The Princess And The Lord

Lory stretched her neck and looked at the door when Zhao Li Xin entered the room. She sat by the small table and was drinking blossom tea while eating from her bento.

"Welcome back. Have you eaten yet?" Lory patted the chair next to her.

Zhao Li Xin's dark expression disappeared when he saw Lory's welcoming smile. He pulled the chair closer to Lory, "What are you eating?"

"I got sweet and sour beef, spicy eggplant…and I don't know what the other food is called but it tastes good," Lory said as she pointed at the food with her chopsticks. She lifted her head and smiled widely at him, "I got another menu too. Would you like something different?"

Zhao Li Xin stroked the top of her head lovingly, "I'll have the same food as you." 

"Okay," Lory took out another bento box from her spatial ring, opened it for Zhao Li Xin, and offered him clean chopstick. There were in a small humble courtyard yet he had Lory waiting to welcome him when he got home and also prepared dinner. The actions were ordinary but his heart was engulfed with warmth. A simple life was not too bad at all.

"Where's Girsha?" Zhao Li Xin asked.

"Flying outside. He flew away the moment he felt your arrival. What a bird? You know he always…" Lory snorted and randomly complained about Girsha while she ate. Zhao Li Xin chuckled as he listened to Lory's complaints.

The night was cold but the small courtyard felt warm as their dinner was filled with happiness. Zhao Li Xin would laugh at Lory as she complained and Lory would at times laugh with him. Fortunately, no one could hear the laughter inside the small room or the rumors Lory had spread about being a disfavoured wife would have easily crumbled.

Zhao Li Xin shared his story with Lory while Lory cleaned up the table after their meal. He told her about the events of the practice field and his meeting with one of his spies. He revealed what his spy had found out about the Sacred Mountain Peak noble families.

"So… Do they plan to fight over you? There's nothing new about that," Lory smiled as she kept the utensils back to her ring with one swop. "What about the Mo family? You seem suspicious about their young master's death?"

"I suspect something but I can't say it without proof."

"What kinda proof do you need?" Lory asked.

"Who he was close to at the time and how he died? I need someone who was there when young Master Mo died," Zhao Li Xin poured Lory a warm cup of tea. Dying during a breakthrough was common but the Mo family should have the knowledge and resources to prevent such a thing from happening. This was the reason he found the accident very suspicious.

Lory propped her chin with her palm as she muttered, "You need to find the servant who used to served young master Mo."

"I'll have my people search for him," Zhao Li Xin nodded and patted Lory's head. "About tomorrow… we will be granted better living quarters. The new courtyard should be more comfortable."

"Look at you… A few days in and you already got a promotion. My husband is awesome," Lory lightly pecked his cheek.

Zhao Li Xin's heart burst with sweetness at her words. He pulled Lory on this lap and kissed her fervently. Her heart beat rapidly as he gently held her head. His other hand was wrapped around her waist to prevent her from falling. Lory's body softened as she leaned into his warm embrace. She grabbed his collar as passion took over but Zhao Li Xin suddenly stopped.

His eyes darkened when he noticed someone had dared to ruin their sweet moment when he was a few steps away from devouring his princess. Lory blinked her hazy purple eyes, "What's wrong?" 

Zhao Li Xin gritted his teeth in anger, "Someone is coming." 

"Oh!" Lory jumped off Zhao Li Xin's lap and quickly pulled Zhao Li Xin's wrist to prolong the shapeshifter spell. She then also activated her disguise.

"Stay here!" Zhao Li Xin said as he left the room.

Lory expression becomes serious as she telepathically called [Girsha, watch over him!]

[Already done!] Girsha's green eyes turned purple as Lory's irises did the same. The connection between them was activated.

Using Girsha's eyes, Lory saw a man in dark brown robes invite Zhao Li Xin to follow him. Lory was curious to find out who wanted to meet Zhao Li Xin in the middle of the night as the two men left the courtyard.

Zhao Li Xin noticed Girsha following him secretly and concluded Lory sent the bird to watch over him. The corner of his mouth curved slightly. It seemed his Princess worried about him. The man led Zhao Li Xin to a secluded temple situated behind the main building and far from the hustle and bustle of Cloud city.

Zhao Li Xin could hear the sound of the Buddhist monk chanting sutra. The chants got louder as they got closer to the temple. Zhao Li Xin was stunned as they walked past the Buddhist monks. They were all blind. Some even had missing limbs. It soon dawned to him the place was not a temple but a jail for the people they couldn't kill. Judging from some of their looks, some looked quite nice and perhaps used to be young masters from affluent families. It was possible they were discarded for their mistakes or they lost their value to their familiar.

Zhao Li Xin glanced at them for a second before walking away. He was not concerned about them nor did he pity. Everyone knew there was a high price to pay if you were born in a noble family. The man with the brown robes led him to the third floor of the temple and stopped.

"Stay here. I will inform my master first," The brown-robed man knocked on the door and entered the room.

Zhao Li Xin could tell the person inside the room had strong cultivation compared to normal cultivators. He placed his shoulder on the wall and waited for the man to return ad Girsha smoothly landed on the window opposite him. He noticed the eyes of the bird had changed from green to purple like his Princess' eyes. He quickly understood, his Princess was watching him through the bird's eyes. Zhao Li Xin smiled and Girsha tilted his head in acknowledgment.

Girsha abruptly flew away as the door suddenly opened. The man in brown robes exited the room and looked at Zhao Li Xin in an unfriendly manner, "You may come in!"

Zhao Li Xin sneered as he straightened his back and entered the room. The room smelled of incense and had dim lights. A petite woman sat lazily on a couch in the room. Her face was small and her skin was as smooth as jade. The woman had clear eyes making her look like an innocent beauty. Zhao Li Xin knew better than to believe what he saw.

Zhao Li Xin maintained his distance from the woman, he didn't stand too close or too far from her. The woman watched him as she popped grapes through her lips. They looked red and moist like a cherry. Zhao Li Xin remained expressionless as the only urge he had was to kick the woman off the couch.

"You are Lu Xin?" She asked with a sultry voice.

"Yes," Zhao Li Xin answered briefly.

The woman was surprised the man remained calm and collected in her presence. It was a first for her. It was either the man was a cut sleeve or she was not his type. She rather believed the former than the latter as she heard the man didn't treat his wife kindly.

"My name is Mo Ning Yuan and I have heard a lot of things about you, Master Lu," She gave him an enchanting smile.