Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
If not for Lei's hold on me, moving on my side, tall and strong, I might have raced away.
We remained there.
Perhaps Lei wanted it all to fully sink in for me before we headed through them.
Reporters shouted over one another. The questions were like sharp darts, each one aimed with precision but fired in haste.
“Mountain Master, why did you shut down the palace today?!”
“Was it for this woman?”
Where there weren't news cameras and reporters, there were tons and tons of onlookers crowding every inch of space.
“Mountain Master, do you have any answers to the Grand Mountain Master's sudden disappearance from the East?!”
It was flashing lights, constant loud yelling, and invasive gazes.
“Mountain Master, when will you open up the East to Paradise City?!”
And the air was thick with the sound of rapid-fire questions and the incessant clicking of cameras, providing relentless rhythm to the madness and punctuating the air with its mechanical chatter.
“Mountain Master, can we get the identity of this woman that is with you?”
Then, all the cameras pointed directly to me, and more flashing came. My skin prickled with the sensation of being watched, analyzed, judged.
“Is she with the Killer Crows?!”
I was horrified, feeling like prey trapped in the gaze of a hundred predators.
My knees almost buckled.
“Is she from the West?”
My whole body quivered as if I was caught in a violent earthquake.
“Is she a visitor or will she now be serving in an official position?”
My hands shook uncontrollably.
Oh my God. Oh my God.
Yet, I maintained a straight face, hiding my turmoil under a veneer of calm.
Lei squeezed my hand, reminding me that I wasn't alone.
“Who is she?!”
And then the crowd began to divide letting two large men in blue suits go by.
Guards accompanied them.
Lei leaned my way and kept his voice low. “The tall, skinny one is Fengge. The bulky, short one is Bolin.”
A woman snapped a camera near me.
I blinked. “Okay.”
“But are you really okay?”
“It doesn't matter. Let's just get through this.”
Fengge arrived first, towering over even Lei who was already freaking tall.
“Welcome back, Mountain Master.” Fengge bowed in front of Lei.
“Don't get too excited, Fengge.” Lei smirked. “I'm still on vacation and you're in charge.”
Frowning, Fengge stood straight. “But one can dream.”
“And one can wake up.” Lei turned to Bolin as he got to my side. “What took you two so long?”
“Uncle Leo has been sneaking spies in here all day.” Bolin stole a glance at me and then put his view on Lei. “We suspect he is trying to see what you two are doing.”
I gazed at Bolin. A dragon tattoo snaked up his neck.
As if feeling my stare, he looked at me. “Welcome to the palace, Ms. Jones.”
“Thank you.”
Fengge never acknowledged me or glanced my way, but then he also quickly jumped in front of us and yelled, “Everyone, separate! The Mountain Master must get through!”
“But who is she?”
“We have a right to know!”
“What is her name?!”
Some of the palace guards began shoving reporters to the side that wouldn't back up.
“Come on!” Fengge pointed to other guards. “Let's go! We don't have all day!”
As the crowd parted, we began to move forward.
Shivering, I remembered Lei's advice and focused on one point off in the distance.
“How will you address the rising tensions in the South? Will war come?”
Lei let go of my hand and brought his arm to my waist, keeping me as close as possible to him. “I've got you.”
I put my arm around him too. There was no way I would get lost in this craziness without him.
“How will you ensure peace and stability in the East?”
We continued.
The sensation was akin to walking through a storm, the noise of voices like thunder, questions and camera clicks melding into a merciless torrent.
“What message do you have for the East's youth?”
The flash of cameras was blinding, transforming the corridor into a strobe-lit gauntlet filled with lightning. My eyes struggled to adjust, darting from face to face, each one a mask of fervent curiosity, each expression etched with an unspoken demand for answers.
“Are you consulting with your father on current economic issues?”
Lei and I were the eye of the storm, moving steadily through the swirling vortex of curiosity and speculation surrounding us.
And then things began to get tighter as more reporters refused to move without Lei answering.
The guards pushed and the reporters shoved.
I thought several fights were about to break out.
“Get out of here!” Fengge elbowed several away. “Come on! That’s enough! Back it up!”
As we moved forward, the crowd seemed to breathe with us, expanding and contracting like a living entity.
The poor palace guards' efforts to maintain order were met with resistance.
Each step was a battle, a small victory against the overwhelming force of public interest.
One man reached out to me. His fingers barely grazed my arm before a guard gently but firmly pushed him back.