Chapter 54 - Cornered

Madam Liu held a smug expression when she exposed her connections with the Kunlun Kingdom and the Qingzhou Kingdom.

"This is bad… isn't it, my dear Xiao Tao?" She asked in sorrows.

Lee Tao felt like his veins could be popping out of his forehead at any time.

"What kind of mother would ban their own son from achieving something?" Lee Tao grunted.

"A mother that wished to simply accompany her son."

The atmosphere quickly became tense as it became suffocating for Tang Lingling and the maid to breathe.

They were afraid of making an ounce of sound that could possibly catch their attention in this intense situation.

Lee Tao held a fierce expression as he glared angrily at Madam Liu.

"Why? Why are you insisting on being with me?" Lee Tao asked. "The auction event would be ruined if they see you present."

Madam Liu gasped in horror.

"How could it possibly be ruined if I'm there?" She asked.

"Because of your majestic presence… I can already imagine the chaos occurring when those horny ass men want to earn your affection by bidding for the items." Lee Tao shouted.

And he continued, "I'm not trying to hold a pimping event but an auction event."

"P-Pimping event? What do you think your mother is?" Madam Liu raised her tone for the first time.

She could stand his disrespect most of the time, but when it comes to her virtue. She refused to allow Lee Tao to slander her.

"Your mother only cares about you and only you. No other men can enter my eyesight- that includes your father as well." 

Lee Tao shrugged his shoulders.

"Have you gotten divorced yet?" He asked.

Madam Liu shuddered as she cleared her throat. "Your mother is working on that… Divorcing him now is not the time yet."

'That famous geomancer said I'll need to wait another 2 months before I can officially divorce.' She said silently.

"Tch, if you aren't going to divorce yet then you might as well continue to reside in the Lee Clan. Why must you insist on working at the auction event that I'm planning to hold?" 

"I'm your mother, Xiao Tao. That is the only reason I need to justify my action." Madam Liu then stood up as she glanced at the koi fish in the small lake.

"Either way, you can choose to work on the event with me, or you can choose not to work on the event at all." 

Lee Tao cursed silently in his heart.

For the first time since reincarnating to the First Heaven, it was his mother that had cornered him.

"I'm leaving," Lee Tao slammed the table as he got up and left in anger.

His movement was so swift that Tang Lingling didn't even have time to catch up to him.

"Y-Young Master, wait up." Tang Lingling tried to chase after him.

However, she quickly paused her movement when Madam Liu snapped her finger and restricted her.

"Let Xiao Tao be alone for now. He'll be fine but for you… there are some things you must report back to me." Madam Liu said in a dominating aura.

Unlike her graceful and gentle appearance when Lee Tao was present, she had completely changed to a domineering figure within seconds.

Tang Lingling sweated profusely as she nodded her head slightly.

"U-Understood, Madam Liu." She said respectfully.

Sometime later, Tang Lingling followed Madam Liu back to her personal office.

"Close the door behind," Madam Liu said as she took a seat down.

Tang Lingling nodded her head as she closed the door silently.

Afterward, she quickly knelt down to her knees and kissed the ground with her forehead.

"M-Madam Liu, please forgive me." Tang Lingling said nervously.

Suddenly, a deadly aura emitted throughout the room as the atmosphere changed.

"Hmph, if I didn't have spies in the Tianyun Academy. I wouldn't have known that my Xiao Tao went exploring an ancient ruin." Madam Liu shouted in anger.

"M-Madam Liu… t-this would never happen again." 

"Again?"

"N-No… I mean this kind of incident will never occur at all." Tang Lingling corrected her wordings.

Her forehead has been dripping down a lot of sweat, and her face has turned pale from the ferocious aura of Madam Liu.

A few moments later, Madam Liu snorted coldly as she retracted her aura.

"You should be thankful that I'm still keeping you alive." Madam Liu said as she threw multiple documents toward Tang Lingling.

"Since Xiao Tao had clearly indicated that you are still of use to him, your life shall be kept for now." She added.

Tang Lingling banged her head as she thanked Madam Liu for the forgiveness.

"Thank you for sparing this lowly servant, Madam Liu."

"Enough of the flattery. Look over those documents and make sure to arrange everything properly for Xiao Tao. I do not wish to see him burdened by these menial tasks." Madam Liu said.

She then stood up and walked toward the window as her eyes landed somewhere, seemingly in deep thought.

"Mother could only help you this much, Xiao Tao." She mumbled.

Sometime later, Madam Liu dismissed Tang Lingling as she needed to call for some connection.

Tang Lingling quickly left the room as she went after Lee Tao.

A few moments later, Tang Lingling knocked on the door.

"Young Master, are you there?" She asked.

"Un, you can come in." Lee Tao's voice resounded.

Tang Lingling nodded her head as she entered the room. 

She quickly saw Lee Tao retrieving multiple rare items that he had plundered in the ancient ruin, and rearranging them nicely on the table.

"Heh, based on your facial expression. I can already imagine my mother secretly scolding you harshly, right?" Lee Tao smirked when he noticed her unusualness.

Tang Lingling twitched her mouth.

She was speechless at how keen his eyesight was to be able to tell what happened to her.

Meanwhile, Lee Tao chuckled softly as he hopped into his bed.

"Anyway, I bet my mother lectured you to help me do the documentation.. Hence, in order to save you from being reprimanded, I shall be generous and allow you to do those works for me."