The redhead known as Phoenix took a seat next to Azure.
"Lord Zhulong, you're awfully looking reposed than the wild headed Lord I remembered you to be." Her sharp voice came out in a drawl when her hazel eyes peered through his golden one.
A short dark chuckle escaped his lips at her remarks.
"You don't wish me to be a child forever, now do you? I grew up."He responded briefly and he heard Lei's resounding clap echo in the dining room followed by Xuanming's lopsided scoff.
"Zhulong has made it clear he's no longer a fucking child but a man!" Lei exclaimed.
"How great, so your feelings for Azure were merely a childish facade?" Phoenix drawled as she tapped on the table with her long red nails.
"My feelings for Azure in the past weren't a childish facade and it has nothing to do with anyone, so I'll prefer it if you no longer queried me about it." He stated in a clipped tone.
"My apologies Lord Zhulong, I'll no longer intrude in your business." She replied, a crooked smile playing on her lips.
Meanwhile Azure watched in strained silence but he could see her shifting with uneasiness in her seat.
"Xuanming, it's been a while, I do miss the four of us, guardians together." She said with a voice slightly trimmed than her usual one and Zhulong caught a flicker of hot passion swirling into her reddish hazel eyes when she glimpsed at him.
"Yes, it'll be a nice adventure with the four guardians and vampire brothers in the hunt for the culprit." Xuanming replied in a clipped tone and returned his attention to his food casually.
"Yes! About that, Lord Ying informed me about the recent happenings, I was also attacked by strange beasts." Phoenix stated, her brows creased in displeasure as she spoke.
"We were all attacked." Azure stated with a straight face, but sadness reflected in her jade blue eyes.
"Lord Ying informed me, but do you have any idea where these strange beasts are located or why they're attacking us?" Phoenix queried.
"Someone's creating a portal to the realm of monsters in the underworld, but we have no idea whom." Zhulong spoke as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear.
"A portal?? To the realm of monsters?" Phoenix exclaimed with widened eyes as a surprised gasp escaped her lips.
"I'm more interested in why someone is creating a portal to release monsters into the world, I'm intrigued by the idiot's purpose and more intrigued by who it is."
Xuanming said with a sarcastic smirk playing on his lips, he was obviously enjoying the new adventure they would embark on, an adventure that was unknown with a haze of obscurity.
"Well, we'll have to stop them before it gets out of control, we'll catch the culprit and give them a taste of our wrath."
Lei said with a dangerous growl accompanied by a burst of maniacal laughter.
"Well, how do we find them when we don't have any idea where the portal is located?" Phoenix said with a slightly strained voice and the whole place fell silent, none had thought of how or where they would find the portal.
"Uh about that, we're not certain as we have no strategies whatever. We recently just came together but I'm sure when everyone's complete we shall join heads and construct an outstanding plan." Azure spoke with a gleam of hope in her voice.
"Hmm, alright then, did Lord Ying summon the both of you too?" Phoenix queried in a curious voice but a faint glint of jealousy lingered in it.
"No, I was on my way to the Palace with my parents, but he was summoned by Lord Ying."
Azure explained and she nodded, a small smile tearing through her lips in satisfaction with her answers.
Zhulong wondered how no one could see through her, she was obviously faking her forced nice relationship with Azure, it was obvious she was in love with Xuanming but he didn't reciprocate it as he had eyes for only Azure, but why she was faking her relationship with Azure, her love triangle rival was still unknown.
But he reasoned that if she faked it then she must have a devious plan. He would keep an eye out for her, she wasn't a trustworthy person, she was a sly snake and he'd protect Azure from her poisonous venom.
"Oh, where are your parents then?" Phoenix queried and Azure swallowed hard before she spoke.
"They're dead. The monsters killed them on our way here." Azure replied in a bitter voice.
"That is horrible! My condolences Azure, I know how much you adored your parents, want to go for a walk and have a bit of fresh air?" Phoenix suggested as she wound one arm around Azure and she nodded meekly before they both proceeded to leave.
Zhulong left after them, he was done with breakfast already so he didn't see a need to hang around with the two people who went under his skin but the main purpose of leaving was so that he could watch Azure.
He stood on the balcony and watched from above as the two ladies sat next to the pond beside the garden.
He listened to their conversation, although there was nothing to listen to as they mostly spoke about their lady's affairs and managing their clans.
He whipped his head around to meet the silvery hard eyes of Xuanming glowering at him. He had already sensed his presence behind him.
He went to stand beside him on the balcony and his silver eyes narrowed to the two ladies he had been looking at.
"Eavesdropping on a lady's conversation, not gentleman like." Xuanming uttered with a low baritone voice, his eyes still fixated on them as he spoke.
"I never said I was one." Zhulong snapped.
"I thought you had given up on her a long time ago, why are you acting like you care now when you didn't even fight to keep her?"
Xuanming's voice was coated with revulsion as he spoke with a scowl on his face.
Zhulong's brows creased in confusion. He had given up on her without a fight? Now he found himself pondering on what happened.
"What do you mean?" He emancipated on every word that rolled off his lips, her couldn't believe he has given up on her.
A mockery filled chuckle reverberated from Xuanming's lips underneath his breath.
"Have you forgotten your cowardly act? Her parents had well....rejected you and your brother forbade the both of you from getting married since it'll be an unbalanced match made in hell and you just laid back and accepted defeat." Xuanming drawled in a taunting manner.
Zhulong clenched his fist tight enough for his fingers to dig into his skin, how could he just give up on her so easily, but not this time, he'd fight till she was his.
"Stop thinking about her and start paying attention to the war that is about to break out, like she said, there's a grander motive behind all this." Xuanming warned but an underlying tone lay beneath his words.
Zhulong tilted his head to the side to stare into his silver icy eyes with disgust and hate for him.
"Do you know something about the monsters?" He queried, suspicion retained in his golden eyes as he looked at him.
A scoff emitted from him.
"Do I have to know something to warn you of the impending danger? You're obviously losing focus, don't get me mistaken I don't care about your protection, I only want your maximum concentration so you won't be a dead weight for us all, Azure wouldn't be pleased with it either."
Xuanming said and before he could stem a reply, he veered around and proceeded to leave.
Zhulong watched his retreating figure until he faded out of sight.
Xuanming didn't seem trustworthy to him, it felt like he was hiding something or he had more knowledge related to the monsters more than he perceived to have.
Xuanming was his number one suspect, although he wished very much he would be the culprit so he could take pleasure in ending him himself.