"That is an exaggerated rumor," Zu Gong stubbornly denied.

"Perhaps," General Fu shrugged with indifference. "But the rumor also said the sixth Prince has no blood relations with the Jiang Wei royal family. They mistreated him for years. I don't know why Long Ming spared them but maybe he did it to pay whatever debt he thought he owed them. Long Ming might give you a hand if you seek to trouble the Jiang Wei Kingdom by yourself."

​​

"YOU!" Zu Gong pointed at General Fu and screamed furiously. "You, lowly General, you dare humiliate me! Do you not fear the Heavenly Jade Pavilion? I can easily kill you like a dog!"

"General Fu, mind your words!" The Emperor harshly reprimand.

"Yes, General Fu. The Heavenly Jade Pavilion are honored guests to our Kingdom. You shouldn't be rude to them," The old official who wanted to curry favor with the Emperor and Zu Gong, scolded General Fu. No one dared to refute General Fu in a normal situation because of his strong position in the Kingdom, but General Fu had lately lost the Emperor's favor. He believed the Emperor would take the tiger tally from General Fu soon or later and the General would be a tiger without teeth.

"Pardon me, Master Zu, General Fu is getting old and his head is muddled at times," Another official joined in the fray to undermine General Fu.

This slightly lifted Zu Gong's bad mood. The Emperor also relaxed when Zu Gong stopped being angry, but the disheartened Fu Xiao Jin watched the cowardly Emperor and the useless officials with regret. General Fu had not realized how the beloved Kingdom that he fought for with blood and sweat had fallen this far. He was ashamed of his negligence as it all happened under his own nose. The demise was all because of the fake Emperor.

"I may be old but I think all of you are muddled headed," General Fu sneered. "The Hei Shen Sect have eyes everywhere. We don't know anything about them and they are always one or five steps ahead of us. Didn't you all ever wonder? We are in plain sight while they are in the dark. Tell me, which one of us has more advantages over the other?"

The hall became silent. Those who were bootlicking forget they were against the Hei Shen Sect. General Fu was right. If the Hei Shen Sect spies reported their words to Long Ming, the cruel man, who could kill a beautiful woman without batting his eyes what would he do to old men like them? The officials looked at each other with fear as they turned as pale as sheets.

"Why are you all afraid? The Hei Shen Sect is only one sect and the Heavenly Jade Pavilion is also a powerful sect. We…we're not afraid!" Zu Gong bravely said but quickly scrutinized around him like he feared the Hei Shen Sect spies would hear him.

General Fu secretly rolled his eyes. Zu Gong would have been convincing if his hands weren't shaking.

___________________________________

The news about the missing First Princess spread and shocked the Liangzu's Kingdom's citizens. Everyone wondered how the unconscious Princess disappeared from the palace. They also wondered who wanted to hurt the First Princess as she rarely left the palace.

The people were also shocked by the number of people who died inside the forbidden forest. Many entered it yet only a few managed to get out. The Heavenly Jade Pavilion's young master and miss were among those who failed to survive.

The rumors spread in one day yet no one could confirm what was real or fake. The people speculated but they were all meaningless rumors without proof.

The Xin Jing manor remained peaceful like everything happening outside had nothing to do with them. Zhao Li Xin left everything to his people and continued cultivating in his ring. Lory didn't bother him but she thought Zhao Li Xin had become a little weird since they returned from the forest. However, she didn't question him as she thought his mood was related to either Lianzu or the Heavenly Jade Pavilion.

Lory decided to bother the brat who was staying in the guest's courtyard on an evening Zhao Li Xin was in his ring. Ming Yue Yin had woken from her deep slumber for three days. Lory met some maids carrying an empty tray outside the guest courtyard. The maids bowed politely at Lory who smiled back at her. Lory softly knocked on the door and heard some noise coming from the room.

"Come…in!"

Lory frowned but at the weird answer but slowly opened the door at the unladylike welcome. She found Ming Yue Yin stuffing her mouth with a dumpling. The Princess's mouth was cover with oil and her sleeves stained with sauce and vinegar but she still smiled innocently at Lory.

Lory sighed as she was getting used to the brat's weird behavior. Ming Yue Yin quickly munched the dumplings and swallowed everything in one gulp.

"Please note, I won't help you if you choke," Lory raised her eyebrows.

Ming Yue Yin swallowed a mouthful of tea before she could breathe freely. Her eyes were wide with excitement, "These dumplings are good!"

Lory looked at the three empty dumpling boxes and commented sarcastically, "I know."

Ming Yue Yin ignored Lory's rude reply yet their bickering was one of the things she appreciated the most. She knew they would be no one else to treat her genuinely like Lory once she returned to her palace and reclaimed her position. She would need to wear the Princess' mask and act gracefully. She never wanted to return to such a life but she had no choice.

"How are you feeling now?" Lory pulled the chair opposite Ming Yue Yin and sat.

"I'm fine, other than my sense of smell," Ming Yue Yin forced a smile and stuffed another dumpling in her mouth. Although Ming Yue Yin's body was not damaged, the residue of the drugs she consumed over the years was still inside her. Jin Hao told her she needed to detox the drugs from her system first if she wanted to increase her cultivation speed naturally.

Ming Yue Yin easily agreed as she was eager to grow strong quickly, but she soon regretted her choice when she learned she was to be boiled like an egg for ten hours in a tub full of strong smelled medicine. Unable to stand the smell, Lory wished her luck and left her alone without sympathy.

Abandoned by her 'aunt', Ming Yue Yin could only cry inside the smelly tub. Unfortunately, the smell only got stronger as time passed. No one dared to get close to her except Jin Hao's female assistant who was already numb to such smells.

Ming Yue Yin was forced to soak in another tub for another hour after the smelly bath as she needed a special elixir to get rid of the smell. The dignified Princess couldn't do anything but comply.

"At least you can cultivate normally now… What stage are you now?" Lory cheered her. She felt guilty for leaving her but she couldn't stand the smell.

"Master Level at peak stage," Ming Yue Ying said with indifference as she munched her dumplings.

Lory was stunned, "How can it be so fast?"

"I don't know. I think it's your gift," She shrugged.

"It's not my gift. It's Trinity's gift," Lory corrected.

"Is it different?" Ming Yue Yin was surprised.

"It is. I'm still not powerful enough to gift you anything," Lory raised her eyebrows.

Ming Yue Yin wiped her mouth with a clean towel with twinkling eyes. She grinned widely, "This 'Gift' is really magical."

Lory laughed, "I want to say the same thing about cultivation."

Girsha interrupted their conversation when he barged into the room from the window, perched on the table, and snatched a grape from the bowl. Ming Yue Yin was surprised while Lory flicked Girsha's head for his rudeness.

"This is Girsha, right? Your guardian?" Ming Yue Yin exclaimed with excitement. She saw Girsha when she dreamed of Lory's past. She also saw Girsha's real and magnificent appearance and his amazing power. The term 'guardian' was never used to describe a beast in this world because beasts were forced to become contractual beasts. Their position was below humans and their relationship was like a slave and his master.

Ming Yue Yin only learned the term from the dream. She also knew the relationship between Girsha and Lory was deeper than a slave-master relationship. Girsha was Lory's guardian, teacher, friend, and family. They weren't bound by a contract but a promise.

"Lord Girsha, this humble Princess earnestly greets you," Ming Yue Yin stood and courteously bowed at Girsha. She might not know Girsha's whole story but her short dream showed everyone in Lory's world treated Girsha with respect. This included the great King Marcus. She didn't feel wrong to bow before the powerful bird that could destroy a country with a hurricane and tornado.

[You always keep the weird ones around you, don't you?] Girsha teased Lory.

[I guess so…] Lory sighed. She used a chopstick to pick a dumpling from the box and stuffed it in her mouth.