“I was really surprised when I saw the Great Protector in front of my eyes.” Uncle Xin said animatedly.

I along with the other villagers were currently sitting around a bonfire sharing stories with each other.

As I was going to leave for Kamar Taj tomorrow, the villagers decided to hold a feast for me this night.

But seriously I never thought that they could make such delicious food. They made some amazing dishes with just vegetables which were so delicious that I made sure to ask the aunties for the recipes so that I could gift them to Aunt May.

And now everyone was sitting around the bonfire talking and laughing together.

“And then you touched the Great Protector’s head. Just when we thought that was it, you decided to meditate out of nowhere.” Everyone laughed at that.

“And what you did after waking up after two to three hours? You decided to grow horns and wings out of nowhere and decided to fly for another hour.”

Although the villagers were surprised by my draconic form, thankfully they did not discriminate against me and even liked that form, perhaps because of the Great Protector.

“Now that we are talking about the Great Protector, do you know what this guy did to win me over?” Auntie Lin said pointing to her husband.

“I had just jokingly said that I would marry him if he became a Great Warrior. Do you know what he did?”

“What did he do?” I curiously asked.

“He dived into the lake and started calling for the Great Protector. Thankfully, some villagers were nearby. Otherwise who knows what he would have done. However, he had received some fierce scolding after that fiasco.” Everyone laughed while Auntie Lin’s husband just bowed his head down, looking ashamed.

“Ying Nan and Ying Li also used to frequently dive down into the lake now that I think about it.” Auntie Lin said while laughing.

However, everyone suddenly fell silent after the words left Auntie’s mouth.

“Auntie, we agreed not to talk about Ying Li.” Master Ying Nan said angrily and suddenly left after hearing those words

Although it was not my place to interfere in the village matters, but I was really worried about Master, so I hesitantly asked.

“Who was Ying Li?”

Grandpa Shin who was the old man who had first greeted me when I had arrived at Ta Lo answered.

“She was Ying Nan’s sister. We can’t tell you more than this. Only Ying Nan has the right.”

“Just know that what happened with Ying Li was the reason we were initially cold towards you. But now, I apologize for that treatment.” Grandpa Shin bowed his head towards me.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“There is no need for this, Grandpa Shin. I had already forgotten about it.” I immediately prevented Grandpa Shin from bowing his head by clasping his hand.

“Go, you have become quite close with her in just a month. Maybe she will open her heart to you.” Grandpa Shin suggested.

“Then, I will take my leave.” Saying this, I left to search for Master Ying Nan.

When Auntie Lin had said that Master used to dive into the lake with her sister, I had an inkling that she would be there. Fortunately, she was there otherwise it would have been quite difficult to find her in the mountains at the night.

“Master, are you alright?” I asked gently.

She was sitting there on the lakeshore, silently sobbing. Upon hearing my voice, she noticed that I was there.

“It’s alright, Peter. I had a long time to think about what had happened with my sister. I am sorry for ruining the mood on your last day in Ta Lo.” Master Ying Nan apologized.

“It’s nothing, Master.” I was hesitating whether to ask her about her sister when she started speaking herself.

“My sister and I had always been together since we were young. We did everything together and shared with each other everything. But all changed when he came.” Master’s face darkened when she mentioned that man.

“Have you ever heard of Ten Rings?” Master questioned me.

“Yes, I have heard that they are a terrorist organisation.” But why was a terrorist organisation related to Master’s sister?

“Ten Rings is much more than a terrorist organisation. Its leader is Xu Wenwu, a man who has lived for more than 500 years with the help of a powerful artefact in the shape of Ten Rings. Hence the name.” Master Ying Nan explained.

“Xu Wenwu came to know about the existence of Ta Lo and tried to enter it. Although the entrance of Ta Lo is a giant forest maze which is nearly impregnable, there was still a slight chance that he could somehow enter it. So, my sister protected Ta Lo from him at that time.”

“Although the Ten Rings were a powerful artefact, it had a crippling weakness for some reason. It had little to none resistance against magical interference. Even my sister who was a mystical martial artist, easily gained control over the Ten Rings.”

Then, the Ten Rings were truly a weird artefact and whoever made such an artefact was also a weird one.

“Using this weakness, Ying Li easily defeated Xu Wenwu. But for some reason, Xu Wenwu fell in love with Ying Li. He continuously came to the maze, relentlessly pursuing Ying Li. Eventually, Ying Li also fell in love with him.” As she said this, Master’s face was filled with anger for Xu Wenwu.

“However, their union was against the rules of Ta Lo. Even if Xu Wenwu said that he wanted to live with Ying Li in Ta Lo leaving everything behind, it just was not possible.”

“But, by that time, Ying Li was too infatuated with Xu Wenwu. She decided to leave with him even if she had to have her magic sealed.” At this point, tears had started coming out of Master Ying Nan’s eyes.

“After Ying Li left Ta Lo, we could only obtain some information regarding her from the sorcerers of Kamar Taj as we were forbidden from going out of Ta Lo.”

“Later, I learned that she had a son and a daughter with Xu Wenwu. She was living a simple life with her family.” Master spoke in a wistful tone as she talked about her nephew and niece.

“But then we learned the dreadful news. Xu Wenwu’s past caught up to him. His enemies came to fight Xu Wenwu but he was not there and Ying Li lost her life trying to protect her children.” By now, Master was openly sobbing.

“Peter, may I ask a request from you?” Master asked me.

“You are my master. If I can do it, I will do it definitely.” I said confidently.

“After Ying Li’s death, Xu Wenwu restarted Ten Rings. Due to Wenwu’s tyrannical behaviour, my nephew and niece escaped from his influence. Moreover, they do not live with each other.” Master Ying Nan explained her nephew and niece’s situation.

“After you have left Kamar Taj, can you meet them and tell them that they are not alone in this world? That they still have an aunt. As the other sorcerers do not have as much benefits as you who can easily leave Kamar Taj, I can only ask you.” Master Ying Nan asked rather pleadingly.

“Don’t worry, Master. You can place your trust in me. I promise you, I will fulfil your request.” I promised her under the moonlight by the tranquil lake.