NoGift

ARGENT was walking towards Lei Feng's courtyard with a servant boy guiding her there. After getting that information about the legend of the Temple of Tian Long possibly originating in a small fishing village called Hangzhou, Argent wanted to go there immediately to check the place. Thus she needed to talk to Lei Feng about their travel arrangements since he's the one who's supposed to supervise her and her sister during their supposed search for location. So they could leave as soon as possible.

While walking, Argent's thoughts were still filled with the new informations she got. The map that her father took that could possibly lead to a place called the Temple of Tian Long. And when there's a map, there would definitely be a treasure. Based on the name of the temple itself, it probably had something to do with the dragon race. Then there was the favorite jewelry of the Elven queen. Which directly connected to the elves. If she went with those two points, then, most probably, there was a third one. A treasure connected to the beast kins.

Three treasures that were potentially related to the long lost three mythical races, something like those should have been widely known to the world. But in more than seven years that Argent stayed in this world, she'd never once heard about it. Even her mother didn't think that the treasure her father was looking for were connected to those three races. Because if she did, then she wouldn't have spent seven years just to track down a single clue. A clue that someway or another lead to her abduction.

Argent was more sure of that now. Since that clue definitely had something to do with those treasures. The clue that her mother found might be so crucial that it could lead to the location of one of those treasures. So they kidnapped her. But why brought her to Xing? It stood to reason that the clue she found should be connected to the Elven queen's favorite jewelry. Since she was at Sarmatia at the time. So then why?

Argent pinched the bridge of her nose. All these speculations without any real solid evidence was making her head hurt. She took a deep breathe. For now, they should go to Hangzhou as soon as possible and learned more about that legend. Maybe that could give more pertinent information that would eventually lead them to her mother's abductors.

A little while later, Argent arrived at Lei Feng's courtyard. She just noticed now that the courtyard was quite far from other courtyards of this household. It's almost isolated. Thinking of Lei Feng's character, he probably just liked the quiet. After the servant boy announced her arrival, he politely excused himself and left her there. Then she heard footsteps rushing from inside the courtyard. The sliding door opened and Lei Feng came out.

He was only wearing a loose inner robe, showing a wide expanse of muscular chest. His long black hair was disheveled, giving him a kind of wild look. If a normal woman was in front of him right now, their face would surely be blushing by now because of the overflowing male hormone he's spreading. But too bad for him, Argent was not exactly one would call 'normal'.

"Did you just wake up?" Argent asked.

"No." Lei Feng actually just returned. Because of what happened at Zhi Qing Hua, he needed to soak himself on a nearby lake for the rest of the night just to lower his body temperature and reduce the effect of whatever that courtesan did to him. It took a long while before he actually calmed down. That's why he only returned just now. "Please, come in." He gentured for her to come in and both of them entered the outer room of his courtyard. "Please, wait a bit while I change into a more proper clothing."

Argent nodded and sat down. It didn't take long before Lei Feng came out of the courtyard's inner room. He was now wearing his signature simple black robe.

"Do you need me for something?" he asked, then sat down accross Argent.

"Yes, actually. I came to talk to you about our travel arrangements. I decided on our first destination. Hangzhou."

"Hangzhou?"

Lei Feng took a map from his space ring and spread it on the table in front. He looked for Hangzhou and saw that it was a small village in the Southern region, barely even worth noticing. So why did Argent want to go there? No, the more accurate question was how did she even know of such a small village?

Argent, of course, also saw Hangzhou from the map. Based on the distance from the capital, it might take them weeks to arrive there. Time they didn't have. They already wasted so much time travelling from Albion to here. She couldn't continue spending all that time travelling again. Since she already acquired the seal that would allow her to enter anywhere in Xing, it's probably best to use her flying car to go there.

She looked at Lei Feng. But would it really be safe to use the flying car with this guy around? Argent was not at the point where she could fully trust him with the knowledge of her other inventions. Should she gamble then? That he would not use it against her?

Then Argent remembered that talk they had on the ship during that thunderstorm. He didn't hesitate to admit to her the truth about his double Gift. Even telling her that he wouldn't let the two of them become enemies. "Hey, those words you said to me on the ship, about you not letting the two of us become enemies, could I trust those words?"

Lei Feng looked straight at Argent's eyes. His obsidian black eyes meeting her purple ones. Instead of answering her question, he said, "I, Zhang Lei Feng, vow to Gaia that under no circumstances would I ever be enemies with Argent Blackbourne."

That actually took Argent by surprised. She never expected him to actually make a vow. Something that he could never break unless he died. Argent couldn't understand this unfounded confidence he had. But if it's to her advantage, then who was she to complain? "I understand. Then would it be okay to leave for Hangzhou tomorrow?"

"That wouldn't be a problem."

"Good." Then Argent suddenly thought of something. "Was there any backlash from what happened last night at the brothel?"

"None so far. I don't think the owner of Zhi Qing Hua would dare make trouble for me after what her brother just did."

"True enough." In this case, it was more accurate to say that the people of Zhi Qing Hua would do everything to please Lei Feng than angering him any further. "But why would the fourth prince even ask for a male courtesan for you? Could it be because the both of you really do swing that way?" She was really a bit curious about that.

Argent saw Lei Feng's ear tips turning red at a lightning speed. "No! I only like one person. No matter what the gender of that person is, it has nothing to do with my preference. Because I only like that person."

She stared at those red ear tips and just realized something. The reason why his ear tips turned red sometimes was because he was shy. Just like how he averted his gaze whenever he lied, his ear tips also turned red whenever he's shy. Argent suddenly felt a bit foolish, not realizing that until now.

"You must really like this person then," Argent commented.

"Yes," he answered without hesitation, a small smile on his face.

Then there was a sudden knock on the screen door. Lei Feng stood up to open it. One of his dark guards - An Er - was kneeling outside.

"What is it?" Lei Feng asked.

"Master, a messenger from the palace came. The Empress sent an invitation to Lady Aurum Blackbourne, asking her to come to Fenghua Palace tomorrow."

That made Argent stand up. "What?"