The Princess And The Lord

Lory and Girsha watched over Mo Ning Yuan relentlessly as the days passed by. Lory was determined to know everything about Mo Ning Yuan. She also contacted Mon Gui and asked him to send her all the information he had on Mo Ning Yuan. She told him of Mo Ning Yuan's intimate relationship with the Xie family elder.

Lory was not the only one shocked to learn about Mo Ning Yuan's loose behavior. Mong Gui, a conservative man, was disgusted by it. This information, however, made Mong Gui dig deeper into the whole Mo family's past. He managed to dig out a lot of valuable information with the help of Yu Rui.

One of the things they discovered was the close relationship between Xie Hua Ling and Mo Xin Gi. The two had a close relationship like that of brothers. The rumors around the Mo manor claimed Mo Ning Yuan adored Xie Hua Ling but he already had a sweetheart who was Chen Yi Suan at the time. Everyone thought it was only a one-sided kind of love but Yu Rui had more shocking news from the Mo manor former maid. The poor maid, unfortunately, was moved to a brothel since the Mo family sold her there.

Yu Rui promised to save her from the brothel and send her to a safe place in exchange for information. Although the poor little girl didn't completely believe Yu Rui, she thought it was better to have false hope than no hope at all. This was the reason she conveyed everything she knew to Yu Rui. 

Yu Rui soon found out the poor little girl was sold because she caught Mo Ning Yuan having intercourse with Xie Hua Ling. The young master had a secret rendezvous with Mo Ning Yuan when the poor girl heard weird sounds coming from her young Miss' room. The poor maid innocently barged into the room as she thought Mo Ning Yuan was in trouble. However, the poor woman sealed her fate for being too caring towards Mo Ning Yuan.

Mo Ning Yuan accused the maid of stealing her jewelry as she was scared the maid would reveal her secret about Xie Hua Ling. The poor maid was sold to the brothel as punishment for her mistake. This was also a way to shut the poor girl's mouth as no one would believe a courtesan's words.

Lory listened to Yu Rui's information with a deep frown. The three of them were meeting in the basement. Lory was curious, "Was Mo Ning Yuan always like this? I mean… Did she always have the tendency of being a vixen or a 'white lotus' type of girl?"

"No. The truth is Mo Ning Yuan was a lovely girl before the Mo family's fall. She used to be a little ignorant and innocent. Some even say she was quite timid as she used to hide behind her brother whenever she faced strangers," Yu Rui shook her head. Yu Rui had served the Mo family for a while and had even witnessed Mo Ning Yuan's drastic change. The difference in the woman was like night and day.

"Is there anything particular that happened before Mo Xi Gi died? Think carefully… It might be something you think is insignificant… I don't mind if it is a small thing. Remember carefully’’ It could be something you thought was out of the ordinary…" Lory slightly pushed Yu Rui to recall the past.

Yu Rui suddenly clapped her hands and smiled sheepishly, "Oh, I remember something… but it might not be related to anything."

Lory smiled and lured her with a gentle voice, "It's fine, you can tell me…"

Yu Rui flushed a little. The young madam was easy to talk to and was kinder than the rumor said. She was also a smart and meticulous person. They were able to reveal more secrets than they ever did in the past because of her guidance. She wondered if her young madam would let her serve her once she was done with the Sacred Mountain Peak. Her thoughts quickly stalled. Doing that also meant meeting the Demon Lord on a daily basis. Yu Rui's eyebrows twitched as Zhao Li Xin's intimidating face popped up in her head. The image was enough for her to discard the plan.

"Yu Rui?" Lory called her when she noticed Yu Rui had gone blank.

"Apologies, young madam!" Yu Rui snapped out of her stupor and her face became red. She felt Lory had caught her thoughts. 

"It's fine… So, what do you remember?" Lory chuckled softly.

"Mo Ning Yuan suddenly became interested in cooking. She always made soup for Mo Xin Gi. She would cook everything on her own as she said she wanted to show her sincerity to her brother as payment for the troubles he had gone through." 

"Troubles?" Lory asked.

"Mo Xin Gi dotted on his sister like a pearl. He always protected her like she was a treasure. Xie Hua Ling was the only person her brother allowed her to meet a few times. Everyone else was forbidden from meeting his sister. It was thought he only allowed Xie Hua Ling because Mo Ning Yuan was fond of him. Other men were not allowed to get close to her, no matter who they were," Yu Rui said.

"Isn't such behavior an exaggeration? Li Xin is also quite possessive but he never stops me from interacting with the male servants. I'm even quite close to Mong Yi," Lory muttered in shock. There was something wrong with Mo Xin Gi's behavior. Lucas was at times overprotective but he never interfered in her friendship with her male friends. She wondered if she thought it was weird for Mo Xin Gi to behave like he did because she was raised in a different culture.

"Is this normal?" Lory consecutively looked at Yu Rui and Mong Gui as she asked. 

Yu Rui and Mong Gui simultaneously shook their heads before Mong Gui answered with a weird expression, "No, madam. It is not normal. A brother can restrain his sister from meeting strange men outside, but he should not stop his sister from interacting with male servants. This is especially because there are a few things a woman can't do without the help of a male servant. Coachmen or bodyguards are mostly men."

"That's right," Yu Rui agreed. "This is why Mo Ning Yuan doesn't have any battle experience despite having good cultivation. This also makes her vulnerable when an enemy chooses to attack. She was confined more than a normal woman. She never attended any banquets and has no friends. Her dependency on Mo Xin Gi was very strong."

"And their parents let him do this?" Lory was perplexed. Why didn't anyone stop Mo Xin Gi? Everything about Mo Ning Yuan and her background only got weirder. It was mind-boggling. 

"The patriarch was busy managing his family and cultivating. He also didn't have much interest in his daughter. The madam was unable to go against her own son. This is why this happened…" Yu Rui shrugged.

Lory stored the new information and concentrated on another issue, "Oh yes, back to her new hobby… What was wrong with her cooking?" 

"Nothing was wrong. She started cooking for Mo Xin Gi and the man seemed to like it. He even refused to eat any soup other than the one made by Mo Ning Yuan." Yu Rui pursed her lips and thought of what she was about to say. She had been unsure about it before as she did not think it held any importance. She also did not tell Mong Gui because there was no concrete proof of her speculation. "But… Mo Xin Gi had a cultivation breakthrough a week later. Do you think it is a coincidence?"

"It can't be…" Mong Gui rubbed his chin as he contemplated with a somber expression. "I recalled Mo Xi Gi's cultivation suddenly increased by leaps and bounds before he suddenly died a few months later. Mo Ning Yuan then accused Xie Hua Ling of being the reason her brother died."

Lory pondered for a while before she lifted her head, "Li Xin said you had contacted Jin Hao. Is there any news from Jin Hao?"

"Yes, young madam. I didn't dare to read the message without the Lord's permission as the information is highly classified," Mong Gui responded.

"Can I see it?" Lory braced herself and asked.

"Of course, young madam owns the Xin Xen token. You have the same authority as the Lord," Mong Gui nodded. He reminded Lory about her position in the Hei Shen Sect.

"Ah yeah, I forgot about that…" Lory giggled innocently. She could only laugh at her own carelessness.

The two Hei Shen Sect members looked at her with an inexplicable expression. They wondered if their young madam was unaware of the Xin Xen token's power. She could control the Hei Shen Sect with the token.

"Give me the letter. I have a gut feeling the answer to our question lies within Jin Hao's reply," Lory held out her hand to Mong Gui. 

Mong Gui handed Lory an envelope stamped with dark wax in the form of the Hei Shen Sect's fire symbol. She carefully opened the envelope and read the content with a serious face. Her expression turned into a deep frowned. She heaved loudly as she folded the paper and put it back in the envelope.

"I think I know what happened…" Lory muttered. Her expression was an admixture of worry and pity.