_______Meanwhile on the other side at the woods...____________
Zhao Li Xin calmed himself. He tried to remember what happened after he killed his last enemy. At the time he knew he is going to die but he refused to die without taking his revenge. He couldn't die when so many of his enemies were still breathing.
Zhao Li Xin remembered someone approached him just as he was nearing death. The footsteps were light, like a woman's, a small woman to be precise. He could feel her closely staring at him. He could feel her breath and her faint scent… and her voice… He remembered her voice vividly… a soft gentle voice. He could hear her genuine concern.
There was no pretense in her words nor her touch... The small hand on his cheek... He didn't know how to describe the feeling evoked in him. He didn't know if it was curiosity… suspicion… One thing he was sure of was the fact that he needed to find her.
Zhao Li Xin took out a flare to signal his subordinates. It took a minute for a bunch of men in black clothes to arrive. They knelt before him and shouted in unison, "My Lord, forgive our negligence!!"
"Enough!!" Zhao Li Xin raised his hand indifferently as his head was filled with something else. He said impatiently, "You'll all be punished for this later. However, I need all of you to search the area and find the girl for me now!!"
"..." A hidden girl? They were stunned. It was not like they did not want to do it, but what girl were they to look for. Shouldn't the master elaborate more… what was her name and how did she look like?
"Why are you all still here?!" Zhao Li Xin shouted. He couldn't tell how long he had been unconscious. He wondered if the girl was still in the area or where she could have gone to if she left. Zhao Li Xin didn't realize that his absurd question prompted the hidden guards to search blindly for the mysterious girl. They didn't was to infuriate there lord's anger anymore.
Zhao Li Xin double-checked his wrist than sighed. The poison was really gone yet he did not remember taking any pill or elixir. He would remember that. He fought the cold poison from childhood with no success as it had started spreading to his organs. Many great alchemists or physicians had given him numerous pills and herbal baths over time with no relief. The alchemists and physicians soon gave up on him, but Zhao Li Xin had not given up on himself. He did not see why he should lay down and die leaving those who wronged him alive.
He had chosen to return to his hometown, the capital city Nanjing, in the Jiang Wei Kingdom as he had heard a rumor about a talented young alchemist living there. He chose to travel incognito as he did not trust rumors easily. He heard the alchemist was inside the prime minister's home, Lao Manor. He had gone to investigate the manor when he was ambushed by dozens of assassins.
It was normally not a problem for him to fight that number of assassins. But the cold poisoned had chosen to act up on this day giving his enemies the chance to hurt him. He felt stupid for acting recklessly. If only he had taken his shadow guards with him. However, he never liked being followed by guards. It only made him feel weak.
Someone helped him just when he thought he was going to die because of his stupidity. The person had not only saved his life but had also miraculously cured the cold poisoned. His cure allowed his cultivation to leap up to the Peak Stage of the Emperor Level. Having high cultivation meant he didn't need to eat or sleep as much as other cultivators.
He felt grateful, curious, and intrigued. He searched for his mysterious savior all over the city. At first, he thought his savior was the daughter of Prime Minister Lao, the rumor talented alchemist, Lao Min Na who was the child of the unfavoured concubine. This was quickly dismissed after months of investigation. She was not his savior. Her power was way too low at that time for her to be able to cure his illness.
Zhao Li Xin was disappointed by the results of the investigation, but he did not give up his search. He needed to find his savior. He wanted to find out why she helped him. Why she left without saying or asking for anything in return? And maybe... he just wanted to say thank you. Whatever his reason was, he became obsessed with finding her. Days passed and in a blink of an eye, a year went by.