"Just what happened here?"
People gathered at the entrance of the palace, nobles and commoners alike stood together, wondering what could have happened.
Because right in front of them— I mean, they could see clearly— it was morning already, and they were seeing seven dead bodies.
Six beheaded assassins and one lying on the cracked floor with a big hole drilled through his forehead.
Many had their eyes on the one at the stairwells; it seemed to be an elder, and he was probably crawling towards the palace.
But sadly, he couldn't reach and was lying there dead, with bloodstains trailing from his neck.
"Isn't that Elder Xao Lee?"
"Yes, just how was someone able to kill a Divine Combustion Stage 01 elder? The guy must be a monster."
"Probably Queen Li Feng did it. I heard she brought another human guest; maybe she decided to kill them herself. She's the only one I can think of."
The fuss and murmuring spread through the whole elf country. Li Feng, who was sleeping, started groaning and eventually woke up.
She sat up, stretching her bones and yawning. The sleep she still had in her eyes vanished completely the moment she didn't see Xuan anywhere in her room.
"Xuan," she called out.
Li Feng picked a robe and searched the bathroom, but no sign of Xuan. Immediately, she opened her doors.
A maiden elf stationed at her door stretched her a letter, saying the human who arrived yesterday had dropped this for her last night.
"What? Haven't you seen him today?" she asked, but sadly, the elf did not see Xuan after last night; he had not returned.
Li Feng shut the door and brought out the letter, still not asking about what the noise was about because she was worried about Xuan.
"Hi Li Feng, sorry I left unannounced, and thank you for the gift. I gave it a little spin last night," Li Feng read through the letter inwardly.
Sitting on her bed with her velvet laps crossed. "I couldn't leave knowing you had enemies around. You don't know what you've done for me, Li Feng. I look forward to cultivating with you again, but you must be alive until then, so I killed a few of your enemies."
Li Feng's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh, I also took a golden necklace to compensate for my medicines. If in any case it was valuable to you, I dropped my address below. However, after the next twin moon, I won't be living there anymore. Take care of yourself, Li Feng. Over and out, Xuan."
Li Feng's heart hit hard after reading Xuan's letter. Then, a knock was heard on her door.
"Come in," she ordered, adjusting her voice to fit that tyrant they knew her to be.
As two elders in white robes entered, they quickly knelt on one knee, with their heads bowed and fists clapped against their palms.
"Forgive me, Queen Li Feng. I overstepped, thinking the sacred rule was above you. I failed to know you create the rules."
"As do I, Queen Li Feng. Restricting other cultivators from you was a foolish attempt the council and I decided on. Please do pardon us."
Li Feng was undoubtedly surprised. Just what happened that made these elders, who never accepted her as their queen, start apologizing?
Not all of them, though— there was one arrogant one missing. "And where's Elder Xao Lee?" asked Li Feng.
Confused, the two elders looked at each other. Though not locking eyes with Li Feng, they stuttered.
"Was... wasn't it you who killed Elder Xao Lee? He is lying dead on the stairwell of the palace."
Li Feng was shocked. She didn't say anything and ordered them to leave. Li Feng stood up; she knew she was already at Stage 04 Divine Combustion.
So just how far did their cultivation take Xuan? Even though the elders were saying she could now cultivate with her fellow race.
Li Feng stood at the window, thinking she couldn't find herself cultivating with someone else again— it must be only Xuan.
She unfolded the letter again, looking at the address. Placing her cold palm on her neck, her gold necklace was indeed stolen.
But she needed to find Xuan because of something else.
---
Meanwhile...
Mr. Han kept marvelling at the sight of the gold bracelet and necklace; both of these things cost more than what the medicine could have sold for.
But he recognized the designs on them far too well. Xuan was standing with his stick in front of his uncle, who sat on the chair.
"Come, did you come across an elf?" asked Uncle Han. Of course, the big tree on the gold bracelet was an elf design.
"No, but I did come across slave traders. I traded the medicines for these."
"Okay, wait— so you sold all those medicines to just one person? So what took your time, you moron?"
Xuan gritted his teeth. "Ungrateful bastard" was the thought circulating in his head. "I'm a cripple carrying a big bag, walking miles."
"Shut up," Han rolled his eyes, smiling as he took the items and opened a little cupboard. He had told Xuan to leave, but the cripple was still standing there.
"Uncle Han, how do you think your life would be as a cripple?"
The question came as a big shock to Han. He was surprised and needed to know where Xuan mustered the guts to ask him such a question.
"What?" he asked, perplexed by the stupid question.
"It is the next twin moon tomorrow, Uncle Han. Two cultivators will be made cripples by me, and a cripple of twenty years will be on his feet soon."
Finally, Han caught up to the gibberish Xuan was saying from his mouth. "And who are the two cultivators, as I am assuming you're the twenty-year cripple?"
Xuan chuckled, with a deadly gaze that almost made Han step backwards. He looked at his uncle and added,
"The first one is the Son of Heaven's daughter, Li Zhi, and the second one is you, Uncle Han."