Beauty and the Bodyguard

"What? So there won't be anyone protecting her from now on? What if that Zhen Yingjun comes back for revenge, what then?" Rather than the composed look she had when playing the strings, the palace master was now but a little girl, panicking and lost.

"Uncle should be able to get someone to protect the Miss…" Elder Li himself didn't sound so certain.

"Then what do we do? Do you have any plans, Uncle Li? The people under you?" The palace master asked urgently.

"Miss, there's nothing I can do… Because of his concerns for you, the High Elder has stripped away much of my influence… I may be Head Elder today, but the resources I can immobilize are but only the Dark Shadow group I created myself…" Elder Li sighed, speaking helplessly, "The High Elder pulling back my power means that it's basically impossible for me to use any masters in this Dark Palace."

"But… Will she be in danger?" The palace master frowned, losing composure.

Elder Li was about to speak when a strict, icy laugh interrupted him.

"Hmph, just look at you, stuttering about. You still call yourself a palce master?"

An elderly woman with the appearance of a sixty year-old appeared outside the pavilion, her strict eyes on the two inside.

"High Elder, why have you come…" The palace master jumped from the sudden voice.

"Grace to the High Elder…" Elder Li held his fists together and gave her a bow.

"I'm sorry, master… The High Elder insisted on coming up, I didn't dare halt her…" Xiao Qing recoiled, somewhat frightened.

The palace master shook her head- why would she put any blame on her? Xiao Qing was a maidservant, of course she wasn't able to do anything.

"Wan Er! You're the master of the palace, and you should behave as such! You think I'm unaware of you making Elder Li use the shadow group to learn about the common world? I'm only letting it happen!" The woman looked at the palace master coldly, "Just how many years has it been- can't you move on?"

"High Elder, she… is my daughter, after all… Her veins hold the same blood of the dark phoenix race…" The palace master spoke as she averted her gaze, as if she were a kid who had misbehaved.

"Hmph, daughter? A bastard with unclean blood, an insult to us practitioners of ancient arts!" The High Elder made a noise of disapproval, "You bring up a disgrace such as this, and yet still dare propose we bring this bastard home and give her our name? Why? So that those of the Sky Dan Sect can laugh at us?"

The palace master merely lowered her head at the words.

"Hmph, if only you'd married the second young master of the Sky Dan Sect- us of the Dark Palace would never have fallen to this laughable position, a laughing stock for the other sects," The High Elder seemed to have struck an old wound when mentioning this. She gave a cold hmph before speaking to the palace master named Wan Er, "You'd best rest your heart from now on and put that effort into training- and reach the Sky class in ten years! Don't blame me if I murder the bastard along with her bastard father otherwise!"

With that, the High Elder took her gracious leave, leaving behind a sulking palace master.

"Miss, I'm sorry, I really didn't have a choice!" Elder LI sighed, "The High Elder's doing this for the sake of the Dark Palace- she may be extreme and tyrannical, but serving the sect has been all she'd ever known. She'd never gottenmarried, and gave her life to the Dark Palace and to Madam Chairman, who treated her like a sister… They're my elders as well…"

"I know, I know… but… I really can't let her go…" Tears streaked down her eyes.

"Miss, there's something I'm not sure I should say…" Elder Li said after some hesitation.

"Just speak your mind, Uncle Li- what's there to hesitate for?" Wan Er asked, confused.

"Miss, with the High Elder's personality… If you really do mange to break into the Sky class, then we'd have two Sky class masters in the Dark Palace holding a position in the Sky meetings- even if you do bring your daughter back, who'd dare laugh at us of the Dark Palace then? Even the High Elder wouldn't be able to say much?" Elder Li said after hesitating some more.

"But, breaking through from Earth to Sky… It's easy to say, but managing it… is an extreme feat." Wan Er said with a nod and sigh at the same time.

"You were born smart, Miss, with the blood of the dark phoenix race. Breaking through is but a matter of time." Elder Li said.

"Uncle Li… Please do help me continue keeping an eye on her…" Wan Er said.

"Worry not, Miss. Looking after her is my responsibility as well," Elder Li nodded.

Lin Yi parked his car back in the mansion after sending off Tang Yin.

He wanted to give Chu Pengzhan a call on the road since he had something important to discuss, but the chairman gave him a call first.

"Hello, Uncle Chu!" Lin Yi answered.

"Mhm, Yi… Where are you? Yao Yao said that you were on a date with Tang YIn?" Pengzhan asked suspiciously.

"I'm on my way back. Is something wrong?" Lin Yi didn't catch the intention under his tone- he was focused on telling him how he discovered that he'd lost his strength, after all.

"It's nothing, I'll wait for you to come back and we can have a talk?" Pengzhan decided after hearing that Lin Yi was heading back.

"Alright! I have something I need to discuss with you as well," Lin Yi paused before nodding in agreement. He didn't know what Pengzhan wanted, but it probably had something to do with his loss of power.

He parked his car in the yard, pushed the door and walked in- to see the MIss and Shu sitting on the sofa, watching TV, which was surprisingly playing a housewife training program instead of their usual show…

And the two were quite immersed in it…

Lin Yi didn't understand these two misses at all. Their tastes had made quite a jump.

Pengzhan turned towards the door from the sound. He walked out of Lin Yi's room, nodding towards him, "Yi, welcome back."

"Yeah. Uncle Chu, let's talk in our room?" Lin Yi had certain things he didn't want the two misses to listen in on, lest they got worried. Seems like Pengzhan had the same thoughts as well!