The Emperor's Phoenix

Chapter 32 | Her Concern

刘 映 月

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Liu Ying Yue

Lu Cang awkwardly patted her shoulder as the lot of them gaped at him, unsure of his true intentions and next actions. From everything that had happened, Ying Yue knew that she should always expect the unexpected. It had been a while since she had last seen her personal assassin, and it was truly uncertain whether he was the exact same man standing before them.

"...I'm sorry that I was too late." She mustered out cautiously, staring pointedly at the attained scar running down his eye.

"As am I," Zhang Wei added, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword as some villagers passed by.

"...I have managed to survive off of persimmons for this long, so there is no need to apologize, Your--" Ying Yue didn't miss the quick glance he shared with Feng Mian, immediately pausing at the mention of their royal titles. "...I have realized my mistake. Please, come inside..."

I wonder if the teahouse is any safer than being in the markets...

As the four of them followed, Lu Cang gave a slight nod to the owners as they did the same back.

"Ah, so this place is controlled by Chen assassins..." Zhang Wei worded her thoughts out loud, continuing behind questioningly as the dark-robed man led them into a small, back room and closed the door behind them.

Walking up to a bookshelf, Lu Cang pushed it aside to reveal a dark entrance to descending stairs. He waved a hand to bring forward a line of flickering lights from the candles on the wall, urging them to go ahead with a silent nod as he brought the bookshelf back before following.

Their footsteps remained the only sound between them as they ventured further and further into the depths, unsure of when this long corridor would end and when the final destination would be revealed. With various questions running through her mind, Ying Yue found herself about to ask but decided against it for later, slightly flinching when Zhang Wei suddenly grabbed her hand.

"...You almost walked into that wall..." he leaned down to whisper to her in a soft chuckle of amusement, gesturing to the dead end as Lu Cang felt around the length of the corridor's wall with a hand.

A slight wave of embarrassment overcame her as she quietly muttered her thanks, trying to maintain her cool composure from her absent-mindedness not too long ago.

Pausing over an area, Lu Cang applied pressure as the wall gave way to reveal another corridor. Zhang Wei released her hand, only to wrap an arm around her waist as she let out a choked noise.

You...annoying bastard...Quit it with the open physical affection!

She gave him a glare of warning from the sides of her eyes which conveyed all she needed to say as he smirked, pressing himself even closer much to her dismay. Ying Yue could only try to mask the fact that her face started burning as their close proximity made her even more aware of the hardness of his muscles.

...This is his fault. Although...I don't necessarily hate it--

"Thanks for reminding others of their utter loneliness in life, Zhang Wei--" Ming Yu muttered under his breath with a scoff, Feng Mian elbowing him in the side with a sly smile as she giggled to herself.