PRECIOUS PRINCESS
NINETY FIVE
"We ti-d" Xuan Lan said unfinished, prince Zhan has already cut him off.
"We want that" said Prince Zhan, pointing to something in the room. Everyone followed the direction that Prince Zhan had pointed.
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"You mean that display?" ask the woman's father.
"Yes" said Prince Zhan.
"What are you asking for gege" whispered Xuan Lan.
"Be quiet, you will know" said Prince Zhan.
The middle-aged man then took the display that Prince Zhan was referring to and brought it before them.
"This is what you mean?" asked the man to make sure and was replied to a nod by Prince Zhan.
"Where did you get this map?" ask prince Zhan.
"I accidentally saw it in the market so I bought it" said the middle-aged man.
Xuan Lan then looked at the map that Prince Zhan was referring to. His eyes began to grow bigger as he learned that it was a map to the mountain of hope.
"Zhan ge, i-this?" xuan Lan said then prince Zhan nodded as he clasped Xuan Lan's hand.
"Can we have this?" ask prince Zhan.
"certainly, sir. This map is nothing compared to the safety of our daughter. What more do you and your lady want?" ask the middle-aged man.
"none. We just want this" Xuan Lan said.
"We also need a snack" said Prince Zhan, who successfully made Xuan Lan give her to the head of Prince Zhan.
"Ohh, Lan'er is sick" prince Zhan grumbled as he stroked Xuan Lan's head.
Others just laughed then the mother of the woman asked her servant to prepare some snacks so that her guests could bring.
"This is the snack of the master and the lady. Thank you again for helping our daughter" said the woman's mother.
"You daritadi always say thank you, my ears to the heat of hearing it" said Prince Zhan.
"We are permission to leave" Xuan Lan said in her flat tone.
"Did you and your lady not want to stay here?" ask the woman's husband.
"no need. Oh yeah, if anyone asks about this map and who saved your daughter I hope you don't say anything. Let's say that the one who saved your daughter was the maid from the inn" prince Zhan told them all.
"Why sir?" ask the mother of the astonished woman.
"Just do it, this is our last request" said prince Zhan then went out with Xuan Lan and the others.
"We split up until here. You guys go back to your workplace" Xuan Lan said as she rode her horse.
"Well, reine" they replied while bowing respectfully.
"We go first" said Prince Zhan then spurring his horse along with Xuan Lan. Their men then turned the horse and his chariot so that they could return to their place.
"Your eyes are so observant that you know that the display is actually a map to the mountain of hope" Xuan Lan said.
"I was indeed born with Lan'er's keen senses" said the haughty Prince Zhan.
"I'm serious about gege" Xuan Lan said.
"I'm serious too. I was actually ordinary when I found out the map but I felt the map was not unfamiliar then I looked at the map for a long time and after I looked carefully it turned out to be a map towards the map mountain of hope" said Prince Zhan.
"Is the map exactly what you saw?" asked Xuan Lan.
"Maybe" said Prince Zhan.
"It's Lan'er, it's not that important now that we have to follow this map to get to the mountain of hope" Prince Zhan said.
"Good gege" Xuan Lan said.
"What is there really to do until you want to go to the mountain of hope?" ask prince Zhan.
"I'm confused to explain it to you. What if later? We don't know if the tree here has ears?" asked Xuan Lan.
"Yes, you're right" said Prince Zhan, then drove his horse even faster.
They chose to rest for a while near a shallow river. Xuan Lan washed her face, hands and feet with that river water, her body feeling fresher.
"Fresh" said Prince Zhan after drinking water from the river.
"We continue the journey?" asked Prince Zhan who was replied to a nod by Xuan Lan.
They rode the horse and spurred him again. They then stopped at a forest area that was quite tenuous from the trees that were huddled.
"It's getting dark. We rest here as children" prince Zhan told Xuan Lan.
Prince Zhan gathered the branches around him. He gathered the twig in the middle and then he rubbed the branches with wood so that fire could emerge from the friction of the two objects.
Xuan Lan who felt the wind had started to cool chose to ask Ran for help to light a fire, instead, he thought this was a good time to tell Prince Zhan if he actually had Ran and Kuma as well as his main goal towards the mountain of hope.
"Ran, Kuma you guys come out for a bit" Xuan Lan told the two of them.
Ran and Kuma then walked out of Xuan Lan's dimensional necklace. Xuan Lan then asked Ran to help prince Zhan light a fire.
Prince Zhan was about to shout when suddenly there was a dragon beside him but his mouth was already smothered by Xuan Lan.
"Don't yell, I'll explain everything" Xuan Lan said.
After Ran lit a fire, Xuan Lan then explained who the dragon and fox were nearby. He also explained how they met up with his star seal as well as his goal towards the mountain of hope.
He also said that he knew that the star seal was actually from Ran but it was not denied that he also knew the big secret from the god who told him first. He also shared that he was not Xiao Lan, he was Xuan Lan who was from the future.
Originally prince Zhan did not believe Xuan Lan's remark but after Xuan Lan explained the circumstances solemnly Prince Zhan finally believed. He had cried for not being able to protect his sister but Xuan Lan was already really his sister now.
"So, Xiao Lan is dead?" asked prince Zhan lirih.
"Yes, I'm sorry I just told you now. You can leave tomorrow morning if you feel cheated by me, tomorrow afternoon you will probably reach the Tang empire again" said Xuan Lan then he asked Ram and Kuma to go back into the necklace dimension.
Xuan Lan then laid her body against Prince Zhan. He could not see Prince Zhan's sad gaze as it deeply hurt his heart.
"Lan'er are you asleep?" ask prince Zhan.
"Not yet" Xuan Lan said still with her back to Prince Zhan's body.
"If I feel deceived, I feel deceived" said Prince Zhan while breathing rough.
"But I never regret ever being deceived by you" said Prince Zhan who made Xuan Lan turn her body around.
"After all you are still my sister, Xuan Lan. I love you sincerely, I will never be able to leave you alone. It was enough Xiao Lan that I let go through her days alone. I don't want to lose my sister for the second time" Prince Zhan said as he looked at Xuan Lan's face.
Xuan Lan felt overwhelmed by Prince Zhan's words. Without realizing it, her tears had already fallen. Xuan Lan was indeed violent towards her enemies but when it came to family she would become extremely weak and fragile.
Prince Zhan's cold hand wiped away the tears flowing down Xuan Lan's cheeks.
"Don't cry, I will always protect you" Prince Zhan said with a smile.
The two of them ended up sleeping with Kuma's supervision as Kuma quietly walked out of Xuan Lan's dimensional space to watch over the two of them. Moreover, he only took the form of a fox so if there were people then he would not be so surprised but it would be different again if Ran were to take care of them.
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updated at 18.01**
