CROWN PRINCE'S CONCUBINE

410 Too Late

Luo Xiang turned to Bai Ying who was looking at him without blinking, he flicked the young man’s forehead in exasperation.

Bai Ying whimpered while holding his forehead.

“Aww, it’s hurt”

“This brat, everything can be made up, do you really believe in her completely? Are you sure that girl isn’t keeping any secret from you?”

Bai Ying thought until he pursed his lips.

“Erm, is she hiding something?”

The young man looked very serious in thought. Until scratched his head confused. Luo Xiang rolled his eyes upwards.

“heh this innocent child”

...

.....

The sky was still a little dark, towards morning when Bei Yau and Su Lang stopped their horses in the middle of the main road of the small village of Yam.

Bei Yau and Su Lang’s horses had just arrived in front of the village’s main road which could only fit their two horses when they heard a commotion from the direction of the small road they were about to go.

“Fire! Fire!” shouted residents who ran from there.

Many citizens coming from that direction, Bei Yau and Su Lang looked at each other, for some reason Bei Yau had a bad feeling.

He stopped one of the youths running beside him.

“Eh, pardon me, but, what happened?” he asked.

The young villager man pointed towards the front road where the residents were running from.

“There, Master, all the way from the old man’s Lo house to other houses has burned down, and the fire keeps spreading it hasn’t stopped,” replied the young man in a panic.

Bei Yau widened his eyes.

“Old man Lo’s house? Do you mean the house at the end of the road? Burnt?” asked Bei Yau. The village youth nodded.

“That’s right Young Master, old man Lo’s house is completely destroyed and razed to the ground, the fire is so great.”

Bei Yau immediately pulled the reins of his horse.

“Oh no, thank you, young man, let’s go Guard Su” without thinking too long, the guard stomped the reins of his horse towards the fire whose smoke could be seen soaring in the sky of the mauve morning sun, while everyone was running away.

“Hiaaa Hiaa!!”

The two big horses steadily ran towards the end of the road. Bei Yau’s face was worried. They might be too late.

......

Morning atmosphere in the backyard of the Li family’s bungalow.

On the front porch of the room located on the second floor of the bungalow, two maids could be seen combing Bai Ying’s long shiny hair gently. Strands of thick and shiny hair that slightly parted in the gentle wind. The two young maidservants smiled while keeping o serving Bai Ying excitingly, the two of them making long braids, long down to the waist from the bun on the top of his hair.

“Young master’s hair is very smooth, really nice to hold it,” said one of the maids, the other one nodded.

“Yes, it’s so soft and beautiful.”

The maids chuckled as if teasing Bai Ying who was blushing so much that he couldn’t hide his blushing cheeks.

“You girls are really sweet-talkers, just like Yan and Bi.” When he remembered his two maids who had not seen each other for a long time, Bai Ying frowned.

“Heh, Ying misses them so much.”

The young man lowered his shoulders languidly thinking that he really missed everyone until suddenly his eyes lit up red, and a scream sounded in his head.

“Arrgghhh!”

Bai Ying raised his hands to cover his ears.

“Ah!”

The maids’ surprises.

“Young master what’s wrong?”

Just as the Crown Prince was approaching from outside.

“Ying, what’s wrong?” asked the Crown Prince anxiously, he waved his hand to disperse the two maids to leave them.

Bai Ying raised his head, and Luo Xiang widened his eyes at the pair of young men’s eyes which shone brightly.

“Your Majesty”

It was as if nothing had happened, but Bai Ying clearly felt something very strong in his chest, as if something trying to communicate with him, just like when he entered A Er’s mind.

Bai Ying held the Crown Prince’s hand tightly.

“Your Majesty, something bad just happened”

......

Bei Yau and Su Lang stood in front of the charred and almost empty room, it was near noon and the fire had finally been extinguished. Several village security officers came to help and evacuate victims due to the roaring fire that mercilessly devoured several houses in the residential block.

Bei Yau glanced at Su Lang, then turned his head towards the two blackened bodies lying on the floor, from the rest of his clothes and hair, most likely they were old man Lo and his servant a Cu. Su Lang looked at Bei Yau with big eyes, immediately the young bodyguard knew what he had to do, by running towards the backyard.

“Oh no, Xiao Hong”

Bei Yau lowered his body to examine the old man Lo’s body whose face was blackened with a pair of eyes still wide open, he definitely didn’t die from being caught in a fire, there was still blood dripping from his nearly slash off neck.

The bodyguard didn’t need to check his pulse, it was certain that the old man was lifeless with his body and clothes still slightly emitting smoke from the remnants of the fire that burned around him. The man’s hand, whose position was face down on the floor, was tightly clenched as if he was holding something very important and he refused to let go even until the end of his life.

The man’s hands were already stiff, clenched so tightly that his fingernails pierced his palms skin slightly, Bei Yau managed to open it and saw something that was very important to him to keep a hold on.

Su Lang ran from the backyard.

“Guard Bei, Xiao Hong is gone”

Bei Yau knew that, of course, all of this must-have happened because of Xiao Hong, because Huo Li might have found his hideouts and taken the bird away but, was there any need to kill this very old man and his helpless servant? For the sake of taking the bird?

Bei Yau stood up. He swung his hand at several village security officers who were nearby to quickly evacuate the two bodies.

Su Lang approached and saw what was in Bei Yau’s hand now, something resembling a jade carving that was no bigger than a coin. The shape of the whitish-green jade carving was like something Bei Yau was quite familiar with, he had seen it recently.

“Guard Bei, here”

Bei Yau raised his head, his eyes flashing.

“Yes bodyguard Su, what do you think, might be right”

Not long after that.

Bei Yau and Su Lang brought old man Lo’s body and his servant back to the Li family mansion because big master Li Mo knew old man Lo, so he might have a funeral ceremony he deserved it because all of the old man Lo’s relatives lived far apart, it would be a long time before they come back to holding a funeral for him.

It was late at night in the Li family’s large residence, in one of the empty rooms of the Li family’s main house.

Li Mo stood in front of old man Lo’s cold body, the old man wiped the tears he couldn’t help but fall, how come he not? The old man in front of him was like his own father, because he also raised him before he went out to wander outside the house, and, he deeply regretted not being able to persuade the man to live with him, to spend his old age in this big house.

Li Mo wiped his tears, he held the cloth used to clean old man Lo’s face which was blackened by the embers.

“Heh, uncle, hopefully, uncle can rest in peace there, heh, if you meet your father, please convey greetings from me, heh, uncle” the man lowered his head on the cold forehead of old man Lo. He closed his eyes trying to hold back the tears.

Not long after, the house servants came and immediately helped with the funeral procession, while Master Li Mo returned to the living room where the Crown Prince and the others were waiting.

Luo Xiang sat on his chair very quietly. Enjoying tea very elegantly like what he always does. Bei Yau and Su Lang were already standing behind him and Bai Ying. The young man saw Master Li Mo enter and sat not far in front of him.

“Check” the sound of the teacup slowly being placed back on the table.

Luo Xiang waved his hand at Bei Yau who was behind him.

The young bodyguard took something out of his hand and handed it in front of Master Li Mo. The man frowned at what the young bodyguard was thrusting in front of him.

“Master Li”

Li Mo opened his eyes wide, he recognized the remains waist hanger that he slowly picked up, and looked at Bei Yau, and at the Crown Prince, confused.

“This, where did the Guard Bei Guard?” Li Mo asked.

Luo Xiang calmly sat cross-legged. Looking at Li Mo was a bit sharp.

“According to uncle?”

Li Mo stuttered, from the look in Luo Xiang’s eyes, it was as if the young man was accusing him of something.

“Eh This..”

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