Chapter 39 - Become Hei Shen Member

The restaurant quiets down after the Prince's left, Lory returns the stool to its previous place neatly, then she sits next to Zhao Li Xin.

"You not asking again.....about the contract" Zhao Li Xin raised his eyebrows.

"You can tell me if you want" Lory tilted her head while holding her chin with her palm, she smiled at him and blink her big beautiful eyes at Zhao Li Xin, how could he win with this.

Zhao Li Xin sigh, he put down his empty wine cup on the table gently "Exclusive contract it's the contract that I secretly proposed to the emperor for my own benefit"

"What kinda benefit?" Lory asks with a curious face.

"To put it simply I can make my own rule in this place disregard the rules outside this place" said Zhao Li Xin

"Like kicking out the Prince from the building" Lory teasingly smiled.

"Exactly!!" he nodded calmly "It's also let us conduct our business the way we want it to be of course, as long it's still inside the Phoenix Hall building no one can't interfere it also helps us to protect our business from being taken by other princes?"

"Did royalty allowed to do that? Taken someone else business?" Lory gasped.

"It's not ethical but of course they were allowed it, but mostly doing it under the table they have a reputation they need to keep after all" Zhao Li Xin shrug his shoulder.

Lory stunned, this world is a lot more unruly then she thought "I never knew this…."

Zhao Li Xin smiled "Most people don't know about this, where do you think the Prince's wealth comes from?"

"The Emperor" Lory said the obvious while crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Half of it but they can't depend on it" Said Zhao Li Xin "Especially when Emperor had so many children, and their allowance depend on his favor if the Emperor like you he would give you more if not...then you only have enough to lived comfortable lives"

"It's that what happened to you?" Lory's blurted out her though, she suddenly realizes she overstep his boundary "Oh…I'm sorry…I don't mean…."

Zhao Li Xin tapped her shoulder gently "It's fine, everyone knows this at least most officials know about this" he changes his sit to Arhat couch, Lory follow him she sits beside the small table in Arhat couch "But you alright right now, don't you"

"Yes, and because of you, I'll never be this great" he genuinely grateful for her.

Lory relief sees him smile genuinely "But that contract...it's supposed to help you grew your power isn't it?" Lory nervously asked "It's Imperial Family still threatening you somehow?"

The door suddenly knocked, Zhao Li Xin let the servant came in then they clean up the table swiftly including a pile of wine jar Zhao Li Xin left from before, the servants served warmed flower sweet tea for Lory also a sweet pastry for Lory Zhao Li Xin already remind them his savior loved for sweets.

After the servants left, Zhao Li Xin continues "As long you were a Prince you will never be free, there always threat lurking in every corner even though I'm a useless prince but I'm still a prince, I still worth something….." he said casually.

Lory feels awful, it's sound very heartless. She doesn't understand why family treating each other this way even though Emperor has many children's but he still his child his own flesh and blood how could he treat him like that, like some commodity. But for someone who let his Son bully and poisoned in his own palace what could you expect from him, no wonder Zhao Li Xin temperament is so cold. Lory might have a harsh lived but she always been loved by his family and her subordinated even Harland people adored her, she never experiences what Zhao Li Xin had experienced, she feels her heartache for him.

"Is that why you hated people call you, Your highness?"

Zhao Li Xin helplessly smile, his savior can be so keen sometimes "Because the Prince title was given by him and for a long time no one treats me as a Prince, hence they barely treat me as human" Zhao Li Xin words become cold he remembered all the thing's happened when she was a child the beating…..the starvation and the poisoned, he remembered everything.

"Every time they call me your highness it sounds like a mocked for me" blood lust emerged from within him the temperature inside the room suddenly drop even Mong Yi and Mong ki who was hiding on the roof could feel it, they wonder what happened why their Lord so angry, is Miss Luo infuriated the Lord? That can't be, the Lord pampered her too much.

"Then I promised you I never called you're your highness ever again!" Lory held his hand tightly with determined eyes.

Zhao Li Xin bad mood suddenly disappeared her small and soft hands disperse his anger, he a bit embarrassed the memory from his childhood still influence him this much but he feels better after he talk with Lory, he never talked about what happened in his past not even with his owned Master he haad been kept everything inside this is the first time he talks about how he felt to someone.

"Whose Idea called you Lord?"

Zhao Li Xin try to remember "At first I forbid Mong Ki and Mong Yi called your highness outside the Palace, then they called me young Master....then after I become the Sect Master, then they called me Lord"

"You are a sect Master?" Lory gasped "Why you never told me?"

"Yes, I'm Hei Shen sect Master" he said casually like is not a big deal then he gazes at Lory with an expressionless face

"I forgot to tell you...."

"..........."

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After they finish eaiting they left Phoenix Hall restaurant, Lory wants to see how is Martial competition in this world held. Zhao Li Xin take him to private sit on the second floor with the best view, on the big field there's a square shape stage she can see two men against each other both mn seems quite young, one wearing blue uniform while his opponent wear bright green uniform, she never seen cultivator fights before she can't help feels so excited, Girsha too tired watching human fighting he perched on the soft cushion and sleep.

The two men start to fight while the other people with the same uniform like them cheering, there are five old people on the podium watching the fights, Lory tug Zhao Li Xin sleeve "Hey who are they?" Lory glance at the podium in front of her.

"The elder of various Sect" he uninterestedly glances at the bunch of old elder in front of him.

All the elder is from influential Sect in a whole continent, no one dares to slight them even Emperor must be polite when he faces them. The elder always comes to choose disciple for their own sect they hope to find a good seed to cultivate. This year they hear about several talented youngsters one of them even an alchemist, they want to know is that person as good as her rumor.

"How many Sects out there?" after she stays with Zhao Li Xin she realizes how little her knowledge about this world.

"There's a lot, even I don't know all of them" said Zhao Li Xin "But there's seven big Sec in this continent, spread in every Kingdom in this continent"

"How many Continent we have?"

"I'm not sure, it was five as far as I know..."

Lory squinted, so even Zhao Li Xin not sure about it "How many Kingdom in this continent?"

"Four, including our Jiang Wei Kingdom"

"Oooh...okay" Lory nodded her head unconsciously.

Zhao Li Xin doesn't feel weird she asking a lot, for someone who spent her time in a remote village it's normal if she doesn't know anything, while on the other side Mong Ki and Mong Yi stunned how eloquent their Lord today. Not just he patiently explains a lot of things to Miss Luo but he also quite chatty. Every one who closed with him knows other directing order he doesn't like to talked he never make a long conversation with anyone even to his Master. But with Miss Luo, he not just speaks normally he also smiles quite often too, for the Mong's Brother who had been served him from he was a child this is a exhilarating development, they only wish Miss Luo is a good person and she would never disappoint their Lord.

"So why are they here?" Lory munch the kumquats candy she got from before, she offers Zhao Li Xin but the man shakes his head, he doesn't like sweet, He amazed how much sweets she could take.

"They wanted to recruit talented people for their Sects" said Zhao Li Xin.

Lory tilted her head "You don't want to recruit anyone….?" She asked casually if she other people he might thought she incite something but see her clear beautiful eyes he knows she just being gullible, he used to hate gullible women he finds them stupid and careless but when it comes to her he finds her adorable.

He patted her head softly "Only people that I trust could enter Hei Shen Sect"

Lory points herself with her index finger "How about me, can I be Hei Shen Sect people?" she half-joking when she asked, not like she know what is Hei Shen sect anyway this is the first time she heard about it but if Zhao Li Xin is the leader the Sect can be that bad isn't it. Because of her upbringing Lory never suspicious to anyone who closed with her, once she trusts them she will trust them all the way. it was her flaw and Fred used to warn her every time Fortunately, the first person she trusts in this world is Zhao Li Xin.

He smiled at her dazzlingly "You definitely Hei Shen people!" Lory giggles happily when she heard his reply.

Mong Ki and Mong Yi look perplexed, how many peoples want to join with Hei Shen sect they would bribe and beg they not just willing giving their wealth some even gives their own Daughter and not for becomes a wife or concubines but become bed warmer something only infuriated Zhao Li Xin. But Lory asking to be part of Hei Shen sect with half-joking attitude and the Lord accepted her in a flash they don't know how to react should they feel glad or sad.