CHAPTER 418 REFRESHMENT

The moment Rocky entered Laney's place, he was greeted with a warm and welcoming fragrance that

refreshed his senses instantly. This smell, which came from Laney, was faint yet left a lingering

impression.

Rocky pushed aside the sheer tissue like curtain to enter her room which, he thought, was elegant and

tasteful. The decor and overall vibe of the room were not overtly feminine—the pastel-colored type

most of women inclined towards, instead it was full of aesthetically appealing pieces of furniture.

A round rosewood table was in the center, with several chairs around it forming a perfect set. On the

left side, there was a secretaire along with a complementing bookcase. While on the right side, there

was a table for her zither with a tiny stool. A censer was placed on the table which slowly let out

streams of fragrant smoke.

Across from him, there was another delicate curtain, through which Rocky could see the shape of a

queen-sized bed, a dressing table and a vast closet, about 6 feet high, placed against the wall. On the

other side was a screen with oriental decorations. Clearly, this sheer curtain was meant to separate the

common area from Laney's bedroom.

Now that Rocky had to wait patiently, he pulled out one of the rosewood chairs and, sat down to collect

his thoughts. As the vivid scene of the incident from earlier began to flood his mind, his heart instantly

quickened pace with fear and nervousness. If it were not for this mysterious woman in purple, he would

have been dead.

Everything happened so suddenly and fast that Rocky was caught off guard. Just reliving the incident

in his mind, Rocky felt something strange but couldn't tell what it was exactly.

"Was this supposed to be some sort of a revenge?" Rocky murmured to himself thinking back on what

had unfolded. He taught the prefect's son a lesson and in the process ended up offending Calvin today.

There was a strong possibility that it was the prefect who hired a professional to take revenge.

But Rocky soon dismissed that line of thought. The woman in white, who had just attacked him, was a

Heavenly Stage spirit manipulator. If at all the prefect had the reach to hire a great master like her, he

wouldn't have been scared away by Rocky that easily in the first place. Another reason to abandon that

possibility all together was that Rocky already showed the prefect the Crimson Dragon Token. After

that, the prefect would not be that silly and reckless to go against him, the Crimson Dragon General.

Since the chances of it being the prefect were so slim, it was even more unlikely for it to be Calvin. Now

that the two prime suspects were in the clear, Rocky was back in the dark with no idea as to who called

for this attack on him.

Yet, what baffled Rocky the most was that there was another unknown person in all of this. The woman

who came out of the blue and saved his life. He had no idea who the woman in purple was and why

she would shield him from attacks. What made all of this more unfathomable, was that this mysterious

woman was a Supernal Stage spirit manipulator.

Just recalling every minute detail of what went down scrambled Rocky's thoughts and left him with a

throbbing headache.

"Oh, goddamnit! Let's just put this all behind for now," Rocky said in a breath as he vigorously rubbed

his temples hoping to relieve his headache. He then walked over to the left side of the room and holds text © rights.

grabbed a book randomly from the shelf to kill time and divert his thoughts.

A few moments later, the maid returned with a tray in her hands. She carried a bottle of wine, two

glasses and several side dishes neatly placed on the tray. Walking into the room, she glanced at Rocky

and nodded when she placed everything from the tray onto the round table before walking away.

Then almost after an hour, Rocky heard soft footsteps approaching and instinctively put the book down

with anticipation. As he turned around to find the source of the sound, he was greeted by Laney, who

was well dressed and had a fresh makeup look. The warm light from the candles complemented her

alluring and sharp features while adding an inviting glow to her charm.

"I'm sorry I left you waiting for such a long time, Mr. Bai!" Laney's lips curved into a bright smile as she

glanced at Rocky apologetically. Her eyes lit up upon seeing this stylishly dressed man sitting across

her. The sight of him was as refreshing as the first ray of the sun while also giving out a protective and

chivalrous vibe.

Rocky did not respond but instead nodded with a faint smile. The very next second he stood up and

walked towards Laney.

"I was so confused and did not know what to expect when Yasmin told me that she had a surprise for

me, and now I finally know what it exactly is," Laney said with a warm smile.

"What surprise? I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about..." Rocky raised his eyebrow with

confusion.

"You look so different in this attire, Mr. Bai. In the first glance I couldn't even recognize you! You never

fail to surprise me, Mr. Bai, even when you're not even trying!" Laney blushed, as she complimented

him.

"Ha-ha. You flatter me. Thank you for your kind words!" Rocky felt she was too kind and her praise was

an exaggeration. After all, he did nothing but just change into a set of fresh and neat clothes.

"So, where is your home Mr. Bai? I always feel there is something special about you. It seems to be the

aura of a royal member. Is it so?" Laney said with some evident hesitation, as her charming eyes

looked into his, hoping for some answers.

"Well, I'm an orphan," Rocky answered blatantly without any expression. But deep inside, it caught him

by surprise that Laney was actually observant enough to understand his real identity so easily.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Mr. Bai. I didn't mean to pry on your personal life." Laney lowered her head

with growing guilt evident in her wide expressive eyes.

"Oh, please don't worry about it! I once heard that you are from the Timber Deity Empire. Is that true,

Miss Laney?" Rocky changed the topic in hopes to clear the air and continue the conversation.

"Yes, that is indeed true." Laney nodded with a smile.

"The current relationship between the Timber Deity Empire and the Holy Dragon Empire is quite

intense and the two sides more often than not start wars. Does that exert any pressure on you, Miss

Laney?" Rocky asked casually.

"I'm just another ordinary girl working in this Geisha House. Such a matter of great political influence

doesn't concern me at all." Laney shook head with a faint smile while answering his question

diplomatically.

"Well, that makes sense." Rocky nodded back.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Bai. Enjoy your drink while I play the zither for you..." Laney gestured for him

to sit down, and then walked towards the zither and took a seat on the tiny stool. During the whole

process, Rocky failed to take his eyes off her. Laney's every movement was so graceful and elegant

she was like a piece of art herself.

Laney began to delicately pluck the strings to create melodious music while Rocky was gripped in his

seat beside the round table. Within seconds, the mesmerizing music echoed in the room. It was as

gentle and soothing as the sound of a stream graciously running down in a serene grove.

Rocky enjoyed the pleasurable music just as much as looking at Laney's beautiful focused face. As she

drowned in the notes of her instrument, he too flowed towards appreciating her elegance and warm

smile. The moment his eyes met hers, he could not help but be infatuated with her charm and the

euphonic melody.

Soon her melodious music stopped, but Rocky was still stuck in trance for a few moments before he

finally pulled himself back to reality. He instinctively clapped with marvel and appreciation for the effect

her music had on him. "This was intensely beautiful!"

"Thank you so much for your kind words, Mr. Bai. You have been a great audience! But was your

compliment intended for my music or me?" Laney slowly stood up as she inquired and walked up to

Rocky with smooth movements like that of a butterfly.

"To be honest, it was a compliment for both and still falls short!" Rocky said honestly.

Laney passed a wide smile and lifted the bottle of wine to fill both the glasses. She then handed one

glass to Rocky and took the other one for herself. "Thank you for what you did today, Mr. Bai! If not for

you and your kindness, I cannot even imagine how I would have gotten out of that muddle. Thank you

again!" She clanked her glass with Rocky's glass and said cheers before taking a big sip of the wine.

Rocky nodded with a smile at her and chugged down the wine.

"Please wait a second, Mr. Bai!" Laney abruptly put her glass down and walked straight into the

bedroom.

Rocky stared at her receding back as hint of meaningful emotion flashed in his eyes. After all, he was a

man and he would be lying if he said he had not developed any feelings towards this beautiful girl who

was extending an invitation. But, his will power and disposition were stronger than other men, which

helped him remain reasonable and rise above worldly pleasures in such situations.