The Princess And The Lord

Jin Hao took out a rope, swung it, and secured it to the ceiling. He leaped out in two moves as he used his Gin Qong. The Mong brothers did the same with their ropes while Bei Li Yan wrapped his whip around Jin Hao rope to pull himself out.

Zhao Li Xin picked Lory like she was a five-year-old and leaped out. He didn't need any rope as he shifted his power to his leg and leaped out in one jump. Lory who was carried safely in his hands managed to safely leave the tomb in a second.

General Fu carrying the Third Princess, the soldiers, and the fanboys also used ropes to get out of the tombs. However, they struggled a little as they lacked the skills that Zhao Li Xin and his subordinates possed. Luckily, they managed to get out before the tomb collapsed. The tomb turned into a huge crater but was quickly filled with black soil. The soldiers could not help but be thankful for Miss Luo Ri Yi's insight. No one could have made it out alive if they chose to leave the tomb using the original route.

General Fu watched the filling crater with some conflict. His mission was to find the sacred tree and protect the Princess but the Princess was injured and the tree was gone. He did not know how he could explain everything to the Emperor. He couldn't blame Zhao Li Xin for his failure and there was no way he could fight Zhao Li Xin after witnessing his power. No one in his country was able to fight and win against Zhao Li Xin as it also meant going against the Hei Shen Sect power. Zhao Li Xin also did not seem the type to back out if the Liangzu Kingdom chose to fight.

"Did you know the Liangzu Kingdom's previous Emperor?" Lory suddenly asked General Fu.

General Fu was still in a daze but he answered politely, "I did. I was fortunate to have fought by his majesty's side."

"Do you know how he died?" Lory asked another question.

General Fu frowned but answered, "The Emperor was heavily ill and no one could cure him at the time. Why is Miss Luo inquiring about this?"

Lory pursed her lips, "Do you believe this?"

General Fu heard rumors of a conspiracy. It said the current Emperor took down the previous Emperor as the previous Emperor's descendants, especially the male, either died mysteriously or had accidents. However, the rumors died when the current Emperor took the previous Emperor's remaining Princess and raised her as his own child.

The First Princess's real identity was only known by a few first rank officials including General Fu who was the previous Emperor's confidant and close friend. General Fu had tried to investigate the rumors in the past but his suspicion eased when he saw how the current Emperor pampered the First Princess. He stopped investigating the matter after a while.

"Miss Luo… What…?" The suspicion rose inside General Fu's heart once again. He wondered how Luo Ri Yi, an outsider, seemed to know something he didn't.

"Brother Mong Ki, could you please knock out the young masters?" Lory whispered. Mong Ki nodded and the three nobles, who were also Ming Ru Yi's fanboys were knocked to the ground in less than a minute. There was no time for the others to react as they did not see Mong Ki move. It was enough for the soldiers to realize their powers could not be compared to Mong Ki's power.

"Could I see the map the Third Princess was carrying?" Lory ignored General Fu's shocked look as she requested. "I'll explain everything later. I promise!"

Lory's unwavering gaze swayed General Fu's heart. He removed the map from Ming Ru Yi's sleeve and handed it to Lory.

"Li Xin, could you please open the map and stand next to me?" Lory asked as she accepted Ming Ru Yi's map.

Zhao Li Xin smiled faintly as he did what she asked. Lory compared the maps and Zhao Li Xin frowned as he understood why Lory wanted to compare the maps. She signals to General Fu and showed him the two maps.

"You see, General? The map in your possession isn't as detailed as the map in Zhao Li Xin's hands. Your map didn't indicate the shortcuts and traps inside the sacred tomb," Lory easily said.

"It is possible the Huang siblings had a better map than the Third Princess," General Fu tried to be impartial.

"No! Both maps came from the same source. Look at the corner of each map. They have the same stamp," Lory pointed out.

General Fu was shocked as he saw the royal stamp. Both maps were issued by the same person yet they were different. It seemed there was more to it but he could not tell what it was all about. General Fu's thoughts swirled with bafflement, "Why would anyone want to hurt the Third Princess?"

"She was not the target. You are!" Lory answered calmly. General Fu and the others were stunned by her words. It was hard to believe Lory as It did not make sense to them.

"No, that can't be true! Why would anyone want to kill General Fu? He is a great hero who protected the previous Emperor. He is respected by the citizens and officials. The General has no flaw. Why would anyone in the Kingdom want to hurt him?" One of the soldiers protested.

"Yes, no one in our Kingdom would hurt General Fu. You are an outsider! How can we believe you!" Another soldier shouted angrily.

"She must be a spy!" A third soldier vented out his dissatisfaction.

"And you want to DIE?" Zhao Li Xin said casually while Mong Ki and Mong Yi glared at the soldiers. The Mong brothers were also furious like Zhao Li Xin. They had known Lory for quite some time and were fond of her.

The soldiers forgot about the Demon Lord who could easily burn them to ashes with just a flick of his finger. His dark cold eyes bore right through their bones. He had no qualms killing them as he didn't even bat his eyes when he hurt Ming Ru Yi. Killing insects like them would be nothing.

The soldiers immediately shut their mouths and did not even dare look at Zhao Li Xin. The other soldiers who were not involved glared at the soldiers who talked carelessly. Why would they implicate the rest if they wanted to die? They were stupid enough to provoke the Demon Lord's woman in front of him

"SHUT UP! Who told you to meddle in when your superior is talking?" General Fu berated his soldiers. The royal palace's politics was messy and complicated. It was hard for his illiterate soldiers to understand.

"They want to kill you because of the reasons your soldiers listed," Lory said calmly. She ignored the soldiers as she felt sympathy for General Fu. He was straightforward, honest, and a loyal General. It would be a great loss for the Liangzu Kingdom to lose someone like him.

"Your loyalty is also not with the current Emperor as your heart belongs to the previous Emperor and now to the First Princess. Am I right, General?"

"You know…? How…?" General Fu's eyes widened. It was mind-blowing to him that an outsider knew this information.

"Ri Yi, what's wrong with the First Princess?" Zhao Li Xin was curious.

Lory took a deep breath and answered, "The First Princess is the daughter of the previous Emperor. The current Emperor took up her custody when she was only one month old. She is the last surviving descendant of the previous Emperor."

General Fu's face became pale as he realized an outsider truly knew the correct details. He wondered if she was really a spy.

Lory continued without a break, "Why would the current Emperor take his brother's daughter as his own, you may ask? It's certainly not for love. He did it because she is the only one who can inherit the sacred tree's inheritance."

"What do you mean?" General Fu was confused.

"The current Emperor is not a descendant of the Emperors of Liangzu…" Lory dropped the bomb.

A pin-drop silence followed. Bei Li Yan was flabbergasted by the news as he had not heard anything and it was his job to knows everything in Liangzu's royal palace. Lory's news was BIG! It made Bei Li Yan question his ability as the Vermillion King Palace.

"The current Emperor was born to the previous Royal Consort Ping and Prime Minister Guan Zong Ge," Lory dropped another bomb and left everyone speechless.

"How could you know all this?" General Fu asked what was on everyone's mind. His leg was numb and he could barely stand. One of his close subordinates had to support him.

"The First Princess revealed this to me," Lory answered. 

Zhao Li Xin frowned. When did Lory get to know the Princess? He stalked... ehm, watched Lory closely and she never went anywhere without him knowing. His manor was also highly protected, unlike the Lao manor. No one could get in and out without alerting his shadow guards.

"You are the First Princess' friend?" General Fu was surprised as the First Princess never left her courtyard to make friends. It was especially mind-boggling to him that the Princess had made friends with Long Ming's woman.

"This all started when the Emperor wanted to marry the First Princess to Huang Zi Feng. The Emperor knew he could never acquire the sacred tree's inheritance because he was not the right heir. So, he decided to keep the Princess, the last descendant of previous Kings, for this purpose alone. The Emperor also needed the Heavenly Jade Pavilion's support because of their secret art called the flower…dance… I think," Lory squinted as she tried to remember the name.

"The dance of wildflower," Zhao Li Xin provided the name with disdain.

"Milord, isn't that transferring one's cultivation to another through coitus? This is a taboo because of the gruesome outcome," Bei Li Yan also hated this type of cultivation. It was shameless, degrading, and inhuman practice. Bei Li Yan had once seen the corpses of a man and woman, victims of the horrendous practice. The one who received the cultivation sucked their victims dry and the victim's corpses were left mummified. He was surprised the Heavenly Jade Pavilion allowed such an evil practice.