The Princess And The Lord

They decided to camp inside the ruins and enter the tomb once Lory's condition improved. Mong Yi was in charge of preparing dinner while Mong Ki pitched the tent. Zhao Li Xin sat against a wall with Lory still sleeping in his arms. He didn't shift his position for fear of disturbing her rest. She had muttered for two hours before falling into an exhausting sleep. Zhao Li Xin gently wiped away the tear stains once she had calmed. 

The silence was broken when by the sound of numerous footsteps heading towards them. Mong Ki and Mong Yi quickly assumed their guard position. Bei Li Yan and Jin Hao also became vigilant, unsure if the people approaching were friends or foes.

A familiar middle-aged man entered the ruins. It took them a second to identify him as General Fu Xiao Jin. Ming Ru Yi who had changed into another frilly dress in a soft peach color stood behind the general. She had also managed to fix her hair back to the previous Christmas tree hairstyle. Her top fanboy stood next to her on her right. The fanboy had also fixed himself up to his original look.

'These two don't seem to have learned anything from their last experience,' The Mong brothers thought the same as they massaged their temples to stop themselves from mocking them.

General Fu was surprised to meet Zhao Li Xin's group once again and was embarrassed by how they looked at his group with amazement and ridicule. He could tell what they were thinking.

"Greetings, young masters. It's a pleasure to meet you all again," General Fu bowed respectfully at them. Zhao Li Xin and the others nodded back at him politely. Ming Ru Yi rejoiced when she saw Zhao Li Xin but her nostrils quickly flared when she saw Zhao Li Xin embracing Lory who was now sleeping peacefully. Ming Ru Yi couldn't hide her blatant jealousy.

"Is the young miss sick?" General Fu was grateful to Lory for the fire monkey incident and was saddened that he didn't get to know her name when they parted.

"She is just tired," Bei Li Yan responded.

"She should rest in the tent if she is tired. Why is she clinging to a man like that? People would question her behavior," Ming Ru Yi scowled at Lory yet Lory couldn't see her.

Zhao Li Xin who was already in a bad mood by the situation glared viciously at Ming Ru Yi intimidating her. Ming Ru Yi didn't dare look at Zhao Li Xin's blatant stare. She became meek and moved to her fanboys like a coward. The fanboys were happy to comfort the beauty and even dared to glare back at Zhao Li Xin.

Zhao Li Xin didn't have the time to play with them. He turned his gaze away from them and stroked Lory's hair.

General Fu's face turned red. He had wanted to thank them for saving the princess and helping them fight the beasts. He liked Zhao Li Xin's group as they had even warned them of the powerful beast heading towards them.

His group would have been unable to protect the princess and themselves if it were not for them. However, his princess kept aggravating Zhao Li Xin's group despite all this. He couldn't help and feel ashamed for her ungrateful behavior.

"We apologize for our behavior if only I could know these young masters' names," General Fu sat cross-legged before them and bent his waist.

"General Fu, you are a respected General from the Liangzu Kingdom. How can you bow to nobodies like them?" One of the fanboys chided Fu Xiao Jin. They didn't think Zhao Li Xin's group was equal to them.

"These nobodies saved our life before. The young master might have forgotten but this old general never forgets a favor," General Fu said firmly. His righteous words shut the young master's mouth. General Fu's subordinates were of the same mind as him. They would have lost many of their brothers in arms if it was not for Zhao Li Xin's group.

"The young princess should not worry about our young miss' reputation. Our young miss is our lord's future wife and you can all see how much our lord pampers her. Your worries are unnecessary," Bei Li Yan sneered as deliberately slapped Ming Ru Yi's face. He wanted her to know of Zhao Li Xin's love for Lory.

"Oh, so this woman is the young lord's fiancée? Congratulations!" General Fu cupped his fists respectfully. His opinion on Lory was good as people said you will never truly know someone unless you fight by their side. 

When General Fu fought with Lory, he could see her strong personality. Lory remained strong while under pressure and calm when facing danger. He would have personally recruited her had she been a man. He wouldn't have cared if she was a waste as she could have joined his forces as an advisor or strategist.

"My name is Bei Li Yan and this young miss is our future madam, Luo Ri Yi," Bei Li Yan was courteous towards General Fu. The General's character reminded him of Jiang Jin Wei, the Gold Lion Palace King.

"Nice to meet you, Master Bei," General Fu was relieved by the small exchange. He really didn't want to go against Zhao Li Xin's group.

The General face became stiff as he looked up. Bei Li Yan was puzzled by Fu Xiao Jin's behavior. Bei Li Yan followed General Fu's gaze. The General was staring at the Mural with disbelief. He stood up hastily, grabbed the nearest torch, and anxiously approached the mural. He held the torch above his head to be able to see the mural clearly.

"IT'S REAL!" General Fu gasped. He looked both shocked and excited. He murmured, "After all these years… It turns out to be real."

"General, do you know about this painting?" Bei Li Yan lightly patted General Fu's shoulder.

"Oh…Master Bei…yes…yes… I know. It's just a tale," General Fu jumbled his words as his mood fluctuated. He was shocked, happy, and sad

"Do you care to share your tale?" Jin Hao approached General Fu and asked. He was intrigued by the General's reaction.

"It's a story my grandmother used to tell me when I was a kid," General Fu pointed at the first mural. "Once upon a time… a long time before the Liangzu Kingdom existed, a star fell from heaven to this land. The star shore so brightly that it awakened the nearest tribe. Everyone in the tribe headed to the bright light but no one could get near the star, not even the strong people of the tribe. A mysterious power prevented them from getting too close, but then…"

General Fu used the torch to point to the second mural, "While they all struggled to reach it, the tribe's chief suddenly collapsed before the star. No one could tell what made the chief collapse. The chief remained unconscious for days and didn't wake up no matter what they did. However, the chief did not die…he was just sleeping."

Bei Li Yan and Jin Hao looked at each other. Their minds captured the words sleep and mysterious light as it sounded like Luo Ri Yi's situation when she collapsed. 

"What happened next?" Jin Hao's curiosity grew.

"She came…" General Fu pointed at the woman with silver hair in the mural. "A deity visited his dreams. She told him to protect the star and she would give him the power of the star in return. However, this power could only be used by him and his descendants."

General Fu pointed to the third mural with the tree. It showed a man kneeling before the tree like he was worshiping it. "The Chief woke the next day and walk to the start's light source. He touched the light and the light miraculously transformed into a tree. The tree had a white trunk and purple leaves. The chief absorbed the tree's power and became the most powerful person on this land."

General Fu pointed to the next mural with sadness. "With his power, the chief's tribe became a powerful tribe and he soon established an Empire. This kingdom was strong and prospered for hundreds of years. His descendant continued to protect the tree as their most precious treasure."

"That's a good thing, isn't it? Why don't you look happy?" Bei Li Yan was confused.

General Fu shook his head with a disheartened expression. He pointed at the gruesome mural covered in red paint. "The human heart changes with time. They forgot the deity's grace and became greedy. Their hunger for power was insatiable. They fought among themselves which led to war and many died."

"The deity was disappointed with their behavior. She created an avalanche one day and pulled the tree deep into the earth where no one could reach it. It was only after this happened that they realized their mistakes.

According to the story, the Emperor ordered his best painter to create a mural on his palace walls as a reminder. It was meant to remind his descendants of the gift bestowed to them and the mistakes they made. He did this to prevent his descendants from repeating their mistakes."

Silence filled the room once he was done with the story. They never knew the ruins had such a grand story that involved God, treasure, and the Emperor. It was like a fairy tale. They would never have believed the story if they had not seen the mural.

"But why is it covered by another wall?" Bei Li Yan asked once again.

General Fu gave a helpless sigh, "The human heart cannot be trusted. The next Emperor saw the tree as a curse that would end his Kingdom and a threat to his family's survival. He wanted everyone to forget about the tree's existence.

He covered the mural and moved away. He built a new Kingdom away from this place as he hopped people would forget about the tree someday. His wish came true as they did...."

"The new Kingdom he rebuilt… Is that the Liangzu Kingdom?" Jin Hao easily concludes.

"It is. It is how the Liangzu Kingdom came into existence. We are all standing in the ruins of Liangzu Kingdom's founders and ancestry," General Fu nodded. His words were filled with pride for his ancestors.

The rest looked around the ruins and imagine how they looked in the past. The place must have been filled with grandeur when the old Emperors and their subordinates ruled from the ruins. 

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