A man with dark robes bounced up the cliff wall somewhere deep in the mountains. His body was as light as a feather but his moves were swift and sharp like a cougar. He smoothly landed at the top of the cliff after taking one final leap. His long dark hair swayed with the wind and his cold dark eyes swept around him. He smirked when he saw two shadow tigers watching him from the boulder. Their black fur rose as they looked at him with blue menacing eyes. They growled and showed their long fangs to intimidate him.

Zhao Li Xin smiled. He felt no fears but excitement. It was a good thing they greeted him as he didn't need to spend so much time looking for the tigers. The tigers roared loudly to scare him but the word fear had ceased to exist in Zhao Li Xin's dictionary.

​​

A tiger leaped at him but he evaded its giant claws and kicked the tiger's stomach. The tiger flew back and hit a rock. The other tiger became furious when it saw this and thought to attack him from behind.

Zhao Li Xin turned and grabbed the tiger's neck. He spanned it around and hurled it at the boulder. The sound of cracking bones could be heard as the tiger flopped on the ground. The two tigers wanted to stand but their legs shook. Zhao Li Xin calmly walked toward the frightened beasts as they cowered like kittens at his intimidating aura.

"Take me to your leader. I have a proposition for him," Zhao Li Xin's words were cold and firm.

The tigers were Divined Level beasts. Although they were unable to talk with people who were not contracted to them, they could understand human language. The beasts hesitated as they had never seen a powerful man before. They would have believed it if they were told Zhao Li Xin was not human.

"You don't want to?" Zhao Li Xin asked casually. He propped his chin and muttered with a blank face, "Then I'll have to kill you both and find another tiger. I'll see if the other tigers will help me or should I just kill all the tigers on this mountain… The chief might be the one to look for me if I do that… Hmm… I think it's a better idea."

The beasts were petrified as the man seemed capable of doing that. The other tigers may not have a chance to survive him as he had defeated them in two seconds.

"What? Have you changed your mind?" Zhao Li Xin gave an eerie smile. It was enough to make any beast tremble with fear.

______________________

Lory was bored inside her medium-sized courtyard. She kept shifting around the bed, she ended up falling off her bed with a loud thump. There was no pain but Lory was too lazy to raise from the floor. Girsha gave her a side-eye as he wondered what his Princess was up too.

[What are you doing?] He mechanically asked.

[I'm bored…] Lory whined.

[This is not the first time the boy has left you…] Girsha rolled his round green eyes.

[I'm literally alone for the first time. He has left before but there was the brat I could mess around with or Mong Yi or even Bei Li Yan at times… The manor was filled with people so I never felt alone. It is different this time around. I feel… lonely!] She said the last word with disbelief.

Girsha chuckled [It is not a bad thing, is it? You considered his place your home]

Lory hummed [Uhm, I guess so…]

Girsha was startled as something else captured his attention [Lory, Mo Ning Yuan is moving!]

[Really?] Lory abruptly sat up [Where is she going? Is she alone?]

[Why don't you see for yourself?] Girsha's eyes glowed with purple light as Lory's eyes also brightened with a dim light.

Through Girsha's connected consciousness, Lory saw Mo Ning Yuan secretly leave her courtyard. She was alone and didn't even leave with her intimate subordinate. She placed a veiled hat on her head as she reached outside her house before she left in a hurry.

Those who said Mo Ning Yuan was weak were absolutely wrong as the woman moved fast. She leaped between branches and only left a trail of her shadow. Lory could tell Mo Ning Yuan was a highly skilled cultivator because she was surrounded by strong people in the Hei Shen Sect. It was obvious Mo Ning Yuan hid her true power. This made Lory wonder why she chose to hide it from others.

Mo Ning Yuan was unaware there was a little sparrow following her from afar. The little bird hid behind the leaves as it hopped through the trees. The little bird eyes' glowed with purple light as she watched everything Mo Ning Yuan did.

[Where is she going?] Lory muttered to herself.

Mo Ning Yuan not only left her family's living quarters, but she also left the Sacred Mountain Peak's territory. She only stopped when she reached some caves. She turned around and carefully swept her surroundings and only entered the rocky caves when she was sure there was no one else around. The little sparrow flapped its little wings and glided into the caves after her.

Mo Ning Yuan took off her veil hat once she was inside the cave. She took a deep breath before she slowly moved deeper into the cave. Mo Ning Yuan was a powerful cultivator but she never would have thought in a million years there was an ordinary little sparrow secretly following her. Mo Ning Yuan also didn't bother with the bird as it was normal to find a sparrow inside the cave.

Mo Ning Yuan stopped when she noticed an old man with dark green and white inner robes. He stood with a straight back with his hands clasped behind it. He had grey hair and his long grey beard reached his chest. Although the man was old, his body was still sturdy as he looked to be about forty. This was common among powerful cultivators. Those with higher levels aged slowly.

"Yuan Yuan," The man called her dearly. His beard slightly moved as he smiled.

"I'm sorry for coming late," Mo Ning Yuan smiled as she spoke gently. She didn't look like the vixen who seduced Zhao Li Xin. She portrayed a gentle and slightly frail woman before the man. Lory would have thought the Mo Ning Yuan before her was an imposter if she had not followed her from the courtyard.

[They look close…] Girsha commented.

[Are they… related?] Lory was curious as she wondered if Mo Ning Yuan hid more secrets.

Mo Ning Yuan smiled tenderly as she got closer to the mysterious old man, "Old Master Xie, everyone thinks you are heartless but you are the kindest man I have ever known."

Lory gasped and covered her mouth in shock. It seemed the old man was part of the Xie family. [Did you hear that?]

[This is so much better than a soap opera!] Girsha exclaimed with excitement.

"You think I'm kind?" The old man chuckled as he raised his eyebrows with a teasing smile.

Mo Ning Yuan smiled shyly and nodded. She seemed flustered as the old man stroked her head.

Lory tilted her head and rubbed her chin [Do you think Mo Ning Yuan is related to the Xie family? Could she be an illegitimate granddaughter of the Xie family?]

Girsha tilted his head to a perfect ninety degrees [Lory… I don't think they are family…]

[Huh…?]

"!!!!"

[Oh My God!!!! Oh My God!!! Oh My God!!! Drop the connection! Drop the connection!!!] Lory closed her eyes but it was no use as her conscience was still connected to Girsha.

[You do it yourself! I need to watch this!] Girsha hushes the noisy Lory.

[No – NO – NO!] Lory became more frantic as she watched the unwanted scene before her.

[Shake it, GRANDPA!!] Girsha giggled with excitement.

[Noooo! Oh, My Heart - My Eyes!]