The Princess And The Lord

On the half-destroyed wall, he saw a carving of a small child cupping his hands with a big smile while on his hand there was a small snake and they look each other lovingly, after that on the next wall there was a picture of a group of people surrounding with light floating among the clouds and they pick up the little snake and the little boy wept bitterly.

Yuan Shao and Li Mo Zhen stared at the carving with their jaw hanging loose without being able to say a word in slow motion they looked at the other wall beside it and the shock hit them like a giant wave.

On the wall was an image of a man wearing full armor while riding a giant dragon so valiantly and it seemed like he was heading towards the mountain. From the looks of it, they didn't need to guess who the boy's identity was but they were curious about the mountain because for the mountain to be inserted into the majestic carving with him it must have a special meaning.

At first, Li Mo Zhen and Yuan Shao thought that the mountain was Yi Shan mountain but after they realized that the mountain was not a volcano so naturally they thought that they were wrong.

"What do you think this mountain is?" Yuan Shao's eyes lit up with interest.

"Maybe it's Yi Shan mountain" Tao Ji Fang interrupted causing Yuan Shao and Li Mo Zhen startled for a second.

"But this is not a volcano mountain!" Li Mo Zhen refuted but he still maintain his low voice.

"Maybe it wasn't a volcano mountain back then" Tao Ji Fang guessed casually.

Yuan Shao and Li Mo Zhen's eyes immediately widened, Tao Ji Fang's estimation was reasonable.

Without saying much they hastily looked at the carvings on the next wall and what they saw made the jaws of the three great men gape open.

It was Li Mo Zhen who spoke first "There...there's a palace merged with the mountain"

On the walls there are carvings of the Palace complex attached to the mountain as if the palace is part of the mountain, but once the palace looks very majestic, and luxurious at the same time very frightening and indestructible as if nothing can bring down that palace.

"Could this be the identity of this place...?" Yuan Shao subconsciously held his breath.

"Emperor Lei Yu's Imperial Palace!" Li Mo Zhen's eyes lit up in shock and awe.

Li Mo Zhen's words left everyone fell on silent, everyone looked at the ruins around them with an overwhelming feeling as they realized they were standing in the middle of the greatest mystery of all time, it was the forgotten history of the forerunner of the world's greatest empire.

"So Emperor Lei Yu really exists..." Deep admiration radiated from Tao Ji Fang's voice.

"Although I've heard stories about emperor Lei Yu, however, there was never any real evidence of his existence apart from stories passed down by word from mouth to mouth so many people thought he was just a myth"

Yuan Shao and Li Mo Zhen Everyone stared at the exquisite carvings on the walls even though the carvings were partly damaged but one could still see its splendor, and they could only imagine how magnificent this palace was in the past and how extraordinary emperor Lei Yu was to be able to lead this kingdom.

"What worries me, is the carving of the snake with the boy?" Yuan Shao's voice was suddenly worried as he turned his head to the previous carving on the wall.

"Why?" Tao Ji Fang asked.

"Because the demon that Lao Min Na worships is in the form of a giant black snake" his eyes narrow as he speaks.

Li Mo Zhen learned this from Yang Xi Ying who heard this story from Ming Yue Yin because Lory herself didn't like to talk about Lazarus unless absolutely necessary but he understood Lory's reluctance to bring up Lazarus maybe if Lazarus never appeared before her and threatened everyone safety Lory would never bring up their past to anyone except Zhao Li Xin.

Tao Ji Fang took a deep breath while glancing in the same direction as Yuan Shao and he also had the same question "Could this be a different snake?"

"After everything that happened, I don't believe in coincidences anymore." Li Mo Zhen's voice was strained with worry.

"And who was the person who took the snake….they don't look like humans…" Yuan Shao knotted his brows while crossing his arms on his chest and appeared to be immersed in his thought.

"I think the most important question is why would anyone carve this picture on the wall, who do they want to show this picture to?" Tao Ji Fang thought it was impossible for this magnificent carving to be made for no other important purpose other than as wall decoration.

"I don't know…besides who can understand the meaning of this collection of pictures, anyway? especially this last picture..." Yuan Shao stood in the last photo with a more confused look than before.

Simultaneously everyone turned their attention to the carving on the wall depicting a small child standing with his back to them while standing in front of the countless doors that lined up in a circular direction to no end.

"What is that place?" Li Mo Zhen's expression was tensed with heavy emotions for some reason he felt uncomfortable when he saw the picture on the wall, it feel like the boy is the only one in the world, it feels so empty.

"Let's go, we have to find a way out of here!" Yuan Shao's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, we've wasted too much time here" Tao Ji Fang suddenly got worried about his stupid son again.

Li Mo Zhen nodded in agreement after all they had a more important mission ahead which was to find their family as soon as possible.

soon after they continued their journey but before leaving Yuan Shao took another glance at the carving on the wall for a few seconds before he turn around and left with the other.

_________________________________________

Elsewhere, Ming Yue Yin lay face down unconsciously, soon after her long her eyelashes begin to flutter trying to open her eyelids.

The first thing he saw was a dark sky and a reddish glow with heat stinging his face and his heart suddenly felt like it was shrinking.

'Is this the end of the world?' he thought.

In the midst of that confusion, he saw a woman standing on the edge of a cliff her bluish long hair fluttering on his back as a harsh wind blew over her.

Ming Yue Yin knew who this woman was but when she open her mouth to call her but there are no sounds coming from her mouth and she couldn't move her own body either.

'Lory!' she can only scream in her head.

Suddenly in slow motion, Lory turns her body around.

[It's time....] Lory said in a low voice her voice was a mix of relief and exhaustion as if she was ready to give up everything.

'Time for what?'

Even though Lory was speaking in another language she could understand what he was saying so Ming Yue Yin knew that she was inside one of the dreams about Lory's past, but still, Lory's words bothered her.

"Where there is death, there will always be death...that's what she said," Lory lowered her gaze, her expression empty and lonely then a sad smile spread across her tired face. "Do you think he will forgive me...?"

'Lory, what are you going to do?!'

Lory's gaze stared straight at Ming Yue Yin which made her think for a moment Lory was talking to her but then tears rolled down Lory's cheeks and she spoke in a heart-wrenching expression, "Girsha, do you think Li Xin will forgive me?"

"Yue Yin, wake up!"

When Ming Yue Yin opened her eyes, she was greeted by Yang Xi Ying and Tao Bing Wen with worried faces hovering over her then followed by a pain in her back that spread throughout her body as if trying to convince her that this was real.

"Why are you crying so much, is it hurt so bad?" Yang Xi Ying looked at him anxiously cause Ming Yue Yin is not the type of woman who fears pain.

Ming Yue Yin then touched her cheek and realized that her face was wet with tears but she didn't care about that.

"You are already so big and an empress nonetheless, why are you crying so much, are you not afraid that people will mock you?!" Tao Bing Wen teased Ming Yue Yin as a result Yang Xi Ying swiftly slapped the back of his head and then glared sternly at him.

Tao Bing Wen rubbed his head with a sullen face but didn't dare to say anything.

However, Ming Yue Yin didn't seem to hear Tao Bing Wen's words for a long moment she just stared blankly, and then without saying anything she raised her back from the ground.

Seeing her strange reaction Yang Xi Ying became worried even more, and even Tao Bing Wen got worried as well, tao Bing Wen thought Ming Yue Yin would hit him after he teased her but Ming Yue Yin remains quiet which only make him feel guilty.

"Hey, you know I'm just kidding right?" Tao Bing Wen explains himself awkwardly but Ming Yue Yin ignores him.

"I had a dream...no, a nightmare" Ming Yue Yin had an expression of sad confusion on her face.

"About what?" Yang Xi Ying asked but something suddenly crossed her mind as soon as he saw Ming Yue Yin's painful expression.

"Is it about Lory?!" Yang Xi Ying's voice is tight with panic.

There's only one person that could make Ming Yue Yin look like an abandoned child and that person is Lory.

Ming Yue Yin nodded weakly then tears rolled down her face again "Xi Ying, I'm afraid…" sobs caught in her throat, Ming Yue Yin looked very sad and pitiful.

Never before in her life, Yang Xi Ying saw Ming Yue Yin so fragile and lost at that moment Yang Xi Ying felt a great pang grip her heart she immediately hugged Ming Yue Yin tightly while stroking her back "Don't think about it, this just a dream, it's not real...it's not real" Yang Xi Ying shook her head profusely even though she didn't know if she was trying to convince Ming Yue Yin or herself.

"No is not!" Ming Yue Yin shout in strangle voice, "It's different...this time it's different" she insisted while hugging Yang Xi Ying tightly.