Lao Min Na finally made it to the stage after a few more fights. Lory's eyes glistened with excitement as she watched Lao Min Na. She was to see how strong Lao Min Na was. She even stopped snacking so that she could focus on the stage. Her actions made a certain Lord gloomy and his hate for Lao Min Na intensified. Lao Min Na didn't know she had unconsciously angered 'the demon lord' once again.
Lao Min Na stood calmly on the stage and didn't pay attention to the audience cheering loudly. A young man soon climbed up the stairs and stared at her with a mocking smile. Everyone knew Lao Min Na only started cultivating a few years ago. They did not think highly of her and her accomplishments in the Black Forest were considered beginners luck.
"Do you think she could win?" Lory asked. Lao Min Na's physique was lean and delicate while her opponent was sturdy. But then Lory remembered you couldn't judge a cultivator by their looks. The Qi and its strength were what mattered.
"Why don't you give up now? It will be a pity if I accidentally hurt your pretty face," the young man mocked Lao Min Na openly.
"Not if I hurt your face first… I will do it as a favor for others" Lao Min Na raised her eyebrows in challenge.
The young man turned red with anger and shame as Lao Min Na had called him 'ugly'. People burst out with laughter as Lao Min Na's words were right. Her opponent wasn't considered handsome. The young man was more embarrassed by the laughter. After all, he was still a teenager undergoing puberty.
"Ehh… That hurts…" Lory felt bad for the young man. However, it was his own fault for daring to mock a girl.
"You…!" The young man pointed at Lao Min Na before he struck at her with a powerful fist. "Don't blame me for not being kind!"
Lao Min Na dodged to the side before she stomped on his feet stunning him. She elbowed his stomach pushing him a few steps back. He grimaced as he rubbed his chest. Lao Min Na sneered at him making him feel humiliated. He gathered his Qi in his palm and jumped forward.
Lao Min Na somersaulted causing the young man to miss her and hits the floor stage with a loud bang. People were horrified by the immense cracked that formed on the floor. Lao Min Na's body would have been damaged if she hadn't moved on time.
Lao Min Na's face remained placid. She didn't look scared at all. She attacked, releasing three strikes in a second. One was successful as she hit his stomach, tossing him backward.
Taking advantage of his situation, Lao Min Na launched a few more hits right on his ugly face. The young man painstakingly tried to cover his face from Lao Min Na's fists but the damage was already done.
"Wait… stop… stop… I… gi…" The young man barely finished his words as Lao Min Na kicked him off the stages. He hit the wall and left a mark it. His body slowly slid to the ground. His ugly face was now uglier. People hissed with pity as they saw his wound.
However, this did not stop them from cheering Lao Min Na's win. Lao Min Na glanced at Lao Fei Yan who was among the spectator watching. She could see anger, envy, and hate brimming in Lao Fei Yan's eyes. Lao Min Na sneered as their feelings were mutual. Meanwhile, Zhao Mu Fan watched her with complicated feels. The Lao Min Na he used to know was nowhere to be seen. The woman on the stage was a stranger to him.
Lory saw everything that happened. She took a deep breath, "Seems like she's got everything she wants…"
"Has she…?" Zhao Li Xin gazed at Lao Min Na with a blank look.
Lory tilted her head towards him. She didn't understand what he meant but didn't ask further. Zhao Li Xin led her out of the room as she had seen what she came to see. Zhao Li Xin held her hand as he took her to sightsee. He used to hate walking in overcrowd streets but seeing her bright smile made him forget this. Her excitement influenced him.
Lao Min Na reminded Zhao Li Xin a little himself. The Person he was before he met Lory. At the time, his heart was filled with anger, disappointment, sadness, and pain. Revenge was the only thing that kept him going. He wanted to punish his parents, brothers, and everyone who hurt him. He refused to die as he wanted to take them to the grave with him.
He needed power for him to be able to do it. A great power that had never been seen before. It was a long and painful journey but he finally got the power. But his first priority was to find a way to prolong his life and heal himself. He prevailed for a while then she came along… and everything changed.
He soon realized how cold, dark and empty his life was. What was the point of wealth if you had no one to share it with? There was now good in having power if he didn't have anyone to protect. He was alone in his big manor and his underground palace.
His heart was numbed by the cold. If he wanted to try caring for someone, he was unable to because of the numbness in his heart. But when he is with her... It felt different. He couldn't explain it but he knew things were definitely different when he was with her.
"Do you feel cold?" Zhao Li Xin noticed the snow falling from the sky.
"Not really. Your amulet keeps me warm," Lory reassured him.
"Let's find a warm place first," Zhao Li Xin led her to a small tea house. The place was clean and neat despite it being small. Lory found the place cute and comfortable.
"This place is small. I hope you don't mind," Zhao Li Xin said.
"What are you talking about? This place is cute. I like it!" Lory admired the pink small flowerpot near the window.
The owner smiled happily when Lory praised the tea shop. Although the two customers wore modest robes, she could tell they weren't common by the noble air around them. Lory had started lowering her guard after she moved in with Zhao Li Xi.
Her old princess demeanor returned and It was hard for one to destroy old habits. Zhao Li Xin on the other hand... Forget about him, he wasn't a good actor, except when playing the weak prince. Although it came off more like a lazy prince than a weak one.
"Welcome to our little shop, Young Miss and Young Master!" The shopkeeper was a young woman of about thirty years. Lory saw her as young because she wouldn't dare call a thirty years old woman old as it reminded her of her friend, Audrina Colth, at Hunter HQ.
Audrina always got angry when someone told her being thirty was old. The sentiments were shared among the rest of the women at Hunter HQ. Seeing their stand, Lory and the rest didn't dare talk about their age when they were at Hunter HQ.
"Oh, hello!" Lory replied with the same polite smile. "I would like some warm tea but could you add sugar in it, about two spoons? I know it is weird but… can you do that…"
The shopkeeper was stunned by Lory's politeness. Most customers only nodded at her. No one was ever this polite to her. Her smile grew wider, "Yes, of course, Young Miss. The evening is getting colder. Would the Young Miss also like to try our egg drop soup?"
Lory, a genuine foodie, lit up at her words, "I have never tried it before. Okay, I'll order one… Li Xin, how about you?"
"I'm fine…" He responded with a monotonous voice.
"Just the one bowl of soup then," Lory smiled brightly to the shop owner.
"Ah… Yes, Young Miss. Right away," The owner left in a hurry. She was stunned by the different temperaments of her male and female customers. The lady was as bright as the sun while the man was as dark as night. It was amazing they were a couple.
Lory looked out of the window and watched the snow falling softly on the ground without a sound. The tea house was quiet as it didn't have many customers. Lory's gaze moved to Girsha, perched on the window frame. He was also watching the snow. She wondered if he missed his home as she did.
She never thought there would be another life after what happened on that day. She thought she had reached the end, only to be stranded in a different world. It was lonely sometimes but she could not complain as the new world was peaceful. But was this it…? Could she maintain peace in this life? Could she still live as Luo Ri Yi, an ordinary girl from a remote village?
She was reminded of a conversation she once had with Lucas. They had completed a dungeon exploration in the East and were staying in a small hotel close to the city. They couldn't sleep that night so they passed the night talking about life, the future, and other scenarios.
"What would you do if you weren't a princess?"
"I… don't know. Probably be a food reporter... As I'd get to eat and travel a lot and get paid for it…"
"Yeah. That's not bad. But I presume you will end up getting fat and you'll get fired after a year."
"Shut up!" Lory glared at him. "How about you?"
"I will... Form a band…"
It's not a boy's band, isn't it?" Lory's eyebrow furrowed. There were many cool boy bands but she couldn't imagine her brother in one of them.
"No…no… It will be a band with a guitar, bass, and everything else. Hey! What's wrong with boy bands? I have the looks for it and I can dance too!"
"Ehh… No, you can't…." Lory grimaced before she reminded him of his incompetence. "Plus, you are lazy too… You sleep nine hours daily."
"Whatever… I'm gonna make a great group band… and Fred would be the manager," Lucas was already giving the hard jobs to his subordinates.
"You are still taking them?"
"Of course!" He nodded with an obvious look "…And you would manage the fan base."
Lory pouted. Her brother was still making her work for him in his imagination. She quickly rejected the idea, "Hell No!"
Lucas laughed at her comment. Whatever life he chose had to be with his friends and sister. Lucas sighed. He gave Lory a respectful bow as he smiled bitterly, "Too bad we still a Prince… and Princess."
"Of course…" Lory gave him a teasingly smile. She also sighed, "Is it so bad being a Prince?"
"A Lucient Prince," He corrected her.
"Yes, a Lucient Prince" Lory corrected herself. "It isn't like you can do what you want when everything is set and done. Give the job to Fred and have your fun… At least for a while before Fred drags you back."
"I wish everything could be that easy..." Lucas sighed.
"Why not...?" Lory disagreed
"We are Lucients, Lory. Our lives were never supposed to be easy" Lucas stared in the distance. Lory didn't say anything to that. She didn't agree or disagree with him because she didn't believe his words on that day. However, her brother was wiser than her in the end.
Zhao Li Xin noticed Lory's look. She had the same lonely expression she at times made.
"Ri Yi, what's the matter?" Zhao Li Xin called her.
Lory woke from her daze and blinked. She smiled at Zhao Li Xin, "Nothing. I am enjoying the day..."