The Princess And The Lord

Yang Xi Ying and Li Mo Zhen looked at each other with a mind-boggle expression, is half scare and half amazed, overall they both perplexed. Yang Xi Ying took out the necklace from her collar and the gemstone given by Lory flicker with dimmed light, it seems they were protected again by Lory.

"You okay?" Li Mo Zhen patted her shoulder worriedly.

"I'm fine, I'm just surprised…" Yang Xi Ying's faces color slowly back to normal again.

"We need to talk to Lory after this," said Li Mo Zhen.

"Yes, but….should we check the cave?" she is quite hesitant after what happened.

Li Mo Zhen darted his gaze to the mouth cave, he also reluctant but if he misses this chance Lao Min Na subordinated might get rid of all the evidence inside the cave. Zhao Li Xin and Lory were investigated Lao Min Na matter for a long time it would be a waste if he missed this chance to pay a bit of his debt towards them.

"Let's check first" Li Mo Zhen hold Yang Xi Ying hand while the walk to the cave then he stops right in front of the cave entrance, his nose picks up a smell of rotten meat, blood, and fishy mix into one make it harder for them to breathe, there also blood marks all over the cave where the flies hover above it making a buzzing sounds. This place is like a slaughtered house.

He takes out a piercing sword talisman from his sleeves, he lit up the talisman with his qi then throw the talisman inside, Li Mo Zhen and yang Xi Ying wait for a minute if there any beast or peoples inside the talisman would automatically be activated and attack anyone who has ill attention, however after a few minutes they don't hear anything.

The couple exchanged glances with nods then slowly enter the cave, Li Mo Zhen holds Yang Xi Ying in one hand while another hand is gripping the sword tightly, he keeps Yang Xi Ying close and walks behind him.

Normally Yang Xi Ying is not easy to get scared since she also a cultivator but the cave ambiance make her feel wary.

The awful smell, the old blood stained on the boulder on the ground and claw marks on the cave wall and the ground give shiver in her spine, she had no idea what Lao Min Na cooking inside the cave, she starts to wonder about Lao Min Na sanity. Suddenly Li Mo Zhen halted his step and Yang Xi Ying accidentally hit his back with her face.

"Brother Li, what's wrong?"

He didn't answer right away, Li Mo Zhen lowers his head, his high cultivation allowed him to see even in a dark place, however, the ting he saw make him gulped his saliva "Ssst…" he hushed Lao Min Na.

She shut her mouth instantly she could feel his body become tense and Yang Xi Ying becomes more alert. Li Mo Zhen takes a step backward only then Yang Xi Ying saw what make him startled, it was a skull, a human head skull to be precise, a part of it still covered with meat and skin with one of the eyeball hang loosely from its socket. 

Yang Xi Ying shriek fortunately she covers her mouth with her hand so she doesn't make a loud noise.

"What….what is this?" she feel a sudden urged to vomit.

Li Mo Zhen take out dozens of fire talismans he trow the talisman to the air and the fire lit up the talisman just like a firefly, the cave instantly illuminated with hundreds of dimmed light as the scened in front of them slowly revealed and the two of them gasped.

The cave was divided into a section exactly like a giant jail, the steel bars was a lock with a giant padlock, inside it they could hear heavy breathing and multiple stomped on the ground, what make them petrified is the pile of human and animal bones inside and outside the jails, the awful smelled hit their nose make them feel nauseous.

Yang Xi Ying covers her perfume with his handkerchief then puts it in front of her nose to block the disgusting smell.

Li Mo Zhen cover his nose with his sleeves then mutters to himself "We need to call Lory, as soon as possible" 

"We need to get out of here!" she pulls his arms hastily.

___________________________________________

At another place, Zhao Li Xin is playing Gu Qin in his small courtyard the sweet gentle melody floating in the sky just like a calm cloud drifting in the blue sky, the tender melody make anyone who heard it feel melancholy but no one would imagine that the one who make the sounds is a cold man who smears his hands with blood.

Another person who was intoxicating by the melody is Bai Xue, she also a talented music artist and many people praised her for her talent but she never thought that a man like Zhao Li Xin could play better than her, she thought he only uncultured and arrogant man but who could have thought….her opinion about Zhao Li Xin suddenly increase again.

On the other hand, Zhao Li Xin didn't care about what other people thought about him, he plays the music simply because he misses his dear princess, he hates he was stuck in this place the longer he stayed the more bad memory come back to haunt him.

The Sanguan Manor reminds him a lot of the imperial palace he used to live in, the beautiful scenery the coldness, and the scheming mixed with beautiful people showing their fake smiles and fake kindness.

He never realizes how disgusted he was with all the lies and doubt just like walking on thin ice. He missed Lory, only with her he could breathe easily, only around her he could be free and feel like a human.

It might come strange because Lory used to say that his life will be in danger when he close to her but how could he leave her, would a fish leave the water?

His mind was drifting until he awakened by a light footstep, he put his palm on the string, and the music stopped abruptly. He shut his eyes to swallow his annoyance, he opens his eyes in motion then look straight ahead of him. Bai Xue stops her movement her expression becomes stiffed is obvious that Zhao Li Xin didn't welcome her presence, a surge of dissatisfaction and pain came over her like a tide.

"You here again?" he questions her coldly.

Bai Xue's face turns crimson, the mocker in his tones can't be clearer but why she doesn't hate it, instead her cheeks become hotter. She twiddles her hands nervously then she looking at him "Why you hate me?" 

Zhao Li Xin stares at her in silence, he took the winecup next to him then he takes a sip casually. His indifference make her feel anxious, she clenched her hand feeling wrong and indignant "If I remember, I haven't don't anything that worth your hatred, so why…?"

"Are you?" his dark eyes pierce her heart like a sharp blade, Bai Xue bites her lips for she knew she had been cooperated with Sanguan Jin Sheng to fool Zhao Li Xin.

"You knew…" her breath hicks.

Zhao Li Xin put down the wine cup on the table next to him "Isn't it obvious…you think I would believe a woman with your reputation and talent would spend her time to get close to a man with questionable background and ordinary talent like me without a motive" he sneers coldly.

"What if I say that I fell in love at a first sight!" she shouts persistently.

Zhao Li Xin smirked "Thank you but I know a woman like you will not be swayed with superficial feelings like love….and to be honest, you are not my type" he demeaning her mercilessly.

Bai Xue chest raised up and down erratically, she has never been humiliated this much before but ever since she met Zhao Li Xin it becomes an everyday occurrence, she wonders why her charms didn't work anymore, is she not as pretty as she thinks she is. 

She swallows down her frustration, she refused to give up, she is certain that one day she could melt this ice mountain "Why don't you tell me what is your type like, I will work hard…."

Zhao Li Xin stifles, he straightens his back while rubbing his chin "My type…my type would be, honest woman, a gentle one, brave, driven, hot-headed, a bit reckless" the corner of his lips lift slightly.

"She should be selfless, she only saw the best in other people, she didn't look at someone's mistakes, she helps someone without asked no return, she could sacrifice her life for a stranger because she knew is the right thing to do. She sees the world filled with goodness, hope, and love….could you do that, be that type…" he brought his hands together on the table, forming a steeple with his long fingers with wicked smiles plastered on his face.

Bai Xue subconsciously twisted her sleeves with her other hands, she didn't know if he is being truthful or mocked her. She can't believe a woman like that exists especially in the cultivation world when everything calculated based on benefits and advantages.

Zhao Li Xin took a pastry from the next table, he chomps the moon cake elegantly, watching him eat sweet make her frowned because he doesn't look like someone who eats sweet, perhaps sour but never sweet…

Bai Xue didn't know that when the Lord missed his wife and he doesn't kill anyone to vent his inexplicable feeling he would pay melancholy song and eat sweet just to ease his feeling.

"What can I do to make you trust my sincerity…" Bai Xue clenched her fist.

He wiped his hands with a clean handkerchief "Would you willing to be sincere miss Bai?" he smiles devilishly, his dark eyes is like a dept of abyss she could feel her soul suck into his deep eyes, it's a mistake she knows, every sense inside her scream to run, the man is not like what he seems and she has to get away from here but her feet refused to follow her order.

Her heart beating rapidly, the cold sweat drench her palms, she wants to walk away but her eyes trap inside his gaze, she can't differentiate if this fear or love but one thing is certain is her heart is beating for him.

"Yes..." she softly said.

"Good… Would you like some wine, miss Bai" he raised his winecup.