The Princess And The Lord

Zhao Li Xin gave her another set of clothing. Lory's mouth slightly curved when she realized Zhao Li Xin had picked dark-colored clothes for her. It seemed Zhao Li Xin was more in synch with her as they did need to talk to think the same. The pain from the wounds had lessened and the bruises and scratched had mostly disappeared. Lory was much more comfortable. 

The Mong brothers, even the stoic Mong Ki, were the first to welcome her with big smiles when she got out of the tent. Bei Li Yan and Jin Hao also greeted her with warm smiles. It was odd for them to look so cheerful to see her but Lory couldn't help but feel touched.

Zhao Li Xin's subordinates were grateful to see their young madam as the last two days had been traumatizing for them. Their lord's roller-coaster emotions had been torturous and they had gotten close to death a few times. It was a miracle they were able to find their young madam alive and they were happy their lord's temperament was back to normal. They had never been so glad to see their lord's lazy and indifferent behavior.

"Is that the map?" Lory sat next to Zhao Li Xin.

"Hm… It is," Zhao Li Xin replied calmly

"Where did you get it?" Lory was curious since she knew he didn't have it before. There was no way they could have been easily separated by the trap if he had it in his possession. 

"One of the Huang siblings," Zhao Li Xin's answer was brief.

"Oh, yeah. What happened to the Huang siblings?" The damn siblings had tried to kill her for no clear reason.

"They won't bother us anymore," Zhao Li Xin's answer was calm and cold.

Lory understood what he meant and didn't comment. Fred used to tell her she was too soft on her enemies. She knew it was her biggest shortcoming. People who could kill an innocent because they were simply jealous were psychopaths. The fact the siblings were from influential families made it worse as they were not held accountable for their mistakes. Lory was certain it was not the siblings' first time to hurt someone and it definitely won't have been their last if nobody stopped them.

Fortunately, Lory had someone like Zhao Li Xin to protect her. Who knew what kind of misfortune the siblings could have directed on others? Lory did not blame Zhao Li Xin for killing them as it meant they won't hurt anyone else anymore.

"Okay," Lory grinned widely. She didn't wish to probe. The siblings got what they deserved and she didn't need to bother Zhao Li Xin to give her too many details.

"You are not asking for more information?" Zhao Li Xin wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Nope, I understand," Lory threw him an amicable smile.

"Don't forget to wear your cloak," Zhao Li Xin reminded her gently.

"Alright," Lory actually missed his constant nagging after two days of separation. 

The couple was wrapped in their own pink bubble and graced Zhao Li Xin's subordinates with dog food but the subordinates did not care. They found it ten thousand times better than the wrath of the hell king.

'The two look like they are on a honeymoon vacation once again but it so relaxing.' They all thought. 

Bei Li Yan and Jin Hao shared a jar of wine as they leisurely waited for their lord and madam to finish their preparation.

Lory sheathed the dagger under her left arm, "Should we go?"

"Yes," Zhao Li Xin lightly patted his dark robes and offered her his hand. They walked hand in hand and walked ahead of the others. 

Based on the map Zhao Li Xin had, the forbidden area was not too far away from them. It seemed Lory had accidentally stumbled over a shortcut when she fell off the cliff.

Girsha hid inside her once again in case they encountered the same situation like the one with the Huang siblings. The chance was close to zero but it was better for her to be safe than sorry.

The number of beasts they met had yet to decrease. Many beasts tried to assault them but the situation had now turned around for Lory. The others fought the beasts as Lory sat on flat stones and ate kumquat candy in a relaxed manner and Zhao Li Xin watched on.

Zhao Li Xin didn't let her fight as he worried about her wounds. Although most of her wounds had healed, the ankle sprain had yet to heal completely and there were still blisters on her back. Lory could easily forget about them as they did not hurt anymore.

One of the beasts they met that Lory was happy not to deal with was the giant centipedes. She did not fear them but she found them disgusting, almost as much as disgusting worms in the cave. 

Zhao Li Xin picked a pebble on the ground and flickered at the centipede's head with his thumb when they first saw them. The pebble pierced through its flesh like a gun. The creature fell on the ground and red liquid flowed from it. The other centipedes went crazy and attacked in a frenzy when they smelled the blood from their kin.

The beasts were no match for Jin Hao and the others as they destroyed the centipedes in a minute. Lory could only sigh with relief when she noted the huge difference between journeying alone and being with Zhao Li Xin. Her body was now so weak that she even found it quite embarrassing that she had to rely on others. 

"We should reach the forbidden place after we enter that tunnel, shouldn't we?" Lory placed the map on her lap and used a wet cloth to clean the candy from her hands. She was so relaxed.

"According to the map, yes…" Zhao Li Xin answered with indifference. His priority was to keep her safe and not get separated from her again.

The group continued their journey and arrived at an intersection. There were two routes in front of them. One road was filled with trap while the other road was filled with beast hordes. However, the map did not give them much information on the kind of traps or beasts they would encounter.

"Whoever created this tomb is so..." Lory's mouth pursed.

"Annoying?" Zhao Li Xin finished for her.

"Yeah…" Lory agreed.

It seemed the person who made the tomb created it with the notion of turning it into a testing ground as it did not stop others from entering it. They would not have made this far if the creator didn't want others to reach it.

"So, which road should we take?" Lory placed a hand on her waist.

Zhao Li Xin took off his outer robes and stored it in his ring. Bei Li Yan and Jin Hao also did the same. Mong Yi twisted his waist left and right as he is stretched, while Mong Ki pondered on the weapon to use.

"Trap it is," Zhao Li Xin answered calmly before he lifted Lory. She yelped in surprise as he carried her in his arms like a five-year-old child. He gave a brief explanation, "You can't keep up with us."

Although Lory was embarrassed, she knew he was right. Zhao Li Xin wanted to hasten their pace and she knew she couldn't keep up with them as they were to use their Gin Qong.

"Hold on tightly," Zhao Li Xin warned and Lory quickly wrapped her hands around Zhao Li Xin's neck. She was aware of his fast speed.

Zhao Li Xin leaped towards the tunnel and arrows suddenly flew from the wall. Lory gasped as she watched Zhao Li Xin dodge the arrows calmly. He even stopped some with his bare hands when he couldn't avoid them. 

Lory could only hear the buzzing sound around them followed by the sound of things breaking and crashing. She was used to being carried by Zhao Li Xin but his current speed was faster than she had ever experienced before. She was surprised by the power of the cultivators of this world. Other than Fargo and Lucas, she also didn't think there was anyone else who could move as fast in her own world. 

After the arrows were exhausted, a giant spiked roof fell from above. Jin Hao placed his sword on the ground and turned it into an emergency pillar to hold the spiked roof and allowed everyone to move through. The crumbling floor was the next hurdle follow by another spiked roof.

Zhao Li Xin easily carried her as he bounced between the solid floor and wall. Lory could only bury her face in his neck as she whimpered. It was scary to go through such experience when she had no control. It was worse than seating through a roller coaster ride as the current situation was meant to kill. There was a deafening boom and the ground blew up into smithers.

The sounds gradually subside after a while. Lory opened her eyes and looked around. The scene was chaotic. Nothing from the roof, ceiling, and floor had been left untouched. It looked like a bomb had exploded in the tunnel.

"Is it over?" Lory asked quietly.

"Not yet..." Zhao Li Xin calmly answered.

Something suddenly moved towards then at an incredible speed. Lory could see a black dot from a distance as it gradually enlarged into a giant ball rolling at a high speed.

"HOLY CRAP!"