Chapter 150: 7) The Zhao Family!
Zhao Ling nervously walked ahead with sweat-covered palms, guiding Bai Lung around on his random stroll.
She couldn't calm herself no matter how hard she tried... she worried that she might offend the Young Lord by making some untoward action unknowingly, she couldn't even explain things without fear.
She felt as if she were a commoner chosen by the Emperor as his guide... One misstep and her entire bloodline will be six feet below the ground.
Life is like an apple, sometime it falls on a random person's head.
Bai Lung seemed to be wandering around aimlessly, but he was considering many matters in his mind.
Finally, he decided to pass some remarks.
"Lady Zhao Ling, you needn't be this nervous. Learn from your best friend Saintess here, not only is not afraid of me, but she has also learned to talk back to me now," He said as if mocking Saintess.
Hearing all this, Zhao Ling looked slightly stunned.
Zhao Ling looked at Saintess with wide eyes, surprised to hear her speaking so casually to Bai Lung.
The Young Lord was right, her friend did not appear to be nervous or intimidated by him at all, in fact, she had even begun to argue with him.
She didn't quite catch that Bai Lung was simply mocking saintess for her growing bold nature.
Zhao Ling couldn't believe it. She had always been the more timid one, while Saintess was the one who was bold and fearless.
Feeling self conscious, Zhao Ling looked down at the ground and fidgeted with her fingers.
"I-I'm sorry... I can't help it," she said softly.
Bai Lung noticed her nervous behavior and couldn't help but feel intrigued.
Zhao Ling's shyness was endearing, and it made him want to tease her even more for a moment where he was free from his usual villain self.
"No need to apologize... Such things are common," he said, his voice smooth and steady.
"But why are you so nervous around me? I am not some man eating animal..."
Zhao Ling looked up at him, her eyes wide and unsure.
"I-I just... I'm not used to being around someone as powerful and intimidating as you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Deep down she knew more than that, she was still a maiden with no marriage contract on hold so, it's clear her father wished her to develop something with him.
But!!!!
She felt small and insignificant beside him, like a tiny bird standing next to a majestic dragon.
She too wished for a husband with a powerful and domineering nature from a powerful background. It's like a dream husband.
Yet something was still bugging her that couldn't be expressed.
...
All while,
Bai Lung chuckled at her response, amused by her timid demeanor.
"You're not the first person to feel that way," he said, his tone casual. "But I assure you, I don't bite,"
He took a step closer to her, his eyes studying her features intently.
Zhao Ling took a step back, her heart racing as Bai Lung closed the distance between them.
She could feel the heat radiating off his body, and she was acutely aware of his presence. Her palms were sweating and she fidgeted with her sleeves, trying to distract herself from the butterflies in her stomach.
Bai Lung noticed her nervous movement, and he found it amusing.
He reached out a hand and gently lifted her chin so that she was looking up at him directly. With their faces only inches apart, he spoke again.
"You're shaking," he said, his voice low. "You're not scared of me, are you?"
Zhao Ling's heart raced even faster as he touched her chin, and she swallowed hard.
She could feel his breath on her face, and she couldn't help but dart her eyes down to his lips for a brief moment before looking away.
"I-I-I..." she stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Bai Lung chuckled again, enjoying the effect he was having on her.
He could see the way she was looking at his lips, and he knew he was making her nervous. He leaned in even closer, his hand now on her waist.
"You're quite cute when you're nervous," he said, his voice a low murmur.
Zhao Ling felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was acutely aware of the fact that he had his hand on her waist.
She couldn't believe that the powerful and intimidating Young Lord was standing so close to her, their bodies nearly touching.
Bai Lung found her bashful expression endearing, and he couldn't help but tease her a little more.
He let his hand slide down her waist, his fingers trailing gently across her hip.
"You really are easy to fluster, aren't you Young Miss Zhao Ling?" he said with a smirk.
"Mmmm! Gasp!"
Zhao Ling gasped softly as his finger trailed across her hip, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
She was painfully aware of every point of contact between them, and she found herself lost in his gaze, she couldn't bear herself to push him away.
She tried to respond, but all that came out was a soft, incoherent mumble.
Bai Lung couldn't help but grin at her reaction.
He could see that she was slowly losing her ability to speak, and he found it amusing. He took a step closer to her, their bodies now almost pressed against each other.
"I think I'm starting to enjoy making you flustered," he said, his voice a low whisper.
"But I do believe Young Miss Zhao Ling to be smart and sharp-witted... I guess, you know, why your father allowed you to be my guide," He said this time in a cold serious tone.
Seeing his sudden change in tone, her embarrassed and flushed deep red face turned formal.
"Umm! I am well aware about it..." she responded weakly.
"I see... If your father wished me to take fancy on you, it must be safe to assume you are a talented Individual, since you are also a friend of Saintess, I am fighter more interested. However, let me tell you the real reason for our visit..."
Saying that, he pulled saintess's closer to him, his hands on her waist... Ling'r didn't have any hesitation or confusion having his arm on his waist.
"Recently multiple devils are appearing... I and saintess here had arrived here to catch some devils and not to evaluate some people for emperor's guards or servant," Bai Lung added.
"Ehhh?" Zhao Ling raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
"W-What... Young master isn't here to evaluate servants?" she questioned.
"Correct... We are not here to recruit servants, however, I will try to recommend some to the emperor with my family name as compensation to servants. However, based on my evaluation, I found this servant named Wang quite strange, he was using techniques different from other servants, it seems he must be a loved one...."
"Huh?" suddenly a fuse inside her brain sparkled as she also recalled how the techniques used by Wang weren't something taught in their family.
She suddenly remembered Bai Lung's words about the devil popping here and there.
She tried to shake that feeling away but she couldn't.
She personally didn't like him but the thought of him being a devil wasn't sure inside her head.
Bai Lung watched Zhao Ling's eyes as she tried to process the information he had just given her.
He could see the gears turning inside her head, and he knew that she was starting to put the pieces together.
"You seem to have a thoughtful expression on your face," he said, his tone casual. "Something on your mind?"
Zhao Ling swallowed hard, trying to hide her growing suspicion towards Wang.
"N-No, nothing on my mind," she stuttered, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'm just processing everything you've just told me."
But deep down, she knew that there was something off about Wang's techniques. And Bai Lung's words about devils only further fueled her suspicions.
Bai Lung chuckled at her obvious lie.
"Hmm Young Miss Zhao can't possibly try to hide it from me, will she?" he said, his tone playful.
"I can see the wheels turning inside your head. You're thinking about Wang, aren't you? And the fact that his techniques are not something taught to regular servants... Since, you teach the servants occasionally, I wanted to ask about Wang,"
Zhao Ling felt a pang of guilt at being caught in her lie.
"I-I..." she started to protest, but then she realized it was futile.
She sighed and looked down, her expression sheepish. "Yeah... I'm thinking about Wang. And his weird techniques. I just can't shake the feeling that there's something off about him... I have never seen that fighting technique, our family martial arts technique relies on defending and counter-attacking rather than, pure brutal attacks..." She said slowly.
"If I may ask... He must have learned those arts within these two weeks correct?" Bai Lung asked
Hearing this...