As Rocky discovered a peaceful bamboo forest surrounded by several stone mountains inside the Qi mansion, he also heard a pleasant sound which seemed to be coming out of a leaf.
He was drawn to the melancholy sound and searched where it was coming from. He soon saw a charming but lonely figure inside the bamboo forest.
'Lucilla?' Rocky stepped closer and saw that it was Lucilla, who came to visit the chief of the Qi Clan a few moments ago.
Just as he was about to approach Lucilla, another figure appeared out of nowhere.
"Lucilla, here you are. I've been looking all over for you." It was from a low and gentle voice.
"What are you doing here? You know that I don't want to see you," Lucilla said in a bitter tone.
The figure turned out to be Tate.
"If you didn't want to see me, you wouldn't have come here. We often came here before. I taught you that song you played," Tate said. His voice was calm and reassuring as he recalled the old days with Lucilla.
"Everything has changed. We are enemies now," Lucilla said coldly, then looked away from Tate.
"Although we have only met a few times in the past ten years, you can see that my love for you hasn't changed," Tate said affectionately.
"We are not kids anymore. I'm not what I used to be. I had a crush on you, but that was a long time ago," Lucilla said frankly.
"Then why do you hate me so much? I didn't even see you for a long time..." Tate had to ask. Lucilla's attitude confused him.
"Since you want to know, I have to ask you one question. Did your clan secretly push my father into madness? I don't believe my father would go insane suddenly. Someone was responsible for his mental illness," Lucilla asked candidly. She suspected that some people were involved with what happened to her father.
Her question stunned Tate, and he did not know how to answer.
"I knew it..." The look on Tate's face confirmed Lucilla's suspicion.
"Lucilla, let it go or you will only put yourself in harm's way. Live in peace and embrace your new role as the chief of your clan. Do not s
not let the Cao Clan fall into the wrong hands. Their enemies would surely destroy it. She inherited the Cao Clan from her father, and she had sworn to protect its legacy and people.
"But it's too dangerous. Your enemies are heartless. What if holding on to the position will only cause you and the Cao Clan more harm?" Rocky had made sense of the situation. Lucilla was in deep trouble. For him, if Lucilla wanted to help the Cao Clan get rid of this situation, she must stop being stubborn. Winning the Beast Master Contest would not solve all of her problems. For one, it would not eliminate her enemies, and it's one of her most serious problems.
"What do you mean?" Lucilla asked. She fixed her eyes on Rocky as she searched for an answer. She felt that there was a hidden meaning behind Rocky's remarks.
"You are smart enough to figure it out. To survive in such a desperate situation, you cannot just rely on good luck. Besides, if someone from the Qi Clan pushed your father into madness, there should be a traitor. Find him. Only then can you reveal the face of your enemies and sort this out." Rocky gave his piece of advice then turned away quietly.
Lucilla was deep in thought as she listened to Rocky's words. When she came to her senses, Rocky was nowhere to be found.
"Who is he? Why do I feel that I can trust him?" Lucilla asked herself, but had no answer.