The need to find him

"Help..." Lian's voice trailed off into a hoarse whisper, but her plea still echoed around the shattered dungeon, a grim testament to her perseverance.

Mason was the first to recover from his shock. He immediately rushed over to Lian, pulling a part of his robe to cover her naked and bruised body. Fiona quickly followed suit, placing her hand on Lian's chest. Her fingers glowed with a soft light, an ability she had acquired from her Noble Dragon Core Realm. The light seeped into Lian, knitting her broken flesh together and dulling her pain.

Fiona's eyes were focused, her mind completely attuned to her task. In her mind, she could see Lian's energy flow, broken and erratic. She channeled her energy, directing it towards Lian's wounds. This technique, known as Divine Dragon Restoration, required precise control and immense concentration. Fiona didn't dare let her focus waver for even a second.

As Fiona worked on healing Lian, Mason gently brushed away the strands of hair from her face, his eyes soft with concern. "What is your name?" he asked quietly, his voice tinged with tenderness.

Lian's face was pinched with pain as she looked up at Mason. "Li... Li." Her voice was faint, almost inaudible.

"Li," Mason repeated. "You are safe now, Li." He took her hand and gently squeezed it, a gesture that seemed to bring Lian peace.

She shook her head at the misunderstanding of her name, but still smiled weakly at Mason's concern. "It... It's..." Lian struggled to get her words out. She swallowed hard, a painful effort that brought tears to her eyes. She coughed as she continued. "It's Lian."

Mason's smile grew wider as he watched Lian slowly drift to sleep. "Lian," he repeated slowly. "Lian, can you tell us what happened here?" he asked in a gentle whisper, trying to bring her back to consciousness.

Lian's eyes fluttered open at his voice, and she glanced around her surroundings in confusion. She saw the devastated dungeon, the lingering echoes of the explosion, and the fear in Mason and Fiona's eyes. Her gaze fell upon her own body, the bruises and cuts already starting to heal under Fiona's touch.

"I… I was brainwashed," she admitted in a soft whisper, her voice shaking. "I just remember this feeling of being. . . forced against my will to dual cultivate… then everything exploded… Huo. . . he killed Huo. . ." Her voice trailed off again as she started to sob softly.

The trio exchanged concerned looks. "Was this the same prisoner who escaped?" Fiona asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lian gave a small nod. "Yes," she confirmed. "It was him."

Bai, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke up. Her voice was steady, but the fear in her eyes betrayed her calm façade. "Could you describe him? We need to know more about him."

At Bai's words, Lian turned to look at her. As her eyes met Bai's, she gasped in shock. The woman before her looked exactly like the one Ming had described in his whispering moments. The realization hit her like a lightning bolt, leaving her stunned.

Lian lunged at Bai, pulling her down by the collar. She whispered, her voice filled with dread, "He said… he said to find him where you two first met… he… he said something about you being connected somehow."

Bai struggled against Lian's grasp, but it was no use as Lian held on tight, her fingernails digging into Bai's skin. Lian was screaming inside as she glared at Bai, her anger at the sight of Bai burning through every part of her being.

As she relayed her fears of the siblings meeting one another, Lian's strength finally gave way, and she collapsed onto the cold dungeon floor. Bai stared at her in shock, her mind reeling from Lian's words. The truth was staring at her, and it was far from comforting. She knew where she needed to go, but the thought filled her with fear.

Despite her fear, Bai knew she couldn't hesitate any longer. She had to confront her past, face her fears, and find her long-lost brother. No matter what it took, she had to find Ming.

She gasped in shock when she felt Mason's hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and saw a look of worry etched on his face, which she returned in kind.

"You zoned out, what did she say? Did she say anything else?" he asked with a concerned frown.

Bai shook her head slowly as she tried to keep herself calm. "No, she just said the prisoner is dangerous and possible locations he could take refuge in while cultivating," she managed to whisper through trembling lips. "Just that."

'Liar!' Mason shouted in his mind, his fury almost tangible as he gritted his teeth while struggling to stay calm.

Mason was silent for a few moments as he considered the implications of Lian's words he had happened to hear with ease. He took a deep breath as he tried to keep his temper in check, but he knew Lian was right.

'There's no rule that states I can't kill those who I slept with,' he thought bitterly as his hand behind him unconsciously glowed. 'I mean, I get no punishment for doing so, right?'

[No, but you need to know the reason she lied. Remember there is still an enemy at large, and you still need to cultivate it to reach your goal so be patient and wait for an opportunity to strike while she is not paying attention or distracted with her own worries]

Mason took another deep breath and released his hold on his aura as he tried to calm himself. Pretending to play along with Bai's lies wasn't going to be easy. But it had to be done. He needed to keep his cool if he wanted to find this Ming who didn't need saving in the first place.

With a wave of his hand over Lian's unconscious figure, her body slowly disintegrated into light particles which dispersed into the air.

"What did you do?" Bai asked in disbelief as she turned back to face him.

"Relax, she was transported to an infirmary to recover. I can't deal with dead weight on my hands, some idiots might mistake me for the culprit." Mason said with a wave of his hand, dismissing her question.

"We should go," Mason said calmly as he walked past Bai, pulling Fiona by the hand as he continued speaking. "It's time to meet my dearest soon-to-be mother-in-law."

*****

Author's Note

~ Do you think Bai has some ulterior motives here?

~ Why do you think Mason needs to see the Empress?

If you've read this far, please give a review, I'm currently low on this part of the ratings.

400 power stones=3 bonus chapters, if I get a huge turn up, I can dish out more chapters (aside the usual 2-3) in a day.