Golden Mask

"Whoa! Calm down!" Claimed an unfamiliar deep voice, which snapped Ma Zheng Min out of his extremely emotional thoughts. "You could've cut down the tree into two pieces with the strength that you are putting into your punch."

"Who is out there? Show yourself!" Young master Ma shouted as he looked around him but there was no one and the sound of crying crickets soon took over the atmosphere so he told himself that it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He then began to walk away from the dreading scene.

At that moment, a tall slender figure suddenly jumped down right in front of Zheng Min from one of the trees next to the latter's previous hideout, causing his eyes to widened in surprise. The light caused by the celestial event shined onto a fair-skinned man with long jet black hair that was completely let down without any accessories. He was wearing a navy blue silk hanfu decorated with golden sophisticating wavy embroideries and had a golden flute by his side.

"Ma Zheng Min." Greeted the mysterious figure. He was wearing a golden mask that hid his face, making it hard to read his facial expression but young master Ma could trace a hint of malice hidden in the man's azure blue eyes. Zheng Min might not be able to see his face but he felt that the stranger's appearance was quite similar to that bastard Lin Han Xin yet at the same time not really.

"How do you know my name?" The young Great General's son looked carefully at the person in front of him, trying to figure out his identity as Zheng Min had a feeling that he has seen this man somewhere before.

"You seemed to be quite fond of young lady Bai." That remark surprised Zheng Min but he kept his expression as stoic as he could, in order to make the man erase his suspicions.

"What? No way. You must have made a mistake." The young general responded but the other man just shrugged it off with a small yet noticeable grin.

"Oh really?" The unknown person chuckled as he handed several pictures to Zheng Min. "Then explain these."

The latter's eyes widened in shock when he saw the pictures, it was photographed when him and Bai Ye Hua were sharing some sweet moments together in several different places so he realized that he couldn't deny it anymore. This mysterious man was really not simple at all.

"What do you want?" Zheng Min asked as he flipped through the pictures, only to see an intimate picture of his older brother, Ma Yi Guan at some random brothel with a couple of courtesans by his sides. The masked man quickly snatched that particular picture away from Zheng Min's hand and ripped it up into several little pieces.

"Uhh… I didn't take these photographs." He coughed awkwardly. "Anyways, how about we make a deal?" The figure proposed as he crossed his arms and stared straight into Zheng Min's heterochromatic orbs with his azure blue ones. "I will help you get young lady Bai's hands in marriage."

"And what do you want in return?" Young master Ma's dull eyes lit up with interest, seemingly tempted by the benefits from this deal.

"I will tell you when the time is right." The mysterious young man responded in a low voice, as a smirk soon plastered onto his expressionless face.

"Just who exactly are you?" Zheng Min's brows furrowed as he asked the blue-cladded man. "And how would I know that you will actually help me?"

"It is best if you do not know my name." The man took out a simple green jade pendant from his spatial ring then handed it to young master Ma who was hesitant to accept it at first. "I will help you. Just wait and see. We shall communicate through this enchanted pendant."

"Why are you even helping me?" Zheng Min really could not see a reason for this man to give him a helping hand. "What's in it for you?"

"Thank you for cooperating." The man did not say anything else as he flew back up onto the tall branches where he jumped off a while ago.

However, a sudden gush of wind blew pass him and a small book fell right in front of Zheng Min's feet. The latter picked it up and took a peek at its content out of curiosity but a small trail blood suddenly ran down from his nostrils as soon as he realised what sort of book it was so he quickly wiped it off and lifted his head up to where the blue-cladded was.

"Is this yours?" Zheng Min called out to the man with a solemn face, which made the latter look down at the book and a dash of redness soon covered his cheeks but fortunately, the foolish lovestruck boy could not see it through the golden mask.

"No! Why would I even own that?" The azure blue-eyed man quickly looked at a different direction then flew away into the night sky as fast as he could from Zheng Min who threw the book somewhere far from sight.

Zheng Min took in a deep breath then made his way back to the camping area where he was greeted with many groups of students singing happily and having fun around their own campfire while some was stilling sparring moves with each other at the training grounds. He tightened his hold onto the jade pendant giving by that man when he thought of the things he saw back in the clearings. He was following Ye Hua into the woods and wanted surprise her but he did not expect to see her with that bastard.

Lin Han Xin might be handsome and capable but he, Ma Zheng Min, was sure that he could beat that person. He would do anything to be with his beloved. Even if it means siding with some random person he just met.