The Princess And The Lord

Zhao Li Xin froze on the spot. He didn't believe it was that easy. He had tried to release himself from his cage after many years and he was finally freed. His surprised look made others think Zhao Li Xin felt regret and was now desperate. They point their fingers at him and laughed at his stupidity.

"What a stupid Prince...?" A young man uttered loudly. He didn't bother being discreet.

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"What prince? He is a commoner now…" Another young man joined in.

"Who does he think he is? Did he think the Emperor wouldn't cast him away?" One of the older officials shook his head.

"You know the Sixth Prince has never been a bright man. Not even when he was a child, wasn't he?" The old official's friend smiled with ridicule.

"Stop calling him Sixth Prince. The Emperor has already issued a decree. There is no Sixth Prince in this Kingdom," The old official reminded his friend with a smirk.

Zhao Li Xin suddenly chuckled as they were busy mocking him.

"Finally... What took you so long…?" He looked at the Emperor like he was stupid. Zhao Li Xin didn't look anxious or desperate, he actually looked relaxed. His dazzling smile stunned everyone in the room.

"I'm not your son from now on, is that includes you, mother...?" He glanced at Royal Consort Ying.

Royal Consort Ying gave Zhao Li Xin a furious glare. His actions had compromised her position. She said in a righteous voice, "It's your own doing. You have no one to blame…" she thought Zhao li xin ask her for help.

Zhao Li Xin sneered, "Indeed..."

"From now on, the bond between us has been severed. We have got nothing to do with each other... We're strangers," Zhao Li Xin smiled coldly.

The Emperor felt a chill seeping into his bones. He felt like something bad was about to happen. However, he remembered who he was. He was the 'son of heaven'. He feared no one, especially not his weak son. The Emperor puffed his chest smugly. He wanted to destroy his son's calm face, "Yes, we are strangers! Because you are a stranger, your behavior towards your Emperor is outrageous. You must be punished!"

Zhao Li Xin chuckled although he was stunned by the words, "Stupid old man! I want to see how you'll do that!"

"IMPUDENT!!"

The Emperor banged his gold armchair until it made a crack sound.

Everyone became pale. The Emperor's temper wasn't something one could trifle with. Why was the stupid ex-prince courting death? The Emperor raised his hand and hundreds of heavily armored soldiers with spears surrounded the main hall.

The Emperor smiled with satisfaction. His soldiers were one of the stronger on the continent, a few Kingdoms could match them. He proudly sat back into his chair and waited for his son to kneel before him and ask for mercy. 

 "This is it?" Zhao Li Xin was disappointed. The number of soldiers wasn't enough for him to show off before his little savior. It was tiresome to play with small flies.

He would rather let his subordinates do the job instead. Zhao Li Xin drew a long breath as he swallows his disappointment then he beckoned at Lory, "Ri Yi, come here…"

As much as Zhao Li Xin looked relaxed and Girsha told her not to worry, Lory couldn't help but feel a little anxious for him. But she knew she couldn't show her feelings before Zhao Li Xin's enemies. She gracefully rose from the table and calmly sauntered toward Zhao Li Xin.

A calm smile was plastered on her face. Zhao Li Xin was surprised by her composure but couldn't help but admired her bravery.

"It's gonna be ugly from here on. Brace yourself…" Zhao Li Xin reminded her gently. "Stay close to me..." he reminds her gently.

"I told you I'm not that weak!" Lory rolled her eyes with impatience as she placed her hand in his. Zhao Li Xin smiled warmly at her without caring about his surroundings. 

Xiang Feng Ran was shocked by what she saw. She was enraged with anger and jealousy. She unconsciously screamed at Zhao Li Xin, "Who is she?"

"It has nothing to do with you!" Zhao Li Xin rebuked as he looked at Xiang Feng Ran with disgust. Xiang Feng Ran gasped and fell on her knees. Her dream crashed and burned in her face.

"CEASE HIM!" The Emperor commanded as he couldn't take it anymore.

However, the soldiers started falling on the group one by one before they could react. Blood flowed on the floor and tainted the white marble with a deep crimson color. The soldiers who were still alive were shocked beyond belief. They anxious looked around as they gripped their spears, scared they could be next.

Four women descend from the top of the walls. They wore fiery red robes and white masks. A beautiful red flower was painted on each mask. They surrounded Zhao Li Xin and Lory.

A man with the same colored robes and a red mask covering half of his face also descended from above. His sleeve had a red vermillion bird embroidery on it. Everyone could surmise a handsome man who was behind the mask just from his chin and mouth. He kneeled before Zhao Li Xin and cupped his fist courteously, "This subordinate greets our sect master!"

The words from the red-robed man astonished everyone including the Emperor. When did his weak son become a sect master? Was this a joke? The Emperor looked at Royal Consort Ying who looked dismayed. It seemed she didn't know either.

The one who maintained her calm was Lao Min Na. But there was a trace of envy in her eyes as she watched Zhao Li Xin. 

"Raise," Zhao Li Xin responded lazily. The man in the red robes was dumbfounded for a second when he saw Zhao Li Xin's hand linked to the woman beside him. The red-robed man retracted his gaze from Lory when Zhao Li Xin's gaze reprimand him.

"Let's go home..." He spoke softly to Lory.

"Okay..." Lory nodded.

The four ladies were also stunned. They never knew their lord could speak like a normal human. One of them secretly glanced at Lory wondering who she was but the red-robed man glared at her. The woman didn't dare continue as she shifted her gaze awkwardly. Zhao Li Xin held Lory's hands as they left the main hall.

"Zhao Li Xin, who do you think you are?" The Emperor roared. "You think you can intimidate me with a handful of people? You think you can fight the whole kingdom by yourself?"

"We'll see…" Zhao Li Xin smiled coldly before he placed a golden mask on his face. He calmly turned away from the Emperor and left.

Xiang Wu Yang felt like he was struck by lightning. He recognized the mask as he had seen it a few times. He murmured to himself, "That can't be… Long Ming?"

"Master Xiang, what did you say?" Zhao Yi Chen couldn't believe what he heard.

"That mask and the man with the red robes... How could I forget? He is the Red Vermilion King Palace!"

"Who can believe it? Anyone can wear a mask. Who knows if they are real or not?" The Emperor stubbornly refuted. He shouted at his general, "Seized them all and kill them!"

Although the soldiers were hesitant, they couldn't go against a direct order. The general led hundreds of soldiers to stop Zhao Li Xin and his people. The soldiers charged as one but Zhao Li Xin didn't even look back as he leisurely walked with Lory. It almost seemed like they were walking in the park. The four red-robed girls drew their swords and the two powers clashed. 

Mong Yi and the red-robed man followed Zhao Li Xin in the same relaxed manner.

"Who is she…?" The red-robed man whispered to Mong Yi.

"Future madam," Mong Yi easily replied.

'HOLLY CRAP!'

Two hundred soldiers easily lost to the four women. Who would have guessed the women were Grandmaster Level cultivators who wielded spiritual level weapons. Even the Emperor had to go through a painstaking effort to own such a weapon yet the red-robed women had them. The Emperor became anxious as he feared what Xiang Wu Ci said could be true.

The four women were ferocious, cutting the soldiers' limbs without hesitation. The sound of people screaming and bones breaking echoed in the air. Bloodstained the stone floor as a nauseating smell gradually filled the air. Many women fainted from the horrid scene while the men covered their noses with their sleeves.

The four women stopped after ten minutes had passed and Zhao Li Xin was long gone. Their robes were tainted with blood and there were blood traces on their weapons. One of the women looked at Mong Ki who watched them from the side.

"Master Mong, our Lord wanted to see 'red'. Is this enough?" The girl asked nervously. Her innocent manner was so different from the brutal image she had portrayed before.

Mong Ki looked at the pile of corpses and the wounded general who could barely stand. He nodded, "This would do...for now."

The four women sighed in relief. Although no one could see their faces, they could tell the women were pleased.

Mong Ki took a step forward, "If you want a war, the Hei Shen Sect would gladly give you one..."

His words made everyone shiver. A few officials who couldn't withstand their fear fell on their knees and trembled. The Emperor and Xiang Wu Yang's faces turned pale, 'What had they done?'

Mong Yi and the four women left without a trace leaving the corpses and blood behind. It was to serve as a reminder of the consequences of going against Zhao Li Xin. The Emperor couldn't put a name on what he felt.

There was angry, hate, embarrassment, and regret... The strongest man on the continent turned out to be his son. The same son he had ignored, despised and cast out. The same question kept swirling in his head, "What had he's done...?"