day, Hong er sat in her library with a doc.u.ment in her hand. Then she remembered Di Shang''s promise of marrying Meiyun that he made 7 months ago. She glanced at Meiyun who was brewing a new set of tea for her. Hong er: "Meiyun." Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Are you still in contact with General Di?" Meiyun: "Yes, we are. We occasionally write letters for each other but he said that he would be busy for a few months and couldn''t send me letter that frequent." Hong er: "Hhmm~ Did he say anything regarding to your marriage?" Meiyun: "En, he is handling the dowry and has a plan about our marriage but he didn''t tell me anything about the marriage." Hong er: "It is good to know that General Di took this matter seriously." Meiyun: "En." Hong er: "Coincidentally, His Majesty Emperor also got busier these past few weeks. I wonder if they are planning something behind my back again." Meiyun: "The Qi brothers also have been going in and out the palace every day." Hong er: "Let them do what they want to do. If they don''t want to tell us, then let them be. No need to poke our nose in every single matter." Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "But I don''t know why, I got this very bad feeling." Meiyun knitted her brow in bewilderment. She believed Hong er as usually if Hong er said that she had a bad feeling, something would really happen. Ming Yu came into the library with Xue Lang who was just done with his classes for the day. Ming Yu: "Your Majesty Empress, do you want to this servant to make a calming soup?" Ming Yu asked worriedly, she and Xue Lang didn''t know about Hong er''s ability to sense a bad omen that is going to happen. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, I will massage your feet." Xue Lang took a small stool and sat in front of Hong er. At first, Hong er wanted to reject his offer because his hand was still injured from yesterday''s accident, but seeing the determination in his eyes, Hong let him do whatever he wanted with her feet. Huayun: "Your Majesty Empress, how about we go investigate to see if anything is odd?" Hong er: "En. Meiyun, take the elite forces with you and investigate everything. Huayun stay here." Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Without further ado, Meiyun departed to get the elite forces to investigate everything that related to Hong er and anyone that are close to her. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, I''m sure everything will be fine." Hong er: "En. Mother hopes so." . . 10 days later, Meiyun finally came back from her inspection. She directly went to report to Hong er without even changing her clothes. Meiyun: "This servant apologize in place of all the elite forces for the delay." Hong er: "En. It is fine, nothing had happened since you left but the bad feeling only got worse day by day. So what took you so long?" Meiyun: "Yes, we coincidentally bumped into some problem in many places." Hong er: "Like what?" Meiyun: "It seems like the snowstorm at northeast of Da Qi had caused the livestock in there to decrease in such a great amount. The entourage that His Majesty Emperor had sent couldn''t reach the town due to the snow blocking the path. The mages had tried their best but still couldn''t clear out the path as the snowstorm got worse. This also impacted the soldiers at the border. They went on extreme diet because of the low sustenance and the moral of the soldiers also lowered. The barbarians outside of the border planned to attack at their lowest. The general that is guarding the border entrusted me this letter that has his seal on it. Here." Meiyun handed Hong er the letter and continued to report. Meiyun: "From the information that I got from Senior Jian, in Da Chu, the fight for power had started for quite a while and it seems like the seventh prince supported the crown prince''s rival, the second prince. Imperial concubine Li (Li Zhenzhen) also supported the second prince as she always opposes the crown prince''s mother, the empress. The DC emperor angered with the power struggle as he is still alive and healthy. There are still no weird behavior from the Da Chu side except the emperor occasionally makes everything harder for Master (Xu Tingfeng)." Hong er: "And?" Meiyun: "And what I heard from the spies in Bei Zhou, they have been producing a large amount of weapon. However, they haven''t found the reason behind it." Hong er: "Huayun, send a message to them to be more cautious. Report their every movement to me or father." Huayun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Continue." Hong er put aside the letter in her hand and signaled Meiyun to proceed her explanation. Meiyun: "Yes. For Dong Fang, it was predicted that they will be war." Hong er: "Why?" Hong er asked nonchalantly, yet her eyes glinted with dangerous vibe. Meiyun: "Dong Fang had suffered a long period of drought in the summer and autumn so they couldn''t harvest any crops. Not to mention the snowstorm in the winter, they couldn''t plant anything and resulted in famine. Furthermore, since the new DF Emperor ascended to the throne, he increased the tax for the commoner equal to the nobles and wealthy merchants. The Great General Di had pleaded the DF Emperor many times only to be convicted of treason for opposing the ruler. The tension between the DF royal family and Di family is very visible. Fortunately, the commoner supported the Di family while on the other side, the nobles opposed them." Hong er: "Hhmm¡­ It appears to be that I had been too relaxed in the inner palace. Then, how about our own Da Qi?" Meiyun: "His Majesty Emperor had been helping the Di family in supplying weaponry. This servant deeply apologize as the Qi brothers blocked me from gathering more information." Hong er: "En. It''s fine." Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, this servant thought that this is quite important. Hong er: "What is it?" Meiyun: "That Murong Qing went out a lot with various men." Hong er: "So?" Meiyun: "One of them is Sir Wei Yunru." Hong er: "Hhmm¡­ Is there anything else?" Meiyun: "No, Your Majesty Empress .Any instruction for this servant, Your Majesty Empress?" Hong er: "Pass this letter to His Majesty Emperor and you can take a rest." Meiyun: "Yes!" Hong er spun her cup and stared blankly at the whirling tea. Hong er: "I hope nothing goes wrong." Chapter 187 - 185. I Will Go I Third-person POV A week later, as Meiyun said, war broke out in Dong Fang. The Di family swore to bring down the tyranny ruler in front of the commoner and announced that they joined hand with Da Qi. The good thing is the commoner didn''t mind that their country ruled by Da Qi cause Da Qi has a better ruler than theirs. And since the war broke out in the middle of winter, many of the soldiers were low in morale. They weren''t sure that they could survive the biting cold winter, not to say the war. Weisheng pondered this matter for quite a while and decided that he would join the frontline to enhance the soldier''s morale and confidence. Having the undefeatable prince to lead them in the war extremely boosted their fighting spirit. Weisheng departed from Da Qi a few days ago with his troops and elite forces. He left behind a quarter of his elite forces to protect Hong er and his family. However, another battle broke out in the southwest part of Da Qi. The emperor of Dong Fang isn''t stupid, if so, then he wouldn''t be the emperor. He joined forces with the pirates and bandits that were once suppressed by Weisheng. They wanted to take revenge on Weisheng and agreed to team up with the DF emperor. Weisheng noticed his plan for quite a while and had prepared reinforcement in various places that he predicted that they would infiltrate. Despite that, there wasn''t enough support as a quarter of the reinforcement had to evacuate the citizens and protect them. Therefore, the number of soldiers at the frontline decreased and the pirates use the on-going blizzard to their advantages. They were afraid that they couldn''t withhold the fort. Meiyun just got a message from the southwest that they need more reinforcement to defeat the ruffians, without any delay, Meiyun reported to Hong er. (A/N: They used a magical beast to send message, that''s why the letter arrived faster compared to human''s speed.) Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, what should we do?" Meiyun asked with a stern expression, unlike her usual self. Hong er: "How is the condition at His Majesty Emperor''s side?" Meiyun: "Although they are doing fine, they can''t send reinforcement from their side. They (southwest) also had sent a message to His Majesty Emperor but still, no response from the other side." Hong er: "Probably the magical beast was noticed and shot down by the enemy. Since it has become like this, Huayun, inform all of the Xu elite forces that are available to gather in front of my palace in 1 minute and Meiyun, get my armor ready." The Yun sisters: "Yes!" Ming Yu: "But Your Majesty Empress, you are pregnant! You must not!" Hong er: "So what if I''m pregnant! Ben Gong is the empress of Da Qi, I will never let anyone harm my citizens." Hong er rose from her seat and walk towards her dressing room to change her clothes. Ming Yu anxiously paced back and forth. She grabbed Meiyun''s arm and asked with disbelief expression. Ming Yu: "Why Meiyun Jiejie and Huayun Jiejie didn''t stop Her Majesty Empress?! Do you know what would happen to Her Majesty Empress if she went to frontline with that big stomach?! Do you know how dangerous the frontline is?!" Meiyun: "I''m very aware of the risk. But what should we do? His Majesty Emperor went to the frontline himself to boost the soldiers'' morals, usually, the royal family sent one of their princes. But we only have one young prince that doesn''t know anything about the battlefield." Ming Yu: "How about sending another general? Her Majesty Empress doesn''t have to go personally." Meiyun: "She is a general!" Meiyun said with a firm voice. Meiyun: "Our empress is the general! We don''t have any time to dilly dally or else thousands of life will be gone just because of our cowardice!" Ming Yu: "But that doesn''t mean it has to be Her Majesty Empress!" Meiyun: "The other generals couldn''t leave their bases, they have to be always on guard and protect their own citizens in case of surprise attack. Even if the nearby generals send reinforcement to them, they would still be outnumbered." Ming Yu: "You are really not helpful at all! I will go convince Her Majesty Empress myself." Ming Yu roared and stomped her way to Hong er''s dressing room. Meiyun: "You can''t." Then Meiyun went into the dressing room to help Hong er change into er armor. Weisheng had prepared armor for the pregnant Hong er in case of unforeseen circ.u.mstances that put them into a corner. Ming Yu kneeled in front of Hong er and begged with a desperate voice. Ming Yu: "Your Majesty Empress! Please reconsider this once again! You will endanger yourself and the baby inside if you go to the frontline." Hong er: "Ming Yu, listen carefully." Ming Yu: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Ming Yu looked at Hong er with hope that Hong er would change her mind. Hong er: "Ben Gong would rather sacrifice the baby and one''s life if Ben Gong can save thousands people''s life." Ming Yu sat on the floor in shock and disbelief. Hong er sighed and patted her head. Hong er: "Ben Gong has a task for you. You are one of Ben Gong''s most trusted maids." Ming Yu clenched her hand into a fist as she determinedly spoke. Ming Yu: "This servant will do its best to fulfill the task." Hong er: "En. You go report this to Her Majesty Empress Dowager and tell her to be cautious. And the last." Hong er put on her iconic bloody red mask as she stared at Ming Yu. Hong er: "I leave Xue Lang in your care." With that, Hong er walked off with a burning spirit in her eyes. Ming Yu stared at Hong er''s back and bowed her head. Ming Yu: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." . . *Outside of Hong er''s palace About a couple dozens of black-clothed people kneeled to the woman in fiery red armor. Though she looked a bit peculiar in armor with her bulging belly, her burning spirit only made her appearance fiercer and intense. Hong er: "Three of you stay here and protect Her Majesty Empress Dowager, Princess Yue, and Xue Lang. The rest of you, follow me." Hong er mounted Xiao Bai. The elite forces also mounted their own magical beast. Hong er: "It seems like the world had forgotten about me, Xu Feihong." Hong er spoke with her cold voice. Hong er: "With this battle, Ben Gong will show them who to not mess with." Chapter 188 - 186. I Will Go II Third-person POV It didn''t take long for Hong er and her entourage to arrive at southwest fort. During 4 days of Hong er''s journey to the site, the enemy persistently attacked the fort and gave a quite big damage to the fort and soldiers. The general started to get anxious as the reinforcement that the nearby stationed general had sent to him almost used up. Not to mention, his soldiers had fought days and nights, their energies were drained from last night''s surprise attack and they need some time to replenish their Qi. He was afraid that they wouldn''t be able to hold it out if this continues for another day. Just as he was thinking about sending another letter for back up, one his guards come up to him and reported that there was an entourage claimed that there were here to help them. However, the guards were suspicious as the entourage only consisted of less than 25 people, not to mention they were wearing a black cape and a red mask. At first sight, they were quite surprised to see the iconic red mask and have a feeling that they were Xu elite forces. However, they were in a war, they couldn''t just let any random people enter their base camp. Furthermore, they weren''t sure if it was really Xu elite forces as they have no reason to be here. Therefore they decided to call their general to let him identify them himself. The general gritted his teeth in frustration, he hoped that the visitor was really the assistance that they need and not a trick from those mischievous pirates. He walked out from his tent and glanced at the gate from far away. He scanned the group from head to toe while approaching the group. A group of red masked people with a slender figure in fiery red armor beneath her black cloak seems familiar to his eyes. He knitted his eyebrows when he saw the bulging belly of the woman that he assumed as the group''s leader. Since he is a very sharp person, he quickened his steps. General: ''The red mask that symbolizes Xu elite forces. In addition, a pregnant woman, it is no doubt that it is Her Majesty Empress herself with her unit.'' He immediately kneeled down on one knee and cupped his fist towards the pregnant woman. The soldiers that stood nearby were shocked to see their general fell on his knee. Since their general kneeled to the unknown woman, they also kneeled and bowed their heads to the group. General: "This official greets Your Majesty Empress! Thanking Your Majesty Empress for your graciousness to help us!" The soldiers that kneeled with him widened their eyes in astonishment to know that the pregnant woman was their empress herself. Who would expect such a high-status person to come to their brutal and unsightly place such as here? Not to mention, she was pregnant with 7 months old baby. Soldiers: "This lowly one greets Your Majesty Empress!" Hong er took off her mask and told them to rise. Even though her lips were smiling, her eyes were not. She didn''t waste any time and went into the main topic. Hong er: "General Yi, Ben Gong has to discuss a few things with you, maybe another place will do?" General Yi: "Of course Your Majesty Empress, if you don''t mind we hold our discussion in our humble tent." Hong er: "En." General Yi turned his head towards his personal servants and commanded. General Yi: "Summon the others." Servants: "Yes, General!" General Yi personally guided Hong er and a few personnel of her elite forces into the tent that was used as a meeting room. At first General Yi offered his seat to Hong er, but Hong er politely rejected him. Hong er: "Ben Gong won''t sit there. You are the leader, Ben Gong is here only to assist you." General Yi: "Your Majesty Empress flattered me. However there is one matter that I have been concerned about." Hong er: "What is it?" General Yi: "Why would Your Majesty Empress come here? This official believes that Your Majesty Empress are aware of the brutality and viciousness of battlefield, yet why?" Hong er: "*Sigh, Ben Gong had accompanied father to many battle and can''t let go of this burning spirit. After married to His Majesty Emperor for quite a while, Ben Gong realized that sitting idly in the Back Palace doesn''t suit me." General Yi: "Does His Majesty Emperor informed about Your Majesty Empress''s presence in here?" Hong er: "Of course not hahaha~ Do you think that he would let me go here if he knew it?" General Yi snorted and decided to not ask any further. Less then a minute, General Yi''s subordinate arrived at the tent and respectfully gave their greetings to Hong er. Hong er: "Without any delay, let''s start our meeting. How is the current situation?" Assistant general: "Replying to Your Majesty Empress, just now we checked that there were about 30 sh.i.p.s harbored at the fort 15 km across ours. We have taken down about 10 of their sh.i.p.s and they had destroyed 8 of ours." Hong er: "How many do we get?" Assistant general: "We still have 1 large warship and 7 medium warsh.i.p.s still undamaged, 5 medium warsh.i.p.s can still be used however it had received several attacks." Hong er: "Soldiers?" Assistant general: "About 3 thousand, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Them?" Assistant general: "Around 5 thousand both pirates and bandits." Hong er: "So, are there any suggestions from all of you?" General Yi: "If I may ask, how many did Your Majesty Empress bring here?" Hong er: "A couple dozens of Xu elite forces including me and 5 thousand troops on their way here." General Yi: "How long will it take them to reach here?" Hong er: "Another 3 days." General Yi and the others clenched their fist in exasperation, nonetheless they are still hope. With Hong er and a few of her elite forces, they could hold up the attacks of the pirates. However, there was something bothering General Yi. General Yi: "This-" Hong er swiftly glanced at General Yi and grinned. Hong er: "Let''s continue the discussion, shall we?" General Yi shut his mouth and choose to ask her after the meeting. Chapter 189 - 187. The Battle I Third-person POV Hong er gracefully sat across General Yi and drank a cup of tea that he ordered the servants to brew. Hong er glimpsed at the awkward old general in front of her and chuckled. Hong er: "Ben Gong respect General Yi''s dedication in protecting this city for decades. Father also praised General Yi and told me to learn from your bravery. So Ben Gong trust you, if there is anything please just ask. " Since he knew that Hong er isn''t the type who likes flattery words and sweet talks, he just went straight to the point. General Yi: "If His Majesty Emperor didn''t receive the letter that this official sent, then how could His Majesty Emperor move his soldiers?" Hong er: "So, what is General Yi''s point?" Hong er asked nonchalantly yet her tone didn''t sound disrespectful. General Yi: "The reinforcement isn''t Da Qi''s soldier, am I right Your Majesty Empress?" To move troops especially the Imperial army, one needs the seal. If they tried to command the army without the seal, it would be considered as a crime and an attempt to treachery. As far as he knows, the seal currently is in Weisheng''s hand, therefore it would be impossible to move such an amount of troops without Weisheng direct command. When Hong er and Weisheng just got married, she had predicted things like these would probably happen. So since she didn''t have the authority to move the imperial army, she created her own army and seal. Unrelated to the Xu family and Da Qi military, only she could control. Hong er glanced at him and only smiled slyly. General Yi immediately got the message. General Yi: "Well then, this official has to do an errand. I excuse myself." Hong er: "En." General Yi rose from his seat and walked out of the tent. He didn''t expect that someone as young as Hong er could achieve so much. With that thought in his mind, he shrugged his shoulder and went to his personal tent to look over his reports. Hong er started to get bored and went to walk around the base camp with her elite forces following behind her. Everyone that passed by her would kneel and gave their greetings to her. She silently stared at the ocean and closed her eyes to activate her inner sight. Only after a few seconds, Hong er opened her eyes and sighed. Meiyun: "What is the matter, Your Majesty Empress?" Hong er: "What is the distance between here and that island?" Meiyun: "About 15 km and it is the enemy''s base. Why Your Majesty Empress suddenly asks about that?" Hong er: "*Sigh, I don''t know but maybe this little one affected my inner sight. If it was me before pregnant, I could see that far but now I can''t." Huayun: "Please don''t worry Your Majesty Empress. I heard from Zhiruo that it is normal as the baby absorbs their mother Qi to stay healthy and strong." Hong er: "Oh?" Huayun: "She also said that the more Qi they absorb, the higher the possibility the baby to survive if the mother happens to be in a critical situation. Nonetheless, it is better if nothing happens to both sides." Hong er: "En." Hong er nodded her head and rubbed her belly. Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, what if His Majesty Emperor notice that you are here?" Hong er: "I''m pretty sure that a letter from him will arrive tomorrow." Meiyun: "Hm?" Hong er: "This ring that he gave me about 9 years ago has magic injected in it. He could detect my location with this ring." Meiyun: "Hoo~ Then why Your Majesty Empress wear it?" Hong er: "Because he told me to never take it off." Meiyun: "Since when do you know that the usage of this ring?" Hong er: "A few years ago. It is better if I keep wearing it. We won''t know what will happen to us." Meiyun: "En." . . Hong er was discussing a few things with her elite forces when a bell being hit resounded all over the base camp. They immediately stood up and wore their mask before went out of their tent. Hong er approached General Yi that was using his inner sight to check the situation. Hong er: "They attacked?" General Yi: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress. They attacked from both water and land." Hong er: "General Yi, you handle the attack from water. Ben Gong will handle the other." General Yi: "Your Majesty Empress, after a second thought, it is dangerous for Your Majesty Empress to be involved." Hong er: "Don''t worry, Ben Gong will return safe and sound." General Yi: "May God of Light bless Your Majesty Empress." Hong er nodded her head and turned around. Hong er: "Depart." Xiao Bai and the other horses ran to their direction with full speed. They grabbed the rein and mounted the horses whilst the horses were still running. They launched off like wind and only took them 2 minutes to arrive at the other side of the border. There was a strong snowstorm enveloping the whole base and caused the visibility of the soldiers to lower. The assistant general that reported her in the meeting was commanding the soldiers to get into formation. He is General Yi''s oldest son and inherited his father''s bravery. Hong er: "Assistant general Yi, how is the enemy?" Assistant general: "Your Majesty Empress, why are you here?! This is too dangerous!" Hong er: ''How many times had I heard this sentence?'' Hong er: "Don''t worry. So?" Assistant general: "The bandits had used this tactic for days as they knew that we don''t have that many ice mages. Most of us have water magic so it would only give them an advantage by freezing them." Hong er: "You stay at the frontline and keep the soldiers in formation. I will support all of you." The assistant general nodded his head and stomped his away to the most front. Hong er: "Huayun and ice mages follow me. Meiyun and the rest go help them." Everyone: "Yes!" Everyone swiftly went to their own position, Hong er and the others used their qinggong to jump onto the border wall. Hong er glanced at one of her personnel and nodded her head. The latter nodded his head back and summoned an enormous sized war drum and two sticks in his hands. Hong er and the others stood orderly with their hands extended. The soldiers that stood below the border wall were confused as to why they would summon out an instrument in the middle of battle. Nevertheless, they could clearly see such an intense aura exuded from the war drum and definitely, it was not any ordinary war drum. The man raised his muscly arms to the air and struck the drum with his stick, the sound and vibration of the impact reached General Yi''s ship. General Yi: ''So this is the power of Xu elite forces.'' At the same time, Hong er and the others pulled their right hand till their shoulders like they were pulling an arrow. The snowstorm abruptly disappeared and caused the enemy to stop in their track. Enemy commander: ''What happened?!'' They looked up to the source of the sound and their face immediately paled. Enemy commander: ''The snowstorm we created had turned into ice arrows by those red masked group!.... Red mask?! Xu elite forces!'' The enemy commander turned around and roared. Enemy commander: "HIDE!" Hong er furrowed her brows and muttered. Hong er: "Die." The man struck the drum harder than previous and they released the grip on their right hand. The ice arrows launched towards the forest and stabbed through the enemies'' bodies. With just one move, Hong er and her group almost killed half of the bandits. Chapter 190 - 188. The Battle II Third-person POV Without any hesitation, the troops advanced as the snowstorm had been cleared by Hong er. The enemy also charged forward with the mages stayed behind to protect their comrades back. They tried to create the snowstorm again however Hong er''s group blocked them from doing so. They clenched their teeth in frustration and gathered up to combine their power. The leader of the mages whispered to his group. Leader: "Grab her attention, attack the other personnel." Members: "Yes." Hong er knitted her brows in suspicion, the mage group consistently attacking them with ice magic and it seemed like they purposely She glanced at Meiyun and her group who were fighting in close combat with the bandits. The bandits'' main weapon is chain weapons like spiky ball or sickle attached to the chain so it would be easier for them to stab and pull their opponent to their side. When Meiyun was fighting against 4 men, a chain circled her ankle and pulled her to the opponent''s side. The man waited with a sickle in his other hand and ready to slice off Meiyun''s head. Meiyun saw through his intention, she used her Qi to push her body higher to the air. The man frowned and pulled the chain harder, Meiyun spun her body and landed on the man''s shoulder. With both of her hands holding his head, she used her full strength to rip off his head from his neck. Another enemy appeared behind her, but before he could land any attack on Meiyun, an ice spear emerged from the ground and thrust through his head. Meiyun looked up to the border wall and nodded her head in thanks. Hong er nodded back and summoned her sword. Hong er: ''They dare to play a trick on me.'' Hong er: "Ah Gu!" (A/N: Ah Gu is the drummer. The usage of the drum will be explained at the end of the chapter.) Ah Gu: "Yes!" Ah Gu hit the drum once again, at the same time Hong er pierced her sword to the ground. A 10 feet tall ice wall surrounded the whole forest, not letting any of them escape. Hong er closed her eyes and activated her inner sight. Although she couldn''t see that far, at least she could detect the mages that hid in the forest. Another strike from Ah Gu, Hong er twisted her sword and the mages entrapped in ice. They tried to break away but to no avail, Hong er twisted her sword again and their body shattered into pieces like ice. Seeing that they were at a disadvantage, the enemy retreated under their commander''s command. Yet, they couldn''t escape due to Hong er''s ice wall. Hong er coldly glanced at them struggling to break through the ice wall and muttered. Hong er: "Kill." Elite forces: "Yes!" The elite forces mercilessly charged at them and gave them the least painful death by slashing off their heads. The battle went for almost half a day, everyone was tired and injured from the fight. The soldiers stared at Hong er and the elite forces who were passing by them with eyes full of admiration. They had fought really hard for days and nights, yet couldn''t push the enemy away. However, with only a couple dozens of Xu elite forces, they could hinder the enemy for a few days until the reinforcement arrives. Hong er and the Yun sister directly went to the tent that Assistant general hastily prepared for them. Meanwhile, the rest of the elite forces rested at the side of the road to refill their stamina and Qi. Although they are very powerful, nevertheless they are still human who could get tired and die. They thought that the rumor about them was quite ridiculous, people just love to exaggerate things. Most of the soldiers had idolized the Xu elite forces since they were kids so they couldn''t help themselves from gawking them. As they were sensitive to their surroundings due to their profession, they felt uncomfortable under the sparkling eyes of the soldiers. The elite forces looked at each other and pushed off one of the most friendly natured comrades they have. (A/N: I just give them some random name so it would be easier for me to identify them.) Ah Ren: "Why are you guys pushing me?! I didn''t anything wrong¡­..right?" Ah Yu: "You go ask them." Ah Ren: "Ask them what?" Ah Yu: "*Sigh, ask them why they are staring at us like we are some kind of cooked meat." Ah Ren: "Aye, Missy!" Ah Ren playfully saluted and turned around to face the soldiers. Although he was wearing a mask, they could see his wide smile just by hearing his voice. But then, his aura and voice changed. Ah Ren: "Whatcha lookin'' at HUUHH?!" Ah Ren asked intimidatingly, like a gangster. The soldiers thought that they were in the wrong for gawking at them. They intended to apologize to Ah Ren, however, he was a step faster than them. Ah Ren: "Ahahaha~ No need to that scared~ I''m just joking around. So whatcha lookin'' at?" This time Ah Ren asked with a voice full of excitement. The face of the soldiers brightened as they scurried over Ah Ren''s group and nervously questioned him. Soldier: "We are curious of the war drum! We don''t know why but every hit made us more excited!" Ah Ren: "Ohohoho~ Our Senior Gu is very famous~" Ah Ren glanced at Ah Gu and grinned slyly. If anyone wonder why he seems to be familiar, well, he is Meiyun''s direct junior. Xu Tingfeng assigned him to train with Meiyun for 2 years and caused him to become more playful than he already was. Ah Gu: ''That Meiyun, just what did she teach him to become this annoying?'' Meiyun who was treating her wounds suddenly sneezed and caused her wound to re-open. Meiyun: ''What the hell?'' Ah Gu: "Since you know my Zhan Gu very well, you explain it to them." (A/N: Zhan Gu: war drum. His name Gu came from there.) Ah Ren: "Aye sir!" Ah Ren winked at Ah Gu. Ah Ren: "Senior Gu''s role in our group is quite major as he enhances our attack to three times in every hit! On top of that, it increased the range of our attack till where the sound and vibration reached. That''s why even the snowstorm in General Yi''s place was also cleared!" Soldiers: "Hoo~ So cool!" Ah Ren: "Yup! Senior Gu''s power is very useful in long-range battle like war. And he is one of the few drummers that existed in this world, that means he is rare bro~" Ah Gu: "Stop it, you started to get more annoying than Meiyun." Ah Ren: "Ehehehe~" Soldiers: "All of you are so cool! And we are really thankful for helping us, if not, we don''t know if we would be able to come back alive." Ah Ren: "Uhm! You are welcome!" Chapter 191 - 189. His Letter Third-person POV Hong er sighed tiredly as she leaned her back on the chaise lounge in her tent. The fight really drained her energy and on top of that, the baby inside her also followed suit in taking up a quarter of her Qi while she was fighting. The Yun sisters got anxious when they saw how pale Hong er''s lips were. Although they were equally tires, they ran frantically in the tent. Meiyun: "Why do you have to force yourself?!" Hong er: "Hehe~ It''s fine. Just need some rest to replenish my Qi." Hong er chuckled seeing how panicked Meiyun got until she forgot to use honorifics. Hong er: "Here, check on my pulse. Everything is fine." Huayun went to her side and placed two fingers on her wrist. Huayun sighed in relief after knowing that Hong er just used her Qi too much and got tired from it. Huayun: "Your Majesty Empress, please don''t push yourself too hard. You almost got us a heart attack." Hong er: "En. Help me change my clothes, I want to take a nap." Huayun: "Yes." Meiyun: "I will go get some hot water." Hong er took off her current clothes with Huayun''s help and wipe her sweaty body with a warm towel that Meiyun brought over. Originally, she only wanted to take an hour nap but it turned to be a deep sleep until the next morning. And just as she predicted, Weisheng''s letter arrived just a moment ago. Hong er sighed as she opened the letter, she expected that it would be Weisheng scolding her for a few pages. But she only saw two words boldly written in the middle of the page with Weisheng''s seal at the side. ''Hui Jia'' (Go home) Only by these two words, it could send a shiver down to her spine. The day where the two them meet again would be her doom day, she thought so. Meiyun: "So, What did His Majesty Emperor say?" Hong er: "I''m gonna die." Meiyun: "Ahahaha~ Thought so." Hong er: "Humph! Why are you so mean to me?" Hong er said with her cheeks puffed out and her brows knitted together. Meiyun: "Ahahaha~" Meiyun only laughed at Hong er''s cute angry reaction. Huayun: "When will we depart?" Hong er: "Until the reinforcement arrived. Huayun, help me grind some ink." Huayun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er dipped her brush into the ink and only wrote a few letters then used her seal to stamp at the side of the words. After that, she handed it to Meiyun to dry the ink and told her to send it back with the beast that Weisheng used to deliver his letter. . . Qiyi: "Your Majesty Emperor, is something bothering you?" Weisheng: "En." Weisheng grumpily replied as he glared at the direction where his beast messenger just left. Weisheng: ''This wife of mine really is strong-headed.'' The next morning* Weisheng''s hand trembled in anger from reading the content of the letter that he received a moment ago. Weisheng exhaled a long sigh and massaged his forehead while tapping the table with his finger. Qiyi: "Your Majesty Emperor, is it Her Majesty Empress?" Weisheng: "En." Weisheng glanced at the letter once again, hoping that what he saw before was wrong. However, he has perfect eyesight and he didn''t read it wrong. He wanted to crumble the paper and burnt it into ashes, nevertheless, it was the letter that his beloved written for him and he didn''t dare to do that. ''No and I won.'' (A/N: She means that she wouldn''t go home and had won the battle.) Weisheng: ''My wife¡­.is so stubborn.'' . . Two days later, per her promise, Hong er went back to the royal palace in the capital city in a great mood, however, she didn''t expect that the whole palace would be in turmoil during her absence. The first day of Hong er''s absence was the worst of all. Xue Lang refused to go to his classes and sat dejectedly at the Floating Lotus Pavilion from the moment he woke up till his bedtime. He also refused to eat his meal and only go to bed after being nagged by Lu Cixi, yet he couldn''t fall asleep. Ming Yu had tried her best to convince him that Hong er would be fine and told him to pray for her safety. Xue Lang nodded his head and went to kneel in front of the Goddess of Light''s statue for 4 hours. His actions caused such an uproar in the Back Palace. Princess Yue also couldn''t focus on anything that she does and fretted about Hong er''s safety, moreover, Hong er currently is pregnant with such a big belly. Not to mention, with Hong er''s absence, the charge of handling the palaces fell back onto her shoulders. Rather than tired from working, she is more tired worrying about Xue Lang and Hong er. She had to convince Xue Lang to eat his meal and almost got a heart attack when she heard that he was kneeling in the temple for almost 4 hours. Thankfully, the personnel that Hong er assigned to her is very useful. Ah Li (the elite force) would put a spell on Xue Lang so he could feel asleep in a blink. She also helped Lu Cixi in arranging any doc.u.ments or instructions that needed to be done. Lu Cixi now realize why the Xu elite forces are very look up to, the way they handle their job is very efficient and flexible. Even Lu Cixi''s agents learned one or two things from Ah Li and she generously teaches them everything that they were curious about. Ah Li couldn''t blame them as Lu family''s intelligence agent is specialized in gathering information and studies, therefore, they weren''t that good in combat skill compared to Xu elite forces. Ah Li: "Your Majesty Empress Dowager, this servant got a piece of news that Her Majesty Empress had passed the Royal Palace''s main gate." Lu Cixi: "Call Physician Xu at once. We need to check the baby''s and her health. Inform Xue Lang and Yue Ying of her arrival." (A/N: Yue Ying is Princess Yue''s real name. Liu Yueying.) Ah Li: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Ah Li disappeared into thin air after she gave her salute to Lu Cixi. Lu Cixi rose from her seat and went to see her stubborn daughter-in-law. Lu Cixi: ''I will give this girl a good lecture.'' However, her anger instantly dispersed when Hong er kowtowed to her the moment she saw her. Hong er: "This unfilial daughter-in-law realizes its mistakes and will receive any punishment from Your Majesty Empress Dowager." Lu Cixi swiftly helped Hong er to stand up and smacked Hong er''s hand. Lu Cixi: "You know it is dangerous, yet, you still go there. Do you know how worried His Majesty Emperor when he learned about your whereabouts?" Lu Cixi nagged Hong er, meanwhile Hong er just helplessly smiled and massaged Lu Cixi''s palm to appease her anger. Hong er''s brows arched when she heard fast footsteps and screams from afar. She turned her head around and saw Princess Yue and Xue Lang running towards her direction with their arms open. Hong er smiled lovingly and also opened her arms for them to jump in. The two of them immediately hit the brakes and stopped right in front of Hong er which made Hong er puzzled. Then they gently hugged Hong er and said. Princess Yue & Xue Lang: "Welcome home, sister-in-law / Imperial Mother." Hong er: "En. I''m back." Chapter 192 - 190. He Returned For Her I Third-person POV Hong er went on her daily tasks like usual and Xue Lang became more attached to her. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, let me feed you." Hong er: "Hahaha~ You don''t need to. Mother is very healthy and can eat by herself." Xue Lang''s face immediately dropped and sat back to his seat with a face filled with dejection. The soft-hearted Hong er felt guilty and put down her chopstick. She patted the pouting Xue Lang and smiled tenderly. Hong er: "Xue Lang, Mother is hungry. Can you feed Mother?" Xue Lang: "Uhm! Of course!" A wide smile spread on his pale face as he nodded vigorously. Xue Lang picked the meat in front of him and positioned it on Hong er''s lips. Hong er opened her mouth and slowly munched the meat. Hong er''s brows twitched and her chewing movement became slower, but she still maintains her gentle smile. Xue Lang: "How is it?" Hong er: "E-en. Very delicious." Xue Lang: "Really?!" Hong er: "En, really." Xue Lang: "I am learning how to cook from the chef and made my first dish for Imperial Mother." Hong er: "En. You did very well." Hong er ruffled Xue Lang''s hair and smiled proudly. Although the taste wasn''t that good, but if she had to compare to Weisheng''s cooking then the winner would be Xue Lang. While the mother and son having a good time together, Ah Tong out of the blue appeared beside Hong er and kneeled. Ah Tong: "Reporting, His Majesty Emperor and Great General Di won the battle this morning and preparing to head back to the capital." Xue Lang''s face instantly brightened by the news. Hong er: "How about Dong Fang?" Ah Tong: "Great General Di announced that under his order, Dong Fang united with Da Qi and became part of us." Hong er: "The Dong Fang Emperor?" Ah Tong: "Beheaded in the public, the rest of the royal family would be given poison wine." Hong er: "Pitiful." Hong er nonchalantly said whilst sipping on her warm tea. Hong er: "When will His Majesty Emperor reach the capital?" Ah Tong: "From the letter that Qier sent us, it will be around 4 days with their current speed." Hong er: "En. Good job, you can retreat." Ah Tong: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Ah Tong disappeared into thin air after he gave his salutation. Hong er changed her attention to Xue Lang and noticed that he became restless. Hong er: "What''s wrong? Stomachache?" Xue Lang shook his head and looked up to Hong er with his glistening white eyes. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, why would Imperial Father kill all the family when only the emperor was in the wrong?" Hong er was taken back with Xue Lang''s sudden question. She vacantly stared at the frozen lake and sighed. Hong er: "We, as the royal family, have to ensure the happiness of our subjects. These glamorous clothes, delicious food, and comfortable bed are all because of their effort. They worked for days and nights to pay taxes so we also have to give back what they deserve. And the royal family of Dong Fang failed to do so." Xue Lang: "But do we really have to kill all of them, even the innocent one?" Hong er: "Yes. Those Dong Fang royal families were hungry for power. They even dare to use the life of their own child just to gain a single drop of power. Human is worse than a beast." Xue Lang was silenced with Hong er''s heartless answer. Her voice was colder than the blowing winter wind that could make one''s heart to freeze. Hong er blinked her eyes and the icy cold eyes replaced with her usual tranquil gaze. Hong er: "You don''t need to understand this now. Eventually, you will understand what mother said today." Xue Lang: "Yes, Imperial Mother." Xue Lang obediently nodded his head. . . Just like what Ah Tong reported, Weisheng reached the capital with his close aides and his elite forces. The royal palace and citizens celebrated his triumph in defeating Dong Fang''s Imperial Army in less than a month. The commoners kneeled before him and congratulated him without looking up. Weisheng dignifiedly rode his favorite horse and marched towards the Royal Palace''s gate without sparing any glance to them. Lu Ping sighed when he saw Weisheng''s aloof behavior. This behavior makes bad rumors about Weisheng being ignorant and arrogant to circulate around the society. However, Lu Ping aware that Weisheng didn''t mean it that way. Since Weisheng was young, everyone would cower in fear whenever he looked at them directly in the eyes. It didn''t take them long to reach the palace gate. From far away, Weisheng saw Hong er standing in the middle of snow, waiting for him to return to her side. Xue Lang smiled widely as he waved his hands towards Weisheng while mouthing ''Imperial Father''. Under his mask, a gentle smile emerged from his lip, he pulled the rein and fastened his pace. Xiao Hei stopped right in front of Hong er and rubbed his face on Hong er''s cold palm. Hong er: "Good boy." Weisheng knitted his brows and dismounted from Xiao Hei. He took Hong er''s hand that was caressing Xiao Hei with his rough hand. Weisheng: "Hm?" Hong er: "Hahaha~ Welcome home, Your Majesty Emperor." Hong er: ''He is even jealous of his own pet.'' Xue Lang: "Welcome back, Imperial Father!" Weisheng: "En." Weisheng ruffled Xue Lang''s hair into a mess, despite that, Xue Lang smiled happily and proudly showed his messy hair to Hong er. Hong er: "Hahaha~ That is not something you should be proud of, Xue Lang." Xue Lang: "Hehehe~" Weisheng caressed Hong er''s tummy and worriedly asked her. Weisheng: "You okay?" (A/N: He was asking Hong er and the baby''s condition.) Hong er: "En. Everything is fine." . . After Weisheng took a quick bath and ate his meal, he sat beside Hong er and passed her a scroll. Hong er: "Hm?" Weisheng: "From General Di." Hong er rolled open the scroll and read the long list one by one. Hong er: "Dower for Meiyun?" Weisheng: "En. Since you are family, I hand the duty to you." Hong er: "En. I will arrange for her dowry. Did he say anything about the ceremony?" Weisheng: "He will arrive at Chang An in 5 days and immediately bring her to his residence." Hong er: "That fast?!" Weisheng: "If it is me, I will do the same." Hong er chuckled and slapped his arm to hide her embarrassment. Chapter 193 - 191. He Returned For Her II Third-person POV Today, Hong er unusually was in her chamber sitting with a book in her hand. A huge snowstorm suddenly arise in Chang An (Da Qi''s capital city) and caused the people to stop whatever they were doing and hid in their house. Hong er: "Meiyun." Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress?" Hong er: "Is this to your satisfaction?" Meiyun: "Hm?" Hong er tossed a golden scroll to her without taking her eyes off from her book. Meiyun hesitantly opened the scroll and read the content. Her brows knitted in puzzlement, a list of expensive items that she doesn''t even know Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, what does this mean?" Hong er: "*Sigh, usually you are very smart. Of course, this is your dowry, silly Meiyun." Meiyun: "Oohh, dowry¡­..DOWRY?! What the-" Meiyun immediately stopped her mouth when she realized that Xue Lang was sitting beside Hong er. Meiyun: "-heaven." Hong er: "Ahahaha~ Did you forget that he promised to marry you 8 months later?" Meiyun: "I-I actually remember¡­" Meiyun blushed as her voice got smaller and smaller. Hong er: "So? What do you think about the dowry?" Meiyun: "Hhmm, I can''t afford all of these with my current saving." Hong er: "Aiya~ What are you talking about? Of course, I will pay it for you." Meiyun: "No, you can''t. This is my personal affair, therefore, I have to use my own money." Hong er turned around and smacked Meiyun''s had with her book. Hong er: "I am your family, so this is part of my responsibility. Don''t you dare reject my help or I will throw you out from elite forces. So, are you satisfied with my choices? Or do you want to add more?" Meiyun: "No, this is more than enough!" Hong er: "Hahaha~ Okay then." Hong er winked and her attention went back to her book. But then she remembered something. Hong er: "Oh, by the way, General Di gave you much more than that, that''s why I''m concerned about the amount of dowry." Meiyun: "O-oh, en. It really is enough." . . In the middle of a forest that was covered with a thick layer of snow, a large group of people sitting around a campfire to keep themselves warm in the middle of the harsh winter. A fur coat enveloped their tall body and made them looked like a bear. Di Shang: "Mother, are you fine?" Naran: "Of course I am. This winter won''t beat me, GRAAAH!" A circle of fire materialized around them and their body temperature immediately rose up. Di Yu smiled lovingly at his beloved wife and changed his attention to the worried Di Shang. Di Yu: "Don''t worry about her. Your mother can handle this." Di Shang: "En." Di Yu: "Where is Tian Han?" (A/N: Di Tian''s full name is Di Tian Han while Di Shang''s full name is Di Shang Tang. I will still use Di Shang but there will be a few characters that will call him Shang Tang.) Di Shang: "Escorting his fianc¨¦e. She said that she wants to attend my wedding and see her sister-in-law." Di Shang''s ears got slightly red at the mention of ''sister-in-law''. He didn''t believe that he was going to marry his beloved woman in a few days. He had sent dower to the Royal Palace and the only thing that has to be done is the wedding ceremony. Di Yu: "That Meiyun girl, did she say anything about the marriage?" Di Shang: "No. She went along with it." Di Yu: "En. No need to worry that much. We will reach there tomorrow." Di Shang: "En." Naran: "Now now now~ Let''s drink! But don''t get drunk!" Naran tossed a few jars of liquor to the soldiers. A few sips of liquor could warm their bodies from inside, furthermore, they are from Dong Fang. They don''t easily get drunk. . . Ming Yu: "Stop moving!" Meiyun: "Stop touching me!" Ming Yu: "Shut up, you always touch me whenever you like! So why I can''t?!" Meiyun: "Be-because¡­" Ming Yu: "Because what?!" Meiyun: "Because I am a shy maiden¡­" Meiyun covered her body with her hands and stared at Ming Yu with her puppy eyes. Ming Yu gritted her teeth in annoyance and slapped Meiyun''s back. Ming Yu: "I only want to measure your body! Why is the conversation turned lewder?!" Meiyun: "Aiya~ Ming Yu is a pervert~" Meiyun screeched in high pitch caused Ming Yu to choke her own saliva. Then a hard smack suddenly landed on Meiyun''s head. Huayun: "Don''t worry. In a few days, you aren''t a maiden anymore." Huayun spoke with a sinister grin on her face. Huayun''s words made Meiyun realize what was going to happen. Her face flushed red as she wordlessly stood straight to let Ming Yu take her measurement. Huayun smiled in satisfaction seeing Meiyun finally behaved. She turned her attention to Ming Yu and curiously asked. Huayun: "Aren''t the wedding dress finished? Why do you have to measure her again?" Ming Yu: "Uhm, it finished long ago. But we have to measure her current body size so we can fix it up if there are any changes compared to the first measurement." Huayun: "Hoo~ Oh, Meiyun." Meiyun: "Hm?" Huayun: "Her Majesty Empress, bought a residence for you." Meiyun: "Eh? Why so sudden?" Huayun: "The bride has to depart from their parents to the groom''s house. Since we are orphan, we don''t have any of that so Her Majesty immediately bought one for us." Meiyun: "Woah~" *Knock knock knock Their heads turned towards the source of sound. Huayun: "Yes?" Maid: "His Majesty Emperor told this servant to call Senior Meiyun to seek him in His Majesty Emperor''s study room." Meiyun: "En. I understood." The maid''s silhouette gone and Meiyun tidied up her attire. Huayun was puzzled with Weisheng''s intention for summoning her sister to his study room. Meiyun: "I will be quick. No need to tell Her Majesty Empress." As soon as she said that, she disappeared into thin air leaving Huayun''s numerous questions unanswered. Chapter 194 - 192. Don’t Forget Third-person POV Meiyun approached Weisheng''s study room and spotted the Qi brothers standing in front of the door. She smiled and bowed to them. Meiyun: "I heard that His Majesty Emperor called me to come here." Qiyi stared at Meiyun vacantly. Even after half a year, he still couldn''t forget the woman who was standing in front of him. Qier: "En. His Majesty Emperor is waiting for you." Meiyun: "Thank you." Meiyun walked past them and entered the room. Qier swiftly closed the door and pinched Qiyi''s arm to get him out of his daze. Qier: "Focus." Qiyi: "En." Meanwhile, Meiyun kneeled on one knee and with her fist cupped. Meiyun: "Greeting to our Majesty Emperor. Is there any instruction for his servant?" Weisheng: "En. You have done your job very well." Meiyun: "This servant thanking Your Majesty Emperor for the compliment." Weisheng: "You are going to marry General Di but don''t forget our agreement." Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Weisheng: "Dismissed." Meiyun: "Yes." Meiyun bowed her head and turned around to leave the room, but a voice stopped her. Weisheng: "Be happy." Meiyun glanced at Weisheng and smiled. Meiyun: "Yes." She opened the door and walked out of the room. The Qi brothers saluted Meiyun and she did the same to them. Qier: "I wish you have a happy marriage." Meiyun: "Uhm! Thank you!" Qiyi: "Meiyun¡­" Meiyun: "Hm?" Qiyi: "I¡­" Qiyi: ''...love you.'' Qiyi bit his lips as he tried to brave himself to tell her his feelings. But then he realized it was too late. Meiyun arched her brows in confusion. Meiyun: "I?" A sad smile displayed on his lips as he spoke. Qiyi: "I wish you are happy with him." Meiyun was quite taken back. She took his hand and smiled gently. Meiyun: "You too. Please be happy." Meiyun patted his hand and quickly turned away to leave. Qiyi reached out his hand yet didn''t manage to catch her. He stared at the direction where Meiyun left. Qiyi: ''I will.'' . . *The next day For the whole day, Meiyun has been thinking about her marriage. Hong er had caught Meiyun spacing out for quite a few times but chose to ignore it as she understood what Meiyun was thinking about. She got a piece of news from one of her elite forces that the Di family had arrived at the Royal Palace to give their greetings to their new emperor. And without saying, she as an empress had to be there too, therefore, Hong er was getting ready to visit the main hall. Meiyun was replaced by Ming Yu as the bride shouldn''t meet the groom for a few days before the marriage. (A/N: Idk if this is true or not, I just made it up.) Hong er sat beside Weisheng at the throne and the Di family greeted both of them then discussed the national affairs as a whole new country just added into Da Qi. While Weisheng was talking to Di Yu, Hong er noticed that Di Shang subtly looking around the hall and his face showed that he was very disappointed. Hong er used her sleeve to cover her grin. She knew exactly what Di Shang was looking for and she was here to enjoy his misery. While on the other side, Meiyun was surprised by a tanned skin woman who out of blue appeared in front of her. Meiyun immediately got alarmed and summoned her sword rings. Meiyun: "How can you get in here?" Meiyun growled dangerously. But the woman only whistled in amazement without replying to Meiyun. The woman also moved her hand and summoned a huge boomerang. Meiyun charged forward at full speed. However, the woman managed to block Meiyun''s attack with her boomerang. Meiyun: "State who you are and on what purpose you are here before I kill you." Woman: "Wow wow wow~ Wait a minute~ I don''t know that my sister-in-law is this intimidating." Meiyun: "What are you blabbering about?" Woman: "They told me that my sister-in-law is someone who I can invite to hunt and horse-riding. Not those gentle and weak young ladies. I can see it now but didn''t expect to be this scary." Meiyun: "Your name!" Woman: "Qadan!" Meiyun: "What is your purpose coming here?" Qadan: "Please release me first, it is hard to talk in this position." Meiyun: "Unsummon your weapon." Qadan: "Kay~" Qadan unsummoned her boomerang and raised her hands to show that she had nothing in her hands. Meiyun also retracted her sword rings but didn''t store it back. Meiyun: "You got 10 seconds to speak." Qadan: "Okay okay, I''m Qadan and I came here as one of the entourage from Dong Fang or safe to say the Di family." Meiyun immediately unsummoned her sword rings and kneeled on one knee. Qadan was startled with Meiyun''s sudden change in behavior. Meiyun: "This servant deeply apologizes as I don''t know this Young Lady''s identity and acted on my own accord." Qadan: "Aiya aiya~ No need to kneel since you are my sister-in-law." Meiyun: "Who?" Meiyun asked with a confused expression on her face. Qadan: "You. I am Di Tian Han''s fianc¨¦e and it means you are my sister-in-law." Meiyun: "The hell¡­" Qadan: "Ahahaha~ Since sister-in-law shouldn''t meet brother-in-law, how about I explain to you about our Dong Fang''s culture." Meiyun: "O-oh okay." Qadan pulled Meiyun to a nearby stairs to sit down. Then she started to explain everything about what a bride should do and should not do based on their tribe''s tradition. Meiyun earnestly listened to her explanation and sometimes she would laugh at Qadan''s jokes. Sometimes Meiyun would ask about Di Shang''s preferences in things like food or colors. Qadan gladly answered Meiyun''s question one by one. After a while, Qadan stood up. Qadan: "Wow, you are so fun to talk to, sister-in-law." Meiyun: "Ahahaha, thank you." Qadan: "Well then, it seems like it is time for me to go." Meiyun: "Uhm! Be careful!" Qadan: "Aye! Oh and let me tell you something." Meiyun: "?" Qadan smiled slyly and leaned her body closer to Meiyun then whispered. Qadan: "Brother-in-law keeps talking about how beautiful and amazing you are. Sometimes I could hear him calling your name while staring at the sky. Woo~ He is head over heels for you~" Meiyun''s face instantly flushed like a boiled octopus. Qadan ran away while laughing her head off from seeing Meiyun''s innocent reaction. After walking for a while, Qadan caught up to Di Shang''s group. (A/N: They were using Dong Fang''s dialect.) Qadan: "Brother-in-law!" Di Shang: "Hm? Where do you go all this time?" Qadan: "I went to see sister-in-law." Di Shang: "Meiyun? How is she?" Di Shang''s voice became gentler at the mention of Meiyun''s name. Qadan: "Wow~ You guys really loves each other doncha?" Di Shang''s ears got slightly red as he nodded. Di Shang: "En. Why do you say so?" Qadan: "Ehehehe~ Because sister-in-law kept asking me about what you like and dislike. And now I saw you, you also asked about her. if it isn''t love then what it is?" Di Shang: "En. I love her so much." Qadan: "AwwwWAAAA!" Qadan felt herself being lifted up to the air by an unknown person. Di Tian: "What are you guys talking about without me in it?" Qadan: "Let me go you idiot!" Di Shang: "About your sister-in-law." Qadan: "I told you to let me GO!" Qadan elbowed Di Tian''s face and caused Di Tian to loosened his grip on her waist. Di Tian crouched down on the ground covering his injured face while Qadan ignoring his complains. Unknown to them, Weisheng and Hong er were watching them from the beginning till the end. Di Yu turned his face away from shame while Naran burst into laughter from her son''s idiocy. Chapter 195 - 193. 27th November Third-person POV The sun was setting, some of the stores on the roadsides were getting ready to close for the day while the others lighted up their lantern to attract more customers. The Di family went back to their recently bought residence. The servants had finished unpacking their stuff and were currently decorating the residence with red cloth and stickers with ''happiness'' written on it. The residence started to get more and more festive with the decorations. The on-lookers also glanced around wondering which noble family that was going to get married. They saw a ''Di'' word carved on the wooden board above the gate and remembered that the Di family had decided to join hand with Da Qi. And now they were wondering who is the lucky bride of the mighty General Di. And the groom that they were talking about was staring at the moon with a jar of liquor in his hand. Knowing that his soon to be wife was staying at a residence not far from his, made him miss her even more. He was extremely excited during his arrival at the Royal Palace, but after looking around for a while, he couldn''t find any traces of Meiyun''s presence. Even after Hong er sat down beside Weisheng, he still couldn''t spot Meiyun because as far as he knows, Meiyun always follows Hong er around as she is Hong er''s bodyguard. He wasn''t able to concentrate in any of their conversation as his mind wandering around, trying to find a way so he could see his lover. But he held back understanding that he had to mind his manners because he was in a Royal Palace, not his house. Di Shang sighed for the hundredth time and heard the bushes beside him rustling. He smirked and grabbed a pebble from the ground then threw it towards the rustling bushes. A pained voice sounded out from the bush as a tall figure slowly emerged from the bush. Di Tian: "Oww~ Why do you have to hit me so hard?" Di Shang: "Don''t sneak around your own house like a criminal." Di Tian: "C''mon man~ I saw you in such a depressed state and decided to come and drink a few jars with big bro." Di Shang: "Here." Di Tian: "Thanks! So why are big bro so down-hearted when you are going to get married tomorrow?" Di Shang: "I want to see her." Di Tian: "Sister-in-law?" Di Shang: "En." Di Tian: "Then why don''t you go see her?" Di Shang: "Tradition." Di Tian: "Aiyo~ Careless about the tradition and just go see her. I''m pretty sure that she wants to see you too." Di Shang''s face brightened like a big puppy. Di Shang: "You think so?" Di Tian: "Of course! She never stop sending you letters even though you didn''t send her a reply. She always wrote the same thing such as asking about your health and our family''s. So man up and go visit her." Di Shang: "En." Di Tian: "Have a fun trip." With that Di Shang disappeared into thin air without forgetting to grab one jar of his liquor. Di Tian immediately turned his head to the jars that Di Shang left on the table and smiled slyly. Di Tian: ''Now this is all mine! Ahahahaha!" . . Di Shang jumped from one roof to another roof with only the tip of his shoe lightly tapped on the tile. He stopped when he saw the residence which Meiyun was staying at. He sneakily went around the residence to find Meiyun''s chamber. Then he caught a glimpse of an opened window, he quickly hid behind a tree near the room and peeked from behind the tree. His face immediately blushed by the sight of Meiyun wearing a thin nightgown. But deep in his heart, he was concerned about her health for wearing so thinly when it was snowing. He thought that it was unneeded for him to hide from Meiyun but before he could reveal himself, he heard Meiyun talking to herself. Meiyun: "I hate you." Di Shang: ''What the-'' Di Shang quickly turned his head around to confirm who she was talking to. His heart immediately dropped when he saw Meiyun holding the Dong Fang''s clothes that he lent her when he saved her. Meiyun: "I really hate you." Meiyun tossed the clothes to the side of her bed and turned away like she was trying to ignore her clothes. Unknown to her, her actions caused Di Shang to froze on his spot. But Meiyun couldn''t help herself from glancing at her clothes that she just threw. Di Shang: ''Sh-she hates me¡­ Why¡­'' He saw Meiyun crawled to the side of her bed and hugged her clothes tightly in her embrace. Meiyun: "I take back what I said. I can''t hate you because I love you too much. OMG, how can I say such an embarrassing thing?!" Meiyun blushed and pounded her bed with her fists in embarrassment. Di Shang leaned his back on the tree and also blushed. He walked out from his hiding spot and slowly approached the window. Di Shang: "Me too." Meiyun whipped up her head at the source of the sound and blushed furiously. She hid her face with the clothes in her hand. Di Shang smiled lovingly and gently pulled her hand away from her face. He had been waiting for more than half a year just to see her face, he couldn''t describe how happy he was right now. He leaned his face closer to hers and planted a kiss on her lips. Although she was extremely embarrassed, she didn''t reject his kiss. She stared vacantly at him and closed her eyes indicating that she didn''t mind him kissing her more. Di Shang''s heart fluttered by her cuteness and pulled her into a deep kiss. The kiss wasn''t rushed nor filled with l.u.s.t, it only filled with overwhelming love and yearning. The night passed by with the two talking about their days when they were away from each other. Di Shang: "I''m sorry that I didn''t reply to your letters a few times." Meiyun: "En. It is fine. I understand that you are doing your best on the battlefield. I was just worried about you." Di Shang: "Thank you." Meiyun: "Uumm, Shang Tang." At first, Di Shang asked her to call him with ''qin ai de'' but after a few times, Meiyun started to feel it was too cringy for her to call him with that. Therefore, she changed it into ''Shang Tang''. Di Shang pecked her lips before he went back to his own residence. Meiyun stared at his silhouette slowly disappeared, she closed her windows and laid on her bed. Meiyun: "God, please let me enjoy this happiness a bit longer." . . On 27th November, the street was full of people watching the bride carried to the carriage. Ah Tong volunteered to do the part where a brother should do. Huayun didn''t expect herself to shed tears from seeing her sister getting married. The carriage departed from Meiyun''s residence to the Di family''s residence. Along the way, the children would extend their hands to receive a red pocket from the bridesmaids. (A/N: usually in other stories, they throw gold right?) The way to Di Shang''s residence was very merry that sometimes Meiyun would laugh and sing along with the music. Di Shang saw red carriage slowly placed down in front of the gate and Huayun helped Meiyun to make her way towards Di Shang. Meiyun took the other end of the red silk and walked alongside Di Shang to greet the elders. Chapter 196 - 194. Marriage I Third-person POV Weisheng and Hong er were sitting on the highest seat with Di Yu and Naran sat on the lower seat in front of them. They proceeded with the tea ceremony and kowtowed three times to heaven and earth, parents, and each other. Hong er gripped Weisheng''s hand and turned her face away. Weisheng worriedly looked over Hong er and saw her eyes filled with tears. Weisheng patted Hong er''s back to calm her down but it made Hong er''s tears to fall down her cheeks. Hong er: "She had suffered enough." Hong er dabbed her tears away and looked at Meiyun with a proud smile. A pang of guilt hit Weisheng''s heart as he knew something that Hong er doesn''t know. He also looked at the woman in red with guilty eyes. Weisheng: ''I''m sorry.'' But the woman they were talking about was smiling gleefully like today was one of the happiest days she had ever felt. Although she couldn''t see Di Shang''s face because of her veil, she could feel him smiling from ear to ear. Di Shang guided Meiyun to their chamber and set her down on their bed. Di Shang: "I have to go toast with the guests." Meiyun: "En. Enjoy your time." Di Shang walked out of the room and now Meiyun was alone with the two new servants that Di Shang especially chose for her. Meiyun lifted up her veil (even though she shouldn''t) and looked at them with a wide smile. Meiyun: "What is your name?" . . Weisheng and Hong er had left earlier than most of the guests as they have piles of doc.u.ments that they had to look over. Di Yu received a congratulatory letter from Xu Tingfeng for his son''s marriage and sent some gifts for the couple since he had considered Meiyun as his own daughter. Di Shang finally sent all of the drunk guests off safely to their carriages. They highly praised the Di family for their drinking ability. Even after holding a few drinking battles with the groom, the groom could still stand straight with a calm face. Di Yu stood beside Di Shang and smacked his back. Di Yu: "They can''t compare to us." Di Shang: "En. But¡­" Di Shang sniffed his clothes and scrunched his nose. Even though he was not drunk, he was stinks of alcohol. He sighed and saluted to Di Yu. Di Shang: "Father, this son has to go." Di Yu: "En. Treat her kindly." Di Shang: "Yes." With that, Di Shang left to find his wife. He entered their chamber and saw Meiyun was wiping her sword rings with her veil still covering her face. She heard the door opened and lifted up her head. Meiyun: "You come back." Meiyun stored her sword rings back and carefully walked towards Di Shang. Di Shang ran to her side and helped her to sit. Meiyun: "Wow, you stink." Di Shang: "Yeah, I will go take a bath." Meiyun: "Before that, please take off this veil." Di Shang looked at Meiyun and laughed. He sat beside her and took the red stick on the table then slowly lifted up her veil. He thought that he was ready, yet, it felt like his heart stopped for a moment when he saw her. Her red lips companied with a light eye make-up gave her a tint of s.e.xiness and innocence in it. Even Di Shang was speechless. Meiyun smiled from ear and ear and leaned closer to Di Shang. Meiyun: "Do I look pretty?" Di Shang: "Very." Meiyun: "Ehehehe~" Meiyun bashfully giggled and offered help to continue their ritual. After they were done with everything, Meiyun helped Di Shang to take off his clothes. Di Shang was quite embarrassed since he never showed his half-n.a.k.e.d body to any girl except his mother. With a white towel wrapped around his waist, he stepped into the bathroom just to find Meiyun followed behind him with only a short towel covering almost none of her thighs. Di Shang''s face instantly flushed red as he stared at her body. Meiyun: "Don''t stare at me like that. I became self-conscious you know." Di Shang: "S-sorry." Di Shang turned his head away and walked into the bathroom. He dipped into the huge bathtub and relaxed his body. Meiyun sat behind him and offered to scrub his back which he gladly accepted. After a while, Di Shang turned around to ask her something but he accidentally pulled the towel that was covering her body. Both of them stopped for a few seconds before Meiyun blushed profusely and swiftly turned her body around. Di Shang''s face immediately dropped when he saw the numerous scars on her back. Her back was fully covered with various scars, from whip scar to a burn scar. However, from all the scars, the most visible one was the long scar from one corner to another corner. He stretched out his hand and gently brushed his hand over the scars. Di Shang: "Who did this to you?" Meiyun''s eyes widened in terror, she quickly turned her back towards the wall so that Di Shang wouldn''t be able to see her horrible scars. Di Shang saw her lips getting paler and paler, also, her whole body was trembling profusely. Di Shang walked out of the bathtub and slowly approached Meiyun. Meiyun crawled backward with every step that Di Shang took. His heart scrunched up like a paper by the sight of wretched Meiyun. She had always been bubbly and cheerful hence watching her getting scared and terrorized was very heart-wrenching. Di Shnag gritted his teeth and pulled her into his embrace. He didn''t care about her getting wet because of him, he just wanted to be by her side while she was having a breakdown. Di Shang: "I don''t care about your scars, your dark past that you desperately tried to hide. I will always love you no matter what." Meiyun bit her lip trying to not let any tear fell from her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and tried to pull out her best smile. Meiyun: "Ehehehe~ I''m wet because of you." Di Shang''s mind immediately stopped for a while. Meiyun: ''Wait, why does it sound weird?" Di Shang: "Aren''t you impatient?" Di Shang stared at her like she was a full course meal. The sad thought from before instantly vanished. Meiyun: "I-I didn''t mean it like th-" Di Shang stopped her words with his lips. His tongue explored every corner of her mouth. He only stopped when Meiyun started to get breathless. Di Shang: "So you don''t want it?" He stared at her with eyes full of desire. Meiyun''s mind was blank from the deep kiss before and couldn''t think of anything. She just replied obediently without thinking about the risk. Meiyun: "I-I want it so much¡­." Di Shang: ''Do you have to stir me up this much?'' Di Shang swiftly carried Meiyun to their bed and¡­. Chapter 197 - 195. Marriage II Third-person POV The sunlight seeped through the window and highlighted the kiss marks on Meiyun''s pale skin. She was sitting on her bed with Di Shang still asleep and had her waist under his wrap. Her face visibly showed how tired she was from last night''s activity. But she didn''t blame Di Shang for his overwhelming stamina. She removed his hands from her waist and steadily get out of their bed. Then a rough hand suddenly caught her hand. Di Shang: "Where are you going?" Meiyun turned her around and stared at him with tired eyes. Meiyun: "Pee." Di Shang: "Me too." Meiyun: "Wha-" Meiyun muttered in disbelief. Di Shang got off from the bed and scooped up Meiyun in one quick move. Meiyun: "I can walk by myself." Di Shang: "But you must be sore from last night''s papapa." Meiyun: "What papapa?!" (A/N: You know....that papapa.... *evil grin) Meiyun blushed as she wriggled out her way from his embrace. Di Shang: "Okay okay, I will put you down." Di Shang gently helped her to stand and took a step back to enjoy the view of Meiyun walking with her shaking legs. Meiyun felt her legs were as soft as jellies, she used the table beside her as a support. Slowly but steadily, Meiyun managed to walk a few steps forward. But she couldn''t use the table as a support anymore, so she summoned a spear and walked like a century years old granny with her giant cane. Di Shang snorted and carried her like how he previously did. Di Shang: "Granny, you walk too slow." Meiyun: "Wh-what did you call me?" Di Shang: "Granny, but since you are cute, let''s just say you are like a newborn fawn." Meiyun: "¡­" Never had she been teased this much in her whole life. She was too shocked to think of any clap back. Di Shang smiled like he had won a battle, he pecked her lips and stared at her with his green eyes. Di Shang: "You have your husband right here, use me as much as you like." Meiyun: "Ewww, so kinky." Meiyun made a disgusted look and caused Di Shang to burst out laughing. Di Shang: "Ahahaha~ It was supposed to come out romantically." Meiyun laughed along and let herself being carried by her husband. After they took a bath together, a maid came in and passed her a letter that had Hong er''s seal on it. ''Come to my palace after you done.'' As soon as she finished reading the letter, she threw the letter into the fire (heater) and watched till it burn into ashes. If she didn''t dispose of any kind of material that had Hong er''s trace especially Hong er''s seal, she afraid that an ill-intended person would steal the letter that had Hong er''s seal on it and use it for his own advantages. Di Shang: "You ready?" Di Shang peeked over her shoulder. Meiyun: "En." Both of them went to the main hall where Di Yu and Naran were waiting for them. Naran happily welcomed Meiyun and offered her to sit beside her. Meiyun: "Thank you, mother-in-law." Naran: "Aiya~ Just call me mother." Meiyun looked at Naran with an astounded expression. Meiyun: ''How long has it been since I use that word?'' Meiyun smiled tenderly and called out to Naran. Meiyun: "Mother." Naran: "Good! Hahaha~" Di Yu and Di Shang stared at their wife with eyes full of love. They never thought that just by watching someone you love smiles, also could put a smile on your face too. Just when Naran almost started to tell Meiyu about Di Shang''s embarrassing past, he quickly stood up and took Meiyun''s hand. Di Shang: "Mother, we have to visit Her Majesty Empress. We excuse ourselves." Meiyun: "E-eh oh, we are leaving, mother." Naran: "Have fun!" Meiyun: "Okay!" With that, Di Shang managed to escape from his mother. Meiyun tugged his sleeve and asked curiously. Meiyun: "Why are you so rushed?" Di Shang: "Nothing." A sly grin crept up her lips. Meiyun: "Is it because mother exposing your past?" Di Shang: "Ugh." Meiyun: "Aiyo~ Shang Tang a~ You can never hide anything from this wife." Meiyun playfully poked his cheek. The corner of his lips unnoticeably arched into a smirk. He pulled Meiyun''s hand that was poking her cheek and mercilessly attacked her lips in front of the servants. Her face was as red as a tomato, she wanted to smack Di Shang''s head but both of her hands were restrained by him. Only after Meiyun stopped moving did Di Shang released her. He looked at her blushing down to her neck and used his huge body to hide from the attention that they gathered. The servants had been looking away since Di Shang pulled Meiyun''s hand. Servants: ''Worry not Miss, we didn''t see anything.'' Di Shang: "Let''s go." Di Shang walked away whilst holding Meiyun''s hand. They arrived at Hong er''s palace half an hour later. While Hong er was waiting for them to come, she played a round of chess with Xue Lang and deliberately let him win. Di Shang and Meiyun greeted Hong er and sat at the guest seat. Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, is there any instruction for this servant?" Hong er told Ming Yu to bring Xue Lang to his classes before she replies to Meiyun. Hong er: "Yes. Ben Gong will give you a month of day-off so that you two can enjoy your honeymoon." Meiyun was elated by the word ''Day-off'', but since she had been beside Hong er for literally half of her life, it made her quite anxious to be away from Hong er for such a long period. Meiyun: "This servant deeply appreciates Your Majesty Empress''s kindness but who will protect you?" Hong er: "Ben Gong understands that you are worried about Ben Gong but you have to enjoy your time with General Di." Meiyun: "But-" Hong er: "I will choose Ah Yu as my temporary bodyguard, satisfied?" (Ah Yu from chapter 188) Meiyun: "We-well then." Hong er: "And Ben Gong has a task for you two." Meiyun: "We will do our best to complete the task." Hong er: "Watch over Bei Zhou. I have a bad feeling about them." Meiyun: "So it wasn''t the war?" Hong er: "That is my assumption too. We need to be more cautious because both Da Chu and Bei Zhou is behaving suspiciously. Ben Gong gives this order to the Di family on behalf of His Majesty Emperor." Di Shang & Meiyun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "Well then, enjoy your honeymoon." Chapter 198 - 196. Please Dont Third-person POV Hong er and the Yun sisters talked for a while before Di Shang excused himself because a servant came in and said that Weisheng called for his presence. Di Shang arrived at the place where he was told to go. He saw Weisheng sitting at a small pavilion with a cup of tea in his hand. He greeted Weisheng and sat in front of him. Di Shang: "Is there anything that Your Majesty Emperor wanted to discuss with this official?" Weisheng: "No. Accompany Zhen drink tea." Di Shang stared at Weisheng with weird eyes. Di Shang: ''Did he call me here just to drink tea?'' Actually, Weisheng just didn''t want Di Shang to be in the same room as Hong er which was why he called out to Di Shang. Also, there was one thing that he wanted to tell Di Shang about regarding Meiyun. However, he didn''t know how to start the conversation. Di Shang: "Is something wrong, Your Majesty Emperor?" Weisheng: "En. Where do you go for honeymoon?" Di Shang: "Probably my hometown and to the north." Weisheng: "Near Bei Zhou?" Di Shang: "Yes." Weisheng: "Zhen is counting on you." Di Shang: "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." The conversation ended. These two men were truly hopeless without their cheerful wife beside them. Weisheng felt that this matter was really hard to explain as it concerns the life of Di Shang''s wife. After contemplating for a while, Weisheng finally found the right way to say it. Weisheng: "General Di." Di Shang: "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor?" Weisheng: "I have something to tell you." Di Shang noticed Weisheng used ''I'' rather than ''Zhen''. And somehow, Weisheng who never shows his emotion in front of people was staring at Di Shang with eyes filled with guilt. Even Di Shang started to get anxious about what Weisheng was going to say to him. Weisheng: "This concern Mei- Meiyun: "This servant greets Your Majesty Emperor." Meiyun suddenly appeared and interrupted Weisheng''s words. Weisheng glanced at Meiyun and saw her smiling at him. Weisheng: ''So that is what you want.'' Di Shang: "Meiyun, how come you are here?" Meiyun: "Her Majesty Empress told me to relay a message to His Majesty Emperor." Meiyun glanced at Weisheng and gave him a meaningful look. Weisheng: "No need, I will go there myself." Meiyun: "If you say so." Di Shang: "En. Please continue, Your Majesty Emperor." Di Shang knew something was not right. He was pretty sure that Weisheng was about to say Meiyun''s name, moreover, Meiyun''s appearance at such timing was quite suspicious. Weisheng: "I wish you and Meiyun have a happy life, together." Di Shang narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Meiyun quickly held his hand and bowed to Weisheng. Meiyun: "This servant thanking Your Majesty Emperor''s thoughtfulness." Di Shang: "Meiyun?" Meiyun: "Hm?" Meiyun looked at Di Shang innocently. Di Shang closed his mouth and decided to not ask her any further. Di Shang: "This official thanking Your Majesty Emperor''s thoughtfulness." Weisheng: "En. Zhen has to leave." Weisheng rose from his seat and walked away. Before he turned to the corner, he glanced at the couple who was happily talking to each other and continued to walk away. . . Di Shang and Meiyun went back to their residence and the servants started to pack their luggage. Meiyun also made some dumplings for the Di family as a snack. She learned so many things when she was working beside Hong er even when in the kitchen. The whole family had a great time together, Naran and Qadan invited Meiyun to hunt some beasts after they arrived at the destination. The three bubbly women acted more like a man than the real man. Since Meiyun has the lowest alcohol tolerance among them, just by a few little cups of Di family''s liquor she was drunk. The rest of them enjoyed watching Meiyun slur and challenging all of them into arm wrestling. The excited Qadan stepped out and challenged Meiyun then to lose miserably. The next one to challenge Meiyun was Naran, the battle between them was intense but still, Meiyun won over Naran. Naran: "I am too old for this." Meiyun: "Lil bro! A round with me!" Di Tian: "Let''s go!" They clasped their hand and both of them emitted their Qi. They were tie for a while until Meiyun started to lose her strength. At the same time, the table they were using cracked and split into halves. Meiyun used this chance and tackled Di Tian''s foot. When Di Tian lost his balance, Meiyun slammed his hand onto the floor with her full power. Di Tian was still in a daze as he didn''t expect that coming. Then when his head clicked, he jumped up and pouted. Di Tian: "That''s not fair! You cheated!" Meiyun: "Cheated? No matter how vicious one''s method, as long as one wins then nothing is wrong. Nahahaha~" Di Yu silently nodded his head in agreement. Out of nowhere, Di Shang scooped her up and left the hall after he bowed to Di Yu and Naran. Meiyun struggled and teased Di Shang along the way. Meiyun: "Shang Tang a~ Shang Tang~ You are so handsome today~ How about a round of arm-wrestling?" Di Shang: ''How is me being handsome and arm-wrestling related to each other?'' Di Shang: "You are too drunk. I will take you to bed." Meiyun: "Oh? Bed~ You are so naughty~" Di Shang: "Yes I am." Di Shang plopped Meiyun to the bed and started to undress himself and Meiyun. Meiyun extended her arms and unintentionally spoke with an e.r.o.t.i.c voice. Meiyun: "Come inside~" Actually, what Meiyun wanted to say was ''come into my embrace'' which means she wanted a hug. But Di Shang misinterpreted it as you know¡­.. Di Shang licked his lips and smirked. Di Shang: "You ask for it." (A/N: Just imagine the snu snu scene on your own LOL.) . . The second day after her marriage, she woke up to her stomach feeling full and sore waist. She sat up and could feel something pouring out from her lower part. She pulled up her blanket and saw a white substance all over her stomach and inner thighs. Meiyun: ''Damn.'' Di Shang: "Do you enjoy it?" Meiyun stared at the man beside her and sighed before she nodded her head in embarrassment. Chapter 199 - 197. Disaster Third-person POV One month later* (Early in the morning) Hong er became more and more restless each day because of the bad premonition. Among all of the premonition that she ever had, this was the worst. Even after they came through a few bad occasions in a few months, none of them were the premonition that she was feeling. Hong er: "Something is not right." Hong er stood up and decided to go find Weisheng to talk about it. She also found it strange that Weisheng woke up extremely early. When she spotted him in his study room, she saw him frowning like there was no tomorrow. Hong er approached him and sat beside him. Hong er: "What''s wrong?" Weisheng: "Everything seems suspicious." Hong er: "What?" Hong er became more anxious seeing that even Weisheng was having a hard time. Weisheng: "Tsunami." Hong er: "What?! How? This is winter." Hong er frowned deeply. Weisheng: "That is what I am suspicious of. I found a book around a hundred ago that says about a tsunami that happen in winter, it''s called ''ice tsunami''." (A/N: I do some research on the internet and ''ice tsunami indeed exist. But I added a few things in the story so it is a mix of fact and fantasy.) Hong er: "What caused it to happen?" Weisheng: "In the book, it said that the cause was a strong gust of wind. But they reported that the ground was shaking and the water under the thick ice layer got sucked in like how usually tsunami is." The thick layer of ice cracked because of the water pressure and to add it more, the wind caused the ice and water to move faster than usual. Hong er knitted her brows and tried to calm herself down. Hong er: "Where was it?" Weisheng: "Near Dong Fang''s border." Hong er: "Meiyun?" Weisheng: "She is fine. They were the ones who were investigating this case." Hong er: "En. Casualty?" Weisheng: "Over half a million people." Hong er widened her eyes in shock. Hong er: "D-don''t tell me¡­" Weisheng: "En. The military base and also father-in-law''s secret base. The accident occurred at 2.37 AM." Hong er''s face immediately paled. Just by that little information, she could grasp everything. To happen at the most populated place and at the worst timing, it is too bad to believe. Most people would be asleep at that time. Therefore, even if the guards managed to ring the bells to alert the citizens and the other soldiers that were staying in the base, they wouldn''t have enough time to escape. Especially in the state of just waking up. At first, Hong er didn''t know where Xu Tingfeng trained the Xu''s soldiers. However, after she got married to Weisheng, he told her everything and it actually helped him a lot. Hong er would help him out with the state affair or doing negotiation with the nobles as she has a better communication skill than him. Just from this accident, they had lost so many things such as their military power and citizens'' life. And the one who suffer the most was Xu Tingfeng. More than half of his soldiers died. Hong er: "Huayun, any news from father''s side?" Huayun: "No, Your Majesty Empress!" Hong er gritted her teeth in frustration. Hong er: "Uncle Jian?" (Senior Jian) Huayun: "The elite forces in Xi An suddenly lost connection with Senior Jian 3 days ago." Weisheng also frowned from the new information that Huayun told. Hong er: "This is not a coincidence. I am sure there is someone behind this." Weisheng: "En." Hong er: "If there is any news no matter who, where, and when, immediately report." Huayun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "You can retreat." Huayun bowed to Weisheng and Hong er then left the room. Hong er caressed her bulging belly and sighed. Weisheng took her hand and worriedly asked her. Weisheng: "What''s the matter?" Hong er: "Maybe this is the premonition." Weisheng: "It wasn''t over yet?" Hong er: "En. Sheng ge." Hong er turned her head towards him and spoke with a firm tone. Weisheng could see that Hong er was going to say something very serious and important. Hong er: "Promise me! If there is anything happen to me, get a hold of yourself. Don''t you ever forget your responsibility as an emperor." Weisheng stared at Hong er''s bright golden eyes and felt something was wrong. Usually, Hong er is very optimist, but this time, she talked like she was about to go. Weisheng: "Hong er, why are talking like that?" Hong er: "Promise me!" Hong er gripped Weisheng''s hand tighter. Weisheng: "En. I promise you." A gentle smile appeared on Hong er''s lips as she pressed her forehand on his hand. Hong er: "Thank you." Then Hong er rose from her seat. Weisheng confusedly stared at her. Weisheng: "Where are you going?" Hong er: "Pray." Hong er left the room after she replied to Weisheng. She commanded the soldiers to spread words to the commoners that Hong er would personally held a praying session. The words spread like a wildfire. Each person brought a stem of white chrysanthemum with a white ribbon tied on the stem. Just in two hours, nearly all of the citizens of Chang An came to the Royal Palace''s main gate. Even the citizens from other cities also gathered around their city border with a white chrysanthemum in their hands. On top of the wall, Hong er and Xue Lang walked to the middle whilst holding hand. They were wearing white clothes and little accessories. The people stared at her like she was a deity descended from the sky. Hong er: "My dear subjects, today I am here, not as an empress but as Liu Feihong who grieved for our family in Jiang Nan who had departed this life." (A/N: her surname changed as she married to Weisheng. But I like Xu Feihong more.) Although they couldn''t see her face, they could hear her sadness from her voice. Hong er: "I, Liu Feihong, represents the Liu family-" Hong er stopped when Lu Cixi, Princess Yue, and Weisheng appeared beside her in white attire. She looked behind her and saw all of the servants in the palace wore a plain white clothing standing behind the main gate. She smiled and faced forward. Hong er: "We as a family, let''s pray for them who had passed away." Everyone clasped their hands and closed their eyes. Hong er: "May the deceased be free from animosity, free from oppression, and free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow. May all never separated from the sacred happiness and rest in peace beside The Goddess of Light, Sheng Jie." They tapped their forehead with their clasped hands as the end of the prayer. They neatly walked towards the city''s border and placed the white chrysanthemum on the side of the wall. Chapter 200 - 198. The Beginning of The End I (A/N: This is where the fun starts.) Third-person POV Weisheng slammed his fist on the table while Lu Ping pinched his nose bridge in stress. They never expected so many things to happen in a span of 2 days. Yesterday, a letter from Di Shang arrived. It said that they detected a trace of magic circles on the ice blocks that were swept along the water. They suspected that someone purposely made everything look like a natural disaster. And from their observation, they deduced that the culprit firstly created a few cracks on the thick layer of ice. And with the magic circles they place beneath the sea, they caused the tectonic plates to move abruptly, resulting in water displacement (tsunami). (A/N: I have a bit of knowledge about earthquakes and such but I just don''t know how to explain it in English. The tsunami was caused by the tectonic earthquake.) To add it more, a storm surge occurred at the same time as the earthquake, therefore, the area that was damaged became wider. Another update about the death had caused everyone to have a headache. The death toll increased immensely in one day. The half of the survivors of the tsunami who managed to escape to the higher ground, climbing a tree, or even using magic to levitate themselves to the air died from hypothermia or Qi deficiency. Most of them were children that still didn''t know how to use and control their Qi correctly. This devastating news made Lu Cixi very sad. At that time, the madam of the Wei family invited all of the madams in noble families including Lu Cixi to pray at one of the most famous temples that were located on the top of Tai mountain. At first, Lu Cixi was hesitant as she was worried about Hong er and didn''t have the heart to leave her alone. But Hong er came to her and reassure her to go with the madams because it would ruin Lu Cixi''s reputation if she rejects it. Lu Cixi complied with Hong er''s words and left the Royal Palace this morning. Hong er assigned Ah Li and another personnel of her elite forces to escort Lu Cixi on her trip. Lu Cixi was deeply touched by Hong er''s piety, she prayed to the gods that Hong er would be safe during her absence. Weisheng sat beside Hong er and encircled his arms around Hong er. Hong er looked at his face and worriedly asked. Hong er: "The casualties grew." Weisheng: "En." Hong er sighed and unconsciously caressed her belly. Hong er: "I wonder how father is doing." Weisheng: "I''m pretty sure that he is fine." Hong er: "En. I hope so." Qiyi suddenly appeared in front of them kneeling. Qiyi: "Your Majesty Emperor! Bei Zhou suddenly attacked us!" Weisheng narrowed his eyes in irritation. Weisheng: "How?" He growled. Qiyi: "This servant has no clue. Just when I got the news, Bei Zhou had taken down the border!" Weisheng: "What are they doing?!" (A/N: He was talking about the soldiers that were defending the border.) Qiyi: "It was reported that the soldiers were poisoned. And not long after, they discovered that Bei Zhou poisoned the base''s only water source." Weisheng clenched his hand, he wanted to go to the frontline and kills all those Bei Zhou but he has a wife that was pregnant and could give birth at any time. On one side, he has to be a good husband who stayed by his wife''s side during labor but on the other side, he is a ruler of 300 million people and he couldn''t just turn a blind eye when his empire was attacked. Then he could a cold palm held his big hand. He looked at his beloved wife who was smiling tenderly at him Hong er: "You can go." Weisheng: "But-" Hong er: "It''s fine. Remember what you promised me." Weisheng: "I shouldn''t forget my responsibilities as an emperor." Hong er: "En. So go, protect our Da Qi and return safe and sound." Weisheng stared at Hong er with guilt-filled his face. Hong er chuckled and pecked his lips before she pushed him. Hong er: "Now go. Everyone is waiting for their Undefeatable General." Weisheng: "En. I will definitely be back before our baby born." Weisheng pecked Hong er lips before he stood up and stomped his way towards his dressing room. Hong er watched his figure slowly disappeared into the falling snow. Even though Weisheng had departed to the battlefield several times, but it always made her heartaches. However this time, her heart was beating profusely that tears almost trickled out of her eyes. Hong er: ''Why does it feel like this will be the last time I see him?'' Hong er gripped her chest and bit her lower lip. Weisheng: "Is everything ready?" Qiyi: "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor. Qier had prepared everything." Weisheng stopped for a while before he spoke again. Weisheng: "Leave 10 of our best personnel to protect empress." Qiyi: "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Qiyi was helping Weisheng to put on his armor when someone suddenly knocked on the door. Qiyi went to peek on the door and saw Hong er standing in front of the door. Qiyi instantly understood why Hong er was there and quickly excused himself. Hong er stepped into the room and walked towards Weisheng. Hong er: "Would you let me put it on you?" Weisheng: "En." Hong er easily lifted up the heavy armor and put it on Weisheng. Actually, he could do it on his own but if his wife volunteered to put it on him, then why not. After a minute, Weisheng was fully dressed with armor including his helmet. Hong er smiled proudly and hugged him tightly like he was going to disappear. Weisheng hugged back and kissed Hong er''s head. Weisheng: "I have to go." Hong er: "En." Hong er released him and they stared at each other for a few seconds before they connected their lips. They broke the kiss and Weisheng left after giving his wife the last peck. Hong er ran to the front door and watched Weisheng galloped with his elite forces followed behind him. Hong er: "Huayun, any news from Meiyun or father?" Huayun: "No, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "En. You can retreat." . . 4 days after Weisheng''s departure* *PRANG! (A/N: I''m bad at sound effect.) The tray on Huayun''s hand dropped to the ground and shattered into pieces. Huayun''s face filled with pure shock, she couldn''t believe what she heard from Ah Tong. Huayun: "Wh-what did you just say..? Master and madam were captured¡­?" Chapter 201 - 199. The Beginning of the End II Third-person POV The news that Huayun just reported to Hong er made Hong er couldn''t stand properly. Ming Yu and Huayun swiftly grabbed Hong er and helped her sat on a nearby chair. Hong er took a deep breath and quickly gained back her composure. Hong er: "Explain everything to me." Ah Tong kneeled down and passed the letter he received not long ago. Ah Tong: "Senior Jian''s disappearance was the start of everything, we lost all contact with him and his badge showed that he was dead. Master and Senior Tao were suspicious of his sudden death and sent someone to inquire about Senior Jian''s whereabouts but they couldn''t find any trace of Senior Jian in Da Chu Royal Palace. Later they found Senior Jian hiding deep in the forest with critical condition. He passed us a letter before he went into a coma." (A/N: Senior Tao is Song Tao, he is Xu family''s head butler and Xu Tingfeng''s former teacher. Appeared in chapter 47.) Hong er: "What did he write?" Ah Tong: "You Zei." (There is a traitor) Hong er clenched her hand into a fist. Hong er: "And?" Ah Tong: "Just as Master got this news, the imperial army surrounded the Xu residence and arrested Master and Madam under the decree of the DC Emperor." Hong er: "Uncle Tao?" Ah Tong: "Also arrested, even the lowest servants were captured. It was Uncle Shu who sent us this letter, the other elite forces were hiding in Eldest Master''s place, Spider Lily." (A/N: Uncle Shu is Shu Huatuo, Shu Zhiruo''s grandfather.) The reason Shu Huatuo wasn''t captured together with the Xu family was that in front of the public eyes, his connection with the Xu family was neutral. Just a physician and his patient relationship. Hong er: "What did they accuse Xu family for?" Ah Tong: "Illegally produces weapons, illegally trained army, and an attempt to rebel against the royal family." Hong er: "Where are Father and Mother captivated?" Ah Tong: "Imperial dungeon in Ping An." (Ping An= the capital city of Da Chu.) Hong er: "How are father and Mother condition?" Ah Tong: "No injury but their appearance was a bit disheveled because of the unattended dungeon." Hong er inhaled a mouthful of cold air and slowly exhaled. She caressed her belly hoping that it could prevent herself from killing the Long family (Da Chu''s royal family). Hong er: "Send 4 thousand of my soldiers and 10 of my elite forces to assist father." Huayun: "Your Majesty Empress, please think this more thoroughly. If you send half of our elite forces to Da Chu, then who will protect you if something happens? The situation in Da Qi is also not very good." Ah Tong: "This servant agrees with Huayun, Your Majesty Empress. To send three-quarters of your soldiers, Chang An will lose a quarter of its power." Just as what Ah Tong said, Hong er''s soldiers were mainly located in Chang An and responsible to covertly protect Chang An and three cities around Chang An. By sending three-quarters of her soldiers, Hong er already lost the additional defense around Chang An. With that, it would be easier for the enemy to infiltrate Chang An. How could Hong er not know the consequences of her own action? She would always consider the pros and cons of every decision that she made, but for this time, she had to take a big risk. Hong er: "Father just lost over 6 thousand of his soldiers! And the remaining soldiers were also captured, do you think that emperor would just let our Xu soldiers live?" Ah Tong and Huayun lowered their heads because they exactly know what was going to happen to their fellow brothers who had fought alongside them on many battlefields. Ming Yu doesn''t have any knowledge about strategy and military, she is just a highly skilled seamstress. But she understands one thing from listening to their conversation. No matter what they do, they would be in a tight corner. Hong er: "Just send them, the remaining 11 of you stay with me." The two felt hopeless in persuading Hong er because of her stubbornness. Ah Tong: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Ah Tong was about to walk away when Hong er stopped him. Hong er asked Ming Yu to bring her paper and writing tools. Ah Tong patiently waited for Hong er to finish writing her letter. She dried off the ink and passed it to Ah Tong. Hong er: "For Meiyun." . . On the other side, the Di family was busy investigating and cleaning up the site where the tsunami happened about a week ago. Meiyun: "We found another one in here. Team one!" Team one: "Yes!" A group of young men with various tools in their hands ran to Meiyun''s side. Meiyun was helping the team take an autopsy on a corpse beneath the snow when she heard a bird''s screech. She looked up to the sky and saw a white owl flying towards her. She extended her arm and the white owl landed on her arm that was padded with leather and fur. Meiyun opened the little tube that was tied to the owl''s foot and took out a small rolled paper. ''I commanded 4 thousand of my army and 10 elite forces that were with me to help father. I''m pretty sure you had got the news. I want you to lead the army with General Di. I trust you.'' Below the letter was a little map that was drawn by Hong er and at the corner, there was Hong er''s seal. Meiyun slashed the letter with her wind magic until it was impossible to reassemble the letter. She released the owl and told the team to continue the examination without her. She approached Di Shang who was also busy giving orders to his subordinate. Meiyun: "Shang Tang." Di Shang: "Hm?" Di Shang glanced at Meiyun and saw her serious expression. He gave out his orders in a few words and dismissed the group. Without a word, Meiyun walked towards their tent which Di Shang silently followed behind her. As soon as they entered the tent, Meiyun immediately cast a soundproof barrier and made sure no one was near their tent. Seeing how Meiyun acted, Di Shang also got serious. Di Shang: "What is wrong?" Meiyun: "Her Majesty Empress asked us to lead 4 thousand troops to assist Master." Di Shang: "En. Where is the meeting point?" Meiyun: "1 thousand soldiers from Chang An and 3 thousand soldiers from southwest (The city that they battled before). The meeting point is here." Meiyun pointed at a red dot on the map in front of her. Di Shang nodded his head in agreement as it was the best and quickest way to gather everyone and plan it out. Just when Di Shang was about to ask Meiyun a question, Meiyun suddenly lost all of the energy in her body and caused the soundproof barrier that she cast to automatically break. Before her body could touch the ground, Di Shang swiftly caught her and wrapped her cold body with his fur coat. Di Shang: "Call the physician!" Chapter 202 - 200. Pregnant Third-person POV A physician sprinted to Di Shang''s tent when he was told that Meiyun suddenly collapsed. Meiyun regained consciousness not long after she fainted, but her body temperature was so low that she was still shivering even under a pile of blanket. The physician put a white silk over Meiyun''s wrist and pressed his fingers on her wrist to feel her pulse. At first, he was frowning, then, he checked a few times again to make sure the pulse that he was examining was right. Di Shang narrowed his eyes as he became impatient. Di Shang: "Is there something wrong with my wife?" Meiyun: "Shang Tang, let the physician do its job." Di Shang: "Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Are you still cold?" Meiyun: "Hahaha~ You worrywart." Meiyun shook her head. Meiyun: "I''m fine now. Just a little bit cold, nothing weird." Di Shang: "Do you want another blanket?" Meiyun: "No, it''s fine." Just as Meiyun finished speaking, the physician retracted his hand with a big smile on his face. Di Shang took Meiyun''s cold hand and warmed it up with his own hand. Physician: "Hhmm, Her Ladyship is pre-" Meiyun: "Physician, can I have a word with you?" Physician: "Of Course, Your Ladyship." Meiyun: "Shang Tang, could you please check Team One''s result?" Di Shang: "We can check that later, what important right now are you." Meiyun: "Please." Di Shang stared at Meiyun''s weak smile and reluctantly walked out of their tent. Di Shang felt like Meiyun was very secretive and distant towards everyone whenever they were going to talk about her. It just like she was trying to hide something extremely important from everyone who is close to her. Meiyun waited till Di Shang''s silhouette gone then she turned her eyes to the physician. Meiyun: "Am I pregnant?" Meiyun asked with a straight tone. The physician was stupefied by Meiyun''s cold reaction towards her own pregnancy. Usually, people would jump up and down and announce the happy news to all family members. Physician: "Yes, Your Ladyship." A sad smile appeared on her lips as she placed her hand on her abdomen. Meiyun: "En. Is there anything else?" The physician widened his eyes in shock, he didn''t expect Meiyun to ask him that. Meiyun: "It''s fine, I know everything. I just want to know if it will affect the baby." Physician: "I-it will, Your Ladyship." Meiyun sucked a mouthful of cold air as tears almost trickled down from her eyes. Meiyun: "Physician Tu, please don''t tell anyone about my pregnancy and my illness." Physician Tu: "Why?" Physician Tu looked at Meiyun with sad eyes. Meiyun: "If my husband knows that I am pregnant and sick at the same time, he wouldn''t let me fight." Physician Tu: "It is normal for one''s husband to be protective towards his pregnant wife." Meiyun: "Physician Tu, I trust you. Just tell them that I have low blood pressure and fatigue." Physician Tu: "Y-yes, Your Ladyship. Then I will excuse myself." Physician Tu grabbed his medicinal box and left the tent with a pitiful sigh. Di Shang saw the physician walked out from his tent from far away, he jogged towards Physician Tu and anxiously asked. Di Shang: "How is my wife?" Physician Tu: "Only low blood pressure and fatigue. Keep her warm and refrain her from drinking alcohol." Di Shang: "Thank you, Physician Tu." Physician Tu: "My pleasure, My Lord." Physician Tu watched Di Shang ran to his tent anxiously caused Physician Tu''s heart to ache. He sighed for the tenth time as he looked to the sky. Physician Tu: ''What a pitiful couple.'' *in the tent Meiyun: "How many times do I have to tell you that I''m fine." Di Shang: "Your face doesn''t look convincing." Meiyun had to agree with Di Shang when she saw her ghostly pale face. She sighed and smiled at Di Shang. Meiyun: "I''m only tired from you thrusting your manly rod into me every single night." Di Shang: "Hahaha~ It''s because I love you." Meiyun: "I know." Meiyun pecked Di Shang''s lips, yet, Di Shang pulled her into a deep kiss. He narrowed his eyes when he tasted a familiar flavor in Meiyun''s mouth. He pulled back and saw Meiyun smiled sweetly at him. It made he couldn''t bring himself to ask her why her lips had a faint scent of blood. . . Di Shang told Di Yu about the mission that Hong er gave them and was going to leave this evening. After resting for a while, Meiyun''s face was less pale and she was getting ready for their departure to the meeting point. It took them about 2 days to arrive at their destination as they use the fastest way to reach the meeting point. But the entourage from capital would take another night for them to arrive while the entourage from southwest estimated to arrive tomorrow morning. Whilst they were waiting for the soldiers, they gathered as much information as they could and planned the strategy to infiltrate into Da Chu without getting noticed. The sky had gotten dark, Di Shang and Meiyun started to feel hungry. They went to the night market to find some food. As they were also gathering some information, they chose the most crowded restaurant in that town. They sat at the most corner table to lessen the possibility of their identity to be exposed. After they eat and sat around for about 2 hours, Meiyun rose from her seat and went to the restroom. When she was washing her hands, she heard a conversation between the servants. S1: "Man, those Bei Zhou people are intimidating." S2: "Yeah dude, they break 10 of our tables and told us to pay their medicinal bills because he stabbed his hand with a piece of wood. What a brute." S1: "They were drunk as hell and started to harass the other customers. Our restaurant almost lost its regular customers just because of them. It is a good thing that they were gone." Meiyun narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She approached the two servants that were enjoying their break time. Meiyun: "Hello big brothers, mind if I join in?" S1: "Who are you?" The servants asked confusedly. Hong er slipped 5 silver tael to their hand. Meiyun: "Tell me about those Bei Zhou." The faces of the servants brightened as they just received a month''s worth of wage just to tell a gossip. S1: "About a month ago, there was a lot of Bei Zhou people pop out of nowhere. From what I heard, they reserved a whole inn for 3 weeks just for themselves. They also reserved the second floor of our restaurant but when they got drunk, they would come down to the first floor and pick a fight with other customers." Meiyun: "How many they are?" S1: "Hhmm¡­" S2: "That is the thing that we are confused. They dressed in Da Qi''s attire but since we used to live near Bei Zhou''s border, we know how to speak their language. Each day, their faces were different." Meiyun: "Different¡­" Meiyun knitted her brows. S1: "Oh although they said that they were a group of merchant, they body build seemed to be more like fighter." S2: "Yeah, and I accidently heard ''Take the mother, kill the child and the servants.'' From a VIP room." Meiyun: "When did they leave?!" S1: "A-a week ago." Meiyun widened her eyes in shock, she rose from her seat and sprinted to Di Shang side. She took out her Second in Command badge and handed it to Di Shang. Meiyun: "You lead the army, I have to go back to Chang An. I will tell you everything after I come back." Before Di Shang could ask her anything, Meiyun rushed out of the restaurant and took her magical then galloped like a wind. Chapter 203 - 201. Suspicion Third-person POV The night after Meiyun left Di Shang* In an isolated alley in the Royal Palace, a woman and a man dressed like servants whispering to each other. Man: "Listen to me, smear this on the ¡­. and serve it to the Empress 2 days from now." The woman was visibly trembling. Man: "Don''t hesitate or I will kill all of your family!" Woman: "Pl-please don''t! I-I will do it!" Man: "Good. Make sure she ¡­.. like what I told you. I will immediately kill you and your family if you mess this up." The man glared at the woman before he disappeared into thin air. He easily slipped out from the Royal Palace with the back door that was guarded by his own peers. Then he went into a glamorous inn located in the middle of Chang An. He entered a VIP room and sat on a chair. There was a divider across the room and he could see a silhouette of a petite woman from his position. Man: "Can''t you choose a better place if you don''t want your identity to be known?" Woman: "Why do I have to? Is it because your status is too low to be in here?" Man: "Don''t piss me off or I will cancel our deal." Woman: "I know you won''t." The woman walked out from the divider with a very thin cloth. She sat beside him and slid her hand into his clothes. Woman: "You need me, you need my power¡­" Man: "Talk less, do more." The man smirked as he pulled the woman onto his lap. Woman: "Did you give her the poison?" Man: "I did, just get your ass moving." Woman: "Be patient, I have to make sure you did your job properly before I reward you." The woman kissed the man. Man: "What makes you so desperate to kill her?" The woman grinned slyly in the kiss. Woman: "So I can have cousin brother¡­.for myself." . . 2 days later* In Hong er''s chamber* Hong er tapped the corner of the table with her finger whilst looking over doc.u.ments that piled up in front of her. She placed down her brush and sighed. At the same time, Huayun came into the room with a cup of tea and a set of confectioneries. Huayun: "Is something wrong, Your Majesty Empress?" Hong er: "No. Any news?" Huayun: "I checked Meiyun''s location from her badge and it seems like they are about to arrive at Xi An." Hong er: "En. Good. How about His Majesty Emperor?" Huayun: "They are doing fine, it is just that the Bei Zhou''s soldiers separated after they managed to break through the border." Hong er: "Everything seems suspicious." Huayun: "Why do Your Majesty Empress say so?" Hong er: "I just got a report. The amount of people enters Chang An increased in an absurd amount. Why would people come here when there is a war? Usually, they would go to a place with the least risk of getting involved in war." Huayun looked at the report that Hong er showed to her. Huayun: "Indeed. Should I go check it?" Hong er: "En. If you sense anything suspicious, immediately retreat. I have a bad feeling about this." Huayun: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress!" Hong er: ''I hope it isn''t what I think it is.'' Hong er took the cup from the maid beside her and glanced at the confectionaries in front of her. Hong er: "What is this?" Ming Yu: "These confectionaries were made by the maids and it tastes really good, Your Majesty Empress." Hong er unnoticeably knitted her brows, she became suspicious of everything that she eats and drinks. She passed the tea to Ming Yu and let Ming Yu do a poison test with a silver needle on both the tea and confectionaries. The silver needle didn''t show any kind of reaction such as color change. So Ming Yu nodded her head to tell Hong er that everything was safe to be consumed. Hong er took back the tea from Ming Yu and opened the lid of the cup. She inhaled the tea fragrance and smiled softly, she took a sip of the tea and placed down the cup. Then when she was about to use a chopstick to eat the confectionaries, a maid slowly stepped up and bowed. Maid: "Your Majesty Empress, may this servant tell you something?" Hong er: "Go on." Hong er smiled tenderly which only made the maid''s heart heavier. Maid: "These confectionaries were originated from Xi Bei and it will be more enjoyable if Your Majesty Empress uses one''s hand to eat it. This servant will never lie to Your Majesty Empress." Hong er: "En. Ben Gong believes you." Hong er set down her chopstick and grabbed a piece of bunny-shaped sweets. She chewed the sweets and her face instantly brightened. Hong er: "Wow, this is very delicious." Maid: "Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty Empress." After she ate a few more pieces of the sweets, Hong er cleaned her finger that was covered with sugar powder using her tongue then she wiped her hand with a handkerchief. Hong er: "Thank you for making these delicious sweets." Servants: "It is our pleasure." Hong er rose from her seat. Ming Yu: "What is the matter, Your Majesty Empress?" Hong er: "Ben Gong wants to take a walk." . . At the top of the border wall, Weisheng narrowed his eyes as he stared at the soldiers 10 km across him. Lu Ping looked at the man who was exuding such an intimidating aura. Lu Ping walked towards Weisheng and stared at the same direction Lu Ping: "From your expression, it seems like you noticed it too." Weisheng: "En." The qualities of the Bei Zhou''s soldiers were very low, even lower than average standard soldiers. They noticed this right in the first time they fought Bei Zhou in this war. The soldiers were trembling and struggling to hold their own weapons, nonetheless when they have to fight one of the strongest armies in the continent. Qiyi: "Your Majesty Emperor, Lu Gongzi, this is the result of the investigation on the poisoned water source." Qiyi bowed and handed a scroll to Lu Ping. Lu Ping unrolled the scroll and knitted his brows. Lu Ping: "This¡­. Your Majesty Emperor, please take a look." Weisheng took the scroll and also frowned when he read the first area that was contaminated with poison. Weisheng: "From inside?" Lu Ping: "There must be a traitor or one of those Bei Zhou managed to sneak into the border." Weisheng: "Traitor." Lu Ping widened his eyes in shock. Lu Ping: "For our classified information about the military base and Xu family''s secret base to be exposed¡­" Weisheng: "It is someone who is very close to us." Chapter 204 - 202. Suspicion II Third-person POV Seeing that Weisheng and Lu Ping were going to discuss something very important, Qiyi immediately cast a soundproof barrier around them. For the culprits to target Da Qi''s strongest point yet also weakest point, they must be very knowledgeable about Da Qi. Lu Ping: "The timing for every event is ridiculously perfect. Just after Great General Xu lost more than half of his military power, he was captured for treachery. Someone must plan all of this for a long time. However, only a few of us know about Great General Xu''s secret base." Weisheng: "How many people know about it?" Lu Ping: "The royal family, Lu family, and¡­. Wei Yunru¡­. Don''t tell me." Weisheng also didn''t want to believe that Wei Yunru was the mastermind of everything that had happened. Lu Ping: "The three of us have been friends since we were young, it is unbelievable that he betray us like this. He is a very composed and reasonable man, what made him do this?" Weisheng: "I wonder." Qiyi: "Your Majesty Emperor, please forgive this servant for being nosy but this servant feels that this is quite important." Weisheng: "Speak." Qiyi: "Wei Gongzi often meet-up with Miss Murong." Lu Ping: "Miss Murong? That Murong Qing?" Qiyi: "Yes. It was only the two of them and the location they chose was¡­" Lu Ping: "Inn? Did they spend their lone time in the room?" Qiyi: "Yes, they did." Lu Ping sighed and turned his eyes towards the frowning Weisheng, he needed to investigate everything once again to make sure his assumption. Lu Ping: "No wonder Murong Qing could slip into the palace and found. So what are we going to do?" Weisheng: "Like you said, he is our friend. No matter how cold-hearted I am, it is hard for me to kill my childhood friend." Lu Ping''s eyes immediately turned solemn. Lu Ping: "What would you do if I say he is trying to kill the Empress?" Weisheng widened his eyes in shock as he whipped his head towards Lu Ping. Weisheng fully trust Lu Ping as Lu Ping is his cousin and he himself wasn''t an idiot, he exactly knew what Lu Ping was trying to say. Lu Ping: "Why do you think he annihilated Great General Xu''s power and got him arrested under the imperial decree? It is to distract Her Majesty Empress''s attention. Both of us aware of how vicious he is. He will do anything to obtain his desired thing and it is Murong Qing that he desires upon. And that Murong Qing wants you." Weisheng silently listened to his cousin''s exposition with a grim expression. Lu Ping: "With Her Majesty Empress beside you, she couldn''t do anything. That Murong Qing is brainless, but she is clever enough to use the smart Yunru to map out everything." It was very obvious that Hong er won over Murong Qing in all aspects. Hong er is a great fighter and strategist, what''s more, she got several powerful backups like her own husband, Lu Cixi and Lu family, Xu family, etc. Therefore by separating the target from its group would be the easiest way to deal with. Wei Yunru used the tsunami accident as an excuse to lure out Lu Cixi from the Royal Palace. Leaving no choice for Lu Cixi, she had to go while Weisheng and Lu Ping went to war. However, Hong er herself is extremely powerful and they had to take that power out from her. By using Xu Tingfeng as the bait, Hong er would easily fall into their trap and would definitely move her soldiers to assist Xu Tingfeng. With that, she would be left with less power than she had normally. Weisheng''s face paled from the disclosure, he realized that he had made a huge mistake for leaving the pregnant Hong er alone in the Royal Palace. He thought that as long as she was in the Royal Palace and protected with his elite forces would be sufficient. Lu Ping: "You have to go back to Chang-" Before Lu Ping could finish his sentence, a black lightning suddenly struck behind Weisheng. A huge black portal materialized in front of their eyes. Weisheng''s heart started to beat vigorously as he knew that only one person could summon this black hole. And the only reason this black portal appeared was¡­. . . Xu Tingfeng was leaning on the cold wall while Bai Huiqing sat on his lap hugging his large body. They were locked up in an old dungeon that hasn''t been used for a decade so the floor and the wall were covered in dust and spider web. However, that wasn''t the problem. The biggest problem was they were not provided with food. The guards only gave them a bowl of muddy water for the two of them. Furthermore, they were in the middle of winter and they only wore a few thin layers of clothes. As Xu Tingfeng was trained in the worst and most dangerous place, he probably could survive this cold torture until the aid arrives but not with Bai Huiqing. She was a shut-in person who was obsessed with creating magic tools. And to add it, her body became more fragile after she gave birth to Hong er. Now, she was trembling profusely in Xu Tingfeng''s embrace with her face ghastly pale. Xu Tingfeng tried to use his fire magic to warm her up, but to no avail, the whole dungeon was cast with a magic barrier that restricts them from using magic. The other elite forces including Song Tao were also waiting for the aid to come quicker with their hearts burning with towering rage to kill off all the Long royal family. Xu Tingfeng: "Qing er, hold on a bit more. They are on their way here." Xu Tingfeng took Bai Huiqing''s hands and rubbed it with his rough hands. Bai Huiqing weakly nodded her head as her lips trembled. Then out of nowhere, a sound of bird chirping was heard. The corner of Xu Tingfeng''s lips arched into an evil grin. Xu Tingfeng coughed loudly and caused the guards to flinch. Guard 1: "No matter how strong he is, he will die sooner or later." Guard 2: "Just ignore them. And how the hell there is a bird in here." Guard 1: "Maybe they came in from the ventilati-" Blood spurted out from the guard''s neck before he could finish his last word. At the same time, the other guard also dropped down to the ground with his neck snapped. A dozen of black-clothed people wan down the stairs and swiftly unlocked the bars for Xu Tingfeng and the other elite forces. P1: "Second Young Master, Third Young Master is waiting outside. Any further instruction?" Xu Tingfeng glanced at the trembling Bai Huiqing and gritted his teeth. Xu Tingfeng: "Retreat for now." Chapter 205 - 203. Her Majesty Empress is Poisoned! I Third-person POV At that time, Li Zhenzhen (Imperial Concubine Li) decided to visit Xu Tingfeng. But when she was about to arrive at the entrance of the dungeon, she saw a dozen of black-clothed men standing at the entrance. She quickly hid behind a nearby wall with one of her most trusted maids. She didn''t bring anyone else with her except her closest maid as she was going to meet her ex-fianc¨¦ in secret. She stared at a man that stood in the middle of the group. Somewhat, she felt familiar with that particular guy. Then she gasped when she finally recollected the memories from two decades ago. Li Zhenzhen: ''Xu Yongzheng?!'' After contemplating for a while, Li Zhenzhen shook her head. She still doubted the man was Xu Yongzheng because she attended his funeral. Moreover, she guessed his identity just by looking at his body proportion and his conduct. Li Zhenzhen: ''The only way to confirm it is by looking at his eye color.'' Li Zhenzhen peeked at the man once again and instantly disheartened when she saw his eyes were black colored. Li Zhenzhen: ''Anyway, I must call for the guards.'' Li Zhenzhen told her maid to call the guards while she went back to her chamber and pretended like she never went there. Unknown to her, Xu Yongzheng had long noticed her presence and purposely let her watch them as much as she wants. Furthermore, sooner or later the Palace guards would notice that they escaped from the dungeon. Therefore, by killing Li Zhenzhen would only cause them much more trouble in the future. Xu Yongzheng always uses a spell to change his eye color whenever he is outside of their base. He turned around and saw Xu Tingfeng came out from the dungeon. Every step Xu Tingfeng took, the snow around him melted. Xu Yongzheng jogged to Xu Tingfeng''s side and quickly gave his coat to Bai Huiqing. Xu Yongzheng: "Is sister-in-law fine?" Xu Tingfeng: "En, she is fine. Her body temperature is back to normal, just need a little rest." Xu Yongzheng: "We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Li Zhenzhen saw us and had gone to call the guards." Xu Tingfeng: "En." Bai Huiqing: "Put me down. With you carrying me would only slow you down." Xu Tingfeng: "Qing er, please be quiet." Bai Huiqing looked up and her heart instantly shuddered in fear when she saw Xu Tingfeng''s expression. Xu Tingfeng''s eyes were wide open and filled with rage, he couldn''t contain his killing intent anymore. Xu Tingfeng: "I''m about to kill someone." Xu Yongzheng sighed and tapped Xu Tingfeng''s shoulder. Xu Yongzheng: "We have to arrive at Xi An before they get us." Xu Tingfeng turned around and left with Bai Huiqing on his arms. Xu Tingfeng: "Let''s go." . . Hong er was walking around her garden that was covered with a thick layer of snow. She blankly stared at the sole flower that managed to grow despite the harsh weather. Hong er reached out her hand to touch the flower, but as soon as her fingertip touched the flower, the flower shattered like a piece of ice. Hong er: ''It seems fine but it is not.'' Hong er sighed and walked away. Ming Yu closely followed Hong er as she noticed that Hong er started to stagger in her walk. Huayun: "Your Majesty Empress, how about rest for a while?" Hong er: "En." Ming Yu stretched out her hand for Hong er, Hong er placed her left hand on Ming Yu''s palm while she massaged her head with her right hand. Ming Yu carefully guided Hong er to a nearby bench. But before they could reach the bench, Hong er suddenly gasped when she felt a liquid stream down her inner thighs. Her stomach hurt so bad that her legs went weak. Fortunately, Ming Yu managed to catch her before she fell onto the ground. Ming Yu: "Your Majesty Empress!" The servants around them panicked and some of them ran to call Shu Zhiruo and mid-wives in case she was going to give birth. Hong er''s face drastically paled and her breathing also became unstable. Ah Tong and Ah Xi appeared out of nowhere and Ah Tong scooped up Hong er in one move. They ran as fast as they could to Hong er''s chamber as it was closer to Shu Zhiruo''s lab. Ah Xi ran alongside whilst closely watched over Hong er to make sure that Hong er was still breathing. Shu Zhiruo who just arrived at Hong er''s chamber shouted at Ah Tong. Shu Zhiruo: "Quick put her on the bed!" Ah Tong: "Yes!" When the midwives were waiting for Hong er, they had prepared every necessary thing for the labor so they could immediately proceed with the labor. Ah, Tong gently yet swiftly laid Hong er on the bed. Jin Momo: "Men, get out!" Ah Tong and Ah Xi turned around and walked out of the room to guard the door. While the midwives were taking off Hong er''s outer clothes so that she could breathe easily, Shu Zhiruo checked Hong er''s pulse and clicked her tongue. Jin Momo: "Physician Shu! The baby can''t come out if Her Majesty Empress doesn''t push!" Shu Zhiruo: "Her Majesty Empress is poisoned with lethal poison! I''m checking what poison it is so I can know how to treat it! Do whatever it takes to make Hong er stay awake!" Shu Zhiruo couldn''t-care-less to use honorifics because what matters right now is Hong er''s endangered life. Shu Zhiruo checked Hong er''s tongue, eyes, and a quick blood test with a silver needle. Shu Zhiruo: "Ming Yu, what did Hong er eat?" Ming Yu: "Guan Yin tea and confectionaries. I had checked the ingredients with the maids who made it beforehand to make sure nothing could harm Her Majesty Empress. In addition, I also checked everything that Her Majesty Empress consumed with the silver needle that you gave me and there is nothing in i-" Ming Yu abruptly stopped her words. Ming Yu: "It wasn''t in the food nor the drinks¡­" Shu Zhiruo: "Find the poison and bring it to me! Quick!" Without any delay, Ming Yu stormed off the room and pulled Ah Xi together with her. She explained every detail to Ah Xi while running to find the maid that served the tea. After Ah Xi got the information that he needed, he ran ahead of Ming Yu by using qinggong. He hoped that the culprit hasn''t erased any of the evidence or kill themselves, or else, it would be hard for them to find out the mastermind. It didn''t take that long for him to catch the maid and knock her out. He scrutinized the cups and plates on the tray that the maid was holding. From what Ming Yu told him before, Hong er used her hand to eat the confectionaries which didn''t contain any poison on it. Ming Yu also mentioned that Hong er licked her fingers. Ah Xi swept his finger on the sugar powder on top of the confectionaries and lightly tasted it with his tongue. Ah Xi: ''Not the powder sugar. If the poison was on Her Majesty Empress''s finger, that means she touched a surface that had poison on it. Her Majesty Empress is right-handed, so the most possible place is¡­.this! Chapter 206 - 204. Her Majesty Empress is Poisoned! II Third-person POV Ah Xi took the lid of the teacup and used a paper that specialized in detecting poison. He rubbed the paper on the lid and the paper changed into blackish purple. He wrapped the cup lid with a cloth and was about to run back to Hong er''s room when a shiver ran down to his spine. Ah Xi: ''Something is not right, better call Huayun back.'' Ah Xi took out his badge and tapped a few morse code on it to locate Huayun''s whereabouts. Ah Xi: ''Tch! She is so far!'' Ah Xi placed his badge on the ground and bit his thump then made a magic circle on the ground with his blood. He muttered a spell and the magic circle expanded 5 times the original size. A portal appeared on the ground with a blinding light shone out from the portal. Ah Xi: "Bring back Huayun at all cost." An ear-deafening shriek echoed across the Royal Palace then from inside the portal, an eagle soared to the sky and flew away to look for Huayun. Ah Xi closed the portal and took his badge before he ran back to Hong er''s room. On the way, Ah Xi met Ming Yu who was trying to catch up to him. Ah Xi: "Secure the maid she is in the kitchen. Tie her up and make sure she is alive." Ming Yu: "Yes!" . . As Shu Zhiruo told her to do, Jin Momo was trying to get Hong er to push the baby but she was shocked to death when she saw Hong er''s face. There was no color on her face, her lips were extremely dry and the cherry colored lips became blackish purple. Hong er''s breath was very faint and short like it could stop at any moment. But the scariest of all was Hong er''s dull eyes. The usually bright and cheerful golden eyes were lifeless, it was staring at the ceiling as if there was someone calling for her. Even the eye color had changed into light brown. It was said that one''s eye color was related to its soul. If the soul dies, then the color disappeared as well. For Hong er''s eye color to change in such a way, it meant her soul was about to leave her body. Jin Momo: "Your Majesty Empress! Hang in there! Please think of the baby! Your Majesty Empress!" Jin Momo pulled out the cloth that was used as a gag so that Hong er wouldn''t bite her tongue while she was in labor, and replaced with a huge piece of Ginseng that hasn''t been cut yet. The ginseng juice could replenish a little bit energy for Hong er, the bitter juice also made Hong er gain back her conscious, however, she still couldn''t move a muscle of her body. Jin Momo massaged the acupuncture points on Hong er''s palm while the other mid-wives did the same on Hong er''s sole. Mid-wife: "Jin Momo! Th-the blood turned black." The blood that flew down from Hong er''s opening started to change color as well. Shu Zhiruo was shocked to hear the news, then the door burst open. Ah Xi: "Zhiruo! Here!" Shu Zhiruo ran to Ah Xi''s side and took the cloth from his hand. She put it on a table and examined the lid. Shu Zhiruo: "No fragrance, no flavor, no color." Shu Zhiruo rummaged her medicinal box and found the herb that only reacts to that particular poison. She grinded the herb and poured the juice of the herb onto the cup lid. Only in a second, the liquid sizzled and black bubbles started to form on the lid. Shu Zhiruo clicked her tongue, she quickly grabbed a few bunch of herbs from her bag and ground it into a paste. Shu Zhiruo: "Take off her clothes and hold her." The maids swiftly helped Hong er to sit up and firmly held both of her arms. Shu Zhiruo positioned the bowl on Hong er''s lips and carefully feed Hong er the herbs. Shu Zhiruo: "Drink it." Hong er could hear and see what''s happening around her, however, she couldn''t move her body because of the poison. Her muscles were rigid and stiff like a plank of wood, nonetheless, she tried her best to drink the herbs. After the bowl was empty, the other maid took the bowl from Shu Zhiruo''s hand. Shu Zhiruo changed her position and now she facing Hong er''s back. She summoned her magical needles and closed her eyes to activate her inner sight. Her needles moved along her fingers and after she finally found the right acupuncture points, the needles shot to Hong er''s back in unison. Shu Zhiruo shifted her hands and a stream of Qi flew out from Shu Zhiruo''s fingertips to the needles. Shu Zhiruo: "Hong er, circulate your Qi." Hong er closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Shu Zhiruo: "Here I go." Shu Zhiruo opened her eyes, revealing her glowing hazel eyes. Hong er braced herself for the impact. A gush of black blood gushed out from Hong er''s mouth and nostrils. Everyone except Shu Zhiruo was horrified and their bodies instantly froze. Shu Zhiruo pulled out the needles with her Qi and unsummoned it. Shu Zhiruo: "Jin Momo! Proceed with the labor!" Jin Momo who had been trained for the longest time quickly regained her sense and started to move her hands. Jin Momo: "Go get new clean cloth, warm water, and another bed! Quick!" The maids that were holding Hong er''s arms slowly laid her down to the bed and wiped the blood that she just puked. Hong er''s face wasn''t as pale as before and at last, she could move a few parts of her body. The maids carried her to another new bed and changed her clothes that were stained with her blood. The labor continued not quite smoothly as the baby was inside her for too long after her water broke. Jin Momo: "Push!" Hong er groaned painfully as she bit the new ginseng that they gave her. Shu Zhiruo was making another potion for Hong er so that the poison completely washed out from her body. Ming Yu had come back after she tied and gagged the maid''s mouth, she asked three guards to look over her in case the maid tried to escape. On the other side, Princess Yue and Xue Lang immediately rushed to Hong er''s courtyard when they heard the news that Hong er was going in labor. However, they were prohibited to enter the room by Ming Yu. Of course, they were disheartened but they knew that they would only be a bother if they were in there. So they anxiously stood outside the door waiting for Hong er. The hearts became more and more agitated from listening to Hong er scream and groan painfully. The maids also dash out of the room with cloths and basins of water that were stained with blood and rushed into the room with new and clean cloths and water. This had been going for almost an hour and they finally heard a cry from inside. Just when they were about to rejoice, a giant-sized eagle flew towards their direction. Huayun: "RUN!!!" Chapter 207 - 205. RUN! I Third-person POV Huayun was on her way to the city border to ask the person in charge of writing the name of the people that went in and out of the city. She indeed noticed that there were so many carriages that were parked in the market. Huayun: ''Merchants?'' Huayun went to ask the shopkeeper that owned the shop that the carriages parked at. Huayun: "Excuse me, why are there so many carriages parked outside?" Shopkeeper: "They paid me for spaces to park on. Why do you ask?" Huayun: "I''m just curious about what is in there." Shopkeeper: "Maybe some stuff they were going to sell? I don''t know, they said that they were just a group of merchants that passes by this city to get into the other city in the north." Huayun: "Thank you for the info, brother." Shopkeeper: "You are welcome, little girl." Huayun walked out of the shop and glanced at the carriages in suspicion. Then she accidentally made eye contact with a guy that was watching over the carriages. The guy immediately turned his head away and pulled his hood further down. Huayun narrowed her eyes and proceeded to the border. As soon as she arrived at the border, she showed her badge that she worked under the Empress and the guards ran to call their superior. The lieutenant governor invited Huayun for tea but Huayun politely rejected him. Without beating around the bush, Huayun asked him the questions regarding the drastically increasing of the people that entered Chang An. The lieutenant governor explained everything that he knew. Lieutenant governor: "They arrived just a few days ago and in the forms that they filled, they would stay here for about a week." Huayun: "Did your subordinates check the carriages?" Lieutenant governor: "I personally checked it. My subordinates found it weird that the group brought so many huge carriages with them so they called me. It only filled with food like stinky tofu and salted vegetables and fishes. They were thinking about selling this food to the cities in the north." Huayun: "En. Anything else that you find weird?" Lieutenant governor: "Hhmm, I don''t think that this is important but they have lots of earring holes despite the fact that they are men." Huayun: ''Earring holes?'' In Da Qi, men and women can have their ears pierced but the men in general rarely pierce their ears. Even most of the women-only pierce one hole on each ear lobe. Only a tribe that obliged the men of its tribe to have ear piercings. Huayun: "Bei Zhou¡­" Huayun clicked her tongue and glared at the lieutenant governor. Huayun: "Close the gate and increase the security around the border!" Lieutenant governor: "Wh-what is happening?" The lieutenant governor became anxious. Huayun: "I have no time to explain! Just do what I said!" Lieutenant governor: "Yes!" (A/N: If I wrote ''ran'', that means ''ran by using their qinggong''. It is hard to put that into every sentence and it would sound repetitive if I kept using those words.) Just when Huayun was about to run back to the Royal Palace, an ear-piercing shriek was heard from far away. Huayun looked up to the sky and her back immediately drenched in cold sweat. Huayun: "Divine eagle." The eagle flew towards Huayun''s direction and its body size grew as it spun in the air. Huayun jumped onto the eagle and with a single powerful flap of its wide wings, they glided through the falling snows. The soldiers that were standing near the eagle almost got themselves blown away by the wind pressure. They were in a daze for a moment but they quickly came back to their senses after the lieutenant governor yelled at them. While Huayun was riding the eagle, she scanned the city with keen eyes. And when she passed the shop that she entered not long ago, the carriages that were securely locked were emptied. Huayun: ''They used the stinky tofu to cover the metal odor of the weapons! They smuggled the weapons into Chang An to¡­'' As they were closer to the Royal Palace, Huayun then noticed hundreds of black-clothed men hiding on the roofs and alleys. The black-clothed men looked up when an enormous shadow passed by them. Black clothed men: ''Sh*t! Damn Xu dogs! They noticed us!'' A black-clothed man that seemed like the leader signaled his subordinates to silently charge forward. Just as Huayun passed the Royal Palace''s gate, she saw three black-clothed men were climbing the wall. She summoned her fan and made a slashing motion, three ice spear emerged from the ground and stabbed the three men. Huayun: "Intruders!" Huayun shouted. The guards quickly shut the gate and some of them rang the bell to alert the other posts. The eagle didn''t bother to stop and continued its way to Hong er''s courtyard. As soon as Huayun saw Ah Xi and Ah Tong, she shouted. Huayun: "RUN!!" Ah Xi and Ah Tong instantly alerted, Princess Yue and Xue Lang was bewildered by the dreadful atmosphere around them. Huayun jumped off from the eagle and ran to Ah Xi and Ah Tong''s side. Huayun: "The Bei Zhou managed to get into Chang An without us knowing and now they are heading towards this way. Quick, take the Prince and Princess to safety! Tell Her Majesty Empress that we are leaving here, they outnumbered us!" Ah Xi: "We can''t¡­" Huayun: "What do you mean ''we can''t''?" Ah Tong: "Her Majesty Empress is poisoned and had to go into labor. But I think we can leave this place in 2 minutes, the baby is safe." Huayun: "Poisoned? How is she right now?" Ah Tong: "For now, she is fine but only Zhiruo know the detail." Huayun: "Then we have to leave as soon as possible." Shu Zhiruo: "She can''t!" Shu Zhiruo yelled from inside. Shu Zhiruo: "There is another baby but the neck is strangled by an umbilical cord! It will take some time!" Everyone including the mid-wives gritted their teeth in frustration. Hong er: "Take Xue Lang and Princess Yue to safety!" Hong er screamed. Tears started to form on Xue Lang and Princess Yue''s eyes. Xue Lang: "N-no, Xue Lang won''t leave mother behind. I don''t want to go¡­" Princess Yue: "I promised Imperial Brother to protect you, so I won''t leave." Ming Yu: "Your Majesty Empress, please don''t say that." Hong er: "Ming Yu! Huayun! Take them away whenever they want it or not! This is an order!" Huayun bit her lips to the point blood seeped out from her lip. She roughly wiped her tears with her sleeve, the look in her eyes changed. Huayun: "Yes! Your Majesty Empress!" Huayun entered the room and pulled Ming Yu with her. Ming Yu resisted as she trying to grab Hong er''s hand. Ming Yu: "No! No! I want to stay beside Her Majesty Empress!" Huayun turned Ming Yu around and swung her palm across Ming yu''s cheek. Huayun: "Get a hang of yourself! This ain''t a game!" Ming Yu''s body froze in fear. Taking the chance that the door was opened, Xue Lang slipped into the room and ran to Hong er''s side. Tears poured out from his eyes when he saw the white sheet was covered with blood. Xue Lang: "Im-Imperial Mother¡­" Hong er: "Xue Lang¡­" Hong er weakly called out to Xue Lang. Hong er: "Give me your hand." Hong er stretched out her hand and smiled tenderly at Xue Lang. Xue Lang quickly grabbed Hong er hand and rubbed the cold hand. Hong er: "Here, take this." Hong er took off her thumb ring that was given to her by Weisheng a decade ago and slipped it into Xue Lang''s finger. Hong er: "Listen to Aunt Huayun''s word, okay? If she says run, then run. Don''t look back. Do you understand mother''s word?" Xue Lang tearfully nodded his head as he kissed Hong er''s hand. Hong er: "Good¡­Don''t cry, mother will catch up to you very soon." Then another cry from the baby was heard, Jin Momo passed the baby to the other mid-wife to bath it with warm water. After both babies were cleaned, Jin Momo gently placed it on Hong er''s arms. Jin Momo: "The cord around the Prince''s neck is quite tight but this servant did its best. Congratulation Your Majesty Empress, you had given birth to a handsome prince and a beautiful princess." Chapter 208 - 206. RUN! II Third-person POV All the servants kowtowed to Hong er while Hong er lovingly stared at the two babies in her arms. She kissed the babies'' forehead and tapped her nose tip on theirs. The babies stopped crying and fell into a deep slumber. Without looking away, Hong er called Ming Yu in a low voice. Hong er: "Ming Yu." Ming Yu: "Yes, Your Majesty Empress." Ming Yu slowly walked towards Hong er''s side. Hong er: "Here, take care of them." Ming Yu: "Wh-what do you mean, Your Majesty Empress?!" Hong er: "Take them to safety too. Xue Lang, protect your little siblings, kay?" Xue Lang: "Yes, Imperial Mother." Hong er: "Good, now go." Ming Yu took the baby boy while Huayun took the baby girl. With her other hand, Ming Yu held Xue Lang''s hand but when she was going to walk away, she felt her hand being tugged. She saw Xue Lang staring at Hong er whilst holding out his pinky. Xue Lang: "Imperial Mother, promise me that you will catch up to us." Hong er chuckled and ruffled Xue Lang''s hair before she locked her pinky with his. Hong er: "En. Mother promise." Ah Xi: "Huayun! They have reached here, quickly go!" Huayun: "Your Highness, we have to go." Huayun cast a soundproof barrier on both babies and summoned her fan with her other hand. Xue Lang released Hong er''s hand, yet, his gaze never leaves the woman that was lying weakly on the bed. They used the back door to escape. Ah Xi and Ah Tong were fighting the Bei Zhou soldiers together with Hong er''s remaining elite forces and the 10 personnel of Weisheng''s elite forces that he assigned to protect Hong er. Ah Xi: "Damn it! There are so many of them!" Ah Tong: "Hang on there!" Ah Tong shot a fire arrow towards the soldier that snuck behind Ah Xi. Ah Xi: "Watch out!" Another soldier jumped off from the rooftop with a sword in his hands. Ah Xi used his one of his Sai (TNMT red''s weapon) to slash the soldier into halves. The soldiers in front of him take advantage of the situation where Ah Xi only had one weapon in his hand. From the corner of his eyes, Ah Xi noticed his sudden movement and dodged to the side. Fortunately, the sword only slit his shoulder, if not, it would his heart that was stabbed. The Sai that he threw, flew back to his hand and he slashed off the soldier''s head. Ah Xi: "Come, if you want to die." Ah Xi growled at the soldiers that were charging towards his direction. Ah Tong and Ah Xi''s back were facing each other, hence, they could look out for each other''s back. The Royal Palace was surrounded by Bei Zhou''s soldiers, therefore, not many soldiers (Da Qi''s) could come to assist Hong er''s side. Hong er who heard the commotion outside narrowed her eyes. She gripped her hand, trying to summon her sword so that she could help them fight back. But to no avail, she failed after may tries. Shu Zhiruo: "Don''t waste your energy. Most of your Qi was used for giving birth, moreover, you were poisoned and the poison hasn''t completely out of your body yet. 24 hours, the poison will re-activate." Jin Momo helped Hong er to sit up after seeing Hong er struggling to get up from the bed. Hong er: "Jin Momo, get me a sword. A light one." Jin Momo: "Your Majesty Empress! You shall not! It is too dangerous if you fight in this state!" Hong er: "This is an order. Go get it or I will execute you." Despite the fact that Jin Momo knows that Hong er would never kill her, she still shivered under Hong er''s fierce gaze. Jin Momo took a slim and flexible sword from one of Weisheng''s collection wardrobe and handed it to Hong er. Hong er: "There is a secret passageway below the throne seat." Jin Momo dashed to the seat where Weisheng and Hong er sat when they were looking over some doc.u.ments. Hong er: "Under the seat, there is a button. Press it." Jin Momo searched for the button and pressed it when she found it. The seat clicked and the seat separated into two. Shu Zhiruo and the mid-wives helped Hong er but Hong er asked the mid-wives to grab a few more blanket in case they have to stay outside in this biting cold season. (A/N: I will use ''maids'' instead of ''mid-wives''.) With the maids and Jin Momo''s hands full of blankets and lanterns, they couldn''t help Hong er walk so it was only Shu Zhiruo supporting Hong er. The maids entered the secret passageway ahead of Hong er as they were holding lanterns to lead the way. Then the last to enter was Shu Zhiruo and Hong er. Just as Shu Zhiruo took a first step on the stairs, Hong er twirled Shu Zhiruo''s hand that was supporting her and pushed her into the passageway. Not wasting any second, Hong er closed the entrance to the passageway and sealed it. She could hear the maids banging the door and screaming her name. She weakly smiled at her maids'' devotion, but, her smile disappeared after she heard the clashing sound from outside. Hong er: "Go call for help. I will delay them." The maids didn''t stop banging the door. Shu Zhiruo gritted her teeth as she stared at the entry, she knew exactly what Hong er meant. All these blankets were not for her, it was for themselves and the babies. Shu Zhiruo: "Stop screaming, she won''t budge. For now, we have to catch up with Ming Yu and Huayun. And call for more reinforcement." Jin Momo who also understood Hong er''s stubbornness nodded her head in agreement. Without any choice, the maids followed Shu Zhiruo and Jin Momo. After the sound of the footsteps was inaudible, Hong er turned around and walked towards her personal wardrobe. She took out 3 small bottles of potion from the wardrobe and put it in her pocket. She took a deep breath and leaned her back on a pillar with a sword in her hand. The entrance to her room was suddenly burst open and a dozen black-clothed men charged towards Hong er. She gritted her teeth and grabbed the brushes that were on the table beside her. She aimed the edgeless brush to the enemies'' eyes and stabbed through their brain. The soldiers that were about to attack her froze for a second. A weak woman standing bravely in front of them whilst holding a slim sword with her trembling hand was supposed to be easy to be taken down, but they reminded themselves. That the woman in front of them is not any ordinary woman. Hong er pointed her sword to the crowd and smirked. Hong er: "Come, you cowards." Chapter 209 - 207. Exterminated I Third-person POV Huayun and the kids were running into the forest across Hong er''s favorite pavilion, Floating Lotus Pavilion. The BZ soldiers were chasing them and Huayun estimated that the BZ soldiers would catch up to them in a few minutes. Huayun couldn''t use qinggong as Ming Yu never learned it and the kids were still amateur. After a few turns, Huayun stopped in front of a huge tree and kneeled with her forehead leaned on the tree. The root of the tree wiggled and created a human-sized tunnel. Without even asking, Ming Yu and the kids entered the tunnel, but Huayun was still standing outside. Huayun looked at the kids with firm eyes. Huayun: "Listen carefully, it is dirty and a bit cramped in there but please bear with it for a few hours. The tree''s spirit will lead you out from the Royal Palace, the reinforcement will come to find you after everything settled down. Your Highness Princess Yue, may I request you something?" Princess Yue: "Speak." Huayun: "Please do protect His Highness Prince Xue and the heirs. You are the strongest between them so I will leave this responsibility to you." Princess Yue: "Ben Gong understood, leave this to me." Huayun: "They are here, quick go! I will distract them." Huayun chanted the spell again and the roots covered the entry of the tunnel. Huayun took off her second layer clothes and rumpled the white cloth before she ran in the opposite direction. She purposely left some traces on the ground and trees so the soldiers would follow her. Without anyone holding her back, she could run as fast as she could with her qinggong. Huayun: ''Distract them as far as I can.'' However, Huayun suddenly stopped when she sensed something was flying towards her in high-speed. A spear stabbed the tree trunk and the distance between her eyes and the spear was only an inch. Man: "You think you can escape from me?" Huayun: "Aren''t you too full of yourself, Hu Jia?" Hu Jia smirked as he summoned back his spear. Hu Jia: "I don''t expect that you will bow your head as low as become a servant." Huayun gave him a death stare. Huayun: "For you to join hand with Bei Zhou, what a disappointment." Hu Jia''s playful eyes turned cold. Hu Jia: "Put down the baby and maybe I will let you go." Huayun: "Go to hell." Huayun summoned her fan and created an ice wall between them. Hu Jia clicked his tongue as he stroke the ice wall with his spear that was charged with thunder Qi. The ice wall cracked and crumbled, but Huayun had disappeared from the spot where she stood before. Hu Jia: "Kids, get her!" Hu Jia roared at his subordinate. . . Half an hour later, Huayun was hiding behind a tree as Hu Jia''s subordinate managed to chase her down. She didn''t have any choice but to kill all of them. Huayun: ''This is far enough from Ming Yu''s position.'' Huayun activated her inner sight and knitted her brows in annoyance. Huayun: ''There are too many of them. I can''t take them down by myself. Especially that Hu Jia!'' Hu Jia had made a name for himself in the assassin world. Even after Huayun''s retirement, she still overheard numerous accomplishments that he made when she was investigating a case. Hu Jia: "I know where you are, why don''t you just give up?" Huayun sighed and stepped out from her hiding place. Hu Jia had been staring at her for the whole time even when she was hiding. She thought that it would be useless to keep hiding since her whereabouts had been exposed. Hu Jia: "See? You can''t compare to me even though you were also famous." Huayun: "Shut your trap." Hu Jia: "Where is your other twin?" Hu Jia looked around with a sly smirk then he made a dumbfounded expression. Hu Jia: "Oh yeah, she is married to that general from Dong Fang. General Di, am I right?" Huayun: "Why do you bring her up?" Hu Jia: "Hhmm~ I don''t know why people said that you are smarter while the other one is stronger. Yet, from what I see. You don''t know anything." Huayun spun her fan and dozens of ice lances emerged from the ground. Two of Hu Jia''s subordinates were stabbed by the ice lances while the other managed to avoid the calamity. Hu Jia stared at Huayun who was glaring at him. Huayun: "Don''t mess with me." Hu Jia: "Kay." Hu Jia swung his spear towards Huayun with a bolt of blinding lightning enveloped his spear. Huayun widened her eyes in shock. She swiftly used her fan to create an ice wall to block his attack, yet, her shield couldn''t hold out Hu Jia''s powerful attack. Her ice wall shattered to pieces and she was blown away by the impact. Her back slammed to one of the trees, she coughed a mouthful of blood as she could feel her ribs broke. Hu Jia: "Weakling." Hu Jia lunged towards the injured Huayun without an ounce of pity. In a second, Huayun changed her fan with hand claws and intended to slash off Hu Jia''s head. However, Hu Jia made it in time to dodge her vicious strike and only got 3 long lines across his face. Hu Jia: "My face¡­" Hu Jia glared at Huayun. Hu Jia: "I will kill you." Hu Jia glanced at the empty white cloth in his hand and smirked. Hu Jia: "Good¡­ I am fooled by you." Huayun jolted as she saw the bundle of cloth in her arms had disappeared. Hu Jia: "I have no need of you. Kids, take care of her." Hu Jia disappeared into thin air. Huayun was about to chase him when his subordinate rushed towards her. She had no choice but to fought back while Hu Jia escaped. . . It has been more than half an hour, Hong er''s energy depleted to the point that she couldn''t hold a sword properly. Nevertheless, she had killed more than 6 people in her weakest state. (A/N: I will refer Xiao Bai as ''she'') Xiao Bai who is only a magical horse also joined in the fight. At first, she planned to grab Hong er and ran away. But she was blocked by several BZ soldiers and like a horse, it was a bit hard for her to fight armed soldiers. The only thing that she could do was headbutt, kick, and whip them with her tail. Yet, it was not enough. Hong er limply took a few steps backward until her back bumped the wall. The soldiers smirked as they didn''t stop approaching Hong er with their swords pointing at Hong er. Hong er: "If you want to kill me, then do it, you cowards." Hong er growled at them with blood trickled down from the corner of her lip. The BZ soldiers frowned in annoyance by Hong er''s continuous insults. BZ soldier: "This b*itch¡­" One of the BZ soldiers lost his temper and charged towards Hong er. From the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a figure in green clothes passed by her. His other subordinate tried to stop him from killing Hong er, however, they didn''t make it in time. Sound of blood dripping down accompanied by heavy panting could be heard clear and loud. Hong er''s eyes were wide open in horror. Her lips were trembling as not a word could come out from her throat except her name. Hong er: "Meiyun!" Chapter 210 - 208. Exterminated II Third-person POV While Hong er was running towards Meiyun, a thin needle pierced Hong er''s nape. Her brow twitched, she plucked the needle from her nape and threw it to the ground. Her vision became blurry and she started to stagger in her walk. Meiyun coughed out a mouthful of blood. She glared at the BZ soldier in front of her and slashed off his head with her sword ring. Meiyun: "Your Majesty Empress, stay at where you are." Meiyun grabbed the sword that penetrated through her stomach. Her hands glowed with her Qi and snapped the hilt from the blade. She didn''t pull out the blade as she was afraid that she would suffer blood loss. Meiyun: "This servant will protect you with her life." Meiyun stood protectively in front of Hong er. BZ soldiers: "Kill the servant. She is heavily injured, she won''t be able to move that much." The BZ soldiers mercilessly charged towards Meiyun. Without budging from her spot, Meiyun commands her sword rings with her Qi. She could repel the attacks and kill some of them, nevertheless, she was heavily injured. The more she moves, the wider her injury it gets. Her vision also started to get blurry from the excessive bleeding. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Hong er helplessly laying on the floor. Meiyun crawled towards Hong er and anxiously asked. Meiyun: "Yo-Your Majesty Empress, are you hurt anywhere?" Hong er was sure that the needle which pierced her nape had drug in it. She could only sleepily stare at Meiyun as she couldn''t move her lips because of the drug. Meiyun''s attention was on the fight while her right hand was searching for Hong er''s pockets. After a few seconds of fumbling, Meiyun finally found a few bottles in Hong er''s right sleeve. She took the bottles out from Hong er''s sleeve and glimpsed at it to make sure that it was potions. She opened the bottles and turned her body around to help Hong er to drink the potions. As the situation was in chaos, Meiyun wasn''t as gentle as usual in pouring the potion into Hong er''s mouth and caused some of the potion to leak out from the corner of Hong er''s lips. Hong er''s could barely see anything as her head was spinning around as if she was drunk. She felt a warm liquid dripped on her cheeks. She forced her eyes open and tears instantly poured out from her eyes. A stream of blood flowed out from Meiyun''s lip as she stared at Hong er with dead eyes. The hand that was holding on the potion bottle dropped to the side. Behind of Meiyun was a man with his sword stabbed through Meiyun''s heart. Hong er gritted her teeth and growled in agony. She couldn''t scream, she couldn''t move, she is miserable. To helplessly watch her beloved sister got stabbed right in front of her eyes almost caused Hong er to lose her sanity. She glared at the man with her glowing golden eyes. The man indifferently stared back at Hong er and smirked, he pulled out his sword and kicked Meiyun''s body to the wall across the room. More tears streamed down Hong er''s cheeks as her golden eyes also glowed brighter. The man frowned as he felt something was not right with Hong er''s glowing eyes. He crouched down beside Hong er and grabbed her hair then made her face Meiyun who was laying lifelessly on the floor with a sword still in her stomach. Man: "See? That girl over there. Isn''t she the wife of General Di?" The man leaned his lips on Hong er''s ear. Man: "Even if I can''t kill him, at least his wife is dead." The man laughed maniacally. Hong er quietly moved her hands so her fingertips touch the floor. Man: "That f*cking Liu and Xu dogs always ruin my plans! You think that I forgot the day your father came to our palace and killed all my family! Do you know why I survived? DO YOU KNOW WHY?! Your beloved father told me that we need the next ruler because he just killed the current one. He just left me, a hopeless child alone, in the middle of the corpses of my family!" The man screamed at Hong er''s face. Hong er saw his face and her lips curled into a grin. Of course, she knew who he is. He was the youngest prince of the previous family that ruled Bei Zhou, Bataar. Since Xu Tingfeng annihilated his family as an act of revenge for Hong er''s slavery, he was left alone with a burden of ruling Bei Zhou. Seeing that chance, the king of a tribe in Bei Zhou tricked him and became the new ruler of Bei Zhou. Meanwhile, he was demoted to the lowest rank in the nobility, Count. Whilst Bataar was roaring at Hong er about how her family had killed his family and made him lived a miserable life, Hong er''s fingertips that was touching the floor, dimly gleamed with her Qi. None of them noticed her action, however, when Bataar got into the topic of who was the mastermind, Hong er keenly listened to him. Bataar: "That woman would happily sleep with anyone as long as she got what she wanted. What a sl*t. She thought that she was smart enough to use me. Thinking about betraying me, let see who will win in this game." Bataar knocked Hong er''s nape with his hand and tossed her to the ground. Bataar: "Take her and get out from here." BZ soldiers: "Yes!" Bataar''s subordinate tied Hong er with magic sealing rope so that she couldn''t use her magic when she woke up. Bataar walked towards Meiyun and kicked her head. He left after getting no reaction from Meiyun. Ah Tong and Ah Xi who was still fighting the ceaseless BZ soldiers shocked to see Hong er was in BZ soldiers'' hands. They wanted to save Hong er from their filthy hands, yet, they couldn''t. They have so many deep injuries on their bodies, also they have to fight off the BZ soldiers who kept attacking them. Just as Ah Xi turned around to run to Hong er, his shoulder was stabbed. He swung his claw across their faces, splitting their heads into three pieces. Ah Xi ran towards Hong er despite the numerous stabs that he got, yet, his steps became slower and slower. He aimlessly swung around his claws. The ground was painted with their and enemy''s blood. Out of nowhere, he was pushed to the ground by someone. He saw an arm fell beside him, he stared at the arm and felt familiar. Then his eyes widened in shock when he saw the bracelet around the arm. Ah Xi: "A-Ah Tong¡­" He turned around and tears trickled down from his eyes. Ah Tong swung his halberd with his remaining hand. Ah Tong: "Get up! We won''t die here! Her Majesty Empress need us!" Ah Xi gritted his teeth and summoned a dagger. He filled the dagger with his Qi and threw it at the soldier that was carrying Hong er. The dagger went through his brain and immediately killed the soldier. Hong er dropped to the ground together with the soldier. Ah Xi: "Your Majesty Empress!" Ah Xi sprinted towards Hong er just to be kicked by Bataar. Bataar: "F*cking Xu pest. Quick pick her up!" Another soldier swiftly went to pick Hong er up and continued to walk away. Bataar and his subordinate left the scene in leisure while Ah Xi and Ah Tong were fighting off the soldiers that remained. Chapter 211 - 209. Exterminated III Third-person POV The lifeless body of a woman in green clothes suddenly twitched. Meiyun knitted her brows and slowly opened her eyes. Although her vision was still blurry, she knew that Hong er was not here. She recalled that she was stabbed at the heart and she was supposed to be dead by now, yet, she is still alive thanks to Hong er. Hong er healed her most fatal wound by transferring her Qi to Meiyun''s body from the ground. Meiyun hasn''t fully healed yet, at least the hole in heart that was caused by Bataar was closed and had stopped bleeding. If it was only the wound in her stomach, she probably could survive. She touched her abdomen and her palm was covered with blood. One thought passed her mind. Meiyun: "My baby¡­" She bit her lips as she hopes that her baby would be able to survive. Then she remembered the words that Weisheng told her. She gripped her hand and concentrated her Qi to her fist. A faint line of black smoke appeared on her fist but a few seconds later, the smoke vanished into thin air. She clicked her tongue and tested it out again several times, yet, her Qi was not enough to summon the portal. Meiyun gritted her teeth as she tried to think a way of summoning the portal. She clutched her bleeding abdomen and stared at the spot where she saw Hong er for the last time. Meiyun: ''Baby¡­.give mother the strength¡­'' Meiyun inaudibly whispered as her tears streamed down her cheeks. The room was silent for a moment when black smoke suddenly burst out from Meiyun''s abdomen. Meiyun coughed up a mouthful of black blood and she heard a sweet whisper before her vision darken. ''Mother.'' A black thunder struck the roof and the ground started to shake vigorously. Ah Tong and Ah Xi who had dropped to the ground and only left with a quarter of their life, widened their eyes in shock. The BZ soldiers that were about to slash Ah Tong and Ah Xi''s head also abruptly stopped their movement. They looked up to the sky and saw the cloud was whirling with black thunders crackled around it. A wave of dark Qi shot down from the cloud to the roof and caused everyone that stood around there blown away. Ah Tong instantly passed out when his head slammed the wall, on the other side, Ah Xi''s ribs cracked as his back hit a tree. Ah Xi desperately gasped for air, he couldn''t breathe too hard as his lungs felt like it was stabbed by a dagger whenever he inhales. His ears were ringing and he couldn''t hear any word from a man in front of him. The only words he could mutter out were "Your Majesty Empress...Help Her Majesty Empress¡­" The man in front of him roared and ran off. . . Weisheng was conversing with Lu Ping at the border wall that separates Da Qi and Bei Zhou when a black thunder struck the wall followed by a black portal materialized in front of their eyes. He could feel his blood run cold when he saw the portal. Without another word, he jumped into the portal and the portal disappeared into thin air. Qiyi immediately searched for Qier and departed to Chang An. In the portal with endless darkness, Wesheng closes his eyes and clasped his hands. He searched for the other portal as he had installed several portals on his secret base so he could go there without being noticed. Howbeit, the side effect of using the portal to travel is his power would become unstable. The same thing was happening now but worse. Since his heart was in turmoil from the bad premonition, the power that he tried hard to oppress was starting to resurface. He could feel his heart burning with anger and aggravation. The tattoos on his back also started to expand to his abdomen. He took a deep breath as he said to himself that everything would be alright. Yet, the moment he stepped out of the portal, his pupil constricted in horror. Meiyun was lying unconscious on a pool of blood. His eyes glanced at the two beds which both of them covered in red and black blood. Weisheng: ''Sh-she gave birth¡­but why is there so much blood¡­'' His lips trembled as no word could come out from his throat. He looked around and saw a pile of dead bodies in front of the throne seat where he specially built a secret passageway for Hong er. He stormed out of the hall to the courtyard and noticed that dozens of BZ soldiers surrounding the collapsed Ah Tong and Ah Xi. He immediately summoned his scythe and tore them into halves. He caught a glimpse of Ah Xi''s lips moved. He ran to Ah Xi''s side and roared. Weisheng: "What happened?! Where is Hong er?!" Ah Xi: "Your Majesty Empress¡­Help Her Majesty Empress¡­" Weisheng clutched his head as the burning sensation began to make him lose his sanity. He roared as his fangs grew longer. He dashed off whilst following Qi of the ring that he gave Hong er a decade ago. 5 minutes of running in the forest, he sniffed a heavy scent of blood. He glanced around and found Huayun laying unconscious in the bushes. He pulled her out from the bushes and lightly slapped her face. Yet, there was no sign of her waking up. Weisheng: "Tch!" He laid her down under the tree and cast a barrier to hide Huayun. From her injuries, he knew that this was the work of an assassin. If Huayun was not dead and she was hiding, it means the assassins were still lurking around looking for her. As he thought, he met a few assassins on his way. He easily killed them and continued to run as if nothing happened. Another 10 minutes, he reached the Royal Palace''s wall. He leaps over the 8-meter wall with ease. Not long after, he heard an ear-piercing cry and clashing sound. He quickened his pace and finally arrived at the scene. The last strand of his sanity snapped from the sight in front of him. (A/N: Liu Yue Ying is Princess Yue''s full name.) Chapter 212 - 210. NO!! I Third-person POV (A/N: I will use Yue Ying from now on.) After running for a while, Xue Lang and Yue Ying finally saw the exit of the tunnel. They smiled brightly as they ran towards the exit. Yue Ying glanced around to confirm that they were out from Royal Palace. They kept running despite not knowing which way they were going, Yue Ying was sure that her brother''s subordinate would be able to find them no matter where they were. Now Yue Ying regret not seriously learning the topography around the Royal Palace because she was too fixed on her blood magic research. In front of them was a steep cliff, they took a few steps back from the cliff. Xue Lang went look for another route while Yue Ying stood close to Ming Yu as they were holding the babies. Yue Ying widened her eyes when she heard a rustling sound not far from their spot. She whisper shouted at Xue Lang. Yue Ying: "Xue Lang! Hide!" Xue Lang sprinted back to Yue Ying''s side and hid in the bushes. They kept hearing rustling sound from the front, yet, they didn''t see anything coming their way. After a moment of silence, they sighed in relief as they saw a rabbit hopped out from bushes. Yue Ying sat on the ground and smiled at the baby in her hand just to realize the baby was gone. Yue Ying fretfully looked around for the baby. Ming Yu and Xue Lang who noticed Yue Ying being restless turned their body around and their heart stopped for a while. A man sitting on a tree branch playfully poked the baby''s cheeks. The fresh cuts across his face made his cunning face more frightful. At first, Xue Lang was trembling as he didn''t know what he should do at this moment. But then, he remembered the words that Weisheng always told him. ''One trained oneself to protect one''s beloved.'' Xue Lang clenched his hands into fists as his eyes were burning with resoluteness. He was ready to summon his scythe at any moment but Yue Ying''s hand stopped him. Yue Ying: "Who are you?" Yue Ying''s voice sounded calm, at the same time, intimidating. Hu Jia: "Aiyo~ Aren''t you Princess Yue? What are you doing here?" Yue Ying: "Ben Gong asked you a question." Hu Jia snorted whilst pinching the baby''s nose. Hu Jia: "This is not the right time for you to act high and mighty, Your Highness Princess Yue." Hu Jis deadpanned. Yue Ying stared dagger at him with her blood-red eyes, she knew that she couldn''t get any information from him. She was racking her brain trying to find a way to take the baby from Hu Jia and ran away. However, she was aware that it wouldn''t be easy. She could see a few lackeys of Hu Jia standing behind him. Hu Jia: "Cat got your tongue?" Hu Jia smirked, he glanced to the side and saw Xue Lang glaring at him. Hu Jia: "Aren''t you the famous Prince Xue? What a coincidence to meet you here. Aren''t you supposed to be dead?" Hu Jia''s cold voice sent a shiver down to Xue Lang''s spine. Yet, he didn''t show any fear on his face. Hu Jia turned his eyes to Ming Yu who has her back facing him. Hu Jia: "You, the girl over there, what are you hiding huh?" Hu Jia summoned a whip and struck Ming Yu''s back with the whip that was loaded with his lightning Qi to intensify the pain. Hu Jia frowned when Ming Yu didn''t yelp nor budge from her spot. He raised his whip and once again he struck Ming Yu''s back but this time his whip was caught by Xue Lang''s ice scythe. Xue Lang: "You dare?" Xue Lang growled at Hu Jia with his little fangs bared. Hu Jia was caught-off-guard by Xue Lang''s threat. Then, the corner of his lips arched into a grin. For a weapon to be able to stop his attack means that it is exceptionally high-quality weapon. Hu Jia: "I want your scythe." Hu Jia yanked his whip and Xue Lang was pulled along as his scythe was still tied up to Hu Jia''s whip. Xue Lang spun in the air and aimed Hu Jia''s head with his leg, but Hu Jia blocked his kick without effort. Hu Jia: "Let me show you what kick really is." The grin on Hu JIa''s face immediately disappeared when he found his whole body immobilized. He turned his eyes towards Yue Ying and cursed in his heart. Yue Ying: "Get away from there!" XueLang pulled his scythe away and took the baby from Hu Jia''s hand before he jumped down from the tree to Yue Ying''s side. Xue Lang stared at Yue Ying with amazement, she managed to immobilize even all of Hu Jia''s lackeys with her shadow magic. Yue Ying: "I will hold them, you go!" Yue Ying whispered at Xue Lang. At first, Xue Lang hesitated to leave Yue Ying alone with the assassins but after seeing her solemn face, Xue Lang instantly nodded his head and left. Yue Ying shifted her hands and the shadows also moved along with Yue Ying''s hand movement. The head in the shadows slowly spun as well as their heads, bone cracking sound could be heard loud and clear. Just as their bones were about to break, their shadows were freed by a shadow mage. In a second, Hu Jia appeared in front of Yue Ying and slammed her to a tree with her neck in his grip. Yue Ying scratched his hand as she struggled to breathe and her bones felt it would crush into pieces from his grip. Hu Jia leaned his lips on her ears and whispered. Hu Jia: "Good¡­You distracted me and the maid escaped. You will pay for th-." Then suddenly a loud crack of thunder interrupted Hu Jia. He looked towards the direction where the Royal Palace located. A whirl of grey clouds was shooting an enormous amount of Dark Qi even Hu Jia could feel the intimidating aura from far away. Yue Ying: "Bro¡­.ther¡­." Yue Ying whispered between her breaths. Hu Jia: ''Brother? That emperor? Impossible, isn''t he supposed to be at the border? Better finish this fast.'' Hu Jia knocked Yue Ying out by slamming her head to the tree trunk once again. Hu Jia: "Find the maid and the kid." Subordinate: "Yes!" He dragged Yue Ying by her hair and nonchalantly walked away. Not far from they were, Xue Lang and Ming Yu were cornered at the side of a cliff. Ming Yu was crouching behind Xue Lang who was shielding her with his small body. Xue Lang widened his eyes when he saw Hu Jia pulled Yue Ying up by her hair and slapped her face extremely hard. Hu Jia: "Wake up." Yue Ying''s brows twitched as her eyes slowly opened. Hu Jia smirked as he signaled his subordinate with his eyes. His subordinates nodded their heads and charged at Xue Lang. Xue Lang summoned his ice scythe and blocked their continuous attacks. But he couldn''t stand a chance against trained assassins like them. It didn''t take them long to subjugate Xue Lang. Hu Jia indifferently stared at Ming Yu who was silent all the time. Hu Jia: "Turn her around." Hu Jia''s subordinate pulled Ming Yu''s hair and turned her around. Hu Jia''s eyes brightened up by the sight of two babies in Ming Yu''s arms. Hu Jia: "Interesting." Chapter 213 - 211. NO!! II Third-person POV With her hair pulled and her legs stepped on, Ming Yu couldn''t move that much with both babies in her arms. Hu Jia walked towards Ming Yu and crouched down to her level. Hu Jia: "So you were hiding the other one?" Hu Jia stretched his hand towards one of the babies. The looks in Ming Yu''s eyes immediately changed, she gnawed his hand and refused to let go despite she was slapped and her hair was pulled back. Hu Jia gritted his teeth in annoyance and landed a hard blow to her jaw. She instantly released his hand as her jaw was dislocated from the punch. Hu Jia looked at his bleeding hand and clicked his tongue. He tore a part of his clothes and wrapped the injury with the cloth. He grabbed one of the babies from Ming Yu''s arm and stared at the baby with cold eyes. Hu Jia: "Lucky b*stard, he got two heirs at a time." Hu Jia glanced at Ming Yu who was growling at him with her jaw hanging and the corner of his lips arched. Hu Jia: "I will help him get rid of his offspring." Xue Lang: "Don''t you dare!" Hu Jia turned around to Xue Lang and sneered. Hu Jia: "Why do you think I don''t dare?" Xue Lang: "I will kill you!" Xue Lang snapped. Hu Jia trotted towards Xue Lang and pulled Xue Lang''s hair backward so Xue Lang had to look up to him. Xue Lang glared at him, on the other side, Hu Jia enjoyed seeing Xue Lang in distress. Hu Jia: "Kill me if you can." Hu Jia turned his eyes towards the baby and grinned. Hu Jia: "Watch this." Hu Jia went to the side of the cliff and stretched out his hand that was holding the baby to the bottomless cliff. Ming Yu widened her eyes and struggled against their hold. Xue Lang kicked the men that were holding him and ran towards Hu Jia. Yet, he was caught again by Hu Jia''s lackeys. Hu Jia: "Bye bye~" Hu Jia loosened his grip on the baby''s cloth. The three of them froze in horror, the baby fell into the fathomless cliff and without saying, the baby probably would have died. Not even a skilled a.d.u.l.t could survive that fall, needless to say, a newborn baby. Yue Ying silently cried as her eyes muddled with the blood flowing down from head. Yue Ying: ''I am so useless¡­'' Hu Jia: "Now onto the other one." Hu Jia turned around to Ming Yu and reached out to grab the other baby. Ming Yu hugged the baby tightly in her embrace and glowered at Hu Jia with tears in her eyes. Hu Jia sighed tiredly. Hu Jia: "Well¡­there is no choice then¡­" Hu Jia grabbed Ming Yu''s hair and threw her to the cliff together with the baby. Xue Lang bellowed and lunged himself towards Hu Jia with his ice scythe. Hu Jia swiftly turned around and blocked Xue Lang''s attack by using his spear. He swung his spear and slashed across Xue Lang''s chest. With eyes widened, Xue Lang collapsed to the ground. Yue Ying''s vision darkened as she had lost too much blood from the injury on the back of head. Hu Jia snorted at how easy it was to defeat Xue Lang and Yue Ying, in additional, he accomplished his mission for killing Hong er''s offspring. He nudged Xue Lang''s body with his boot and suddenly a shiver ran down to his spine. Hu Jia: ''What with this bloodthirsty aura?!'' Hu Jia glanced around as he was trying to find the source of the aura. Then a rustling sound was heard from the bushes, he whipped his head to the side and saw the figure that he didn''t want to see the most. Hu Jia: ''Liu Weisheng!'' Weisheng stood silently as his eyes were wide open in terror. His eyes landed on his one and only little sister''s bleeding head, then on the deep slash on his son''s chest. And lastly, on a white blanket that was hanging on the cliff. On the corner of the blanket, it had a little yellow dragon embroidered on it. Before he left for the war, Hong er proudly showed it to him and planned to use the blanket for the newborn baby. They didn''t know how many baby there would be as Hong er''s belly was bigger than average, so they assumed that it would be a twin. Hong er: "I made three of them. The red one is for firstborn, the yellow one is for the second born and the black one is for the third born. So if you saw a yellow dragon blanket, that means we have two babies!" Hong er''s cheerful voice resounded in his brain. Weisheng''s lips trembled as not a word could come out from his throat. He knew that it was a twin from the blanket, yet, where are the babies? He couldn''t find even one of them. For the blanket to be hanging on the cliff like that means¡­ The dark Qi around him suddenly blew up and caused the nearby trees to wither away into dust. His tattoos had completely covered his whole body, including his face. Hu Jia who was about to escape from the scene, suddenly got attacked by Weisheng. The spear that he used to block Weisheng''s attack instantly shattered the moment it clashed with Weisheng''s black sword. He quickly dodged to the side and his right ear was sliced off together with his right shoulder. His whole arm dropped to the ground, Weisheng crushed it with his foot whilst glaring at Hu Jia. Hu Jia''s blood runs cold when he saw Weisheng''s shadow grew bigger and bigger as well as his dark aura. He glanced at his subordinates and unable to get a word out. Their shadows were devouring their own bodies. He looked down to his own shadow and in that second, his face paled. Black strings resembling hairs, shot through his body and pulled him into the abyss. He summoned a dagger and cut the strings that were retrained his body. He struggled with everything he has, he was too focused on escaping the clutches of the strings that he didn''t realize his whole body was bleeding profusely. Just as he thought he was about to break free from the restraint, a burst of black strings gagged his mouth and dragged him into the darkness. The shadow that just ate Hu Jia fused into Weisheng''s shadow and made its size grew bigger. Weisheng breathe out a cloud of black smoke, the Qi''s of the people that he devoured flew into his body causing the dark Qi in his body to overflow. He fell to his knees as tears flew down his cheeks for the first time after a long time. With his son and little sister lying unconscious in front of him, he couldn''t hold back the fury that had been piled in his heart. His cry echoed throughout the forest. He couldn''t hear anything. "Kill¡­" "They took her from you¡­" "They took everything from you¡­" "Kill them¡­" "Kill everyone¡­" Thousands of whispers resounded in his brain, beguiling him to eradicate everything that existed in this world. Weisheng gripped his head as he was trying to get rid of the deceptive whispers. Then his eyes widened in realization. He lost his beloved wife, his son, his little sister, and his newborn babies just because he was late for one minute. It was because he left them despite him knowing that it would be very dangerous them alone when Hong er was in critical moment. Weisheng: ''It is because of me¡­'' The sky suddenly became pitch black, not even cloud or sun could be seen. The animals and beasts in the forest panicked and started to scurry away from their homes. The ground shook from his thunderous roar. The whispering sounds kept replaying in his brain, slowly corrupting his mind. A second later, his body abruptly stopped and from his thin pale lips, he whispered. "Kill¡­" Chapter 214 - 212. I Will Find Her No Matter What I Third-person POV The sky was as dark as a fathomless abyss. The sudden disappearance of the sun caused an uproar in the whole Chang An. People quickly used their Qi to lighten the city as much as they could. Some of them ran to a temple and prayed to Sheng Jie, the Goddess of Light. They had a superstition that if the sun suddenly disappeared in the day, that means Hei An was angered and his wrath could destroy the world. And only Sheng Jie could calm him down. However, the sun symbolizes Sheng Jie. For the sun to be covered by impenetrable darkness, it means something ominous would happen. Just as they were thinking about the calamity that would happen, they suddenly felt something wrapped in their ankles. They looked down to their feet and within their shadows, they saw a pair of eyes staring at them whilst pulling their legs with black strings. They instantly went panic and grabbed whatever they could so they wouldn''t be sucked into the darkness. Cries of agony resounded throughout the city. The parents desperately tried to save their child despite their own life is at risk. They called Sheng Jie''s name in the hope that she would descend from heaven and help them. On the other side, Weisheng was staring at Xue Lang with dead eyes. He stretched out his hand and grabbed Xue Lang by his neck then lifted him up to the air. Xue Lang suddenly regained his consciousness when he felt his neck was going to break. Xue Lang choked the blood that clogged up in his throat and scratched Weisheng''s hand whilst kicking around. Shiver ran down to his spine when he caught a glimpse of Weisheng''s expression. Weisheng''s eyes were wide open with tears flowing down his cheeks. His sclera that was supposed to be white, had changed color into jet black. Accompanied by his crimson red eyes that were shining brightly in pitch dark, it was beautiful yet blood-curdling. (A/N: Sclera is the white part of the eye.) "¡­fa¡­father¡­." Xue Lang weakly called out to Weisheng as his lips turned purple from lack of oxygen. His eyes rolled back as his whole body became stiff and rigid. He couldn''t sense anything, every part of his body was numb. Weisheng looked menacingly at Xue Lang while muttering "kill¡­" under his breath. Xue Lang''s hands dropped to the side as he had given up at fighting back. He was satisfied. For him to be able to see the beautiful part of the world even if it is only for a moment, is already enough. It was Weisheng and Hong er who showed him what love truly is. Because of the two of them, every day he could eat the best food, every night he could sleep comfortably without worrying a thing. With his last breath, he whispered, "I¡­lo¡­ve¡­.you¡­." Then, a small smile slowly appeared on his thin lips as he closed his eyes to depart from the world. "UWAAHHHH!" Out of blue, an ear-piercing cry sounded out. In that instant, Weisheng''s eyes immediately went back to normal. The pitch-black layer that overcast the sky also cleared out in a second. Like an arrow from a bow, he released Xue Lang and caught him from falling to the ground. He positioned his trembling finger under Xue Lang''s nose to check his breathing. Yet, he didn''t feel anything, not even a small pant. His body froze in horror, tears pooled on his eyes as it dripped onto Xue Lang''s pale face. "X-Xue Lang¡­Speak to father¡­" Weisheng anxiously spoke with a shaking voice. Weisheng tapped Xue Lang''s cheek with the hand that he used to choke Xue Lang. He stared at his hand in resentment and enmity, he took out his sword and raised it to the air. Just as he was about to cut off his arm, the cry that woke him up grew louder. He looked to the side and saw Shu Zhiruo holding a baby while on her side, Jin Momo was holding the other one. The baby in Shu Zhiruo''s arms cried loudly with its plump hand wriggled around, trying to reach out to something warm. "Hold him while I heal Xue Lang," Shu Zhiruo commanded. Shu Zhiruo dashed towards Weisheng and passed the baby to him. He unsummoned his sword and took the baby from Shu Zhiruo. Surprisingly, the cry of the baby ceased as soon as it was in Weisheng''s arms. Shu Zhiruo pressed her fingers on Xue Lang''s wrist to check his pulse. She sighed a relief when she felt a tiny thump from Xue Lang''s wrist, she quickly summoned her magical needles and inserted the needles onto several acupuncture points on Xue Lang''s body. The bleeding on Xue Lang''s chest started to cease and slowly but surely, Xue Lang showed a sign of breathing as his chest softly moves up and down. Shu Zhiruo cleaned her needles with her Qi as she looked at Xue Lang''s progression. "He is fine for now, he has to be on the bed for 3 weeks," Shu Zhiruo sighed in relief. Shu Zhiruo shifted to Yue Ying and checked the injury on the back of her head. All of a sudden, everything came rushing back to Weisheng. Weisheng abruptly stood up and called out, "Hong er!" "Don''t go!" Shu Zhiruo shouted at him while her hands were controlling the needles on Yue Ying''s body. At that moment, Weisheng glared at Shu Zhiruo as suspicion grew in his heart. If looks could kill, Shu Zhiruo would be dead long ago. Why can''t he go find his wife? What if Hong er was in danger and her life is on the line? Why a mere physician forbid him to do what he wants? Is she on the same side as the enemy? Is she one of the traitors? Hundreds of questions went through Weisheng''s brain in a split second. As if Shu Zhiruo could read his mind, she promptly denied, "I''m not!" "Then explain to yourself why I can''t go?" Weisheng narrowed his eyes as he started to get impatient. Since Hong er trusted Shu Zhiruo like her own family, Weisheng decided to give a second chance to give him a reason for prohibiting him from saving Hong er. Shu Zhiruo clicked her tongue in annoyance and yelled, "Can''t you see we are also in danger?! I am worried about Hong er but if it is her, she would undoubtedly place her children above herself. She pushed me into the secret passage and went to fight those Bei Zhou soldiers so we can save the princes and princesses. But thank to that, we can make it in time when the prince and princess were thrown into the cliff." Weisheng gritted his teeth and hugged his baby tighter yet not enough to hurt the baby. Shu Zhiruo glanced at Weisheng and felt guilt-ridden. "I know it is hard for you, but your children need you by their side. You didn''t bring any back up with you and currently, our soldiers are fighting off the enemy. We can only depend on you. And I can assure you that they won''t kill Hong er," Shu Zhiruo said with her eyes downcasted. Weisheng whipped his head up to look at Shu Zhiruo and asked with a disbelief tone, "Why do you say so." "I accidentally heard the conversation between the Bei Zhou soldiers. It seems like they need Hong er alive for some reason and ordered to kill heir and heir apparent," Shu Zhiruo said firmly. Weisheng pondered for a while and his face turned darker than ink. "Murong Qing¡­" Weisheng muttered under his breath. Shu Zhiruo knitted her brows in confusion, "Murong Qing?" "I will explain later. Firstly, we have to go back to Fei Hong Palace." Weisheng replied. Shu Zhiruo nodded her head in agreement, "En. That is the best option." "For Meiyun to travel from afar to Chang An in such a short time, it means she knows something." Weisheng pondered. "Meiyun?" Shu Zhiruo knitted her brows in confusion when he suddenly brought up Meiyun''s name. Then she realized something that she should have the first time she saw him here, "Wait, how do you get here? Aren''t you at the border?" "Later, I will explain it. You hold the baby." Weisheng gently handed the baby to Shu Zhiruo. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Since his power had been unsealed because of his mental breakdown, he would use it to the fullest. Slowly, he opened his eyes and his eyes changed into how it looks when his power was uncontrollable. Shu Zhiruo shuddered in fear at the sudden drop in temperature around Weisheng. Dark aura crept up from Weisheng''s shadow and his shadow expanded tremendously in a blink of an eye. A loud neigh sounded out as a huge jet black horse shoot out from Weisheng''s shadow. "Get on. We must not waste any time." Weisheng said with a grim expression on his face. Shu Zhiruo and Jin Momo nodded their heads and mounted Xiao Hei. Weisheng made a circle gesture with his finger and two pitch-black spheres resembling portals materialized above Xue Lang and Yue Ying. With his Qi, he lifted both of them up and gently put them into the portals. "Wh-what is that?" Shu Zhiruo asked "So I can take them without re-opening their wounds," Weisheng replied without taking his eyes off the black spheres. "E-en." Shu Zhiruo obediently nodded her head and shut her mouth as she watched the spheres closed up into giant orbs. "Let''s go," Weisheng instructed. Chapter 215 - 213. I Will Find Her No Matter What II Third-person POV On their way to Fei Hong Palace, Weisheng went to the place where he hid Huayun. Shu Zhiruo did a quick check on her and gave Huayun first aid. Weisheng''s shadow extended and connected to Huayun''s shadow. (A/N: Fei Hong Palace is Hong er''s palace.) Then from her own shadow, an enormous hand like shadow wrapped her body and put her into another black sphere that Weisheng just created. Without wasting any time, they headed for Fei Hong Palace by using the shortest route. To enter the Royal Palace, they have to pass through the back gate of the Royal Palace. As they approached the back gate, they spotted dozens of Bei Zhou soldiers clashing with the palace guards. This is one of the reason, why there was no one, came to rescue even though the servants from Fei Hong Palace had called for help. The guards and the Bei Zhou soldiers immediately alerted from the sudden burst of eerie around coming towards their direction. They direct their eyes to the tall man that was running towards them with three giant sphere loomed out of the forest. Their blood runs cold when they saw his appearance. Shining bloody eyes encircled by black sclera and his skin was covered with tattoos caused his overall appearance to make him looks like a demon king. The Bei Zhou soldiers changed their target from the guards to Weisheng since his presence was very suspicious. The guards were also on their guard as they still didn''t know if it is a foe or friend. Weisheng summoned his deathly scythe and spun them in the air then ended it with a swing. A moment of silence then black blood suddenly gushed out from every single part of their body. Slowly, their bodies fell apart into pieces. Everything happened in a blink of an eye, the guards were dumbstruck and unable to get any word out. They glanced to the sliced up bodies and noticed the flesh was burned to ashes by a black flame. Usually burning corpses or bodies would produce pungent burnt smell, yet, they didn''t smell anything. This caused the guards frightened to death. Nevertheless, they didn''t forget their duty. With their shaking hands, they pointed their swords at Weisheng. At that moment, a heavy galloping sound was heard from the forest. They narrowed their eyes to see what creature it was. A jet black horse galloped like a wind towards their direction. Although they couldn''t recognize their emperor, they still recognize their emperor''s horse and the two ladies that were riding on the horse. They whipped their heads towards the tall man and immediately kowtowed. "This servant deeply apologizes for not recognizing Your Majesty Emperor! We beg for your forgiveness!" the guards shouted with all of their might. "En," Weisheng hummed. With that, Weisheng and Xiao Hei passed the gate and entered the Royal Palace. Weisheng didn''t want to kill his own kith, therefore he waited a few seconds for Xiao Hei as he was aware that Xiao Hei is more recognizable than him right now. They directly headed to Fei Hong Palace. Weisheng killed the Bei Zhou soldiers as soon as he spotted one, despite the fact that they were hiding in a concealed place. Shu Zhiruo and Jin Momo gasped as the bloody scene at Fei Hong Palace came to their sight. The situation wasn''t as bad as this when they left. Shu Zhiruo swiftly dismounted from Xiao Hei and dashed to Ah Tong''s side after handing the baby in her hand to Jin Momo. "Ah Tong!" Shu Zhiruo cried out. Shu Zhiruo was going to take Ah Tong''s pulse, but when she tried to grab his hand, she realized that his arm was gone. With tears pooled on her eyes, Shu Zhiruo checked his pulse on his neck and bit her lips in frustration. Then she rushed to Ah Xi and did the same. "Just by stopping the bleeding won''t help," Shu Zhiruo murmured as she furrowed her brows. If she has light power just like Hong er''s, she would be able to cure them with a snap of fingers. Then a thought struck her like a lightning, she glanced at Xiao Bai who was weakly lying on the ground with a deep slash on both of her knees. Her legs were hanging only by thin strands of flesh. "She will understand," Weisheng spoke with his eyes looking downwards at Xiao Bai. He gently caressed her neck and a faint puff of breath blew out from Xiao Bai''s nostrils as if she agrees with Weisheng. "Furthermore, she won''t be able to survive with this injury." Weisheng glanced at Shu Zhiruo. At first, Shu Zhiruo was hesitant but since Weisheng gave her the permission to use Xiao Bai''s blood to heal Ah Tong and others, she rushed to Xiao Bai''s side and placed both of her palms on Xiao Bai''s neck. Weisheng summoned a dagger and positioned it between Shu Zhiruo''s palms. Xiao Bai laid her head on the cold concrete and closed her eyes. "Forgive me," Weisheng whispered under his breath before he lunged his dagger into Xiao Bai''s neck. Shu Zhiruo immediately used her blood magic to extract every single drop of Xiao Bai''s blood and the blood float in the air like a lump of red strings then slowly, it flew into the severely injured victims'' mouth. Just in a few seconds, the wounds in their bodies started to close up and their breathing also became more stable. Weisheng opened the black spheres in a single move of his finger and gently laid the three of them in a nearby clean room. With his shadow, he picked up Meiyun who was in other wings of the courtyard and put her beside Huayun. Shu Zhiruo directed Xiao Bai''s remaining blood to the four of them and plopped down onto the floor after she Xiao Bai''s blood completely used up. "Can you wake her up?" Weisheng asked Shu Zhiruo who was panting heavily on the floor. Shu Zhiruo glanced at Weisheng and waved her hand, "No." He knitted his brows in frustration. Although he promised that he would stay beside them so he could protect them from unpredicted attack, he couldn''t stop worrying about Hong er who was currently in the enemy''s hands. Then he thought up an idea. He concentrated his Qi onto his palms and did a few hand signs. 4 shadows with the same build as he emerged from his shadow. "These shadows can protect all of you. Even though it is not as powerful as I am, its power is comparable to Ah Tong''s," Weisheng said with a cold expression. Shu Zhiruo understood his thought and decided to not hinder him. Shu Zhiruo nodded her head and Weisheng immediately disappeared into thin air. She turned her eyes to Jin Momo and requested her to help her to do a surgery Meiyun. She had to cautiously pull out the sword in Meiyun''s stomach or else the part that was healing would re-open. Jin Momo went out to grab new cloths and clean water after she put the two babies into sleep. Shu Zhiruo pressed her finger on Meiyun''s wrist and sensed that Meiyun''s pulse is slower than normal but not critical. "Thank goodness, there is nothing," Shu Zhiruo sighed in relief. Chapter 216 - 214. Make Her Unable To Love Him!!! I Third-person POV Weisheng hopped from one roof to another as he studied the whole layout of the Royal Palace. He climbed to the top of the highest tower in the Royal Palace and activated his inner sight. He furrowed his brows in suspicion, he couldn''t detect even an ounce of Hong er''s presence nor her Qi. No matter how weak it one''s presence is, he always could detect it. Yet, at this severe time, every skill that he possessed became useless. Although he wanted to go search for Hong er without caring for anything, he still remembered the promise that he made with Hong er. He should not forget his duty and responsibility as an emperor regardless of what happened to her. From what he saw, there were several locations where the fight between the guards and Bei Zhou''s soldiers was very heated. It was easy for him to recognize which is Da Qi soldiers and which is Bei Zhou soldiers because the flow of the Qi between both sides are completely different. One of the factors is the training and the way they cultivate their Qi is differed for each region. Weisheng concentrated his Qi on his palm and connected his palm to the roof. In a flash, the shadows of Bei Zhou soldiers disappeared and merged into Weisheng''s shadow. The Bei Zhou soldiers that lost their shadow dropped to the ground with their eyes lost its color. Da Qi soldiers were dumbstruck by the sudden death of their opponents, yet, they were happy that the obstacles had been brought down. After ensuring that none of the Bei Zhou soldiers were alive, Weisheng jumped off the 215 ft tower in ease and went off like a wind. He passed the main gate of Royal Palace and entered the city. He looked around while leaping over the roofs. Then he overheard a conversation between the people in the market. From what he could see, the faces of the people were extremely frightened and the way they kept glancing at their own shadow made him feel guilty. "How could this happen to us? What did we do wrong to anger the God of Darkness?" a woman said anxiously while hugging her daughter tight in her embrace. "Don''t worry, the sky was cleared and the sun is shining brightly. I''m sure the God of Darkness''s wrath had ceased," an old man with a white beard approached the lady and reassured them. "B-but what causes this to happen?" the lady replied. The old man stared at the clear sky and sighed, "Once, when the God of Darkness lost control of his power, it is because he was lonely. But now, he has the Goddess of Light beside him. Perhaps, something unfortunate happened to the Goddess of Light that causes him to go into a rage." Weisheng silently listened to the old man''s words. What he felt right now was exactly like what the old man said. The importance of Hong er''s presence in his life is too important that he would go berserk if anything happened to her. Hong er''s existence to him is like Sheng Jie''s existence to Hei An, they are inseparable even through trials that the creator gave them. Weisheng turned around and continued to search for his wife. . . Since she died, Xiao Bai''s spirit had been following Weisheng all this long. She was back in her original form, which is a phoenix. No one could see her or detect her presence, including Weisheng. What caught her ire attention was that Hong er hasn''t died yet, but, she couldn''t feel an ounce of her life force. If Hong er was dead, Sheng Jie''s spirit would come out from Hong er''s body just like hers. Yet, she also couldn''t find any trace of Sheng Jie''s spirit. She was prohibited to meddle in their trials, this was one of the rules where she promised the Creator when she descends from heaven to earth. He had given her a chance and wouldn''t give her for the second time. She knew it was futile to beg the Creator because he is more strong-headed than Hong er (Sheng Jie). She stared at Weisheng in pity and hoped the best for the two of them. . . "Tch, it took almost all of my Qi," Bataar clicked his tongue in irritation. He glanced at Hong er who was still affected by the sleeping drug then turned his eyes towards a group of black-cloaked men. "Where are we?" Bataar asked nonchalantly. "Out from Da Qi. We are safe here, no one knows our location," One of the black-cloaked men stepped out. "Why are you so sure?" Bataar knitted his brows as he doubted the black-cloaked man. The black-cloaked man took off his hood and smirked, "We are the dark guild, our existence is a discreet." Bataar narrowed his eyes and sat down on the corner while watching the black-cloaked group tied Hong er up on a block of wood. He poured himself a cup of tea and impatiently tapped the corner of the table with his fingers. "What took that sl*t that long? She is the one who started all of these," Bataar murmured to himself. He became curious about what purpose would a dark guild to cooperate with a stinky count daughter which held little to almost no power in court. "Hey, why is your motive?" Bataar bluntly spat out his thought. The leader of the dark guild sinisterly grinned from ear to ear as he panted heavily on Hong er''s skin. "We, the dark guild, devote ourselves to Hei An, the God of Darkness. We will do anything to revive him like what he used to be. Gruesome and merciless. That Sheng Jie oppressed him with her shitty light, how hateful. See, what happened back there?! He is awakening! His power is rising, I can feel it! AHAHAHA!" the man laughed hysterically as the scene where the sun was covered with Weisheng''s overwhelming power played in his mind. Bataar''s face scrunched in disgust. "By removing this pest, no one can hold him back," the black-cloaked man pressed a dagger on Hong er''s pale neck as blood started to trickle out. *BAAM Bataar slammed the cup in his hand onto the table and caused some of the tea to spill out. "Don''t kill her yet," Bataar glowered at the black-cloaked man. The smile on the black-cloaked man''s face vanished, he slowly pulled back and his hands dropped to the side. He stared at Hong er with dead eyes. "I want to drink your blood. Unfortunately, it will cleanse the dark Qi in my body," the black-cloaked man whispered under his breath. He turned around to his pupils and passed the dagger in his hand to them. "Drain her blood and draw a magic circle that I taught you with her blood." Chapter 217 - 215. Make Her Unable To Love Him!!! II Third-person POV With Hong er tied up to a block of wood, her blood dripped down from both of the wrist to the bowl below her. And from the bowl, the group of black-cloaked men drew out an enormous sized magic circle. The magic circle was very complicated and it was written in Divine Language. There must not be a single mistake on the magic circle or else it would explode and cost their life. Not long after, a few knocks were heard from the door across where Bataar sat. The door creaked open as a young woman with a maid came into the room. A wide smile spread on the woman''s face. "What took you so long, Murong Qing?" Bataar spoke without looking at her. "I was too excited for today and it took me longer to dress up," Murong Qing giggled. Bataar sighed tiredly as he glanced at Murong Qing, his head ached when he saw how Murong Qing dolled up from head to toe. Murong Qing spun around to show her flowy skirt, "I have to look pretty when I show cousin brother the surprise." ''What a group of crazy people. Can''t she see that her so-called cousin brother doesn''t like her even for a bit?'' Bataar massaged his forehead as the stress from talking to Murong Qing hit his head like a truck. The leader of the black-cloaked men walked towards them with a smile on his lips, "The magic circle is done. Let''s proceed to the ritual." Murong Qing excitedly nodded her head. She handed her coat to her mad and walked to the magic circle that was in front of Hong er''s magic circle. The black-cloaked men circled around the magic circle with a candle and a dagger in their hands while their leader stood in between the magic circles. Murong Qing stared at the sleeping Hong er and sneered, "On the second thought, wake her up and let her see what is about to happen to her." The leader opened a bottle with an unknown white powder in it and placed it below Hong er''s nose. As soon as Hong er breathe in the white powder, her throat moved and coughed profusely. She opened her eyes with difficulty and her eyes immediately wide open when she saw Murong Qing leisurely standing across her. Hong er scanned the darkroom and had no clue about what place it is and how she can get here. She opened her mouth to ask their identity, but, not a word could come from her throat. She glanced at the black-cloaked man that was standing between her and Murong Qing then to the bottle that he was holding. The looks in her eyes changed. The leader of the black-cloaked men smirked and shook the bottle in his hand, "You guess it right. This powder can temporarily seal your voice. Be grateful to me." Hong er bared her fangs on the black-cloaked man, she clenched her hands into fist and tried to summon her sword. Yet, nothing appears. She also noticed that her body felt really weak and it was hard for her to concentrate. The Qi in her body was only sufficient for her to survive. "Come on~ Start the ritual, I am getting impatient~" Murong Qing complained and stomped her foot on the ground. The leader of the black-cloaked men nodded his head then he lowered his head and began to mutter unknown spells in Divine Language. Every time he raised his voice, the other black-cloaked men would shout in unison. The candles in their hand lightened up, they slowly put down the candle beside the magic circles and surrounded Murong Qing and Hong er with candles. After a few minutes of chanting the spell, the fire on the candles burst suddenly blasted and formed a fire ring above the magic circles. The leader of the black-cloaked men raised the dagger in his hand to the air and the others followed him along. By using the dagger, they slit their wrist and let their blood pour down to the magic circles. Hong er suddenly felt her heart beating loudly, her ears were ringing so much that her eardrums were going to explode. Her head ached like there were thousands of centipedes crawling inside her brain. She banged her head onto the wood hoping that it would dissipate the pain a little bit. Bataar noticed that the back of her head was bleeding. He rose from his seat and pointed his finger at Hong er. "Grab her head!" Bataar roared. The leader of the black-cloaked men dashed to Hong er''s front and grabbed a handful of her hair without stopping his mouth from chanting the cursed spell. He pulled Hong er''s head so she couldn''t slam her own head. If Hong er die, the curse would backfire to another person as the sacrifice was dead. The grin on his lips grew wider as he was almost at the end of the spell. He threw his dagger to the side and positioned his two fingers in front of Hong er''s eyes. Hong er''s face turned paler and paler, she could feel the power in her body being sucked into her eyes. The leader of the black-cloaked man looked at Hong er''s glowing eyes and smiled in satisfactory. (A/N: Warning, a bit gore.) He dug his two fingers into Hong er''s eyes and curled his fingers when his fingers were halfway in. Hong er''s mouth was wide open, she silently screamed in agony. Her clear tears turned into blood red. At the last word of the chant, he pulled Hong er''s eyeballs out in one movement. Bataar''s brows twitched in cringe when he saw the hollow space in Hong er''s eye sockets. Hong er''s body slumped down as blood pour down from her hollow eye sockets. The leader enveloped Hong er''s eyeballs with his Qi and slowly approached Murong Qing. He waved his hand towards one of his disciples, the disciple placed a bowl of Hong er''s blood onto his palm. "Close your eyes," the leader of black-cloaked men gave an instruction to Murong Qing. Murong Qing shut her eyes and couldn''t help but also feel nervous. He placed his palm on Murong Qing''s closed eyes and continued to chant the second part of the spell. A few seconds later, Murong Qing suddenly screeched as she felt the muscles in her eyes were being cut off. She raised her hands to scratch off his hand that was on her eyes, yet, his disciples rushed to her side and held her down. She kept on screaming and struggling. At that moment, she could feel her eye sockets were empty for a second then filled up with foreign things that caused the blood in her body to burn up. "Quick drink this!" The leader of the black-cloaked men poured the blood in the bowl into her mouth. Murong Qing gulped down the red liquid like she hasn''t drink for an eternity. As soon as the blood reached her stomach, the pain in her eyes decreased significantly. Before she could relax, the leader proceeded to chant and caused every blood cell in her body to tremble. It happened too fast that she passed out in a second but the ritual had to go on. The leader swung his palm across Murong Qing''s face and instantly woke Murong Qing up from her unconsciousness. "How dare you to slap me!" Murong Qing shrieked at the leader. Yet, he didn''t pay any heed to Murong Qing as his lips didn''t stop chanting. Murong Qing then realized his purpose in waking her up. She glowered at Hong er who was panting heavily. "Seal her memories!" Murong Qing yelled. "That''s it?" The leader glanced at Murong Qing indifferently. A sly grin crept up to her blood-covered lips. "Replace her memories so she wouldn''t be able to love cousin brother and I want her to be unable to hear." Chapter 218 - 216. Be Prepared To Die I Third-person POV After Murong Qing finished her wish, the leader of the black-cloaked men nodded his head and turned to Hong er. "Back off," he instructed. His disciples dragged Murong Qing out from the magic circles and took 10 steps away from the magic circles. He placed his palm on top of Hong er''s head and whispered a few words under his breath. a second later, a blast of black flames flared up around Hong er''s magic circle. Hong er raised her head and looked to her front with her hollow eyes. "Your¡­Majesty Emperor¡­" Hong er whispered in her heart as more blood trickled down from her eye sockets. Weisheng suddenly stopped in his track when he heard that familiar voice whispered his name. He turned his body left and right and looked around for the source of the voice. "HONG ER! HONG ER!" Weisheng called Hong er''s name at the top of his voice. Yet, he could only hear his voice echoed through the forest. He bit his lips till blood started to sip out, he knew he was in wrong. He blamed himself for whatever happened to Hong er. "Hong er! Where are you?!" Weisheng cried out her name. Then he suddenly felt a surge of power rushed to his heart. He gripped his chest and wheezed as he fell onto his knees. "I-I have to find Hong er¡­.Hong er ah¡­.Hong er¡­ wait for me¡­" Weisheng crawled with his other hand. On the other side, the black flames around Hong er grew fiercer and fully engulfed Hong er''s whole body. The black flames didn''t burn her skin, however, the pain was still there. Hong could only hopelessly resign to her fate, she closed her eyes and the corner of her lips arched into a gentle smile. "I''m sorry¡­Sheng ge," she whispered before she lost her consciousness. Weisheng widened his eyes and struggled for air as he suddenly felt a huge part of his heart fade away like a speck of dust blown by a slight breeze. Half of his power that was unsealed by the previous breakdown was now completely free. His bloody red eyes were ignited with black flames. The whispers that he heard when he almost killed Xue Lang reappeared in his brain, however, this time was louder and more malicious. He always had a hard time to control his full power when he was young therefore his power was sealed by combining the power of several powerful mages around the world. All these years, he was learning to control his power and it succeeded to some point. Unless he was angered or overwhelmed with grief. And the only few people that can cause him to go berserk are his family and his beloved wife. Just as he was about to lose his sanity to his evil power, he swung his fist across his cheek. The impact of the punch immediately caused the evil Qi that was about to devour him to dissipate. As his whole evil Qi suddenly retreated from his body, his vision darkened and his body fell to the ground with blood streamed down his nose. . . Xu Tingfeng swung Guan Dao and 5 head fell to the ground with their eyes still wide open. "Tch, he really wants to kill me no matter what huh." Xu Tingfeng gritted his teeth. His hands never stop swinging his Guan Dao towards the never-ending soldiers. Bai Huiqing stood behind him watching over his back. Together, they fought side by side, protecting each other''s back. "Feng ge! It is best if we escape from here as soon as possible. Another wave of them is coming towards us. At this rate, even we can''t hold on." Xu Yongzheng spoke hurriedly with his back facing Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng knitted his brows and just when he was about to nod his head, he heard a loud gasp from behind him. He looked to his behind and saw Bai Huiqing sitting on the ground with tears pouring down her eyes. "What''s wrong?!" Xu Tingfeng asked with a panicked voice. Xu Yongzheng also glanced over them as Xu Tingfeng''s voice caught his attention. He widened his eyes when he saw how pale Bai Huiqing''s face got, yet he couldn''t help her as his hands were full from handling the persistent soldiers in front of him. "Yongzheng! Take over!" Xu Tingfeng commanded with his deep voice. "Aye!" Xu Yongzheng leaped to Xu Tingfeng''s side and killed the soldiers that were approaching them. "Qing er! Are you okay?!" Xu Tingfeng asked Bai Huiqing whilst shaking her body to bring her back from her daze. "My daughter¡­.Hong er ahh... I can''t feel her¡­. I don''t feel any of her life force, Tingfeng ah! My daughter!" Bai Huiqing grabbed Xu Tingfeng''s hands that were holding her and cried. Xu Tingfeng''s body froze in shock. When Bai Huiqing gave birth to Hong er, she placed a magic spell on Hong er so she could know whenever her daughter is alive or not. And now, the string that connects her to Hong er''s soul suddenly broke. "Ho-Hong er¡­ Our Hong er¡­" Xu Tingfeng mumbled in disbelief. His hands gripped Bai Huiqing''s arms tighter, however, Bai Huiqing didn''t even flinch from Xu Tingfeng''s grip. The pain in her arms couldn''t compare to the pain in her heart. "Liu Weisheng, I will kill you!" Xu Tingfeng roared as his golden eyes glinted in fury. Xu Yongzheng could hear their conversation loud and clear, he still couldn''t believe that Hong er was truly dead. He knew that Hong er is a very strong person but he also aware, no matter how strong one''s power is, there would always be one''s end. Then he caught a glimpse of reflected light from the corner of his eyes. He quickly stretched out his hand towards Xu Tingfeng. "Feng ge! Watch out!" Xu Yongzheng bellowed. Before Xu Tingfeng could turn his head around to see what happened, he felt himself get pushed to the side. A thumping sound of a body fell to the ground was heard despite the roars of the soldiers. His heart stopped as soon as his eyes laid on the woman that was laying lifelessly in front of him. He reached out his trembling hand towards the woman with an arrow deeply penetrated into her head. He picked her up and pulled her close to his embrace. Tears pour down from his eyes as he hugged her tighter. "AAAHHHHH!" a fiery red fire ignited the whole capital city as Xu Tingfeng let out a howl of anguish. Xu Yongzheng clenched his jaw in rage. He roared at the soldiers and mercilessly slashed their heads off. Rain showered the capital city to extinguish the flaring fire, Xu Tingfeng''s eyes turned to the water mages on top of the watchtower. Their bodies suddenly engulfed in fire and burnt them to death in a second. With a single move of his hand, the arrow in Bai Huiqing''s eye was cut off, leaving only a tiny piece of arrowhead that was still in her head. "Yongzheng, I will take my leave." Xu Tingfeng carried Bai Huiqing on his back and tied her body to his body with a cloth. "Uncle Shu is currently in this city, you know where to find him!" Xu Yongzheng shouted. "En." Xu Tingfeng only nodded his head without looking at Xu Yongzheng. Xu Tingfeng took off by using his qinggong. Then a large group of soldiers swarmed around Xu Tingfeng and blocked his way. With a war cry, they charged towards the anguished Xu Tingfeng. "Qing er, hold on me. This would be a bit shaky." Xu Tingfeng whispered to Bai Huiqing as if she could hear him. A Guan Dao materialized in his right hand while his left hand was holding on Bai Huiqing. He clenched and spun his Guan Dao with all the strength that he had. The movement of the soldiers around him abruptly stopped before blood gushed out from their neck. The soldiers that were not killed from his strike took a few steps back as they became hesitant to face the golden-eyed monster in front of them. Xu Tingfeng looked up to them with his glowing golden eyes and glowered. "Be prepared to die." Chapter 219 - 217. Be Prepared To Die II Third-person POV Xu Tingfeng went like lightning. He arrived at the place where Shu Huatuo treated Senior Jian. He kicked open the door and rushed to Shu Huatuo with a despaired expression. Knowing things were not fine, Shu Huatuo sprinted to his operating room and prepared the tools that were necessary for the surgery. "Put her here! And you stay beside me!" Shu Huatuo ordered Xu Tingfeng and disregarded any formalities between them. Xu Tingfeng didn''t waste any time. He quickly yet gently laid Bai Huiqing on the white-sheeted bed. The operating door burst open and revealed a middle-aged man. Xu Tingfeng growled at the man and fire almost ignited the man. "Stop! He is my son, Bian Que, he will be assisting me in this operation." Shu Huatuo reprimanded without stopping his hands that was cleaning and examining Bai Huiqing''s wound at the same time. Shu Bian Que nodded his head towards Xu Tingfeng as a greeting since bowing took more time and they didn''t have that much time. Xu Tingfeng lowered his guard and nodded back. "Ah Que, slow the blood circulation on the brain." Shu Huatuo ordered. (A/N: I don''t know if this is medicinal accurate but since I learned some biology in high school, I know one or two things. Disclaimer: This may be inaccurate, don''t do this at home.) Shu Bian Que used his blood magic to make the flow of the blood near Bai Huiqing''s head to minimize the bleeding when the arrowhead was pulled out. "Tingfeng, increase the temperature." Shu Huatuo instructed. With his fire Qi, Xu Tingfeng raises the room temperature without having a real fire in the room. Temperatures significantly affects the blood pressure in one''s blood pressure. Lower temperatures cause one''s blood vessel to narrow which increases blood pressures as more pressure is needed to force blood through the narrowed veins and arteries. Xu Tingfeng rubbed Bai Huiqing''s cold fingertips with his rough hand. His eyes never left her face even once. Shu Huatuo slowly and cautiously pulled out the arrowhead from Bai Huiqing''s head after injected anesthetic around the wound. After taking a great one and half hour of pulling out the arrowhead, Shu Huatuo sighed in relief as he dropped the arrowhead into a tray. Shu Bian Que took away the tray and helped Shu Huatuo to stitch the wound. Seeing Bai Huiqing''s breathing became more stable, Xu Tingfeng relaxed his body and finally could think rationally. Shu Huatuo took a last view on Bai Huiqing''s wound before he asked Xu Tingfeng to carry her into another room. Since Bai Huiqing just got operated, there should be someone looking over her for the first 24 hours. Shu Huatuo and Shu Bian Que were very busy with other patients and Shu Huatuo had to explain about Bai Huiqing''s current condition to Xu Tingfeng before going off to treat another patient therefore Shu Bian Que''s wife volunteered to stay beside Bai Huiqing since she is a woman and quite knowledgeable in medicine. Xu Tingfeng stood in front of a counter listening to Shu Huatuo''s explanation while Shu Huatuo concocting a prescription for Bai Huiqing. "There is a bad and good news. The bad news is that Bai Huiqing lost her left eye and she won''t be able to see with that eye except we implant a new eye. And thank goodness she doesn''t have any noble blood in her, or else it would be extremely hard to find a suitable eye for her." Shu Huatuo explained whilst grinding the dried herb. "The good news is?" Xu Tingfeng asked with his head lowered. "The good thing is the arrow didn''t do any damage to the brain. There is a fracture on her skull but it will heal over the time if it treated with a great care." Shu Huatuo wrapped the powder with a paper and passed it to Xu Tingfeng. "It is better if you leave Da Qi now. And, it would be the best if you check the truth behind the broken spell yourself, since she is your precious daughter." Shu Huatuo smiled warmly and patted Xu Tingfeng''s hand. Xu Tingfeng smiled back and bowed his head to Shu Huatuo, "Yes, Uncle Shu. I don''t know how to repay your kindness for helping us all these years." "It''s fine, you and your family also helped us so there is no debt between us. And I kind of miss my granddaughter thus I will visit Da Qi after I packed all of my stuff." Shu Huatuo replied with a smile. Xu Tingfeng thanked him once again then entered Bai Huiqing''s room. He stared at Bai Huiqing vacantly, his heart was filled with rage and resentment. The usual playful smile turned into a scowl. Weisheng had promised him to protect Hong er at any cost, yet, Weisheng still failed to protect his one and only child even though Weisheng possessed a power that stronger than him. Xu Tingfeng clenched his hand and determined to gave him a real punishment disregarding Weisheng''s status as an emperor. An hour later, a few knocks were heard from the door behind him. "Feng ge, come out for a minute." Xu Yongzheng whispered from the other side of the door. Xu Tingfeng quietly walked out from the room and faced with covered in blood Xu Yongzheng. "What is it?" Xu Tingfeng asked with a straight tone. Xu Yongzheng was quite taken aback when he heard how grim Xu Tingfeng''s voice was but he understood why Xu Tingfeng was like this. If he was in Xu Tingfeng''s place, he would be even more hazard than Xu Tingfeng. "Is sister-in-law fine?" Xu Yongzheng worriedly inquired. "En," Xu Tingfeng replied with a short hum. "That''s good to hear. Now, I will discuss our current situation." The looks in Xu Yongzheng''s eyes changed. "It was too much for us to take so we fled, I am sorry. We managed to distract the rest of them though but if we don''t quickly get out from here, they will find our location and we shouldn''t drag Uncle Shu''s family with us." Xu Yongzheng continued. Xu Tingfeng pondered for a while before he nodded his head. "En. I will go ask Uncle Shu if we can take Qing er." "You can. My son and my daughter-in-law will follow you to Da Qi, they could help you in case anything occurred to Huiqing during the trip." Shu Huatuo slowly walked towards them. "What about you, Uncle Shu?" Xu Tingfeng asked with a concerned expression. "Ahahaha, I''m fine. They won''t lay a hand on me. If they do, they have to face the wrath of the whole world." Shu Huatuo said nonchalantly, yet, his eyes glinted with an unfathomable aura. Xu Tingfeng nodded his head in agreement. Shu family had produced prodigious doctors and tons of cures to many plague and diseases across the world. Therefore, Shu family could be said the hero of the world. Furthermore, Shu Huatuo was one of the most famous prodigals in his family histories, no one dares to hurt him. They weren''t tied to any country and free to roam around the world. Yet, Shu Huatuo decided to reside at Xi An and secretly became Xu family''s personal physician without even being asked to. Of course, hearing his wish, the Xu family welcomed him with open hand. Then they noticed why Shu Huatuo persistently stayed at Xu residence. It was because of Bai Huiqing. Bai Huiqing is very proficient in making magic tools, with that in mind, he often asked Bai Huiqing to create kinds of stuff for him. "If you say so, we will take our leave at midnight." Xu Tingfeng politely spoke to Shu Huatuo. "En. Be careful on your way." Shu Huatuo said smilingly. Chapter 220 - 218. Escape Plan I Third-person POV Just like what they said, they departed from Shu Huatuo''s place together with Shu Bian Que and his wife at midnight. Although the defense at the border and the city was still tight, at least it was better than before. Everyone except Shu Bian Que and his wife was completely wrapped in gauze with fake blood splattered on a few spots to make it looks like real wounds. Then they got into coffins that Shu Bian Que had prepared beforehand. The ones that have a petite figure, fitted 3 people into one coffin. While the ones with the average-sized body, it could only fit 2 people a coffin. And if the person has a body build like Xu Tingfeng, then only one person could fit in it. Shu Bian Que was driving the most front carriage with several carriages steadily following him. As they were getting near the city''s gate, several guards blocked their path. Shu Bian Que remains calm despite the glares that they sent him. "His Majesty Emperor had sent us an order to forbid anyone from passing the gate." A guard firmly spoke. "Hm? Why?" Shu Bian Que asked with a calm voice. His hazel eyes shone brightly in the dark of the night and caused the hairs on their body to rise. They instantly recognize those hazel eyes, the "free pass eyes". However, they had received an order from higher-up to prevent anyone to enter or exit from this very city. They braved themselves and replied politely, "Great General Xu has rebelled and yet to be found. Due to all respect, please retreat to your residence." "Hhmm, this would be hard¡­" Shu Bian Que knitted his brows whilst brushing his beard with his hand as if he was mulling over something extremely important. "Is something the matter, Lord Shu?" the guard asked. "Yes. This matters the lives of the whole citizens." Shu Bian Que said with a firm voice. The guards'' eyes immediately went wide from hearing Shu Bian Que''s statement. "What is it?" the guard questioned. "Recently, I just found these dead bodies near the slum and they have the same symptoms of an unknown disease. My father and I had done several examinations on them and found out the disease was spread through the air. So before it reaches the Royal Palace, I decided to dispose of the corpses in an isolated area." Shu Bian Que explained fluidly without a hint of hesitation. Shu Bian Que glanced at the guards and noticed their ghastly expression. ''They believe it,'' Shu Bian Que smiled slyly in his heart. However, the guards were still hesitant to let Shu Bian Que and his group leave the capital city. They glanced at the carriages and nodded their heads to their friends. "We have to check the carriages before you pass this gate or else we can''t let you pass." the guard said sternly. "Hhmm, fine then. Open the carriages!" Shu Bian Que ordered the other coachmen. Shu Bian Que''s wife was one of the coachmen, she got down from her seat and opened the door. Dozens of coffins were stacked and filled the carriage to the brim. The coffins were nailed as tight as possible that even air was impossible to get in there. Just when the guards were about to take out one of the coffins, Shu Bian Que''s wife grabbed his hand and stared at him with her tranquil eyes. "Don''t open it. Didn''t my husband say that the disease spread through the air? " she said with a smile. "But we have to check the content inside the coffin," the guard insistently replied. Shu Bian Que''s wife sighed and passed them a few handkerchiefs. "If you insist. Cover your mouth and nose with this, don''t inhale the smell. I will only open it for a few seconds, look carefully. And tell your subordinates to not open the other, one at here is enough." Shu Bian Que''s wife reminded them. The captain of the guards signaled the other to not open the coffin. Two of his subordinates stepped out with a cat''s paw in their hand. They carefully pulled out the nails one by one and after they finished with all the nails, they glanced at Shu Bian Que''s wife and waited for their captain''s next command. (A/N: Cat''s paw is the tool that you use to pull out a nail.) "Open it." the captain ordered. Shu Bian Que''s wife slide the cover to the side and immediately, a rotten smell that stink to high heaven escaped from the coffin. The guards swiftly took a few steps back and pinched their nose. They caught a glimpse of 3 bodies wrapped in blood-stained gauze laying lifelessly in the coffin. Shu Bian Que''s wife quickly closed the lid and ordered the guards to nail the coffin back. The captain waved his hand in front of his nose trying to disperse the lingering odor from the corpses. Under her veil, a sly grin crept up Shu Bian Que''s wife''s lips. "You saw it right? The body and the odor will be harder to dispose of if you keep us here too long." Shu Bian Que said from his carriage. The captain contemplated for a while before he waved his hand to them as a sign that they could pass the gate. "Thank you for your hard work. If you still don''t believe us, you can ask His Majesty Emperor himself. There is a report regarding this disease that we just relay to him." Shu Bian Que took off after he said those few sentences. The captain bowed to Shu Bian Que while watching the carriages pass by him. After traveling for about one hour, they stopped at a secluded place which was one of their secret bases to check on Bai Huiqing''s condition. The three persons that got their coffin opened, quickly changed their clothes to a new one. They thought they were going to die from smelling that pungent odor for an hour. It was Shu Bian Que who told them to spray a stinky perfume that he created on their bodies. With the pungent odor hit the guards'' noses, they probably would refuse to examine the body. Therefore, it would decrease the chances that their identity and whereabouts to be exposed. And to make it worse, he made sure that at least two coffins in each carriage to spray the perfume on their bodies. The victims of the foul smell silently sobbed at the corner. If it is not because they were trained in the worst situation and places, they definitely won''t survive staying in that coffin. Xu Tingfeng stared at the sleeping Bai Huiqing with guilt-filled eyes, he gently brushed his fingers on her cheek and warmed her body with his Qi. "How long will it take to get to Chang An?" Xu Tingfeng asked without looking behind him. "Since we couldn''t move very fast, I estimated that it would take us about 5 weeks." Shu Bian Que replied while passing a cup of hot tea to Xu Tingfeng. "That long?" Xu Tingfeng asked. "En. You don''t want her wound re-open right? We can''t rush this thing. The sooner she regains her consciousness, the better it is." Shu Bian Que sipped his hot tea. "En. I understand." Xu Tingfeng sighed in disappointment. Shu Bian Que glanced at Xu Tingfeng and pitied him. Same as Xu Tingfeng, he also worried about Shu Zhiruo that was staying at Chang An. Shu Zhiruo has been very close to Hong er since childhood, they were basically sisters. So if anything happened to Hong er, it meant it would also entail Shu Zhiruo in it. Shu Bian Que rose from his seat and patted Xu Tingfeng''s shoulder. "Let''s depart now. I want to see my daughter sooner." Shu Bian Que smiled and created a thin line on his eyes. "En." Xu Tingfeng nodded his head. They went back into their coffins and laid down for hours. They kept using this method to get a permit to leave the city until they made sure that the city that they were passing didn''t have tight security. 5 weeks later, they arrived at Chang An but Bai Huiqing was still in a coma. Chapter 221 - 219. Because of Me Third-person POV Weisheng narrowed his eyes when a radiant light suddenly blinded his vision. He slowly opened his eyes and surprised to see himself in a completely white space. Usually, the dreams he had were filled with unfathomable darkness and many resentful spirits would try to pull him into their world. Yet, at where he was standing, it was so pure that even a piece of dust could be noticed in a glimpse. Seeing the white color, he suddenly remembered Hong er. He looked around like mad and when he parted his lips to call his wife''s name, nothing came out. He clenched his jaw in frustration, he decided to run through the mystifying white space. He didn''t remember how long he has run. Then a faint clinking sound was heard from his side. He whipped his head to the source of the sound and his eyes immediately went wide. Not far from him, Hong er was chained on a block of wood with no consciousness. Her surrounding was pitch black, different from his. A wide smile appeared on his lips as he sprinted towards Hong er. But, the more he ran, the further she got. He ran again without having any thought of stopping, yet, the distance between and Hong er grew wider. Weisheng voicelessly howled in agony. His feet started to bleed, staining the spotless white floor with bright red blood. His steps became slower and slower until it stopped, and at the same time, the distance between them stop growing. Just after he stopped moving, he could see her lifeless face. I felt like there were hundreds of swords stabbing his heart. He fell to his knees and let his tears dripped down to the ground. ''All of this happened because of me...because of me, Hong er has to suffer¡­..It is because of me¡­'' Weisheng mumbled under his breath. He profusely slammed his head to the ground until his flesh on his forehead ripped open and revealed his skull. Yet, he didn''t stop even after hearing a cracking sound of his skull. ''Because of me¡­.It is my fault¡­.I should just die¡­.die¡­.'' Weisheng kept muttering to himself. The pain on his head couldn''t compare to the pain in his heart. As the pain on his head was not enough to cover up his heartache, he dug his nails into his chest and scr.a.p.ed his own flesh. If by giving his heart can bring Hong er back, he would happily do so. Then a faint cry echoed through the white space. His bloody hands abruptly came to a stop. If he claws his chest more than that, his rib would be visible. He raised his head to look at Hong er who hasn''t budged an inch, his face immediately dropped when he saw that it wasn''t Hong er''s. The cry continued and it grew louder and closer to him. He turned around and saw the light that brought him here blinded his eyes once again. . . Weisheng''s brow twitched and he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a ceiling with a drawing of a man in black-clothes and a beautiful woman in white-clothes yearned for each other. He widened his eyes in shock when he recalled that what he saw not long ago. He suddenly rose from the bed and caused the servants around him to jump up. "HONG ER!" Weisheng anxiously looked around while shouting her name. "Your Majesty Emperor! Please calm down, Your Majesty Emperor!" the servants called him as he gets down from his bed and started to break all the furniture in the room in rampage. "Why do you wake me up?! Hong er is waiting for me! She is waiting for me there! Get away! Hong er! Hong er ah! Wait for me!" Weisheng roared with tears pouring down his eyes. Qiyi and Qier kept calling his name, yet, none of it entered his ears. Weisheng persistently looking around the room while shouting Hong er''s name. The maids slowly retreated to the corner as Weisheng''s dark aura was suffocating them. The babies that were in Jin Momo and Ming Yu''s arms wiggled and their face contorted into a frown. With their tears pooled in their eyes, they parted their lips and let out ear-splitting cries. Weisheng''s body froze when he heard similar cries. He slowly turned his grim eyes towards the source of the deafening cries. Jin Momo and Ming Yu flinched when Weisheng looked their way, they swiftly yet gently rocked the baby side to side to stop their crying. His spiky hair was in a mess and half of his face was covered in ominous tattoos. Combined with his inhuman height, his whole appearance became more frightening than before. With heavy steps, he made his way to the corner where the maids and the babies flocked together in fear. They shut their eyes as they expected Weisheng would kill them. But, what they didn''t feel anything. Slowly but surely, they opened their eyes just to see Weisheng standing in front of Jin Momo and Ming Yu while he stared down to the crying babies in their arms. Jin Momo and MingYu didn''t dare to look up, they could only hug the babies tighter to their embrace. Currently, Weisheng was not in his right mind so they were afraid that Weisheng would hurt the babies without knowing that it was his own son and daughter. Qiyi and Qier were standing behind Weisheng with their guard on. If Weisheng made any suspicious move against the babies, they would immediately tackle him down even if it cost their life. Weisheng slowly raised his hand and reached over one of the babies. Keenly following Weisheng''s every move, Qiyi and Qier also raised their hands. As soon as Weisheng''s fingertip touched the soft cheek, tears dripped onto the back of his hand. "They are¡­.mine?" Weisheng asked with a trembling voice. Jin Momo whipped up her head to look at his face which covered with tears. Although his face is very menacing, his eyes were filled with sadness and relief at once. "Y-yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Jin Momo stuttered. The baby turned her crimson red eyes to her father and her cry instantly ceased. She wiggled her hand out from her blanket and grabbed the finger that poking her cheek before she giggled. Weisheng''s eyes widened as more tears streamed down his cheeks. Jin Momo stared at Weisheng and smiled tenderly, "Your Majesty Emperor, do you want to hold Her Highness Princess?" Weisheng weakly nodded his head. Jin Momo carefully passed the baby to Weisheng''s arms and taught him how to properly hold a baby. The other baby in Ming Yu''s arms stopped crying when he heard his little sister''s giggle. He glanced over and wailed. Ming Yu glanced at the baby in her arms then to the direction where the baby staring at. She instantly understood what the baby want. "Yo-your Majesty Emperor, it seems like His Highness Prince also wants to be hugged." Ming Yu said hesitantly. "Ah ghu!" the baby let out a short wail as if he agree with Ming Yu. Weisheng walked towards Ming Yu and stared at his son. He extended his other empty hand, Ming Yu cautiously placed the baby on his arm. Weisheng vacantly stared at them with sad eyes but as if the babies understand him, they tried to console him. He turned his eyes to his son when he felt his chest was pounded. Then glanced at his daughter when he felt her snuggling onto his other chest. A faint smile appeared on his lips, yet, his tears didn''t stop flowing. The sun shone through the window and highlighted them. Weisheng noticed a faint glimmer in the baby''s eyes, he looked closely and saw that they have a golden undertone beneath their red eyes. Knowing that they inherited some of Hong er''s feature made him insanely happy. He smiled and hugged them tighter. "Your name will be Liu Rong Ai and Liu Zhang Wei." (A/N: Liu Rong Ai is the princess and Liu Zhang Wei is the prince. The prince born first before the princess.) Chapter 222 - 220. Investigation I Third-person POV He passed them back to Jin Momo and Ming Yu after both of the babies were asleep. He dismissed all of the servants except Qiyi and Qier. He ordered them to grab new clothes for him. Without any delay, Qiyi went to his wardrobe and take a set of clothes then ran back to Weisheng. Both of them helped him to wash his face and brush his hair. Seeing his own reflection on the mirror, he instantly disheartened from the tattoos that were covering half of his face. ''It''s permanent,'' he sighed. Then he glanced at Qier''s hands that were brushing his hair. Usually, it was Hong er who brushed his hair every morning. Her fingertips would softly brushed over his scalp whenever she slides the hairbrush down his hair. She would also sing her favorite song happily. As his mind was filled with Hong er singing, he unconsciously hummed along Hong er that was in his imagination. Qier''s hands abruptly stopped when he heard the low humming sound coming out from the tall man in front of him. He glanced at the mirror and saw Weisheng smiling gently like how he always smiled whenever he sees Hong er. Qier gritted his teeth as his hurt ached to see his normally stoic master depressed over his lost wife. Weisheng opened his eyes when he noticed that Qier hands'' stopped. Qiyi nudged Qier''s arm with his elbow to notify him. Realizing his mistake, Qier quickly bowed to Weisheng and apologized. Weisheng nodded his head as he didn''t have time to think about Qier''s tiny mistake. "How long I have been out?" Weisheng asked. "2 days, Your Majesty Emperor," Qiyi replied. Weisheng tapped his fingers on the dressing table and asked, "Xue Lang and Yue Ying?" "His Highness Prince Xue is still unconscious and last night, Her Highness Princess Yue woke up. However, she is sleeping right now. Shall this servant wake Her Highness Princess Yue up?" Qiyi questioned. "No. How about mother?" Weisheng took one of Hong er''s jewelry and gently caressed it. "We had sent a message to them and they said that they were on their way back to Royal Palace. They also said that Her Majesty Empress Dowager was so shocked that she almost fainted but overall, she is fine." Qiyi replied while staring at Weisheng''s hand movement. Weisheng''s hands stopped for a while before he continued to ask, "Any clue about the empress?" Qiyi bit his lips as he was afraid that Weisheng would go berserk if he said the truth. But he knew it was futile to lie to Weisheng. "Lu Gongzi immediately went to investigate as soon as he heard the news about Her Majesty Empress. There is still no news from Lu Gongzi." Qiyi said without looking at Weisheng''s fiery red eyes. "Where is he?" Weisheng inquired with a blood-chilling voice. . . "You have come, Your Majesty Emperor." Lu Ping respectfully bowed to the tall man in front of him. "En, what do you find?" Weisheng dismounted from Xiao Hei while asking Lu Ping questions. On that day, Weisheng immediately departed from the Royal Palace after he temporarily passed his authority to his maternal uncle, the current prime minister, who is also Lu Ping''s father and Lu Cixi''s younger brother. There were three highest positions in the government which were called Three Excellencies. Lu De Xing as the Chancellor, meanwhile, Lu Ping is acting as Weisheng''s Imperial Counselor where his position almost the same as his father''s. (AN: Lu De Xing is Lu Ping''s father.) The last position, Grand Commandant, was previously held by Weisheng. However, after he ascended to the throne, this position had been vacant as none of the general was as good as him. He was thinking about giving it to Xu Tingfeng but Xu Tingfeng himself was still Da Chu''s civilian. "Yes, I just found a bas.e.m.e.nt which I assumed the place where they captivated Her Majesty Empress." Lu Ping explained with a serious expression. Without wasting any time, Lu Ping quickly guided Weisheng into the bas.e.m.e.nt and showed him the magic circles that were drawn with blood. Lu Ping glanced at Weisheng''s grim expression and sighed. "Firstly first, promise me that you will not go berserk or else you will delay our investigation and probably destroy everything in here which is not good." Lu Ping fearlessly reminded Weisheng. Weisheng silently nodded his head as he understood what Lu Ping''s words meant. Then he continued to pay attention to Lu Ping who was standing in front of a table that was full of random stuff. His eyes caught a glimpse of the familiar earrings, he reached over and rubbed the dust off the earrings. "Hong er¡­" Weisheng whispered her name under his breath. "Yes, as you can know that is Her Majesty Empress''s earrings that she wore daily. We found that at about 1 km from here hidden in the bushes. Maybe it was unintentionally dropped to the ground when they move her to another place. I had sent your elite forces to track them down but maybe it will take more time because they erased their traces." Lu Ping explained. Then he walked towards one of the magic circles that had a wooden block in the middle of it. Lu Ping took out his handkerchief and rubbed some of the dried up blood with the handkerchief before he handed it to Weisheng. "We conducted a blood test on it and it is indeed Her Majesty Empress''s blood." Lu Ping continued. Weisheng gripped the handkerchief in his hand and burned it off with his black flames. "But some of the blood at here and that corner was not Her Majesty Empress''s. It seems like there were several people in here that were injured during the ritual." Lu Ping pointed at a few spots where the blood had a slightly different shade. Weisheng narrowed his eyes as he could see the difference between the blood on the handkerchief and at the spots that Lu Ping pointed. "I know that the language in the magic circles is Divine Language but I am completely clueless about the meaning of the words and the purpose of this ritual. Very few people can read Divine Language because the books about them were destroyed in wars." Lu Ping sighed while staring at the magic circles with a frown. "I can read it," a deep voice sounded out from behind them. Weisheng and Lu Ping glanced over at the newcomer. "Lan Laoshi?" Weisheng said with a questioning tone in it. "Greeting to Your Majesty Emperor. Lu Gongzi asked me to come and coincidentally I was passing by the city near here. And there is Madam Wang with me." Lan Qingshan moved to the side and revealed Lin Zhenxin standing behind him. (A/N: For you guys that forget about them. Lan Qingshan is Hong er''s teacher when she was young, she taught her literature, math, etc. Lin Zhenxin is Bai Huiqing''s best friend and partner in creating magic tools, she is very knowledgeable about magic.) "Greeting to Your Majesty Emperor. I have come to assist Lu Gongzi in this investigation." Lin Zhenxin said with a soft smile on her face. "Then, I will count on you." Weisheng nodded his head to respect the elders. Lan Qingshan and Lin Zhenxin swiftly went to the side of the magic circles to scrutinize the words that were written in it. Lan Qingshan interpreted the Divine Language to Lin Zhenxin, on the other side, Lin Zhenxin wrote down everything that Lan Qingshan said and drew out the magic circles onto her notebook. Lu Ping stared at them with a satisfied expression then turned his eyes to Weisheng. "While they appraise the magic circles, I will show you something." Lu Ping said to Weisheng and walked out of the bas.e.m.e.nt. Chapter 223 - 221. Investigation II Third-person POV Lu Ping brought Weisheng into his temporary camp and served him a cup of tea. Then he pulled out a thin necklace that wrapped in white cloth from his pocket and placed the necklace onto the table in front of Weisheng. "I thought that it would be better if I give you personally." Lu Ping explained. "What is it?" Weisheng impatiently asked. "Murong Qing''s necklace. Of course, it is not a coincidence. Furthermore, I found it on the other magic circles. Got it?" Lu Pig sipped his hot tea and glanced at Weisheng with meaningful eyes. Weisheng didn''t reply to Lu Ping nor did he nod his head in affirmation. Lu Ping sighed when Weisheng didn''t respond to him. "It is better if you go back to the Royal Palace. Based on her lack of intelligence, I predict Murong Qing will come to you on her own. At that time, you know what to do. Disregard every emotion you have with Yunru, arrest the whole family. I started to smell some rats roaming around the court." Lu Ping indifferently said. "I have to find Hong er as soon as possible," Weisheng said with a resolute voice. Lu Ping stared at Weisheng with pitiful eyes then he looked down at the tea leaf that was floating on his tea. "I know that you love her very much but now you have kids. You leave them in the Royal Palace just like that. Although you had left all of your guards to protect them, it is not enough. They need their father by their side. I don''t want to re-open your wound but the truth is right in front of us. Her Majesty Empress''s power can be said comparable to yours, yet, they still managed to take her away from the tightly guarded Royal Palace. Moreover, our enemy is someone who is very close to us. It would be a piece of cake for him to infiltrate the Royal Palace, without having to bring any soldier with him." Lu Ping spoke with a grim voice. Weisheng rose from his seat and walked out of Lu Ping''s tent without saying anything. Lu Ping nonchalantly watched him walked out and his eye turned to the tea that he poured for Weisheng. "Haah~ He didn''t drink it." Lu Ping sighed. He ordered his personal servant to clean the table up then he went to visit Lan Qingshan and Lin Zhenxin. He saw them very into their inspection and decided to not disturb them. He was thinking about looking over the evidence once again but noticed there was something. "He took it," Lu Ping sighed for the hundredth time. . . Qiyi and Qier looked at Weisheng with weird eyes. They just arrived here not long ago and now they were going back to Royal Palace, they were extremely confused. However, they were only servants, their job is just to follow Weisheng everywhere he goes and protect him. It took them about a day and a night to reach the Royal Palace. The time they arrived at the Royal Palace, it was already midnight. The servants quickly wake up from their deep sleep just to be dismissed by Weisheng. He directly went to Xue Lang''s bedroom without taking off his armor. The maids that were looking over Xue Lang quietly retreated from the room as they saw how pained Weisheng''s expression was. He sat on the side of the bed and gently caressed Xue Lang''s hair with his rough hand. Xue Lang''s brows twitched as he felt the warmth that he always loves was lovingly patting his head. Xue Lang slowly opened his eyes and a wide smile spread on his face. "Im¡­Imperial father¡­" Xue Lang weakly whispered. Then he coughed as his throat was very dry. Weisheng took a bowl of water that the maid had prepared beforehand and scooped a spoon of water then positioned in front of Xue Lang''s lips. As currently, he was very weak, Xue Lang obediently drink the water without saying anything. Weisheng diligently fed Xue Lang water spoon by spoon until Xue Lang lightly shook his head as he drank enough. Weisheng put the bowl back to the side table and the room went silent. Xue Lang has not fully recovered, his eyelids forcing itself to close. Then he heard a faint mumble from the man beside him. "I am sorry¡­" Weisheng mumbled with his head lowered. Xue Lang sleepily stared at Weisheng shedding tears, he placed his hand on top of Weisheng''s. "It is¡­.fine¡­" Xue Lang smiled weakly. Then Xue Lang glanced around the room, "Where is¡­Imperial Mother?" Weisheng''s instantly body froze. Xue Lang was still recovering, it would worsen his health if he told him about the current circ.u.mstance. Weisheng took Xue Lang''s hand and placed it under the blanket. "Sleep, get well soon." Weisheng patted Xue Lang''s head. Xue Lang nodded his head and fell into a deep slumber. Weisheng carefully gets to his feet so he won''t wake Xue Lang up. Then he walked out of the room and stared at the full moon that shone brightly in the middle of the dark sky. The maids that were standing beside the door held their breath, in fear that they would anger the man in front of them. "Take care of him," Weisheng said before he walked away with Qiyi and Qier following behind him. The maids stared at Weisheng with disbelief. In the past, Weisheng never spoke to anyone except the Qi brothers, his family, and aides. Even if he had any order or instruction to give, usually it would be Qiyi or Qier that relay the order to them. "Y-yes, Your Majesty Emperor." The maids bent their waists. Weisheng aimlessly wandered around the courtyard with Hong er''s earrings in his hands. Then he heard chimes sound coming from the garden. He walked slowly to the entrance of the garden, he looked at the pile of snow that was covering the frozen flowers. "The Empress loves flower," Weisheng muttered as he brushed the frozen flower with his hand. However, as soon as his fingertips touched the flower, it shattered into pieces. As they were used to Weisheng''s vague way of talking, they immediately grasped what Weisheng meant by his words. "Understood, Your Majesty Emperor. This servant will require the gardener to fill the garden with Her Majesty Empress''s favorite flowers." Qiyi bowed to Weisheng. "One week," Weisheng whispered. Qiyi and Qier glanced at Weisheng. "If he can finish it in one week, reward him. If not, bring his head to me." Weisheng said with a blood-chilling voice. "Y-yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Qiyi stuttered. Weisheng continued to follow the sound of chimes with his eyes closed, then his steps abruptly halted when he opened his eyes. A glass chime hanging on the roof of Hong er''s favorite pavilion, Floating Lotus Pavilion. A woman in white attire sitting tranquility under the pavilion with a cup of tea in her hand. Weisheng''s eyes widened in shock, his lips trembled as he was unable to get a word out his throat. The woman turned her head around and now she was facing him. A wide smile instantly spread on her face as she parted her lips. "Sheng ge~" She called out with her soft voice. Weisheng dragged himself towards the pavilion. His steps getting faster and faster until it became a run. He crossed the bridge and leaped to the woman with his arms extended. "Hong er!" Weisheng cried out her name as he clasped the air. He fell to the ground with his hands clutching the seat where Hong er always sat. "Your Majesty Emperor! Are you okay?" Qiyi and Qier ran to Weisheng''s side. They were shocked when Weisheng stopped on his track then suddenly dashed to the empty pavilion while calling out to their empress''s name. The loss of the empress was too much of an impact on their emperor that it caused him to hallucinate. "Ho¡­Hong er¡­ I am sorry¡­. Because of me¡­" Weisheng sobbed as he kept punching his chest hoping that it could reduce the pain in his heart. Qiyi and Qier stood behind him in silence with a pained expression. Both of them understood Weisheng''s feelings, Meiyun and Huayun were in a coma for days and haven''t shown any signs of waking up. Thankfully, Huayun''s condition wasn''t as bad as Hong er''s nor Meiyun''s. They just hoped that everything would be alright. Chapter 224 - 222. Arrest Him I Third-person POV Weisheng ended up sitting on a cold marble chair throughout the night at the Floating Lotus Pavilion. Qiyi and Qier didn''t dare to say anything to Weisheng, they instructed the servants to prepare a heater sp Weisheng would not feel cold. Dark circles under his eyes became very visible, proving how much he was in distress. He couldn''t fall asleep even though he was very sleepy. He wanted to sleep not because he wanted to relax his body but because he probably could see Hong er in his dream. The sun peeked over the horizon and the sunlight gave a touch of warmth to his skin. He vacantly stared at the forest across the lake and finally, he knew why Hong er stared at the forest. ''Beautiful¡­'' Weisheng said to himself. The scenery truly calms one''s heart and mind, the whole forest was covered in snow and created a pure feeling in it. Hong er always reminded him whenever he was stressed by the piling works. "Life is short. Don''t waste your time being sad. There are so many beautiful things waiting for us to see." Now he understands how Hong er always maintains her tranquility and rarely wastes her time in sulking, the opposite of him. The corner of his lips arched into a small smile. ''Hong er, please wait for me.'' Weisheng promised in his heart. "Qiyi, give me all the reports that will be discussed in the morning court. Qier, make sure Yunru attends the morning court without him suspecting us." Weisheng gave his commands to Qiyi and Qier without turning his eyes away from the scenery in front of him. "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor!" Qiyi and Qier bowed before they disappeared into thin air. Weisheng rose from his seat and went to visit Rong Ai and Zhang Wei. It was another nanny that watched over the babies with several maids beside her. Just when the maids were about to retreat from the room, Weisheng raised his hand indicating that they didn''t need to leave the room. The babies were still asleep therefore the maids and the nanny greeted Weisheng in a small voice. Weisheng didn''t pay heed to it and just waved his hand as a signal that he heard them. He walked to the crib where the babies were sleeping and looked downwards at their peaceful expression. He gently pressed his finger on the palm of the baby and the baby''s fingers curled to grip his finger. Weisheng''s heart instantly tightened by their cuteness, he couldn''t resist kissing their forehead. The maids and the nanny smiled tenderly when they saw the cute interaction between the father and his kids. "Father has to go to work," Weisheng whispered then kissed their forehead once again before he walked out of the room. "Your Majesty Emperor, the reports are ready." Qiyi appeared beside Weisheng with his head lowered. "En," Weisheng nodded his head as he made his way to his study room. Weisheng sat on his throne and scanned every report with a keen eye. Qiyi slowly approached Weisheng and handed him a letter. "Prime Minister Lu was secretly investigating the Wei family, especially Wei Gongzi. Every Wei family members had done one or two crimes, the weight of their crimes also varies. Even their branch families also involved. But only Wei Gongzi is clean." Qiyi relayed the message that Lu Deng Xin told him. (A/N: Wei Gongzi is Wei Yunru. "Hhmm, he is so good at cleaning his traces," Weisheng muttered with his palm supporting his chin. Then a few knocks were heard from the door. "Your Majesty Emperor, one of Her Majesty Empress''s guards is here." a guard cautiously said from the other side of the door. Weisheng nodded his head in affirmation, Qiyi bowed his head to Weisheng and went to open the door to see who it is. "Ah Xi?" Qiyi arched his brows in surprise. Ah Xi was sitting in a wheelchair with bandages wrapping all over his body and behind him was Ming Yu who helped him by pushing the wheelchair. He smiled weakly at Qiyi as a reply to his confusion. Qiyi took over Ming Yu''s position to push Ah Xi''s wheelchair. Ming Yu reluctantly watched Ah Xi enter the room but she was fully aware that anyone that didn''t have the emperor''s consent was prohibited from entering the room or else it would be considered as attempted murder against the emperor. Ming Yu obediently waited for Ah Xi beside the guards. Meanwhile, inside the room, Weisheng stared at Ah Xi who was bowing his head while sitting in a wheelchair. "Greetings to Your Majesty Emperor. This servant deeply apologize for being disrespectful to Your Majesty Emperor, but this servant''s current condition doesn''t allow me to stand up and give a proper greeting." Ah Xi politely explained. "En," Weisheng hummed. "This servant had made a grave mistake for not protecting Her Majesty Empress properly, therefore this servant wants to help Your Majesty Emperor as much as I can." Ah Xi said with his head lowered. He pulled out a wooden case box from his bag and placed it in front of Weisheng. Usually, any servants except his trusted servants shouldn''t get too near him but since it was Hong er''s trusted guards, he let it off. Ah Xi took out a key from his sleeve and inserted the key into the keyhole then twisted it twice. He opened the case and revealed a few stacks of letter that was tied with twine. Weisheng took one of the letters and read them. "This is the information that Her Majesty Empress collected since she came here. Her Majesty Empress didn''t dare to report to Your Majesty Emperor seeing how close you are to Wei Gongzi. This was collected before Wei Gongzi could erase his trace, this servant hopes that it would be a help." Ah Xi bowed his head and stared at Weisheng as he was waiting for Weisheng''s answer. Weisheng opened the letters one by one based on the date that was written on the corner of the envelope. The more he read, the angrier he got. He used the information that he got from working by Weisheng''s side to expand his power in the court and made half of the ministers to side to him. "En, you can retreat." Weisheng waved his hand while his eyes still in the letter. Ah Xi bowed once again before Qiyi pushed his wheelchair. "Get well soon," Qiyi said with downhearted eyes. "En, have you visit Meiyun?" Ah Xi asked with a weak smile on his face. "I-I haven''t," Qiyi stuttered. "She is having a good dream," Ah Xi said while staring at the sky. "Eh?" Qiyi blurted out with a dumbfounded face. Ah Xi turned his head to Qiyi. "When I woke up this morning, I saw her smiling happily in her sleep. Maybe she met someone in her dream." Ah Xi uttered. Qiyi stared at Ah Xi with wide eyes and was at a loss of words. Ming Yu walked towards them and took over the handle of Ah Xi''s wheelchair. "Well then, I excuse myself." Ah Xi politely nodded his head to Qiyi. Ming Yu pushed the wheelchair to the exit and turned around at the corner. Qiyi was staring at the direction where Ah Xi left. . . "Ming Yu," Ah Xi gently called. "Hm?" Ming Yu hummed whilst pushing his wheelchair. "About Her Majesty Empress, are you sad?" Ah Xi asked. Ming Yu abruptly halted in her track. Her eyes were pooled with tears, she didn''t reply to Ah Xi because she was afraid that she would cry out like a baby. Ah Xi sighed and wiped her tears with his sleeve. "All right, don''t cry. I am sure Her Majesty Empress is just fine." Ah Xi caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Hic¡­B-but¡­hic¡­" Ming Yu spoke between her breaths. "I know. Ming Yu, will you be lonely if I leave the palace for a long period?" Ah Xi asked with a worried smile on his lips. "Of course, I will! But if it is for the sake of Her Majesty Empress, this is nothing." Ming Yu knitted her brows to show her determination. "Haha~ I have to travel around to find information about Her Majesty Empress''s whereabouts. Will you wait for me?" Ah Xi inquired. "I will!" Ming Yu replied. "Even for 100 years?" Ah Xi asked once again. "Even for 100 years. I will for you until I die." Ming Yu smiled. Ah Xi brushed over her cherry lips with his thumb and pulled her closer. Ming Yu leaned forward and closed her eyes. Their lips connected and sealed their promise Chapter 225 - 223. Arrest Him II Third-person POV The atmosphere in today''s morning court was very heavy because they had heard that the Royal Palace was attacked by Bei Zhou. At first, they were shocked to see Weisheng appeared at the main hall and wanted to ask him about his sudden appearance. But after seeing a sinister aura around Weisheng, they decided to shut their lips and stood silently. Wei Yunru was acting as usual during the whole morning court. Weisheng gripped the armrest as he tried to hold himself back from killing Wei Yunru. After reading the letters that Hong er had kept for months, his blood boiled even more than before. Pieces started to come together, the real reason why Wei Yunru did all of these was that he wanted to rob the throne from Weisheng. But he was aware of his powerlessness if it has to be compared to Weisheng''s. A few years ago, when Weisheng was still fighting with his paternal uncle for the throne, the Wei family supported his paternal uncle in the dark. The Wei family helped him by gaining allies from the old-fashioned ministers that disagreed with Weisheng''s ideas to change the slavery system. The old-fashioned ministers kneeled days and nights in front of the Royal Palace''s main hall, begging for the (previous) emperor to change the crown prince from Weisheng to his paternal uncle. But the previous emperor was not a fool, he knew that his own brother fed him a slow-reacting poison, therefore, the time the poison consumed his whole organs, it would be too late to find the cure. And the one to provide him the poison was Wei family. They were considered as the third most powerful family in Da Qi after Liu Royal Family and Lu family. The Lu family had half of the power in the court and needless to say, the Lu family was on Weisheng''s side as Lu Cixi is Weisheng''s birth mother. Since Lu Cixi married the previous emperor when he was still a crown prince, she had noticed her husband''s elder brother''s thirst for power. She had put up a guard against him for decades and assisted his husband with every power she had for him to ascend the throne. The previous emperor''s elder brother''s mother was a concubine therefore he instantly lost his position as a crown prince the moment Weisheng''s father was born. He hated him to the core, he tried to kill his own younger brother even before his younger brother could walk with his own feet. And after the previous emperor ascended to the throne, he immediately wrote an imperial decree and announced that the 2-month-old baby in Lu Cixi''s stomach will be the crown prince. It goes without saying, his elder brother was enraged by this sudden announcement but he couldn''t do anything to him because it would be considered as rebellion. The previous emperor also couldn''t eliminate his elder brother as he was gifted the First Rank Prince from their father. (A/N: I''m sorry if it is confusing but I run out of name ideas.) The elder brother attempted numerous assassinations on the unborn baby but always ended up in failure because of Lu Cixi''s overprotective tendency. 7 months later, Weisheng was born. It became more difficult for him to kill Weisheng after he was born. There was an unknown shadow that protected the baby Weisheng from any harm. And to add it, Weisheng emitted such a strong killing aura even as a baby. At that time, the Wei family was known to be neutral. They didn''t take anyone''s side, that''s why Lu Cixi let down her guard for a bit by having Lu Ping, Weisheng, and Wei Yunru became friends as they were close in age. The Wei family had taught Wei Yunru to report Weisheng''s every move to them. Despite him was still very young, he understood his family''s hidden motive. They were just using the previous emperor''s elder brother to rob the throne, with that it would be easier for them to rob the throne from him compared to the previous emperor. If by chance he lost the fight, the public would only suspect him and the family that sided him except the Wei family. But it would be Wei Yunru''s father that would sit on the throne if the Wei family''s plan succeed. Wei Yunru secretly planned how to prevent his father to take the throne and then he started to his hid true potential. Wei Yunru purposely made mistakes in his studies and exams so everyone would underestimate him. With that in one''s mind, the Wei family would think that he was an easy chess piece to be used. But no matter what he, Lu Ping and Weisheng always saw through the mask that he worked hard to build. Weisheng thought that Wei Yunru purposely lower himself because of the pressure that his family put on his shoulder as the heir of Wei family, therefore, Weisheng pitied him and let Wei Yunru stay by his side as his aide. The pity that Weisheng showed him only made Wei Yunru began to hate Weisheng. On the other side, Lu Ping never trusted Wei Yunru even once although Lu Ping treated him like a friend in front of the public or even when they were alone. But in actual, it was to watch over Wei Yunru so he would stay in his lane. Lu Deng Xin entrusted the task to support Weisheng to Lu Ping therefore he vowed in front of the Goddess of Light''s statue to always be a loyal subject to Weisheng. Decade passed by, the previous emperor died because of poisoning, the fight between Weisheng and his uncle grew tenser. But in the end, Weisheng won the fight and his uncle was executed for poisoning the previous emperor together with the ministers that supported him. Although Wei Yunru had stolen many secret information from Weisheng, he still lost. Apparently, Lu Ping often discussed discreetly with Weisheng which brought him to not knowing some important information or changes of plans. However, he found Weisheng''s greatest weakness, Hong er. But as soon as he met her golden eyes, he immediately knew that it would be extremely hard for him to defeat her. He manipulated Murong Qing to gain help from Bataar and made Lu Ping think that his objective is to take Murong Qing from Weisheng. With that, he successfully brought a dark guild that obsessed with Weisheng''s dark power to his side. If Weisheng killed the civilian because of his unstable power, his position as a ruler could be threatened. With his heir killed, no one could inherit his throne. Leaving the Liu family no choice. Even if he didn''t abdicate his throne, in the eye of the public, his prestige has been destroyed. But one thing that caused his carefully made plan to fail, Meiyun. He never knew that Meiyun could summon Weisheng and moreover, he didn''t expect that she would be back that soon because he had distracted Di family to solve the ice tsunami accident. He went rampage when he knew that all of Weisheng''s descendants were safe. He was throwing a tantrum when a piece of news from the Royal Palace came to his residence saying the morning court would be lead by Weisheng himself. (Back to present) Wei Yunru was surprised to see Weisheng was behaving like usual but the dark circles under his eyes clearly shown that he was very tired and didn''t sleep a wink at the night. His appearance also changed a lot, with more tattoo on half of his face. He did his job as usual but he put on a wretched face as a sign that he was distressed by the attack on the Royal Palace. None of the ministers brought up the topic of the attack. The morning court went on like usual until the ministers left the main hall except Lu Deng Xin, Wei Yunru, and Weisheng. Weisheng glanced at Wei Yunru and parted his lips, "Arrest him." Chapter 226 - 224. Punishment Third-person POV Wei Yunru widened his eyes in shock. Before he could even utter a word, Qiyi and Qier appeared behind him and grabbed both of his arms. The corner of his lips arched into a gentle smile. "If this official may ask, what am I guilty of?" Wei Yunru inquired. Weisheng arched his brows and threw Wei Yunru''s crime reports to the floor in front of him. Wei Yunru''s face paled but he still maintained his smile. "That is what you are guilty of," Weisheng said with a stern voice. "My apologies Your Majesty Emperor. It seems like you misunderstood the whole situation." Wei Yunru explained with a calm expression. "Speak," Weisheng took the teacup beside him and sipped the tea. Wei Yunru stared at the papers in front of him and his mind was in a chaotic jumble. The date, the place, and the names that were written on the papers are so detail and precise that he didn''t know how to object. Seeing that Wei Yunru froze in his spot, Weisheng glanced at Lu Deng Xin and gave him a meaningful gaze. Lu Deng Xin bowed to Weisheng and snapped his fingers. Several eunuchs came into the hall with piles of papers. They placed it in front of Wei Yunru and retreated to the side to wait for the next instruction from Weisheng or Lu Deng Xin. Lu Deng Xin gracefully walked to Wei Yunru''s side and picked a paper from the piles. "Wei Gongzi, if the reports that His Majesty Emperor show you are not sufficient, I think this proves you are indeed guilty." Lu Deng Xin calmly spoke. Wei Yunru gritted his teeth in frustration, his whole family were too lenient and careless about what they did when they clearly aware that it was strictly prohibited. Just because he was a close aide of the emperor, they became big-headed and relied on Wei Yunru to clean up after them. They thought that by having Wei Yunru talk to Weisheng, they would be forgiven. ''Those morons!'' Wei Yunru shouted in his heart. "But¡­" Weisheng started. Weisheng placed down his teacup and stared at Wei Yunru with dead eyes. Wei Yunru looked up to Weisheng and gulped down his saliva. "¡­that is not your biggest crime¡­" Weisheng continued. Black flames suddenly ignited around Weisheng. "I had thought of you as my friend but you decided to betray me," Weisheng growled. The teacup beside him shattered and the tea spilled instantly evaporated into the air from the heat of Weisheng''s black flames. Wei Yunru was silent, he knew that it was futile to lie to Weisheng now. "I never asked you to think of me as your friend." Wei Yunru smirked. "You finally revealed your true self." Weisheng swiped his finger then a black flame shoot towards Wei Yunru''s knee and crushing it to dust. Wei Yunru screamed in agony. "With this many crimes that your family involved themselves in, I have no choice but execute them," Weisheng said emotionlessly and swiped his finger again to destroy Wei Yunru''s other knee. "Kill them! I don''t even care about them! If I''m going to die, they will follow me to hell!" Wei Yunru yelled with his eyes bloodshot red. "Fine, you will see them soon." Weisheng''s shadow expanded and caught Wei Yunru''s every limb. "Wh-what are you doing?!" Wei Yunru paled as the shadow that bind his arms and legs got tighter and tighter every second passes by. "At first, I want to give you a quick and painless death¡­" Weisheng paused. Then he took out Hong er''s earrings and stared at it with crestfallen eyes. "¡­you took the most important person in my life. You will suffer until better dead than alive." Weisheng growled and his shadow around Wei Yunru tightened to its limits. Cracking sound of Wei Yunru''s bones were heard loud and clear. Lu Deng stared at the horrifying scene in front of him with tranquil eyes like it was a field of flowers. Wei Yunru''s howl resounded throughout the Main Palace. (A/N: In the Main Palace, there is a main hall for meeting kind of thing. And there was the emperor''s resting room and etc. Very expansive because Weisheng usually spent his time at the Main Palace before he married to Hong er.) Outside of the palace, there were guards holding down another few ministers that form an alliance with Wei Yunru. They were bound onto chairs and forced to listen to Wei Yunru anguished scream. Then the door to the main hall flung open, revealing Wei Yunru''s body being crushed by an unknown shadow. The color on their face instantly vanished, they started to struggle and begged for forgiveness. A few minutes passed by rather quick for Weisheng and Lu Deng Xin, but to Wei Yunru, it felt like years. "Didn''t you say you want this throne? To become a dragon? I granted your wish. Now your body is as flexible as a dragon." Weisheng said nonchalantly. With his shadow, he stretched Wei Yunru''s limbs and made him face the ministers that were bound onto the chairs. Wei Yunru''s head was numb from the pain of every millimeter of his bone crushed to pieces, he couldn''t think of anything except escaping from the unbearable pain. "Kill me¡­kill me¡­" Wei Yunru weakly whispered under his breath. However, Weisheng only stared at Wei Yunru with deadpan eyes. A huge cylinder of black iron emerged from the ground, the ministers looked at the iron cylinder that was steaming hot. "Do-don''t tell me¡­" one of the ministers mumbled in disbelief. "Watch closely, all of you will take turns hugging this iron cylinder. Wei Gongzi will demonstrate how to enjoy it." Lu Deng Xin explained with a pleased smile on his face. Wei Yunru vigorously shook his head as his body was pulled closer and closer to the iron cylinder. Not far from him, he could feel the heat emitting from the iron cylinder. "N-no¡­no no! No!" Wei Yunru shouted with every strength he had. An ear-deafening screech echoed throughout the Main Palace and caused some of the ministers to pass out from fear. But they were slapped awake by the guards beside them and forced them to watch Wei Yunru grilled alive. Weisheng raised his hand and Wei Yunru''s body was pulled back. His fleshes ripped from his body and stuck to the piping hot iron. "Where is my Empress?" Weisheng inquired with his glowing red eyes glared at him. The corner of Wei Yunru''s lips arched into a smirk, a chuckle escaped from his throat as Wei Yunru looked at Weisheng with a ridicule gaze. "Ha¡­haha¡­ I don''t know¡­." Wei Yunru said with a smirk. Then once again, his body was pressed against the iron cylinder. The scream of agony continued for another minute before Weisheng pulled him back again. "Speak," Weisheng''s voice grew darker. Wei Yunru panted heavily with his head lowered. Weisheng used his shadow to grab Wei Yunru''s hair and pulled his head up. A wide smirk crept up to Wei Yunru''s lips as he saw Weisheng''s grim expression. "Only¡­Murong Qing know¡­ You think I would let you have a happy life while mine is hell?!" Wei Yunru screeched. From the looks on Wei Yunru''s eyes, Weisheng affirmed that Wei Yunru indeed clueless about Hong er''s whereabouts. Wei Yunru is a very sly and smart fox, he was aware that the first person to be caught would be him or Murong Qing. Therefore Wei Yunru only helped Murong Qing to make a plan on how to catch Hong er and get her out from Chang An. Other than that, he didn''t care what Murong Qing wants to do to Hong er. Considering Murong Qing''s obsession with Weisheng, she definitely wouldn''t tell Hong er''s location to Weisheng as Hong er was the obstacle in her and Weisheng''s relationship, or so she thought. Weisheng clenched his jaw and threw Wei Yunru onto the iron cylinder till there was no sound coming out from Wei Yunru except a sizzling sound from his flesh being cooked. Then he pulled off Wei Yunru''s head from his neck and tossed it to Qiyi. "Hang it after the rest arrive at their residence. His body¡­.feed the dogs." Weisheng nonchalantly said and left the hall. "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Qiyi and Qier bowed their heads. The ministers desperately begged for forgiveness as their pants were wet with their urine. The guards mercilessly squeeze them onto the iron cylinder and on that day, the Royal Palace was filled with screeches of people being cooked alive. Chapter 227 - 225. The Return of Murong Qing I Third-person POV "Hmm~ Hmm~ Hmm~" Murong Qing hummed while skipping her way to Royal Palace. It had been 3 days since Hong er''s eyes were transplanted into her eye sockets. She gained some of Hong er''s most treasured memories from the transplantation and one of them was the song that Hong er always hum. She diligently learned the song based on the little memories that she got, it seems like Weisheng was very happy whenever Hong er sung the song. But then she clenched her jaw in annoyance. "Only I can make cousin brother happy. How dare that witch to snatch my rightful place!" Murong Qing pouted her lips. But a second later, a wide smile spread out on her face. "No worries! Because cousin brother and Qing Qing are madly in love with each other, we are inseparable!" Murong Qing said and spun around as her flowy skirt waved in the air. (A/N: Qing Qing is her nickname. I didn''t put ''er'' behind the ''Qing'' because you guys would be confused with Bai Huiqing''s nickname.) In Murong Qing''s mind, she thought that Weisheng and her were in love with each other. She believed that Hong er is a witch that godsend them to test their love. And with her witch power, she cast a spell on Weisheng so he would fall in love with her and forget everything about Murong Qing. Murong Qing assumed that if she always stayed by Weisheng''s side, no one could get close to her cousin brother. "But that damn witch strike when I''m not with cousin brother," Murong Qing grunted irritably. The reason Murong Qing started to call him cousin brother because, in their era, it is fine to marry a distant relative. Therefore by calling him "cousin brother" there would create a special relationship between them and they would look closer if she called him by that nickname. At first, Weisheng was very annoyed by Murong Qing''s clueless act. Calling a royal family member "cousin brother" when they didn''t relate in any way is taboo. But Murong Qing is very persistent even after she was scolded several times by Lu Cixi and the others. Then Weisheng ignored and avoided her as much as possible but her will was so strong, she even dared to threaten an imperial guard by accusing him of attempting to r.a.p.e her if he touches her. It caused a headache to the imperial guards that were looking over Weisheng. Imperial guards were also a noble therefore it would be scandalous if Murong Qing spread such a ridiculous rumor. Because of that, almost all of the guards in the Royal Palace despise Murong Qing. Her noble status is lower than most of the imperial guards in the Royal Palace but her arrogance is more astounding compared to them. Her obsessive tendency made Weisheng utterly disgusted, he escaped from Murong Qing by training in secret with other elite forces fellow. Then he started to carry out various missions with Lu Ping closely followed him by his side. Weisheng almost developed a phobia towards woman but thankfully, in that very mission, he met Hong er who melted his heart at the first sight. But knowing that by taking her with the current powerless him, she would definitely become a target for his uncle. He went to call Xu Tingfeng who was the closest to Hong er and never expected that Hong er turned out to be Xu Tingfeng long lost daughter. He was very relieved to know that Hong er was in a reliable hand. He promised to himself that he would marry Hong er when everything on his side is safe. "The witch is gone~ And the spell she puts on cousin brother also had broken. Cousin brother likes unique things, ehehehe~ I hope he likes my new eyes." Murong Qing giggled and twisted her body side to side as if she was shy. Murong Qing''s family is originally from commoner lineage and they never did a meritorious deed to the world before that deserve the blessing from the god. Therefore, by transplanting one of the most unique eyes, she hoped Weisheng would like her more than before. Not long after, she arrived at the main gate of the Royal Palace and the guards that were guarding the gate blocked her path with their spears. They glared at her and spoke with a stern voice, "Identify yourself!" Murong Qing was way shorter than them and with her head lowered, they couldn''t see her face clearly. Because of the previous accident where Bei Zhou attacked the Royal Palace, they became more cautious of anyone that approaches the Royal Palace. But they felt familiar with the figure of the woman in front of them. Murong Qing lifted up her head and smiled brightly with her eyes narrowed into a line. "Aiya~ How can servants forget their future empress?" Murong Qing grinned. Then the muscle on her face relaxed, revealing the familiar golden eyes. A shiver ran down their spines, they glanced at each other before they nodded their head as if they knew what they were thinking. Seeing that the guards didn''t respond to her, she pursed her lips into a pout and rested her chin on her palm. "Do you really forget my face? Maybe I have gone for too long, you servants must miss me. This will prove my identity." Murong Qing pulled out a white jade badge from her sleeve. The eyes of the guards that were passing by the gate immediately went wide when they saw the jade in Murong Qing''s hand. The white jade badge with a phoenix carved on it could only be owned by the Empress and for now, it was supposed to be in Hong er''s hand. However currently, Murong Qing was holding it up confidently. Just when the other guards were about to charge on Murong Qing to arrest her, the guards that blocked Murong Qing''s path stopped them by waving their hand behind their back so Murong Qing wouldn''t notice. The other guards instantly understood their friend''s signal, they lowered their weapon and acted like they didn''t see anything but their eyes were still glued on Murong Qing''s every movement. A friendly smile appeared on their faces as they bowed to Murong Qing. "Our apologies for not recognizing you, Miss Murong. How about this servant guides you to meet His Majesty Emperor?" the guards politely spoke to Murong Qing. Murong Qing smiled in satisfactory, she waved her hand and walked ahead of them. "Hhmm~ It is fine. Seeing that you realized your mistake pretty quick, I forgive you because I am very big-hearted. Remember that." Murong Qing stopped and glanced at them. "Yes, of course, we will remember your gracefulness." The guards continued with their act. The smile on Murong Qing''s face got wider. "Now, take me to cousin brother~" Murong Qing impatiently said. Murong Qing left with the two guards accompanied her. Without a word, the other guards take over their friends'' jobs standing in front of the gate. . . While Murong Qing was on her way to Weisheng location, the servants that were passing by widened their eyes in shock. But before they could utter a word, they saw the two guards behind her signaled them by placing their finger on their lips. They nodded their heads in understanding, they went over and bowed their head to Murong Qing. Murong Qing''s mood became better and better as the servants showed her more respect than the previous time she visited Weisheng. ''Never thought that that witch put a spell on the servants too so she would be acknowledged as their empress. But don''t worry, Qing Qing has saved all of you from that witch''s witchcraft.'' Murong Qing proudly puffed her chest out. Murong Qing glanced at the grandiose tower that was quite far from her. she pointed at the tower and asked the guard beside her. "What is that?" Murong Qing questioned. The guards glanced at the tower that Murong Qing was pointing at. "It is a library tower that His Majesty Emperor specially built for Her Majesty Empress. And it is located at Fei Hong Palace where Her Majesty Empress resided in." the guards replied with a smile as they recalled Hong er''s magnanimous smile. "Destroy it," Murong Qing said in a deadpan tone. Chapter 228 - 226. The Return of Murong Qing II Third-person POV The faces of the guards drastically changed from Murong Qing''s words. But they decided to tolerate Murong Qing''s childish behavior "Miss Murong, this servant doesn''t have the authority to execute your order. The matter of the Royal Palace and the people live in it are managed by His Majesty Emperor, Her Majesty Empress, and Her Majesty Empress Dowager. Except having permission from His Majesty Emperor, reconstructing the Royal Palace is strictly prohibited." The guard spoke with a stern voice. But then, a loud crisp sound echoed and caught the attention of the nearby servants. A hand mark was plastered on his right cheek but he didn''t budge even an inch. He kept smiling and stared at Murong Qing. "How dare you to tell me what to do. Just destroy it, cousin brother will understand. He will even thank me to do it for him." Murong Qing growled at the guard and walked towards the tower. The guard only smiled and continued to follow her. after a few minutes, Murong Qing finally arrived at the front gate of Fei Hong Palace. She stared at the sign that was hanged on top of the gate. "This¡­Cousin brother wrote this¡­and it is her name¡­" Murong Qing mumbled as her blood boiled from anger. ''That witch! She fooled cousin brother to this point! Outrageous! If it is not because of the eyes, I would have killed her with my own hands!'' Murong Qing exclaimed in her heart. She pointed her finger at the signboard, "Take it down." "Our apologies Miss Murong. We can''t do that without any permission from His Majesty Emperor." The guard bowed to Murong Qing. "I tell you to take it down!" Murong Qing scratched his face and left another mark on his face. The other guard looked at him worriedly and he decided to step in. "Miss Murong, His Majesty Emperor must have been waiting for your presence. How about Miss Murong ask His Majesty Emperor''s permission when you meet him?" the other guard suggested with a gentle smile on his face. Murong Qing glanced at the other guard and nodded her head. He guided her into the Fei Hong Palace and gave a signal to his friend that was scratched by Murong Qing to get moving. his friend nodded his head and ran to catch up to them. Suddenly, a shiver ran down their spines. They had practiced martial arts for their whole life so they could feel a bloodl.u.s.t aura that burst out of nowhere. They glanced at each other behind Murong Qing''s back and confirmed that it wasn''t only one of them who felt the aura. After a few turns, Murong Qing''s face instantly brightened when she saw a handsome tall man sitting under a pavilion. She picked up her speed and extended her arms. "Cousin brother!" . . (Flashback) When Murong Qing suddenly appeared at the main gate, a guard quick-wittedly sprinted to the Main Palace where Weisheng was currently torturing the ministers. He ran with all of his might and when he was near the Main Palace, he saw Qiyi walked out of the Main Palace''s gate with a wooden box. "Imperial guard Qiyi! Imperial guard Qiyi!" the guard waved his hand to get Qiyi''s attention. Qiyi turned his head as he heard someone called his name. "What is it?" Qiyi asked him indifferently. The guards halted in front of Qiyi and saluted before he spoke. "Miss Murong had come again," the guard panted heavily. Qiyi knitted his brow and nonchalantly replied, "Throw her out like usual." "She has the Phoenix Badge in her hand!" the guard quickly said before Qiyi could take another step away. Qiyi widened his eyes and grabbed the guard''s collar, "Explain!" Then the guard started to explain everything that he saw at the gate. "Miss Murong suddenly took out the Phoenix Badge from her sleeve and apparently her eyes changed into golden." The guard explained with a stern voice. "Golden?!" Qiyi exclaimed in shock. The only family in this world that has golden eyes is the Xu family. Therefore, Murong Qing''s family which originally was a commoner to have golden eyes is impossible. Qiyi clenched his hand into fist and gripped the wooden box in his hand. "I will immediately report this to His Majesty Emperor, you go back t your post. You did a great job." Qiyi quickly left after he finished his words. Qiyi ran back to the Main Palace and passed the wooden box to Qier. "Watch over this for a sec. I have something important to report to His Majesty Emperor." Qiyi spoke swiftly then disappeared into thin air before Qier could even reply to him. Weisheng was sitting at Floating Lotus Pavilion while staring at Hong er''s earrings in his hand. He caressed the earrings and gave a gentle kiss. But then, he heard very faint footsteps approaching him at a fast pace. Qiyi jumped down from the roof and kneeled in front of Weisheng. "Reporting to Your Majesty Emperor, there is a report from the guard at the main gate that Miss Murong had come with Phoenix Jade Badge in her hand," Qiyi explained in a sentence. In that instant, black flames erupted from Weisheng''s body. Qiyi flinched from the killing aura that Weisheng excluded. "What did you just say?" Weisheng looked at Qiyi with his blood-red eyes. Qiyi gulped down his saliva and braved himself, "Miss Murong has the Phoenix Jade Badge wither and she has golden eyes, Your Majesty Emperor." The black flames on Weisheng''s body grew stronger and almost burned Qiyi''s face but he didn''t budge even knowing that the black flame could scar his handsome face. He was trained to not be fazed by any attack that was coming towards him therefore he didn''t even blink when the black flame was in front of his eyes. "Golden eyes¡­Hong er ah¡­I''m sorry¡­because of me, you got hurt¡­" Weisheng clenched his jaw and brought Hong er''s earrings close to his chest. Then out of nowhere, a sound of people bickering was heard from far away, "I tell you to take it down!" "It seems like Miss Murong had reached here, Your Majesty Emperor," Qiyi said as he glanced over to the source of the sound. "En," Weisheng hummed and the black flames around him dispersed into thin air. He put Hong er''s earrings back to his sleeve and turned his eyes to the scenery in front of him, hoping that he wouldn''t lose his sanity when he saw his wife''s golden eyes in Murong Qing''s eye sockets. A few minutes later, a cheerful voice called out to him. "Cousin brother!" Murong Qing ran to Weisheng with open arms. Weisheng took a deep breath and pretended he didn''t hear anything. "Y-Your Majesty Emperor¡­" Qiyi''s voice filled with pure shock. Even though Weisheng didn''t want to see Murong Qing, Qiyi''s voice made him turn around. Just like Qiyi''s reaction, his pupil contracted as his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. With gleaming golden eyes, Murong Qing stood in front of Weisheng and her eyes narrowed into a line as she smiled widely. "Cousin brother! I miss you so much~ Why you didn''t send me a letter?" Murong Qing pursed her lips into a pout and twisted her hair with her finger. Weisheng didn''t reply to her and kept staring at her golden eyes with wide eyes. Qiyi glanced at Weisheng and beads of cold sweat built upon his forehead as he had a bad feeling from seeing his emperor''s facial expression. Noticing that Weisheng didn''t respond to her call, Murong Qing leaned her face closer to Weisheng''s. The distance between them was very close that their nose tip almost touched. Murong Qing knitted her brows into a cute frown and puffed her cheeks. "Cousin brother~ Am I so pretty that you are speechless? Cousin brother~ Heeyy~ Cousin bro-" Just as Murong Qing was about to call Weisheng, her neck was grabbed by a large hand and her petite figure was hanging in the air. Chapter 229 - 227. Stop! I Third-person POV Murong Qing''s legs were kicking the air as she desperately gasped for air. Her long beautiful nails were scratching Weisheng''s hand, trying to loosen the grip of the hand. "Ugh-Cousin¡­bro¡­ther¡­" Murong Qing choked. Murong Qing glanced at Weisheng and a shiver ran down her spine. Weisheng''s sclera had changed into black just like when he lost control of his power. His fangs also grew longer and sharper. Murong Qing''s body instantly froze and she stopped struggling. Her face turned bluer in every second and the vein on her neck and forehead bulged and visible. Qiyi stood silently at the side, nonchalantly watching a woman almost half the size of the man being choked. As a servant, he didn''t have the right to intervene in his master''s affair. Furthermore, he had hated Murong Qing since long ago. Just when Murong Qing''s eyes rolled to the back of her head, Qiyi suddenly discerned three presences with strong aura approaching them with speed of lightning. Qiyi and Weisheng''s other guards immediately alerted and summoned their weapon. The three mysterious people elegantly landed on the stone pavement. Qiyi unsummoned his weapon when he saw the faces of the three mysterious people. The light green-clothed man quickly ran towards Weisheng with a fan in his hand. "Your Majesty Emperor! You must not kill her!" Lu Ping said with a stern voice. Weisheng didn''t look at him or reply to him, his eyes stayed on the woman in front of him. Lu Ping gripped the fan in his hand and frowned. He raised his fan that was filled with his Qi and swung it across Weisheng''s cheek. Qiyi and the others that witnessed the slapping scene gasped in shock. Weisheng''s eyes instantly went back to normal and the hand that was clutching Murong Qing''s neck loosened. Murong Qing''s body fell to the ground like a sack of potato. She panted heavily as her trembling hands touched the bruise around her neck. Lu Ping didn''t even spare a glance at Murong Qing and commanded Qiyi to restrain Murong Qing. "Why do you stop me?" Weisheng asked with his head lowered. Lu Ping couldn''t see his expression because of the bangs that were covering Weisheng''s face, but he knew what face Weisheng was making. "Miss Lin will explain it to you, how about a more private place." Lu Ping extended his hand to the exit of Fei Hong Palace. Weisheng glanced at Lu Ping''s extended hand and walked away in silence. Lu Ping sighed and followed Weisheng together with Lin Zhenxin and Lan Qingshan behind him. But then, an ear-deafening shriek halted them in their track. "Stop! Cousin brother! How can you still be affected by her spell?!" Murong Qing cried out. Lan Qingshan knitted his brows in aggravation and turned his head to look at Murong Qing who was restrained by Qiyi. "What spell?" Lan Qingshan inquired with a displeased tone. Murong Qing turned her eyes to Weisheng''s back that was facing her, "Cousin brother! It is Qing Qing! Qing Qing helped you escape from that witch''s wicked witchcraft. Don''t you realize that she had been fooling you all this time?!" The frown on their faces deepened as Murong Qing kept spouting her delusional nonsense. "Can you tell me more about this so-called ''wicked witchcraft''?" Lin Zhenxin stepped forward. The smile on Lin Zhenxin''s face was colder than the chilling wind that blew their faces. But Murong Qing didn''t see it because her eyes stayed on Weisheng''s tall figure. "Cousin brother! Look! They are bullying me! No one believes me but I know you trust me. Qing Qing loves cousin brother and cousin brother also loves Qing Qing, they can''t stop us." Murong Qing cried out while wiggled her hands out from Qiyi''s grip From the deepest of her heart, she wished Weisheng would turn around and give her a warm smile. But what she got was a cold shoulder from Weisheng. He continued to walk away without even giving Murong Qing a glance. Murong Qing staggered as she couldn''t believe what she was seeing. Her lips didn''t stop mumbling ''cousin brother'' even after she was brought to a special prison that was specially built for prisoner with high leveled martial arts or unpardonable crime. It was almost impossible to escape from the prison because every corner of the prison was guarded by Weisheng''s elite forces. But most of the time, the prison was empty because usually the prisoner would be executed the next day. . . In a room with only five people, consist of Weisheng, Lu Ping, Lan Qingshan, Lin Zhenxin, and Qier. They sat in silence, only the sound of cup clinked to the marble table could be heard in the room. Lin Zhenxin sighed and decided to break the deafening silence. She summoned a thick book and placed it in the middle of the table. She opened the book to the page where there was a picture of magic circles that resembles the magic circles that they found in the bas.e.m.e.nt. Weisheng glanced at the picture and looked at Lin Zhenxin indicating her to explain to him everything about the magic circles. "This magic circles existed since long ago and it was banned two hundred years ago. The magic circles are used to transfer one''s noble eyes to another person with different noble blood or even commoner blood. The color of one''s eyes would stay despite it reside in a different body with a different blood, Qi, and soul. But the requirement to perform this ritual is too high and precise. It had been done a few times since it was banned but failed miserably and caused the balance of this realm to be disrupted. The ritual requires a large number of people that practiced dark magic since they were kids and used their blood to activate the dark magic circles." Lin Zhenxin explained with a grim expression. By the mention of dark magic, Weisheng knitted his brows in suspicion. "Dark magic? There must be a hidden purpose for them to do the ritual." Weisheng tapped his fingers on the table in contemplation. Lin Zhenxin nodded her head in agreement, "En, as Your Majesty Emperor said, the true motive of the ritual is not the eye color transfer but it is to resurrect the demon power." Their eyes widened in shock except Lin Zhenxin and Lang Qingshan, who would think that someone was trying to awake a catastrophe to the world? Lu Ping covered his lips with his fan and turned his eyes to Lin Zhenxin, "Are you saying the truth? The picture you showed us right here, never mentioned anything such as dark magic. The magic circles that we saw in the bas.e.m.e.nt are exactly the same as-" "Lu Gongzi, Miss Lin hasn''t done with her explanation." Lan Qingshan gently placed his teacup on the marble table and gave Lu Ping a warning glance. Lan Qingshan was Lu Ping and Weisheng''s teacher therefore he knew exactly the way of thinking of his two students. Lu Ping is an overcautious person, he would not hesitate to suspect someone even though it is his co-worker or his friend. Lu Ping respects his teacher as his own father, he believed that Lan Qingshan had figured out the riddle of the magic circles, that''s why Lan Qingshan didn''t seem to be surprised by Lin Zhenxin''s revelation. "Yes, Lan Laoshi." Lu Ping lowered his fan and gave an apologetic smile to Lin Zhenxin. "It is fine. What Lu Gongzi said is indeed right. From a glance, the magic circles in the bas.e.m.e.nt and in this picture are identical. But do Lu Gongzi and His Majesty Emperor remember the blood splatters on the magic circles?" Lin Zhenxin summoned a wooden box and placed it beside the book. Lin Zhenxin unlocked the wooden box and revealed a stack of tattered papers. Lu Ping scrutinized the paper and saw the picture of magic circles on the most top paper are also identical to the magic circles in the book and in the bas.e.m.e.nt. Chapter 230 - 228. Stop! II Third-person POV Lin Zhenxin took out her notebook which she drew the magic circles that were drawn in the bas.e.m.e.nt. "Lan Laoshi noticed there was something suspicious about the magic circles that we saw in the bas.e.m.e.nt, the splatters of the blood were in odd places. Such as, the spot here and here were covered by the blood and at first, we thought that the meaning of the words was not that special. But Lan Laoshi said that Divine Language is complicated, even if one stroke of the word is wrong, then the whole meaning of the word would be totally different. And if we compare the blank spaces which were covered by blood splatters filled with the words from here." Lin Zhenxin moved the paper and her notebook to compare it side by side. (A/N: This language doesn''t exist on our planet earth, I made it up.) She pointed at the blank spaces on her notebook with her left hand and pointed the same spot at the paper with her right hand, "From the word ''transfer'' to ''demon king'' in just four strokes. This has proven the true motive of the dark guild." "Thus, they use similar magic circles to cover up the dark magic circles. Is that what Miss Lin is implying?" Lu Ping tapped his fan on the table and glanced at Lin Zhenxin. "En. But in this case, they also use the eye transplantation magic circles. Therefore they could use the sacrifice''s eyes and Qi to activate both circles at once. Her Majesty Empress''s Qi is very powerful and it is more than enough to activate the magic circles. To maintain the color of the eye, the original owner has to alive because the color of the eye is connected to one''s soul. If the soul dies, the color would also vanish." Lin Zhenxin replied. Weisheng''s fingers stopped tapping the table, he looked downwards to Lin Zhenxin because of their height difference. "Hong er is alive," Weisheng exhaled a deep sigh of relief. Knowing that Hong er is still alive was a great relief for Weisheng. "They definitely deploy a few people to keep her alive and it would be easier for us to find Her Majesty Empress." Lu Ping glanced at Weisheng. "Lu Ping, make her say it." Weisheng rose from his seat and turned around to the exit. (A/N: her = Murong Qing.) But before he took another step, Weisheng halted in his track and spoke without looking back. "No matter what you use." Lu Ping stood up and bowed to Weisheng, "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." A eunuch opened the door for Weisheng and in front of the door, a boy with silky white hair stood silently with his head lowered. Weisheng looked at Xue Lang and waved his hand to the eunuch as a signal for him to retreat. The eunuch bowed to Weisheng before he retreated into the shade. Weisheng had noticed Xue Lang''s presence for quite a while and purposely let Xue Lang listen to their conversation because he didn''t want to lie to Xue Lang about Hong er''s situation. Lu Ping and the others peeked over and felt pitiful to the father and son. They decided to give the two lone time and left the room from the back door. After Weisheng heard the back door closes, he brought Xue Lang into the room and sat on his throne with Xue Lang sitting on his lap. Weisheng patiently waited for Xue Lang to calm down while his hand gently patting Xue Lang''s back. Xue Lang clenched his hands into fists as he mustered up his courage to part his lips. "Imperial Father is it true that¡­Imperial Mother is missing?" Xue Lang mumbled with his head still lowered down. Weisheng''s hand froze for a second before he continued to pat Xue Lang''s back. "En, but father will bring mother back," Weisheng replied with a determined tone. "Is it because of that girl?" Xue Lang asked again but this time his voice was as cold as ice. "No, it is because of father. Father left you and mother alone in here, I can''t protect all of you." Weisheng spoke with a heavy tone. Xue Lang looked up to Weisheng and took Weisheng''s big hand with his two small hands. "It is not Imperial Father''s fault. If they didn''t plan to hurt Imperial Mother then none of this would happen. Father came back to save all of us, it is their fault¡­" Xue Lang''s voice got smaller and smaller at the end of the sentence. Weisheng noticed the tears that pooled on Xue Lang''s eyes, he pulled Xue Lang into a hug and caressed his hair. At first, Xue Lang promised to himself that he won''t cry but Weisheng''s warmth made Xue Lang''s tears fell without any sign of stopping. He cried his heart out while gripping on Weisheng''s clothes. "We will find mother, father will try his best to find mother." tears unconsciously streamed down Weisheng''s cheeks. . . Half an hour later, Xue Lang fell asleep on Weisheng''s arms because he tires himself from crying too much. Weisheng carefully rose from his seat and carried Xue Lang all the way to his bed. Xue Lang''s servants silently followed Weisheng back to Fei Hong Palace. (A/N: Prince or princess lives in their mother''s palace. So, Xue Lang and the twin are staying in Fei Hong Palace but they have their own quarter. Meanwhile, Princess Yue''s quarter is in Lu Cixi''s palace.) After he tugged Xue Lang in his bed, Weisheng walked out of the room and glanced at Xue Lang''s servants. "How can you let the prince run around when he is still injured?" Weisheng reprimanded with a low voice, so his voice won''t wake Xue Lang up. The servants immediately went on their knees and profusely kowtowed to Weisheng. The eldest maid crawled to the front of the servants and kowtowed. "It-it is this servant''s fault. This servant doesn''t have the heart to lie when His Highness Prince Xue asked for Her Majesty Empress''s whereabouts. Thus this servant told His Highness Prince Xue the truth. His Highness Prince insisted to meet Your Majesty Emperor, this servant couldn''t refuse His Highness Prince Xue''s order because His Highness Prince Xue threatened to hurt himself if we didn''t bring him to Your Majesty Emperor." The old maid explained with her forehead pressed against the cold floor. Weisheng glanced at the old maid and the image of Hong er''s smiling face passed his mind. ''If it is Hong er, she would forgive them without hesitation.'' Weisheng stared at the falling snow. Weisheng exhaled and a cloud of white smoke blew out from his lips. "Rise. Be more careful the next time. Report to Zhen if the prince woke up." Weisheng''s coat flapped as he turned around to leave. (A/N: Reminder, Zhen is the way an emperor call himself) The servants stared at Weisheng in disbelief, they quickly kowtowed once again and expressed their gratitude in unison. "This servant thanks Your Majesty Emperor for Your graciousness!" . . The moon was up above the dark sky, Xue Lang sleepily opened his eyes. He sat on the side of his bed and stretched his body. The maids that were standing outside of Xue Lang''s chamber heard some noises from inside the room. They gently knocked on the door and asked in a small voice, "Your Highness Prince Xue, are you awake?" "En," Xue Lang hummed. The maids entered the room and served Xue Lang his dinner. Xue Lang obediently ate his dinner while vacantly looked at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were swollen from crying and in some way, his gaze had turned cold. The bubbly and cheerful part of him died the moment he heard the news about his mother''s disappearance. His servants also felt the smile that he had been showing them seems to be fake and distant. They sincerely worried about Xue Lang because of his strange behavior. A few minutes later, he placed down his chopstick on the empty bowl and clasped his hands to thank the god for the food he ate. Then he remembered the time when Hong er taught him to appreciate everything that he had, no matter what it is. "Imperial Mother¡­." Xue Lang whispered under his breath. He stared at the bright moon and a small smile appeared on his pale lips. ''I can''t kill her¡­then I will make her wish better be dead than live.'' Chapter 231 - 229. Finally, We Met Third-person POV In the evening, Lu Ping visited Weisheng''s study room with a strained expression on his gorgeous face. He sat in front of Weisheng without asking for Weisheng''s permission like how people with lower rank than him supposed to. In addition, Weisheng doesn''t mind Lu Ping''s conduct as Lu Ping only behaves like that when he is upset or displeased. Weisheng glanced at him and offered a cup of hot tea. "Thank you," Lu Ping bowed his head and took the teacup with both of his hands. He gulped the piping hot tea in one chug. Even Weisheng was perplexed by Lu Ping''s extremely bad mood. "That Murong Qing¡­is driving me crazy!" Lu Ping raised his voice as the vein on his forehead popped out. Weisheng was at a loss of word, even the tranquil Lu Ping who is very meticulous about mannerism was in a frenzy. Lu Ping patted his chest to appease his boiling heart while repeatedly inhaled and exhaled. He finally regained his composure after a few minutes of meditating. Seeing that Lu Ping went back to his usual self, Weisheng parted his lips to ask. "She didn''t speak?" Weisheng asked with his eyes fixed on Lu Ping''s twitching brows. The resentment he held for Murong Qing resurfaced when he remembered the several hours that he spent on interrogating Murong Qing. "No! She spoke so much but everything that came out of her mouth was only about you!" Lu Ping smacked his fan on his thigh to show how vexed he was. Weisheng knitted his brows and sighed as he instantly understood what Lu Ping meant. "I pulled out all of her nails and shoved it back into her fingers, her shriek almost caused my eardrums to explode. But when I ask her of Her Majesty Empress''s location, she would only laugh and curse Her Majesty Empress with all insults that existed in this world." Lu Ping continued. Weisheng furrowed his brows even further, his blood-red eyes glinted with a murderous gaze. Lu Ping vigorously nodded his head as his reaction hearing Murong Qing foul mouthing Hong er was the same as Weisheng''s reaction when he told him about Murong Qing. "I even thought of bringing up your name but she persistently said that you are still affected by the Empress''s witchcraft. So she couldn''t tell the Empress''s whereabouts in fear that you will go search for the Empress and her effort in disposing the Empress will go to waste." Lu Ping massaged his forehead in distress. "Only that?" Weisheng spoke with a voice as cold as an iceberg. "En, she kept repeating those words. I had done quite plenty for today. If I continue, she definitely would die even if I gave her potions." Lu Ping sighed tiredly. Weisheng contemplated for a moment then nodded his head, "You can retreat and continue it tomorrow." Lu Ping glanced at Weisheng and tapped Weisheng''s hand with his hand, "Don''t go there or else, no doubt you will kill her." After Lu Ping said his part, he rose from his seat and bowed to Weisheng before he walked out of Weisheng''s study room. Weisheng watched Lu Ping withdraw from his room, he exhaled a deep sigh. He had indulged himself in work so he could personally search for Hong er and he had half of his a week worth workload done in 20 hours. Lu Ping had deployed Weisheng''s elite forces and his intelligence agents to find Hong er. Xu Weimin and Xiu Rong also did a throughout investigation in Xi Bei in case Murong Qing disposed Hong er to Xi Bei. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of Hong er in any of the countries. Night came in a blink of an eye, Weisheng visited the twin baby to see their condition and went back to his study room to continue his endless work. He didn''t waste any time on his dinner. While his hands were scooping up the noodles, his eyes stayed on the doc.u.ments and he would instruct Qi Zongguan to stamp his seal on the proposal that he agreed and cross out the proposal that he disagreed with. (A/N: Qi Zongguan is Weisheng and Lu Cixi''s butler. Most of the time he stayed beside Lu Cixi, but if Qiyi and Qier are occupied with jobs that Weisheng gave them, he would temporarily fill in their position. FYI, Qi Zongguan is Qiyi and Qier''s father, I never found the chance to put this in the story and eventually, I forgot about it.) Then a few knocks sounded out followed with a female voice, "Your Majesty Emperor, His Highness Prince is awake. Any further instruction for this servant, Your Majesty Emperor?" Weisheng lifted his head to look at the door before he passed his brush to Qi Zongguan, "Zhen will leave for a moment." "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Qi Zongguan bowed to Weisheng and cleaned up Weisheng''s desk. The eunuchs swiftly dr.a.p.ed a coat over Weisheng''s shoulder and followed behind him with an umbrella in their hand to shade Weisheng from the snows. Since he had designed Fei Hong Palace to be near his palace, it didn''t take him long to arrive at Xue Lang''s quarter. He stopped the maids that were going to announce his presence to Xue Lang. But when he was about to push the door open, his hand abruptly stopped when he heard Xue Lang talking to the old maid that apologized to him this afternoon. Weisheng increased his hearing ability to overhear the conversation inside the room with ease. "Where is that girl being held?" Xue Lang asked emotionless. "Th-this¡­this servant¡­." The old maid hesitated as she didn''t know what to say. "If Imperial Father knew, I will take the blame. Tell me, where she is?" Xue Lang insisted, his voice got colder the more he spoke. "Fr-from what his servant heard, Miss Murong currently held in Special Prison." The old maid finally gave in to Xue Lang. Weisheng quickly hid beside the wall when he heard a thud from inside, his servants followed along to hide behind Weisheng. He didn''t forget to erase the footsteps that he left on the snows. "Your Highness Prince Xue! Where are you going this late at night?! Your wounds haven''t healed yet, Physician Shu told us that you have to be in bed for 2 weeks!" the old maid anxiously spoke. The door burst open followed with a blast of biting cold air. Xue Lang dashed out of his room while wearing a thin sleepwear, the maids hurriedly chased after him with a bunch of blankets and coats in their hand. Weisheng silently watches Xue Lang walked away. The eunuchs behind him were confused about what to do because the person they were visiting stormed out of his own room and the person that wants to visit remains unmoved. "Yo-Your Majesty Emperor¡­" a eunuch whispered. "Follow the prince," Weisheng commanded and followed Xue Lang''s trail. Just as Xue Lang said, he went to the Special Prison where Murong Qing was locked in. Without saying, the guards blocked Xue Lang from entering. Xue Lang didn''t respond to their dismissal, he just stared at them with his icy-cold eyes. They were quite perplexed by Xue Lang''s stubbornness but they didn''t back down. and at that moment, they noticed a blood-chilling aura from somewhere. They glanced around and spotted Weisheng standing behind a wall. Weisheng waved his hand as an indication to let Xue Lang enter which made them bewildered. They politely coaxed Xue Lang to leave for a few times before they let him in to avoid suspicion from Xue Lang for the sudden change in attitude. At first, Xue Lang stared at them with suspicion but then he let it go because the business that he had with Murong Qing was far more important than with the guards. However, the guards only allowed Xue Lang to enter and his servants had to wait outside. The servants disagreed and started to ask him to go back but Xue Lang quickly stopped them and went into the building by himself. The servants paced back and forth in front of the entrance and eventually, they were kicked out by the guards. Just when they were about to refute the guards, Weisheng emerged from his hiding spot and went after Xue Lang. And the moment they saw Weisheng passed by them, they immediately shut their lips and stood further away from the entrance. The guards that were guarding the second layer of the Special Prison also refrained Xue Lang from entering but the previous guards notified them to let Xue Lang in. This happened a few times before he reached Murong Qing''s cell. "Finally, we met." Xue Lang glowered. Chapter 232 - 230. I Like You~ Third-person POV Murong Qing weakly lifted up her head when she heard her prison cell being opened. She could vaguely see the face of her guest but the unique white hair of the boy in front of her was too familiar to not recognize him. "You¡­haven''t die¡­" Murong Qing struggled as the chains clinked against each other. Xue Lang took a step forward but a guard that followed him into the cell in case Murong Qing tried to harm Xue Lang blocked Xue Lang''s way with his body. "Your Highness Prince Xue, it is dangerous." The guard said firmly. Xue Lang stared at him and smiled sweetly, "Her four limbs are tied, she can''t do anything to me." The guard furrowed his brows in contemplation then he glanced at a corner outside the cell where Weisheng hid under the shadow. Weisheng left his servants outside the building and entered alone. Since he possessed dark magic, he could merge into any shadow and hide without any fear of being found out. Weisheng had been holding back the impulse to kill Murong Qing whenever he looked at the golden eyes in Murong Qing''s eye sockets. He kept reminding himself that Murong Qing must be alive so he could know whether Hong er is still alive or dead by looking at the eye color. Weisheng nodded to the guard and the guard stepped aside. Xue Lang approached Murong Qing and because of his current height, he was on the same eye level as Murong Qing even when he was standing. "Where is my mother?" Xue Lang smiled widely and tilted his head to the side with the appearance of an innocent boy. Murong Qing smirked at the weak appearance of Xue Lang. "You stupid brat, why do you call her ''mother''?...Ahh~ It is because both of you are cursed. AHAHAHAHA!" Murong Qing laughed hysterically. The smile on Xue Lang''s lips didn''t falter, he calmly took out a handkerchief that Hong er made for him but then he reconsidered it for a few seconds before he took another handkerchief and wiped Murong Qing''s spits that splattered over his face. He didn''t want to soil the handkerchief that Hong er painstakingly embroidered for him with Murong Qing''s spit. He threw the dirty handkerchief to the brazier that they use to heat up branding irons. "You said you love my father, right?" Xue Lang placed his palm on Murong Qing''s disheveled hair. "What do you know, you snotty brat?! Qing Qing loves cousin brother more than your cursed mother does! Get your hand the hell off my head!" Murong Qing vigorously shook her head. Xue Lang stared at her with his cold gaze, "Shh~ Imperial Father loves Imperial Mother more than anything else in this world. So, don''t compare your worthless self to my mother." Xue Lang gripped a handful of Murong Qing''s hair and ripped it off from her scalp with all of his strength. Murong Qing''s eyes went wide when she saw her hair fell from Xue Lang''s little hand. The pain on her scalp was throbbing through her brain but the anger that boiled up in her heart made the pain less painful. "What a filthy fur you have." Xue Lang shook his hand with a visible disgust on his face. Murong Qing''s lips trembled as she was unable to get a word out from her throat. She had always diligently took care of herself by having countless beauty care on her body and hair. She never misses her beauty routine even for once so she could impress Weisheng with her flawless beauty. But just in one second, her hairs were plucked off just like that. She could even feel blood seeping out from her follicles. Her pupils shrunk into dots, her lips parted as ear-splitting shriek blasted Xue Lang and the guard''s eardrums. Xue Lang took a barbed wire that hanged on the wall with other torture devices and gagged Murong Qing''s mouth with the barbed wire. With both of his hand pulling on the end of the barbed wire, the spikes pierced through Murong Qing''s cheeks and slowly tore open the corner of lips. Murong Qing wailed as her cheeks were drenched with her tears. "I will doll you up prettily that no one dares to look at you." Xue Lang whispered softly with a gentle smile on h.i.p.s while his hands were bleeding from gripping the barbed wire. Weisheng and the guard were dumbfounded by Xue Lang''s ruthless actions. Before they could process what happens when Xue Lang pulled off Murong Qing''s hair, Xue Lang had gagged her mouth with the worst tools among the others. The guard panicky glanced at Xue Lang and to Weisheng as he didn''t know what to do. He wanted to stop a young prince such as Xue Lang to do such a cruel thing but the father of the prince was silent. Just when Weisheng was about to signal the guard to stop Xue Lang, they saw big beads of tears fell from Xue Lang''s eyes. Their bodies froze when Xue Lang tied the wire to the back of the log where Murong Qing was chained on and continued to pluck off her hair. "She is my mother! She accepted me and loves me like her own son when she clearly knew my filthy background!" Xue Lang bellowed. "She gave me love! Family! A place that I can call home! Everything that I dreamed to have when I was confined in that dark bas.e.m.e.nt!" Xue Lang continued while panting heavily. Murong Qing struggled to free herself from the chains and wire that binds her to a log of wood. But her effort only made her wounds to widen. "Yet! You take her away from me!" Xue Lang pulled the last bunch of Murong Qing''s hair, leaving only a few strands here and there. There were a few spots where the flesh was ripped off together with her hair and made the image of Murong Qing''s head even more horrifying to look. Murong Qing''s eyes rolled to the back of her head as she passed out from the excessive pain. But a few seconds later, a blazing hot metal pressed against the top of her head woke her up. She screamed her lungs out as the flesh on her head melted by the branding iron that Xue Lang rammed onto her head. Xue Lang''s vision suddenly darkened when the branding iron almost reached Murong Qing''s skull. The guard swiftly caught Xue Lang''s body and the branding iron so it wouldn''t burn Xue Lang''s hand. Shortly after the branding iron left her head, Murong Qing passed out into another dimension. Weisheng emerged from the shadow and approached the prison cell. The guard passed Xue Lang to Weisheng and quickly fed Murong Qing a few bottle of potion to keep her alive. Weisheng stared at the ''Slave'' word that was branded on her bald head and turned around to leave the Special Prison building with Xue Lang in his arms. The reason why he let Xue Lang did that much was because he fully understands the acc.u.mulated frustration in Xue Lang''s heart. In all possibility, if he didn''t let Xue Lang vent his anger, it could cause Xue Lang to search for another method to let out his frustration. And the worst scene that could possibly happen is Xue Lang would hurt himself to relieve the pain in his heart. But he managed to stop Xue Lang before Murong Qing die by knocking him out. It had become clear to all of them, no matter what they do, they couldn''t turn back to how they used to be. The servants that waited for them immediately went into panic when they saw Weisheng carrying the unconscious Xue Lang. Weisheng threw a death glare at them for being too loud. The night passed by in a blink of an eye, everything that happened that night was kept secret from other servants. . . "Hm? The hell is this woman?" A boy in black clothes stared at a woman covered in blood. He glanced around him and noticed there were several people hiding behind trees. His brows arched in curiosity, he flew towards the suspicious people and indifferently stood beside them on a tree branch. "Remember, she has to be alive." The man that seemed to be the leader of the group spoke cautiously. "Ugghh, why don''t we just kill her and run off with the money." One of the members suggested. The leaders and the other members contemplated for a while before they nodded their heads in agreement. "Kill her?" The boy glanced and flew towards the unconscious woman then spun around her. A sly smirk crept up his lips, he clasped his hand and in a few seconds, the group that was going to kill the woman suddenly fell to the ground, lifeless. "Hhmm~ I like you so I will keep you alive." Chapter 233 - 231. Asking for Help I Third-person POV The next morning, Lu Ping entered the Special Prison to interrogate Murong Qing. The second his eyes landed on Murong Qing, a smile spread out on his lips. He covered his lips with his fan and leisurely approached Murong Qing. "What an exquisite view to behold early in the morning," Lu Ping chuckled. Lu Ping glanced at the guard that stood beside him. Without needing another word, the guard grabbed a bucket of cold water and splashed the cold water onto her face. Murong Qing slowly regained her consciousness but she instantly freaked out when she remembered her encounter with Xue Lang. The burning pain on her head started to resurface together with the scars that the man in front of her left on her body. "Do you sleep well?" Lu Ping asked as he settled down on the seat that the guard brought for him. Murong Qing glared at him and could only growl at Lu Ping because of the barbed wire that Xue Lang tied around her head was still intact. The guard went behind Murong Qing and untied the wire under Lu Ping''s command. "Now, can you tell me the location?" Lu Ping asked as he leaned his back on his chair. "¡­die¡­you witch¡­Qing Qing¡­saved cousin brother¡­" Murong Qing weakly whispered. Lu Ping sighed tiredly and massaged his forehead with his slender fingers, ''Today will another hell day¡­'' . . After several hours of being mentally tortured by Murong Qing, Lu Ping went to Weisheng'' s study room to report to Weisheng. Although Lu Ping''s mood wasn''t as bad as last night, nevertheless, Lu Ping''s face showed how much distress he endured just from talking to Murong Qing. Weisheng passed Qi Zongguan a doc.u.ment that needs to be dispatched then Qi Zongguan was dismissed from the room. The door closed and leaving only the two of them in the room. "Nothing?" Weisheng started. "En, she still spouting that nonsense. She ridiculously so stubborn that I don''t know what to do." Lu Ping sighed and sipped the tea that he poured for himself. Weisheng exhaled as he became more anxious regarding Hong er''s disappearance. "Your Majesty Emperor, are you the one who plucked off all of her hair?" Lu Ping asked as his eyes glinted in amus.e.m.e.nt. "No, Xue Lang did," Weisheng said indifferently. "His Highness Prince Xue? Is that even possible? Do you let him in?" Lu Ping inquired with a visible confusion on his face. "En," Weisheng nodded his head in affirmation. Lu Ping parted his lips to ask Weisheng another question but a voice stopped him from doing so. "Imperial Father, this son had come for a visit." Xue Lang gently knocked on the door. "Come in," Weisheng replied. A guard opened the door for Xue Lang and Xue Lang walked into the room with a tray of food. Weisheng''s eyes slightly widened when he smelled a familiar fragrance wafted out from the ceramic pot on Xue Lang''s food tray. "Imperial Father, this son specially made this chicken soup when I heard that Imperial Father have no appetite and skipped your breakfast." Xue Lang smiled softly as he placed down the tray on the table beside Weisheng''s desk. Xue Lang opened the lid of the ceramic pot and the fragrance of the chicken soup intensified. Weisheng couldn''t help but reminiscence the image where Hong er was standing in front of a stove, tasting her cooking and looked over him with a bright smile. "Imperial Mother would be angry if she knows that Imperial Father skipped meals and buried yourself with works. I can imagine Imperial Mother saying ''Eat and take a rest! Or I won''t talk to you for a week!'' Hehehe~" Xue Lang chuckled as if he could hear Hong er scolding them. Weisheng also smiled at Xue Lang''s on-point impersonation of Hong er. He could imagine Hong er stood in front of him with her brows furrowed into a cute frown and both of her hands on her waist, threatening the emperor with such an adorable threat. Then he stared at his reflection on the tea, he indeed looked extremely worn-out with the dark circles under his eyes. "I asked the chef how to make Imperial Mother''s favorite chicken soup and he taught me the steps. I hope that Imperial Mother will come back and have a taste of my own chicken soup." Xue Lang added while staring at the chicken soup with yearning eyes. Weisheng looked away, trying to hide his tears that pooled on his eyes. He went to sit on the dining table and scanned the dishes on the tray. There was a pot of chicken soup, a bowl of white rice, and a few side dishes such as pickled radish and pickled bamboo shoots. "All of these are your mother''s favorite dishes," Weisheng mentioned as the gaze in his eyes soften. "En, because Imperial Father''s favorite dishes are the same as Imperial Mother''s." Xue Lang handed Weisheng a pair of chopsticks. Weisheng ruffled Xue Lang''s hair into a mess, "Brat." Xue Lang giggled because he knew that his father was embarrassed by being exposed. In fact, Weisheng is not a picky eater therefore he doesn''t have anything that he particularly likes and dislikes. It just that he likes the food that the person he likes the most likes. Simple as that. Seeing that the atmosphere between the father and son was very good, Lu Ping decided to not disturb them and quietly retreated from the room. But when the door behind him closing, he caught a glimpse of Xue Lang smiling at him. The corner of his lips arched into a sly smirk. "What a fearsome child." Lu Ping muttered with his fan covering his lips. . . A young man was sitting leisurely on his soft cushion. His handsome face instantly paled after he read half of the letter in his hands. He crumpled the letter and threw it across the room. "That wench! She ruined my plan!" the young man shouted as his face was red as boiled octopus. The maid that stood at the side of the room flinched and fell on her knees. "Your Highness Seventh Prince, please cease your anger. It is no good for your health." The maid spoke with her forehead pressed against the wooden floor. "That wench came to me a month ago and dared to ask me to join hand on her vicious plan. Now, Hong er is nowhere to be found. How am I supposed to do? Will she be fine? Didn''t she just give birth?" The seventh prince of Da Chu, Long Yang, anxiously paced back and forth. (A/N: Long Yang is the prince that had feelings for Hong er at the Bride Selection. Refer to chapter 99 to 102, I forgot which one.) A slight pain flashed in the maid''s eyes. She slowly approached Long Yang and bowed her head. "Regarding Miss Xu, this servant is sure that she is fine. She is a very strong and independent woman, this servant respects that side of her very much. And if this servant may be blunt, how about we ask for Da Qi''s emperor''s help?" The maid timidly said. Long Yang furrowed his brows in displease at the mention of Weisheng''s name. "Why do I have to ask for his help? He is the one at fault for leaving Hong er alone. If it is me, I will never do that. Besides, he snatched Hong er from me in such a despicable way. Imperial edict? Hah! Did he even get Hong er''s consent?!" Long Yang slammed his hand onto his desk. The maid braved herself and parted her lips, "Your Highness Seventh Prince, Miss Xu is a fearless woman. If she really discontent from the marriage with Da Qi''s emperor, then she would definitely avoid the emperor and wouldn''t have his children this fast." "But¡­" Long Yang was at a loss of words. He deeply understood Hong er''s character from all of the investigations he had done. Hong er would not easily yield to Weisheng if she truly disagrees with the marriage. The maid smiled softly and kneeled to Long Yang, "The best option we have now is by helping Da Qi''s emperor in finding Miss Xu. If Your Highness Seventh Prince is suspicious of the Da Qi''s emperor''s feelings towards Miss Xu, how about you visit Chang An and see it yourself?" Long Yang glanced at the kneeling maid and exhaled a deep sigh. "What you said is right. I am too childish to think that I am always right, maybe I shouldn''t judge people too quickly. Ruru, I don''t know what I can do without you. You are the most loyal servant I ever had." Long Yang placed his palm on the maid''s head and gently caressed it. The maid weakly smiled with a visible pain in her eyes, "This servant will do anything for Your Highness Seventh Prince." (A/N: Ruru is the maid''s name.) Chapter 234 - 232. Asking for Help II Third-person POV "It has been more than a week but there is still no sign of Her Majesty Empress. Suspicious." Lu Ping tapped his fan with his finger. Weisheng that was in his armor also relentlessly tapped the map that was spread out on his desk. Since Weisheng was done with his workloads for one month ahead, he could personally participate in the inspection. Weisheng immediately passed his authority to his mother to lead the court the moment Lu Cixi arrived at the Royal Palace. Lu Cixi who has a sharp mind was aware of the severity of the incident and decided to agree with Weisheng without another word. Together with Lu Cixi, there was the Wei family that invited Lu Cixi to pray in the temple on top of the mountain. The first scene they saw as soon as they reached their residence in Chang An was Wei Yunru''s head hung on the main gate of their residence with a big billboard that wrote "Traitor" nailed on the gate. All of the Wei family member''s face turned pale as a sheet. Wei Yunru''s mother dropped to the ground as her legs went weak, fortunately, her servants managed to catch her before she collapses to the ground. Wei Yunru''s father whipped his head to the Imperial Army that surrounded them and in that instant, he felt hopeless. The whole family was brought to the market square where commoners usually pass by. The Wei branch families were also brought out from the prison to the square. The civilians had known their crimes from the fliers that were posted on bulletin boards across Da Qi and prevented the Wei family to know about the news with Lu Cixi''s guards. It didn''t take them long to prepare the guillotines to the stage where the public execution would be held. The civilians purposely came to see the almighty Wei family succ.u.mbed and without saying, they didn''t let their children came to see the execution. Since Weisheng has kids, he had a weak spot in seeing children suffer over the sins that they didn''t do. The kids are innocent, they were only born into a wrong environment with a misleading teaching from their parents. Unfortunately, he couldn''t leave them alive. The worst possibility would be the children that he released would come back to avenge their families. Therefore, Weisheng specially ordered his Imperial Army to put the children into a deep sleep with a sleeping drug then fed them with a deadly poison so the children could die without pain. The a.d.u.l.ts of the Wei family were beheaded and their head and body would be burned after the execution. Meanwhile, the servants would be questioned and their fate would be decided by the judges whether they would also follow their master''s fate or work for the country in the mining until the contract expired. Some of them were loyal and some of them choose to cherish their life despite having to work one''s finger to the bone. Since the matter of the Wei, family was done, Weisheng didn''t have to worry too much regarding the court. He has a wise mother and dependable uncle, they could fill in his duty during his temporary absence. Weisheng and Lu Ping had traveled about a few hundred kilometers from Chang An following the direction where Hong er''s earrings fell into bushes. Although the incident regarding Hong er''s disappearance was not a secret to the public, nevertheless, they tried to conceal the inspection that they were doing to not alert the culprit. The dark guild that helped Murong Qing in casting spell on Hong er was spotted by Weisheng''s elite forces and quickly arrested everyone that related to the dark guild. But Weisheng couldn''t get any information from any of them because of the curse that was put on them the day they joined the dark guild. If any of them, spill a word relating to the dark guild, their skin would turn dark and their organs would stop working in that second. And at that moment, Qiyi came into Weisheng''s tent with a solemn expression on his face. "Your Majesty Emperor, there is a special guest that requires Your Majesty Emperor''s presence," Qiyi said while kneeling on one knee. "Who is it?" Lu Ping asked in Weisheng''s place. "The guest persistently trying to hide his identity even after I inquired it numerous times. But he said he knew something about Her Majesty Empress''s location." Qiyi continued. Both Weisheng and Lu Ping widened their eyes. They quickly rose from their seats and stormed out of the tent. "Guide the guest to the meeting tent," Weisheng spoke with a stern expression on his face. "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor!" Qiyi dashed to the said guest and guided him into the meeting tent. Weisheng sat on the most top seat with Lu Ping sat on the seat below Weisheng''s. The tent''s curtain was closed therefore they could only listen to the conversation between the guest and Qiyi. "Only one person can enter, the servant may wait outside of the tent. Please rest assured, we won''t hurt you if you behave. And may you open your hood?" Qiyi politely said to the guest. "I will open it inside." The guest replied. "No, you must open it right now and let me do a check on our whole body before you can enter." Qiyi''s voice grew sterner. The guest clicked his tongue and did as what Qiyi told him to do. Qiyi confiscated his dagger and put on a magic resistance bracelet on his wrist. Just when the guest was going to complain about the bracelet, Qiyi threw him a glare. "Behave." Qiyi clicked the lock on the bracelet and the guest''s eye color immediately changed into grey. "You! You are from Da Chu royal family!" Qiyi swiftly grabbed both of his wrists and pinned his head onto the ground. "No! Please let him go! We came here because we want to help Her Majesty Empress! Please let us explain!" the maid that stood at the side quickly kneeled and begged for Qiyi to release the man. "Qiyi." Weisheng''s growl was heard from the outside of the tent. The blood-curling tone caused them to shudder. The maid and the man looked at space between the curtains as it was blown by the winter wind, a pair of glowing blood-red eyes were staring into their souls as if it would eat them alive. ''The gaze of the ruler.'' The man thought in his head. Only with a glance, he could silence the mass. Weisheng''s charisma and aura is truly befitting to his nickname, the Undefeatable General. "Let him in, that girl too." Weisheng impatiently spoke. "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Qiyi released the man''s wrist and followed the man and the maid into the tent. Lu Ping who had been silent all this time, flicked open his fan to cover his smirk, "What an unexpected guest we have, Seventh Prince of Da Chu, Prince Long Yang." Long Yang had always confined himself in his room therefore only a few people recognize Long Yang. That''s why Qiyi doesn''t Long Yang''s identity even after Long Yang''s grey eyes were revealed. (A/N: Long family, Da Chu Royal Family''s eye color is dark grey.) "Greetings to Your Majesty Emperor." Long Yang kneeled on one knee and cupped one of his fists to greet Weisheng. No matter how reluctant Long Yang was, he still has to respect Weisheng because of their status difference. Meanwhile, he only needs to cup one of his fists without having to kneel when he greets Lu Ping. "Without further ado, please do speak what you know, Your Highness Seventh Prince." Lu Ping offered Long Yang a chair across him. Long Yang silently went to take a seat and his gaze turned serious, "Hong er is in the Cursed Land." Chapter 235 - 233. Form an Alliance I Third-person POV "Cursed Land?" Lu Ping and Weisheng both said at the same time. "Yes," Long Yang nodded his head. The earnestness that Long Yang showed on his face proved that he didn''t lie. Weisheng furrowed his brows and stared at Long Yang. "First of all, what is your relationship with my Empress that you didn''t use any honorifics when you address her?" Weisheng asked with a menacing tone. Weisheng was aware that Long Yang had a hidden feeling towards Hong er as he received a piece of news regarding Long Yang visited Hong er when she was about to marry him. But he didn''t think much about it because he trusts Hong er and moreover, Hong er rejected Long Yang through a letter that she wrote herself. "For now, there is no special relationship between us. But we don''t know the future." Long Yang spoke with his grey eyes staring at Weisheng''s blood-red eyes. "Then use honorifics, Seventh Prince. Zhen won''t tolerate anyone who doesn''t respect my Empress." Weisheng reprimanded with his deep voice. Although Weisheng''s voice was calm, they could hear there was an underlying threat in his voice. Long Yang clenched his jaw and bowed his head, "My apologies, Your Majesty Emperor." "En. Continue." Weisheng replied. Lu Ping narrowed his eyes and closed his fan, "Did Seventh Prince say that Her Majesty Empress in Cursed Land? Do you have anything to prove the authenticity of your statement?" Long Yang was deeply aware that his words seemed unbelievable. And to add it, his identity made him harder to be believed by Weisheng and Lu Ping. Da Chu and Da Qi''s current relationship is very strained. The Xu family, the Da Qi''s Empress''s family, was publicly stamped as a fugitive by Da Chu''s Long royal family which means the Long royal family disregarded Liu royal family''s face and insulted Liu royal family to the whole world. "That Murong Qing came to me about a month ago and asked me to join hand because I have the support of the Second Prince. Maybe she doesn''t realize this because she is a fool, but she is clearly used by someone who wants to take over Your Majesty Emperor''s throne by force. At that time, she came to me by herself therefore I managed to fool her to spoil her plan. She didn''t tell me directly where she would hide Her Majesty Empress, but I heard her whispering ''Cursed Land'' under her breath when she rambling about the love between her and Your Majesty Emperor." Long Yang glanced at Weisheng. Lu Ping sighed in his heart as he believed that Long Yang was saying the truth when Long Yang mentioned Murong Qing''s obsession with Weisheng. "Of course, I rejected her. No matter how flawless one''s plan is, if the executor is a brainless fool, then high chances it will fail. I may be weak, but I am not a fool. Furthermore, I care about Her Majesty Empress and definitely won''t do anything that will harm her no matter how much I want her." Long Yang shot Weisheng a meaningful glance. Weisheng didn''t budge by Long Yang''s provocation. He leaned on his throne seat and rested his cheek on his fist. "Why us?" Weisheng asked indifferently. From all the people that Long Yang could ask for help, why must he choose Weisheng? Weisheng is Hong er''s husband and could be said Long Yang''s most difficult love rival. Moreover, Weisheng had a deep hatred towards the Long royal family because of the Xu family''s defamation. "Your Majesty Emperor has an excellent intelligence agency and every information that revolves around this world, you must have aware of it." Long Yang swirled the teacup in his hand. Lu Ping''s brows arched in interest, ''This kid is sharp.'' "It is not a secret that I am in Second Prince''s faction, anyway, I need to survive. The Second Prince''s power in the court cannot be compared to First Prince''s faction, therefore he is very cautious towards anyone that is helping him in fear that they are spies from First Prince''s faction. Even after I helped him numerous times to gain supporters, he still hasn''t fully trust me and deployed spies to watch over my movement. But recently he lowered his guard around me and I managed to sneak out to meet you, Your Majesty Emperor." Long Yang vacantly stared at his whirling tea. "If I asked for help by anyone that is in Second Prince''s faction, then I would be labeled as a traitor by him. As you know, Imperial Concubine Li is somewhat obsessed with the Xu family and it is her plan to capture Great General Xu. And the Li family who has the biggest power in our Second Prince''s faction would definitely hate it if I helped Her Majesty Empress. The same thing if I asked help from the First Prince''s faction. Furthermore, Your Majesty Emperor has the best connection and authority to command your troops to find Her Majesty Empress. Disregarding any grudge that we have for each other, we have to work together to find Her Majesty Empress." Long Yang gently placed his cup onto the table. The tent became dead silent after Long Yang said his portion. Lu Ping chuckled and offered to pour Long Yang tea. "Aiya~ Never expect that from all of the princes that Long Quan has, the Seventh Prince is the wisest. Does Your Highness Seventh Prince ever thought of sitting on the dragon throne?" Lu Ping glanced at Long Yang with inquiring eyes. Long Yang smiled as he finally understood why Da Qi flourished under Weisheng''s reign. The Emperor is very capable of controlling the masses and his subjects. The strict yet flexible ruling made it easier to control the civilians and for them to follow. And by having such talented aides around him truly is a right decision that Weisheng made. Usually, emperors have high pride and would feel humiliated when their subordinates corrected them or having some parts that are better than them such as appearance, power, or intelligence. Long Yang shook his head, "No, I am too cowardice to lead my subjects. And I am only helping my Second Brother to obtain the throne because I want to survive." Lu Ping glanced at Weisheng and saw that Weisheng was silent. Without saying, Lu Ping got Weisheng''s message just by a glance. "Well, if you so. Though it may seem strange, we believe your words but regarding the Cursed Lang that Your Highness Seventh Prince mentioned, we had searched that part and didn''t find anything. May you explain it to us?" Lu Ping questioned as he sat back on his seat across Long Yang. Long Yong widened his eyes in disbelief, "How can that be?! But I am not lying." Weisheng glanced at Lu Ping and Long Yang then sighed, "Cursed Land is a mysterious place, the people who explored the Cursed Land to study the unfathomable forest disappeared without a trace." Lu Ping nodded his head in affirmation, "That forest got its name was because anyone that entered the forest never came back, we don''t if they are alive or dead. A few days ago, my troops entered the Cursed Land, they didn''t find any dead body nor human bones. The forest is very dark and it has a very dense miasma that prevented my troops to advance to the inner part. Fortunately, my troops found the way back and came back alive. I questioned them and they told me that the trees and mountains were moving and it felt they were sucked into the forest by an unknown force." Long Yang''s face turned pale as he heard Lu Ping''s explanation, "Then will Her Majesty Empress be fine?" "We can assure that she is fine for now." Lu Ping replied with a solemn tone. "How do you know?" Long Yang clenched his hands into fists. "Why do we have to tell you?" Lu Ping scrutinized Long Yang with prying eyes. Long Yang was dumbfounded with Lu Ping''s response but he couldn''t blame Lu Ping. There is no reason for Weisheng or Lu Ping to tell him about the matters of Hong er when they didn''t have any special relationship. But Long Yang sincerely cares about Hong er and he couldn''t just leave Weisheng''s base without any knowing anything. Then he felt a warm palm lightly pressed his shoulder. He turned his head around to see his most loyal maid softly smiling at him. He braved his heart and gathered the courage to open his lips. "How about we form an alliance?" Chapter 236 - 234. Intruder I Third-person POV "Form an alliance? Why? What benefit we will gain by forming an alliance with a powerless prince?" Lu Ping said as his brows arched in amus.e.m.e.nt. Weisheng also stared at Long Yang with probing eyes. Long Yang took a deep breath and his expression turned sterner. "I will be your informant." Long Yang offered. "Hoo~ But we already have plenty of that." Lu Ping turned down Long Yang''s offer. Long Yang whipped his head up to look at Lu Ping''s devious eyes. Then he glanced at disinterested expression on Weisheng''s face. He bit his lips and tried to think another option. His eyes lighted up when an idea came to his mind. "Then¡­." . . "Deal." Both Lu Ping and Weisheng nodded their heads in agreement. Long Yang was mentally tired from negotiating with the cunning Lu Ping. He took a big gulp of hot tea and furrowed his brows. "Now, please explain what happened to Her Majesty Empress." Long Yang insisted. Lu Ping tapped his chin with his fan and nonchalantly asked, "How much do you know about Murong Qing''s plan?" "She only said that she was going to kidnap Her Majesty Empress by infiltrating Da Qi''s Royal Palace with Bei Zhou''s help." Long Yang summarized Murong Qing''s never-ending ramble. Lu Ping glanced at Weisheng and mouthed, ''Don''t lose control.'' Weisheng unnoticeably nodded his head and exhaled tiredly as it was extremely hard for him to listen to the pain that Hong er had to suffer in his place. On top of that, every sleepless night, he drank a ton of sleeping drugs so he could see Hong er in his dream. In every dream, it would only be him calling out to Hong er who was immobilized by the chains that were binding her to a log of wood. There was no response from Hong er. Even after knowing that it is hopeless to get a response from Hong er, he didn''t stop trying to wake her up with his voice. However, since he was outside the Royal Palace which means the chances they would be invaded by unpredictable attacks increased, he was restricted from using any sleeping drug. Which leads him to have insomnia. Even though he closed his eyes and laid on a comfortable bed, he couldn''t get to sleep. The dark circles under his eyes became darker and he turned more temperamental than usual. Even the slightest thing such as hearing Murong Qing''s name could irritate him. "In conclusion, our Royal Palace was infiltrated by Bei Zhou and they got Her Majesty Empress. They used a teleportation magic to teleport to a secret bas.e.m.e.nt about a hundred km away from Royal Palace in a second. With the help of a dark guild, they performed a forbidden ritual on Her Majesty Empress and caused Her Majesty Empress''s golden eyes transplanted into Murong Qing''s eye sockets without losing its color." Lu Ping explained with an unusually serious tone. Long Yang abruptly rose from his seat with his eyes wide open. His heart ached like there were a thousand needles poking his heart. Even Ruru''s (the maid) eyes were pooled with tears as Hong er is the person she looked up the most. "H-how can she do that?" Long Yang muttered in disbelief. Because of his sudden action, Qiyi summoned his sword and pointed it at Long Yang''s neck. "Please sit down, Your Highness Seventh Prince," Qiyi advised with a slightly commanding tone in his voice. Long Yang glanced at Weisheng who had been silent during Lu Ping''s explanation till now. Even a fool could see that Weisheng was in an extremely bad mood. The murderous aura that Weisheng unconsciously exuded even scared off the animals that hanging around the base camp. Long Yang swallowed his saliva as he averted his eyes away from Weisheng and compliantly sat back on his seat. "May I continue?" Lu Ping questioned as they didn''t have much time. "Yes, please do continue." Long Yang replied. "The eyes are connected to Her Majesty Empress''s soul so if Her Majesty Empress is gone then the eye color will be gone too. And now we have detained Murong Qing and as long as the color of the eyes doesn''t fade away, we can assure that Her Majesty Empress is alive." Lu Ping continued. Long Yang knitted his brows and leaned his body forward, "So, what are you going to do?" Lu Ping slowly stood up and lifted the exit curtain, "We suggest that Your Highness Seventh Prince quietly go back to Da Chu hence we can proceed with our inspection. We will definitely send you the news if we found something." Without any complaint, Long Yang rose from his seat and walked out of the tent. He was aware that by staying at Weisheng''s base camp would only stall the inspection. Every second could determine Hong er''s life. But before Lu Ping close the curtain, he tapped Long Yang''s shoulder with his fan. "Don''t forget your job. And if you spill any words about our meeting today, watch out for your neck." Lu Ping bowed to Long Yang and grinned at him. Long Yang''s face paled and fastened his pace. Lu Ping sighed as he watched Long Yang rode off with his horse together with Ruru. "Shall we go?" Lu Ping asked without looking his behind. "En. 10 minutes," Weisheng said while walked pass by Lu Ping. Lu Ping and Qiyi bowed their heads and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." . . As Weisheng commanded, in 10 minutes, the troops disassembled the tents and erased any trace they left then they got into their position to depart. As a member of elite forces, they were trained to be fast, meticulous, and discipline therefore it wasn''t weird or surprising that the way they do things is very nimble and efficient. Without any delay, Weisheng galloped through the snowy forests and mountains to the Curse Land. Cursed Land was rumored to be haunted by vicious spirits and demons. The beasts that live in the Cursed Land are ferocious and bloodthirsty, they survived by absorbing the evil auras that were emitted by the demons. But by consuming the demons'' aura means they sold themselves to the demons. Therefore the demons could eat the beast without having to chase after it. This case leads the beasts to devour their own kind and turned them into a cannibal. The evil miasma that surrounds the Cursed Land grew denser and denser over the years and started to affect the living beings that live near the Cursed Land. Although it is a regulation to prevent the evil miasma from expanding by chanting Holy Mantras around the Cursed Lang every 6 months. And as someone who possessed a powerful dark magic, Weisheng had a hard time to control his power and it took a toll on his body and mind. But since having Hong er by his side, he found out that Hong er''s light magic neutralized his dark power not just because he loves her. The whispering and haunting nightmare that he always had before he married to Hong er immensely decreased and at some point, he didn''t have any nightmare whenever he slept beside Hong er. On some occasions, Weisheng witnessed whenever Hong er was on mission, the beast that was going to devour Hong er suddenly turned docile and quietly followed Hong er till the city gate. Therefore, he concluded that every being that has dark power in them like Weisheng do likely would be fond of the healing aura that Hong er release and hopefully wouldn''t kill her. A few days later, Weisheng and his troops arrived at the entrance of the Cursed Land. The ones that had gone in once under Lu Ping''s command couldn''t help but shudder in fear as the image of them affected by the miasma popped up in their mind. In a second, Weisheng''s eyes changed and the dense miasma split into halves like it was creating a path into the forest. "Go," Weisheng whispered to Xiao Hei. They slowly and cautiously walked into the unfathomable land. Meanwhile, somewhere in the dark forest, a young boy lifted up his head and smirked. "Hoo~ There is an intruder~" Chapter 237 - 235. Intruder II Third-person POV Weisheng could feel his blood boil up as he breathes in the air in the forest. They had been walking for about 15 minutes and there was no sign of human nor beast in the forest. The deeper they enter, the thicker the fog got. Their vision was overcast by the fog and prevented them to see anything more than 10 meters. The fire magic users cast fire rings to lighten the foggy forest but it didn''t work out. What''s more, no matter how many times Weisheng uses his dark magic to disperse the miasma, it would come back and the density would increase. From Weisheng''s instinct, he felt like they were being watched over by an anonymous being. But till now, he didn''t sense any presence around them. As if the person that was behind this was trying to tell them to not go further in and kept leading them to the exit of the Cursed Land. "There is someone watching us," Weisheng muttered. Lu Ping also noticed it and nodded his head. He then turned around and looked at the troops that were following behind "Be careful. It seems like the fog contains something that can cause hallucinations. Stay focus!" Lu Ping warned the troops. "Yes!" they replied. They walked for another 30 minutes and Weisheng narrowed his brows when he encountered the tree that he marked so they wouldn''t get lost in the unfathomable forest. It was already the third time that they run into this marked tree. Weisheng clenched his jaw in anger, his power was already very unstable because of the powerful evil aura that surrounds the forest and to add it, his patience was running thin from the game that the anonymous person was playing on them. He summoned his sword and swung his sword across the wood. A surge of wind exploded and the trees around them were cleanly cut into halves. The fog around them was also cleared up in one strike. "Don''t joke with me," Weisheng growled as his eyes changed. (A/N: The changes in Weisheng''s eyes means that his sclera turned black. It is just weird if I keep writing that out.) "Your Majesty Emperor, your power!" Qiyi reminded. Lu Ping extended his hand to block Qiyi and muttered, "He can manage it." Qiyi glanced at Lu Ping''s confident face, he lowered his hands and anxiously looked at Weisheng who was breathing out a cloud of black smoke. Lu Ping took a few steps forward and stopped not far from Weisheng. "Your Majesty Emperor, please remain calm. This official fear that the evidence will get destroyed by your power." Lu Ping lectured. Weisheng didn''t reply to Lu Ping, he unsummoned his sword and continued to walk away with his hands gripping on the horse''s rein. Lu Ping sighed and signaled the troops to get going. Then Lu Ping abruptly stopped when he caught a glimpse of the mountain not far from where they were. Lu Ping stared at the mountain peak for a few seconds and galloped to Weisheng''s side. "Your Majesty Emperor, it seems like the mountain moved." Lu Ping said in disbelief. Lu Ping''s eyes were glued on the still mountain while his finger was pointing at the mountain. Weisheng looked at Lu Ping with weird eyes and his eyes followed the direction where Lu Ping was pointing at. They waited for a moment and the mountain was stock-still. "There is nothing." Weisheng turned away and was going to walk away when a soldier shouted. "Your Majesty Emperor! This servant also saw it, the mountain clearly moved although it doesn''t move anymore. This servant would never lie!" The soldier put his fist on his chest and swore upon his own life. Weisheng stared at the soldier then to Lu Ping, "Fine, head to the mountain." "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor!" The troops saluted and they swiftly headed to the mountain. On the other side, inside of a dark cave. A young boy was staring at the reflection on the water mirror in front of him with an irritated face. "Tch, what a stubborn brat. And he is quite strong to boot. To be able to disperse one of my most powerful tricks, hmph! I don''t want to admit but he is comparable to me!" The young boy clicked his tongue as he slammed his fist onto the table. The impact of his strike caught the attention of the woman that sat beside him. The woman had bandages all over her body and head except her lips and nose so she could breathe. The corners of lips were always curved into a gentle smile that can soothe one''s heart. If one looks carefully, the bandages around the woman''s eyes were curved inward as if it was empty. The young boy turned his eyes to the woman and slammed his fist onto the stone table once again. "Hey, woman, what did you do that make all these powerful fighters look for you? Did you steal something or did you kill someone significant?" the young man questioned the woman beside him with an impatient voice. The woman only stared at the young boy''s fist without responding to the young boy''s rant. The young boy knocked his forehead with his palm as he realized something. "Damn, I keep forgetting that you can''t hear, can''t speak, and can''t see. More like a dead person." The young boy sighed pitifully. Then he stared at the woman with scrutinizing eyes. The woman''s jet black hair loosely fell on her shoulders, contrasting her smooth and supple skin. Her hair reached waist yet the hair is very silky with less to no split end hair. Although it was covered with bandages, the woman''s face shape clearly showed that she has a heavenly beauty. "You are so beautiful and kind woman, how can someone have the heart to do such a cruel thing to you? Hey woman, ah, you mentioned that your name is¡­.. what is it again? Huan? Huang? Oh! Hong er! The color red Hong. Aiya~ Forget again~ Forget again~" The young boy shook his head in disappointment of his forgetful brain. (A/N: Xu Feihong £¨Ðì·Éºè£©means£¨Ðì:surname£©(·É: fly) (ºè: goose£©. Meanwhile the Hong er that the granny and this young boy use is£¨ºì: red£©(¶ù: the way to show affection like "chan" in Japanese£©Both has the same pronunciation.) The young boy tapped Hong er''s shoulder to get her attention. Hong er looked to his way and tilted her head in confusion. The young boy grabbed Hong er''s hand and started to write on Hong er''s palm with his finger. ''What crime did you do?'' the young boy slowly wrote the words one by one. Hong er tilted her head again in confusion. ''You didn''t kill anyone?'' the young boy wrote again. Hong er quickly shook her head. The young boy placed his chin on his fist as he racked his brain. "Didn''t that brat''s servants call him ''Your Majesty Emperor''? He is an emperor? Hhmm, it has been hundreds of years since the last time I went out of this forest, which country is he from? How can this girl caught the emperor''s attention? Is he going to kill her like those suspicious groups did?" the young boy kept racking his brain. Not long after, he gave up and decided to ask the person himself. ''Are you acquainted with an emperor?'' the young boy wrote on her palm with his brows furrowed into one line. Hong er instantly burst out laughing at the young boy''s question. The young boy looked at her with weird eyes and lightly smacked her shoulder. ''What are you laughing at?'' the young boy angrily wrote. Hong er pressed her lips with her fingers to cease her laughter. Then she waved her hand around to grab the young boy''s hand. The young boy positioned his palm in front of her and guided her right hand to his hand. She slowly wrote out, ''How can I be acquainted with an emperor?'' Her hand halted for a few seconds before she continued to write whilst chuckling at the ridiculous thought of being an emperor''s acquaintance. ''I am just a lowly slave with no one by my side. My husband and son had died.'' Her face displayed the grievance of losing one''s family. "Well, what you said is true. How can someone as high as an emperor be acquainted with you. Maybe you unknowingly did something bad to him and he wants a revenge. Hmph! All human is the same, except you!" The young boy shrugged his shoulder and swept his hand across the water mirror that he uses to monitor Weisheng. "Don''t worry, I will protect you from all the bad human." Chapter 238 - 236. Scram!! I Third-person POV The young boy stared at Hong er for quite a while then grabbed her hand again to write on her palm. ''I will check your wounds.'' Hong er nodded her head and followed the young boy by placing her hand on his shoulder. The young boy untied the bandages and cleaned up the wounds then replaced them with new bandages and medicine. After he was done changing the bandages, he wrote a message on her palm. ''Don''t move too much.'' Hong er obediently nodded her head and used her hand to feel the cold stone that she was sitting on. She tilted her head and continued to grope around. She found the stone that she was sitting on was warmer than usual and it had different texture compare to the seat where she usually sat. Since she lost two of her senses, her sight and her hearing ability, her smell and skin''s sensibility increased immensely. Then she sniffed the air a few times and noticed that the air around her was more humid. The young boy was resting beside her when he noticed her unusual behavior. He offered his palm for her to write on. ''Where are we?'' Hong er wrote down. ''Inside a mountain.'' The young boy answered. Hong er''s mouth opened in shock, she used both of her hands to make a triangle as she murmured inaudibly. (A/N: No offense to anyone, Hong er can make sounds but she can''t speak clear words nor can she talk because her memory was changed and in her memory, she has been deaf since she was born. So she didn''t know how to pronounce words.) ''Yes,'' the young boy responded. Hong er panicky pulled the young boy''s hand and wrote with trembling hand, ''Aren''t mountain full of hot liquids?'' The young boy chuckled as he found Hong er getting panic over lava was very funny, ''No. This mountain is special.'' Hong er''s lips formed into "o". The cave was so quiet that the sound of water dripping could be heard loud and clear by the young boy. The young boy yawned out of boredom, at this time, usually, he would be asleep. Since he couldn''t fall asleep because he had to keep a lookout on the intruders, to prevent himself from fall asleep, he stared at Hong er who was carefreely humming a melody while her fingers tapping her thigh along the melody. ''What a beautiful melody.'' The young boy praised in his heart. Once in a while, he could feel a shiver ran down his spine. ''This mortal brat, he dared to use his inner sight. Hmph! Who do you think I am?! I am the guardian of the Cursed Land and one of the high-rank demon from the underworld! Tao Qi! Since Hong er is in a good mood, I will not kill you, mortal brat!'' Tao Qi cursed as he clenched his jaw in irritation. Tao Qi swept his hand across the mirror frame that was filled with water rather than a mirror glass. Then an image of Weisheng destroying every bit of the Illusion Mist that Tao Qi cast to drive them out. He slapped the stone table as the effort that he put on to cast the spell went to waste because of Weisheng''s rampage. His body abruptly froze when an idea came to his mind. The corner of his lips arched into an evil smile. ''Let''s see how you deal with this! Ahahaha!'' Tao Qi raised one of his feet on to the table and laughed mischievously. Tao Qi brought his thumb to his lips and bit his thumb until blood seeped out from his skin. Then he let his blood dripped down to the ground and sunk into the soil. Hong er''s brow twitched when she smelled a metallic scent which she is very familiar with. Not long after, the ground shook vigorously and caused Hong er to yelp and searched for a nearby object to hold on. She let out an incomprehensive cry to call Tao Qi but she didn''t get any response from the certain boy. Meanwhile, the certain boy that she was calling, was laughing at the miserable Weisheng who was fighting off the corpses that all of sudden creep out from the shaking ground. "Ahahaha! That''s what you got from provoking me!" Tao Qi laughed with both of his hands on his waist. In the reflection on the water mirror, Weisheng''s scythe was slashing off the endless corpses. His crimson red eyes shone brightly within the dense fog. He growled and cleaned the corpse wave with one powerful strike. But the amount of people and beast that died in the Cursed Land was too much for Weisheng''s small group to handle. In addition, the corpses couldn''t feel any pain nor they have any feeling. Therefore the tactic to chase them away by scaring them is futile. Nevertheless, Weisheng didn''t give up and kept on killing the corpses with his scythe. The malice aura that the corpses release after it was slashed off made everything much worse for them, especially Weisheng. The dark power inside him is already hard enough to control, needless to say when there was additional dark power that his body subconsciously absorbed. Without saying, there were soldiers that were eaten alive by the corpses and Lu Ping was thinking about retreating but he was sure that Weisheng wouldn''t agree with him. Lu Ping clenched his jaw and tried to hold the corpses'' attack until they were driven into a corner then he would tell Weisheng to withdraw. Seeing this method also couldn''t push Weisheng and his group away, Tao Qi frowned and gritted his as Weisheng''s stubbornness was harder than rock. Just when he was about to send another wave of corpses, a hard smack landed on the back of his head. "Oww! Who dares to hit me?! Looking for dead?!" Tao Qi cursed with every curse word that he knew. He turned around to look at the person who had the big gut to hit him. But his heart immediately dropped when he saw Hong er with the bandages around her eye stained with blood. He had warned Hong er that the wounds in her eye sockets would re-open if she had unstable emotion or grieving too much that can cause the blood pressure to rise. Hong er fondled around to look for Tao Qi''s hand and wrote a long sentence then ended with a hard pinch on his palm. ''Is this your doing?! Are you teasing the animal again? It is dangerous to do that when we are inside such a narrow cave, no, mountain!'' Hong er wrote while incoherently yelled at Tao Qi. The bloodstain on her bandage grew wider and darker as more blood seeping out from her eye sockets to her bandage. Tao Qi guiltily looked at Hong er and quickly canceled the corpse controlling spell. The earthquake stopped as well, he swiftly guided her to sit on his chair and rubbed her palm to calm her. ''Okay, I won''t tease them anymore. It is just they are so persistent in attacking us so it leaves me with no choice.'' Tao Qi wrote on Hong er''s palm without knowing that his lips were puckered into a pout. Hong er playfully ruffled Tao Qi''s hair and checked his body from head to toe with her fingers. She sighed in relief as she didn''t find any injury on Tao Qi''s body. A gentle smile re-appeared on her pale lips as she wrote another message on Tao Qi''s palm. ''It is good that you are unscattered. Why don''t you just talk it out with them?'' Hong er suggested with her brows arched in pleading. Tao Qi clicked his tongue as Hong er found his weakness just in two weeks since they were living together. He brushed off Hong er''s hand not too hard, yet, not too light as he wanted to show that he was upset that Hong er didn''t take his side. Tao Qi muttered a chant and the clouds above the mountain quickly turned grey. He coughed a few times to clear his throat then he opened his crimson red eyes with a snake-like pupils. Weisheng and Lu Ping that were utterly confused when the corpses suddenly collapsed to the ground lifelessly, looked up to the darkened sky. Then a deep voice resounded throughout the Cursed Land. "You mortals, what are you doing to my land?" Chapter 239 - 237. Scram!! II Third-person POV Weisheng and Lu Ping both were surprised to hear the voice appeared out of nowhere. It took them a few seconds to process what happened and the quick-witted Lu Ping knew that it would be troublesome if Weisheng answered the anonymous person when Weisheng was in an extremely bad mood. Lu Ping also deeply aware that the owner of the voice was not someone he should offend since he could use such an outworld spell-like waking up the rotting corpses from the ground. Lu Ping graciously stepped forward and bowed with his fist cupped. "If I may ask, who is this esteemed elder?" Lu Ping politely inquired. "Elder? I am the guardian of the Cursed Land! The Demon of Mischievous, Tao Qi! How dare you mortals intrude my land and destroyed everything?!" Tao Qi bellowed with his real voice. (A/N: Tao Qi is the demon of mischievous, that''s why he has the body of a child. But he used his demon voice a.k.a real voice when he talked to Weisheng. And that''s why Lu Ping addressed him as an esteemed elder because his voice is very deep and sounds like an old man that smoked too many cigarettes.) Lu Ping and Weisheng stared at each other as they hadn''t met real demon in their life. They only heard about the demons from books and stories therefore it was shocking to find the guardian of the Cursed Land to be a demon rather than a spirit. Lu Ping quickly regained his composure and beamed a friendly smile. "Ah~ Our apologies, we came here to find something and didn''t mean to disturb your rest. And if it is not a blunder of mine to ask, do you happen to see a lady with injuries in her eyes?" Lu Ping disregarded Tao Qi''s rampage and went straight to the point. "Lady? There is none. Even if there is, she would be dead as soon as she entered. You asked a question and I answered it. Now scram!" Tao Qi roared. Weisheng narrowed his eyes in suspicion and thrust his sword to the ground. His dark power flowed from his sword to the ground and caused the ground to shook fiercely that it caught Tao Qi off guard. As a result of the tremor that Weisheng caused, tiny bits of pebbles and soil feel from the ceiling. Tao Qi quickly put on a protective shield around Hong er and him in fear the ceiling of the cave collapsed and killed the currently fragile Hong er. Hong er tugged Tao Qi''s collar and incoherently scolded him. But Tao Qi only patted her hand to reassure Hong er as he had a more important business to deal with Weisheng. Tao Qi stared at Weisheng''s crimson''s eyes with black sclera surrounding it which ridiculously similar to a demon''s eyes when they use their power. ''This mortal brat is demon descendant? No, it is impossible, it must be only a pure coincidence. If a demon had a child whether it is with other demon or another species, they have to take full responsibility of the child and must not be thrown to the human world as it will disturb the balance of the world. Maybe a noble family was blessed with red eyes like a demon when I was resting in the mountain. But is it possible for a mere noble human to change the color of its sclera?'' Tao Qi racked his brain whilst biting his nail. Then he parted his lips to ask, "The guy with red eyes. Which family are you from?" Weisheng''s brows twitched in annoyance, "The f*ck do I have to tell you?" Weisheng''s usually aloof image disappeared as the anger had eaten up his brain. Hong er strictly prohibited him to curse as she was afraid that their child would follow the bad behavior. As there was a saying, children are a reflection of the parents. Moreover, they are public figures and showing such crude behavior to the public is very disgraceful for the Liu Royal Family. If by any chance, other kids followed the behavior that their emperor and princes displayed, it would stain their reputation even in the eye of the commoners. However, he didn''t care any of that. As long as he can see his wife, he would do anything. "I am asking you a question and you just need to answer it, you mortal. Your red eyes, is it a blessing? Since when?" Tao Qi demanded as his voice grew firmer. A surge of Weisheng''s dark power exploded and caused the trees around him to blown away, "Liu family, 112 years ago." "Liu family? I never heard of that name." Tao Qi nonchalantly spoke. "My great great great grandparents saved a spirit king that was detained by the previous emperor. Therefore, granted the blessing of the spirit king. Satisfied?" Weisheng said grudgingly. Tao Qi''s lips formed into a wide grin and laughed hysterically, ''Spirit king? More like, a demon king!'' Weisheng shoot another wave of his dark power into his dark power and created a hollow on the ground where he was standing. Tao Qi''s brows arched in interest as his true nature started to re-surface from seeing Weisheng''s rampage reaction. "I know enough. So don''t destroy my favorite mountain. It filled with too many corpses and it is hard for me to clean up the mess. I swear under God of Darkness, Hei An, that no one entered the Cursed Land today expect you bunch." Tao Qi purposely silenced the ''today'' word and only lip-synced the word. With his palm placed on his chest, an enormous red magic circle appeared above the mountain where he was hiding. Weisheng and Lu Ping were instantly convinced that Tao Qi wasn''t lying when there was no lightning struck the magic circle. This act has been done for a long time and one of the most ancient spell that was still being used nowadays. It was very simple. One had to swear under the god that they were serving, the stronger the god is, the more effective it is. Usually human with average power couldn''t use the spell because it consume abundant amount of Qi depends on the rank of the god that they swore under. So they called a priest or anyone that had enough Qi to perform the spell which generally needs a lot of money. And the most usual god that people chose is the five main element god or goddess. The name of Goddess of Light, Sheng Jie, was only used on special cases such as noble trial which rarely happens regarding how disgraceful it is to lose the trial. Since Tao Qi is a demon, the god that he served under is undoubtedly Hei An, God of Darkness. The consequence if the statement that they declared was different from the truth is lightning would strike them 3 times. Knowing that the last resort proved that Hong er wasn''t in the Cursed Land, Weisheng retracted his dark power and unsummoned his sword. Weisheng reluctantly stepped forward and bowed, "I apologize for my misbehavior. We will leave this instance." "Hmph! You had offended me once, don''t you dare step even a foot in my land ever again!" They turned around and left the Cursed Land with an extremely depressed on their faces. But Tao Qi didn''t manage to see it as he immediately closed his water mirror the moment Weisheng decided to withdraw. Hong er that had been standing behind him sighed in relief when the earthquake finally stopped. Then she took his small hand with her rough slender hand. ''Don''t push yourself too hard.'' Hong er drew a smiley face with two small horns on top. Tao Qi''s face softened as his heart filled with an indescribable emotion. "You are the only person that genuinely cares about me despite knowing that I am a demon king." Tao Qi patted her head. He grabbed his hand and excitedly wrote, ''We are family, I am your grandfather and you are my granddaughter.'' He ended with a drawing of his and Hong er''s smiling face next to each other but with a halo on top of Hong er''s head. "Devil and angel? What a weird combination!" Tao Qi laughed at his weird imagination. Chapter 240 - 238. The Are Our Masters I Third-person POV On a tree branch, there was a young boy with an apple in his hand, laying leisurely while enjoying the scenery that could only be seen on the peak of the tallest mountain in Cursed Land. "Hmph! If I think again, the Qi of that brat is very familiar but what is it?" Tao Qi spun his brain whilst munching on an apple that Hong er washed cleanly for him. His eyes widened in shock when a menacing figure passed his mind. His buttcheek accidentally slipped on the tree branch as he suddenly rose from his position. However, with his quick reflex, he stopped in the air with his face only 5 cm apart from the ground. Fortunately, he has the ability to fly because he is a demon. "Master Hei An? What the f*ck?!" Tao Qi ran his fingers through his hair as he was at a loss for words. He paced back and forth while racking his brain to find another reason that Weisheng was related to Hei An. After a few minutes of pondering, flame lighted up on Tao Qi''s head. "AHH! I don''t know anymore! My brain is used to pull a prank, not to solve a mystery!" Tao Qi stomped his foot on the ground in anger. Then he turned around to find Hong er staring at his direction with an apple in her mouth. Tao Qi skipped towards her and wrote a short message on Hong er''s palm. ''I will go out for a while, you obediently stay inside the cave.'' Tao Qi guided Hong er into their cave and placed her down on her bed. He opened a portal and on the other side of the portal, every corner of the space was covered with mirrors. Tao Qi flew into the portal and the portal behind him immediately closed. He calmly walked down the corridor full of mirror as if it was his friend''s house. If one looked closely at the reflection of the mirror, rather than an image of a cute young boy, it was a handsome tall man with two long horns on his head, his pitch-black hair was so long that it passed his waist. His skin was deathly pale that his black veins were visible up to his neck. The hem of his clothes emitted black smoke and added a mysterious aura around him. His overall monochrome appearance contrasted his crimson red eyes which glowed the brighter than the light that reflected by the mirror. "Yo, granny, I know you hear me. Don''t play a joke with me because I am not in the mood to do that sh*t." Tao Qi spat with a pure annoyance on his face. A seductive sigh was heard then the mirrors around him shifted till a wide mirror emerged in front of him. Tao Qi walked into the mirror without a flinch and he was transported into a room he was very familiar with. Along the long white carpet, maids with distinct alluring beauty were standing at the side with their heads lowered down. They bent their knees at the presence of Tao Qi as he was a high-rank demon unlike them. At the end of the aisle, a woman with an exceedingly tantalizing body laying on a white fox fur bed. Her clothes were extremely open and suggestive, her shoulder and her back were exposed only covering her front body and lower half. Since she was laying down, her flimsy cloth dropped and revealing her smooth and perfectly sculpted long legs. With her back was facing Tao Qi, she sighed for the second time. Tao Qi stood only a step behind her. "Oi, old woman." Tao Qi called with a visible displease in his voice. The woman still didn''t pay a heed to Tao Qi and continued to sigh. A vein popped out Tao Qi''s forehead, he smirked as he thought of an idea to make the woman face him. He put his finger into his nostril and wiped his dirtied with booger finger on the woman''s back. The woman saw through his mischievous act from the reflection on one of her mirrors. She quickly turned around but Tao Qi was faster than her and his booger successfully stuck to her back. "You brat!" the woman screeched. The maids that stood silently at the side quickly came to their master''s rescue, they cleaned the woman''s back with a wet cloth. But the woman still couldn''t get rid of the feeling of having booger stuck on her back. "You brat only bring disaster to here! Unbelievable! Why are you even here?!" The woman complained with her e.r.o.t.i.c voice. "I called you so many times and you ignored me. Or your ear started to deteriorate, you old b*tch." Tao Qi nonchalantly sat on the side of her bed. "Hey, as a great man once said, b*tches are nice people. And I am not old just because I am older than you. Remember who raised your snotty ass." The woman circled her slender arms around Tao Qi''s narrow shoulder and rested her head on top of his head. (A/N: Tao Qi''s body is a body of 8 years old boy and the tall man on the mirror reflection previously is his true form. Currently, he is in a boy''s body.) "Fine, fine, but still it makes you an old woman." Tao Qi sighed and surrendered his body as the woman''s body pillow. "Ahh~ I love your true form, you are so handsome and you have a great body. But you are cuter in this form, more huggable." The woman squeezed Tao Qi and earned a painful groan from the boy inside her embrace. "Get your b.o.o.b.s out of my face. I am here to ask you a question, Yin Yu." Tao Qi pushed Yin Yu''s voluptuous b.r.e.a.s.ts that were pressed against his cheek. "What is it?" Yin Yu asked but didn''t release Tao Qi from her tight embrace. "Since you often go to the human world to collect l.u.s.tful souls for your snack, you must know many things about the current situation in the human world. Tell me about it, an emperor from the Liu family." Tao Qi tiredly demanded. The Demon of L.u.s.t, Yin Yu, likes to collect l.u.s.tful souls and ate them while enjoying looking over the memory of the owner of the soul. Usually, she only took the soul of the person that had caused crime from being overly l.u.s.tful, no matter what gender is it, no matter what s.e.x.u.a.lity the owner had, the more l.u.s.tful it is, the tastier it is. Sometimes she would whisper ''disgusting'' if she found the personality of the soul''s owner is an utter jerk, pedophile, or a crazy rapist. And she would put the soul into a torture chamber to season the soul so it would be more appetizing when she devours the tortured soul. "Why are you asking me this? Is there someone that caught your attention? Hhmm~ I can tell you but nothing is free." Yin Yu rubbed her cheek on Tao Qi''s soft hair. "Tell me your price." Tao Qi indifferently spat. "I want to meet this girl that you are keeping." Yin Yu swept her hand in the air and a large mirror materialized in front of them. An image of Hong er sitting obediently on her bed while eating an almost finished apple. Tao Qi wasn''t surprised at all when Yin Yu showed him a picture of Hong er. Yin Yu is full of curiosity especially towards anything that Tao Qi took an interest to. She immediately used her power to check Tao Qi''s favorite place in the human world, the Cursed Land. "I can say that she is a quite beautiful girl. Where did you find her?" Yin Yu asked as her interest was piqued. "Dying in my land. And a mortal brat came with demon eyes and Qi that similar to Master Hei An''s." Tao Qi summarized. Hearing Hei An''s name, Yin Yu''s expression instantly turned stern. She released Tao Qi and looked at him with unusually serious eyes. "That emperor from Liu family that you asked?" Yin Yu questioned. "Yes," Tao Qi replied. "Is this girl pleasant to be around with?" Yin Yu questioned once again but with a firmer voice. "Yes?" Tao Qi said with a questioning and affirming tone at the same time. "Then they must be Master Hei An and Goddess Sheng Jie''s reincarnation." Yin Yu muttered. Chapter 241 - 239. They Are Our Masters II Third-person POV Tao Qi stared at Yin Yu with bewildered eyes. He had hoped that his speculation was false so he wouldn''t get punished by Hei An for offending him when Hei An''s soul went back to his original form. "So that''s why his eyes can change like that! How stupid I am to offend master?! Wait! So Hong er is Goddess Sheng Jie?!" Tao Qi exclaimed as his hands started to tremble. "I assume it is. Goddess Sheng Jie has the holy power that soothes one''s negative power. Usually, people would think that holy power is the most effective power to hurt demons, well, they are not wrong. But because of that, our unstable power can be easily calmed by only the presence of Goddess Sheng Jie''s power." Yin Yu''s lips curled into a soft smile when she thought of Sheng Jie''s gentle personality. "No wonder her face is so familiar, I saw her when Master Hei An lost control of his power and she suddenly appeared out of nowhere then started to scold our master." Tao Qi knocked on his forehead as he punished himself for forgetting such an important event. (A/N: The event that Tao Qi was talking about is when Sheng Jie visited Hei An because the human world became chaotic because of his unstable power. More like, Hei An fell in love with Sheng Jie moment.) "From what I know, this Hong er you are talking about is the empress of Da Qi, the current strongest country. And maybe that Liu brat you asked is the emperor of Da Qi, her husband." Yin Yu explained calmly. On the other side, Tao Qi was freaking out within his heart. His face turned whiter than Yin Yu''s white fox fur bed. "I am dead, even though I am still alive right now, I am literally dead. Master Hei An will destroy my soul when he comes back." Tao Qi murmured while pulling on his hair. Yin Yu also became anxious when she saw the petrified expression on Tao Qi''s face, "What is going on?" Tao Qi exhaled a deep sigh and started to freak out, "I literally kicked Master Hei An out from Cursed Land! I also lied to him and swore under his name that no one came into the Cursed Land other than him! The meaning is that I literally separated Master Hei An and Goddess Sheng Jie! And I am literally dead!" Tao Qi profusely slammed his head to the floor. Yin Yu''s face instantly paled, the maids around her also looked around in worry. Hei An was known to be cruel and merciless before he met Sheng Jie, therefore, little and high-ranked demons like them really grateful of Sheng Jie for taking control of Hei An''s emotion. Sometimes Sheng Jie would help them to get out when they were in a pinch such as getting punished for talking in a vulgar way in front of Sheng Jie. They were demons, it was hard for them to change old habits so they often get into trouble because of it. Yin Yu touched her chin with her long fingers as her brows furrowed in contemplation. "Maybe this is one of the Creator''s test?" Yin Yu stated with a tint of uncertainty tone in her voice. "Probably! But I am making it harder for them, Master Hei An will come for me." Tao Qi continued to slam his head onto the floor. Yin Yu couldn''t help but agree with Tao Qi. The first trial was where both Hei An and Sheng Jie were punished in the most gruesome place and most painful torture that could exist for god, the Fallen God. Hei An had been mentally tortured by watching Sheng Jie being tortured relentlessly for thousands of years, therefore, the frustration inside of him was piling up and they fear that Hei An would be merciless towards Tao Qi. "I know what I am going to say is only an assumption but how about you request help from Goddess Sheng Jie as soon as she returned to heaven." Yin Yu''s face brightened as she suggested. "It is easier to say than do, will she even help the me that hinder her fate?! Even if she is extremely kind, she isn''t that stupid to help someone that did wrong to her!" Tao Qi hopelessly spread out on the floor. Yin Yu picked him up and threw him to her bed with her magic, "Yes, she is not stupid. In fact, she is a very smart woman. It is just that her heart is stupidly kind that sometimes I wonder how her brain works." "Can''t I just bring Hong er to Master Hei An? Everything will be done!" Tao Qi excitedly rose from the bed and looked at Yin Yu with sparkling eyes. "The Creator is very complex, no one can guess what is in his mind. But I am sure that this is one the test that Master Hei An and Goddess Sheng Jie have to pass. Human has a short life, they want to enjoy as much as possible during their short life. For us, immortals, 100 years just pass by in a blink of an eye. But if we look from a human''s perspective, the long separation between Master Hei An and Goddess Sheng Jie is very torturing. So if you interfere by purposely helping them, I am afraid you are only making it harder for them. You just need to take good care of her while she is staying in your place. She will definitely help you as long as you don''t get into her bad side." Yin Yu Tao Qi stared at Yin Yu with dead eyes, "Ughhh~ Why does it have to be me?! For a high-ranked demon, I haven''t lived that long!" Yin Yu smacked Tao Qi''s head and scolded, "Because you are the only high-ranked demon that resides in the human world! I had told you many times to get back to your own territory and do your job! But because you said ''Oh~ I wanna pull some pranks on human so I will live there until I get bored'' sh*t, you reap what you sow." Tao Qi rubbed his head that was smacked by Yin Yu and sulked. Seeing that the boy that was once taken care of was in a difficult place, anxiety mixed with worries filled her heart. "Fine, I will help you beg Goddess Sheng Jie in case you fail, but you probably won''t. Just treat her carefully because she is the most important person to Master Hei An. You hear me?" Yin Yu pulled Tao Qi''s ear. Tao Qi weakly nodded his head. "Now go back before anything happens to her. If you need any help just call me. Don''t look at her n.a.k.e.d body or I can''t assure your safety from Master Hei An." Yin Yu swept her hand and a mirror portal appeared. Tao Qi spiritlessly floated to the portal and closes the portal. After ensuring that Tao Qi went back to his cave to attend Hong er, Yin Yu sighed and regained her cold composure. She raised her hand and the maids swiftly retreated from the room. Yin Yu stared at the mirror in front of her with eyes full of yearning. In the mirror, it was a projector of Tao Qi''s cave. And currently, Tao Qi was writing on the woman in bandages'' palm, meanwhile, the woman in bandages giggled from the story that Tao Qi wrote for her. Yin Yu''s fingers gently brushed over the woman in bandages'' face, "You are still the same even after so long." The gentle smile on Hong er''s lips was exactly the same as the smile that Sheng Jie showed to her at that day. A crystal tear trickled down her cheek as her trembling lips struggled to spell out the name that she hadn''t said for a long time. "Sheng Jiejie." (A/N: Sheng Jie''s name£¨Ê¥½à: holy and pure£©, meanwhile the ''Sheng Jiejie'' that Yin Yu used means Sister Sheng (Ê¥ sheng: holy/sacred, ½ã½ã jiejie: older sister) ) Chapter 242 - 240. I Am Sorry Third-person POV A few weeks later, Weisheng and his entourage arrived back at the Royal Palace after exploring a few other places that seemed suspicious. Unfortunately, there was still no clue of Hong er''s presence anywhere. Even the Cursed Land, the place that they thought had the highest chance of finding Hong er was also crossed out from their list. Needless to say, Weisheng was very stressed by the current situation and he was extremely worn-out every time he received the news that Hong er wasn''t in the area that they were searching for. In Weisheng''s study room, Weisheng was sitting on his throne with several letters spread out on the table in front of him. The letters were sent by the people that participated in searching for Hong er and from generals that were currently engaged in war such as Di Shang and the general in Bei Zhou''s border. Weisheng became more anxious when Di Shang''s letter wrote that Xu Tingfeng had safely passed the border in Xi An 2 weeks ago and would arrive at Chang An in about 3 weeks which means Xu Tingfeng would reach Chang An at the end of this week as the letter was from 2 weeks ago. It also said that Xu Tingfeng was very furious and demanded Weisheng''s presence when he arrived at the Royal Palace. Di Shang also mentioned that Bai Huiqing suffered a heavy injury in her eye and was still unconscious when Di Shang met them. But there was a certain thing that surprised Weisheng, he lifted his eyes to Lu Ping and motioned the letter with his fingers. "General Di, he doesn''t know about Meiyun''s current state?" Weisheng questioned. Lu Ping shook his head and sighed pitifully, "At first I thought that Meiyun would wake up in a few days but she didn''t. Therefore I contacted the Di family in Dong Fang region rather than Di Shang so it wouldn''t disrupt his concentration from the war in Xi An. Da Chu truly went all out to get Great General Xu and it is already hard for him to handle the war single-handedly, not to say, it is with soldiers that he never commanded before. Coincidentally, the Di family was on the way back to Chang An to report the ice tsunami case. I asked them if I should inform General Di regarding Meiyun''s condition, they also said that I don''t need to because of the same reason. And¡­" Weisheng narrowed his eyes in suspense, "And?" "She lost her child." Lu Ping couldn''t help but sigh again. "How? Didn''t Shu Zhiruo say that there was nothing wrong with Meiyun?" Weisheng slammed his hand onto the table. "It is because there was nothing. The Di family doctor checked Meiyun and told everything that Meiyun restricted him to say. The Di family silently mourned and at that time we were in the inspection so we are not informed by this. The pregnancy pulse was gone along with the baby and maybe this is the main reason why they refused to tell General Di. It will definitely affect his performance in battle." Lu Ping said. Weisheng widened his eyes in disbelief and his fists trembled from too much force that he put in, ''She knew that she was pregnant and she sacrificed her child to summon the portal.'' Seeing that the complexion in Weisheng''s face worsened, Lu Ping worriedly went to Weisheng''s side and was about to call a physician when Weisheng''s hand stopped him. "No need, I am fine. Send the Di family condolences gifts." Weisheng said with his trembling voice as he hid his eyes with his palm in shame. ''I killed her child. Everything is my fault, I am so powerless¡­useless piece of trash.'' Weisheng loathed himself within his heart Lu Ping stared at Weisheng with a visible confusion on his face, "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." The room was dead silent for a quite while before Weisheng started to ask Lu Ping question again, "Ping An, what do you think about the Seventh Prince?" (A/N: Lu Ping''s full name is Lu Ping An.) Lu Ping turned his eyes to the worn-out Weisheng and said with a firm voice, "Your Majesty Emperor, this official thinks that the Seventh Prince didn''t lie." "Why do you say so?" Weisheng inquired. "His expression showed that he said the truth, Your Majesty Emperor know my specialty in reading facial expression right? Although I suspected that the Seventh Prince has a hidden feeling to Her Majesty Empress, I think that he won''t do any harm to Her Majesty Empress. He sees you as his love rival but he still asked for your help. He is smart but not wise. The maid beside him filled that weakness of him, she is braver, wiser, and think more logically. From the way she speaks, it seems like she looks up to Her Majesty Empress as a hero. Good that he keep her beside him." Lu Ping explained while organizing the doc.u.ments in Weisheng''s desk. Weisheng pondered for a while and rose from his seat, "I will leave for a moment." The door behind him slammed shut and the guards around him were showering with cold sweat. Weisheng''s mood became worse and worse over the time that they didn''t even dare to look at Weisheng directly in his eyes. Weisheng made his way to the prince''s residence in Fei Hong Palace. Just as he was about to enter the room, he heard a loud wail blasted from inside. The servants that were around him instantly went pale. In their hearts, they fear that Weisheng was ticked off by the baby''s cries. But when Weisheng gently opened the door and walked into the room with a calm face, they gaped and stared at Weisheng like it was a whole different person from a few minutes ago. Weisheng had long entered the room but the servants were still standing outside, they snapped out from their daze and quickly followed Weisheng into the room. The servants inside swiftly gave their greeting to Weisheng, however, Weisheng was one step ahead of them and gestured that they didn''t need to bother as they currently were busy soothing the crying baby. "What happened?" Weisheng interrogated with his brows furrowed. He looked at the baby pushing the baby bottle with his tiny hands, even the Jin Momo that was holding him was perplexed as she didn''t know what to do especially with Weisheng''s domineering presence in front of her. "His Highness Prince Zhang doesn''t want to eat no matter what, Your Majesty Emperor." Jin Momo said while coaxing the baby to drink his milk at the same time. Meanwhile, the other baby in Ming Yu''s arms was leisurely drinking her milk whilst watching her brother wailing. Weisheng sighed, he looked for a chair and sat comfortably then he stretched out his arms. Jin Momo carefully laid the baby onto Weisheng''s left arm and handed the baby bottle to him. Weisheng stared at his son with his menacing crimson-red eyes but it seems like Zhang Wei inherited his father''s stubbornness. He stopped his wailing and fearlessly glared at Weisheng with his blood-red eyes that had a tint of gold in it. (A/N: Liu Zhang Wei is the baby boy''s full name.) Weisheng was quite taken aback by his son''s retaliation. Seeing his father was in a daze, Zhang Wei swatted the baby bottle from Weisheng''s hand and caused the baby bottle to crash to the floor. Tears filled Zhang Wei''s eyes once again and he let out an ear-piercing cry. Jin Momo quickly picked up the baby bottle from the floor and ordered the other maid to make the milk in a new bottle. Weisheng helplessly stared at his son, ''Hong er ah, if it is you, what would you do?'' As the image of smiling Hong er appeared in his mind, he took out Hong er''s earrings that he had been keeping from his chest pocket. He waved the two white jade phoenix earrings in front of Zhang Wei and softly called his name. "Zhang er, guess whose it is?" Weisheng brought the earrings closer to Zhang Wei. Chapter 243 - 241. I Miss Mother I Third-person POV At the sight of the unique earrings, Zhang Wei''s cry instantly ceased as he stared at the earrings with wide eyes. He reached out to the earrings with his short arms and babbled incoherent words. A few seconds later, he managed to grab one of the earrings. He played with the unique earring for a while and not long after, he put it in his mouth. Weisheng panicked and immediately pulled out the earring from Zhang Wei''s mouth. As his new toy was forcefully taken away by his father, he parted his lips to bombard his powerful cry. Knowing that Zhang Wei was going to cry again, Weisheng hastily handed the earring back to Zhang Wei. He sighed tiredly as he stared at his son in defeat, ''Rebellious kid. Like me.'' To make sure that Zhang Wei didn''t swallow the earring, Weisheng keenly watched over his naughty son. Then a soft but firm babble was heard from across him, "Ah buh!" "Your Highness Princess Rong, please drink your milk." Ming Yu gently pressed the bottle milk to Rong Ai''s lips. But Rong Ai resisted and pushed the bottle milk away with her puffy cheek, she stretched out her arms to Weisheng with teary eyes. Ming Yu glanced at Weisheng who was staring at Rong Ai, she stood up and walked to Weisheng''s side. Weisheng followed Rong Ai''s eyes and found out that she was looking at the other piece of the earrings in his hand. The corner of his lips arched into a weak smile as he handed the earring to Rong Ai. Unlike her brother, she hugged the earring tightly in her embrace and proceeded to drink her milk. ''How can you two be so alike?'' Weisheng caressed Rong Ai''s head and gently poked her puffy cheek. Rong Ai felt quite annoyed by the finger as it disturbed her from drinking her delicious meal. She wrapped his little fingers around the rough finger hoping that it could stop poking her cheek, but her action caused Weisheng to have a heart attack. Weisheng was struggling to keep his face straight from the overload cuteness. Then he heard a faint gurgling sound from his son''s stomach. Jin Momo chuckled at the baby''s cuteness, she pulled out the earring from Zhang Wei''s mouth and swiftly put the teat of the baby bottle into Zhang Wei''s mouth before he could let out another cry. With Hong er''s earring in their hand, they silently drinking their milk while fighting the severe sleepiness. Weisheng occasionally tapped the back of the bottle with his finger whenever the baby was going to fell asleep so that the baby could finish the milk before they take their nap. A few minutes later, the milk in the baby bottle was drained till the last drop by Zhang Wei and Rong Ai. They instantly went into their dreamland as soon as they swallowed the last gulp of the milk. The hands that were holding onto the earrings also loosened quite a bit. Just when Weisheng was about to take away the earrings from their hands, the earrings suddenly glowed brightly that it blinded their vision. They slowly opened their eyes when the light subsided. They were bewildered to see the earrings disappeared from the babies'' hands. But then, Rong Ai grunted from the discomfort on her earlobe and twisted around to find a better sleeping position in Ming Yu''s arms. They were more shocked to see the earrings were hanging on Zhang Wei and Rong Ai''s earlobe. One on Rong Ai''s left ear and the other one on Zhang Wei''s right ear. Although the earrings do look heavy on the baby''s ear, however, the babies would grow bigger over time and at that time, it would suit and look good on them just like their mother. Weisheng stared at them with loving eyes for a while and passed Zhang Wei to Jin Momo so she could put him into bed too. To not disturb the babies'' afternoon nap, Weisheng decided to go out and take a look at his eldest son. Their mother was absent and the three of them were still young, therefore as a father, he had to fill that vacant space as best as he could. Before Weisheng walked out of the room, he glanced at his children for one last time. ''Hong er, please protect them.'' Weisheng beseeched within his heart. Then he strolled around the garden that he demanded the gardener to finish in a span of one week which they did meticulously knowing that the emperor was not very magnanimous in things that involved around the empress. The flowers that they planted were Hong er''s favorites too and it wasn''t that hard for them to guess as Hong er was not picky in a matter of everything. No matter what flowers they planted for her during the time where she was still in the Royal Palace, she would always smile at them and thank them for their hard work which they truly appreciate from the deepest of their hearts. The vibrant color of the flower contrasted with the white snow that piled on top of the petals. Weisheng sighed and continued his walk around the garden when he saw Xue Lang sitting on the ground, facing the Floating Lotus Pavilion with a paintbrush in his hand and a white paper spread out on a small table in front of him. Weisheng immediately glared at the restless servants. Without needing a command from Weisheng, Qiyi quickly went over to Xue Lang''s servants and scolded them. "Why is His Highness Prince Xue sitting here, on the ground, under the snow?! What if His Highness Prince Xue got sick? All of you must have known that His Highness Prince Xue is still not fully healed yet!" Qiyi reprimanded with whisper shouting. Xue Lang spotted Qiyi and happily turned his body around as he hadn''t seen his father for weeks. But his eyes dropped as soon as he saw Weisheng glaring at him, he hastily stood up and dashed towards Weisheng. "Greeting to Imperial Father! This son went to visit Imperial Father as soon as I heard the news that Imperial Father had returned. But this son didn''t dare to disturb Imperial Father and waited for Imperial Father in here while practicing my drawing skill." Xue Lang cheerfully said as he flashed a wide grin at the end of the sentence. Weisheng''s heart softened as he saw how similar Xue Lang''s smile with Hong er''s. But when he saw the tip of Xue Lang''s nose was extremely red from the cold, he shook his head to not let his feeling take over him. He shouldn''t let Xue Lang off when he had made a mistake especially when it could affect his own health. Weisheng took off his black fur coat and dr.a.p.ed it over Xue Lang''s shoulder which resulted in Xue Lang turning into a big fluffy furball. Weisheng looked downwards to Xue Lang while Xue Lang strained his neck to look up to his ridiculously tall father. Not wanting Xue Lang to hurt his neck, Weisheng crouched down to Xue Lang''s eye level and cupped Xue Lang''s frozen cheeks with his full of calluses hands to warm Xue Lang up even if it only a bit. "Xue Lang, father say this for your own good. Don''t sit out here when the weather is so cold. You haven''t recovered yet and what if you caught another illness before it healed?" Weisheng gently yet firmly lectured Xue Lang. Xue Lang''s eyes became teary as Hong er''s voice seemed like echoed in his ears. Weisheng rarely scolded him as usually Hong er did the scolding for both of them and to add it, Weisheng was very stingy with words. Weisheng was perplexed when the tears in Xue Lang''s eyes rolled down his cheek. ''Did I scold him too harshly?'' Weisheng panicked and asked himself within his heart. "What''s wrong?" Weisheng softly brushed his rough thumb over Xue Lang''s cheek to wipe his tear. Xue Lang who couldn''t hold back his tears jumped into Weisheng''s arms. "I-I miss Imperial Mother¡­" Chapter 244 - 242. I Miss Mother II Third-person POV Xue Lang broke down and sobbed whilst hiding his stained with tears face on the crook of Weisheng''s neck. Weisheng''s hands abruptly froze as he didn''t know exactly how to soothe a crying child, especially when they were missing their parents. He glanced at the white paper on the small table where Xue Lang used just now. He scrutinized the woman that was poorly drawn on the paper. From what he could perceive, the woman was facing them with a gentle smile on her face. In her hands, there was a teacup with clouds of steam discharged from the teacup. Her long jet black hair that reached her waist was drawn with a thick black ink and the simple hairstyle complimented the woman''s pure white attire. Although her eyes were poorly drawn, but the two yellow dots that were supposed to be the woman''s eye color clearly show who she was. Weisheng clenched his jaw as he also buried his face into Xue Lang''s narrow shoulder. He wrapped his strong arms tightly around Xue Lang''s frail body and without uttering any word, they could interpret what the other was implying with just a hug. "You are drawing mother?" Weisheng asked with his face still buried in Xue Lang''s shoulder. "En." Xue Lang faintly nodded his head. (A/N: Weisheng use ''mother'' to refer to Hong er when he converse with Xue Lang.) Weisheng placed his wide palm on the back of Xue Lang''s head and put in a little bit of force to pull him closer to his embrace. "En. Very good." Weisheng petted Xue Lang''s head as he complimented his drawing of Hong er. Xue Lang''s cry intensified as his feelings that he had been keeping to himself poured out in that instant. Weisheng patiently waited for Xue Lang to stop crying whilst patting Xue Lang back to give him some reassurance. "Imperial Mother¡­I miss you¡­when will you come back? Imperial Mother¡­" Xue Lang mumbled between sobs. Weisheng exhaled a cloud of vapor and muttered in low voice, "Grow stronger so we can go find mother together." Xue Lang nodded his head vigorously as his face rubbed against Weisheng''s clothes. After a while, Weisheng heard a steady breathing coming out from Xue Lang. He glanced to the side and saw that Xue Lang had put all of his body weight on Weisheng. ''He fell asleep.'' Weisheng''s eyes softened immensely at the sight of Xue Lang''s peaceful sleeping face, although Xue Lang was drooling on his clothes. Weisheng cautiously stood up to not wake Xue Lang up. He gave Qiyi a glance and walked away with his servants following. Qiyi took Hong er''s portrait that Xue Lang drew and instructed the other servants to clean up the table and painting tools that Xue Lang used. The servants bowed to Qiyi and proceeded to do as what Qiyi ordered them to with red eyes and soaked eyelashes. Previously, they watched the whole scene from the side and emotions started to build up inside their hearts. Tears inevitably filled their eyes and caused them to swell a bit. To see a child that was caged by his own parents for half of his life and when he finally found someone that loves him like her own son, she disappeared soon after. However, it was good to know that now his fate had changed drastically because that person. Now, he can live without worrying about starving or being locked up. And there were a lot of people who love him just the way he is. Moreover, they also ached for Hong er''s disappearance. But they couldn''t just cry out in public as they fear that it would keep reminding Xue Lang of Hong er and made him sadder. Hong er treated them very nicely and even though they were only lowly servants compared to Hong er''s status, she never gloated and misused her status and power against them. On contrary, she respected them and considered them as her own family. Some of them believed that Hong er had died in Bei Zhou''s hand because Weisheng concealed all information regarding Murong Qing''s eye transplantation from the servants, public, and his ministers. Talking about Murong Qing, her father and her whole family were arrested and executed right there and then by Imperial Army as soon as Murong Qing pompously came to Weisheng with Hong er''s eyes in her head. The land that was gifted by the previous emperor to Murong Qing''s father currently was vacant and Weisheng was thinking about giving the land to Di Shang and Meiyun for their meritorious deeds they had done in these past few months. Weisheng predicted that Di Shang and the Di family would harbor a grudge on him for what happened to Meiyun and he was ready to take the responsibility as he admitted that he was in the wrong. . . "Xue Lang¡­ Xue Lang¡­" A gentle voice that resembled the breeze in spring softly called his name. Xue Lang rubbed his eyes to clear up his vision and a wide smile bloomed on his face, "Ngghh¡­Imperial mother?" Then he realized that his head was on Hong er''s lap, he snuggled closer to Hong er and purposely rubbed his cheek against Hong er''s lap. "Haha~ You are so spoiled. Do you sleep well?" Hong er chuckled at her son''s spoiled behavior, With her hand caressing Xue Lang''s hair, he felt drowsy again. "Uhm! Imperial Mother is so warm and fragrant, I love it so much!" Xue Lang''s eyes were getting heavier and heavier every second. He profusely blinked his eyes to prevent himself from going back to sleep. "Sleepy?" Hong er asked with an amused tone. "No, not even a little bit¡­" Xue Lang''s voice grew weaker. "En, you are very sleepy. Go to sleep~" Hong er placed her warm palm on top of Xue Lang''s eyes. "No¡­I don''t¡­sl¡­" Xue Lang slowly drifted into pitch darkness. Xue Lang''s brows twitched when he heard whispers coming from the other side of the room. As soon as he opened his eyes, he could feel his cheeks were wet from his tears. He sighed in dismay to find that it was only a dream. He sat up and rubbed his eyes to disperse the sleepiness that lingered in his eyes. He looked around with his puffy eyes to find that he was not in his room. While Xue Lang was in a midst of confusion, he detected a familiar scent that the emitted from the blanket and bed sheet. He pulled the blanket to his nose and sniffed He glanced over the other side of the pearl curtain, there was Weisheng who sat on the throne seat with an enormous desk in front of him and there was Qiyi who was standing as still as a statue. "Re-arrange the patrol in all areas. Discreetly," the seemingly Weisheng whispered, his voice was so low that it almost resembled a hum. "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor. This servant and Qier will immediately inform all of our posts to increase the patrol even to the most isolated village." Qiyi took the scroll from Weisheng''s hand and saluted. "This investigation will never stop until we found the empress," Weisheng muttered with his deep voice. The gaze in Weisheng''s eyes showed that he meant what he said. Xue Lang was blankly gazing at Weisheng when Weisheng suddenly looked at him. Weisheng waved his hand to Qiyi to dismiss him. Qiyi also noticed that Xue Lang had woke up, he bowed to Weisheng and to the dazed Xue Lang before he walked out of the room. Weisheng made his way to the bed and place his wide palm on Xue Lang''s silky hair, "Sleep well?" The memory of him crying in front of the servants and wetted Weisheng''s clothes with his tears, his face flushed from embarrassment. "E-en," Xue Lang timidly nodded and lowered his head in shame. Weisheng glanced at the wet patch on Xue Lang''s pillow, "Nightmare?" Xue Lang looked up to Weisheng and saw Weisheng''s eyes full of concern. A small smile appeared on Xue Lang''s lips. "No, it was a beautiful dream." Chapter 245 - 243. I Am Home I Third-person POV Di Shang was leisurely walking around Xi An while looking around the hustle bustle night market in the middle of the city. After the victory in claiming Xi An as a part of Da Qi, the citizens finally crawled out of their house and decided to celebrate the victorious moment. (A/N: Xi An is where Xu residence was located at.) Although Di Shang was a new face in Xi An, the citizens welcomed him with open arms and gave him a few gifts to express their gratitude. When Di Shang first arrived at the border between Da Qi and Xi An, he was extremely perplexed by the citizens'' actions. Thousands of soldiers marched towards the border with Da Qi''s banner in their hands, the citizens happily opened their gate to let the soldiers enter the city. At that time, Di Shang was going to halt the soldiers from entering the city in fear that it was one of the traps from Da Chu. Fortunately, there was Ah Gu and Ah Ren who combined forces with Di Shang in the meeting point. They explained to Di Shang that Xi An had long been taken care of by Xu family, therefore, the Xi An citizens leaned more on Xu family rather than the Long royal family. (A/N: if you guys remember, Ah Gu is the one who uses war drum in the previous battle against Dong Fang and Ah Ren is the noisy one, also Ah Ren is Meiyun''s junior.) There was once when the citizens demanded the Xu family to separate themselves from Da Chu and declared as a dependent country. Even though the Xu family''s military strength at that time wasn''t as strong as the current generation''s, nevertheless, they couldn''t be looked down upon. However, at the time the demand was requested, the relationship between the Long royal family and the Xu family wasn''t as strained as now. Therefore, the Xu family dismissed the citizens'' demand and kept being loyal to the Long royal family. Di Shang indeed heard the rumors about Xu family being extremely loved by the citizens that the citizens dared to go against the Imperial Army when they came to bother the Xu family. Then he looked at the pure happiness on the citizens'' face and truly impressed by Xu family''s power in grabbing people''s hearts. "Impressive," Di Shang complimented with a genuine smile on his face. Which lead to the current circ.u.mstances, the citizens knew Di Shang''s name because he originally famous among the commoners as Dong Fang and Xi An was only separated by a wall border. And they heard a piece of news about Di Shang and Meiyun''s marriage which made the citizens closer to Di Shang. (A/N: Sorry, so many author notes. Xi An is very expansive and the border wall is very long. In the past, the Xu family had to protect Xi An against Dong Fang and Da Qi at once which leads to the Xu family grow in military strength.) "Ah! General Di!" An owner of a candy shop called out to Di Shang who coincidentally passed his shop. Di Shang and Ah Gu turned around to see the owner fiercely waving his hand at them. Di Shang stood unmoving as he didn''t know how he supposed to respond to the owner. Seeing Di Shang was in a difficult position, Ah Gu decided to step up and help Di Shang get out of the awkward situation. Ah Gu raised his hand to greet the owner, "Uncle, long time no see." "Aiyo! Ah Gu is here too. Sorry~ Sorry~ Didn''t see you there. How is it going?" The owner smacked Ah Gu''s wide shoulder and laughed loudly. "Everything is fine now, uncle. General Di, this is the owner of the most famous candy shop in Xi An and he is a very friendly person." Ah Gu introduced the owner to Di Shang. "Aiyaya~ I forgot that General Di and I didn''t know each other. I apologize." The owner bowed his head to Di Shang. Di Shang cupped his fist to give his respect to the owner and the owner also did the same. The corner of Di Shang''s lips curved into a small smile as he spoke, "Ah no, I heard quite a lot about you from Meiyun." "Meiyun?! How is she?!" The owner''s excitedly asked but his voice contained a tint of worry. Di Shang stared at the owner with a stupefied expression. Realizing his rude behavior, the owner laughed sheepishly as he scratched his head. For an a.d.u.l.t man like him to ask a man about his wife would probably cause a misunderstanding. "A-ah, that is not what I mean, General Di. This Meiyun, aiya! I have to call her Young Madam Di now. Ahahaha~" The owner laughed. "It is fine, I think Meiyun prefer you to call her like how you used to. I don''t mind it either." Di Shang said with a calm voice. The owner was taken aback because he heard that Di Shang was very protective of his wife, "If General Di really doesn''t mind then I will keep calling her by her name. This Meiyun was very naughty! Whenever she has a day off, she would come here and steal my candies. Later, her twin little sister, Huayun, would come to pay her big sister''s debt. It is the same as all the shop in Xi An." The owner rambled as he pointed at the other shops with his finger. Di Shang was amused by Meiyun''s past that the owner told him when she was still living in Xi An. Without even mentioning Meiyun''s name, Di Shang could tell that it was Meiyun''s doings. But then, a weak smile appeared on the owner''s lips. "But the few candies that she stole from me couldn''t be compared to what she had done to me." The owner said while staring at his store with dejected eyes. Di Shang was intrigued by the owner''s sudden change in talking, "What do you mean?" The owner turned his eyes to Di Shang and smiled softly, "That girl always came to my store with a bright smile but who knows what is hidden behind that smile? No matter how close we are, she will never tell me. So I hope she can rely on you fully." The owner''s eyes were filled with proud as if his daughter had found a perfect life partner. Di Shang''s heart grew heavier as the more he learns something about Meiyun. It felt like he only saw the tip of Meiyun''s true personality. Meiyun had always dodged the topics that related to her and seeing how reluctant Meiyun was when he asked her about her past, he decided to not ask her anymore as to not burden her. The owner didn''t see the disheartened expression on Di Shang''s face and continued to tell his reminiscence, "Without realizing, Meiyun and Young Miss became so precious to me as if they are my own daughter. Because of the war, we can''t keep up to date with whatever is happening out there. I can''t stop worrying because we could feel a wave of powerful aura coming from the west side about a month ago." (A/N: the Young Miss that the owner refers to is Hong er. And the event that he was talking about was when Weisheng went on rampage.) Di Shang nodded his head in agreement. He did send a letter asking what was happening but he didn''t get any answer. "Soon we will know." Di Shang reassured the owner. "En," the owner nodded his head. The owner noticed how the atmosphere had gotten heavy and depressing, he smiled brightly and guided Di Shang into his store. "General Di, let me recommend you Meiyun''s favorite sweet. Since you are going back to Chang An, you may also bring some souvenirs for your beloved wife. She would be very happy if you buy her food!" The owner chirped as he showed various sweets that were freshly made by him. Di Shang looked around the sweets that the owner displayed for him. His eyes landed on a squirrel shaped caramel candy, the image of Meiyun stuffing buns into her tiny mouth and made her cheeks puffed out popped up into his mind. He couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle at how similar the squirrel and his wife were. "This, wrap it up prettily." Di Shang requested with his eyes filled with love. "Aye, sir!" Chapter 246 - 244. Please Release Them! I Third-person POV Several carriages were halted by guards from entering the Royal Palace. The man that was driving the most front carriage showed his Shu family badge to the guards, the guards nodded his head but still insisted on having the carriages checked before entering the Royal Palace. Just as they opened the door of the carriage, a man with gigantic was glaring at them with his blood-chilling golden eyes causing the guards to went weak on their legs. He was sitting on the floor of the carriage with a beautiful lady laying her head on the golden-eyed man''s lap. The beautiful lady had bandages wrapped around her left eyes. The guards immediately know the identity of the man just by his golden eyes, the guard hastily stopped his friends from inspecting the other carriages as he could guess what was in there. He quickly bowed to Xu Tingfeng and closed the door without a sound. The captain of the guards deployed several of his subordinates to escort the group to the palace that was exclusively prepared for Xu Tingfeng after knowing that he would arrive any time soon. And a few guards to inform Weisheng, Lu Ping, Lu Deng Xin, and Lu Cixi of Xu Tingfeng''s arrival. Since the Royal Palace was filled with Hong er''s elite forces hiding in the dark, they could inform their fellow elite forces. Even Ah Li who stayed by Lu Cixi''s side pleaded Lu Cixi to let her visit XuTingfeng which she was allowed to. Worried about their master, they followed Xu Tingfeng''s carriage to the designated palace and waited for the carriage to stop before they jumped out from their hiding spot and surround the carriages with both of their knees and forehead touching the ground. The servants and guards that were standing around them were stunned by the heavy atmosphere that surrounded the group. One by one, the members of Hong er''s elite force arrived and instantly kowtowed to the carriage. (A/N: I will use ''Xu Tingfeng''s elite forces'' for the group of elite forces that was under Xu Tingfeng''s supervision while ''Hong er''s elite forces'' for the elite forces that followed Hong er to Da Qi such as the Yun sisters, Ah Tong, Ah Li, etc.) Even Huayun, Ah Tong, Ah Xi and the others that served closely beside Hong er were on the site. Ah Tong that was left with his right arm while Ah Xi and Huayun who was still in a wheelchair limply walked to the front row and kowtowed by slamming their head to the ground. Ming Yu and the others who were still confused by the grief situation were horrified and worried at the same time by the sight of dozens of people kneeling to a carriage. They didn''t know who and what was in the carriage that made one of the most powerful forces in the world to fell on their knees. The carriages door slowly opened and a strong wave of killing intent gushed out from the carriage. A tall man stepped out from the carriage while carrying a gorgeous looking woman in his arms. He gently held the lady as if she would break if he added a bit of strength. Another group of elite forces came out from the other carriages and stood silently at the side knowing that they shouldn''t disturb their enraged master. Everyone was as silent as a statue, Xu Tingfeng walked pass the kneeling elite forces without batting a single glance on them. They also didn''t move an inch and stayed silent with their head on the ground. The elder servant nervously guided Xu Tingfeng to his room. Shivers ran down his spine when his eyes met with Xu Tingfeng''s golden eyes. Xu Tingfeng walked to the bed and carefully laid Bai Huiqing down to the bed then pulled the blanket up to her chest. Shu Bian Que and his wife went to Bai Huiqing and set up their medical tools at the side of the bed. Shu Bian Que placed a white silk cloth on Bai Huiqing''s wrist and pressed his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse. "She is fine, nothing is wrong. But please put a soundproof barrier around here, we need silence." Shu Bian Que glanced at Xu Tingfeng and started to burn an incense that could help Bai Huiqing to recover. Without replying to Shu Bian Que, Xu Tingfeng walked out of the room with heavy steps. Shu Bian Que sighed pitifully for Hong er''s elite forces. Xu Tingfeng made his way to the crowd that had turned around and now was facing his way with their forehead still on the ground. The servants gulped back a mouthful of saliva when Xu Tingfeng summoned his fiery Guan Dao. Ming Yu''s heart was beating vigorously as she had a bad feeling of what was going to happen to the group. Xu Tingfeng raised his Guan Dao and slammed it to the ground. A couple layers of soundproof barriers were cast and enveloped the quarter where Bai Huiqing was resting. "Know your mistake?" Xu Tingfeng uttered a few words with his deep voice. His voice was as cold as iceberg. The servants shivered in fear even though the weather started to get warmer. "YES, MASTER!" Huayun and the others answered at the top of their voice. Their voice resounded throughout all of the Royal Palace and drew the attention of the nearby guards and servants. "What is your mistake?" Xu Tingfeng slammed his Guan Dao onto the ground once again and a ring of fire circled them. "Replying to Master! We let the enemy took Her Majesty Empress!" The group answered firmly. Xu Tingfeng glowered at the group, "You know the consequences?" "Yes, Master!" They raised their head and took off their outer clothes, leaving only a layer of undergarment. The servants gasped when they saw Huayun and the other women in the group took off their clothes. To women in their era, being seen n.a.k.e.d or in a thin layer of cloths, were extremely disgraceful. "Huayun!" A voice called out to Huayun in horror. But Huayun didn''t move an inch as if she didn''t hear anything. The owner of the voice ran towards Huayun with his coat in his hands. Xu Tingfeng lifted his eyes to look at the man that shouted Huayun''s name. Weisheng, Lu Ping, Lu Deng Xin, and Lu Cixi were standing at the entrance of the courtyard with a grim expression on their faces. Song Tao swiftly blocked Qier from passing through and gave him a powerful blow on his chest. (A/N: Reminder, Song Tao is Xu Tingfeng''s butler and former teacher.) Qier''s body slammed to the wall from the impact of Song Tao''s fist. Qiyi ran to his little brother and furrowed his brows in anger when he saw Qier coughed a mouthful of blood. Qiyi clenched his fist and was about to charge at Song Tao when Weisheng''s hand stopped him. Then Qiyi noticed the murderous glare that was coming from Xu Tingfeng. "Step back, kid." Xu Tingfeng growled at Qiyi. At that moment, Qiyi realized that he wouldn''t be able to defeat Song Tao, needless to say, Xu Tingfeng. Qiyi took a few steps back and stood silently beside Weisheng while supporting Qier by putting Qier''s arm around his shoulder. Seeing that Qiyi and Qier quieted down, Xu Tingfeng turned his eyes to Hong er''s elite forces, "Continue." A few personnel from Xu Tingfeng''s elite forces stepped forward and a pool of water built up above Hong er''s elite forces group. With a single snap of finger, the cold water fell all over their body, soaking their clothes and caused it to become slightly see-through. Even though the winter wind was not as intense as a few days ago, it was still very cold and made their body trembling in cold. Ming Yu and the others widened their eyes in shock, some of the personnel hadn''t fully recovered from the battle therefore it would be too harsh for them to be punished in their frail state. The grey clouds above them started to whirl around, roll of thunders roared followed with a tremendous flash of lightning blinded their eyes. Then several personnel from Xu Tingfeng''s elite forces summoned their wh.i.p.s and stood behind each of Hong er''s elite forces'' personnel. Their wh.i.p.s glowed brightly with their Qi and little crackle of lightning started to envelop their wh.i.p.s. They raised their wh.i.p.s to the air and mercilessly swung it across Huayun and the others'' back. Every time the whip hit their back, a crack of lightning from the sky struck their body which intensifies the pain. "Stop it! Please stop it! They didn''t do anything wrong! Her Majesty Empress is still alive. Great General Xu, I beg you to release them!" All of their attention brought to Ming Yu who crawled to Xu Tingfeng''s leg. Chapter 247 - 245. Didnt I Say It Before...I Will Kill You. Third-person POV "I-I beg you, please stop this, Great General Xu! Yo-you are a very kind master, please don''t punish them when they are still hurt." Ming Yu begged Xu Tingfeng while gripping on his coat. Although Ming Yu was profusely begging Xu Tingfeng to let Ah Xi and the others go, the punishment was still going. Their hands didn''t stop whipping Ah Xi and the others'' back. Their lips were ghastly pale and beads of cold sweat formed on their forehead but not even a single complaint or yelp came out from their mouths. Xu Tingfeng turned his eyes to Ming Yu and helped her to stand up, "Why? Why do you beg me?" Ming Yu looked at Xu Tingfeng with a puzzled expression, she was extremely confused by Xu Tingfeng''s question. Does she need a reason to save her beloved and friends? Ming Yu tried hard to think up a reason so that the punishment could stop as soon as possible. "Be-because Great General Xu is their master¡­" Ming Yu said with a visible fear in her voice. After getting his answer, Xu Tingfeng turned his body to face them. "Do you wish to stop the punishment?!" Xu Tingfeng roared. "No, Master!" They answered at the top of their voice although most of their energy was drained from the burning pain. "Do you think you deserve this punishment?!" Xu Tingfeng roared once again. "Yes, Master!" They bellowed with eyes burning with passion. "Why do you receive this punishment?!" Xu Tingfeng''s deep voice grew louder and more intimidating. "Because we can''t protect Her Majesty Empress, Master!" They clenched their jaw in disappointment at themselves. "Why you can''t protect Her Majesty Empress?!" Xu Tingfeng slammed his Guan Dao. "Because we are weak, Master!" They answered with a thunderous voice. Xu Tingfeng gave them a dead look and turned to Ming Yu to look at her shocked expression with tears pooled in her eyes. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the teary Ming Yu. "Their most important job is to protect Her Majesty Empress and they failed to do so. They deserve this and as you can see, they are aware that they are at fault for being weak!" Xu Tingfeng gripped the handkerchief. "B-but Her Majesty Empress is still alive! The enemy is too strong and outnumbered us. They were also badly injured! Can''t you please lessen the punishment? Can''t you see that they are on the verge of collapsing again? I know that Great General Xu has a very big heart! So please!" Ming Yu glanced back and forth at the pale Ah Xi and Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng placed his wide palm on Ming Yu''s head and an empty smile appeared on his lips, "So what?" The color in Ming Yu''s face drained as her heart thumped in fear at Xu Tingfeng''s hollow smile. "So what if my daughter is still alive if she is nowhere to be seen? They still failed in protecting her, their one and only job. Do you know the meaning ''better dead than alive''? What if my daughter is in a bad hand? Do you forget that my daughter has an above-average looks and body?" Xu Tingfeng gently wiped the tears that stained Ming Yu''s cheeks. Ming Yu''s lips trembled as she couldn''t get any word out of her throat. "I lost my daughter once, once is more than enough for me. Do you know how much suffering she had to endure while I was desperately looking for my only daughter? Do you know how much I wanted to kill myself from seeing her little frail body had cuts all over her body? At that time, her height hadn''t reached my waist." Tears trickled down Xu Tingfeng''s eyes when he recalled the inexplicable suffering that Hong er hid under her bright smile knowing that she had found her real family. Ming Yu now understood why Xu Tingfeng was extremely overprotective towards Hong er. Hong er was his one and only daughter, the first time he lost her not long after she was born made him despise himself. Things only got worse when he found out what his daughter had gone through meanwhile he was living comfortably in his residence. He hates himself for everything that had happened to Hong er, he blamed himself for everything. He lived half of his life in regret and self-condemnation. "But thank you for telling me that my daughter is still alive. Or else they have to follow her to heaven." Xu Tingfeng pressed the slightly wet handkerchief onto Ming Yu''s palm. Ming Yu''s eyes widened in disbelief as how emotionless Xu Tingfeng''s eyes were for a second. "I am not as kind as my daughter." Xu Tingfeng said with a gentle smile yet his eyes were so cold that it could freeze someone in a glance. "It seems like this little lady here is tired. Someone bring her back to her room to rest, thank you." Xu Tingfeng politely said to another servant that previously stood beside Ming Yu. Ming Yu was quickly taken away by the other maid. The smile on Xu Tingfeng''s lips disappeared as fast as it came. Xu Tingfeng turned his frosty eyes to the Huayun and raised his hand. The whirling cloud dispersed and went back to the clear weather like how it was half an hour ago. Seeing their master retracted his magic, they also halted and retreated to the side. Huayun and the others were trying to hold their breath so it wouldn''t anger Xu Tingfeng more than this. Their whole body was trembling vigorously, even though they almost reached their limits, they didn''t dare to collapse nor rest. Xu Tingfeng glanced around the group and noticed there was something missing, "Where is Meiyun?" Huyaun''s eyes went wide when her twin sister''s name was mentioned. Meiyun hadn''t regained her consciousness yet, furthermore, the Di family and Huayun were still grieving at the loss of Meiyun''s baby. She kowtowed and with tears filled eyes, she sincerely pleaded. "Ma-Master, this servant begs you to pardon Meiyun from this punishment. Sh-she suffered enough." Huayun uttered with a trembling voice. "State your reason." Xu Tingfeng inquired. Xu Tingfeng truly cared for everyone that he trained and he wouldn''t be too heartless when the usually reserved Huayun cried for leniency for Meiyun. The other wounded personnel also crawled forward with their numb knees and kowtowed in unison. "We are willing to take over Meiyun''s punishment. Please be lenient on Meiyun, Master." Ah Xi and Ah Tong pleaded with audible remorse in their voices. Xu Tingfeng stayed silent as events such as this rarely happens. His heart thumped in anxiety, numerous scenarios passed his mind. "She¡­died?" Xu Tingfeng asked with hesitation. Huayun shook her head, "Not her, but the baby in her w.o.m.b." Xu Tingfeng''s hands flinched but someone that was standing across him stumbled. Qiyi never heard of Meiyun had lost her child, he was only informed that she was coma and currently was taken care in the Di residence. "How?" Xu Tingfeng questioned. "She¡­she was saving Her Majesty Empress when her heart was stabbed. We don''t know how she survived that fatal injury. At that time, I looked over and saw that the Bei Zhou''s soldiers had confirmed her death. But not long after that, a surge of dark aura shot through the roof and we also lost our consciousness." Ah Xi explained while gritting his teeth. Hearing ''dark aura'' words came out from Ah Xi''s mouth, Xu Tingfeng''s eyes immediately glinted with killing intent. His figure suddenly disappeared into thin air and was nowhere to be seen. Everyone who was watching the whole scene was utterly shocked. Then out of nowhere, Xu Tingfeng reappeared right in front of Weisheng with his blazing Guan Dao. Weisheng instinctively summoned his sword in a blink of an eye and blocked Xu Tingfeng''s powerful strike. Xu Tingfeng''s attack was too fast for him to block completely, he was flung to the side. His right sleeve was burned into ashes, revealing his tattooed arm. Weisheng''s tan skin reddened from the impact of Xu Tingfeng''s Guan Dao that was named Inferno because of its blazing hot fire that resembles the fire in hell. Xu Tingfeng slowly turned his head towards Weisheng and glowered at Weisheng with his glowing golden eyes. "Didn''t I say it before¡­that I will kill you if anything happen to Hong er." Xu Tingfeng growled. Chapter 248 - 246. Let Him In Third-person POV Weisheng''s lips were tightly shut. The atmosphere around them grew heavier and strained. Lu Cixi''s bodyguards swiftly stood in front of her to protect her from the raging Xu Tingeng. Qiyi and Qier quickly get on their feet and leaped to Weisheng''s side. Xu Tingfeng gave Qiyi and Qier a dead look and growled, "Step back kids." But Qiyi and Qier didn''t budge, they summoned their whip swords and get on their defensive stance. Seeing that the looks in Xu Tingfeng''s eyes filled with more killing intent, Lu Deng Xin furrowed his brow and summoned and glanced at Lu Ping to warn him. Lu Ping nodded his head and his hands that were hidden under his sleeves were ready to summon his weapon. ''Xu Tingfeng¡­he is not an easy opponent.'' Lu Deng Xin said within his heart. The moment Xu Tingfeng''s right leg shifted, his figure disappeared once again. Qiyi and Qier gritted their teeth as their eyes moved vigorously to find Xu Tingfeng. But before they could perceive any hint of Xu Tingfeng''s whereabouts, a blazing fire shot towards them at a high speed. They immediately took a step back to avoid the menacing Guan Dao, however, Xu Tingfeng''s attack still inflicted a long cut on their chests except Weisheng who managed to stop Xu Tingfeng''s attack. The first time Xu Tingfeng launched his first strike, Weisheng was caught off guard and injured his entire right arm. But since he was aware of Xu Tingfeng''s intention to kill him, he also went on guard. Just when Xu Tingfeng once again swung his Guan Dao towards Weisheng, several translucent strings shoot towards Xu Tingfeng and bound Xu Tingfeng''s body from moving. Xu Tingfeng glanced over his shoulder to see both Lu Deng Xin and Lu Ping joined hand to restrict him with the indestructible strings that often used by assassins for a clean kill. Xu Tingfeng''s body ignited with flames as forcefully pulled his hand from the restriction, meanwhile, Lu Deng Xin and Lu Ping was having a hard time to hold Xu Tingfeng because of their strength difference. Xu Tingfeng was one of the strongest fighters in history, with his constantly trained body, he could easily win over the power of the two. "GRAAAHH!" Xu Tingfeng roared as he grabbed the strings with his bare hands and threw Lu Deng Xin and Lu Ping to the other side of the courtyard. Even though the strings were still tangled around his body, Xu Tingfeng lifted his Guan Dao and glared at the unmoving Weisheng. He slammed his Guan Dao down and a loud shriek echoed throughout the palace when Weisheng didn''t move an inch from his spot. Everyone who was watching the fight was frozen to the spot. Xu Tingfeng''s Guan Dao penetrated halfway through Weisheng''s shoulder and with his bare hand, Weisheng gripped the blade of Xu Tingfeng''s Guan Dao. With Xu Tingfeng''s glaring hot Guan Dao, the flesh that comes in contact with his Guan Dao would be cooked. But not even a yelp of pain escaped from Weisheng''s pale lips. Blood slowly seeped out from the deep slashes that Xu Tingfeng inflicted on Weisheng, yet, Xu Tingfeng didn''t plan to pull out his Guan Dao from Weisheng''s flesh. Weisheng stared at Xu Tingfeng with a tranquil expression while his palm and shoulder were bleeding profusely, "Why you didn''t dodge?" Xu Tingfeng asked with a deadpan tone. Weisheng was silent for a moment and parted his lips, "I deserve this." "You are aware of your own mistake huh?" Xu Tingfeng scorned. Weisheng didn''t reply to Xu Tingfeng and just stared at Xu Tingfeng with his worn-out eyes. After a closer look, Xu Tingfeng noticed the tattoos that expanded to Weisheng''s face and the dark circles under his eyes which made Weisheng look extremely miserable. "Tingfeng¡­" A gentle voice called out to Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng turned his eyes to the side and saw Lu Cixi was on a verge of tears. She gripped on Xu Tingfeng''s sleeve and her tears rolled down her cheeks. "I am sorry. I failed you and Qing er." Lu Cixi uttered with a trembling voice. (A/N: Qing er that Lu Cixi referred to is Bai Huiqing.) The flames on Xu Tingfeng''s Guan Dao slowly dispersed. He deeply aware that Weisheng truly loves Hong er but it was only him who stupidly refused to believe the truth. He didn''t know how to vent the anger that he had been keeping for so long. He understood that they couldn''t avoid some occasions. Everytime¡­everytime he sees Hong er, the memory where Hong er was taken away when she wasn''t even an hour old yet always haunting him. He always said to himself, "If only I didn''t go to the capital city¡­" "If only I wasn''t fooled by that emperor¡­" "If only I didn''t leave Qing er alone when I know that she could be in labor at any time¡­" "If only I¡­" "¡­was faster¡­" Therefore seeing the remorse in Weisheng''s eyes, reminded him of his past self. People said that it wasn''t their fault, but deep in their hearts, they could only blame themselves. Xu Tingfeng gritted his teeth and drew back his Guan Dao. Lu Cixi looked at the two that shared the same expression on their face. Weisheng''s blood on Xu Tingfeng''s Guan Dao evaporated into mist. Xu Tingfeng gently brushed off Lu Cixi''s hand that was gripping onto his sleeve. "Better give me an explanation." Xu Tingfeng left without minding any courtesy towards Weisheng and Lu Cixi. Qiyi and Qier ran to Weisheng''s side and worriedly glanced at Weisheng''s wound. Shu Bian Que who was treating Ah Xi went to heal Weisheng''s shoulder by pouring an unknown white powder onto the wound. "Please bear it for a while. This powder will numb the muscle around the wound so that I can stitch to close the wound. Please sit on this stool, Your Majesty Emperor." Shu Bian Que placed a small stool behind Weisheng''s legs. Shu Bian Que opened his medical box and the tools that were necessary for stitching Weisheng''s cut wound. It didn''t take Shu Bian Que long to finish his job, he explained a few important things that needed to be lookout for the wound heal quicker. The crowd one by one went back to their own palace to continue their day by recuperating in the bed. Shu Bian Que asked a guard to guide him and his wife to Shu Zhiruo''s clinic to concoct medicine for the injured people. After everyone had gone, a small figure popped out from nearby bushes and wended his way to Xu Tingfeng''s room. However, he forgot that Xu Tingfeng had his elite forces around his courtyard to protect him and Bai Huiqing. Several black-clothed men appeared out of nowhere and surround the little boy. They were ready to kill the trespasser when they noticed that the trespasser had white hair and eye-catching expensive clothes. "Your Highness Prince Xue? Why are you here?" one of the black-clothed men kneeled on one knee and asked politely. "I want to talk to grandpa and grandma. Are they in there?" Xue Lang inquired after he gave the black-clothed men a respectful salute. "Yes, they are in there. But, this servant fear that Master doesn''t want to see anyone for now." The black-clothed man replied. Xue Lang''s bright eyes instantly dropped and his lips pursed into a cute pout. The pouting Xue Lang reminded them of little Hong er when they rejected her food because they were supposed to not have any meals during work. Their hearts clenched at how cute Xue Lang was. "We-well, if it is Your Highness Prince Xue, this servant thinks that Master will be happy to see you." The black-clothed man scratched his head as he gave up. "En! Thank you uncle!" Xue Lang grinned from ear to ear. "It is our pleasure, Your Highness Prince Xue." The black-clothed man bowed and escorted Xue Lang to Xu Tingfeng''s resting room. Xu Tingfeng sat at the side of the bed while caressing the back of Bai Huiqing''s hand with his rough thumb. "Our daughter is still alive. The Goddess Sheng Jie is protecting our daughter." Xu Tingfeng spoke but the other didn''t and couldn''t reply. Xu Tingfeng exhaled a deep sigh and gave a gentle peck on Bai Huiqing''s palm, "When will you wake up, Qing er ah?" Then a few soft knocks came from the door and followed by a whisper from one of the members of his elite force, "Master, His Highness Prince Xue has come to visit you." Xu Tingfeng stared at Bai Huiqing for a few seconds and gently placed her hand on her abdomen, "Let him in." Chapter 249 - 247. Please Dont Hate Imperial Father Third-person POV The door was opened by the black-clothed man and he quickly closed back the door after Xue Lang stepped into the room. Xu Tingfeng walked out from the inner room and greeted Xue Lang with a wide grin. Xu Tingfeng placed a finger on his lips as a gesture for Xue Lang to lower his voice. Xue Lang covered his lips with his hands and innocently nodded his head. The burden that weighted Xu Tingfeng instantly lifted from seeing Xue Lang act cutely. He picked Xue Lang up in one scoop and carried him to the outer room which was separated from the inner room by a pearl curtain. He didn''t sit that far from the pearl curtain so that he could watch over Bai Huiqing while conversing with Xue Lang. "Grandpa," Xue Lang tugged Xu Tingfeng''s sleeve to get his attention. "What is it, Xue Lang?" Xu Tingfeng asked and ruffled Xue Lang''s hair into a mess. There was a slight hesitation in Xue Lang''s expression, Xu Tingfeng smiled and tenderly pinched Xue Lang''s soft cheek. "Just say it, grandpa won''t be mad." Xu Tingfeng cooed. Xu Tingfeng knew clearly what Xue Lang was going to ask. From the smell that was emitting from Xue Lang''s clothes and with the little leaves and branches that stuck on Xue Lang''s silky white hair, Xu Tingfeng could guess that Xue Lang was hiding in the bushes all the time. For a little innocent child such as Xue Lang to see the rampaging him half an hour ago, it was quite embarrassing for him. Xue Lang didn''t see the panicked Xu Tingfeng, he mustered up his courage and held Xu Tingfeng''s big hand with his thin hands. "Grandpa, please don''t hate Imperial Father." Xue Lang stared at Xu Tingfeng with his big-doe eyes. The smile on Xu Tingfeng''s lips didn''t disappear like how he saw in the fight. His heart that was beating vigorously calmed immensely because he expected Xu Tingfeng would be furious. "Why?" Xu Tingfeng asked with a gentle smile on his lips. "Be-because Imperial Father is so stressed after Imperial Mother was gone. Every single day, during his break, Imperial Father would sit on Floating Lotus Pavilion in front of the seat that Imperial Mother always sat on. Sometimes Imperial Father would talk to himself as if Imperial Mother was there." Xue Lang said as his eyes turned glassy from the tears. To not make himself look like a crybaby, he roughly rubbed his eyes with his sleeve and took a deep breath to calm his trembling voice. "Imperial Father also consumed too many sleeping drugs that I am afraid it would affect his health. At night, Imperial Father would sleep in his own room but wake up in Imperial Mother''s room. The servants testified that Imperial Father was sleepwalking." Xue Lang continued. Xu Tingfeng sighed as he understood how Weisheng feel. After Hong er being kidnapped for the first time, Bai Huiqing sometimes would find herself in Hong er''s baby room that they built especially for Hong er. Even Xu Tingfeng would walk around the room to dream about Hong er''s cute laughter and cries. "A-and, this." Xue Lang pulled out the necklace that hung around his neck and showed the jade thumb ring that Hong er passed to him on that day. Currently, the thumb ring was too wide for him to wear therefore, he put a durable string and made it as a necklace until he could wear the jade thumb ring on one of his fingers. "This¡­This is your mother''s ring. She never took it off before." Xu Tingfeng swept his thumb across the jade ring. ''This is definitely Hong er''s, the energy and the carving are exactly the same. Don''t tell me¡­'' Xu Tingfeng examined the jade ring with keen eyes. Xue Lang stared at Xu Tingfeng and continued, "Imperial Mother gave me her jade ring the last time I saw her. From what I heard, this jade ring was a gift from Imperial Father to Imperial Mother when they were young. Imperial Father implanted a tracking spell into the ring so he could always find Imperial Mother no matter what and where. But at that time, the jade ring was in my hand. Rather than saving Imperial Mother, Imperial Father found me and the twin on a verge of death. And because of me¡­th-they got Imperial Mother¡­" Xue Lang''s voice getting weaker and weaker every second. Xu Tingfeng pulled Xue Lang into his embrace and patted Xue Lang''s back with his warm hand, "It is fine. This is not your fault. You did your best to survive. Grandpa is glad that you are safe." Xue Lang nodded his head as he gripped on Xu Tinfeng''s clothes, the scent that Xu Tingfeng emitted was similar to Hong er''s. Probably because they were closely blood-related, even the warmth was very almost identical. The similarities between the two were uncanny. "Grandpa will have a talk with your father after Grandpa cooled down, hehe~ Or else, all the tables will be smashed into halves, ahahaha~" Xu Tingfeng laughed to distract Xue Lang''s mind from thinking the useless thought. "Ehehehe~ Grandpa will stay here for how long?" Xue Lang asked and snuggled closer to Xu Tingfeng. "Hhmm~ Until your Grandma healed, why? Xue Lang miss Grandpa? Aww~" Xu Tingfeng cooed. "En, I will miss Grandpa and Grandma so much, also Great Grandpa and Great Grandma." Xue Lang said with a pout. "Fine~ Grandpa will bring you to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma." Xu Tingfeng swayed from side to side. Xu Tingfeng and Xue Lang chatted for a while when a soft rusty whisper sounded out. "Wa¡­.ter¡­." Xu Tingfeng who had an excellent hearing ability immediately whipped his head to the side. His eyes widened in bewilderment and happiness at the same time. Xue Lang noticed that Xu Tingfeng''s body abruptly froze, he looked up and followed the direction of Xu Tingfeng''s eyes. "Grandma?!" Xue Lang exclaimed. Xu Tingfeng quickly ran towards Bai Huiqing and checked her condition. Bai Huiqing''s eye was half-opened and it seems like she hadn''t regained her full consciousness. Xue Lang dashed to the inner room and passed a bowl of water to Xu Tingfeng. Xu Tingfeng gently helped Bai Huiqing to sit up and took the water from Xue Lang''s hand. He let Bai Huiqing lean on his wide shoulder and with his right arm circled, he scooped the water with a spoon and patiently fed Bai Huiqing the water. "Xue Lang, go outside and shout ''call Physician Shu''. Grandpa''s subordinate will know what to do. Now, go." Xu Tingfeng pointed at the door with his jaw. Xue Lang firmly nodded his head and sprinted to the door. He opened the door and shouted, "CALL PHYSICIAN SHU!" Just in a second, several shadows leaped out from various places and soundlessly darted like a breeze of wind grazing the leaves on trees. Then a few of previous black-clothed men that guided Xue Lang to the room appeared beside Xue Lang. "Your Highness Prince Xue, it is safer and better if you stayed beside Master. We will handle all of this, please do not worry." One of the black-clothed men said with a courtesy. Xue Lang obediently went back into the room with the black-clothed man. While Xue Lang entered the inner room, the black-clothed man stayed behind the pearl curtain and bowed to the man on the other side of the curtain. "Master, any order for this servant?" the black-clothed man cupped his fist. (A/N: Actually I want to use ''My Lord'' when the servants address Xu Tingfeng but in some parts, it didn''t feel right. So I will keep using ''Master'', in Chinese£¨ÀÏÒ¯£©''Lao ye'' which means lord or master.) "Visit Di residence with condolence gifts and check Meiyun''s condition. Retreat." Xu Tingfeng gave out his order with a calm tone. "Yes, Master." The black-clothed man bowed once again before he left the room. Chapter 250 - 248. Bring Me To Her Third-person POV Xu Tingfeng massaged Bai Huiqing''s back so that she could lie comfortably on the bed after weeks of laying down. Meanwhile, Xue Lang rubbed Bai Huiqing''s sore legs. Both of them intensely gawked at Shu Bian Que who was checking Bai Huiqing''s pulse. Shu Bian Que retracted his finger from Bai Huiqing''s wrist and proudly smiled. "En, let her rest for now. I will prepare her medicine in my daughter''s clinic. Well then, I excuse myself." Shu Bian Que retreated from the room. A weak smile escaped from Xu Tingfeng''s lips as he gently laid Bai Huiqing down the bed. Then he noticed Xue Lang''s eyelids were getting heavier and Xue Lang was nodding off while trying hard to stay awake. Xu Tingfeng chuckled as he remembered that Xue Lang was still little and need to have a nap to grow up faster. He picked Xue Lang up and lay him down on the large bed beside Bai Huiqing. Xue Lang panicked because he was afraid that he would accidentally hit Bai Huiqing in his sleep. "Worry not, the bed is huge. Moreover, Grandpa is here to look over you two. Quick sleep, kids need to get a lot of sleep!" Xu Tingfeng lightly pressed Xue Lang''s head onto the pillow. "En." Xue Lang closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber. Xu Tingfeng stayed for a little while when a woman in black-attire appeared behind the pearl curtain, "Master, His Majesty Emperor has come for a visit and currently is waiting in the outer courtyard." Xu Tingfeng sighed and rose from his seat, "Look over them. Make sure nothing happens or else¡­" "Yes, Master." The black-clothed woman bowed and stood on guard beside the bed. Xu Tingfeng wended his way to the guestroom in the outer courtyard with Song Tao followed behind him. His smile from before faded away as soon as he arrived at the front door of the guestroom. The guards opened the door and revealed three people sitting around the round marble table. The three of them stood up and saluted by cupping their fist. "Greetings to father-in-law." Weisheng whole-heartedly greeted. "Greetings to Great General Xu." Lu Deng Xin and Lu Ping greeted. Xu Tingfeng looked at the three of them with a nonchalant expression on his face as he greeted back. They sat on their own seat and the room instantly fell into a dead silence. The one that started the conversation was the most unexpected person, it was Weisheng. He cleared his throat and looked directly in Xu Tingfeng''s eyes to show his sincerity, "Father-in-law, I deeply apologize for neglecting my duties in protecting Hong er." Xu Tingfeng studied Weisheng''s expression and sighed, "Forget it. Xue Lang said it better than you do. Don''t beat around the bush, explain what really happened when I was in prison." . . "So it was like that. At that time, Bataar was around my daughter''s age so it was hard for me to kill him. Never thought that it would turn out this way, I should have killed him." Xu Tingfeng gritted his teeth in resentment. "En, for now, we ensured the safety of the border and decided to halt the war to restore our military strength as well as Great General Xu''s. In these few months, there were so many events that occurred and drained our resources in different fields. The time we recovered completely, we will charge in full attack." Lu Deng Xin explained as his eyes stayed on the map on the table. "One shot, one kill. En, this is the best strategy." Xu Tingfeng nodded his head in agreement. They discussed the plan even further to perfect it. Then, Lu Ping turned his head to Xu Tingfeng, "So Great General Xu, where will you stay after Madam Xu recovered?" "Xi An," Xu Tingfeng replied shortly. "Xi An? Isn''t Da Chu stamped you as a traitor? Living that close to Da Chu is not the best option, I tell you." Lu Ding Xin advised. "Of course I know, but I am not running away from them. Xi An is the land that was passed down by my ancestors. And my people are waiting for my return in Xi An." Xu Tingfeng clenched his hands into fists. The Lu father and son smiled at Xu Tingfeng''s chivalrous spirit, ''What a resemblance with his daughter.'' The Lu father and son looked at Xu Tingfeng and Weisheng who had their heads lowered down and caused their bangs to cover their menacing eyes. Feeling the atmosphere in the room started to get tenser, the Lu father and son decided to escape before things happen. "Well then, if there is nothing left to discuss. We shall excuse ourselves." Lu Deng Xin put down his fan to reveal his sly grin. The Lu father and son stood up in unison but before they could take the first step away from the round table, Xu Tingfeng''s hand slammed down onto the table and caused the table to crack. "That Murong Qing girl." Xu Tingfeng muttered under his breath as anger started to get in his head once again. The Lu father and son broke into cold sweats when Xu Tingfeng''s deep voice that was filled with resentment resounded through the room. "Bring me to her." Xu Tingfeng growled. No one dares to reply as the access toward the Special Prison depends on the person that held the highest authority in the Royal Palace, Weisheng. Weisheng lifted his head and looked at Xu Tingfeng who was glaring at him. "Follow me," Weisheng answered. . . At last, they arrived at the entrance of Special Prison. The Lu father and son tailed them as they were curious of what Xu Tingfeng was going to do with Murong Qing. They smoothly walked into the Special Prison without being questioned because Weisheng personally lead Xu Tingfeng to Murong Qing''s cell. But before they entered the last layer of the prison, Weisheng halted and turned to Xu Tingfeng. "Father-in-law, I can only guide you here. I have to hide under the shadow." Weisheng politely explained before he merged into the shadow without an inch of his presence could be traced. Xu Tingfeng was amazed by Weisheng''s control of his own power. Then the guards opened the gate to the prison after Weisheng concealed his presence. He was afraid that Murong Qing would babble unnecessary things that would make him unconsciously kill her. Murong Qing''s eyelids fluttered open when she heard the sound of a metal gate being opened. The sound of the soles stamped against the hard cemented floor echoed throughout the narrow corridor. The light on the candles flickered as the Qi that emitted from the person almost blown the light out. From what she could hear, the amount of the people that she deducted from the sound of the steps was much more compared that usual. ''So many?!'' Murong Qing bit her lip in fear. Her heart pounded as the heavy steps were getting closer and closer to her cell. Murong Qing weakly lifted her head up when the door to her cell opened. Her body shuddered when the familiar golden eyes shone brightly amidst the darkness. "N-no¡­im-impossible¡­I have thrown you away! How can you be back?! Your eyes are in me. IMPOSTER! GUARDS!" Murong Qing shrieked as she struggled to escape from the chains that bind her. Xu Tingfeng clenched his jaw in fury, he took a few steps forward and the light from the small window behind Murong Qing highlighted his dark face. Murong Qing immediately shut her lips as she realized that the person in front of her wasn''t Hong er, but Xu Tingfeng. "How dare you¡­towards my daughter¡­" Xu Tingfeng''s fist trembled as a visible red Qi radiated from his fists. The Lu father and son panicked when they saw a Guan Dao summoned in Xu Tingfeg''s hand, "Don''t kill her!" Xu Tingfeng lifted his Guan Dao and swung his Guan Dao in one powerful strike. A moment of silence, no one dares to utter a voice. In the next second, Murong Qing''s four limbs dangled around while her body fell to the ground like a lump of meat. Only her head, chest, and abdomen were left intact. Murong Qing let out an ear-piercing screech as she could only move her head and neck. Xu Tingfeng swatted the blood that stained his Guan Dao and turned around to leave the prison, "Feed her her own flesh." Song Tao bowed and went to clean up the bloody mess. The Lu father and son were left speechless. Weisheng soundlessly walked away from the scene with an appeased feeling bloomed in his heart. Chapter 251 - 249. Trials Are Nonsense!! Third-person POV Xue Lang sleepily opened his eyes as his empty stomach grumbled. He slowly sat up while rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. He smelled a very fragrant scent that caused his stomach to grumble even more. "Wake up?" A deep voice sounded out. "En," Xue Lang nodded his head. Xu Tingfeng chuckled as ruffled Xue Lang''s messy hair, "Come and eat your dinner. Your stomach is so loud. Hahaha~" Xue Lang blushed and hid his face with the blanket. As a prince, he felt it was very shameful for him to let out such an embarrassing sound. "Do you sleep well?" A slender hand placed on top of his hands that were covering his face. Xue Lang whipped his head side to see Bai Huiqing smiling at him, "Grandma! You woke up?!" "En, thanks to you." Bai Huiqing caressed Xue Lang''s hand. "Why you don''t wake me up? Do you need anything? I will grab it for you." Xue Lang excitedly asked. "No, rather than that, why don''t you eat your dinner. Grandpa said is true, your stomach growling was so loud that it woke me up from my coma. Hahaha~" Bai Huiqing jokingly said. "See?! Grandpa never lies to you, kid!" Xu Tingfeng exclaimed from the other side of the room. Xue Lang''s pale face once again turned red like a boiled octopus. He timidly nodded his head and got out of the bed to appease his raging stomach. He sat beside Xu Tingfeng and took his chopstick. His hand froze as he remembered the manner of letting the elder ones to take the first bite and then followed by the younger ones. "Grandma?" Xue Lang asked with an innocent expression on his face. "She ate her dinner when you were asleep. Don''t worry, enjoy your meal. Oh, this is delicious." Xu Tingfeng placed a few slices of savory meats on top of Xue Lang''s rice then he grabbed two slices and shoved it into his own mouth. Xue Lang stared at Xu Tingfeg in amus.e.m.e.nt and ate his meal without a sound. After Xue Lang finished his meal, he chatted with Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing for quite a while until his personal servants came to pick him up as it had reached his bedtime. Xu Tingfeng and Bai Huiqing reluctantly send Xue Lang off as they had a great time talking to him. Xue Lang inherited Hong er''s tranquil yet cheerful demeanor. Bai Huiqing leaned on Xu Tingfeng''s chest to listen to his strong heartbeat. By just listening to Xu Tingfeng''s heartbeat, it strangely made he feel secure and calm. "Want to go see our other grandkids?" Xu Tingfeng intertwined his hand with her hand. "Eh?" Bai Huiqing widened her eyes in shock. "Ah, I forgot that you don''t know about this." Xu Tingfeng knocked his head with his own fist. Bai Huiqing lost her consciousness before the news about Hong er gave birth to the twins spread around which was not weird if she didn''t have any idea that Hong er gave birth at the same time she collapsed. "Basically, we have two grandkids. They are twin, one of them is a boy, his name is Zhang Wei. And the second born is a girl, her name is Rong Ai. I hate to admit it but that kiddo is good at giving name." Xu Tingfeng sulked. Bai Huiqing gave him a weak smile and patted his large hand, "I hope they grow up well. Hong er¡­why does our daughter has to go through all that pain?" The expression on Bai Huiqing''s face turned black as ink. The time Xu Tingfeng told her about Hong er''s condition, the wound in her eyes that almost healed, bleed out again and caused Xu Tingfeng to freak out. Is it because she is Goddess Sheng Jie''s incarnation? What did she do wrong to receive this suffering? They only want a happy love life¡­" Bai Huiqing said with a pure grudge towards the Creator. It was only a deduction but she strongly believed that Hong er was Sheng Jie''s incarnation. Without saying, she was happy to know that she had such a blessed daughter but at the same time, she was worried about Hong er. In many legends and talks, the human Sheng Jie had to carry out the trial the day that Sheng Jie was born into the human world which explained the kidnapping when Hong er just born into the world. "Does my daughter has to suffer until the day she dies? Trials, trials, TRIALS! All of that is just nonsense! The Creator only wants to watch someone suffer under his hand! *Cough cough cough!" Bai Huiqing coughed up a tiny bit of blood. Xu Tingfeng quickly patted her back to soothe her anger, he afraid that Bai Huiqing wouldn''t be able to recover at this rate if she kept getting angry over the fate that befell on the Heavenly Pair. "Don''t push yourself, the wound will re-open again. If both Hong er and Weisheng truly are Sheng Jie and Hei An''s incarnation, I am sure that they will get through all of these. Have a faith on them while we are there doing our best to support them." Xu Tingfeng gently spoke beside Bai Huiqing''s ear. Bai Huiqing breathed heavily as the anger in her heart hadn''t dissipated entirely, she took a deep breath and exhaled. What Xu Tingfeng said was right, if it was truly Hong er''s fate then they could do nothing to change that. But they could at least help them with their most. "En, I want to rest." Bai Huiqing frowned and pressed her forehead with her fingers as the pain in her head was unbearable for her current state. "I will take you to bed. Tomorrow we will relieve ourselves by looking at our cute grandkids, kay?" Xu Tingfeng talked sweetly at Bai Huiqing to lift her mood up. "En," Bai Huiqing shut her eyelids as she fell into a deep sleep. . . "Wahh~ They are so cute~" Xu Tingfeng cooed at the tiny baby in his and Bai Huiqing''s arms. "They truly are. They are still young, we don''t know who they will look like." Bai Huiqing gently booped Rong Ai''s little nose. Xu Tingfeng kissed Zhang Wei''s cheeks till ZhangWei wailed in discomfort. Bai Huiqing shot a warning glare to Xu Tingfeng telling him to stop bothering the babies. Xu Tingfeng laughed sheepishly and continued to stare at Zhang Wei with loving eyes. He couldn''t maintain his excitement as he never seen a baby version of Hong er before, not even a glimpse. "They are cute right?!" Xue Lang chimed from the side. "Hella cute! Look at their eyes! They got the blessing from both ancestors." Xu Tingfeng spun the rattle drum in his hand to cheer Zhang Wei up. Bai Huiqing stared blankly at the excited Xu Tingfeng and a pang of guilt hit her heart, ''I am sorry. I am not the best mother for Hong er. If only I struggled more at that time, maybe you can play with Hong er every day.'' Xu Tingfeng lifted his head to look at Bai Huiqing as he felt someone had been staring at him for quite a while. He saw Bai Huiqing staring at him with forlorn eyes "What''s wrong?" Xu Tingfeng asked her with a wide smile. Bai Huiqing shook her head and smiled weakly, "Nothing, just reminisced some memories. When will we go back to Xi An?" "After you healed and Shang Tang came back. Why are you asking? Do you miss home?" Xu Tingfeng asked with a visible worry on his face. "En, a little bit." Bai Huiqing nodded her head. Then she noticed Xue Lang who had gotten quiet, "Xue Lang can visit Grandpa and Grandma at any time. You can play in our house if you did like to." Xue Lang''s face brightened up as he vigorously nodded his head, "En!" Chapter 252 - 250. Di Shang Returned Third-person POV A couple of weeks later, Di Shang arrived at Chang An in incognito with Ah Ren as his companion. Meanwhile, Ah Gu who had more experience and more leadership than Ah Ren was leading the soldiers that were still on the way back to Chang An and would arrive later than Di Shang as they marched in large-sized groups. While strolling down the main road of Chang An, Di Shang observed his surroundings and didn''t find anything abnormal. If the surge of powerful aura that happened a month ago truly brought a catastrophe to Chang An then things wouldn''t be this peaceful. The atmosphere in Chang An was, as usual, nothing drastic change except the crowd became less vibrant. People in Chang An started to decrease the layer of clothes they wore as spring was coming up as well the buds on the trees were going to bloom into beautiful flowers that would decorate the city. His heart was beating quicker than it should be, he couldn''t contain the corner of his lips from curving up into a big smile. The thought of Meiyun jumping onto him with a wide grin on her cherry lips when she saw his surprise appearance made him more excited to reach his home. In his hand, there was a gorgeously carved wooden box filled with sweets that he bought solely for Meiyun as a gift. For his family, he purchased Xi An''s authentic liquor which was on a sweeter side than the liquor in Dong Fang. ''I am supposed to give the report to His Majesty Emperor as soon as I arrived at Chang An. But I want to see Meiyun as soon as possible.'' Di Shang stared at the wooden box and frowned. "Aiya? What''s wrong General Di?" Ah Ren popped out from the side and asked Di Shang. Di Shang glanced at Ah Ren and felt a familiar aura coming out from Ah Ren. He stared at Ah Ren without replying to Ah Ren''s question while racking his brain to find the reason why he literally saw an image of Meiyun in Ah Ren. Ah Ren waited for Di Shang''s answer and thought that Di Shang didn''t hear him. "Hello~ General Di? Is there a problem?" Ah Ren waved his hand in front of Di Shang''s eyes to get his attention. "Why are you so similar to¡­" Di Shang narrowed his eyes to scrutinize Ah Ren. Ah Ren tilted his head in confusion but then the only person that was close both to him and Di Shang which also had the same personality and behavior as him was Meiyun. "Ah! Is General Di talking about Senior Meiyun?" Ah Ren asked excitedly. "En, eh? Senior?" Di Shang whipped his head to look at Ah Ren in disbelief. "Yup! I trained under Senior Meiyun and she is the one who made me this noisy and annoying! It is not my fault, kay?" Ah Ren pouted and folded his arms in front of his chest. "En, I can see that." Di Shang said in defeat. Since Meiyun and Ah Ren had the same way of thinking, Di Shang knew how to handle the two with ease. "So? What''s with the gloomy face?" Ah Ren questioned while tossed a piece of candy into his mouth. "I want to go home." Di Shang said with a dejected expression, "Ahh~ So you wanna see Senior Meiyun? Want me to help you pass this report to His Majesty Emperor? Since I have to go back to Her Majesty Empress so it is not a problem for me." Ah Ren''s face brightened as he suggested. Di Shang looked at Ah Ren and took out the secured scroll from his chest pocket, "Then I have relied on you. Thank you, I will treat you to a meal." "Aiya~ Thank you la~ Please give my regards to Senior Meiyun!" Ah Ren put the scroll into his chest pocket and galloped like a wind while waving his arms in the air. Di Shang didn''t waste any time as he turned right to the direction of his residence. He was careless of how people think of him, he just bolted his way on the road whilst professionally avoided from hitting any pedestrians. He couldn''t express how excited he was when he saw the gate of his residence. The gate guards suddenly went on alert when they heard a loud horse galloping sound. They pointed their spears onto the direction where the sound came from. But in a second, their hearts trembled when they saw their young master''s favorite horse sprinting towards them with a familiar figure riding on top of it. "Ge-General Di?!" The guards exclaimed. Needless to say, they were perplexed by Di Shang''s sudden appearance. They didn''t get any notice from Di Shang nor anyone from Di Shang''s base about his return. The situation regarding their young madam hasn''t come to consciousness for almost 2 months was very stressful for them. The worse thing was that the Di family hid this important news from Di Shang and they couldn''t imagine how devastated Di Shang would be if he knows it. Di Shang pulled his rein and both of the horse''s front legs heaved up into the air, followed by a loud neigh from the horse. As soon as both of its'' heels touched the ground, Di Shang jumped down from the horse and hurriedly passed the rein to one of the guards before he ran into the residence with a wooden box in his hand. "General Di! Yo-Young Madam¡­" The guards called out but Di Shang''s silhouette couldn''t be seen anymore. They felt guilty and pitiful at the same time from seeing how genuinely happy Di Shang''s expression was. They were afraid that Di Shang couldn''t handle the impact of what he was going to see. They ran in full speed to catch up with Di Shang who also ran eagerly. The servants that Di Shang ran pass by were utterly shocked, they followed suit to chase after Di Shang to warn him about Meiyun''s condition so he wouldn''t receive a severe shock. But Di Shang was one step ahead of them. The moment he reached his courtyard where he resided in with Meiyun, his body abruptly froze when he caught a powerful scent of medicine wafting out from their chamber. His hand that was holding onto the candy box trembled in fear but then he remembered that Meiyun was a very strong woman. He pushed the door open and the smoke of the burnt medical incense gently brushed over his face. Thousands of thoughts passed his confused brain. Why would such potent medicines were spread around the room? Leaving no space on the table but only bowls and bowls of medicine. Di Shang also noticed the clothes on the basket where they would put their dirty clothes in were stained with little patches of blood here and there. He silently walked towards the curtain that separates the inner chamber and the outer chamber. He looked over and saw that his mother, Naran, was squeezing the wet cloth in her hands and carefully wiped the woman in the bed Naran heard the door was opened not long ago and assumed that it was no one other than Physician Tu who promised to come to do another check on Meiyun at that particular time. She never expected her son would be coming back so soon without any notice. "Physician Tu, would you mind waiting for a bit? I haven''t finished wiping her body." Naran spoke without stopping her hand from wiping the woman''s pale body. The candy box in Di Shang''s hand fell onto the ground and cracked the corner of the box. Naran turned her body as she was worried that the old physician slipped on the cold wooden floor. "Physician Tu, are you oka-" Naran''s smile instantly vanished when she saw her eldest son''s figure across her. Di Shang staggered towards the bed with a crest-fallen expression on his handsome face. The candies that he bought specially for Meiyun scattered on the ground and were left unattended which made it looks somewhat miserable. Di Shang''s whole body was trembling, he didn''t dare to take another step further, afraid that he would lose his mind if he saw the woman that laying lifeless on the bed. "Wh-whose body?" Di Shang stuttered in terror. Chapter 253 - 251. I Am Useless Third-person POV "Sh-Shang Tang, you are back?" Naran''s face paled. Di Shang didn''t pay heed to Naran''s question as his eyes stayed on his wife''s figure on the bed. Meiyun was only wearing a white silky Du Dou with least to no embroidery adorn the Du Dou. (A/N: Du Dou is a Chinese traditional undergarment. Search Google for further information about Du Dou.) The temperature in the room was increased to make Meiyun more comfortable and cozy, especially when Naran had to take off all of Meiyun''s clothes when she wiped her body. There were bruises here and there all over Meiyun''s body that it was too painful for anyone to see. Moreover, Meiyun''s past scars made her overall appearance more pitiful to look at. Di Shang walked to the side of the bed and fell on his knees. His full of calluses hand softly brushed over Meiyun''s ghastly pale face. What terrifies him more was the smile on Meiyun''s lips. Although the smile wasn''t wide nor showing any tooth like how Meiyun usually smile, the small curve on the corner of her lips made obvious that she was pleased with whatever she was seeing right now. But in Di Shang''s eyes, her gentle smile indicated she was meeting the Heibai Wuchang, the underworld guards. (A/N: The Heibai Wuchang, the ''Black Guard'' and the ''White Guard'' of the underworld, appear at the deathbeds of the recently deceased to guide their souls to the realm of the dead.) Meiyun was too kind for her own good, she would definitely ascend to heaven after passing the trials from the demon kings. That''s why she was smiling so happily, it was because she finally met the long dreamed peace that Meiyun never get in her life, Di Shang thought so. He still couldn''t believe that Meiyun was only sleeping even when a soft breath from Meiyun''s lips grazed over his finger. Her face was as pale as the white sheet, probably because of her low amount of blood and hadn''t bathed in the sun for a couple of months. "Mother, why is Meiyun so pale?" Di Shang asked but his voice came out as a whisper. "Shang Tang, mother will explain to you later," Naran replied to Di Shang and proceeded to clean Meiyun''s body. "How did it happen?" Di Shang asked once again as if he didn''t hear what Naran just said. "Shang Tang, mother understand that you are shocked and sad but please wait until mother finished cleaning Meiyun so we can put a fresh medicine on her wound." Naran patiently explained although she was deeply aware that her son was not listening to any of her words. But at least, Naran''s voice could make Di Shang''s state of mind more stable, if not, the dead silence would cause Di Shang to be more over-thinking than he should be. "Who did this?" Di Shang ignored Naran. "I will tell in a second. Firstly, we need to tend to Meiyun. Please understand this Shang Tang, this is for her too." Naran looked directly at Di Shang''s glassy eyes. Di Shang glanced at his mother and nodded his head then turned back his head to look at his beloved wife. "Let me help too." Di Shang stretched out his hand to take the towel from Naran''s hand. Without any hesitation, Naran passed him the towel and rose from her seat to grab the ground herbs. She trust Di Shang with cleaning Meiyun because she knew that he wouldn''t do anything to hurt Meiyun. She inspected Di Shang''s hand to see if he did the right thing. The towel brushed over Meiyun''s skin as gentle as a feather. One could see the love and care that Di Shang had for Meiyun. Such a bulky man, added with his fierce face, to exert strength lesser than a baby was truly remarkable. "Shang Tang, wipe her shoulders and turn her to the side to wipe her back. Be gentle, the wound in her heart hasn''t healed yet." Naran sat beside Di Shang and started to smear the ground herbs on Meiyun''s clean wound. Di Shang''s hand froze when he heard a wound in her ''heart''. As far as he knows, even a little hole as small as a needle could be deadly if it was inflicted in or on the heart. How did Meiyun survive? He didn''t know that answer yet but he thanked the gods for letting Meiyun survive from such a deadly wound. "En," Di Shang obediently followed his mother''s order. After a few minutes, Meiyun''s wounds were evenly smeared with the grounded herbs. Physician Tu entered the room only after Naran opened the door from inside. When Physician Tu walked into the inner room with Naran guiding him, he was surprised to see Di Shang sitting in a complete silence at the side of the bed. Weather hadn''t warmed up that much, there was still lingering coldness from the winter. Sitting on the wooden even if the temperature of the room was increased could still make one catch a cold. Physician Tu ignored the menacing aura that exuded from Di Shang''s body and proceeded to do a check-up on Meiyun. Although Meiyun was healing at a slower pace than average which was very worrying, her wounds consistently closing up especially the one in her heart which was relieving. The fact that Meiyun was still alive was a miracle and as a person that passionate about studying new things about medical fields, Physician Tu dying to know what the cause behind Meiyun''s miraculous revival. It didn''t take Physician Tu long to check Meiyun''s pulse and wound. Soon after he explained about Meiyun''s current condition to both Di Shang and Naran, he left the Di residence and went to visit Royal Medical Intuition which all talented physicians in Da Qi gathered together to solve, find, and research about medicine and illness. After Physician Tu left, Naran gave Di Shang a meaningful glance and sat on one of the seats around the round table in the outer room. Di Shang sat across her and rested his forehead on his palm. "Where should I start?" Naran asked while pouring a tea into Di Shang and her cup. "Who did this?" Di Shang gave his first question. "The wounds were inflicted by Bataar, a Count in Bei Zhou also a former prince, and his subordinates. The whole thing was planned by Wei Yunru from the Wei family and Murong Qing from the Murong family. For your information, the Wei family was executed about a month ago as well as Murong Qing''s family except herself." Naran calmly explained. "Why she isn''t dead?" Di Shang''s knuckles created cracking sounds from clenching his fists too hard. Naran sighed pitifully as the people that she found a liking had a very miserable fate, "Long story short¡­" . . (A/N: Too lazy to say it again.) "So please don''t blame on Her Majesty Empress or His Majesty Emperor too much for what happened to Meiyun. She did it on her own accord so we shouldn''t blame any side. The Royal Family personally apologized when they heard that the infant in Meiyun''s stomach¡­died." Naran teared up when she remembered the time where Physician Tu told them about Meiyun''s miscarriage. But little did she know, Di Shang knew nothing about Meiyun''s pregnancy. He immediately rose from his seat and caused the chair to fall over. "Wh-what did you just say? In-infant?....Meiyun is pregnant?!" Di Shang spoke with his eyes wide open. Naran scolded herself within her heart but she deeply aware that she couldn''t hide this fact for forever. It would be better if she told Di Shang as soon as possible. "Not is but was. We believed that the baby sacrificed itself for the mother. That is why Meiyun is still alive till now." Naran sighed. The news was too shocking for Di Shang to receive, "Do-does she knew?" "En, she knew everything and still went on her way." Naran turned away as she couldn''t bring herself to look at Di Shang''s face. Di Shang fell on his knees as tears rolled down his cheeks. He covered his face with his palms and cried silently. Naran quickly rose from her seat and rushed to Di Shang''s side. She hugged him tightly hoping that it could give Di Shang at least a tiny bit of comfort. "Not only I failed as a husband¡­.even as a father¡­.I am useless." Di Shang sobbed. "No¡­it is not your fault. It is not Meiyun''s fault. We have to be thankful that Meiyun is still alive. Do you hear me, Shang Tang?" Naran leaned her forehead on Di Shang''s head. But Di Shang never answered her question. Chapter 254 - 252. I Will Stay With You Third-person POV (A/N: Warning, there is a few vulgar words in this chapter that you may find uncomfortable. But I censored it.) "Mother! Mother, look at this! This sh*t is f*ckin cool!" a teenage boy that was around 14 years old jogged towards the beautiful lady that sat peacefully under the tree shade. The lady looked at the boy who was running towards her with a sly grin on his pale grey face and a fire element hare in his hand. He stopped right in front of the lady and passed her the hare. "This is for you. Do you like it?" The boy asked while holding onto the hare''s long floppy ears. The hare seemed to be I pain as it kept struggling to free itself from the boy''s forceful grip. The lady smiled from ear to ear and took the hare from the boy''s hand. She placed it on her lap and started to stroke its fluffy crimson fur. "The hare is in pain, you should hold it more gently like this. But I like it very much, it is very impressive that you can catch a creature that is known for its agility with only bare hands." the lady praised the boy. Hearing that the lady was praising him, the grin on the boy''s lips grew wider and brighter. He scooted closer to the lady and placed his head on her other vacant lap. "Hehehe~ You are so spoiled even though you lived longer than me." The lady teased the boy about his age because she knew that it was one of his weakness. "Don''t tease me like that, dear mother~ Or should I say Miss Meiyun?" the boy glanced at the lady with sly eyes and caused the lady to chuckle. "Whatever you want to call me but I like ''mother'' the best." Meiyun replied. . . *Flashback "What should we do with her?" a man in his middle age that dressed in black attire asked his friend. "I don''t really know too. Should we take her soul away or what? She died a few seconds ago, her soul almost completely left her body when her soul was sucked back into her body by a foreign help." The friend that was wearing a white-attire replied to the black-attire man. "Such a huge wound in her heart, she must be dead now. What a waste of talent. She could potentially be a great fighter. But in my list, she is supposed to die at this time. What a great power to defy the rule of nature." The black-attire man said with a mix of confusion and amus.e.m.e.nt. Curious and perplexed by the current situation, both of them looked around to find the source of the foreign energy that pulled Meiyun''s soul back to her body as if reviving the dead. Then they found out that a woman in a white-attire that her face resembled Sheng Jie was sneakily helping Meiyun by transferring some of her healing Qi into Meiyun''s body through the ground. Since the two of them couldn''t meddle in human''s affair, so they could only silently watch Hong er reviving the already dead Meiyun. But the power slowly getting weaker and weaker as Hong er passed out and was taken away by a bunch of soldiers. Meiyun''s soul that was just getting stable, started to separate itself from her body again. "It is truly indeed a magnificent miracle to pull back a soul into one''s body but still, this girl is still going to die." The white-attire man sighed pitifully as he swept his horsetail whisk above Meiyun''s body to gather her soul. "Mother¡­" A soft whisper echoed through the room. In a few seconds, a sudden surge of power exploded within Meiyun''s body. The two men swiftly took a few steps back to avoid the powerful dark power that shot out from Meiyun''s body. "Wh-what is happening?!" The white-attire man exclaimed in shock. Then a boy appeared between them and grabbed their sleeves, "Hey~ The Black Guard and the White Guard of the underworld, Heibai Wuchang. My mother is still alive so your job here is done. Now shoo shoo~" They whipped their head to the side to look at the boy who was grinning at them. "Y-you, an evil spirit?!" The white-attire man exclaimed. "Yeah yeah~ Shut your trap and go away, she is alive and well. Don''t you dare touch my mother." The boy gave the two men a threatening glare. The Heibai Wuchang looked at each other and shrugged their shoulder. Since Meiyun''s name on their list vanished mean that she shouldn''t be dead for a few years or more, not until her name reappeared on their list. Furthermore, currently they were extremely busy as there were so many souls that they had to retrieve. They swung their horsetail whisks and disappeared into thin air leaving clouds of black and white smoke from where they stood previously. After confirming the Heibai Wuchang had left, the boy walked to Meiyun''s side and crouched down beside her. Her face was so pale, contrasting with the dark Qi that burst out from her body. "What a pitiful human. Maybe I should go back too. Ugh~ Pitiful for me too." The boy got on his feet and receded from sight. In a blink of an eye, his surroundings changed into field filled only with grasses, trees, and flowers. There wasn''t any trace of animal nor human living in there. Only the sound of the river flowing down the cascade and the rustling sound of the grasses and leaves could be heard clearly. He sat down at the side of the river and watched the crystal clear water carried a piece of dried leaf to the end of the river. Just when he was about to close his eyes, a rustling sound came from behind. He immediately whipped his head to look behind him. "Who are you?" Meiyun asked cautiously with her body was in a defensive stance. At first, the boy was perplexed by Meiyun''s presence in his supposedly the place that only he could access. A few seconds later, a wide grin spread out on his grey pale face. "Why hello~ Mother~" The boy waved his hand. "Mother? Explain yourself. Who are you and why am I here?" Meiyun chose to not believe the boy because she never seen him before in her entire life. "Fine, I will explain but relax your fists. It is scary to see my mother getting angry at me for helping her." The boy said unconcerned with Meiyun''s piercing gaze. Meiyun unclenched her fists but her mind was still on guard. The boy raised his hands above his head to show that he was not holding any weapon and harmless. He sat not far away from Meiyun and offered her to sit across her. "This will take a long time to explain so please sit down." The boy genuinely smiled. Meiyun sat down without taking her eyes off the boy. "You were pregnant, am I right?" The boy asked. "Yeah?" Meiyun replied. "So basically, I was supposed to be reborn as your son and because you are about to die, I used my whole Qi to save you. But as a result, I died as well as the child in your w.o.m.b." The boy nonchalantly explained. Meiyun was confused by the boy''s vague explanation, the only word that escaped from her lips was, "Why me?" "Firstly, let me introduce myself. I am an evil spirit that has been meditating for more than a few hundred year to be reborn as a human then after the human me die, my soul will be neutralized and I will be a normal spirit. And I chose you because I notice the dark power that circulating inside your body that slowly eating away all your life force. By having the dark power in your body, I can hide my vicious aura with the dark power and as for you, I can hold back the dark power from eating your life force. Benefit for both of us. But things happen, maybe I won''t be able to return to a normal spirit." The boy continued and shrugged his shoulder as if everything was very normal for him. "Then why do you waste your last chance to save me?" Meiyun inquired. "Because I want to. I do what I want, no one can stop me." The boy turned his face away. Meiyun went into silence for a few minutes then she parted her lips, "Thank you." The boy glanced at her and snorted, "If you are truly thankful for me, then stay here with me." A moment of silence and when the boy was going to say that he was joking at her, a soft voice sounded out. "Okay. I will stay with you." Chapter 255 - 253. His Call I Third-person POV The boy couldn''t believe what he heard just now. He leaned his body forward and stared at Meiyun with wide eyes. Meiyun tilted her head to the side in confusion when the boy had a very dumbstruck expression on his face. "Eh?" The boy couldn''t find the right word to say. Meiyun sighed and smiled brightly at him as she roughly ruffled the boy''s head, "I said that I will stay with you." "Wa-wait wait wait, I know that but why? Do you know that I am an evil spirit? Or are you a pure craze?" The boy asked in disbelief. Meiyun who couldn''t hold back her laughter, laughed her head off. Because of a habit, she repeatedly smacked the boy''s shoulder as she laughed. "You- ahahaha~ I have met someone who is scarier and has a more powerful dark power than you¡­Why do I have to be afraid of you?! And I almost died a few times, I also had seen Heibai Wuchang a couple times, I have nothing to fear about." Meiyun almost broke her ribs from laughing too hard. The boy was still in daze as he wasn''t convinced by Meiyun''s reasoning. He sat with his back straight and rested his chin on his fist, he pondered for a while to decide whenever he should trust Meiyun. In his whole life, he learned that he shouldn''t have any faith in humanity. Fully knew that the boy didn''t believe any word that came out from her lips, Meiyun chuckled because she knew exactly what the boy was thinking. "Because you are my son," Meiyun uttered with a voice filled of love. The boy glanced at Meiyun and convinced himself to not put his trust on Meiyun. He clearly stated himself as an evil spirit which most of the human despised of because they believed that getting a blessing from an evil spirit was very ominous thing. He turned away and glanced around the grassland. Meiyun snorted at the boy''s seemingly childish behavior, she took his other hand and placed one of her hands on top of his hand and the other below his palm. The faint warmth on Meiyun''s palm slowly transferred to his hand, warming up his cold hand. The boy turned his eyes to look at what Meiyun was doing with his hand then he heard Meiyun started to speak again. "No matter what you are, you will always be my son." Meiyun patted his hand. The eyes of the boy went wide, the sincerity in Meiyun''s eyes when she said those words could be seen as clear as the water flowing in the river. "So what if you are an evil spirit. You saved my life while sacrificing your one and only chance to be reincarnated to the human world. I know, if I die, you would die as well. But if you just let me die without helping me, you won''t lose any Qi that you cultivated for hundreds of years. Yet you chose the latter and lost everything that you had been working hard for." Meiyun continued. "W-well, I do what I want to. Why do you have to f*ckin care?" The boy mumbled under his breath as his ears slowly turned red from getting exposed by Meiyun. Meiyun noticed the redness on his ears and her heart clenched at his cute dishonest self. "Do you have any problem with me wanting to stay with my son? Hm?" Meiyun jokingly glared at the boy. "n-no," the boy muttered inaudibly. "Then I will stay here. Just as you said, I do what I want." Meiyun pulled his hand and made him lay down on her lap. At first, the boy was going to struggle out of Meiyun''s hold but after feeling the warmth slowly seeping into his cold body, he gave up and surrendered himself to the stubborn Meiyun. Meiyun lightly combed his silky long hair with her hand as she noticed his hair was tangled in a few areas. "Do you have a name?" Meiyun asked. "No, I don''t have." The boy replied almost immediately. "Then, can I give you a name?" Meiyun suggested. The boy turned his head to look at Meiyun with an expressionless face. But if one look closely, one could see the excitement that was hidden deep in his eyes. "Look at you. Acting tough." Meiyun pinched his soft cheek and teased him. "Aiya! It hurts! I am not acting tough, it is just your imagination!" the boy fl.u.s.tered and slapped Meiyun''s hand away. "Yang Guang, Di Yang Guang. From now on, your name is Di Yang Guang." Meiyun said while staring lovingly at the boy. (A/N: Ñô¹â Yang Guang= Sunshine. Di is his surname that he got from his father, Di Shang Tang.) The boy''s ears got redder and redder every second. He turned his face and hid his face with Meiyun''s abdomen. Meiyun laughed out loud as she ruffled Guang Liang''a hair into a mess. . . *Back to present Guang Liang stared at Meiyun playing with the red hare that he caught for her. The dimension they were currently staying was the dimension that Guang Liang created with his power for cultivating without getting disturbed. He purposely added a few animals for Meiyun to play with in case she got bored. But seeing Meiyun so happy playing with the hare made him somewhat displeased. "Do you like it so much?" Guang Liang asked with an irritated tone. "Of course! Look at how round and fluffy this bunny is, my whole soul is healed just by seeing it." Meiyun pecked the hare''s nose tip. The weird thing was the corner of the hare''s lips seemed to arched into a small smile. The frown in Guang Liang''s face deepened. He snorted and looked at the hare with eyes filled with envy. "Hmph! Just play with that thing all day, let see if you will turn round like him." Guang Liang resentfully spat out. Meiyun glanced at Guang Liang''s face and grinned from ear to ear, "Are you jealous?" Vein popped out on Guang Liang''s forehead as he snapped, "Who the hell are jealous?! I only said if you really like that fat sh*t then play with it! Hmph!" The grin on Meiyun''s lips widened, she placed the red hare back on her lap and let it sleep peacefully on her warm lap. She took a deep breath and her evil expression changed into pitiful with her lips pursed out. "Why are you so dishonest to yourself? If you are jealous then say so, I will play with you, no need to get mad at me like that." Meiyun lowered her head and her face was hidden by her bangs. Guang Liang clenched his jaw as guilt panged his heart. He slowly turned his eyes to take a peek at Meiyun. His eyes widened when a drop of crystal clear tear fell down from Meiyun''s eyes onto the fluffy fur of the red hare. Guang Liang instantly panicked, he frantically looked at Meiyun with worry written all over his face. He crawled to Meiyun and grabbed her shoulders with both of his hands. "Wh-why are you crying just by that?!" Guang Liang shook Meiyun''s shoulders. But Meiyun''s tears wouldn''t stop rolling down. He became more panicked when Meiyun didn''t respond to him and kept on crying. At last, when there was no idea to how to soothe Meiyun, he pulled Meiyun into a hug. "F-fine, I was jealous because you won''t play with me. Are you satisfied?" Guang Liang mumbled. The only thing that he got was silence and Meiyun trembling in his embrace. He furrowed his brows as he felt something was not right about Meiyun being silent. He pulled Meiyun away and saw that Meiyun was holding herself back from laughing. In a second, Guang Liang''s face flushed into a deep red shade. He quickly took a few steps back and sat on the ground with his back facing Meiyun. "Y-You! How dare you do this to me!" Guang Liang complained without looking back. Meiyun immediately burst out laughing as she rolled on the grass. The red hare jumped off from her lap and stared at her with confused eyes. Guang Liang could hear her laughter as clear as day but then a soft whisper of a familiar voice echoed through his ears. "Meiyun¡­.Wake up¡­." Guang Liang''s face scrunched into a frown, he turned around to look at the laughing Meiyun. Meiyun didn''t notice the downcasted expression on Guang Liang''s face, just when Meiyun looked at Guang Liang, he already turned around to look at the sky above him. Meiyun thought that Guang Liang was just embarrassed so she continued to laugh at him. Chapter 256 - 254. His Call II Third-person POV Guang Liang was laying down on the grass beside the river while staring at the clear blue sky with a serious expression on his face. He was wondering about the voice that he heard since a few weeks ago. He had been trying to ignore the voice and trying to go through his days happily with his young mother, Meiyun. But the voice never stopped calling for his beloved mother''s name and telling her to wake up. Guilt slowly ate up his selfish heart, he wanted to stay with someone he truly cared for a bit longer but on the other side of the world, there were many more people waiting for Meiyun to come back. "What are you doing here?" Meiyun''s face popped up above his head. Guang Liang who had gotten used to Meiyun''s goofiness didn''t show any reaction on the outside to her sudden appearance although his heart jumped a little bit. "Nothing, just looking at the sky." Guang Liang replied nonchalantly. Meiyun knitted her brows in suspicion and asked with a worried tone, "Guang Liang ah, what''s wrong with you? You have been acting weird for the past few weeks. If you anything you are worried about, just tell mother." Guang Liang stared at her for a moment and sat up facing Meiyun. Meiyun scooted closer to Guang Liang so that she could hear him clearer and better. Even after a few minutes of staring at each other, Guang Liang''s lips were still tightly shut. "What is it?" Meiyun started to get panic. "Go back." Guang Liang answered with a firm tone. Meiyun was caught off guard, she couldn''t get any word out of her throat. "You stayed here for too long." Guang Liang gave his reason. "Nonsense!" Meiyun quickly cut him off with a heavy tone. Guang Liang lifted his eyes to look at Meiyun''s disheartened face. He looked away as soon as Meiyun grabbed his hand. "Look at me." Meiyun place her palm on Guang Liang''s cheek and softly turned his face to face her. At that moment, he knew that he wouldn''t be able to keep the secret from Meiyun when his eyes landed on Meiyun''s glistening eyes. "Why do you have to say that? Did mother tease you so much that you want me to leave?" Meiyun spoke with a regretful voice. "No, not that." Guang Liang denied swiftly. "Then what? If you don''t tell me, how could I know what is bothering you?" Meiyun put more strength in her grip. Guang Liang bit his lips and sighed in resignation, "There is someone waiting for your return." Meiyun''s face immediately froze as she knew clearly who Guang Liang was talking about. "Every hour, without a fail, he would talk to you and asked where you truly are. You can''t hear his voice but I can. And it started to get pitiful." Guang Liang uttered. Meiyun lowered her head and the grip that was holding on Guang Liang''s hand loosened as well. She turned her head away to look at the water that was flowing tranquilly in the river. "Will you be lonely?" A question escaped from Meiyun''s lips. Guang Liang was silent for a moment then a weak smile appeared on his thin pale lips, "Of course I will without you talking all day long hehe~" Guang Liang chuckled at the thought of Meiyun excitedly telling him the dramas that happened in the human world. He took Meiyun''s hand that previously held his hand, he gripped it tightly but not enough to hurt her. Although the smile on his lips was genuine, however, one could see the gaze in his eyes were showing how reluctant he was from letting Meiyun go. "But¡­he and the others are also missing you. They know you longer and better than I do so you should have choose them over me. And, just by hearing him calling out to you every second showed how big his love for you. It has been three months since you appeared here. Don''t waste any more of your time with me in here, you will be happier out there with them." Guang Liang expressed his true feeling about Meiyun''s stay in the dimension that he created. "No, you are wrong." Meiyun firmly refuted. She knocked her forehead against Guang Liang''s forehead and caused both of them to be in pain. But the pain on their forehead couldn''t compare to the storm that they were having in their hearts. "Three months staying in here with you, never have I ever felt any regret even for a second. The thought of wasting my time had never passed my mind before. I have been enjoying every second of being with you. So don''t say anything like wasting my time, kay?" Meiyun said softly and with a gentle smile adorned her cherry lips, she looked unusually heavenly. "En," Guang Liang weakly nodded his head without taking his eyes off Meiyun. Just when they were enjoying the pleasant silence, Meiyun''s eyes suddenly got blurry. Her body froze in shock as she couldn''t believe what just happened. She blinked and rubbed her eyes to disperse the blurriness in her eyes, not long after, her sight went back to normal. Guang Liang who noticed Meiyun rubbing and blinking her eyes repeatedly sighed as he knew that the time has come. His eyes were staring at the hand that held tightly Meiyun''s slender hands. "The time has come." Guang Liang muttered under his breath almost inaudible. But Meiyun heard every single word loud and clear, she furrowed her brows and gave Guang Liang a confused look. "What do you mean?" Meiyun asked. , "My power was used up for reviving you, thus, I can''t maintain this dimension any longer. It is the best option if you leave right now." Guang Liang said and lifted up his head to look directly at her eyes. Meiyun noticed that the words Guang Liang used were somewhat suspicious. "If you can''t maintain our own dimension, then, where will you go?" Meiyun inquired with worries written all over her face. Her voice was audibly trembling, the thought of what would happen to Guang Liang after his dimension crumbled because of losing all of his power horrified her. Guang Liang snorted at Meiyun''s expression and flicked her scrunched up forehead with his finger, "Why the hell are you frowning? You will get wrinkles even before you get into the thirties." But Meiyun wasn''t affected by Guang Liang''s attempt to change the subject and the tense atmosphere that surrounds them. Although she had only known him for three months, she could read him like an open book. Furthermore, with Guang Liang putting his full trust in Meiyun, he tended to show his true self without having the fear of being hated by Meiyun who loves him the way he is. Meiyun was staring intensely at Guang Liang to beseech an answer from him about his own fate. Just by looking at the way Meiyun staring at him, Guang Liang sighed for the tenth time as he knew well that he wouldn''t be able to dodge this question. "Maybe I will disappear or will be sent to hell, I don''t know for sure, we will see." Guang Liang indifferently shrugged his shoulders as if his life didn''t matter to him at all. Meiyun clenched her jaw as she knew that the cause of these things to happen was her. She didn''t know how to reply to him, she couldn''t think of any method that could be any help to Guang Liang. Even her body was currently lying lifelessly on the bed. "I can help you," a childish voice sounded out from Guang Liang''s behind. They whipped their heads to look at the new uninvited guest that appeared out of nowhere without any sound. A teenage girl with a pair of wide wings soundlessly landed on the ground. "Who are you?" Guang Liang growled. He never experienced anything such as someone broke into his dimension, therefore, he became very protective and hid Meiyun behind him. "Don''t be afraid. I am Master Sheng Jie''s divine beast and I came here to help you because you had helped my master." The teenage girl said. "Master Sheng Jie? I have never even met her before, how could I possibly help her?" Guang Liang spat back. "I can''t tell you more than that because there is a human here." The teenage girl glanced at Meiyun. Meiyun fearlessly stepped forward as she thought that the only one that could help Guang Laing was the teenage girl, "What do I have to do for you to help my son?" The teenage girl smiled widely as she approached Meiyun, "Easy, you just need to go back to your own body and do what you are supposed to do." "What?" Meiyun asked in puzzlement. "You will know." The teenage girl put her hand over Meiyun''s eyes and in an instant, Meiyun vanished from the sight. Chapter 257 - 255. His Call III Third-person POV Guang Liang widened his eyes in shock when Meiyun''s figure suddenly disappeared by the touch of the teenage girl. "What did you do to her?!" Guang Liang roared at the teenage girl. The teenage girl nonchalantly turned her eyes to look at the furious Guang Liang and swept her hand in the air. A huge mirror-like projection materialized in front of them. Guang Liang looked at the image in the projection and there was a scene that he was very familiar with that was currently playing on the projection. "This¡­this is when my mother was about to die. What did that have to do with me helping Master Sheng Jie?" Guang Liang questioned. "This lady over here¡­" The teenage girl pointed at the white-clothed woman that was not far away from Meiyun. "¡­is Master Sheng Jie." Guang Liang instantly froze in his spot. "By saving Meiyun, you saved Master Sheng Jie as well. And by here, I came to promote you into low-ranked divine beast." The teenage girl cut to the chase. "What is the price?" Guang Liang quickly asked. After watching the world went on for a few hundred years, Guang Liang found it difficult to trust someone especially someone that over a free gold like the teenage girl in front of him. Furthermore, there was nothing free in this life. The teenage girl''s smile grew wider, "There will be no price for your promotion, you don''t have to do anything. You did a good job and I, as one of the highest rank divine beast and Master Sheng Jie''s one and only divine beast, decided to take you in as my disciple. What? You don''t want to?" "Of course I want to, but your offer is a bit too hard to believe." Guang Liang narrowed his eyes. "You are not wrong. To be promoted a few ranks in a second is a lifetime chance and the chances are very little but never zero." The teenage girl grinned slyly. Guang Liang quickly got her meaning, "Fine, I take your offer." he snorted. "If there is nothing, then let''s go. There are so many things we have to do." The teenage girl turned around. "Wait!" Guang Liang stopped her in her track before she could walk away. The teenage girl looked over her shoulder and asked, "What?" Guang Liang bit his lips as he didn''t know if it was right for him to ask her this question. "Will I be able to meet my mother again?" Guang Laing asked with his eyes looking downwards. The teenage girl stared at Guang Liang and was silent for a moment. Although she was one of the highest-ranking divine beasts, it didn''t mean that she knew everything about the death and life circulation in the world. But then she remembered the dark spot that lingered on Meiyun''s heart when she saw her a few seconds ago. "You will and it won''t be long." The teenage girl said. "What do you me-" Guang Liang asked once again. "By the way, my name is Xiao Bai. Call me Senior Xiao Bai. No more question, follow me." Xiao Bai quickly cut him off before he could finish his question. She turned around and opened a portal to the Heavenly Palace where she and Sheng Jie stayed. She entered the portal and Guang Liang followed her closely from behind . . A calming scent of incense gently wafted over her nose. Her brows twitched and her eyelids slowly opened after more than three months being tightly closed. The first sight that she saw after she opened her eyes was a familiar painting on the ceiling of the bed. She stared at it for a few seconds to recall where she had seen that painting before, then she remembered the most life-changing encounter she ever had, it was the first time she met Di Shang in his room in Dong Fang. At that time, the first thing that she saw after she woke up from her unconsciousness was also this similar painting. Although both painting it weren''t precisely identical but the meaning behind the painting was the same. A man and a woman, together on the horses, they ride through the mountains and deserts like unchained eagles. The other reason why Meiyun liked the painting very much was the painting truly displayed her dream of being unrestrained and traveling around the world with the person she loves the most. If she never met him, then she wouldn''t be able to appreciate herself as much as she does now. Therefore, meeting Di Shang was one of the most memorable encounters she had in her entire life. While she was reminiscing the beautiful past, she heard a soft stable breathing from beside her. From what she could deduct, it seems like the person was sleeping deeply. She heavily turned her head to the side to look at the person sleeping beside her. The man sat on the ground so that he could lean his head on the side of the bed. The dark circles under his eyes were very visible that it almost made him hard to recognize. Stubbles grew untidily from his cheeks down to his lower jaw. Even when he was sleeping, the brows were furrowed and his face was scrunched up into a scowl. One could clearly see that the man wasn''t having a good sleep for quite long. Meiyun reached out her hand to caress the short stubbles on his cheek. A smile instantly bloomed on Meiyun''s ghastly pale lips. Her fingers didn''t stop tracing over his nose bridge nose and his jawline. She was too focused on staring at the strong jawline of her husband that she didn''t realize that the man''s eyes were wide open for quite a while. "Meiyun?" He shakily called out her name. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing right now, a touch of coldness on her fingertips that were touching his jaw was real. But he had been having a dream of her waking up that sometimes he hoped that he wouldn''t wake up from that blissful dream. The sight of his beloved wife smiling at him with a smile full of life after a long time laying on the bed with a peaceful almost dead-like smile almost made him tear up. "Hm?" Meiyun hummed as her hand continued to caress his cheek. Even with only a hum from her, the tears that pooled in his eyes rolled down his cheeks to Meiyun''s hand. "I-is this real? You woke up?" Di Shang muttered almost inaudible. Meiyun chuckled at Di Shang''s disbelief expression, "En, I woke up. Or do you want me to be unconscious forever?" Di Shang enveloped Meiyun''s hand with his big rough hand and shook his head, "Don''t joke about something like that. Do you know how painful it is for me to see you sleep like a dead person? I always checked your pulse just to ensure you are still alive." Di Shang tightened his grip around Meiyun''s hand. Meiyun chuckled and swept her thumb across his cheek. "Fine~ Fine~ Aiyoo~ My lovely husband is suffering, oohh~ What am I supposed to do so that my husband won''t be sad? What should I do? Heyy~ Husband~ Tell me, what should I do for you to be happy?" Meiyun made a cute expression by puffing her cheeks out. Di Shang didn''t reply to her tease, he leaned towards Meiyun''s cold touch and wouldn''t let go of her hand even though she tried to pull it away because her hand started to feel numb. In the end, Meiyun gave up and let him use her hand to his will. "Hehehe~ So ugly." Meiyun made fun of Di Shang''s current untidy appearance to ease up the heavy atmosphere. "Just like this¡­stay like this and I will be happy." Di Shang kissed her palm and smiled softly while staring at her with his glassy eyes. "En, hehehe~ Ouch!" Meiyun giggled as her palm felt ticklish from rubbing against his stubbles but because she laughed, the wound in her heart ached and made her yelp. Di Shang immediately stood up and anxiously looked at the wound whilst shouting for the servants to call for a physician. Di Shang kept sighing in worry as he stared at her pale face with an unexplainable expression on his face. Seeing Di Shang got so panicked just by a little yelp from her, her heart melted at how Di Shang truly cared and worried for her. But seeing him worrying too much also made her feel guilty. She patted Di Shang''s hand to get his attention. "It''s fine, only hurt a little bit. it is my fault for laughing, hehe~" Meiyun scratched her head and laughed sheepishly from her clumsiness. "Don''t joke around. Your wound is serious, we need to do a check-up. You just need to rest." Di Shang pulled a blanket over Meiyun''s chest and gave her a gentle peck on her forehead. "E-en¡­" Meiyun hid her red face under the blanket and pretended to be asleep so she wouldn''t have to respond to Di Shang unintentional lovey-dovey act. Chapter 258 - 256. I Am Sorry I Third-person POV Meiyun was sitting on her bed while leaning on the headboard of the bed. She carefully munched the food that Di Shang patiently fed her spoon by spoon. He watched her closely and with a cup of water beside him in case Meiyun choked on her food. Previously, Naran was so excited and going to visit Meiyun after hearing the news that she woke up but as soon as Naran stood up, she collapsed from overstress. Apparently, Naran pushed herself too much in taking care of Meiyun plus Di Shang who insisted on staying beside Meiyun and always forget to eat his own meal because he was too focused on looking over Meiyun. At first, Meiyun wanted to see Naran''s condition in fear that Naran hit her head or any of her vital spots when she fell, but Di Shang prevented her to do so because of her own fragile body. So they called for another physician to examine Naran and it turns out as what they expected, she collapsed from overworking herself. She only needed to rest and eat more nutritional food to gain back her usual strength. "Delicious?" Di Shang asked while scooping another spoon of rice congee. Di Shang''s voice brought Meiyun back from her daze. She turned her head towards him and smiled softly. "En, do you want to have a taste?" Meiyun offered by pointing her chin at the congee bowl in Di Shang''s hand. "No need. You have to eat this whole portion or else you won''t get better." Di Shang positioned the spoon full of congee in it in front of Meiyun''s lips. "Aiya~ One spoon doesn''t make any difference la~ If you want to eat then just eat it." Meiyun insisted but Di Shang lightly pressed the spoon on her lips. "Eat, I have my own meal." Di Shang ignored Meiyun''s glare. After the bowl was empty, Di Shang called the servants to take away the dirty dishes and ordered them to call the physician to do an annual check-up on Meiyun. Although Meiyun was happy and touched that Di Shang cared for her so much, she couldn''t help but sigh at his over-protectiveness. Before Meiyun could even ask to take a breather outdoor, Di Shang quickly cut her off and told her to sleep. She wanted to scream out that her spine was so sore that it felt like it disappeared because she was laying down for too long. However, after seeing the worried expression on Di Shang''s face, Meiyun shut her lips and became obedient as a puppy. Physician Tu came into the room while carrying his usual medical box in his hand. Meiyun smiled at the doctor and nodded her head as a greeting and gratitude for him coming here 3 times every single day just to do an examination on her. Physician Tu politely greeted Meiyun and Di Shang back with a bow. He sat on a stool beside the bed and did a quick check on Meiyun''s pulse. He glanced at Meiyun and saw her looking at him with an unfathomable smile on her lips. Physician Tu''s heart skipped a beat as he knew exactly what Meiyun was telling him by the gaze alone. Di Shang who was watching from the side furrowed his brows in puzzlement by the sight in front of him. It wasn''t a jealousy towards Physician Tu because he was being stared by Meiyun, but it was because their gaze that they gave each other, it seemed like Physician Tu understood Meiyun much more than him, Meiyun''s husband. It was true and wasn''t a secret anymore that Meiyun was very secretive about herself and always blamed herself for what happened to the people close to her. And that was one of the reasons why Di Shang hadn''t told Meiyun about the death of their infant and Hong er''s disappearance. "Is there something wrong, Physician Tu?" Di Shang asked with an audible anxiety in his voice. Physician Tu glanced at Di Shang and back to Meiyun. Meiyun''s expression didn''t change at all meant that she didn''t care if Physician Tu wanted to say it or not. Seeing that both of them communicating with their eyes again, Di Shang became anxious because he felt like a stranger in that room and from the looks of it, he guessed that it probably some secrets that they hid from him. "Physician Tu?" Di Shang called his name once again but with a more demanding voice. Physician Tu nodded his head at Meiyun and turned his eyes to look at Di Shang, "Young Madam is aware of it." Di Shang''s brows furrowed even more by Physician Tu''s vague explanation, "About what?" Then he looked at Meiyun who was placing her right palm on her abdomen. Her face was still as gentle as before but there was a tint of regret and remorse in her eyes. Without needing any word, Di Shang understood the little gestures that both Meiyun and Physician Tu displayed. From Di Shang''s expression, Physician Tu reckoned that Di Shang already got what he meant. Physician Tu decided to give the couple space to discuss with each other, he bowed to both of them and retreated from the room without forgetting to take his medical box. Even after a few minutes, Di Shang and Meiyun hadn''t spoken a single word. They stayed still in their place and Di Shang stared at Meiyun with imploring eyes, but Meiyun didn''t see it because Meiyun didn''t look his way. He knew it was hard to get an answer out from the tight-lipped Meiyun, but he would still give it a try. He wanted to hear the answer from her own lips, not from someone else that he didn''t know well. Di Shang sat at the side of the bed with his front facing her. he took her other hand and put a little force in it but not enough to hurt her. Meiyun lifted up her face to look at his anxious face. "Meiyun, why you didn''t tell me?" Di Shang asked without beating around the bush. Meiyun stayed silent. She was deeply aware that it wasn''t good to lie or keep secrets from someone close to you especially the partner of her life because it meant that she didn''t trust him. At that time, when she knew that she was pregnant, she wanted to tell him so badly but the condition at that time didn''t let her. Hearing no response from Meiyun, Di Shang clenched his jaw so that he wouldn''t break into tears of despair. "Meiyun¡­I am your husband right?" Di Shang''s voice grew disheartened as his grip tightened as well. Her heart hurts at the question of Di Shang doubting their relationship, yet, she still maintained her gentle smile. However, her lips were visibly trembling. She wanted to tell him what she had been gone through, she wanted to say that she desperately to be hugged and comforted, she sincerely wanted it but she didn''t dare to ask. In her whole entire life, she had implanted a mindset that she had to solve everything herself without asking for help from anyone. Although she disregarded the foolish mindset of her for a few times by asking for a power from Weisheng, she didn''t want to burden the person she loves with her whole heart with her uselessness. She afraid that Di Shang would see her as a useless and weak woman and abandon her because Di Shang once said that he fell in love with her for her braveness and strength. Seeing him always smiled and laughed at her goofiness and the fake mask that she always put on, she slowly feared her true self being exposed. The weak and fragile side of her. Everyone around her loved the happiness and positive aura that she spread around, and she was proud of it but also dismayed by her own fakeness. Lost in her thought, Meiyun forgot to reply to Di Shang''s desperate question. After a few minutes of waiting for her reaction, Di Shang gave in. He loosened his grip on Meiyun''s hand and walked away with a disappointed heart. Meiyun woke up from her daze when the door to their room was slammed close. She held her hand that was enveloped with the warmth from Di Shang''s hand and brought it close to her chest. She bit her lips to fight back the tears that pooled up in her eyes. Her lower lips started to bleed from her biting it too hard. "I-I am sorry¡­" Chapter 259 - 257. I Am Sorry II Third-person POV Di Tian who was talking to his fianc¨¦e, Qatar, while waiting for the right time to visit his sister-in-law saw Di Shang stormed out of his courtyard with fists tightly clenched as his veins showed up on the back of his hands. Di Tian and Qatar looked at each other with a visible confusion on their faces. Since Di Tian was worried, they decided to chase after him. When they finally caught up to Di Shang, they saw him facing someone they never saw before. The attire that the other man wore was definitely for assassin or shadow guards but the design of the black clothes wasn''t the design from their Di family. From the other man''s face, it seemed like he was a very cheerful and bright person, however, one shouldn''t judge people''s faces. They could vaguely hear the conversation that was happening between them. "General Di, there is something I have to say to you." The other man said with a weak smile on his lips. Di Shang didn''t reply nor nod his head to respond to the other man because of the previous conflict that happened with Meiyun a few minutes ago. The other man sighed as he could see the black clouds hovering above Di Shang''s head. "Well, this has something to do with Senior Meiyun. That''s why I looked for the person that I truly care for her." The other man continued without getting dispirited from the unresponsive Di Shang. Hearing that it related to Meiyun, Di Shang''s face turned darker. Again, information about his own wife that he didn''t know and had to hear it from another person rather than the person itself. "Ah Ren, you are here to tell me about my wife? Why is it everyone knows her better than I do?" Di Shang snapped. Ah Ren understood what Di Shang was feeling and he couldn''t do anything about it. it was Meiyun''s decision if she wanted to tell him or not, it wasn''t his business to meddle in someone''s family affair especially when Meiyun already married into Di Shang''s family. "General Di, please cease your anger. I am here not to spill any tea but to remind, no, warn you about my precious senior." Ah Ren calmly explained. Hearing Ah Ren''s explanation, Di Shang took a deep breath and calmed himself to think straight. "I am sorry. Things are no really good for me today, my apologies." Di Shang apologized. "It is fine, I can relate to you. Even though Senior Meiyun is very kind and fun to around with, sometimes she can frustrate us to the point of us questioning our friendship. And that is one of the reasons why I came here, to warn you about the unknown side of hers." Ah Ren''s smiley face turned serious in a second. Di Shang was taken aback by Ah Ren''s sudden change in expression, "What do you mean?" Ah Ren sighed for the hundredth times, "General Di must be aware of Her Majesty Empress''s case and Great General Xu''s arrival in Chang An right?" "En, Great General Xu left a few days after I arrived at Chang An." Di Shang nodded his head. "Yes, and as a fellow people who work in the same field, General Di must also be aware that we have a rule that a punishment would be befallen on someone that failed their job. So, my fellow elite forces were punished the moment my Master arrived here, meanwhile, I took my punishment right after I arrived at Chang An." Ah Ren said. Di Shang silently agreed with Ah Ren. In the Di family, they also had this rule but the punishment is different from the Xu family. "I was recuperating for these past few weeks and almost completely healed. And the moment we heard Senior Meiyun regained her consciousness, I quickly came to visit her with letters from my fellow elite forces." Ah Ren took out a stack of envelopes that were tied together with a thin rope and handed it to Di Shang. Di Shang took the securely tied envelopes from Ah Ren''s hand but when Di Shang was going to pull it from Ah Ren''s hold, Ah Ren''s hand firmly holding onto the thin rope, leaving both of them in an awkward pose. Di Shang looked at Ah Ren''s earnest eyes that were staring at him intensely. "Please don''t tell Senior Meiyun that Master came here or anything about us taking her punishment in her place. Or else she would blame herself to the point she would travel all the way to Xi An to take her punishment." Ah Ren sighed at Meiyun''s stubbornness which was very similar to Hong er. "With just the news of Her Majesty Empress''s disappearance, she would fall into depression and definitely would blame herself for not making it in time to save Her Majesty Empress¡­" Ah Ren''s hold on the envelopes loosened and Di Shang finally could put the envelopes in his pocket chest. "..although she had done more than enough. So I beg you, General Di. Protect her to the best you can. I will entrust her to you." Ah Ren said from the deepest of his heart. From what Di Shang could see, Meiyun''s existence to Ah Ren ''s life was very special and irreplaceable that not everyone could understand the bond between them. "Why do you care so much about her?" Di Shang asked sincerely. Ah Ren''s smile grew wider when the image of Meiyun grabbing his hand and pulled him out from the darkness that had swallowed him long ago. The cage that he made to distance himself from everyone around him. He locked himself up in his tiny space fearing to face the cruel world that he had been living before he met Meiyun, Hong er, and others. "Because¡­she is the one who shows me the beautiful side of this world¡­" Ah Ren muttered under his breath but Di Shang could hear him clearly. Di Shang didn''t know what to say to reply to Ah Ren so he just stood silently without moving. A few seconds later, Ah Ren lifted his head up with a wide smile plastered on his face. "General Di! You said that things are not really good today, is it because of Senior Meiyun?" to lighten up the strained atmosphere, Ah Ren decided to change the subject of their conversation. Di Shang contemplated whenever he should tell Ah Ren or not. But then he thought that Ah Ren could be a really big help for him to get back with Meiyun. He regretted and felt guilty for his action and whatever he said to Meiyun previously. He wanted to apologize but didn''t know the right way to do so. "En," Di Shang nodded his head. "Can you tell me what happened? Maybe I can be a help." Ah Ren inquired. Di Shang sighed for the hundredth times when the rethought the conflict between him and Meiyun in their room not long ago. "She...she never say anything to me or rely on me even once, it made me feel useless as a husband. Even when she knew that she was pregnant, she didn''t even say a word to me. I know I am in the wrong for doubting her faith in me but I was so frustrated that I can''t think of the words that I can say and what I am not supposed to say." Di Shang massaged his forehead with his fingers. Ah Ren placed his fingers on his chin while thinking of the best solution for Di Shang''s current situation, "Worry not, Senior Meiyun will never get mad at you because she truly loves you. It is just that she has this fear of burdening others for the problem that related to her, that''s why she always hid her problems to herself. I think just by talking to her properly, everything will be fine. But give her time to slowly open up, each people have a different way of thinking and for Senior Meiyun, she needs a quite long time to open up." Di Shang found Ah Ren''s words made sense as the description of Meiyun was accurate. He took note in his head, he had to be patient if he wanted Meiyun to rely on him fully. "Please don''t blame Senior Meiyun, she has her own reason for her stubbornness." Ah Ren tapped Di Shang''s shoulder. "I won''t." Di Shang gave him a slight nod. "Well then, it is time for me to leave. I will leave this matter to you, General Di. I hope your dispute with Senior Meiyun can be solved finely." Ah Ren waved his hand and disappeared into thin air. Without further ado, Di Shang made up his mind and turned around to walk back to the chamber that he shared with Meiyun. Di Tian and Qatar who were listening to their conversation for the whole time quickly hid in the bushes. Di Shang walk passed by them and went directly to the door of his room. Although he had braved his heart to gentlemanly apologies to Meiyun, his heart was still hesitant at the thought of whenever Meiyun was upset at him or not. "Meiyun?" Di Shang called out softly as he carefully mended his way to the inner room of their chamber. Hearing no response from the woman he was looking for, his heart grew anxious every second passed by. He quickened his steps and roughly opened the pearl curtain that separates the inner room and the outer room. His eyes widened when he saw there was no one on the bed. The blanket was neatly folded on the bottom of the bed, there wasn''t even a single wrinkle on the sheet. Then he heard a soft howl of wind came in from the window beside the bed, he lifted his head up to see the window was not fully closed. Blood drained from his face as his lips trembled, "Meiyun¡­." Chapter 260 - 258. I Am Sorry III Third-person POV "I-I am sorry¡­" Meiyun sobbed after she watched Di Shang''s figure left the room. She felt like she was the worst person ever to be alive in this world. She kept questioning herself again and again. "Why do I have to lie to him?" "Why did I choose to hide everything from him?" "He trusted me so much but I did everything to make him upset." "What is the purpose of being happy if it is fake?" Her palm swung across her own cheek causing her cheek and palm to turn red, "I am an idiot¡­useless¡­worthless..." She cursed at herself with every degrading word that she knew. At this moment, the only thing that she wanted to do was to run to Di Shang''s side with everything she had and apologize to him. Addressing every misunderstanding they were having, tell him all of her stories whether it is happy, sad, upsetting or even depressing. Whatever Di Shang thought about her after listening to her story was a whole different story. If things truly didn''t work out between them, then she would oblige to any kind of Di Shang''s demand. Nevertheless, she hoped that everything would go finely and smoothly. Meiyun glanced at the door that Di Shang walked out from and saw two silhouettes standing at the other side of the entrance. The whole courtyard was closely guarded by guards and servants therefore if Meiyun needs anything, they could take immediate action without wasting any time. She knew that if she uses that door to go out to find Di Shang, they definitely would not allow her to go out. However, the urge to see her beloved husband could not be held anymore. She would do anything to get out of the room and find Di Shang herself, not even her wound could hinder her from looking for him. Because of her habit, she folded the blanket to the bottom of the bed and tidy up the wrinkles on the sheet. Although her wound in her chest ached, she could care-less about the pain as long as she could see him as soon as possible. Then she slowly opened the window that located beside their bed and looked around outside of the window before soundlessly climbed out of the window. Meiyun hissed the moment her bare foot touched the cold hard ground. She turned around to close the window back and proceeded with her escape plan. She could easily avoid the eyes of the guards with her skill but slowed down her speed because of her wounds, therefore she had to be more careful. She cautiously mended her way to the exit of the courtyard. She sprinted to the corner of the wall that had a man-made pond and it had bushes and a tree around the pond which made it a great place to hide. She hid behind the bushes and peeked through the spaces between the leaves. She clicked her tongue when she saw two guards were patrolling around the entrance, leaving her no chance but had to use her Qi to leap over the wall. She pondered for a while whether she could jump over the wall without re-opening the wounds in her heart. She patted her chest a few times and said to herself that she would be fine. She focused her Qi on her feet and gritted her teeth as her heart pounded faster than usual which caused her heart to ache. However, just as she was about to bound over the wall, she heard two familiar voices conversing at the other side of the wall. Her whole body froze when she recognized the owner of the voice. ''Shang Tang? Ah Ren?'' She halted and decided to stay and listen to what they were talking about. "...Please don''t tell Senior Meiyun that Master came here or anything about us taking her punishment in her place. Or else she would blame herself to the point she would travel all the way to Xi An to take her punishment¡­. With just the news of Her Majesty Empress''s disappearance, she would fall into depression and definitely would blame herself for not making it in time to save Her Majesty Empress¡­" Ah Ren''s voice resounded in Meiyun''s ears. Her ears instantly rang and her surroundings went blurry as if she couldn''t feel or hear anything around her. Her lips were as pale as snow and her whole body was trembling uncontrollably. To make it worse, she was sitting on the cold hard ground beside the pond that also exuded a cold air from the surface of the water. She sat soundlessly for a few minutes to figure out what was really happening. Even after she sacrificed so much, she still couldn''t save Hong er from getting abducted, Meiyun thought so. Her brain was full of negative thoughts which were not a very good thing for her current state. Then all of a sudden, she felt a warm liquid flowed down her nose and dripped onto her silky white robe. She looked down at her robe and saw her robe was stained with red drops. While the red liquids continued to drip down from her nose to her white robe, her numb brain couldn''t process what the red spots were. The time she realized what it was, she quickly used her hands to cover her nose to stop the blood from flowing down. Although her head was still light-headed, she wasn''t as dazed as before and she could listen to the conversation that was happening at the other side of the wall. "She never say anything to me or rely on me even once, it made me feel useless as a husband. Even when she knew that she was pregnant, she didn''t even say a word to me. I know I am in the wrong for doubting her faith in me but I was so frustrated that I can''t think of the words that I can say and what I am not supposed to say." Meiyun could easily distinguish that this was Di Shang''s voice and she could tell how Di Shang felt when he said these words. She bit her palm in hope that it could ease up the pain in her heart, ''I hurt him¡­.The thing that I swore to myself not to do is to hurt him, but I still went on to hurt him. I betrayed his faith, how stupid I am to think that by doing this, it won''t hurt him. Rather¡­it hurt him much more that it supposed to be.'' Then a tall shadow passed by Meiyun, she peeked over and saw Di Shang walked back to their chamber with incredulous speed. Meiyun instantly stood up to catch up to Di Shang but because of her abrupt move, her vision went dark and her body fell backward directly into the pond behind her. Because the pond was at the corner of the courtyard, there was rarely anyone walk pass there and the guards that were guarding the entrance of the courtyard were standing quite far away from her current position. So there was no one who heard the splashing sound of Meiyun fell into the water except the two people that were also hiding behind the bushes. "Sister-in-law!" They shot up from their hiding spot and sprinted towards Meiyun. Usually Meiyun could effortlessly swim up but her vision was extremely blurry and her body went numb from the cold water that hit her body so suddenly. She struggled to catch a breath yet only water entered her mouth. The more water entered her throat the more panic she got. Without thinking much, Di Tian immediately dived into the pond and grabbed Meiyun''s flailing hand. He quickly swam up to the surface whilst pulling Meiyun along with him. He carried Meiyun out of the water and did chest compressions on her when he saw Meiyun was not breathing. Qatar had called for help and the guards were running to get a physician. She used her own robe to cover Meiyun as she was only wearing her inner robe. Then they could hear heavy steps coming towards them at a rapid pace. "Meiyun!" Di Shang kneeled down beside Meiyun while Di Tian was still giving her chest compressions. Di Shang slightly lifted her chin up and positioned his ear near her lips to listen to her breathing but even after many pushes from Di Tian onto Meiyun''s chest, she still hasn''t breathed yet. Then he gave her two rescue breaths and lightly tapped Meiyun''s pale face to wake her up. "Meiyun! Wake up!" After a few presses on her chest, Meiyun coughed out a mouthful of water. Di Tian''s halted and swiftly turned her body to the side into a recovery position. Di Shang gave her a massage on her back and supported her head with his hand. Meiyun slowly opened her eyes and whispered, "Sh¡­Shang Tang?" "Are you fine? Do you feel pain anywhere? The physician is coming, I will bring you to a warmer place." Di Shang put one of his hand on the back of her knees and the other on her back. He ran back to their chamber while carrying her in bridal style. Meiyun leaned her head on his chest and gripped his collar. "Shang Tang¡­ I will tell you¡­I will tell you everything¡­ Please forgive me¡­" Meiyun sobbed in his embrace. Di Shang kissed the top of her head without stopping his legs from running, "I will always love you no matter what. I will wait for you no matter how long it takes. As long as you are beside me." Meiyun tightened her grip on his collar and mumbled tremblingly, "Thank you¡­" Chapter 261 - 261. I Miss You I Third-person POV The maids changed Meiyun''s drenched clothes and wiped her body with a warm towel. Di Shang left her for a moment to change his clothes as his clothes were also soaked from carrying Meiyun. While Di Shang was away to change his clothes, Meiyun dismissed the servants and the physician after getting her clothes changed and pulse checked. She poured herself a cup of tea and one cup for Di Shang. She patted her chest to calm her heart from beating too loudly, she was nervous as she was going to reveal everything that she had been hiding for more than a decade. She was so restless that she kept glancing around the room as if she never been in the room before. "Meiyun?" A deep voice sounded out from behind the divider. Meiyun jolted up as beads of cold sweats started to build up around her forehead. She straightened her back and looked up to Di Shang who walked into the room with a towel around his neck. "E-en?" Meiyun couldn''t think up of what the proper reply she was supposed to give. And to make it worse, Di Shang was wearing his inner robe loosely that it exposed his board chests which made Meiyun fl.u.s.tered because she hasn''t seen him in this kind of form for quite a long time. Di Shang furrowed his bows when he saw Meiyun sat on a chair rather on her bed. The chair didn''t have any cushion under it which made it more uncomfortable to sit on compared to the comfy warm bed. "Why aren''t you in bed? And where is the physician?" Di Shang walked towards Meiyun with heavy steps. "A-ah? Oh¡­emmm I told them to leave and I want to tell you something¡­" Meiyun almost forgot what she was going to tell Di Shang about after Di Shang''s hot body displayed for her to enjoy. "Let''s just talk in the bed." Di Shang said without much thought about his words choosing as for now, he just wanted Meiyun to lay down on the bed. "Wha-" Meiyun''s whole face flushed red. Seeing Meiyun''s face suddenly grew red, Di Shang''s heart almost dropped to the ground. He ran to her side and gently placed his palm on her forehead. "Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever? Is it because of the cold water? Why did the physician leave without giving you any medicine?" Di Shang rambled as he groped Meiyun''s body to check whether her body was also hot or cold. He didn''t really know about cold''s symptoms because he rarely caught a cold and the last time he had a fever was when he was a kid. Di Shang''s face was so close to hers that it made her heart go frenzy, she literally could feel the heat exuding from her face. As her heart couldn''t handle the charm that her husband released, she diverted her eyes and looked at everything in the room except her husband''s face that was right in front of her. "Look at me," Di Shang lifted up her chin with his finger and stared deep into her eyes. He leaned his forehead on hers and knitted his brows, "Your face is really hot. You have a fever, I will call Physician Tu. Just when Di Shang turned around to leave the room to call for Physician Tu, Meiyun tugged his sleeve and bit her lips as she didn''t know if she should say the cause of her red face. "St-stay here," After a few thoughts, Meiyun decided to not tell Di Shang. Di Shang took her hand and firmly gripped it, "Are you hurt?" Meiyun took a brief look at Di Shang''s worried face and nodded her head, "En." Di Shang quickly kneeled down in front of her and looked upwards to her red face, "Where?!" "Here," Meiyun pointed at her chest. Di Shang''s face paled when he remembered the wounds in her heart that almost took her away from him, "I will-" His lips were shut close by a pair of plump lip, Meiyun tilted her head to the side and deepened their kiss. After a few seconds, Meiyun gave a gentle peck on his lower lip before she retracted back to her straight sitting position. "It-it hurts for you," Meiyun mumbled with her lips puckered out. She didn''t dare to look at Di Shang''s face so she just stared at her fingers. But after not hearing any response from the other side for quite a while, Meiyun braved her heart and turned her head to look at Di Shang. But the only thing she could see was the weird grin on Di Shang''s dazed face, coupled with his red as tomato face. Meiyun''s face flushed even more if it was possible, she pushed Di Shang''s hand away and dashed off in embarrassment. "Aiya! Don''t make me say it la!" Meiyun dived into her bed and covered her face with a blanket. Di Shang''s grin became weirder when he finally processed what was happening. He stood up and mended his way to a huge bulge on the bed. He circled his arms around Meiyun and leaned his lips towards her. "Mei-" Di Shang wanted to call her name but his face was immediately smacked by a blanket. "Shut uuuuupppp¡­..Leave me alone¡­Go away!" Meiyun wiggled under the blanket as if she wanted Di Shang to release her from his hold. However, his hold was so firm that it was impossible for her to wiggle out from especially when she was trapped under the blanket. "What if I say I don''t want to?" Di Shang pulled down the blanket that covered the face that he loves the most. Meiyun''s hair was disheveled and her face was so red to the point her shoulders were also tainted with red. Although her face was exposed, she still wouldn''t acknowledge it. "Hey, are you going to ignore me after leaving me for so long?" Di Shang cooed and pecked Meiyun''s red cheek. Meiyun persistently ignored Di Shang. Di Shang grinned from ear to ear when he saw his wife went back to her usual self. "Can you give me a kiss? Then I will forgive you for hiding those things from me." Di Shang poked Meiyun''s puffed-out cheek. Meiyun twitched when Di Shang mentioned her biggest guilt. She glanced at Di Shang and gave him a hateful look. But in Di Shang''s eyes, she was like a big puppy pouting from getting called a bad girl. "So does that mean I don''t get a kiss?" Di Shang poked her lips hat puckered up. Meiyun groaned and gave Di Shang a quick peck, "Satisfied?" Di Shang''s grinned slyly as he leaned closer to Meiyun''s lips, "Nope." Meiyun clicked her tongue and gave him another quick peck. "Nope," Di Shang licked his lips and said dissatisfied. Meiyun gave him three consecutive kisses in a row and glared at him as if forcing him to say yes. "Nope, my three months portion is only a few pecks? My wife is so cruel." Di Shang sighed with a downhearted expression on his face. Even with his lost expression, Meiyun didn''t buy any of his acts. "You told me to kiss you and I kissed you so many times, yet, you are still dissatisfied. What am I supposed to do?! Do whatever you want! I don''t care what you said about me, I am sorry if I am being ''a cruel wife'', humph!" Meiyun snorted and turned away. Di Shang chuckled at Meiyun being upset, he used both of his hand to press Meiyun''s cheeks and turned her head to face him. Meiyun wanted to complain but since her cheeks were squished, her lips were puckered up like a fish. "Ha ghave yuh a kiss! Rheleaseh meh!" Meiyun struggled. Di Shang smirked and leaned his ear close to her lips, "Oh? Did you say you want a kiss?" "NYOH!" Meiyun shrieked. "Ok ok, I will give it to you." Di Shang connected his lips with hers. His tongue slickly slipped into Meiyun''s mouth and clashed with her tongue. Meiyun widened her eyes when Di Shang suddenly gave her such a passionate kiss, yet, so gentle. She gripped the hands that were holding her face. Di Shang was so overwhelming that her tongue inevitably followed along with the flow of Di Shang''s tongue movement. When Di Shang retracted his tongue, Meiyun''s mouth was left agape as she was panting tiredly. Her face was flushed red and her eyes were glassy with tears. ''Damn¡­He is good¡­'' Meiyun cursed within her heart. Then she realized she was swept along by Di Shang, she clenched her jaw and wanted to scold him but she halted when she saw his face brimmed with happiness. The smile on his lips could blind one''s eyes, there was even a bit of tear at the corner of his eyes, that shows how happy he was to be able to kiss his wife. Meiyun''s head fell back onto the pillow and sighed in defeat. Di Shang pecked her swollen lips and buried his face under the crook of Meiyun''s neck. He inhaled her calming scent and giggled contentedly. "I miss you¡­" Di Shang whispered beside Meiyun''s ear. Meiyun leaned her lips onto Di Shang''s ear and whispered back with a wide smile on her cherry lips, "¡­me too¡­" Chapter 263 - 261. I Will Be Their Mentor II Third-person POV A few days later, after Meiyun''s got better than before, they went to visit the Royal Palace to meet Weisheng. It was easy to access because of Meiyun and Di Shang''s status in the Royal Palace. While Meiyun was one of the closest servants that Hong er had, Di Shang was promoted as Minister of Justice which was a pretty high-rank for such a young man as Di Shang. Meiyun was elated to know that her husband got himself in a quite prestigious position in the court. She believed Di Shang can do his job well because he wasn''t prejudiced towards any races, religions, etc. Weisheng wasn''t bothered by Meiyun and Di Shang''s sudden visit as both of them never came to him to do small talk. Meiyun and Di Shang went to Hong er''s favorite pavilion which was the Floating Lotus Pavilion, Weisheng told the servants to bring both of them to him as he was too lazy to walk to the Main Palace''s hall. Moreover, Meiyun knew this place as much as he did. Meiyun and Di Shang mended their way to Weisheng to give their respect to him. Di Shang greeted Di Shang and then swiftly supported Meiyun by holding her arm when she was giving her greeting. Weisheng quickly stopped her from bowing down after he noticed the bandages that wrapped up to Meiyun''s neck. He wasn''t such a foul person to make someone that was heavily injured to do a thing that require one to bend their upper body forward. "Rise," Weisheng raised his hand. "Thank for your graciousness, Your Majesty Emperor." Both Meiyun and Di Shang bowed their head. Weisheng offered them to sit across him by giving them a meaningful glance. Without needing any word from Weisheng, they sat across him and cut to the chase. "Your Majesty Emperor, may I stay become His Highness Princes and Her Highness Princess'' mentor as well as their sitter?" Meiyun asked with a firm expression. "En," Weisheng nodded his head second after Meiyun finished her question. Weisheng had gotten busier with his nation affair as usually, Hong er would help him manage half of his jobs especially wars had occurred in numerous borders. Therefore he didn''t have any time to personally train Xue Lang every day like before. Unless, the court calmed down and then he could teach Xue Lang and possibly the twins how to fight. However, Hong er was in charge of teaching magic and he who possessed dark magic couldn''t explain how to control elemental magic as good as Hong er. Hence, having Meiyun who was always training together with Hong er as his children''s mentor was the best choice for now. But then Di Shang called Meiyun with a low voice, "Meiyun¡­" Meiyun turned to Di Shang and smiled. Di Shang furrowed his brows because he was quite disagreed with Meiyun''s proposal. If Meiyun was going to be Hong er''s children mentor then she probably would have to stay beside them all the time. And second of all, Meiyun hadn''t healed yet but the way she implied was as if she wanted to work as soon as possible while disregarding her own condition. Meiyun placed her hand on top of Di Shang''s and her smile didn''t falter. With them in their own world, Weisheng was observing both of their expression since the beginning and could summarize what they were talking about through their eyes. "It''s fine, you can do whatever you want." Weisheng uttered nonchalantly. Meiyun and Di Shang''s attention was quickly brought to Weisheng. How often would you hear an emperor tell a servant to do whatever they want in the Royal Palace? Almost none! "May I ask, what do Your Majesty Emperor mean by your words?" Di Shang asked. "I meant what I said." Weisheng replied. They stared at him as if they didn''t understand what he said. "Everyone in the Royal Palace knows your face, thus you can enter and exit the Royal Palace without having to report to me." Weisheng continued. Since Meiyun had married into Di Shang''s family, technically she hasn''t related to the Xu family nor Hong er anymore. But because of Meiyun kept begging Hong er to let her work for her like usual, Hong er couldn''t refuse her genuine request and gave her mission that can be done together with Di Shang. That was also one of the reasons Di Shang made a request to Weisheng for him to work at Royal Palace rather than fight in a battlefield when Weisheng offered him a wish as a gift for Di Shang''s meritorious victory in taking over Xi An from Da Chu''s hand. That being so Meiyun didn''t have to follow him to the battlefield and could continue to look over her master''s children. Furthermore, he expected Meiyun to make such a request to Weisheng. While Di Shang was thinking, Meiyun was staring at him with pleading eyes. Without needing a word from Meiyun, he could listen to Meiyun begging at him just from looking at her eyes. "You can only start working after you healed completely." Di Shang said firmly. "Ok," Meiyun nodded her head. Nevertheless, Di Shang was still skeptical about Weisheng''s graciousness for giving Meitun such a freedom in the Royal Palace. "Your Majesty Emperor, why are you so kind to us?" Di Shang asked without any refrain. Weisheng lifted his eyes to look at him, "Because I owed you and her a precious life." "A life?" Di Shang questioned with a visible puzzlement on his face. Just when Weisheng was going to part his lips to answer Di Shang''s puzzlement, Meiyun placed down her teacup and the clattering sound of the teacup''s bottom collided with the marble table silenced both men. "I will explain to you on the way home," Meiyun spoke gently to Di Shang. Then she turned to look at Weisheng and rose from her seat, "To not disrupt Your Majesty Emperor any further, we will take our leave now. Please do enjoy the tea." Meiyun bowed to Weisheng and followed by Di Shang, together they left the Floating Lotus Pavilion with Meiyun holding tight Di Shang''s arm for support. But just when they took a few steps away from the Floating Lotus Pavilion, a figure landed a step away from them. The figure stood up straight and almost had the same height as Di Shang. His eyes were widened when he saw Meiyun was holding Di Shang''s arm as if she was going to lose him. "Young Madam Di, long time no see. Are you well?" Qiyi politely bowed his head with the corner of his lips arched into a soft smile. A bitter taste swarmed Qiyi''s mouth when he called Meiyun with an unfamiliar title. He couldn''t believe that one day, he had to watch his loved one slowly being taken away from him, a thick wall gradually separated them. During that time, he kept reprimanded himself for being foolish and prideful. He couldn''t blame anyone else except himself. "Long time no see, Imperial Guard Qiyi. Thank you for your concern and yes, I am very healthy now. Oh, let me introduce my husband, Shang Tang from Di family, Di Shang Tang." Meiyun smiled proudly as she could finally introduce Di Shang as her husband. She wasn''t by any means to brag but introducing Di Shang to people that he was her husband made an unknowing proudness bloomed inside her heart. But the tension between both men couldn''t be unseen. "Nice to meet you, Imperial Guard Qiyi." Di Shang cupped his fist and formally greeted Qiyi. "N-Nice to meet you too, General Di." Qiyi greeted back with an awkward smile. They greeted each other as if they hadn''t met before. Because of their encounter when Meiyun was groped in a brothel, they didn''t have a very good impression towards each other. Much less Di Shang as the man in front of him was the man who caused Meiyun to have major heartbreak. But he was also thankful of Qiyi, if it was not because of him then he would never be able to enter into Meiyun''s heart. Meiyun noticed the strained atmosphere and chuckled to relieve the tension, "Oh ahahaha~ Imperial Guard Qiyi, you must be looking for His Majesty Emperor. We talked with His Majesty Emperor just now and we are leaving. Hope we meet again in the future." Meiyun bowed to Qiyi and tugged Di Shang along with her. Di Shang gave Qiyi a quick glare before he turned to face Meiyun with a gentle smile plastered on his lips. Meiyun glanced at him and asked, "What are you laughing at?" "Nothing, just glad that you are beside me." Di Shang pecked Meiyun''s head. Meiyun''s face instantly flushed into a deep red shade as there were servants that she acquainted with were watching them. "Shut up!" Meiyun pulled Di Shang harder and walked quicker. Di Shang laughed out loud and let himself being pulled by Meiyun. While they were having their fun time together, Qiyi diverted his eyes from the couple and mended is way to Weisheng. "Regret?" A word escaped from Weisheng''s lips all of a sudden. Qiyi lowered his head and hummed, "En." Chapter 262 - 260. I Guess I Am Both Of It Third-person POV After staying still with the hugging position, both of them fell into a deep sleep until they were called by the servants for dinner. Di Shang groaned as an answer to the servants'' call. Even though he knew that it was time for dinner and Meiyun who was in the healing process need to eat at the specific time, he couldn''t pull himself out from the warmth of the woman in his embrace. He snuggled closer to Meiyun and breathed in her calming scent. He stared at the back of her head and couldn''t help but broke into a smile. He pressed his lips against her silky hair and enjoyed the silent moment. "Mmmhh," Meiyun groaned when she felt there was something pressed against the back of her head. "You are awake?" Di Shang asked after he pecked Meiyun''s plump lips. "Mhhh," Meiyun groaned and turned her body around to face Di Shang. She put her arms around Di Shang''s board chest and nestled in his arms. Di Shang chuckled and combed Meiyun''s tangled hair. "Let''s eat dinner." Di Shang patted Meiyun''s bottom. "Mhhh," Meiyun reluctantly let go of her natural warm bottle and slowly sat up. Di Shang helped the sleepy Meiyun to wear another layer of cloth because the servants would come in to serve their dinner. She smiled at him as a thank for helping her because she felt especially weary at the moment that even opening her eyes was very hard. But Di Shang stole a kiss from the tired Meiyun as a bonus for the help that he offered. Meiyun helplessly chuckled at her husband''s neediness. They walked to the dining table while the servants laid out all of the nutritious dishes on the dining table. Di Shang took the chopstick from Meiyun''s hand and voluntarily fed her bit by bit. At first, Meiyun wanted to turn down Di Shang and eat by herself as she felt that she wasn''t so weak that she couldn''t eat by herself. Yet, after looking at Di Shang''s firm expression, she could only sigh in defeat and be as obedient as a puppy does. It didn''t take a long time for them to finish the whole dishes. The servants swiftly cleaned up the table and withdrew from the room since they noticed the warm atmosphere that was happening between the couple and didn''t want to disturb the great atmosphere. "Shang Tang¡­I have something to tell you." Meiyun started after she checked the servants were gone. Di Shang looked at her and held her hand because he could feel the nervousness in Meiyun''s eyes, "What is it? I will gladly listen to it." Di Shag smoothly guided Meiyun back to the bed and sat beside her. Meiyun was fidgeting with her hand to distract herself from the tension she was having in her heart. "I-I met our son." Meiyun bit her lips because even she found the words that came out from her own mouth were unbelievable. "What?" Di Shang asked with a pure puzzlement written all over his face. Their child was dead before it was born and Meiyun said that she met their child, furthermore, Meiyun knew the gender of their child which was hard to believe because she had only been pregnant for about a month and it was impossible to find out the gender of the child even if it was a godly physician. "I know it is hard to believe but please! Believe me¡­Yes, I hide things from you but I never lied to you and I never wanted to. So please¡­" Meiyun grabbed Di Shang''s hand and pressed her forehead against his fist. Di Shang stared at Meiyun and caressed her hair, "I trust you." Meiyun whipped up her head to look at Di Shang, she didn''t expect to hear Di Shang''s answer so soon. Her eyes bulged open in disbelief, "You trust me? Even when I am spouting nonsense?" "Why not?" Di Shang pressed his lips against Meiyun''s forehead. Meiyun''s eyes became glassy, she hugged Di Shang and sobbed in his embrace. Di Shang circled his arms around Meiyun and leisurely swayed side to side. "I-I''m sorry¡­Because of me, we lost our child. Guang Liang, is a very good kid¡­he sacrificed himself for me. What kind of mother am I? Using the life of my son to save mine." Meiyun pounded Di Shang''s chest with her fists and cried her heart out. "En, he is our son. So you named him Guang Liang, en, it is a beautiful name. He inherited your traits, that''s why he is a very good kid." Di Shang uttered softly near Meiyun''s eyes. (¹âÁÁ (Guang Liang): Luminous, bright) "I am being serious right now uugghhh~" Meiyun rubbed her head on his chest as if drilling her head into his chest. Di Shang''s chest went up and down as he laughed out loud at Meiyun, "Okay okay~" Meiyun stayed silent for a moment before she continued, "I am sorry that I didn''t tell you about my pregnancy. I was afraid that you won''t let me go if you know about it. I vowed my life to Her Majesty Empress so I have no choice. I am truly sorry." Di Shang sighed and pulled her away from his embrace. He stared deep into her eyes and lightly knocked her head with his knuckles. "Of course I won''t let you go. As a husband, I have to prioritize you and my heir above all things." Meiyun lowered her head and apologized, "I''m sor-" "At the same time, as a general, I have to obey His Majesty Emperor''s order and protect my people at all costs. So it isn''t fully your fault, you shouldn''t blame yourself, you hear me?" Di Shang said while he gripped on her hand. Meiyun was staring at him as if she couldn''t give him her answer. She couldn''t be sure if she wouldn''t blame herself again even if it was not her fault, to begin with. Di Shang knitted his brows when Meiyun looks very hesitant. "Do.you.hear.me?" Di Shang repeated but with a more emphatic voice. He didn''t want Meiyun to hurt herself like she always did before and he knew her very well that she wouldn''t break her promise that easily. That''s why he did this to ensure Meiyun heard his words clearly without any misunderstanding behind it. "E-en," Meiyun averted her eyes and lightly nodded her head. "Good, I never expected you to tell me everything right now but if there is something burdening you, tell me, rely on me, I will definitely do my best to help you. We are husband and wife, there is nothing that needs to be hide from. Do you understand?" Di Shang insisted. "En," Meiyun obediently nodded her head. The room instantly fell silent after Meiyun answered his question. Since Di Shang was a composed man, he enjoyed the silence whilst fondling Meiyun''s hands. He didn''t notice Meiyun''s lips that were pressed together in anxiousness. She took a deep breath and gained the courage to ask Di Shang directly. "Shang Tang ahh¡­You¡­" Meiyun halted as she rethought whether the question was appropriate to be asked. "Hm?" Di Shang lifted his eyes up to look at her and slightly tilted his head to the side. Meiyun bit her lips as she was still uncertain, "Do you take in another wife?" Di Shang was taken aback with the unexpected question, his whole body froze as he didn''t know how to respond to the question. Meiyun became more nervous when Di Shang''s body suddenly stopped moving, even his smile faltered. ''Did he really¡­'' Meiyun''s eyes were wide open. Noticed that she was staring too hard at Di Shang, Meiyun diverted her eyes and laughed awkwardly. "Of-of course you have. It is not unusual if you take in a few more wives and I won''t mind it too. since you can''t have any s.e.x.u.a.l intercourse because I was in a coma for more than three months. Eh-ehehehe~" She muttered with her trembling voice. Di Shang''s straight brows furrowed into a deep crease, "What are you talking about?" "Eh?" Meiyun uttered in disbelief. Di Shang sighed when Meiyun was staring at him with her glassy eyes, "I didn''t take any woman into this household. My only wife is the most beautiful woman that is sitting in front of me and her name is Meiyun." Di Shang airily flicked Meiyun''s forehead. Meiyun''s face changed into a red shade in a second. She turned away to avoid Di Shang''s teasing gaze. "How can you hold out three months no s*x, unbelievable¡­" Meiyun cursed under her breath. Di Shang laughed and gently pushed Meiyun on the bed, "I don''t know what kind of man made you think like that but not all men only think about s*x. Some of them marry the love of their life just because they want to stay beside their loved ones. Nevertheless, there exist, men, that crazed over s*x which means you are partially correct." "So which one are you?" Meiyun asked with a sly smirk on her lips. "Me? Guess¡­" Di Shang teased. "I don''t know, maybe you only want my body." Meiyun stuck out her tongue. Never did she expect, Di Shang would smooch her out of her life. At first, Meiyun followed along with the pace but as time passed by, the kiss slowly grew more intense and passionate that Meiyun panted in the kiss. Di Shang''s tongue explored every inch of Meiyun''s mouth, leaving no spot untouched. The time Di Shang retracted his tongue, Meiyun had ascended to cloud nine. Her eyes were half-open with her mouth open gasping for air. Satisfied by his art piece, Di Shang planted a kiss on the crook of her neck as the last touch. "I guess I am both of it." Di Shang chuckled. Chapter 264 - 262. Her Past I Third-person POV Meiyun and Di Shang were sitting without uttering a single word in their carriage. Meiyun slowly scooted closer to Di Shang and rested her head on his shoulder to make his heart melt a tiny bit. And it worked perfectly on Di Shang, a slight arch on the corner of his lips could be seen if one look closely. Nonetheless, Di Shang still insistently ignored Meiyun''s obvious behavior. Meiyun puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and decided to go all out as this method wasn''t enough to make Di Shang look over her. She hopped on Di Shang''s lap and pouted while glaring at him. "What?" Di Shang asked nonchalantly. "Are you angry?" Meiyun poked Di Shang''s cheek. "En." Di Shang gave Meiyun an extremely short and simple answer. Meiyun sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. She played with his hand and started, "You know¡­I lied too many times to everyone around me. It is not that I want to but I have to." Di Shang looked downwards and took Meiyun''s hands that were twiddling his fingers, "Sometimes, we have no choice." Meiyun bit her lips as she felt that she finally found someone that she could really lean on, someone who wouldn''t judge her for what she did which she actually didn''t want to do. "My father is a bandit¡­so is Huayun''s," Meiyun muttered because she fears that this fact would make Di Shang disgusted of her. "But with we have a different mother." Meiyun continued. Di Shang stayed silent as he attentively listened to Meiyun telling him her past. "Huayun''s mother was my father''s main wife while my mother is just one of his numerous hostages that he caught from raiding villages. In her village, my mother was known for her beauty and braveness, she sacrificed herself for her village but my father broke his promise that he made with my mother and continued to destroy her village." Meiyun tightened her grip. Di Shang hugged her tighter in his embrace that it made Meiyun chuckle, "Don''t worry, it is not me who bear this pain but it was my mom. Nevertheless, hearing her having such a betrayal still makes my heartache." "En, everything is in the past, we are living in the present. No need to keep reminding oneself of the sad past." Di Shang comforted Meiyun by using his most gentle voice. "En, they are all in the past, that''s why I never want to bring it up," Meiyun replied. "If you feel uncomfortable telling me your past then it is okay if you don''t tell me." Di Shang said as he never thought that Meiyun''s past would be very deep and not a happy one like how she always displayed on the outside. "No, I want to tell you. I do this on my own accord and some things can''t be hidden forever. If I have to choose who I want to tell this to, then it would be you, the one who will accompany me throughout my entire life." Meiyun smiled softly. A familiar feeling rose up within Di Shang''s heart, he looked away as he tried to hide his reddened ears, ''I fell for her once again.'' "Shang Tang? Why are your face is so red?" Meiyun asked as she touched his warm face. "Nothing, continue." Di Shang shook his head but didn''t refuse Meiyun''s touch. "If you feel sick anywhere, tell me. Okay?" Meiyun coaxed. "En," Di Shang nodded his head. With that, Meiyun continued her story, "My mother was captured and locked in my father''s base. Because of her beauty, he spent a few nights with my mother without his main wife''s knowledge. Not long after that she got pregnant and my father left her as soon as knew about it. Because of his main wife had a hard time having a child, she was pregnant with 3-month-old babies while my mother was almost in labor. She knew about my mother''s pregnancy because she heard the servants gossiping about a woman who was giving birth. At first, she was very jealous of my mother but she couldn''t do anything about it as she was also quite powerless compared to my father. I was born and 6 months later followed by Huayun and her dead sister who died during labor. Huayun''s mother went crazy and started to hallucinate as if she still had two daughters. My father who couldn''t stand her crazed behavior snatched the baby me from my mother and told his main wife that I am her first daughter which explains why I am bigger in size than Huayun at that time. Anyone in the right mind wouldn''t believe a 6 month old baby as their newborn baby, however, she had lost her mind and proclaimed that I am her daughter. And that''s how I became Huayun''s twin sister." Di Shang furrowed his brows as there was one question that was bugging him, "Then how about your biological mother? How did you know everything as you were supposed to be a baby?" The corner of her lips arched in a wide smile when a figure appeared on her mind, "My mother couldn''t accept the fact that her daughter, the only purpose that she kept living was snatched from her. So every night, she would sneak into the baby room and b.r.e.a.s.tfed me and Huayun. She would rock me side to side until I fell asleep. Although I can''t remember much about her face at that time, I could recognize her calming scent as clear as day. She never stopped visiting me until one day she was found out. My mother was punished and was put into a house arrest. Gladly my father didn''t kill her because he felt somewhat wasteful to kill a beauty such as my mother. After I can run and talk freely, I went to find her on my own. I sneaked out from the main residence at night and played with her till dawn. She would wait for me in front of the dog hole that I use to slip into her residence and her face would light up like the moon in the middle of the dark sky. She was restrained with multiple chains because she always tried to break off the chain. Every night, I would lean my head on her lap and she would sing me a lullaby song while caressing my hair. I had always loved her discernible scent, it made me feel safe. She would keep saying how much she loves me and how much she wanted to take me away from this horrible place even if it cost her life. She said that she didn''t hate Huayun''s mother as she took care of me like her own daughter and she could sympathize with her pain of losing one''s child after the struggle of having a child. And the one that she resents the most was my father who brought her into this mess. The day before he came, my mother told me everything about this which made me instantly hate my father who I used to look up to." A crystal tear trickled down Meiyun''s cheek. "He?" Di Shang asked. "En, he is my grim reaper and also my savior," Meiyun answered. Di Shang knitted his brows as he couldn''t fully understand Meiyun''s words. "He is His Majesty Emperor," Meiyun said. Di Shang''s face scrunched up into an expression full of puzzlement. He thought how could an event that happened long ago be related to Weisheng, but he said to himself that he shouldn''t make an opinion without hearing the full explanation. "I know you are confused, actually me too. So it went on like this. He came to my father''s base with a large group of skilled soldiers which I assume the elite forces. He annihilated the whole clan including my mother who was trapped inside the side residence. Me and Huayun struggled to escape from the mountain but failed miserably. Huayun collapsed from inhaling too much smoke and I who was also on the verge of collapsing was struck by a horse. At that moment, I felt like I was going to die. But there was someone revived me with his power and with this power, I can live such a long life with this damaged body hahaha~ Not long ago, I found out it was His Majesty Emperor who saved me and I requested him for more power as I felt my body deteriorated over time and I couldn''t protect Her Majesty Empress with this weak body. Therefore, he gave me some of his power and he said I could use this power to open a portal for him in an urgent moment. That''s why you probably noticed the powerful wave of dark power that came from here because I opened the portal by using his and our son''s power." Meiyun explained calmly. Di Shang actually didn''t bother too much about the detail but when he heard that Meiyun''s body was deteriorating, his body moved as fast as the wind. "Why do you say your body is deteriorating?! What happened?!" Di Shang inquired with a visible concern on his face "Even if you asked me, I don''t know how to explain it to you. I occasionally got a nosebleed and I would feel really light-headed as if I am going to pass out at any moment." Meiyun described what she had been through. "Have you ever told anyone about this? Did you get any medical treatment for this?!" Di Shang became more and more desperate. "N-no¡­I have to be by Her Majesty Empress''s side every second so I can''t afford to do that and no one found out that I suffered these things." Meiyun said timidly because she was kind of scared by Di Shang''s deep voice. Di Shang exhaled in distress as he couldn''t believe that Meiyun hid such a big thing from everyone else. "I don''t care what you are going to say. We are going home, getting you treated. You MUST NOT do any heavy labor, you MUST NOT drink any alcohol, you have to wear two layers of coat whenever you go out. Look! Your fingers are so cold! If you don''t take care of yourself, who would?!" Di Shang lectured. "You will," Meiyun smiled. "Of course I will! If it is not me then who?! Quit with the talking, take a rest, I will wake you up when we arrive." Di Shang sighed. "En," Meiyun closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep in Di Shang''s warm embrace. Chapter 265 - 263. I Promise Third-person POV It didn''t take the couple long to arrive at their residence. Di Shang carefully carried Meiyun to their chamber and let her rest peacefully in the warm and comfortable bed. While he had nothing to do for the moment, he decided to pay his parents a visit. He knocked on their door and entered the room after he heard a response from his father. Coincidentally, Physician Tu was talking with the two middle-aged couple when Di Shang came to visit them. "Is there something wrong?" Naran asked as she didn''t expect Di Shang to visit them. "No, I want to talk about Meiyun with father and mother, actually to Physician Tu as well. What a coincidence." Di Shang sat on a seat not far from Physician Tu. "We are discussing about Meiyun''s current health too. You know¡­ as a woman and a mother, to lose a child is a major trauma to us and with her personality, I think she would feel responsible and wants to have a child as soon as possible to compensate us which is unnecessary." Naran sighed. Physician Tu lightly nodded his head and swept his fingers along his white beard, "This servant indeed found weird symptoms that previously wasn''t found on the Young Madam when I diagnosed her before the big event. Her blood seems to act unusual which is very dangerous if this matter prolonged and become chronic." Di Shang''s face got darker as he didn''t have an ounce of good feeling about this, "May I ask what is happening to her?" Physician Tu turned to look at Di Shang and sighed, "This servant deeply apologize to General Di because this servant is also at a loss. The only thing that this servant can confirm is Young Madam''s body will probably have a hard time to heal if its bleed. So please avoid any hard labor on Young Madam as the bleeding not only can occur on the outside but also on the inside which is more fatal." "Her illness is so severe?!" Di Shang exclaimed as he couldn''t believe what he heard. "Young Madam is healthy for now, we don''t know when the illness will suddenly acute. Refrain the Young Madam from having any stress or overthinking, it can cause her to damage her frail blood vessels. Her blood vessels are more fragile than normal people have because of her blood unusual behavior. She won''t feel any pain which is more worrying because we can''t know if she is having any internal bleeding or not." Physician Tu explained. "Is there any solution, Physician Tu?" Di Shang inquired with an expression full of anxiousness. "This servant has asked for help to the other amazing physicians such as Shu family and we are currently finding the cure for this unidentified illness. For now we can only provide Young Madam with daily Qi supply to boost her immune system." Physician Tu suggested. Di Yu looked at his son and sighed in pity, "Shang Tang, it probably would be better if Meiyun doesn''t get pregnant for a few years so she can focus on recovering." "I agree. But it will be quite difficult with Meiyun''s personality." Naran said worriedly. "I will do my best to help her recover. And Physician Tu, I beg you one thing¡­" Di Shang bowed his head to Physician Tu. Physician Tu was immediately fl.u.s.tered when Di Shang lowered his head to him which was inappropriate considering Di Shang had a status way higher compared to Physician Tu. He shot up from his seat and bent his body lower than Di Shang. "¡­please don''t tell her about this or else she would start to overthink that she is burdening us with her illness and do something stupid like distancing herself from us." Di Shang predicted. Physician Tu couldn''t help but soundlessly agree with Di Shang''s statement regarding Meiyun''s way of thinking. However, Physician Tu was worried because he had told Meiyun that she had an illness. "Th-this servant will do his best." Physician Tu stuttered. . . "Want some sweets?" Di Shang offered Meiyun a cloud-shaped candy. "En. This medicine is too bitter that I think I can''t feel my tongue anymore. Bleh~" Meiyun snatched the candy from Di Shang''s hand and threw it inside her mouth without thinking any further. Di Shang personally watched Meiyun drink her medicine to ensure that she didn''t sneakily throw away the medicine if it was a maid who was watching over her. He took the bowl from Meiyun''s hand and walked away. "I will be back." Di Shang said before he stepped out of the room. Meiyun''s playful smile instantly vanished as soon as Di Shang was out of her sight. She rose from her bed and mended her way to the exit. Meiyun peeked outside and saw that there were two guards standing on guard outside the door. "Psst psst!" Meiyun whispered. The guards immediately sprinted to Meiyun and bowed, "Is there anything we can do for you, Young Madam?" "Can you please call Physician Tu to come here for a second? I need to talk to Physician Tu." Meiyun whispered and looked around for any sign of Di Shang. Hearing that Meiyun need to see Physician Tu, the guards'' face paled as one of them was going to dash like wind to fetch Physician Tu when Meiyun quickly stopped them. "I am not hurt, I only want to talk to him." Meiyun smiled sheepishly. The guards sighed in relief to find that Meiyun was feeling fine. One of them went to get Physician Tu while the other one stayed to guard Meiyun. Meiyun gave the guard a brief glance and exhaled. "Don''t tell my husband about this matter. If he ask you or threaten you to tell him, report to me. I got your back." Meiyun gave him a thumb up. A few minutes later, Physician Tu arrived at Meiyun''s chamber and sat down across her. "Cut to the chase, what illness am I suffering of?" Meiyun didn''t beat around the bush and asked Physician Tu without any hesitation. "This- This servant can''t tell Young Madam¡­" Physician Tu was caught off guard. "Why? Is it because my husband told you to keep this out from me?" Meiyun''s voice was tranquil but it came out different in Physician Tu''s ears. Physician Tu stayed silent as he didn''t know how to reply to Meiyun. He was stuck between the two overwhelming couple. "This is my body and I have the obligation to know what is happening to my own body. I will act like I don''t know anything so Physician Tu doesn''t need to fear my husband. If he dares to do anything to you, I will take full responsibility." Meiyun emphasized. Physician Tu felt what Meiyun said was correct. If she knew her body condition then she would be more cautious of what she eat, drink and body activity to maintain her health. Physician Tu sighed for the hundredth time and parted his lips. "Young Madam, you only have¡­." . . . Di Shang walked into his chamber with a plate of fruit in his hand and a magnificent view made his body stopped moving. Meiyun was sitting beside the window, staring blankly at the small tree that she planted as soon as she moved into this residence. Her silky jet black hair flowed over her smooth shoulders as the wind softly brushed her pinkish cheeks. Di Shang placed down the plate of fruit on the table and walked towards Meiyun with light steps. He took his coat and dr.a.p.ed it over Meiyun''s shivering shoulders. "The weather is still cold, wear more layers." Di Shang said genuinely worried about Meiyun''s health. Meiyun smiled gently and pulled Di Shang''s hand that was holding the coat, "Beautiful¡­" Di Shang''s face softened and seat himself beside Meiyun, "Do you want to eat fruit? I will feed you." "En, let''s eat it together." Meiyun uttered with a soft loving voice. Di Shang was quite taken aback by Meiyun''s lovely behavior that she usually would not show because she thought that it was too embarrassing. He picked a slice of apple with a chopstick and positioned it in front of Meiyun''s lips. Meiyun happily munched on the apple while staring at Di Shang with her dark brown eyes. Di Shang chuckled and gave Meiyun another slice of apple. "Why are staring at me so much?" Di Shang inquired amusedly. Meiyun stayed silent for a few seconds before she broke into a huge grin, "Because I want to enjoy every moment with you." Di Shang lightly knocked Meiyun''s forehead with his knuckle, "So cheesy but I love that part of you." "Ehehehe~ Then you have to stay beside me forever!" Meiyun giggled and stuck out her pinkie. "I promise I will never leave you." Di Shang locked his pinkie with hers and leaned his forehead on her forehead. Chapter 266 - 264. 13 Years Later... Third-person POV 13 years later¡­ A cold yet lovely looking little lady sat on a marble seat with a cup of warm tea in her hand. She was wearing a light pink that compliment her pale skin and the white jade earring that hung only on her left earlobe lightly swayed from the breeze. The maids beside her were as still as a statue even if the cold wind hit their face like needles. "Rong Ai," A boy with a height more than a meter and half appeared from the rooftop with his head upside down. The boy was wearing black attire to match the attire of the person that he looked up the most, his father, who had the highest authority in the Royal Palace and in this country. The white jade earring on his right earlobe dangled as he jumped down and landed soundlessly on one foot. "Hm?" Rong Ai replied nonchalantly without even sparing a glance at Zhang Wei. "Have you pay respect to Imperial Father and Imperial Grandmother?" Zhang Wei sat across Rong Ai and poured himself a cup of tea to warm his body. "I have, how about you, second brother?" Rong Ai threw the question back to the boy. "Almost forgot." Zhang Wei grunted. Both of them fell into silence as they enjoy the tea that they drank almost every single day without getting bored of it. They couldn''t deny the tea that their father treasured was very much to their liking and it didn''t take them long to find out that actually it was their mother''s favorite tea. "We will depart as soon as we give our greetings to Imperial Mother. Auntie Meiyun and Ah Wen will come to pick us up. " Rong Ai said as she placed down her teacup. Zhang Wei nodded his head and walked together with his little sister to their mother''s chamber with the maids taciturnly tailed behind them. The servants that were guarding the chamber opened the door as they saw the twins were walking towards them. They greeted the twins by bending their waists forward and lowering their heads. The twins gave them a slight nod before they stepped into the massive room filled kinds of stuff that didn''t suit their father. As soon as one walked into the room, one could see a massive painting of a lady hung on the wall facing the front door therefore whenever the front door was opened, the light would shine upon the lady''s heavenly face. In the painting, the lady was wearing white attire with a white fluffy coat that had a golden phoenix embroidery dr.a.p.ed over her shoulder. Her entire appearance was completed with the minimalistic yet elegant hairpin and earrings that were made with pure white jade. She was sitting at a familiar pavilion as she took shelter from the glistening snowflakes that fell from the clear sky. On the corner of the painting, there was the stamp and sign of the painter which written as ''Liu Xue Lang''. When the twins saw the warm smile on their mother''s lips, the corner of their lips unconsciously arched into a slight smile. They made their way to the painting and cupped their fist in front of their chest. "Good morning, Imperial Mother." Both Zhang Wei and Rong Ai bent their waist and gave a 90-degree bow to Hong er''s portrait. Although it may seem weird to outsiders, they had been taught to greet at Hong er''s portrait every morning from an early age despite her being not present. This was to teach the twins about manners and remind them to always remember who brought them to this world. As they were about to leave the room, a tall figure walked in with a soft smile on his pale lips. "First brother," Zhang Wei and Rong Ai respectfully greeted their eldest brother who was also the painter of their mother''s portrait. "Zhang Wei, Rong Ai, you two came here to give Imperial Mother a morning greeting?" Xue Lang asked with a gentle voice. "Yes, Imperial Brother. How about you?" Zhang Wei inquired back. "Same as always. Is it time for you two to visit Grandpa and Grandma?" Xue Lang ruffled the twins'' hair. "Yes, First Brother. We are going to depart as soon as Auntie Meiyun and Ah Wen is done with the preparation." Zhang Wei explained. "En, Imperial Father and I prepared some gifts for Grandpa and Grandma so remember to give them and pass them our messages after you arrive at Xi An. Ask them how they are doing right now and be obedient." Xue Lang reminded them like a good big brother he is. "Yes, First Brother." The twins nodded their heads. Then a few gentle knocks on the door were heard, "This servant deeply apologizes for disrupting your conversation, Your Highness Prince Xue. Your Highness Prince Zhang and Your Highness Princess Rong, the preparation is done and Young Madam Di is waiting for you to depart." Xue Lang nodded his head to the guard to let him know that they heard him, "Well then, be careful on the way there. Listen to Auntie Meiyun''s word and don''t carelessly wander around without notifying anyone. If there is any problem, just tell Auntie Meiyun or General Di, they will definitely help you." "Yes yes, First Brother. You worry too much." Zhang Wei sighed and smiled at the same time seeing how worrywart their brother was. "This is for your own good. Even Imperial Father also deployed his trustworthy bodyguards to follow you two to Xi An because we are worried about you two." Xue Lang flicked Zhang Wei''s forehead. Rong Ai sniggered when she saw her twin brother being reprimanded by Xue Lang, "Worry not, I will always keep an eye on Second Brother. First Brother can relax." Xue Lang sighed worriedly seeing the carefree expression on his two little siblings'' faces, "You two really inherited Imperial Mother''s stubbornness, this is why I can''t stop worrying. My hair is going to fall out from stress." "What is happening here?" A bright voice sounded out from behind. "Auntie Meiyun, Ah Wen!" The twins exclaimed. "Hi ya!" Meiyun waved her hand and flashed her brightest smile while holding her son''s hand. "Greetings to Your Highness Prince Xue, Prince Zhang, Princess Rong." Bing Wen who was more known as ''Ah Wen'' bowed his head to the Royal siblings. Zhang Wei and Rong Ai quickly surrounded Ah Wen and conversed with him. Meiyun chuckled at the sight of her expressionless son was so happy just from meeting his childhood friends. Bing Wen was born 5 years later after Guang Liang, her first son, died in her w.o.m.b. Things didn''t go smoothly at first. Whenever she saw Di Tian and Qatar playing with their child that they had a year after the accident happened, she would feel guilt and envy eating away her heart. But she was glad that Di Shang stayed by her side and never demand or bring up anything about having an heir. Although it may seem egoistic for her to think so, she was happy that whenever she suggested Di Shang to take in another wife to bear his children, he would decline and said that being with her is more than enough. Little did Di Shang know, his words that he said without any further thought made Meiyun strive to fight her chronic illness. She did whatever it takes, no matter how painful it is even if it could result in her life being taken away, she would give birth to Di Shang''s child which was a huge success. Nonetheless, giving birth to Bing Wen took a toll on her health and caused her to get light-headed more often. Yet, she never regretted it. "Auntie Meiyun, how is the baby doing?" Xue Lang asked softly. Meiyun smiled while caressing her slightly bulging stomach, "The baby is doing fine, thank you for asking Your Highness Prince Xue." Just as Xue Lang mentioned, Meiyun was pregnant with her third child after 8 years of recovering from Bing Wen''s birth. "Aiyo, how many times have I said to not call me that? Just call me ''Xue Lang'', you are like a mother to me, the formality is very unnecessary." Xue Lang complained. "Hahaha~ You are the same as always. I apologize to disrupt but we have to get going. Kids! We are going!" Meiyun smiled apologetically and called out to the three kids that were in their own world. "No harm was done, please have a safe journey." Xue Lang waved his hand at Meiyun and the three kids. They waved their hand back before they climbed into their carriages and seated themselves on the soft couch. Meiyun watched over the kids while the carriages airily shook from the impact of the wheels on the stone pavement. A few hours later, Bing Wen, Zhang Wei, and Rong Ai sat soundlessly as they were staring at Meiyun embroidering Di family''s emblem on a dark green silk while humming a song. Zhang Wei''s eyes wandered around Meiyun''s dark brown eyes and her rough hands that she gained from decades of handling weapons. A question that had been bothering Zhang Wei for years and he determined that he would get the answer today. "Auntie Meiyun¡­" Zhang Wei called softly as to not wake Bing Wen from his sleep. "Hm?" Meiyun lifted her head to look at Zhang Wei. All of the attention went to Zhang Wei as they were curious about what Zhang Wei was going to talk about. He bit his lips and braced himself to ask this particular question. "Where is Imperial Mother?" Chapter 267 - 265. I Know Something... Third-person POV Meiyun''s hand froze for a second before she regained her composure in a blink of an eye. She couldn''t blame Zhang Wei for asking this question, in actual, she thought that it was normal for him to ask his mother''s whereabouts. "Her Majesty Empress? This servant deeply apologize as I am unable to answer your question, Your Highness Prince Zhang. This servant doesn''t know Her Majesty Empress''s whereabouts as well. But please don''t worry, His Majesty Emperor is giving his best to find Her Majesty Empress." Meiyun explained to not create any misunderstanding for the guileless children. Zhang Wei''s face instantly dropped in disappointment. He thought that he finally could know where his mother had gone for his entire life. Everyone spoke so highly of his mother, whether it was her martial arts, her control of magic, her heavenly beauty, her cooking skill, and her benevolent personality. Yet, not once had he ever seen or experienced it himself, except his mother''s beauty. The countless paintings and statues that his first brother made were sufficient for him to be able to recognize his mother at first glance. And to add it, his father would always talk about his wife that he deeply loved till this very second. Zhang Wei overheard a gossip from the maids that a minister suggested his father to choose a new empress as the spot was currently empty because of his mother''s disappearance. In a day, the minister got replaced and the whole court was given a heavy warning from Weisheng. "As long as Zhen, Liu Weisheng, lives, only a lady name Xu Feihong can be Zhen''s spouse." That is the sentence that Weisheng gave before he left the morning court with an extremely displeased expression on his already dark face. The respect that Zhang Wei held for his father escalated and striving the same goal as his father for having a monogamy relationship. Lu Cixi also never gave a comment regarding Weisheng''s need to take another woman into his harem. She knew that her mere words wouldn''t be able to compare to Weisheng''s loyalty towards Hong er. Seeing that there were optional heirs for the throne, Lu Cixi didn''t think about pursuing this matter to Weisheng. Furthermore, she was very satisfied with Hong er''s mannerism and composure that she was afraid she wouldn''t be able to deal with the gold digger women that were hungry for power. Because of Hong er''s absence, Lu Cixi once again became in charge of the Six Palace but her workload wasn''t that much as there wasn''t any concubine in the Inner Palace, to begin with, and the only thing that she needs to watch out more was her grandchildren''s safety. Other than that, Hong er''s competent servants had flawlessly taken care of anything that needs to be done to lessen Lu Cixi''s burden. Before Hong er''s existence became unknown, she had left a command to her elite forces to support the Liu royal family and Xu family to the best of their ability which they did. "Everyone kept saying that Imperial Father is trying his best to find Imperial Mother. Imperial Father has authority, power, money, everything, but even after more than a decade, there is still no result. I don''t know if I can believe Imperial Father''s words." Zhang Wei said with a visible disappointment in his gleaming red eyes. Rong Ai stayed silent as deep inside her heart, she agreed with her brother''s thoughts. It wasn''t weird for them to have similar thoughts, opinions, and things that they interested in as they were together almost 24 hours a day. Meiyun looked at Zhang Wei and sighed pitifully. She fully understood why Zhang Wei was thinking so, yet, she couldn''t do anything about it as what she said just now was the truth. "Your Highness Prince Zhang Wei, please allow this servant to explain this situation," Meiyun said gently. Zhang Wei grumpily nodded his head in approval. Meiyun chuckled at how the kids would listen and obey her words although she was only a mere teacher and babysitter to them. "As Your Highness, Prince Zhang know, a system that was implemented 13 years ago by His Majesty Emperor that every single person that passed a gate whether it is a city gate or border, Da Qi''s citizen or not, their appearance and background require to be checked. This system improved the security in our country and perhaps helps the search for Her Majesty Empress at the same time." Meiyun patiently explained with a serene expression. Zhang Wei seemed to be not convinced yet as he countered Meiyun''s statement, "But it has been 13 years and where is the result? What if Imperial Mother captivated in a place that she couldn''t escape? Then we won''t be able to find her for forever in this state." Meiyun had known that both Zhang Wei and Rong Ai inherited their parent quick witted and intelligence, therefore Meiyun always prepared herself before engaging in any conversation with the twins especially when she was teaching them. "Every two weeks, we do search for Her Majesty Empress in this particular place where we hold a strong suspicion on, nevertheless until now there hasn''t been any trace of Her Majesty Empress. Furthermore, going into this place require high-skilled warriors and most of them couldn''t get out of that place unscathed." Meiyun uttered as her eyes showed the disappointment towards her useless self. "That place?" Rong Ai and Zhang Wei wondered. Meiyun''s hands froze for a second as she realized that she said something that she shouldn''t say. She regained her composure in a blink of an eye and flashed a wide smile, "Well, it seems like General Di has arrived." As soon as Meiyun said that, the carriage halted and a few light knocks sounded out from the door, "Meiyun?" "Come in," Meiyun replied and opened the door for Di Shang. "Greetings to Your Highness Prince Zhang and Princess Rong." Di Shang lowered his head into a bow. "Please don''t be so formal, Uncle Di. Please come in and take a seat." Rong Ai offered the seat across her which was the wide space of couch beside Bing Wen, Di Shang''s son. "Father..." Bing Wen patted the seat beside him while gently calling out to his father. "If you insist¡­" Di Shang bowed once again before he passed the rein of his horse to the guard beside him and entered the carriage. With Di Shang''s presence in the carriage, Zhang Wei shut his lips and the conversation ended there and then. . . The sun has gone down, the troops also started to set up a camp in the middle of forest. Meiyun accompanied Zhang Wei and Rong Ai who were playing with her son inside the carriage while waiting for their tent to be done. Meanwhile, Di Shang was giving instruction to the troops for the night watch. After Zhang Wei and RongAi''s tent was set, they pulled Bing Wen with them into the tent. Meiyun chuckled seeing how the kids were still so lively after a day of rough journey. She stood in front of the tent to guard the kids while helping her husband at the same time. However, inside of the tent, little did she know that the kids were having a serious interrogation with Bing Wen. Rong Ai peeked through the gap between the entrance curtains and gave Zhang Wei a thumb up when Meiyun was standing a few feet away from their tent. Zhang Wei nodded his head and turned to look at the clueless Bing Wen, "Ah Wen, I am going to ask you something and you have to tell me the truth okay?" Bing Wen who was quick-witted yet innocent obediently nodded his head. Since he was little, Bing Wen was trained by his mother and father to become an excellent assistant and guard for the future emperor, Liu Zhang Wei. "Yes, Your Highness Prince Zhang. I will try my best to give you a satisfactory answer to your question." Bing Wen said with an expressionless face. "Okay, tell me about that place that Auntie Meiyun talked about." Zhang Wei inquired. Bing Wen stared at Zhang Wei for a while before he shook his head, "I don''t know." The shine in Zhang Wei''s eyes dimmed in an instant. Another attempt and another failure, he couldn''t count how many people he had sought just to know the answer to this question. He even snuck out to find his grandfather''s brothers who were running a secret agent that collects information from all over the world. (A/N: FYI, Xu Yingjie is Xu Tingfeng''s oldest brother and he is the president of the guild. Xu Yongzheng is Xu Tingfeng''s younger brother and he is the vice president of the guild.) Originally they were an assassin guild but after reconsidering how many troubles they got from assassins, they decided to settle down by being Da Qi''s biggest information resources. Yet, none of Zhang Wei''s granduncles tell him and always changed the subject of the conversation which bothered him in some way. "Well, if you say so¡­" Zhang Wei said dejectedly. "But I know something about ''Cursed Land''" Bing Wen added. Chapter 268 - 266. Going To The Cursed Land I Third-person POV ''Safe!'' Bing Wen gave a hand signal to the twins that hid behind the trees beside his. Then three little shadows passed the intense watch of the guards like nothing. Just by this, it could be seen how well trained the three children were. A guard felt a vague presence not far from his current position. He whipped his head to look his behind but what he saw was only the tree leaves and bushes that swayed lightly because of the breeze. Nevertheless, he didn''t just shrug it off like nothing. He called one of his fellow guards to watch over his back while he cautiously approaching the bushes. His hand was exuding with Qi and a sword soundlessly summoned into his hand in a blink of an eye. He stopped right behind the bushes that the presence was last seen and slowly raised his sword above his head. Then, he twisted his ankle and spun around to face the behind of the bushes. Yet, only a dark-furred hare greeted him with grasses in its tiny mouth. The guard exhaled and retracted his sword. Nonetheless, he scanned his surroundings once again before he walked away with a grim expression on his face. Three pairs of eyes were watching closely every movement that the guard made, they didn''t dare to make even the slightest movement or else their location would be exposed in an instant. Even if the guard that approached them just didn''t have a remarkable status or rank but his power shouldn''t look down upon. After they ensured that the guard was no longer within a 10-meter radius, they took off deeper into the dark forest without thinking any further about the threats that coming towards them. . . . "Shang Tang, how is it going?" Meiyun called Di Shang and asked worriedly. Di Shang gave Meiyun a reassuring smile and took her slender hands with his rough hands, "Although we haven''t found the people that are tailing us along the way, I had made sure to keep both the prince and the princess and our son safe and sound." "That is good to hear, I really hope nothing happens on this trip." Meiyun uttered while stroking her bulging abdomen. Di Shang understood her worries and hoped for the same, "I will protect all of you so don''t worry." "En, then I will go check them in their tent. I am afraid those stubborn kids will do something weird." Meiyun patted Di Shang''s hands and headed towards the tent where the three kids supposed to stay at. At first, Meiyun didn''t feel any suspicion towards what the three kids would do but after standing a foot away from the tent, she realized how ignorant she was. There was little rustling and moving sounds coming out from the tent which indicate there was someone in the tent. Yet, the sound was repetitive and the presence of the three kids was extremely weak compared to their usual overflowing Qi. Meiyun roughly slid the curtain to the side and almost dropped to the ground when she only saw a simple mechanism making the stepping and rustling sound. Seeing Meiyun suddenly went weak on her legs, the guards sprinted to her side and witnessed what Meiyun was seeing. Meiyun swiftly regained her composure and shouted. "Deploy all soldiers! Find the His Highness Prince Zhang and Her Highness Princess Rong at all cost! Kill any suspicious person that you met! Go!" Meiyun commanded the soldiers with her roaring voice. Di Shang appeared beside her a few seconds later after he heard Meiyun''s roar, "Are the kids gone?" "Unfortunately yes, we have to find them right now!" Meiyun gripped on Di Shang''s sleeve. Di Shang firmly nodded his head and whistled to call his magical beast. And in a blink of an eye, an enormous sized horse appeared beside him and without wasting any time he placed Meiyun on the horse in one swoop. With that, they took off to look for Zhang Wei, Rong Ai, and Bing Wen. . . . "Hey, do you think this is the right way?" Rong Ai furrowed her brow as she looked around just to find trees surrounding them. Not even a single sound of animal or water flowing to be heard. It was as if the forest was dead. Zhang Wei took his little sister''s hand and Bing Wen''s hand and pulled them closer to him. "I am not sure but according to the map that I saw in Imperial Father''s study room, this is the fastest route to reach the Cursed Land." Zhang Wei clenched his jaw and his grip on their hands tightened. "You sneaked into Imperial Father''s study room?! What if you get punished?" Rong Ai asked worriedly. "I am not caught furthermore, Imperial Father doesn''t have the heart to punish us too hard." Zhang Wei replied with a nonchalant tone. "Well, what you said is true but Auntie Meiyun and Auntie Huayun are merciless to us." Rong Ai reminded Zhang Wei, however, her voice didn''t contain an ounce of worry for Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei didn''t reply to her and kept walking while mulling over how much energy-draining training Meiyun would add on his daily routine. After walking for a quite while, Rong Ai''s brows furrowed even further when she felt something eerie about the forest. "Hey, I think we should go back." Rong Ai held her brother''s hand tighter and tugged his hand to stop him from advancing even further into the dark forest. "Don''t be scared, I will protect you two." Zhang Wei said as he also noticed Bing Wen''s hand slightly trembling. "Do you really know the way? Do you steal Imperial Father''s map?" Rong Ai inquired. Zhang Wei was silent for a moment before he parted his thin lips, "I memorize it." "What?" Rong Ai couldn''t believe what Zhang Wei said. "I said that I only memorize the map then I drew it on a paper based on my memory. Who would dare to steal something from that monster?" Zhang Wei mumbled the last few words as he was afraid that someone would hear him. The twins'' ability to memorize anything in a matter of second was well-known in the Royal Palace. However, in this kind of situation, even Rong Ai who knew Zhang Wei like her own self couldn''t trust his incredible memory. "What if you memorize it wrongly?" Rong Ai said with a visible suspicion in her soft voice. Zhang Wei''s body twitched and Rong Ai could feel the palm of Zhang Wei started to get sweaty. By Zhang Wei subtle yet obvious reaction, Rong Ai knew the exact answer without needing Zhang Wei to answer her question. Whenever Zhang Wei knew that he was wrong, he would avoid the question by pretending to be deaf. Rong Ai could only sigh and glanced at the expressionless Bing Wen, "Ah Wen¡­" Bing Wen turned his eyes to Rong Ai as his name was called, "Yes, Your Highness Princess Rong?" "Are you scared?" Rong Ai asked concernedly. Bing Wen bit his pale lips and shook his head. He wouldn''t back down even if his masters told him to because he was going to be their bodyguard after he passed his examination. Rong Ai could only exhale inside her heart, although seeing the little Bing Wen trying to act tough was cute, but she also pitied him for having an exact mindset as his mother, Meiyun. ''There is a saying that says, "Loyalty kills"'' Rong Ai mumbled in her heart. (A/N: I made that up) While Rong Ai was in a daze, Zhang Wei''s sudden stop surprised her. Bing Wen and her halted on their track as they looked at Zhang Wei with weird eyes. "Ah Wei?" Rong Ai called his name suspiciously. "Shhh¡­" Zhang Wei shushed Rong Ai and slowly bent his knees to crouch down onto the ground. Bing Wen and Rong Ai followed along by crouching down and turned around with their back facing each other so that they could protect each other. Then the heard a faint rustling sounds coming towards them. "Be ready." Zhang Wei muttered under his breath as he clenched his fist to summon his weapon as well as Bing Wen. Rong Ai shut her eyes and activated her inner sight to examine their surroundings. She gave Bing Wen and Zhang Wei hand signals without taking her eyes off the suspicious people that were currently hiding behind trees. Zhang Wei and Bing Wen watched Rong Ai''s hand signals closely as it was telling the number and the location of the suspicious group of people. The forest was dead silence when none of them seems to make any move. The group of people that followed the three kids looked at each other in confusion. They clearly saw the tracks that the kids left unknowingly and the tracks ended right where they were hiding right now. They frowned deeply as they thought that it was a huge mistake to underestimate the kids even though they look harmless and innocent on the outside. At this moment, no one dares to make a single movement. Unfortunately, a sound that was inevitably produced by Zhang Wei''s empty stomach caused their hiding spot to be exposed. The other side of the group immediately made their first move by launching themselves towards the bushes where the three of them were hiding in. Zhang Wei clicked his tongue then a halberd that was glowing with purple light materialized in his hand. With a single step, he shifted from his previous position to standing in front of the focused Rong Ai. A loud clang sounded out through the forest as Zhang Wei''s halberd clashed with two swords. The force caused Zhang Wei to took a few steps back and almost bumped Rong Ai. Although his slender arms were trembling from fighting back the power of two a.d.u.l.ts, the fire in his eyes never wavered. Then two arrows brushed past both sides of his head and aimed directly at their head, one shot two kills. But more and more people came out from their hiding spot and rushed towards them with swords in their hands. Out of nowhere, roots shot out from the ground and swirled around the ankles of the attackers. The attackers were pulled to the ground by their ankle and another wave of roots bound their limbs so they won''t be able to move around. The ground shook tremendously and instantly buried the attackers with layers of dirt. Zhang Wei and Bing Wen glanced at Rong Ai''s reddish-golden eyes that were radiating menacing aura. "Behind!" Rong Ai warned. Chapter 269 - 267. Going To The Cursed Land II Third-person POV Zhang Wei immediately bent down and twisted his body to avoid the attack that was coming for him from behind. Bing Wen dashed to Zhang Wei''s behind while aiming his arrow at the attacker''s head. The attacker instantly went down as soon as the arrow made a hole in his head. Zhang Wei glanced around and clenched his jaw when he saw there were still outnumbered by the enemy. Even though they could knock off a few attackers, nevertheless they used quite an amount of energy to take down a couple of them. At this rate, Zhang Wei and Bing Wen would tire out quicker than usual since they hadn''t had their meal yet. "Ah Wen, you stay behind," Zhang Wei raised his hand to stop Bing Wen from rushing forward. "But, Your Highness¡­" Bing Wen was hesitant to let Zhang Wei advance alone. "Protect Princess Rong and watch my back," Zhang Wei firmly commanded Bing Wen. Bing Wen pondered for a moment and nodded his head. He ran towards Rong Ai''s side and loaded his bow with two arrows. He focused his Qi on his right arm thus he could pull the bowstring further behind. Zhang Wei leaped into the air and landed behind the attacker that seemed to be the leader of the group. And his guesses were right as the latter skillfully avoided his attack unlike the other who was easier to take down. They clashed and caused the trees around them to be sliced off into halves. While the two of them were engaged in their battle, Bing Wen and Rong Ai were warding off the others that were using this as an opportunity to attack Zhang Wei. However, as Bing Wen and Rong Ai were too focused on assisting Zhang Wei, they didn''t pick up a presence that had been lurking behind them until he was only two feet away from them. At breakneck speed, Bing Wen used his bow to strike the man''s hand that was holding a sword. But the man swung his other fist across Bing Wen''s jaw and sent him flying to a tree. The blow on his jaw was so hard that it almost causes him to knock out, Bing Wen guessed that the man used a huge amount of Qi on his fist. Although Bing Wen was still conscious, he could barely open his eyes or even move his finger. Rong Ai immediately sprinted to Bing Wen''s side and did a quick check on him. With that quick check, Rong Ai perceived that Bing Wen''s jaw was visibly dislocated and his jaw bone may be cracked a little bit but she wasn''t sure about that. After making sure that Bing Wen''s life wasn''t on the point of death, she turned her eyes to the man that attacked Bing Wen previously. However, the moment Rong Ai''s eyes landed on the man, it was too late for her to avoid the blade that swung towards her. She shut her eyes and braced herself for the impact, yet it had been a few second, not a thing happened to her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Zhang Wei stood protectively in front of her. "Take Ah Wen away and go find Auntie Meiyun. She must have been looking for us." Zhang Wei said hurriedly and blocked another attack from the leader of the group. Rong Ai noticed a thin stream of blood flowed down from Zhang Wei''s forehead. Her breath hitched as she struggled to carry Bing Wen on her back while fighting off the remaining enemies that were coming for her head. Zhang Wei''s halberd was trembling as he started to lose his power from blocking all the man''s attacks. He gritted his teeth and used his full power to push the man a few feet away. Fortunately, Zhang Wei''s sudden burst of power caught the man off guard and successfully made the man flung quite far away. "Zhang Wei ran to Rong Ai''s side and was going to take out something from his sleeve when the leader of the enemy group managed to stand up in a split of second and landed a hit on Zhang Wei''s arm. The hit caused the thing in Zhang Wei''s hand to flung away and roll down the steep surface of the ground. "Brother!" Rong Ai exclaimed and swung her left hand across the air as an enormous iceberg pierce through the forest. The man quickly took a few steps back, however, both of his left limbs badly injured from the collision with the biting cold iceberg. He bit his lips as his left hand and leg were numb to the point he couldn''t feel anything from it. He used his other hand to rummage around his chest pocket and took out a bottle of pills. He poured in half of the content into his mouth without thinking twice about the effect. Zhang Wei who at first saw this as an opportunity to kill off the man immediately changed his mind when he recognized the pills that the man just consumed. "Rong Ai! Run!" Zhang Wei commanded and cast a barrier to block Rong Ai from coming closer to him. Rong Ai flinched when she heard how Zhang Wei called her name. Zhang Wei would only call her by ''Rong Ai'' when the situation was very dire. She clenched her fist and focused her Qi in her legs to enhance her speed. She leaped from one tree to another like a wind. After Zhang Wei couldn''t feel any of Rong Ai''s presence, he broke the barrier that he cast not long ago and faced the man with a face black as ink. "You¡­" Zhang Wei gripped his halberd. The man slowly lifted his head and Zhang Wei clicked his tongue as soon as the man''s face revealed. The vein on the man''s head seemed about to pop out combined with his bloodshot eyes that were hungrily staring at Zhang Wei. ''Drug!'' Zhang Wei cursed inside his heart. The man stumbled as he took every step like a corpse. Zhang Wei got on his defensive stance and breathed in deeply. ''Don''t lower your guard no matter what.'' Weisheng''s deep voice resounded in Zhang Wei''s head. "Yes¡­.Imperial Father." Zhang Wei mumbled under his breath. In a blink of an eye, the man disappeared into thin air, only leaving the dirt floating in the air. Zhang Wei looked around in anxiousness as he couldn''t follow up with the man inhumane speed. ''Control your breathing.'' Weisheng''s voice rang in his head. Zhang Wei took a deep breath and calmed his heart. He finally could think thoroughly with a calm state of mind. ''Sharpen your senses.'' One again, Weisheng''s voice resonated in his head. Zhang Wei got into his full concentration state as his golden red-eyes shone brightly in the gloomy forest. His ear twitched and in a blink of an eye, the man materialized behind him with his sword enveloped in flame. "COUGH!" Zhang Wei coughed out a mouthful of blood when the man''s sword came in contact with his halberd. Zhang Wei managed to block the man''s attack however he was pressed down by the man''s Qi. Zhang Wei clenched his jaw and shifted his halberd slightly to the side to avert the direction of the man''s sword. But this move caused Zhang Wei''s right shoulder to dislocate. Zhang Wei didn''t waste any second and ran deeper into the forest with everything he got. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to bring down the man with his current state. It was true that he was the strongest among the kids his age, he even surpassed many of the higher level warrior. However, this man was not someone that he should mess around with because he guessed that the man was a leader of an assassin group. On top of that, the man consumed such a huge amount of the drug that Weisheng had tried to get rid of the black market. The drug was not some average drugs, it was originally invented by Bai Huiqing in purpose to strengthen one''s body by supplying them an instant Qi without drinking blood. At first, it was produced for medical purposes but someone in the dark evolved the safe to use drugs into something completely horrifying. If one consumed a pill of the evolved drug, their body would get tougher and bulkier while their Qi multiplied several folds. However, it could kill the consumer depend on how much the body could sustain. That was the reason why Zhang Wei chose to flee rather than fight head-on with the man. Zhang Wei panted heavily as he ran while gripping his broken ribs with his left hand because he didn''t have the time to fix his disjoint shoulder. He followed the flowing water sound hoping that he could find the way out of the forest. Yet, only an endless waterfall came to his sight. "You have nowhere to run." The man snorted and pointed his sword at Zhang Wei''s neck. Zhang Wei took a step back every time the man took a step forward until he was at the end of the cliff. ''Why does this feel familiar?'' Zhang Wei dazedly muttered in his head. "Say your last word." The man mocked and pressed his sword on Zhang Wei''s neck. Blood seeped out from Zhang Wei''s neck, coloring the tip of the sword with his blood. Zhang Wei''s face remained calm, only his breath that got rougher and shallower than before. If not because of his shallow breath, one wouldn''t be able to tell that he was heavily injured. The calm Zhang Wei infuriated the man even further, just as he was about to slash Zhang Wei''s neck, Zhang Wei parted his lips. "F*uck you." His body fell backward into the endless pit. The man was shocked and rushed to the end of the cliff to see Zhang Wei vertically falling with an incredible speed. In a few seconds, Zhang Wei''s body vanished from his sight into the thick fog of the waterfall. The man was suspicious but he couldn''t risk himself to go search for Zhang Wei''s dead body as there was one left to kill. "Princess Rong, watch out for your head." The man curled his lips. Chapter 270 - 268. What Is This Feeling? Third-person POV Zhang Wei was free-falling into the endless cliff without any restraint from himself which caused the speed to increase in every second. Zhang Wei closed his eyes and reminisced a piece of memory that he held dearly since he was a baby. It was a pair of hands that were as warm as the gentle sun, gently holding both him and his twin sister with her trembling hands. Although he couldn''t remember how her expression was at that time but he could feel the unconditional love radiating from her glassy eyes. "Mother¡­" Zhang Wei whispered softly. Remembering the figure who risked her life for him and his sister, he opened his eyes and tried to think of a way to lessen the impact with the water surfaces. He didn''t know how deep the river was if it was shallower than he calculated then he would instantly die if his head hit the bottom surface. He stretched out his left hand and a purple flame shot out from his palm caused his body to shift slightly to the right. He did this a few times until he made sure that the landing position was correct. Then he twisted his body to face downwards, he summoned his halberd with his left hand and easily spun a two times longer than his body halberd only with his fingers. Water started to build up in every spin that he made and slowly but surely the water tornado became comparable with the waterfall behind him. Zhang Wei held his breath as he waited for the right time to strike. After the distance between him and the water surfaces lessened, he saw that the anatomy of the river was more complicated than it seems. Even though the river was very deep, yet the giant-sized rocks were scattered all over the river which means there no safe landing area in the river. Seeing that the distance was perfect for him to unleash the water that he had been acc.u.mulating while he was in the air, Zhang Wei growled and swung his halberd on the water. "GRAAHHH!" *CLANG "What happened?!" Tao Qi dashed to Hong er''s side. Then he saw a deep cut on Hong er''s finger, the cut was so deep that he could see her bone. "How can you be so clumsy!" Tao Qi angrily guided Hong er to sit on a stool. He gently wiped the blood that was pouring out from the cut. He wrapped a clean cloth around the cut and went to a shelf to look for a herb that can heal the wound. But since recently Hong er rarely got injured, he didn''t buy any herb as it would be dried out and became a waste of effort for buying it. Tao Qi took Hong er''s uninjured right hand and wrote using his finger, ''Stay here, I will descend the mountain and buy you some medicine. I will be back at dawn.'' Hong er slightly nodded her head but Tao Qi knew that her mind was somewhere else. He chose to ignore it and went out to a nearby town to buy herbs. Hong er sat dazedly as she pressed her wounded finger. She was cooking dinner for Tao Qi and herself when her heart suddenly stopped for a second. The knife that she was holding accidentally slit her fingers and caused her to drop her knife. The wound throbbed yet the pain couldn''t compare to the anxiousness in her heart. Her non-existence eyes started to tear up however it was blood that was staining her white blindfold. ''Why¡­How¡­someone called me ''mother''¡­'' Hong er cluelessly looked around even though knowing that only darkness met her eyes. Hong er clenched her chest as the anxiousness didn''t subside. After a few seconds of pondering, Hong er made up her mind to pursue her instinct and ignored Tao Qi''s warning to stay inside the cave. She took the long wooden stick that was laying beside her and left the cave by using her intuition as her guide. . . After almost half an hour of wandering aimlessly, Hong er''s breathing was as stable as if she didn''t even exert any energy. She could tell that the sun had set by the cold breeze that brushed over her pale skin. Yet, she didn''t show any sign of giving up. She kept moving towards the place that was pulling her heart. She hit the ground and her surroundings with the wooden stick in her hand to detect any holes or trees so that she wouldn''t stumble onto any of those. One hour had passed by, however, she hadn''t found the source of her anxiety. The anxiety grew in every second that she wasted. ''What is this? The feeling of lost¡­no¡­it hasn''t gone yet, it is dying. I have to find it as soon as possible or else¡­'' Hong er''s thought stopped at that moment. ''Or else what? What is this thing has to do with me that I am so desperate?'' Beads of cold sweat built up on Hong er''s forehead as she asked herself. Hong er frowned and swung her palm across her cheek. ''What are you thinking at this time?! I have to focus!'' The second she slapped herself out of her daze, she noticed that there was something tugging on the hem of her skirt. She looked down even though knowing that she couldn''t see anything besides darkness. "¡­help¡­" A weak whisper escaped from the boy''s mouth. Little did he know, she was unable to hear any of his plea. He kept whispering ''help'' without letting go of the only ray of hope that he got. Hong er threw her stick away and immediately kneeled on the ground to support the pitiful creature. She gently touched the boy and felt his body, she figured out that it was a human and a child to make it worse. The short breath that brushed over her skin made her face paler than snow. With her trembling hand, she tried to place the boy on her back so that she could piggyback him back to the cave where she lives. However, the boy''s arms kept dropping from her shoulder and made her difficult to walk stably with one of her hand holding on her wooden stick. "Aghhuughh..uhh" Hong er incoherently babbled while pointing her shoulder. The boy lifted his heavy eyelids when he heard the incomprehensible noises that came out from the woman. He saw her pointing at her shoulder and made a few simple signals that he more or less understood. He circled his arms around Hong er''s neck and leaned his aching head on the crook of her neck. "¡­so tired¡­" this was the last words that left his lips before he passed out on the back of the stranger. Although Hong er had never met any human for nearly 14 years, she couldn''t understand why she was so fond of the boy that she risked her own safety in order to help him. It didn''t took her too long to arrive back at her cave as she left a faint scent along the way therefore she wouldn''t lose herway back. She always smeared a certain herb paste on to the end of her wooden stick, thus the herb''s scent would linger on places that she hit with the wooden stick. As soon as she entered the cave, she smiled guiltily and walked pass the other boy that grumpily stood at the entrance of the cave without paying a single heed to his piercing glares. She carefully placed the boy on her clean bed and swiftly filled a basin with hot and cold water until the temperature was suitable for children''s bodies. With her high-sensitivity skin, Hong er managed to wipe off the dried blood on the boy''s body and helped him change his blood-stained clothes with one of Tao Qi''s clothes that she handmade. Tao Qi furrowed his brows as Hong er had been acting like he didn''t exist. He approached her and lightly tapped her shoulder. But before he could say anything, Hong er interrupted him by asking him to bring her a grinder and certain herbs. Sensing that Tao Qi didn''t move an inch from his spot, Hong er sighed and gave him an apologetic smile. Tao Qi groaned and stomped his way to the shelf where the newly bought herbs were stored. He walked back to Hong er''s side and took her hand. ''You grind the herb, I will apply the paste. You can''t see the wound.'' Tao Qi wrote a short explanation Hong er nodded and started to do her task. . . A deep line appeared on Zhang Wei''s forehead ass he growled in his sleep. His body was so heavy as if there was a huge boulder on top of him. The pain from the wounds that he got from fighting the man-made his body covered in a cold sweat. And to make it worse, the nightmare of seeing his twin little sister and Bing Wen got killed in front of him haunted him since the time he closed his eyes. But every time he almost fell into the dark pit of agony, a touch that was filled with love tranquilized his anxiousness without him even realizing it. The touch was as gentle as the falling snow yet as warm as the sun in the evening. Zhang Wei never truly experienced the so-called motherly love that his teacher talked about when his teacher was teaching him a subject about filial piety. Although Meiyun treated him like her own son, still, she wasn''t his biological mother. In return, Zhang Wei and Rong Ai highly respected Meiyun as their foster mother for everything that Meiyun had done for them. Everyone around him always told him that his mother was still alive somewhere out there. But after living his whole life motherless, he just hoped that his mother would just rest in peace beside the Goddess of Light. Chapter 271 - 269. Who Are You? Third-person POV Zhang Wei hoped that his mother would just rest in peace beside the Goddess of Light. Yet, it didn''t mean that he hated his own mother for not being with him. After trying his hardest to find out the reason for his mother''s disappearance, he realized how much suffering his mother went through just to protect the two precious little lives. Without even people telling him, he could see how much his mother loves her children. When they were still little, he and Rong Ai would always play in Hong er''s chamber and rummage around the stuff in the chamber. One by one, they found the clothes that their mother personally made for them. The clothes made with much consideration, the size range of the clothes also varies. From baby clothes to toddler clothes. Although the embroidery wasn''t the best, it was carefully sewn with much thought and love. Every picture that was sewn on the hem of the sleeves had meaningful wishes behind it which was very touching if one truly looked into the meaning. Zhang Wei also noticed when he played inside Xue Lang''s bedroom, there was this special wardrobe that was made with exceptional material and protected with a magic barrier. Xue Lang saw the curiosity in Zhang Wei''s eyes and gleefully showed him the content inside of the wardrobe. Zhang Wei expected a legendary sword or an ancient magic scroll but turns out just to be old clothes that didn''t fit the current size of the a.d.u.l.t Xue Lang. "Imperial Mother made this for me and she also made some for you two maybe the size won''t fit you anymore. But make sure to treasure it because Imperial Mother worked very hard in making it." Xue Lang caressed Zhang Wei''s hair and smiled gently. Zhang Wei obediently listened to his brother''s words and kept the clothes nice and clean after it couldn''t fit into his body anymore. Knowing this fact from the stewards that were taking care of Zhang Wei, Weisheng couldn''t be more happier to know that the kids love their mother no matter what the circ.u.mstances they were in. Nevertheless, this fact made the guilt inside him to grow. Even the guileless kids could feel the loneliness and the regret inside Weisheng''s heart. Every night, one could hear the Guqin''s sound resonated throughout the palace. Sometimes it would be accompanied with a deep hum sound. The sad tone in each pluck could make one shed tears. This song was well-known in the Inner Palace because during the time where the Empress was still in the Palace, she would sing it with a bright smile on her lips. The maids and guards that served the Empress before couldn''t help but lower their heads in regret. The regret of not being able to protect the Empress from the intruders and causing a deep wound in the Emperor''s iron heart. They would stay awake through the night, accompanying their lonely Emperor to pass through the long night. The song that was supposed to be joyful turned into a heart-rending melody. One night, Zhang Wei decided to sneak out to see the person who played this beautiful yet sad melody in the middle of the night. He knocked out the guards that were trying to bring him back to his room by taking advantage of the fact that the guards couldn''t put their hands on Zhang Wei. Without forgetting to take his other twin with him, they followed the Guqin sound and stopped in front of the entrance of Empress''s favorite garden. They carefully approached the Guqin sound whilst hiding behind the plants as the Guqin sound was very near. Their bodies instantly halted at the sight of their father at the Floating Lotus Pavillion playing the delicate Guqing in front of him with bottles of wine lying around him. Zhang Wei and Rong Ai were too confounded by their father that it took them a few moments later to notice the white coat that lain on their father''s lap. As soon as they saw the Phoenix crest on the coat, they recognized it right away. It was their mother''s imperial coat. The fingers that were pickling the Guqin''s string stopped, Weisheng retracted his hand and softly caressed the white coat on his lap. "I''m sorry, for being too weak¡­" Weisheng mumbled as his eyes turned glassy. Zhang Wei and Rong Ai flinched when they saw tears fell down from their father''s eyes onto the white coat. Their father who never showed his emotion in front of anyone was crying while hugging the old white coat. "What should I do?... Hong er ah¡­please tell me¡­what am I supposed to do? I searched everywhere but you aren''t there¡­" the powerful voice that usually used to command millions of soldiers was trembling with emotion. The sight of their father without his armor and a sword in his hands made them realize that he wasn''t always as strong as he looks like. Their father is also a human that can feel pain. Tears filled their eyes as it was truly heart-breaking to see their father broke down in tears. "Hong er ah, our children inherited your personality. They are so mature even at such a young age. They never blame me for not being their side all the time. I am very blessed to have such wonderful children, thank you for giving birth to them. I may not be the best father for them, but I will protect them with my life." Weisheng said as he looked up to the moon. Ever since that day, Zhang Wei and Rong Ai became closer to Weisheng which confused him for a while. Nevertheless, his children were showering him with love and care, of course he wouldn''t question them. Even if it was fake, he would still love his children no matter what. While Zhang Wei was reminiscing this beautiful moment in his dream, his body suddenly was pulled by a certain force and brought him back to reality. His brows twitched as he groaned painfully. His whole body was aching like crazy but he forced his hand to take off the warm cloth that was covering his eyes. Then he felt a rough yet slender hand grabbed him by his wrist and gently pulled his hand back. Zhang Wei flinched when there was a hand suddenly grabbed him as he didn''t sense any presence since he woke up. He wanted to shove the hand away from him because he was still unsure that the person in front of him was an enemy or an ally. However, after pondering for a while, he threw his thought into the back of his head and relaxed his body. ''If this person wants to kill me, I am already dead by now.'' Zhang Wei muttered in his head. "Who are you?" Zhang Wei forced out a question from his sore throat. But the stranger seemed to not respond to his question which made him frown even more. "I ask you once again, who are you, and what is your intention?" Zhang Wei twisted his hand to free his hand from the stranger''s hold. Sensing the patient was struggling, the stranger flipped Zhang Wei''s hand and started to write on his palm with her finger, "Hi, I can''t hear and can''t see. So please write down what you want to say on my palm or my back." Zhang Wei frowned deeply, ''This person is deaf and blind. His world must be very empty.'' (A/N: Zhang Wei assumed that this stranger is a man because of the rough hand.) Zhang Wei tapped the stranger''s hand and the stranger offered her hand to Zhang Wei. "Where am I?'' Zhang Wei wrote. "In my secret cave," the stranger wrote back. "Who are you?" Zhang Wei wrote down another question. "I am just a humble widow that happens to know some herbs. You can call me whatever you want. People usually call me Hong." Hong er gave Zhang Wei a detailed answer to his question as she could hear the suspicion under his calm tone. (A/N: FYI, Hong er only wrote "Hong" which means red. And "Hong" in her name means goose. I didn''t write "er" behind the "Hong" because it is only added based on one''s relationship to the other. Example: "Xiao Hong = Little Hong") "Hong¡­?" Zhang Wei mumbled her name almost in a whisper. "Hong er!" A blaring voice resounded through the cave, causing the air in the cave to tremble. Chapter 272 - 270. Mother! Third-person POV Zhang Wei''s body froze when he heard the name that came out from Tao Qi''s lips. ''Hong er? She is¡­no¡­I must not be hasty. There are millions of people with that name.'' Zhang Wei remembered the advice that his father always told him. While Zhang Wei was deep in his thought, Hong er turned her head to the source of the tremor and tilted her head. Tao Qi approached Hong er and used her shoulder as a media to write, "It seems like that brat is fine. I bought you breakfast, you should eat. I will look after him." Hong er nodded her head and gave Tao Qi a few things to pay attention to, "Keep the towel on his eyes." Tao Qi patted Hong er''s shoulder once as a ''yes''. Hong er carefully walked towards the dining table by using the wall of the cave as her support. Tao Qi sat down and didn''t take his eyes off Hong er in fear that she would trip on the uneven surface. "Why don''t you help her?" Zhang Wei uttered all of a sudden. "Why do I have to? She still has legs to walk with. You brat better not take off that towel or else she will be mad at me." Tao Qi warned Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei''s hand that was reaching out to the towel froze and dropped to the side, "A little help won''t hurt and don''t call me brat when you are also a kid." "She wouldn''t like it. She is that kind of woman, a very strong-willed one. And shut the hell up, I am older than you and that''s it." Tao Qi said with an audible of pride in his cold voice. Zhang Wei fell into silence and focused on regaining his Qi back as he was too lazy to argue with Tao Qi. ''I have to heal faster so that I can save Rong Ai and Ah Wen.'' . . The next thing Zhang Wei knew, he woke up to a scent that reminds him of home. ''Chicken soup?'' Zhang Wei''s sharp nose twitched at the fragrance that wafted towards his direction. The reason why the scent of chicken soup reminded Zhang Wei of home because Weisheng often commanded the Royal Chef to cook this special recipe that his mother wrote down on a book. However, no matter how many times the Royal Chef attempted to make this common soup, Weisheng never seemed to be pleased by the outcome. Although the Royal Chef''s neck was unscathed, Weisheng''s sigh of disappointment whenever the soup went into his mouth made the Royal Chef showered with cold sweat. The Royal Chef had precisely followed the ingredients and the instructions on the Hong er''s cooking book without fail, yet he still got that dissatisfied reaction from Weisheng. Hence he called the maids and guards that had served Hong er previously, including Meiyun and Huayun. "En, the fragrance, and the taste is perfect. As expected, the dishes that the Royal Chef made." Meiyun complimented the Royal Chef''s cooking skills. Although the Royal Chef was elated by Meiyun''s flattering remark, his worries hadn''t been answered yet. "Then why? What did His Majesty Emperor find distasteful in my dishes?" Huayun who had been silent all this time finally parted her lips, "Because it isn''t made by Her Majesty Empress." "Huh?" The Royal Chef turned his head to Huayun and couldn''t help but baffled by the answer. Then he shifted his eyes to Meiyun who just smiled at him. "Just do what you always do. It is only an internal confliction in His Majesty Emperor''s heart." Huayun set her chopstick on the table and left after she gave the Royal Chef a piece of advice. Meiyun slightly bowed her head to the Royal Chef and followed Huayun to exit the Imperial Kitchen. Since then, the Royal Chef tried his best to duplicate every single of Hong er''s dishes whether it was the appearance or the taste. Therefore, Zhang Wei knew exactly the taste and scent of his mother dishes without her cooking it herself. ''How can it be this be?'' Zhang Wei''s heart was beating fast. *Tak tak tak The chopping sound strangely made Zhang Wei felt at ease. Then he noticed that Hong er was walking towards him by her steady footsteps. She placed her warm palm on his forehead and exhaled a sigh of relief. Zhang Wei pretended to be asleep, he didn''t know why he was so compliant with Hong er''s words. He wanted to open his eyes and see her face, to identify whether she truly was the person he thought she was. Hong er took off the towel on Zhang Wei''s eyes and replaced it with a long thin cloth that she usually used on herself as a blindfold. Zhang Wei got irritated as his attempt to find out her identity failed again yet he didn''t want to be disrespectful towards his lifesaver. He tugged on the hem of her sleeve as if telling her to take the blindfold off. The sharp-witted Hong er knew what Zhang Wei means but paid no heed to his demands and kept on tying the blindfold around his head. When Hong er helped Zhang Wei to change his clothes, she realized that Zhang Wei wasn''t someone she should offend. Although the attire was simple, the material that was used to make the clothes was definitely a high-quality material that commoners couldn''t afford even with their yearly salary. Therefore to not anger the high-rank noble child, Hong er took his hand and wrote down her worries. "The river that you feel into is poisonous so your eyes are irritated by the poison in the water, so please let it heal for a while. I made some food and I hope that it will suit your taste. Since you can''t see right now, do you mind if I feed you?" The words that Hong er used were very formal as if a servant talking to its master. Feeling guilty for making Hong er worrying about him, Zhang Wei loosened his grip on her hem and tapped the back of her hand as a ''yes''. A wide smile spread across Hong er''s face as she scooped a spoonful of congee and positioned in front of Zhang Wei''s nose. Zhang Wei sighed at how persistent Hong er was while knowing that she also couldn??t see, he used his high sense of smell to locate the spoon. Then he parted his lips to devour the tempting soup, but as soon as the soup entered his mouth, his heart stopped for a few seconds. His hands were trembling as his eyes welled up with tears, ''This¡­'' He yanked the cloth that covered his eyes and whipped his head to the side. A gentle lady with an eminently warm smile on her pale lips sat in front of him, she stirred the soup a few times to let it cool down and scooped another spoonful of chicken soup for Zhang Wei. The sight that Zhang Wei witnessed right now was the same as the picture in his mother''s chamber. The warm smile, the long luscious jet black hair that reached her waist, the usual white attire but with a plainer design, perfectly matched the painting. The only difference was the thin white cloth that wrapped around her head while in the painting showed the bright golden eyes that took one''s attention in a glance. And to add it, Hong er didn''t wear any accessory unlike in the painting. Zhang Wei stared at Hong er with wide eyes, although his eyes stung like there were sands in his eyes, he couldn''t afford to blink as he fears that she would disappear from his life once again. "Mo..mother¡­" Zhang Wei tremblingly called out to her as he stared at her with his bloodshot eyes. But Hong er couldn''t hear his desperate calls. She tilted her head as the soup that she offered to Zhang Wei was untouched. She pulled back her extended hand and set aside the chicken soup. ''He doesn''t eat it after the first spoon. Does it taste that bad? I tasted it and nothing is wrong, weird¡­ or does it not fit his taste?'' Hong er racked her brain, trying to think a suitable dish that suits Zhang Wei''s noble tongue but easy to digest at the same time. "Mother!" Zhang Wei jumped onto Hong er and hugged her tightly. Hong er was taken aback by the sudden weight and almost fell from the stool she was sitting on. Just as Hong er wanted to gently pull Zhang Wei away, she suddenly felt her shoulder was wet then she noticed that Zhang Wei was screaming some words that sadly Hong er couldn''t hear. The hands that were hanging on the air slowly approached Zhang Wei''s back and softly caressed the slender yet sturdy back. This warm gesture caused Zhang Wei to cry out his heart, 13 years of separation finally came to an end. Although Zhang Wei had never met his mother in his entire life and supposed to not have any attachment towards his mother, yet the moment he knew that it was her, his eyes unknowingly just pooled with tears and his heart filled with relief. "Mother¡­ I finally found you." Zhang Wei sobbed weakly. Chapter 273 - 271. I Will Bring Him Back Third-person POV After successfully calmed Zhang Wei down, Hong er smiled gently and wanted to ask what happened that caused Zhang Wei to burst into tears, but she pondered again and decided to not ask the question. For a child to cry out in a stranger''s arms, the child must have gone through such horrible pain that it left a huge scar in his heart. But when she was going to take the bowl that she set aside, Zhang Wei seized her hands and wrote on her palm as fast as he could. The excitement in his heart made him unable to think anything but to make Hong er to realize that he was her son. "Mother, it''s me, Zhang Wei, your son!" Zhang Wei excitedly recited every word that he wrote. Hong er didn''t react for quite a while, a strange feeling slowly rose from the deepest of Zhang Wei''s heart. ''Why is Mother not saying anything? Do I write too fast?'' Zhang Wei lamented in his heart. Just when Zhang Wei was going to rewrite the sentence, the corner of Hong er''s pale lips curled into a sad smile. Zhang Wei''s breath stopped for a moment, various thoughts surfaced in Zhang Wei''s head which caused his grip to tighten. The smile on Hong er''s pale lips suddenly made Zhang Wei reluctant to know Hong er''s answer. Hong er wiggled her hands out from Zhang Wei''s tight hold and gently took his hand. She placed her fingertip on Zhang Wei''s rough palm and wrote, "My son¡­" Hong er''s finger froze for a moment before continuing, "¡­has long gone." . . "Dare to say it again." An oppressive voice that was deeper than a bottomless pit resounded through the expansive hall. A line of black-clothed people kneeled with their forehead pressed on the cold wooden floor. The pressure of the voice sent a shiver down to their spine. They held back their breath as to not irritate the person who sat on the highest throne. "Th-this servant received a piece of news that Her Highness Princess Rong has been found and secured at the base located in the forest not far from the Cursed Land." One of them spoke up tremblingly. He was ready to have his head cut off until a different voice sounded out, "How about His Highness Prince Zhang?" Without lifting his head to see, he recognized the owner of this voice, it was Qiyi, one of the most trusted bodyguards that Weisheng kept by his side. "General Di and Lady Meiyun are still searching for His Highness Prince Zhang. They are heading towards Cursed Land as per Her Highness Princess Rong''s information." The man answered Qiyi''s question and the hall fell into a dead silence. No one dared to move or even breathe too loudly, they lowered their head until their chin touched their chest. They had never been this nervous since the disappearance of the Empress. Weisheng who had been sending them dead glares finally broke the silence. "Obediently wait for your punishment." Weisheng growled before he walked pass by the kowtowing elite soldiers. The elite soldiers froze in unison, the lightest punishment for them would be a painless death. They didn''t waste any time as they quickly rose to their feet and dispersed to obtain information about Zhang Wei''s whereabouts. Qier was out to do the mission that Weisheng gave him therefore there was only Qiyi that served beside Weisheng. Qiyi soundlessly followed Weisheng, he glanced at the darkening sky and gathered the braveness to ask Weisheng a question. "Your Majesty Emperor, any order for this servant?" Qiyi cupped his fist and bent his waist to bow at Weisheng. Weisheng stopped in his track and turned his head to look over his broad shoulder. Qiyi immediately went on his knees when he saw Weisheng''s eyes had changed. His sclera turned jet black as his blood-red iris shone dangerously just like the time when he lost his wife. The grey clouds swirled as black thunder rumbled within the thick clouds. Qiyi knew what Weisheng''s next move was and silently he took a step back. The growl of the thunder echoed throughout the Capital City of Da An, the people who had faced this exact same situation quickly shouted and pulled the children back into their own house. They lighted up their entire house brightly with candles and lanterns. "Do what you should do." After he left those few words, an ear piercing thunder blasted right on the position where Weisheng was standing. Qiyi immediately raised his arms to shield himself from getting blown away by the crash yet despite in his defense state, Qiyi still was thrown a few steps backward. Since Hong er disappeared, Weisheng had been easily angered unlike in the past. The person who pacified the fire in the Weisheng''s heart was gone, without any doubt, the fire became easier to be triggered. Fortunately, Hong er left the most precious gift that Weisheng could ask for, it was the twin. Since the time he learned that he almost endangered his own children''s life, he had practiced keeping his dark power in control and it was not easy. He had several powerful mages to cast multiple barriers around him when he was practicing, nevertheless, sometimes the mages would be injured if they were not cautious of Weisheng''s power. And now, Weisheng could use his full power without much concern of being taken over by the demon inside him. A second after the thunder stroke Weisheng at the Royal Palace, the same petrifying thunder stroke right at the main base where Rong Ai was currently resting. Because of the undoubtedly loud growl of the thunder, Rong Ai and Bing Wen immediately woke up and rushed outside to see what was happening. Rong Ai was ready to fight when she saw her father was standing with blood-curling aura oozing from her father''s body. Although she was slightly hesitant to approach the current Weisheng, she didn''t let her fear get into her. She ran to Weisheng''s side and grabbed his arm. "Father! Father! Zhang Wei! H- he¡­" Rong Ai stuttered as he shook Weisheng''s arm with her trembling hand. Weisheng gently placed his other hand on top of Rong Ai''s head and ruffled her silky hair, "Don''t worry, Father will definitely bring your brother back." Somehow, the cold voice gave a reassurance to Rong Ai''s anxious heart. She nodded her head and released Weisheng''s arm as to not hinder Weisheng from finding Zhang Wei. Weisheng glanced at Bing Wen and also patted his head. "Take care of Rong Ai for me." Weisheng walked away after he dropped a few words to Bing Wen. The wording that Weisheng used on Bing Wen was not as domineering as when he was in the morning court. It was as if he was talking to his own child. "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor." Bing Wen bowed to the leaving Weisheng. Then Bing Wen turned to Rong Ai and took her hand, "Your Highness Princess Rong, let''s go back to our tent. You had spent your energy for today." Rong Ai stared at Weisheng''s board back before she nodded her head, "En." On the other side, the soldiers gathered in a line and kneeled to the furious Weisheng. With Weisheng''s back facing them, they instantly knew Weisheng was on the verge of having their heads decapitated but was holding back the urge to kill the soldiers that had been accompanying him in every battle. "Explain." With just a word from Weisheng''s lips, a chill went down to the soldiers'' spine. "We are still unable to know His Highness Prince Zhang''s location and there is still no news from General Di''s team. These humble servants are stayed at the base to protect Her Highness Princess Rong." A soldier bowed his head lower. "Useless." Weisheng spat out. None of the soldiers refuted Weisheng''s remark, being in the strongest and most intelligent unit yet they couldn''t even keep a watch on two children truly made them lose face. "Protect them, if you fail once again¡­" Weisheng''s glare was enough for the soldiers to know the rest of the sentence. "Yes, Your Majesty Emperor! We will definitely not disappoint you!" the soldiers roared. A gust of wind violently blew past them causing sands to get into their eyes. They blinked their eyes to remove the prickling sands and the moment they could open their eyes, Weisheng had nowhere to be seen. Chapter 274 - 272. The Orb Third-person POV Zhang Wei was frozen in his place from Hong er''s words, his hands were visibly trembling as he stared at Hong er in disbelief. "No¡­no... I must be mistaken¡­ please, please write once again. I must have read it wrong. Please I beg of you!" Zhang Wei grabbed Hong er''s hand and pushed his palm to Hong er. Hong er''s face twisted as she didn''t know what was happening. She just stated the truth and the child in front of her seemed to unable to accept what she just told him. There was no reason for her to lie, it was not an uncommon matter when one''s husband and child died due to the war. The most vivid memory she had was when she received a piece of news that her husband died in the frontline. At that time, she was 9 months pregnant and predicted soon would go into labor. She hoped that her husband would be by her side during the labor therefore she impatiently waited for her husband''s return. And to make it worse, as soon as the war was done for the day, his body was buried with the other fallen soldiers. Even she couldn''t see him for the last time. The moment she heard the news, her water broke and went into labor. After hours and hours of exerting her energy to push the baby out of her w.o.m.b, the first word that came out of the midwife''s lips wasn''t congratulatory but another sword that stabbed her heart. Her baby that she carried for 9 months died from complications. Her vision instantly went black and the first thing that she noticed when she woke up was her eyes were gone together with her voice and hearing ability. She didn''t know how she can become so miserable in a single moment, she was devastated. Losing everything she had, if it wasn''t Tao Qi who looked over her, she probably would have long died. Whether it was from starvation or taking her own life. In order not to be a burden to Tao Qi, Hong er learned to communicate through writing and doing the housework relying only on her smelling and sensing ability. It was very hard at the first time, but she never gave up despite the countless injuries that she got every single day. Sometimes she would wonder how could a little kid like Tao Qi be able to live in such a desolated cave. But every time she inquired about these things to Tao Qi, he would always dodge the topic. And over the years, Hong er realized that Tao Qi wasn''t a normal human being. ''He doesn''t grow at all.'' Was one of the reasons why she thought that Tao Qi wasn''t a human. She fully knew that Tao Qi wasn''t a human but what creature he was, she didn''t know at all. A ghost? A demon? A spirit? Or maybe a zombie? This question was left unanswered even after 13 years had passed by. Hong er skillfully took Zhang Wei''s frantic hands and pressed his hands with hers. The warmth from Hong er''s palm transferred to Zhang Wei''s drenched in cold sweat''s skin. Zhang Wei''s eyes directed to Hong er''s finger that was gliding on his rough palm. "Little boy, do you perhaps mistake me for someone else?" Hong er flashed a warm and sympathetic smile. "No!" Zhang Wei immediately shouted. How could he be mistaken? The resemblance of the lady in front of him with the lady in the painting was uncanny. Zhang Wei looked down and noticed the bedsheet was stained with the tears that had unknowingly fallen from his eyes. At this point, Zhang Wei didn''t know what to do. He suspected that Hong er had amnesia, yet, it didn''t seem like a normal amnesia. The better way to explain this was her memory was reconstructed into a new series of memories. It was like she was living as another person. Zhang Wei racked his panic brain as he tried to find a solution for his mother''s memory loss. Then the face of the person who knew his mother the best appeared in his head. "Father¡­Father!" Zhang Wei urgently stood up and almost caused Hong er to fall off her little stool. Zhang Wei swiftly pulled Hong er so that she wouldn''t fall and his face immediately scrunched in worry, "Mother, I am sorry for being rough. Do you perhaps hurt anywhere?" Unfortunately, Zhang Wei forgot that Hong er was unable to hear him. Therefore he did a quick inspection on Hong er''s body and sighed in relief as he didn''t found any injury on her. After he was convinced that he didn''t cause any wound on Hong er, he released Hong er''s hand and started to fumble around. Hong er who was left hanging by Zhang Wei had given up in getting the answer to her question. She just let him do whatever he wanted, even after spinning her around without telling her what it was for. (A/N: Zhang Wei answered her verbally but Hong er who couldn''t hear anything thought that Zhang Wei ignored her.) ''Where? Where is it?'' Zhang Wei clenched his jaw in irritation. Zhang Wei rummaged the bed and his rigid face instantly relaxed when he found the little box that he was looking for was hidden under the pillow. He hurriedly unwrapped the cloth around it and scrutinized the content. Zhang Wei sighed for the tenth time today after he checked that the content was still usable even after being dipped in the river water. Fortunately he took two of this box just in case one of them failed to launch. And as he predicted, one of the box was flung away when he was going to give it to Rong Ai during the attack. Inside of the box, there was a piece of dark orb perfectly secured with a tiny pillow beneath it. The orb was only half the size of Zhang Wei''s thumb yet a mystifying flow of aura that was circulating inside the orb caused one''s hair to rise just by standing near the orb. The orb was given to Zhang Wei as a present for his success in controlling his power. In people''s eyes, the orb was too typical to be considered as the most precious gift, yet to Zhang Wei it was the most precious gift that his father gave to him. Weisheng invested numerous sleepless nights into creating this magic orb that could be used as a signal for them to locate one''s whereabouts. "Ah Wei, if you are in any danger, don''t hesitate to smash the orb. You are now able to control your power, Father believes that you can do it." Weisheng said this sentence and placed the two little boxes on Zhang Wei small palm. Zhang Wei dashed to the entrance of the cave and stared at the cloudy sky, ''I don''t know how this works but maybe with this, Auntie Meiyun can immediately pin down my location. With that, she can inform Father about Mother''s being as fast as possible.'' Zhang Wei took the orb and placed it in the middle of his palm. He took a deep breath and clenched his fist. The orb was crushed into pieces, a surge of dark aura instantly shot up to the sky and dispersed the clouds in the sky. Not even a second later, an earth-shattering thunder stroke the top of the mountain. A tall man in an imperial robe stood menacingly in front of Zhang Wei. His blood-red eyes were filled with murderous intent. Even the child in front of him froze on his spot. Hong er who was horror-stricken by the sudden earthquake quickly ran to the mouth of the cave, ''Little boy!'' Chapter 275 - 273. Finally...I Found You Third-person POV The moment the Weisheng''s dark power in the box released, Meiyun''s body trembled. "Turn right!" Meiyun shouted. Di Sahng immediately pulled the rein and turned sharp right as Meiyun commanded. They galloped towards the top of the mountain and a few seconds later a similar thunder from the main base stroke once again at the direction they were heading to. "What was that?!" Di Shang who had been silent all this time finally spoke up. "It was His Majesty Emperor¡­" Meiyun said in low voice but Di Shang could hear her loud and clear. His face instantly scrunched up into a frown, "How is that possible?" Weisheng was supposed to be in the Royal Palace, which was what Di Shang thought. Meiyun understood what Di Shang was thinking and she was in his position she would think so too. But since Meiyun had a tiny bit of Weisheng''s power in her, she could recognize Weisheng''s power even without a need to look at it. "Do you remember the orb that His Majesty Emperor gifted His Highness Prince Zhang?" Meiyun asked Di Shang as a reply to Di Shang''s question. "En." Di Shang nodded his head. "It is a tool to summon His Majesty Emperor. However, not anyone can use it, not even a handful of people." Meiyun summarized. Di Shang pondered for a while and felt what Meiyun said made sense. Weisheng was known to have a unique dark power and of course, the person that most closely related to Weisheng was the twin. Therefore, without a doubt, they would inherit some of his power. Di Shang also noticed how Meiyun reluctantly spoke to him about the matter thus he didn''t inquire Meiyun any further as to not give her any burden. He didn''t mind how Meiyun sometimes could be very secretive. Although they had been husband and wife for more than a decade, he still respected Meiyun''s private life. He thoroughly understood that people had at least one or two secrets that couldn''t be told to anyone, even if it was their closest. Just like Meiyun, Di Shang also had been keeping this one secret from Meiyun. The fact that he knew a secret that Meiyun had desperately hidden from him. He pretended to be a fool in front of Meiyun, to make her feel better and assured. However, behind the calm pretense, Di Shang was anxious every single second. Di Shang dispatched countless personnel to find information about the disease that slowly eating away his wife''s body. But luck wasn''t on his side, it took him 8 years only to find out that the disease was incurable. Nevertheless, Di Shang never gave up. He wouldn''t be swayed by some words spewed from the physicians'' lips. Di Shang went all out, he even dared to participate in the underground market in hope that he could find a rare herb that could possibly heal the disease or at least slow down the progression of the disease. Every herb that was auctioned would be bought by Di Shang in anonymous, then he would bring the herbs to the Imperial Academy to do research on the herbs whether it could be used as a cure. While waiting for the cure to be found, Di Shang would make Meiyun drink body nourishing concoction and he would diligently watch Meiyun gulp down the concoction till the last drop. Meiyun always insisted Di Shang to give her child but Di Shang refused and when they were consummating, he would not come inside her. He would pull out at the last second and this made Meiyun frustrated. Furthermore in this era, having no child was a disgrace to a married woman as they would be stamped as infertile by the society, and Meiyun didn''t want to disappoint her in-laws. She could see their longing for grandchild thus she was very burdened by Di Shang''s stubbornness. Fortunately, Di Shang explained his reasoning behind his behavior to Meiyun and Di Shang''s parents didn''t mind it at all. Although Meiyun knew that Di Shang was doing this for her sake, she still couldn''t brush off the guilt of not fulfilling her duty as a wife and a young madam. For that reason, Meiyun brought back several women with a clean background. Meiyun didn''t know Di Shang''s preference hence she chose the women that had their own distinct beauty, even some of them were more beautiful than Meiyun. Yet, Di Shang dismissed all of the beautiful ladies without even sparing a glance at them. At first, Meiyun was disappointed that her plan failed yet deep in her heart she was relieved that Di Shang held her in high regard despite having enticing ladies lined up in front of him. It didn''t take Meiyun and Di Shang long to arrive at the top of the mountain and the first that caught their attention was the sight of a woman desperately struggling to free herself from the embrace of a man who was wearing a majestic imperial robe. . . A few moments ago Zhang Wei froze on the spot, from all of the people he didn''t expect Weisheng was the first one to arrive considering the distance between the Cursed Land and Royal Palace. "Imperial Father¡­" Zhang Wei muttered under his breath as he stared at Weiseng in disbelief. At first, Zhang Wei was worried at how Weisheng would react when Weisheng saw Hong er. Would he recognize her? Or maybe this lady who coincidentally named Hong er and his mother only had a similar appearance. However, he was immediately proved wrong when his eyes laid on Weisheng''s expression. Weisheg''s eyes were wide open as it slowly turned glassy from the tears that he had hold for 13 years. The usual cold and indifferent face melted into a pained yet longing expression in a second. If one looked at the expression on Weisheng''s pale face, one could indirectly feel the pain that Weisheng had kept in him. Weisheng staggered as he was making his way to Hong er. Zhang Wei stood unmovingly between Hong er and Weisheng, his face filled with bewilderment. In just a second, thousand of questions came through Zhang Wei''s mind. But one thing he was certain of, that the lady was his mother. His heart was jumbling with various emotions that he couldn''t tell what he was feeling right now. Was it anger? Was it sadness? Was it happiness? Every step that Weisheng took felt heavy, his breath quickened as well as his heart pumped harder. In his eyes, Hong er was so close yet so far away just like his dream where he tirelessly chased her silhouette. Just as he was only a step away from Hong er, he stretched out his hand to Hong er''s pale face. "Hong er ah¡­" Weisheng''s voice cracked as he called out to the woman in front of him. His hand was visibly trembling, he wanted to touch her, he wanted to feel her warmth, he wanted to know if this was reality or another torturing nightmare. Yet as his finger was about to touch the pale skin, he slightly retracted his hand. What would happen if he touch her? Would she disappear just like she did in his dream? His thought caused his hand to halt. Weisheng gazed at Hong er intently, no one could guess what he was thinking. While Weisheng was pondering whether he should embrace her or not, Hong er was panicking because of the tremor that was caused by the thunder. Moreover, she could feel a presence in front of her and a pair of eyes watching her closely. She didn''t dare to make any hasty move as her instinct was telling that the unspecified presence in front of her was strong. Living in a forest for more than a decade had made Hong er warier of her surroundings than before. ''Is it a bear? But rarely there is a bear around here.'' Hong er pondered in her heart. Seeing the cautious expression on Hong er''s pale face made Weisheng wanted to hug her and reassure her that everything would be fine as long as he was there beside her. At that moment, the tip of Weisheng''s finger touched Hong er''s soft and warm cheek. In that instant, Hong er flinched and pulled away but in the next second, she found herself in someone embrace. Chapter 276 - 274. Dont Leave Me Again Third-person POV Weisheng leaned his head on the crook of her neck like he always did in the past. The scent and the warmth that he had longed for, finally he could feel it again. After he hugged Hong er, he realized that she was thinner than she used to be. From his touch, he could tell that she had lost almost all of the muscles that she gained from practicing martial arts. Another thing that he noticed was her hair, the length of her hair was shorter than the last time he saw her. From the choppy haircut, he guessed that she carelessly cut her hair without minding much about the length as it would be much more convenient to take care. And although her hair was still soft and straight, it was undeniable that her hair had become rougher. During her time in the Xu family and as Empress, she received the best treatment she could ever get. But he didn''t mind it at all, he wouldn''t ask for more as long as she was here. Hong er''s heart almost stopped for a second. A pair of strong and thick arms circled around her, pulling her closer to the embrace. Her arms were folded in between her body and Weisheng''s body and her head was pressed on his hard chest. Although Hong er had lost her hearing ability, she could still feel the heartbeat with her ear. After listening to it for a while, Hong er felt that the rhythm of the heartbeat was familiar yet she couldn''t remember where she had heard it from. While she was pondering, she could feel a warm breath brushed over her neck. At that moment, her brain suddenly clicked that a stranger and to make it worse a man was hugging her. Hong er twisted her body and shouted incoherently, she wiggled her hands out and mercilessly slapped and scratched Weisheng''s face. Yet, Weisheng was as solid as rock, he didn''t even flinch. On the other side, Weisheng was too immersed in holding her that he didn''t give an ounce of care to the injuries that Hong er left on his face. On the contrary, he was thankful that he could feel the pain, with that he was sure that he wasn''t in a dream. "Hit me, slap me, kill me even if you want to. But please¡­" Weisheng''s voice came to a halt. Although she knew that her effort was useless against the giant in front of her, she still persistently scratched and bit Weisheng''s shoulder. The embrace around her tightened but not enough to hurt Hong er. "¡­ don''t leave me again¡­" Weisheng whispered as his tears fell on her shoulder. Hong er''s hands froze, the droplets seemed to increase by the second and soon her shoulder became damp from Weisheng''s tears. Man and woman couldn''t be spotted alone or else they would be stamped as uninhibited which Hong er definitely didn''t want to. Furthermore, she still held her dead husband in high regard and didn''t have any plan to remarry. For that reason, Hong er resisted Weisheng''s hold even though knowing that she could hurt herself. But, by guessing from the unstable breathing from the man and the droplets of water that fell in her shoulder, he was crying. And Hong er also noticed at how Weisheng was mumbling as his stubbles poked her skin. She wanted to know what he was saying but her condition wouldn''t let her. Reality hurts. Looking at how he hugged her so tightly as if he was afraid she would disappear at any time, she felt pitiful towards Weisheng. Just now, the boy she took care of had the same reaction as the man in front of her. She had a hunch that she had a similar appearance as their closest. The hands that were going to land another hit on Weisheng''s head dropped to the side. Her head faced upwards as if she was watching the blue sky through the white blindfold. Seeing how he wouldn''t let her go, Hong er would let him hug her but as long as his hands weren''t wondering elsewhere. Zhang Wei who had been watching from the side let out a faint sigh. From how Weisheng''s reaction, he was certain that Hong er was his mother. On his stoic expression, A drop of tear fell flowed down his cheek then a sniffle was heard from the side. Zhang Wei turned his head to the side just to find Meiyun kneeling on the ground with her face drenched in tears. Her lips mumbled, "Your Majesty Empress¡­" Di Shang helped Meiyun to get in her feet and slowly approached the imperial couple. Meiyun went to Zhang Wei''s side and patted his head. Although Zhang Wei couldn''t express his feeling as well as other kids his age, Meiyun knew him long enough to guess what he was thinking. "Go hug your mother," Meiyun said softly. Her wording wasn''t the same as usual where she always identified herself as a slave in front of the Royal Family. Her tone was full of serenity, just like a mother comforting their child. At first, Zhang Wei was hesitant to disturb his parents'' loving time yet he didn''t lie that he really wanted to be in their warm embrace. Just when he was about to discard his thought of interfering with Hong er and Weisheng''s time, a rough hand gently pulled him into a tight embrace. He was squeezed between Hong er''s soft body and Weisheng''s solid body. Zhang Wei was stunned, his arms were frozen in the air, didn''t know what to do with them. Should he hug them back or just enjoy the warmth in silence? A slender yet rough palm enveloped Zhang Wei''s lean hand. Zhang Wei glanced at Hong er''s face with his glassy eyes, he looked closer to the corner of her lips and noticed it very slightly arched into an unnoticeable smile. In Hong er''s mind, Weisheng was a very peculiar man, hugging a widow and pulled an innocent child into his childish act. But little did she know that deep in her heart she enjoyed every second in his embrace. Chapter 277 - 275. Acceptance I Third-person POV Sunlight shone upon the long-separated family, enhancing the light smile on their lips. Only the sound of the rustling leaves was heard, it was indeed quiet but the silence was very peaceful. Every second that passed by was full of serenity. Who would have thought that they would encounter Hong er here of all the places that they had investigated? What made Meiyun more confused was how they couldn''t find Hong er when they had searched the Cursed Land for countless times. Although Weisheng had sworn to Tao Qi that he would never lay even a step on the Cursed Land, it didn''t mean that he would just give up. The place that he caught his attention the most was the Cursed Land and he wouldn''t just let it go just because of a mere spirit''s threat. The one who couldn''t enter was him, but he could deploy one of his most trusted people and brought along a crow puppet with them. The crow puppet''s sight was connected to Weisheng''s sight, however, it was recently developed by Bai Huiqing therefore it could only be used only for a short while. The troops were sent out every month to inspect every corner of the world, yet they always came back empty-handed. As time passed by, most of the people started to believe that Hong er had died but Weisheng persistently refused to believe it. The proof that Hong er was living somewhere out there was in front of his eyes. Murong Qing was still alive with Hong er''s bright golden eyes attached to her skull. Thousands of questions appeared in Meiyun and Di Shang''s head, nevertheless they didn''t want to disturb the serene atmosphere and chose to stand in silence at the side. A few moments later, Zhang Wei noticed that Hong er''s body started to twist in discomfort. Zhang Wei took the initiative to break the silence by grabbing Weisheng''s hand. "Imperial Father, Imperial Mother''s body is very frail. She tirelessly took care of me these past two days so let her rest." Zhang Wei''s stoic expression melted in an instant at the thought of Hong er spoiling him. Weisheng heard what Zhang Wei said loud and clear, moreover, he also noticed that Hong er started to wiggle in his embrace. Yet, his hands remained unmoving. The strong arms that wrapped around her body loosened but still restrained Hong er from taking a step back. Although she found herself enjoying the warmth from both father and son pair, she felt ashamed of herself as someone who already had a husband to feel pleased from being embraced by a random man. Therefore, Hong er raised her hand and gently tapped the muscular arm as a sign to Weisheng to release her. Zhang Wei saw his father being stubborn suddenly felt annoyed, he tugged his father''s sleeve harder and gave Weisheng a cold stare. "Imperial Father, Imperial Mother is tired and you are hurting her. This son understands that Imperial Father had longed for Imperial Mother but please be considerate of her body." Zhang Wei''s voice carried a faint commanding tone. No one could deny that Zhang Wei was the exact copy of Weisheng, not only the face but also the charisma and domineering aura that they were carrying. However, Zhang Wei had a more playful personality that he inherited from his mother. Meanwhile, Rong Ai was Hong er''s duplicate, from her appearance, her way of thinking, and sympathetic towards the weaker, though she had her father''s cold and distant demeanor. Each twin had their own distinct charm that pulled other''s attention on them. Therefore when Zhang Wei''s voice traveled through the forest, Meiyun and Di Shang sighed, ''Here we go again.'' Seeing that Weisheng was still frozen on his spot, he put more force in pulling Weisheng''s sleeve. Nevertheless, no matter how annoyed he was by Weisheng, he still had to be respectful towards Weisheng as Weisheng was his father and an emperor. "Five more minutes." A deep voice resounded The hoarse voice came out weirdly soft. Zhang Wei who wanted to argue with Weisheng abruptly stopped when he felt the grip on his hand tightened but not enough to hurt him. Then he looked up to Hong er''s serene face. Hong er let out a soft sigh of defeat, she guessed that the giant man and the little boy were bickering. Knowing that the man wouldn''t admit his loss to the little boy and it seemed like he mumbled something on her neck, she lightly gripped on the Zhang Wei''s hand to show that she was fine. Zhang Wei frowned and continued to send dead glares to his father, ''Since mother gave her consent to this, I will just stay silent.'' (A/N: Zhang Wei and Rong Ai call their parents with ''Father'' and ''Mother'' if they are alone or talking to themselves. But they use honorifics such as ''Imperial Father'' and ''Imperial Mother'' when they are in public.) Gladly, Weisheng stayed true to his words. After exactly 5 minutes, he very reluctantly loosened his grip and took a small step back. Hong er let out a long sigh as she finally could breathe freely again, she didn''t know why her heart was so stuffy that it made her brain numb. Hong er pondered for a while but she still couldn''t describe the feeling with words. ''I feel sad but also happy, what does this mean?'' Hong er questioned herself in her heart. Although Weisheng had let her go, his eyes stayed on Hong er for the whole time. He examined her from head to toe and felt his heart was stabbed with thousands of needles, especially the blindfold that wrapped tightly around Hong er''s head. The worse thing was that he knew exactly why she wore the blindfold and the fact that he couldn''t do anything to prevent this from happening. "I am sorry¡­" Weisheng whispered his apology under his breath as he gently caressed her soft pale cheek with his rough thumb. Hong er immediately dodged to the side as soon as a warm touch came in contact with her skin. She glanced around as her face scrunched up in distress. Zhang Wei confidently approached Hong er and took her cold slender hand with his warm and small hand. "Mother, it is okay, I am here." Zhang Wei said with a voice filled with warmth. He still said it even after knowing that she couldn''t hear him. But to his surprise, it seemed like Hong er understood what he was trying to say just by a touch. Hong er calmed down and started to write on Zhang Wei''s palm while incoherently murmuring the words. "Do you know who that man is? Can you ask him why he suddenly hugs me? Did he perhaps mistake me for someone?" Hong er bombarded Zhang Wei with questions. Zhang Wei knew well Hong er''s concerns, yet he couldn''t deceive himself and Hong er any further. He grabbed Hong er''s hand and wrote, "He is my father¡­" Hong er''s face muscle loosened as the corner of her lips raised into a reassuring smile. But her relaxed face froze from the next word Zhang Wei wrote. "¡­and your husband." Chapter 278 - 276. Acceptance II Third-person POV "¡­and your husband." The truth had been exposed to Hong er and her body was visibly frozen on the spot. Weisheng who had been silently observing Zhang Wei and Hong er''s movement from the side since the beginning was impatiently waiting for what Hong er would say regarding this matter. Would she be happy as the family finally reunited? But Weisheng wasn''t stupid. Just by seeing how the color on Hong er''s face vanished as soon as she learned that he was her husband, he knew that things weren''t as simple as they looked and he didn''t know if he was prepared for what was going to happen. Hong er hastily retracted her hand from Zhang Wei''s hold. Her eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown. With an expression as dark as ink, Hong er''s lips moved rapidly but only incomprehensible noises came out from her lips. Their eyes went wide when they read Hong er''s lip movement, "My husband had died long ago, as well as my baby. I told you before, didn''t I? You must mistake me for someone else. I am sorry to disappoint you." As he already knew Hong er would say that, Zhang Wei was unfazed by Hong er''s rejection. He took a step towards Hong er and grabbed her hand once again. He pressed her cold hand on his damp cheek. "Mother! This is me, Zhang Wei, your son! How could you forget about your own child?!" Zhang Wei cried as he firmly held Hong er''s hand. Hong er recognized Zhang Wei''s small hand ad didn''t dare to use force to pull her hand away in fear hurting Zhang Wei. She was in confusion at how these few strangers kept telling her that she was their family. She had told them repeatedly that she was not, yet they refused to believe her and now she was at a loss of what to do. Then a rough hand gently gripped Zhang Wei''s wrist, "Ah Wei¡­" A deep yet calm voice rang in Zhang Wei''s ears. Zhang Wei lifted his eyes to see his father''s grave face. It was as if Weisheng was going to cry but not a single tear dropped from his sorrowful eyes. He was an emperor and a father, in order to calm the anxious Zhang Wei, one must be calm as well. "Your mother has been through a lot, don''t force her." Weisheng patiently explained to Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei''s red eyes locked on Hong er''s pale face, unable to look away. The cold eyes that were staring at her were filled with warmth also a little bit of disappointment. "B-but, mother doesn''t recognize me¡­mother doesn''t remember me¡­she thought I am dea-" Zhang Wei choked on his tears. "Then we will help her remember." Weisheng''s voice cut off before Zhang Wei could finish his sentence. The calmness in Weisheng''s eyes put Zhang Wei''s heart on ease. How stupid he could be, of course, Weisheng would never let Hong er go but one shouldn''t be hasty especially at how fragile the current Hong er was. Zhang Wei''s grip slowly loosened and his head lowered in downcast. Weisheng sighed and patted Zhang Wei''s head. "We will bring your mother home first, her body is very weak, she needs a check-up." Weisheng worriedly stared at Hong er''s think body. "Who are you bringing home?" at that moment, a childish yet oppressive voice interrupted the calm atmosphere. Hong er''s body fell back as Tao Qi pulled and hid her behind his narrow back. Weisheng''s face instantly turned ugly, he clenched his fists and ready to summon his scythe. But the moment he saw Hong er moved closer to Tao Qi, his muscle loosened. ''Hong er must have trusted him and he is being gentle towards Hong er.'' Weisheng was relieved that there was someone protecting Hong er when he was not there for her. "May I ask what is your name and what are you to my wife?" Weisheng asked politely with his cold voice. "Your wife?" Tao Qi''s brows raised in interest. Tao Qi''s eyes scanned Weisheng from head to toe then the corner of his lips arched into a sly smirk, ''So this is the guy that came looking for Hong er 13 years ago. As I thought, he may be related to Master, I have to be careful.'' "By looking at your sincere eyes, I believe that you are not lying." Tao Qi said indifferently. Weisheng scrutinized Tao Qi and sensed that Tao Qi wouldn''t let this matter passed this easily. "But does Hong er give her consent for you to bring her to an unfamiliar place?" Tao Qi continued. Zhang Wei was going to argue with Tao Qi for hindering them but after he pondered for a while, he found that what Tao Qi said made sense. They couldn''t just push whatever they wanted to the clueless Hong er. Weisheng didn''t immediately respond to Tao Qi. He just stared at Hong er with an unknown emotion in his eyes. As someone who had known Hong er for half of his life, he deeply understands that Hong er definitely wouldn''t agree to follow them back to Royal Palace. "I will convince her," Weisheng said determinedly. Tao Qi shrugged his shoulder and turned away, "Good luck then." Hong er followed Tao Qi back into the cave while her slender fingers firmly pinching Tao Qi''s clothes. Weisheng watched Hong er enter the cave then turned his gaze to Zhang Wei. "You stay here with your mother. Father will bring your sister and a physician for your mother." Weisheng patted Zhang Wei''s head and left after he glanced at the cave entrance for the last time. "I will protect Imperial Mother, please rest assured Imperial Father." Zhang Wei nodded his head and chased after Hong er. Seeing that the situation had been sorted out, Meiyun lightly pushed Di Shang, "Go escort His Majesty Emperor. I will stay here to protect Her Majesty Empress and His Highness Prince Zhang." "En. Take care of yourself too." Di Shang pecked Meiyun''s forehead before he ran after Weisheng. Meiyun stared at the distance while leaning her body on the sturdy horse beside her. A soft smile yet melancholic smile formed on her pale lips as she caressed her protruding abdomen, "What a great day today ah." Chapter 279 - 277. Lets Go See Mother I Third-person POV In the middle of the dreary forest, two tall figures raced towards the east. They leaped from branch to branch as if they were flying. But when they were halfway through their destination, Weisheng''s speed abruptly slowed and came into a halt. Di Shang concernedly glanced at Weisheng and approached Weisheng. "Your Maj-" Di Shang''s voice instantly stopped at the sight of Weisheng''s dark face. With his clenched tightly on the side, Weisheng''s red eyes glowed dangerously, "I will kill her." . . "Haah¡­" A sigh escaped from Rong Ai''s lips. She gracefully sat on a wooden stool while her eyes were staring at the distance. One would assume that Rong Ai could keep her calm even under such a crucial but opposite to their expectation, Rong Ai''s heart was beating frivolously and her brain was in a mess. It had been more than 17 hours and there was still no news about Zhang Wei''s wellbeing. Rong Ai had always been protective of her twin brother. She rose from her seat as she couldn''t put up on pretense by sitting idly. She couldn''t just put all of the burdens on her father''s shoulder just because he said that everything would be fine. As Weisheng''s daughter and Zhang Wei''s sister, she must do something to help even if it was not much. Rong Ai rushed to one of the steeds that were enjoying the lush green grass. She unfastened the rope that prevented the steed from running away and was going to mount the steed when a large hand lifted her up into the air. Sensing that the person was not easy to deal with, Rong Ai fluidly pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and menacingly pointed her dagger on the eye of the person who caught her. Her hand instantly froze when she saw that it was the man that she was very familiar with. "Uncle Xi?" Rong Ai said dazedly. "Yes, my Little Princess?" Ah Xi smiled warmly despite the dagger was only an inch away from his eyeball. (A/N: Ah Xi is Hong er''s shadow guard as well as Ah Tong. Just as FYI, because I forgot their names lol. I admit that the character that I created was too many.) Rong Ai immediately put down her dagger and her head lowered in guilt. Ah Xi helplessly smiled at Rong Ai and put her down onto the ground. "Where is Your Highness Princess Rong going so sneakily?" Ah Xi asked jokingly as he tied the horse''s rain back. "Ah Wei was gone and I am going to help Imperial Father to find him." Rong Ai said with her head lowered. "Your Highness Princess Rong, please lift up your head." Ah Xi warmly said to Rong Ai. Rong Ai obediently raised her chin and stared at Ah Xi with her glassy eyes. Ah Xi''s heart instantly melted at the sight of the teary Rong Ai, ''The Little Princess looked exactly like Her Majesty Empress. So cute ah~'' "Aiya Your Highness Princess Rong, don''t cry oh. His Majesty Emperor will definitely bring His Highness Prince back safely. And if His Majesty Emperor found you crying like this, my head would be gone ah, aiyo this is really bad." Ah Xi acted as if he was very distressed by Rong Ai''s tears. Just like what Ah Xi wanted, Rong Ai giggled at the foolish act of an uncle in his mid-forties. "How about we return to the camp, You Highness Princess Rong?" Ah Xi crouched to the same eye level as Rong Ai. At first, Rong Ai wanted to refute and insist on going to see her father but seeing Ah Xi''s genuine concerned face, she swallowed back her words and nodded her head. Ah Xi held out his hand to Rong Ai and Rong Ai wordlessly took his hand. Rong Ai looked up and saw Bing Wen stood not far from her current spot while staring at her with a pale face. She felt somewhat guilty for making everyone around her worry about her. Just as she was about to open her lips to apologize, a loud roar came from their camp. "Greetings to Your Majesty Emperor! General Di" The soldiers kneeled on one knee and lowered their head to the two men. Weisheng''s eyes immediately landed on Rong Ai''s astonished face. The corner of his lips faintly arched into a gentle smile. He turned his body and dignifiedly walked to Rong Ai. "Imperial Father, you are back!" The hand that was holding Ah Xi''s hand released and she dashed towards Weisheng like an arrow from a bow. But as she got nearer and nearer to Weisheng, she noticed that her twin brother was not with her father. Yet, why was her father look so happy? His eyes were free of worries, his face was glowing with radiance. Rong Ai never seen his father being this unperturbed before which was why it caught her off guard. Even if he was gleeful from seeing her, he would still mull over the disappearance of his son. Although her heart was suspicious of Weisheng''s current behavior, her legs didn''t stop making its way to Weisheng. Rong Ai halted right in front of Weisheng and bent her knees into a graceful obeisance. Weisheng nodded his head and approached his lovely daughter. But before he could speak, Rong Ai was a step ahead of him. "Imperial Father, where is Ah Wei?" Weisheng''s indifferent eyes became warmer when he was reminded by what he saw just an hour ago. "Ah Wei is fine and he is doing a task that Father gave him." Weisheng patiently explained to Rong Ai. Rong Ai''s brows knitted into a frown. Her father was not an unreasonable person and on top of it, her father occasionally spoiled them without him even realizing it. And now, he gave a task to the injured Sheng Wei? Rong Ai was full of confusion. "Don''t worry, Meiyun is there to help him." Weisheng quickly reassured Ron Ai as soon as he saw the wrinkle on Rong Ai''s forehead. Rong Ai wasn''t given a chance to retaliate as Weisheng had answered her question even before she opened her lips. She lowered her head in meaning that she understood. Weisheng let out a helpless sigh as he saw his daughter was in a low mood. "Do you want to see your mother?" Weisheng spat out this question without hesitation. "Imperial Mother is not- wai- what?!" Rong Ai gawked. "I found her, I finally found your mother," Weisheng said with visible excitement. ''We finally reunited.'' Chapter 280 - 278. Lets Go See Mother II Third-person POV Not only Rong Ai was staring at Weisheng with wide eyes, but Ah Xi and Bing Wen who were standing beside them as well. Because Weisheng was speaking with his low voice, the soldiers that were currently kneeling and being supervised by Di Shang therefore they didn''t hear what Weisheng said. "Imperial Father, is it true? Is it true that Imperial Father had found Imperial Mother? Where? When? How?" Weisheng was bombarded with questions by Rong Ai. Rong Ai''s excitement could be heard loud and clear from her voice, her eyes were sparkling like a thousand stars were shining in the galaxy. Her still immature teeth were displayed fully as his lips formed into a wide smile. Her soft cheeks raised and her eyes narrowed into a line which was a rare occasion for Rong Ai to do so. "Ye-" Weisheng smiled lovingly at his daughter but before he could utter a word, he was cut off by Rong Ai. "What are we waiting for? Let''s go!" Rong Ai fearlessly pulled Weisheng''s arm with all of her strength. "A-ah yeah, don''t walk too fast or you will fall." Weisheng concernedly looked at his daughter. A tall man with a height that abnormally reached more than 2 meters, was pulled by a 13 years old little girl that was only a meter and half tall. His face was the symbol of helplessness, his back and knee were bent as to let Rong Ai drag him around. After she took 10 steps forward, her legs halted and she looked back to her father. "I don''t know the way¡­" Rong Ai peered at her father with pitiful eyes. . . As they were not in a hurry, they rode on their own respective horses and carefully made their way to the Cursed Land. Knowing that the predatory could probably still lurking around in the dark, Weisheng insisted Rong Ai to sit with him on the same horse as he could protect her if an unforeseen situation happened. While on their way to the Cursed Land, Rong Ai became more talkative than usual. She would ask Weisheng how she should greet her mother, what her mother enjoys in her free time, and she would gleefully hummed the melody that Hong er loved to sing. Weisheng participated in her little concert by gently tapping her hand along the melody. It took them about one to two hours to arrive at the entrance of Cursed Land. They were staring at the entrance with cold eyes, even Rong Ai was not an exception. The eerie ambiance of the Cursed Land would make people''s hair stand up. If a normal human was standing in their spot, they would shiver in fear and ran off before they took a step into the forest. Nonetheless, Weisheng and the others that were present there had gone through harsh training since they were young. Training that could be called as hell training as it could be seen from how inhumane and brutal the routine of the training. Therefore the spine chilling atmosphere does not affect them. "If you are scared, you can hold father''s hand." Weisheng stretched out his hand to Rong Ai. Rong Ai placed her small slender hand on Weisheng''s large palm which was two times wider than hers. Weisheng''s eyes grew warmer as he saw the tip of Rong Ai''s ears slowly reddened. ''Seems like she inherited this part of me,'' Weisheng proudly said to himself in his heart. After making sure that Rong Ai was perfectly fine, Weisheng glanced to the side and raised his other hand in the air. They marched in as soon as they got Weisheng''s signal. . . On the other side¡­ "Did you just say he found her?" A middle-aged man suddenly rose from his throne seat. His hands were trembling uncontrollably. He raised his finger and pointed at the old eunuch that was kneeling on the ground in fear and confusion. "How is that even possible?! She is dead for 13 years and how can a dead body suddenly crawl out of its grave?! You dare to lie to Zhen?!" He furiously spat out while pacing back and forth around his throne. In the spacious hall, only less than ten people were standing at the side. Their eyes of course stayed on the horrified middle-aged man on the throne. "How can that be? How can that be?" The middle-aged man kept mumbling these words in his head without knowing that he was reading his thought out loud. The people that were standing at the side didn''t dare to disrupt the middle-aged man, thus they changed their focus on to the old eunuch. "Li Gong Gong, where do you hear this piece of news from? Are you sure that this information can be trusted? If Ben Wang found out that this news turns out to be false, then you must receive a heavy punishment for deceiving the Royal Family." A man that seemed to be in his thirties firmly reminded the old eunuch. "Th-this slave doesn''t dare. This slave got this news from our spy in Da Qi." The old eunuch lowered his head until it pressed the cold wooden floor. He took out a tiny piece of paper from his sleeve and raised it above his head to show the evidence in his hands. The man approached the old eunuch and snatched the paper from the old eunuch. He unrolled the paper and read the three little words that were written in a hurry. Then he saw the little stamp below the words. The message was written as such, ''The Empress, live.'' "This- Imperial Father, this is real. This is the stamp that only the spies in Da Qi have." The man said as his face contorted in confusion. The room fell into a dead silence, no one dared to utter a word. Their lips were pressed into a straight line. "Get out¡­" The middle-aged man whispered weakly. The bystanders and the servants were hesitant to move then the voice of a cup smashed onto the floor caused them to flinch. "I say get out!" The middle-aged man shouted and followed with a severe cough. The middle-aged man staggered and his body dropped on to the floor, gladly the guards were quick in their feet and managed to catch him before he hit the floor. "Your Majesty Emperor!" Chapter 281 - 279. Lets Go See Mother III Third-person POV "We arrived," Weisheng gently said to Rong Ai. Rong Ai''s brow furrowed in confusion, there was only an eerie-looking huge cave in front of them. She looked around and her face scrunched into a deep frown. This area was not suitable for living, it was only surrounded by tall and dense trees. Even sunlight could hardly seep through the density of the trees. Fortunately, the trees around the cave were chopped off and created some space so the cave would be less humid and more breathable. "Imperial Mother lives here?" Rong Ai asked with suspicion tone in her voice. "En. Rong Ai ah, your mother lost her memories. So she doesn''t remember anyone here." Weisheng explained to her without hesitating to reveal everything even though it could hurt the children''s heart. Rong Ai stared at Weisheng in bewilderment. From how Weisheng looked at her with his unfathomable eyes, he wasn''t lying at her. She knew her father better than anyone else. He didn''t know how to express his feelings. He was very elated that he finally reunited with Hong er but on the other hand, finding out that Hong er had suffered because of his recklessness, made him unable to forgive himself. "En. I understand." Rong Ai nodded her head and her lips bent into a gentle smile. "Your mother has a gentle heart. She still loves you even if she lost her memory. You must not blame her, okay?" Weisheng cooed. "En. I know this was not Imperial Mother''s fault, she didn''t leave us because she wants to. Imperial Father, please rest assured." Rong Ai replied to comfort Weisheng. She knew well of what happened, none of them could be blamed. The one who was at fault was the evil person who planned this wretched scheme to ruin Da Qi''s Royal Family. Weisheng''s heart warmed, ''They got your temperament.'' (A/N: Weisheng means Zhang Wei and Rong Ai got Hong er''s kindness and understanding personality as they didn''t blame Hong er for not being a presence in their life or Weisheng for not being able to protect Hong er from the kidnappers.) Although most of the perpetrators were caught and punished for their crime, they were skeptical that the people who collaborated in this big scheme were still lurking in the dark. Thus, they never lower their guard down, nevertheless, Weisheng''s opponents never stop targeting him and his family. They especially took the opportunity where he was at the lowest to attack him in full charge which caused Weisheng to suffer a quite loss. But he was fortunate that his three little bundles of joy were fine. Sensing the familiar aura, Zhang Wei jogged out form the cave and saw the entourage had arrived. He went to greet Weisheng with a cheerful voice, "Imperial Father, Rong Ai, all of you are here. Imperial Mother is waiting for you inside." Weisheng nodded his head and helped Rong Ai dismount from his horse after he alighted. Seeing that Weisheng had got down from his horse, the soldiers behind him also followed along. Di Shang cleverly commanded the soldiers to arrange their camp around the cave. "General Di, Zhen rely on you." Weisheng glanced at Di Shang and gave Di Shang a faint nod of trust. Di Shang lowered his head in respect and continued what he left off meticulously and nimbly as he couldn''t stop his heart from about the pregnant Meiyun. Zhang Wei gleefully guided his father and twin sister into the cave. Although deeper part the cave was dim, the two figures sitting on the sleeping mat that laid thinly on a flat surface stone. The woman with a bulging abdomen was focused on communicating with the other woman that had a blindfold around her head. The expression on their face was serene but it couldn''t cover their hearty laughter. After the pregnant Meiyun finished wrote her parts, Hong er enthusiastically wrote her reply on Meiyun''s palm that she kept making typos when she was writing. Hong er didn''t know why she felt that this was not the first time she talked to Meiyun. Hong er pondered for a while whether she had met Meiyun by accident and forgot about their encounter, however, after minutes of contemplating, she was sure that she had never spoken nor stumbled upon Meiyun. ''Is it because both of us had given birth to baby?'' Hong er thought to herself. At last, she was convinced that the maternal instinct that they could relate to each other. Especially currently Meiyun was pregnant and was close to her due date. Rong Ai stared at Hong er with wide eyes as she couldn''t believe that she was seeing her mother with her own two eyes. People often said that Rong Ai was more cold-hearted than Zhang Wei as she never missed nor looked for her mother like Zhang Wei, probing everyone that he bumped into. However, every night before she fell asleep, she would always pray to the Goddess of Light that someday she could meet her mother if she was still alive. Even if her mother had gone to heaven to accompany the Goddess, at least she prayed that her mother had a peaceful afterlife. Sensed the stares not far from her, Meiyun glanced to her side and gracefully rose to her feet at the sight of Weisheng and the twins that were standing at the entrance of the cave. "Your Majesty Emperor, Your-" Meiyun bent her knees and managed to perform a full curtsy despite the huge belly yet she was interrupted before she could finish her greetings. "Aiya aiya, Auntie Meiyun. How many times does Ben Wang have to tell you that you don''t need to be so courteous towards us? Even Imperial Father doesn''t mind it if you don''t do a curtsy if we are alone." Zhang Wei jogged to Meiyun''s side and helped her to sit beside his beloved mother. Weisheng slightly nodded his head at his son''s words. After taking care of the pregnant Hong er in the past, he knew that pregnant women didn''t have it easy. Even sleeping was uncomfortable especially if the belly had grown big. "What Zhang Wei said is correct, Auntie Meiyun doesn''t have to be so polite. We considered you as our own mother. Here, warm yourself up since today is quite windy and the stone that you are sitting on must be cold." Rong Ai added as she gave the two ladies with two cups of warm tea that she just poured. Zhang Wei had noticed this since he accompanied the two women but after looking here and there, he couldn''t find any extra blanket that he could use for extra bedding. While the two little twins eagerly spoke to Meiyun and Hong er, Weisheng glanced at Meiyun meaningfully. The quick-witted Meiyun immediately understand Weisheng''s meaning, she excused herself from the mother and twins and walked out of the cave as she followed Weisheng''s behind. Chapter 282 - 280. I Will Win Her Heart Back I Third-person POV Weisheng stood dignifiedly as he stared the slowly darkened sky, Meiyun and Di Shang soundlessly waited for Weisheng to open his tight-lipped mouth. The rustling sound of the leaves enhanced the loneliness that exuded from Weisheng''s broad shoulder. The Di husband and wife pair knew well that currently, Weisheng was still processing the current situation. Weisheng didn''t know how to express himself therefore his silence was enough to show the turmoil in his heart. Weisheng was overjoyed the moment his eyes caught the sight of Hong er but his excitement only ended up hurting Hong er. Just as he had thoroughly planned to bring Hong er back with him so that she could recuperate in a more familiar place and the place where he could watch over her, the Royal Palace, his plan instantly shattered into pieces when Hong er showed her unwillingness to follow him. Of course, Weisheng would never do anything that against Hong er''s will and now, he was in contemplation of what he supposed to do to convince Hong er that he only wanted her to stay by her side so that he could protect her, the thing that he failed to do 13 years ago. Even after thinking it over and over again, nothing came up to his mind. Thus, he decided to divert his attention to the couple that stood behind him. "How is the Empress doing?" Weisheng asked in a low voice. "Her Majesty Empress is still the same as she was 13 years ago, the only thing that different is that she has amnesia. No¡­" Meiyun''s words froze in the middle sentence as her brows furrowed in contemplation. Weisheng and Di Shang turned their eyes to Meiyun in confusion. "¡­it is more likely a memory manipulation," Meiyun said firmly as if she was sure about it. "Memory manipulation? Why do you say so?" Di Shang asked. Weisheng''s brows knitted into a frown as if he was questioning Meiyun with his eyes. Both Weisheng and Di Shang trusted what Meiyun stated, but they never encountered this kind of magic or spell before which could manipulate one''s memory. "En, when I asked Her Majesty Empress about her past, she told me that she was an orphan and raised in an ordinary orphanage. She met her husband who was a farmer and got married 2 years after they got together. She was pregnant with their only child not long after their marriage but unfortunately, her husband died on the battlefield as he was listed as a frontline soldier. Due to the shock from the news about her husband''s death, she suffered a miscarriage." Meiyun explained with her firm voice. Weisheng and Di Shang looked at each other in bewilderment. They had never anything like this before. The story that Meiyun told them was like a whole different person. "Does Her Majesty Empress know how she got here?" Di Shang asked. "Her Majesty Empress had no clue why and how she suddenly arrived at this place. She said that her vision darkened without a reason and the moment she woke up, most of her senses were gone together with the child in her w.o.m.b." Meiyun said with a solemn expression. Although this wasn''t the real thing that happened to Hong er, the memory that had been manipulated still would leave a deep scar in Hong er''s heart thus Meiyun felt pity when she heard Hong er''s forlorn voice. "Gladly, after a physician examined Her Majesty Empress''s body, nothing is out of normal. Even her psychology is stable, this is truly a piece of good news amidst her the whole ordeal that she went through." Meiyun said in relief. Di Shang nodded his head in agreement while Weisheng''s lips were pressed into a straight line. The three of them were pondering how to bring Hong er back to the Royal Palace with her consent. Thus Di Shang turned his eyes to Meiyun who understood Hong er than he does. "What do you think we should do to convince Her Majesty Empress to go back to the Royal Palace?" Di Shang asked Meiyun. But before Meiyun could answer Di Shang''s question, a deep voice interjected her. "I will convince her." Weisheng who had been silent for the past few minutes finally opened his lips. The husband and wife couple were wide-eyed but not surprised by Weisheng''s determination. "What is Your Majesty Emperor''s plan?" Meiyun asked Weisheng politely. Weisheng''s eyes looked fixedly at the cave not far from them. "Win her heart back." Weisheng walked away after he said these 4 words. Meiyun and Di Shang were left dumbfounded by Weisheng''s shamelessness, nonetheless, this was truly the best way to get Hong er to follow them back to the Royal Palace. "I guess we don''t'' have any choice." Meiyun shrugged her shoulder and walked with her hand on Di Shang''s arm. Meanwhile, inside the cave, the twins were too immersed in communicating with Hong er that they didn''t notice that Weisheng had been standing behind them for a few minutes. "Oh, Imperial Father!" Zhang Wei exclaimed with a wide smile on his thin lips. "En." Weisheng patted Zhang Wei''s head. Just as his other hand was going to caress Hong er''s head, Weisheng''s hand froze in the air and pulled his hand away. Then he placed his warm palm on Hong er''s slender hand. Hong er''s wide smile immediately fade away as she yanked her and off Weisheng''s grasp. But Weisheng didn''t mind Hong er''s frantic behavior, he gently took Hong er''s hand once again and quickly wrote on her palm. "Nice to meet you." Hong er''s hand that twitched at the warm sensation that brushed along Weisheng''s fingertips. Without knowing it herself, her ears warmed up as the corner of her lips subconsciously arched into a gentle smile. With her head slightly facing upwards, as if she was staring at Weisheng, she pondered what this warm and fuzzy feeling that bloomed in her heart. It was as if she had been waiting for his appearance for her whole life. Weisheng and the twins were stunned at how Hong er was dazedly staring at Weisheng with the soft smile on her plump lips. If they didn''t know that Hong er had lost her memory, they would think that Hong er still had her memory and lovingly communicating with Weisheng only by gazes, just like a husband and wife pair. After a few seconds of silence, Hong er nodded her head to Weisheng''s greetings. "Mn." Chapter 283 - 281. I Will Win Her Heart Back II Third-person POV After the heartwarming session between Weisheng and Hong er, together they went to take a stroll in the forest. With Weisheng''s left arm circled around Hong er''s slim waist to make sure she doesn''t fall off the horse while his other hand gripping on the rein, Hong er''s heart has been restless since they took off. At first Hong er rejected Weisheng''s offer to ride on the same horse as it was inappropriate for a married man and widowed woman to be in such a close to none distance between them. But when she asked to sit with the other, no one was willing to ride with her, even the twins. Therefore it left her no choice but to accept Weisheng''s outstretched hand. The moment Weisheng nonchalantly wrapped his arm around her waist as if it was something they always do, Hong er''s whole face flushed, and this beautiful sight had successfully captured by Weisheng. A wide smile appeared on Weisheng''s lips, he leaned his lips closer to Hong er''s jet black hair and breathed in her calming scent. He couldn''t help himself but plant a tiny gentle kiss on top of her head, just a bit so she wouldn''t notice. After he accomplished his little mission, he chuckled in pure bliss that he didn''t notice a small drop of tears fell from the corner of his eyes. ''I finally got touch you again. I am truly the happiest man in this world.'' Weisheng said to himself while affectionately staring at Hong er''s flushed neck. If the ministers or the soldiers who suffered under Weisheng''s strict command were to see the pink aura that was exuded by Weisheng, they would run to find an Imperial doctor to check their eyes whether it was their cold-blooded emperor that they were looking at. Even Di Shang and Meiyun who already knew this side of Weisheng that would turn soft and childish around Hong er, scrunched their nose at the dog food that was thrown at them. "Look at that, Your Highness Prince Zhang and Your Highness Princess Rong never believed this servant''s words. When this servant said that the His Majesty Emperor acted spoiled around Her Majesty Empress, you two would always brush off this servant''s words like this servant was lying to you. Now you see it with your own eyes." Meiyun said helplessly when she saw their dumbfounded look on the twin''s face. Not long after they strolled around, they heard a faint rustling sound that was heading towards them at rapid speed. All of the imperial guards immediately went into their defensive stance by forming a ring form around the Royal Family and summoned their weapon to protect them from the possible incoming danger even if it will cost their life. But the captain of the squad raised his hand into the air as a signal to put down their weapon.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #.-i-will-win-her-heart-back-ii_51717534709250367 for visiting. The imperial guards complied with the order when they saw that Weisheng and the Di couple didn''t even bat an eye by the new presences. *ssk ssk ssk The sound got closer and louder every second while on the other side Hong er was in confusion on why they suddenly stopped. Just as she was about to ask Weisheng, a bone-chilling wind blew on her face and made her forgot what she was going to ask. She didn''t know how to explain this but she felt Weisheng and the other were very silent even though all these years only silence surrounds her. "Mother¡­" the voice tremblingly called out to the oblivious Hong er. The voice that was once childish and soft has become deeper and firm. The once skinny and weak body has grown stronger and healthy. In front of them stood alone her beloved first son who loves her more than anything in this world. His lips trembled upon seeing his long-lost adoptive mother sitting on top of the horse without losing any of her majestic air. Xue Lang fell onto the ground as his legs lost their power after traveling across the country in just a few hours. Seeing the first Prince on the ground, without a second wasted, everyone on the site other than Weisheng and Hong er kneeled to Xue Lang. He sat on the ground with his head lowered and crushing the dry leaves in front of him with his grip. "You arrived faster than I thought," A soft smile bloomed on Weisheng''s lips. With tears pouring down Xue Lang''s flushed cheeks, he lifted his head and laughed heartily. "Yes! Father, Mother! Xue Lang is here!" "Mn, very well." Weisheng nodded his head and glanced at the still confused Hong er. He carefully took her hand as to not startle her and gestured Xue Lang to come. Under his father''s gesture, Xue Lang tried to get up but his knees failed him to do so. Zhang Wei who peeked at Xue Lang immediately stood with an intention to help his oldest brother. But before he reached to Xue Lang, he saw Xue Lang grit his teeth in frustration and punched his own thigh to gather up the strength to rise. The punching sound was so loud that they could feel the pain in their thighs. After a few seconds of trying, Xue Lang finally could stand on his feet and walk towards the couple. Along the way, he muttered "mother¡­mother" and ignored Zhang Wei''s outstretched hand. Hong er looked up to Weisheng and knitted her brows as in demanding him to give her an explanation and he did. Using the only way to communicate with Hong er, Weisheng wrote on her palm ''I want to introduce you to someone who is very important to me¡­'' Weisheng''s finger halted and whispered "¡­and to you" Unable to hear the last two words from Weisheng, an "o" shape formed on her lips and she turned to the front with an excited smile. The people around Weisheng have been very kind and friendly to her, therefore it explains Hong er''s eagerness to meet new people especially Weisheng''s closest people. Xue Lang stopped beside Hong er and placed his head on Hong er''s knees like how he always liked to do when he was a kid. Hong er''s body flinched as she expected the person would take her hand, not leaning on her knees. She looked back and forth, from Xue Lang to Weisheng. Weisheng only chuckled and lightly tugged her hand to touch Xue Lang''s hair. Although she was reluctant, she decided to trust Weisheng and brushed her hand over Xue Lang''s hair. And at that very moment, the tears unknowingly formed and wet her eye bandage.