Golden Orchids

Chapter 13

They held each other for quite some time. Finally, Su Su pulled away from Ye Hua and looked at him in awe. "How are you a man?"

"I had always been a man, " he replied.

Su Su coughed and back herself away from him. She blushed as if remembering all the things she used to do with him when he was a snake.

"Are you a demon just like Yan Zhi?" Su Su asked.

Ye Hua and Yan Zhi looked at each other. They had a silent argument as Su Su looked between them. Yan Zhi would want him to tell her the truth. But Ye Hua could not, the more she knows, the easier she could be found.  Finally, Ye Hua turned to Su Su and answers, "I'm a spirit, a snake spirit, "

"Spirit?" She turned to Yan Zhi, "You knew all this time, why you never told me?"

Yan Zhi glared at him, it was obvious she saw through his gigantic lie. Ye Hua knew that the Princess could just tell Su Su the truth about him. Yan Zhi had many faults, but a tattletale was not one of them.

"He threatened to send me back to the Ghost Realm if I utter a single word, " she said.

"I did not, " Ye Hua argued.

"It was implied, " She countered.

Ye Hua raised his hand, Yan Zhi turned silent. He stood up and turned to the Princess, "Now we must address the elephant in the room, the military seal, "

"You knew about that?" Su Su asked.

"I was there, remember?"

Defiance appeared on Yan Zhi's face but she opened her palm and the military seal appeared on her hand. It was an unassuming little thing, nothing compared to own his seal back in heaven. And yet it held the entire ghost tribe military power in it.

"You'll need to return it, " Ye Hua told Yan Zhi.

The Princess wanted to protest but Su Su beat it to her, "Return it? Yan Zhi don't you need it to save your eldest brother?"

Ye Hua turned to Yan Zhi, "You're using it to release Li Yuan? Are you mental?"

Maybe Ye Hua shouldn't have to use the word mental. Cause the woman got up and stomped her foot against the floor. 
"He's my brother!" She protested, " You really think I can leave him locked up in prison? He had done nothing to deserve this,"

"Your brother tried to restart the war your father began, "

"You don't know that. You weren't even there, "

This Princess was infuriating sometimes. "Li Jing is a perfectly good lord, why do you need to start a revolt?"

"A perfectly good puppet for the Celestials you meant " She countered, Ye Hua did not deny that. There was a reason why Lord Dong Hua suggested Li Jing be the next lord instead.

 "I wasn't trying to dethrone my brother. I just wanted Da Ge to be free and live a fulfilling life, " she continued.

"That's not enough for him and you knew it, " he countered. "Now the Ghost Lord will not rest until the seal is returned to him. And now Su Su got hurt because of it, " 

"Well, you should have done a better job of protecting her!"

"Well-"

"Quiet!" Su Su called out, "Do you two think I'm invisible?"

Ye Hua couldn't believe what he just happened. Su Su rarely raised her voice. The words came out her lips sound eerie. It was filled with authority. For a moment there, she sounded like a leader, a queen.