Path of the Lilies: Early Beginnings

"General, here's the medicine," Wang Jun brought a bag to Mu Hong. His expression was contorted for he was unable to accept that his master got wounded this terribly.     

Mu Hong took the bag calmly. "Wang Jun, are you still thinking that it's not worth it?"     

Because of his action to not deploy the soldiers to help out Wei Shang, the Imperial Family was angry. If only the soldier chased after Ye Ai Xia, they would not lose the track of that woman like they did now. Since Wei Shang was busy battling the woman, the highest command fell into Mu Hong's hand.     

His command was deemed unsuitable, thus earning him a large punishment from the Imperial Family.     

Wang Jun looked at Mu Hong worriedly. "But General, they cut down your salary."     

"I never needed that much money."     

"And you have to bear the punishment…"     

"I'm strong, Wang Jun," Mu Hong laughed. With his martial arts, this tiny bit of punishment was not much. Even though he couldn't do much because he had pledged to serve the country, he still couldn't let them kill Ye Jiao and her mother.     

Over the past one year, he knew how the two girls have grown closer. He was not that heartless to let an eight-year-old girl die just like that. All he could do was give them a chance to get out of this country by withholding the military soldiers.     

"Master…"     

Wang Jun felt helpless when he saw his master like this. Even though he agreed with Mu Hong's decision, he was angry at the reactions the Imperial Family had. They were putting the blame on his master.     

If not because they still needed the man's military prowess for help , Wang Jun was sure that they might have taken Mu Hong's life away. It was good that his master's capability let him stay in his position.     

"Oh? Mu Xin has finished forming her core," Mu Hong turned his head to the training room. He was watching his daughter attentively over the past few days along with Wang Jun to make sure that there was nothing wrong. Every single misstep might be fatal because it was the very beginning of their journey as Eon Energy Master.     

From the training room, Mu Xin slowly walked out. Her body didn't change much, but it was clear that she was far stronger than before. The Eon Energy in her body has also stabilized.     

"Father, I have succeeded," Mu Xin reported somberly.     

Mu Hong nodded his head. "Good."     

"Is there anything I have to do, Father?"     

"I'll pass you the circulation method," Mu Hong said. "You need to stabilize your rank first."     

"Yes, Father."     

Mu Xin glanced at Wang Jun, but he avoided her gaze. Her brows furrowed. "What happened during the time I'm forming my core?"     

"Nothing had happened," Mu Hong lied immediately. His expression and tone didn't change in the slightest. For him, it was easy to manipulate his body language to make sure that no one could read it.     

However, Mu Xin didn't look at her father. She was staring directly at Wang Jun. When she walked out, she saw that this man seemed to be avoiding her gaze. There must be something that happened during the time she was forming her core.     

"Jun Ge," Mu Xin called out.     

Wang Jun turned his head. He forced a smile out of his mouth. "There wasn't anything that happened, Miss Mu."     

"You're lying."     

"I'm not," Wang Jun's smile stiffened. He knew that this little girl had the capabilities to detect when he lied. This was the reason he tried to stay away from the girl's gaze.     

Mu Xin narrowed her eyes. "Is it related to Ye Jiao?"     

Wang Jun didn't reply. His expression changed subtly and Mu Xin was not an idiot to miss the change. Her mind worked hard as she thought of every possible situation that could have occured.     

"Where's Ye Jiao?"     

Her chilly voice rang in the room, sending chills to Wang Jun. She might be at a lower rank compared to him, but her disposition has always been extremely cold. At times, it might even instill fear when they heard her talk.     

Mu Hong sighed. "No one knows where she is."     

"Father?"     

"There was an incident in the capital a few days ago," Mu Hong replied. Seeing how Mu Xin was concerned about Ye Jiao, he was glad that this girl was inside the training room, forming her core. If she found out that something happened to Ye Jiao, this girl might not be rational enough to not move out to help.     

He proceeded to tell the girl everything that had happened in the capital. In the meantime, he could sense the temperature in the room dropped even further. It was apparent that the girl was angry and sad at the same time.     

"Father, I'll go search for Ye Jiao," Mu Xin said somberly.     

"I can't let you out. Unless you have reached rank 1, I'll never let you out in the forest," Mu Hong said firmly. He was very clear that the beasts outside the capital were strong. The weakest one of them all would be able to kill normal people with ease. Even if they had formed their core, it didn't guarantee their safety.     

"But Father…"     

"Reach rank 1 and I'll let you out with Wang Jun," Mu Hong said.     

Mu Xin furrowed her brows. The chilly aura around her intensified as she looked at her father. "It'll be too late."     

"The soldiers didn't manage to find her over the past few days. Do you think you will be able to find her if you get out now?"     

Her father's words made sense. Many people were already going out, trying to search both Ye Jiao and her mother. So far, there was no trace of them at all. It was as if the two of them disappeared from the earth.     

"I don't think so," Mu Xin admitted.     

Mu Hong nodded his head. "Focus on getting stronger, Mu Xin. I'll let you search for her when you're strong enough."     

"Yes, Father," Mu Xin balled her finger to a fist. She felt helpless of her situation right now. No matter how much she wanted to help, she knew that her current self didn't have the power to do that. All she could do was train and train again to become strong.