The Princess And The Lord

Lory didn't know what Zhao Li Xin was thinking. She took out Zhao Li Xin's favorite wine from her ring and served him some once she was done preparing her tea. She then moved her head closer to her husband, "Li Xin, there something you need to know about Mo Ning Yuan. She has been stealing other people's life force. This could be the reason her cultivation is high…" 

"Lifeforce?" Zhao Li Xin frowned.

"Yes, do you know any practice that allows a practitioner to do that?" Lory looked at him with concern.

Zhao Li Xin rubbed his lips with his long fingers while his eyebrows wrinkled, "I heard something once but it was only a myth. I'm also not sure if it is true or not. Those who practice this art are able to raise their cultivation rapidly but there's a downside to it. One is a person becomes a nymphomaniac as they can't control their urges, and the second thing is they become infertile."

"Aah… That could explain why she and her subordinate have some kinda relationship. She can easily use him as a vessel for releasing her urges," Lory nodded as she now understood Mo Ning Yuan's promiscuous behavior. "But I wonder…. What about the victims? Shouldn't they feel some discomfort when this happens?

"The side effect of her victims is addiction. The victims become addicted to her and would readily take themselves to the slaughterhouse as they would have lost the power to reason clearly."

"This power weakens their minds…?" Lory muttered as she realized this could be the reason the demon parasite easily infiltrated the old man. She also wondered if Miss Mo wished to turn them into her puppets.

Her thoughts came to a stop as there was a problem with her new line of thinking. The demon parasites were controlled by Lazarus. It made her wonder where Lazarus was and why the demon would choose to help Mo Ning Yuan. Was the demon craving Mo Ning Yuan's soul? However, she highly doubted this as Lazarus loved strong, powerful, and tortuous souls like the way she was in the past.

"Lory, what's wrong? You look pale. Are you sick?" Zhao Li Xin placed his palm on her forehead.

'Should I tell him, right now?' Lory bit her lips and shook her head slowly. She smiled, "Nothing…" 

Lory shifted her gaze back to the wall as she lamented. Today was not the day to tell him. She took a deep breath and spoke to the subordinates, "Tell me what you are both thinking about. Don't be afraid to say anything as no one will judge you!"

Mong Gui and Yu Rui nervously exchanged glances. Mong Gui sneaked a glance at Zhao Li Xin who was calmly drinking his wine and spoke bravely, "Uhm… I doubt Mo Ning Yuan poisoned her own brother as their relationship was very close. Mo Ning Yuan was much closer to Mo Xin Gi than her own parents. She would not have deliberately killed her own brother."

Lory nodded, "You are right. There's a chance she was oblivious about it…"

"…But where did she get the drug? It is not common and even I had never heard about Xan Bu Wan before," Yu Rui jumped in once she was sure her Lord wasn't against them voicing their thoughts.

"Li Xin, is the drug very rare?" 

"Yes. No one makes this kind of drug anymore. It is difficult to concoct the drug and no one wants to purchase such a dangerous drug. There are other better options out there if one wants to raise their cultivation," Zhao Li Xin responded as he sipped his wine.

"Maybe Xie Hua Ling gave the drug to Mo Ning Yuan but I don't know how he persuaded her to secretly drug Mo Xin Gi?" If this was true, Lory wondered how he persuaded a loving sister to give her beloved brother a strange drug. Lory would never have given Lucas any strange drug. The least she could have done was to give Fred and Jay to ensure it was safe first.

"When did Mo Xin Gi start becoming overprotective of his sister?" Lory glanced at Yu Rui as she asked.

"Uhm… They were always close since they were both children. This is according to the nanny who raised Mo Ning Yuan. The siblings were inseparable as they even slept in the same bed. Madam Mo forced them to sleep separately when Mo Xin Gi was nine years old but there was an uproar. The nanny told me young master Mo broke many things in a fit of anger. This scared his mother who called her husband to deal with Mo Xin Gi."

"A mother scared of her own son?" Lory frowned with shock. A son's position was higher than that of a daughter in this world. Women who gave birth to son's tended to dote on them more than they would their daughters because of this kind of thinking. "What happened next?"

Yu Rui shrugged, "Nothing happened. Mo Xin Gi's father made him kneel in the ancestor's room for two days as punishment. Mo Xin Gi also apologized to his mother and everything was back to normal again."

"Did they sleep in different rooms after this? How did he act around his sister after this?" Lory couldn't help but feel anxious as she hoped it was not what she thought it was.

"Yes, they lived in different courtyards after this and his attitude towards Mo Ning Yuan didn't change. The nanny said Mo Xin Gi only became more overprotective with his sister. He was more involved in Mo Ning Yuan's life more than her own mother. He chose her dress, jewelry, the books she read among other things. He dictated every little decision that involved his sister. It's weird, isn't it? The nanny was also uncomfortable with Mo Xin Gi's exaggerated attention towards his sister."

Mong Gui and Zhao Li Xin frowned deeply when they heard Yu Rui's explanation while Lory rubbed her face with exasperation. She then looked up and grunted. Lory had seen how close siblings interact with each other in this world with Yuan Shao and Yuan Xue An being perfect examples.

Yuan Shao adored his sister but he never stuck to her like glue. He also didn't interfere with her personal life too much. He only hoped for Yuan Xue An to become stronger and independent as he did not want to keep worrying about her. Mo Xin Gi's behavior, on the other hand, was the opposite. His love for his sister was like an obsession.

"Let me guess… Mo Ning Yuan had no close friends and she was not even close to her parents. She also never left her courtyard without her brother. She had to ask her brother's permission if she needed to do anything," Lory squinted.

Yu Rui vigorously nodded, "Yes, young madam. How did you know?"

Zhao Li Xin got worried when he saw Lory's agitation. He stroked Lory's back to calm her down, "There – there… What made you so anxious? Did you realize something?"

Lory let out a long sigh and looked at Zhao Li Xin with a disgusted expression, "I think Mo Ning Yuan and Mo Xin Gi had an incestuous relationship."

A pin-drop silence followed as they all looked at Lory with a dumbfounded expression. Lory could understand their reaction as it was hard to swallow. Incest was a big taboo but sadly it still happened. She continued, "I don't know how long the incestuous relation was going on but I'm sure Mo Xin Gi's feelings for Mo Ning Yuan were beyond the brother-sister feelings. I believe Mo Ning Yuan was groomed by Mo Xin Gi since she was a child as he made her so dependent on him. She might not have realized it was wrong until it was too late…" 

"Are you sure?" Zhao Li Xin found it hard to believe. He, who hated woman, in general, couldn't imagine lusting over his own sister. The act was beyond disgusting. It was a heinous sin.

"I am not very sure since this type of crime is not easy to prove, not mentioning the fact that Mo Xin Gi is already dead!" Lory sipped her tea to calm herself down. She tapped her teacup with her index finger. "Perhaps…Xie Hua Ling knew about this as he was close to Mo Xin Gi and he also had an intimate relationship with Mo Ning Yuan. It would be weird if he didn't know anything…"

"He may have used this to blackmailed Mo Ning Yuan…" Zhao Li Xin chimed in.

"…Or he became the hero who saved the beauty," Lory tilted her head.

Zhao Li Xin's lips curved slightly, "He might have knocked some senses into Mo Ning Yuan head about her brother's aberrant tendency. He might have told her he would save her as he couldn't stop Mo Xin Gi."

"By killing her own brother?" Lory doubted the theory.

"Won't you have felt angry if you were Mo Ning Yuan?" Zhao Li Xin asked in confusion.

"Yes! I'll be mad if I was raised in a normal society as I would be taught the social norms that apply in society, but Mo Ning Yuan was dissociated from the norm. Her brother made her pure and oblivious about the world around her. He made himself her one and only world. This is why I don't think she would kill Mo Xin Gi. She must have loved him as twisted as it may sound."