"Debbie, can you hear me?" Alex said in a low voice.
"Alex?" Debbie stared at him, confused. She couldn't believe that she was still alive.
"How do you feel now?" Alex asked.
"I feel comfortable, and much stronger now than before. My head still feels a little fuzzy though," she replied after a few moments.
"Don't worry, Miss Debbie, that's a good sign. It means that you're getting better," said Celeste.
An older man in his fifties came into the room. "Mr. Alex, this is a doctor from one of the foreign sects. His medical skills are excellent," Celeste introduced him. "He's come here to check on Debbie."
"Please look after Debbie. She was given black poison water," Alex said.
"Yes, my lord." The doctor went to the bedside. He looked at Debbie's face, checked her pulse, and then said in surprise, "You have nothing to worry about! Miss Debbie's pulse is steady at present, which shows that most of the toxins in her body have disappeared. There may be a trace of residue left, but after a period of rest she will be healthy and back on her feet."
"Great!" Alex was overjoyed.
"Debbie, can you hear me? The poison in you has been removed." He couldn't contain his excitement. "Now you are safe. Lie down and rest."
He took the other bowl of porridge from the table and scooped it into his mouth. It was delicious, sweet, and sticky, and he quickly ate every morsel.
Alex and Celeste walked out of the room and around the Moon Palace. The palace had an elegant ancient garden, with pavilions, flowing water, rockeries, strange stones, and willows; it was full of beauty and wonder. Despite the palace's traditional design, every room was also equipped with modern household appliances, such as an air conditioner and a heater. There was definitely no shortage of money at the Moon Palace. Whatever they needed, they would be able to afford.
Alex also noted that all the people were carrying bowls of the orchid porridge. After asking Celeste, he learned that she had cooked the orchid in a large pot. Now all the guests at Moon Palace had a bowl of their own, eating the porridge which would, in turn, help them to quickly recover from their injuries.
"Orchids from the Appalachian Mountains don't last very long. As Miss Debbie can't eat it all herself, I've given it to the others, or else the rest of the orchid would have been wasted. Mr. Alex, you aren't angry with me, are you?" asked Celeste.
Alex was, in fact, very happy, and as he looked at Celeste his heart was filled with joy. But he wanted to have some fun with Celeste, so he pretended to be displeased. Fear immediately crept over her face as she saw him raise his hand high. She covered her ears and closed her eyes.
However, the slap that she was expecting never came. She jumped slightly as she felt his hand rest gently on her head instead. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that Alex was smiling at her. She understood he was just teasing her!
"Mr. Alex, you are so bad! You scared me half to death. I thought you were angry," Celeste said, half angrily, half relieved.
"What? How dare you say the Lord is bad?" Alex laughed.
"Oh, my apologies, Master!" For a split second, Celeste had forgotten her place. She was a maid. It was considered inappropriate for her to speak that way to the Lord of the Moon Palace.
Alex laughed again. "Silly girl! Let's go and see Callisto and the others." Alex turned and walked forward. Celeste stared at his broad back and felt a wave of happiness wash over her. She gently touched her hot cheek and followed him.
Alex came to Callisto's bedroom. As soon as he entered the room, he was hit with the faint fragrance of the perfume.
In yesterday's fight, Callisto, Selene, and Luna had all been injured. Now, they were recuperating together in Callisto's room.
When they saw Alex come in, they all stood to salute him.
"Praise the Master of the Moon Palace! We shall call him Lord Alex Ambrose."
"Sit down." Alex hurriedly walked over and gestured for the three of them to sit on the bed. "Forget all this 'Lord' business. Just call me Mr. Alex, as you did before!"
Selene and the other three girls were surprised but felt very happy.
"The three of us are injured and can't serve you, Mr. Alex. Please forgive us!" Callisto said.
Alex grinned mischievously. "I know what you're trying to do, Callisto. Fine. Let me be your maid for the day. I'll take care of you all."
"Mr. Alex, you can't do that!" The women were shocked. They couldn't let Mr. Alex take care of them. Alex Ambrose was the Lord. They were just maidens.
"Why not?" Alex asked as several female disciples entered the room with bowls of orchid porridge.
Alex told the disciples to put down the porridge and leave. He took up a bowl and went to Callisto first. "Your hand is hurt," he said. "I'll feed you."
"Mr. Alex!" There was no way she could let the Lord feed her porridge.
"Open your mouth", said Alex. She did as she was told, accepting the first spoonful that Alex gave her.
"And again." She reluctantly allowed herself to be fed. She did not dare to speak this time. She only opened her mouth and ate the porridge. It was sweet. In fact, it was the best porridge she had ever had in her life.
After eating the entire bowl, she felt much better.
Next came Luna, and then Selene. Like Callisto, they were all fed by Alex.
It was all too much for the maidens, but they were touched by his kindness and swore to be loyal to him all their lives.
Celeste couldn't help but feel a little jealous as she watched the other maidens get fed by Alex. She felt a little left out and was angry with herself for only sending for three bowls of porridge. If there had been just one more bowl, she could have been fed some of the porridge, too.
"Celeste, come sit down!" She jumped at Alex's voice as it snapped her out of her daydream.
Celeste sat on the bed with the others. They were like four golden flowers, staring at him. He couldn't help but note their beauty as he looked at them and they returned his gaze uncertainly, unsure of what he was thinking.
"It's rare that the four of you are injured and can't fight. Ah, I have an idea!" he burst out, confusing the maidens even more.
"Mr. Alex, what are you talking about?" Celeste was concerned. "What's going on? This is not Mr. Alex. We are injured and unable to fight for him. Why is he so cheerful?", she thought.
"You massaged me before. Today, I'll give all four of you massages!" he said. Indeed, the Moon maidens didn't know how many times they had ever had massages themselves. Every day, they were serving others. Now, Alex finally had a chance to serve them back.
As soon as Alex offered to give them a massage, the four girls immediately withdrew. Alex Ambrose was the master. They were supposed to serve him. How could they do the opposite of what they had been trained to do?
"No, Mr. Alex, you can't do it!" said Callisto.
"You are the Lord. You can't massage us!", said Luna, shocked.
"It's too shameful!" said Celeste with her red cheeks.
"Ladies, I am the Lord, and everything I say will be obeyed. It was all settled today. If you oppose me, then you will be disobeying the Lord's order!" Alex said. This time, the maidens did not say another word, although they were still nervous.
"Well, let's wash your feet first," Alex called two disciples. "Go and get four pots of hot water for your sisters to soak their feet!"