Chapter 183: Lu Xun

"What do you mean… seeking help?"

Xing Cai quickly walked in front of Tilly as she repeated her words. Viel, who was also frozen solid due to being exposed by his sister Xing Cai about what he was feeling for the Matriarch, also instantly woke up from his stupor.

"Quick, call them up!", Viel said as he stood up from his seat.

Xing Cai's eyebrows could not help but lower. What could have happened to them? And Diao Family? Does that mean it wasn't only Diao Mei?

"Miss Xing Cai!"

The group quickly looked towards the sound of the voice, which seemed full of distress. Diao Mei's eyes were red and swollen as her tone was filled with worry. Diao Chan was behind her, and like her daughter, her face also carried significant weight.

As soon as Diao Mei saw Xing Cai, she quickly rushed towards her and hugged her. "Grandfather… grandfather is in trouble!", she bellowed.

"In trouble?", Xing Cai could not help but furrow her eyebrows.

General Diao was in the western continent to discuss the appearance of the portals. Last she checked, General Diao was currently in talks with one of the nobles there, helping them set up a new government sector similar to the Explorer's Association they have here in the Eastern Continents.

"Yes", Diao Chan stepped forward as she handed a letter towards Xing Cai, "A bird arrived with this just last night"

Xing Cai let out a slight breath as she grabbed the paper from Diao Chan's hand.

"This…"

The letter contained the General's words. Not asking for reinforcement or any form of help, but saying his farewells. They were currently trapped inside a city that has been overrun by creatures from the Portal.

At first, they could easily fight back. But then, out of nowhere, 3 more Portals appeared out of nowhere, completely surrounding the city. They have done everything they can to protect the city walls, but alas, due to the overwhelming number of their enemy, they failed.

The last contents of the letters were addressed to Diao Chan and Diao Mei, so Xing Cai immediately stopped reading and handed the letter back to Diao Chan.

"4 Portals… at once?", Princess Jin-ri could not help but cover her mouth as soon as Xing Cai read the contents of the letter, "Something like that is possible?"

"Please!", Diao Mei kneeled to the floor, "Please help them!"

Her cries reverberated throughout the whole room, even her mother, Diao Chan, also kneeled on the floor. Xing Cai quickly asked the two to get up, but still, they remained kneeling.

"You don't need to ask, you know"

It was then that Viel, who had been quietly watching from the side, started to talk. "Friends don't need to ask each other for help", he said as he lifted Diao Mei up, "Let's go to the Western Continent"

"V... viel", Diao Mei could not help but hug Viel as she heard his words that were filled with sincerity. Diao Chan also slowly stood up, sneakily wiping off the tears that trailed on her face.

"Could you be Diao's offspring?"

The group could not help but turn their head towards the loud voice that instantly changed the mood in the room. "Could it be little Diao from Taizhou City?"

Diao Mei could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at the tall woman, "You… know my grandfather?", she muttered.

Diao Mei was extremely curious. This was the first time that someone called her grandfather, whose beard had all but turned white, as little.

"I was somewhat close to his mother", Matriarch Yinji said as she placed her hand on her chin, "Now that I see it, I see a slight resemblance when I look at the two of you"

"W...what?", Diao Chan could not help but stutter. Does this woman know her grandmother? Wait…

'She does look somewhat familiar…', Diao Chan thought as she slowly walked closer to Matriarch Yinji with her eyes squinted. She tried to rack her brain, trying to scour her memory as to where she has seen this tall and beautiful woman before.

And finally, after a few seconds, her eyes opened wide, "Ah!", she bellowed as she pointed straight towards Yinji's face, "You're the woman in the painting inside my father's office!"

"..."

Just how many old men have Matriarch Yinji's painting in their rooms? Cha Jin-ri thought. Even her father, the Emperor, had Matriarch Yinji's face in his bedroom. Was she some kind of celebrity back then?

"He does?", Matriarch Yinji could not help but release a slight chuckle, "So, your father is in the--"

"This city belongs to your friend?"

Before the Matriarch could finish her words, a loud voice echoed from the outside of the room. A young man, whose hair was pulled all the way to the back, entered the room, his steps slow and his hands hidden behind his back.

"This…", seeing who it was, Diao Mei's eyebrows instantly furrowed. She almost forgot that someone else was with them.

The young man continued to walk inside, looking around inside Viel's headquarters. But then, he could not help but take a couple of steps back as soon as he saw the people in the room.

'...What is this collection of beauty!?', he howled in his mind. Every person in the room exudes beauty as he has never seen before. Even the youngest looking one, the one with the golden hair, looked like a living doll.

"Who let this guy in?", Viel could not help but furrow his eyebrows with the sudden appearance of a stranger inside his precious tower.

"This is…", Diao Mei whispered, "Lu Xun. My… my fiance", she said while slightly taking a couple of glances towards Viel to see his reaction.

"I see" Viel, however, just raised his eyebrows as he casually looked at Lu Xun, "What's up", he said while slightly nodding his head upwards.

"This is Viel…", Diao Mei said, her tone containing a bit of disappointment, "He's my friend and the owner of this city"

"What!?", Lu Xun could not help but once again take a few steps backward, "You told he was a boy!?"

"He is"

"What!?"

Lu Xun squinted his eyes as he carefully scanned Viel from head to toe. True, now that he sees it, he really was wearing clothing meant for men. But that still doesn't erase the fact that he looked like a girl. Not to mention he was surrounded by… beautiful women.

He had heard many stories of this Viel. Saying that he was unbelievably strong and might even be as strong as General Diao. He was always jealous of him whenever the people around Diao Mei tell stories about him, but seeing him now…

"He's only at the Earthen Core realm?", Lu Xun said as he looked at Viel fiercely.

Hearing this, Diao Mei could not help but blink her eyes as she also focused her attention towards Viel, "Oh, you're right!", she momentarily covered her mouth in shock, "Since when did you breakthrough to Earthen Core realm!?"

"What!?", Lu Xun almost choked from hearing Diao Mei's words, "You mean he wasn't even a cultivator before?"

What about the stories of him wiping out the Taizhou Academy's courtyard? What about him beating a member of the Azure Fist sect and the star teacher of the academy? Were they actually all lies?

"Wait!", Diao Mei shook her head, "That's not important right now! What do we do about grandfather, miss Xing Cai!?"

"It is as Viel said…", Xing Cai placed her hand on her chin, "We should go to the western continent as soon as possible. It's just that… entry would be hard"

"Hm?"

"Your grandfather went there for diplomatic reasons, that's why he could easily enter", Xing Cai let out a deep sigh, "They might not even let us inside their ports--"

"I could go with you"

Before Xing Cai could finish her words, a commanding voice interrupted her.

"Matriarch?", Xing Cai could not help but tilt her head as she looked towards Matriarch Yinji.

"I have been to the west before", Yinji casually said, "I still have contacts there, I am sure they will help us"

"R… really!?", Diao Mei could not help but run towards the Matriarch and grab her hand.

Yinji quickly nodded her head, "You don't have to worry, young one", she said softly as she patted Diao Mei's hair, "I owe your great-grandmother a great deal"

"Then…", Diao Mei looked around, "We will all go?"

"No", Princess Jin-ri quickly stepped forward, "I will watch over the city. I can't go to the western continent due to my position"

Diao Mei and Diao Chan quickly looked towards the familiar voice. And they could not help but widen their eyes when they realized that the Imperial Princess had actually been in the room with them from the start. The two quickly bowed their heads and apologized due to them not greeting her, but Jin-ri just laughed as she told the two to raise their heads.

Lu Xun, on the other hand, was now frozen solid. The boy even had the Princess by his side!?

What… kind of secret does this boy hold!?