Coming back to the tower

Yet when Xiao Fan had concluded everything he thought of one thing only 'Dam Romantic' He couldn't think of anything else to be the reason for her current actions.

¨You have been here doing nothing and simply waiting for me to come and rescue you?¨ His tone wasn't too happy anymore. He had been doing so much shit inside here while this girl did what? Absolutely nothing...but oh well, what could he do?

Zhuan An was also feeling this, from his tone and from his body that she had latched upon ¨Well...¨ She was thinking of something to say to him.

¨Don't worry. Everything is fine¨ But before she got any more words out Xiao Fan patted her back and then left towards the beach, her still hugging onto his body, yet as she didn't mind he didn't say anything yet.

¨Not mad?¨ Zhuan An slowly easing her grip on his back asked.

And by the time she had gotten off him and was thinking of what she had done a little, Xiao Fa responded ¨How could I be mad?¨ His tone back to the usual.

¨You did seem a little disappointed of me back there. And I have...¨ She was about to confess some of her mistakes to him, yet she was stopped from talking again.

¨There is no reason to be so. I'm already glad enough that you are fine after everything everyone has gone through. I can comfortably say that I have seen and participated in murder here by now¨ He spoke words that should ease her.

Zhuan An, understanding he wasn't mad from the fact that she had been loitering here without reason other than waiting for him to magically appear in front of her was happy and didn't ask for more, and so didn't speak before he asked her to do something.

What was he asking? Of course, he was asking her to not look as he changed, a request she did heed for a second or two before she was looking at him dressing.

An action that got a look from the person who had asked her not to do so, but again, whatever, it wasn't like she hadn't seen him yet. So after getting on his clothes on, he simply took Zhuan An with him, not saying anything of what she had done. They journeyed towards the tower that should be still under the control of Wang Geming.

On their way, Xiao Fan was briefing Zhuan An on everything he knew so far while sometimes taking out a letter that had a seal from the Queen, which let them pass through any group of cultivators trying to make any trouble or even asking them for anything. The seal on the letter seemed to hold a lot of power, or at least more than people wanted to have fun with Zhuan An travelling with him.

Xiao Fan when travelling with Zhuan An had by now certainly realised how much attention she was gathering from any passer-by, making him feel that he needed to ask for some robes either from Wang Geming or eventually from Yi Lin. He simply couldn't keep her dressed up like she was this close without having the power to defend his claim, plus there was the fact that now his identity was the Mask, so having a Rising Fox Sect disciple near him would at some point gather questions.

Thankfully telling of this plan or any of the others he had been brewing with the Second Prince went good with Zhuan An ¨You did something we actually wanted you to do¨ She even said this.

¨You mean to wait for an opportunity and act like a side character?¨ He wasn't too happy hearing this. It felt a little in bad taste.

¨Yep, for once you didn't go around the place while creating a mess. This time you went and forged a friendship with an Imperial Prince no less¨

¨Maybe I'll take you back to the sect so your father can make some adjustments¨ He made a joking threat.

¨You told me to be critical¨ She said back to him.

¨I sure did¨ He spoke as they were nearing the tower. And of course, he didn't mind Zhuan An saying something like this. Listening to one's errors was one way to improve, though it was somewhat saddening to see that even Zhuan An would say something negative of him 'I'll just need to be better' Though his reaction to that was to become so good that they couldn't complain.

¨Now you also remember that Wang Geming is a Prince. Also, remember that his buddies don't seem too friendly towards us¨ He spoke some last words before they came to the clearing.

As when there he put Zhuan An to the sidelines and first thing here he checked the place where the teleporter should be. And like he had wanted the pit the teleporter was in wasn't showing up to his eyes without him knowing where to look from.

Then the next thing was him looking for a person, yet the person himself was already coming towards him ¨Back already! I am glad of this!¨ Came the voice of Wang Geming, who had just separated from some bigger group to walk to him and welcome his friend back.

¨Everything worked out well in the end. Your mother is a smart woman like you are Prince¨ Xiao Fan also greeted the Prince, though he didn't bow, something which the Prince didn't seem to be caring of.

¨Who is she?¨ However, he before anything else took note of the woman next to Xiao Fan, who did a shy curtsey when he came over. Someone Xiao Fan knew? Most probably, he figured from the clothing that seemed to be belonging to someone from the Rising Fox Sect.

¨She's my future wife, Zhuan An. Zhuan An this is his Highness The Second Prince¨ Xiao Fan proudly spoke of her as his wife and then introduced her to Wang Geming.

¨You have a wife from the Rising Fox Sect?¨ Yet seeing the look on Xiao Fan's face, he didn't continue his question further ¨Why didn't you tell me of this?¨ He changed the question. He had seen how Xiao Fan spoke to him with his face, a face which told him that he would explain everything, later.

¨Were that close already?¨

¨Of course we are! Aren't we doing everything here together? Now tell me how did you find your wife during the trip?¨

¨I am honoured to hear this¨ And extremely pleased ¨And no worries, I didn't try to find her during my trip to the outside. I came across her while I was coming towards here, a fortunate encounter if you will¨

¨So does she speak?¨ Now having talked with Xiao Fan for a moment, Wang Geming decided that it would be good to take the woman into account. Men in the Imperial Palace didn't stand side by side with their wife if the wife had no power nor favour, so to him, this felt like a good idea.

¨I do talk your highness. I just don't have anything to talk about¨ She spoke, trying to act indifferent, yet failing a little under the pressure of knowing that the other was a Prince. Everyone wasn't like Xiao Fan, and she was one of them, so talking to a Prince made her feel uncomfortable.

'So she has favour' From these words alone, Wang Geming knew that Zhuan An was equal to Xiao Fan because of matters that concerned their hearts and not their minds ¨I'm not that scary? I'm I?¨ He could also see her being uncomfortable in a way that a servant in the palace would be.

¨The Prince isn't scary¨ However, yet again before she got more words, the same thing which had occurred so many times today came as Xiao Fan cut her from talking.

¨How have things been going on this side?¨ He took the focus of her, who wasn't liking the spotlight position.

¨Everything is going well, not as well when you were here, but hoping for such a catch to come us again is a little too much to expect¨ And again as this happened the Prince noted things to himself. Wang Geming now having stayed inside the Tomb of the Four Ancient Ones was slowly getting back to the normal ways of his and so could see things much more easily, so stuff like Xiao Fan defending her was being noted and put into the profile of Xiao Fan.

This was also the reason Xiao Fan didn't tell him about Fei Sun. If the woman next to him was Fei Sun, he might have told to look for Zhuan An, but as the women were so, he felt that Fei Sun could survive here alone, after all, she was much more of a woman who could work independently. There was no need to bring Wang Geming another piece he could keep him roped by.

¨We have been enjoying enough of the lady luck's blessing so far, expecting more from her might is too much. Now we should be focussing more on the¨ He took out the letter Yi Lin had given him ¨Things that are inside this letter¨ Wang Geming knowing what the letter was took it the while Xiao Fan was regretful to part with it like that. He would have loved to look at the text inside but it being protected by a seal made such intentions impossible.

After the letter was given to Wang Geming, there was a short pause in their conversation as he read the letter, leaving Xiao Fan to take a look at Zhuan An, who was faring better than he had seemed to moments ago 'Maybe it was just the initial uncertainty' He reasoned, and soon the conversation continued.

¨You talked to my mother about things you hadn't told me yet?¨ Having read the letter through was this the first thing he wanted to clear from the letter.

¨Some stuff yes, but only because they are helpful to us, and I didn't have the time to be talking with you concerning those plans yet¨ Xiao Fan explained why he hadn't made any talk with him concerning the building of a city and everything.

¨It's good. It is good. You have no need to be worried because everything you have talked with her seems to be things I hadn't gotten to yet with you¨ There were also statements in the letter from her mother that encouraged him to be conversing and forging a stronger friendship with Xiao Fan, making his actions even clearer. And his mother was never wrong, in his opinion.

¨Of course, I only think of stuff that will benefit both of us¨ He could already see how he was sailing himself right next to Wang Geming, who didn't seem to have anyone close to him, in terms of allies. For sure he had men listening to his commands, but he lacked in the allies compartment completely, he didn't even seem to have one man that he could trust. However, him being so made things easier for him and so he didn't complain.

¨And me knowing my mother it will take her a couple of days to get more people to come here¨ Wang Geming was also happy to have read that he would be getting more men to his aid soon, even more so since they would be people loyal to him.

¨Couple of days? That is fast¨ Xiao Fan would have thought it would take a week at best.

¨Yi Lin is a great woman. She's being wasted in the Imperial Palace, sitting there, waiting for father to come to her if he feels like it¨ Xiao Fan could hear the fury in his tone.

¨Prince, you shouldn't be talking like this¨ Xiao Fan, spoke quietly as it was possible, his body leaning towards him, reminded him that talking such things wasn't helpful at all.

Wang Geming, seeing Xiao Fan's eyes focussing past him towards the men of said father, remembered that he had gone a little too far in his words.l