Chapter 416 - Surprise (2/2)

”Greetings, City Lord Fu,” Ma Rong said as she bowed a little towards the man. Alex greeted him almost immediately as well. He bowed a little to show some respect.

”You are finally here, Sect Leader Ma. You cannot understand the frustration I went through by not having you available for the last 3 days,” City Lord Fu, Fu Wen said.

”My apologies. I, myself was sick for the last 3 days, so I couldn't be of any help to city lord,” Ma Rong spoke as respectfully as she could. She was so respectful that Alex started to wonder if the lord really even deserve that.

Just because he had the blood of the Royal Fu flowing through him, it didn't mean that he was in any way closely related to the current emperor or even the previous one.

That led Alex to believe that that was not the case, and he was in fact close to the current emperor.

'He's not the emperor's son, that's for sure,' Alex thought as he remembered the names of the only 2 princes of the country, and he had seen the second prince already.

There was no way the crown prince was going to become the city lord of a city so far away.

”Oh, you were sick? An Alchemist becoming sick, now that's concerning. Should we be worried in any way?” Fu Wen asked.

”Oh, not at all. It was something only relating to me. There are no reasons to worry,” Ma Rong said.

”That's fortunate,” Fu Wen said. He then turned to Alex and said, ”Junior brother, long time no see. How are adapting to being in two sects at once? Are you okay?”

”I'm very much fine, City Lord. Thank you for asking,” Alex said.

”Haha, I had to. You must have done quite a few exceptional things to be noticed like that. I see your cultivation base has jumped quite high too,” he said.

'What?' Alex's face was full of confusion. ' Is his cultivation base high enough to counter my Immortal Concealment technique?' he wondered.

'Also, is he talking about me getting that alchemy win? That shouldn't have been so noticeable,” he thought. As he thought, his eyes started to wander and it accidentally fell on the eyes of the dark-robed guard standing far behind Fu Wen.

Alex suddenly lost all thought process as he kept looking at those eyes. The guard quickly brought down her eyes, but Alex's eidetic memory didn't let him forget it.

He kept on thinking about those eyes and tried to sift through the many memories of his to find the person with those eyes. It took a while, but he finally did it.

”It's you,” Alex suddenly blurted out loud. Both Ma Rong and Fu Wen were a little surprised at the outburst.

”Ah, I'm sorry for speaking so abruptly like that,” Alex immediately apologized when he realized what he had done just now. However, his eyes still showed the shock he had felt just now.

'Guard? But how?' he couldn't help but ask himself.

”What's wrong, Yu Ming. Why did you shout?” Ma Rong asked.

”Um, the guard over there… I think I know her,” Alex said. ”However, when I saw her she wasn't a guard. Instead, she was the daughter of a noble household.”

”Huh?” Ma Rong was confused for a moment, but then remembered Alex's story about how he came back in a caravan due to a lady from a noble family thinking of him as a bandit.

”City Lord Fu, may I request that you ask that guard over there to drop her mask. I would like to know if my disciple is correct,” Ma Rong said.

”I'm afraid I can't do that, Sect Leader Ma,” Fu Wen said with an awkward smile. Ma Rong got even curious about the whole thing.

”You can't?” she asked with a slight hint of confusion.

”Haha, I wouldn't deny a request of yours for no reason, Sect leader Ma. Especially when I brought you here with a request of my own. The truth is… I do not have the authority to command her to do anything at all,” Fu Wen Said.

”Oh,” Ma Rong got more curious and asked, ”Then who does?”

”Did I hear Yu Ming's voice out there?” a voice came from behind the locked door. Clicks and clacks could be heard as the person slowly opened the door and walked out.

The first thing Alex saw was slender, white arms through see-through blue clothes, followed by a person in a light blue robe.

Alex recognized that voice from somewhere and looked at the person once she fully emerged. Alex looked in shock as he saw who it was.

Immediately, Ma Rong bowed down. Her bow this time was much deeper and more respectful than when she did it to Fu Wen.

”My greetings, your royal highness,” Ma Rong said.

The person standing in front of them was the princess of the Crimson Empire, Fu Wuying.

”Yu Ming, bow in front of the Royal princess,” Ma Rong whispered to him quite sternly.

Alex woke out of his daze and bowed down as well, saying the same greeting as Ma Rong.

”Haha,” the princes smiled. ”There's no need for that. Junior brother Yu Ming and I have been quite well acquainted during our few days in the caravan. We should be beyond such formality by now.”

Alex was confused for a second as to what she meant, but once he saw the guard behind her, everything clicked together.

Fu Wuying... Ying Wu… they were the same person all along. Alex's shock hit harder when he realized that he had been with the royal princess for nearly 3 days and he didn't even know it.

Ma Rong was shocked as well, as she had put 2 and 2 together as well. ”I apologize on my disciple's behalf if he did anything to offend you, your highness,” Ma Rong said.

”You don't need to apologize at all, sect leader Ma. Your disciple was in no way disrespectful,” Fu Wuying said with a smile.

Fu Wen turned towards Fu Wuying and said, ”Um… dear cousin. Can you cut the chitchat for later, and get to the task at hand?”