LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

Lu Yuanjun slowly composed himself to stand up and before he gathered the courage to remove the stone covering, he saw Zhong Yanchen by his side with surprised expressions and extremely exuberant.

Yuanjun was too weak to say anything and he felt a surge of emotions that he couldn"t control and he felt hard to breathe.
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Zhong Yanchen was already wearing gloves and was extremely careful in touching everything and removed the stone lid of the coffin and was perplexed to see the inside.

"It... They... Yuanjun... They are well-preserved... How...? Mummification? But they are this well preserved like they died only yesterday. They should have been not more than fifty when they died and they seem to be of higher status... Prince, maybe? Yes, the coronet he has and her headdress... They are Prince and Princess Consort. But the woman is buried with a sword! How? This proves that there were women generals back then too... Do you know how historic this find is? Yuanjun..." Zhong Yanchen continued with his ramble while Yuanjun stood holding the coffin and looked in.

Those couple both clad in red silk... Both of them seem to have been died smiling... The man, his brother seemed more happy... Did he die later and was happy to have joined his wife in death?

Their dominance well expressed in the grandeur of everything around them...

Yuanjun was perplexed as he looked at them with their grey hair looking like they were peacefully sleeping. On her hands were the bracelet she loved to wear, the green jade bracelet among other jewellery and on her ears she wore some other earring possibly gifted by her husband.

His hands gently went closer to the sword that still had the decorated scabbard on and pulled the scabbard out without touching anything else and ths golden sword inside was revealed gleaming in the sunlight.

"Do not touch it!" Yanchen cried but he was more surprised by the sword made of gold, still intact.

"Wait... A golden sword? Is this just a symbolism of some sort? Who would use a golden sword for fighting right? So was she from a general"s family and so to honour her, they let her be buried with a golden sword? Look at this carving... It looks like she is also from a scholarly family... How... "

Zhong Yanchen mumbled to himself and continued to check everything out but Lu Yuanjun on the other hand was stunned.

All the memories of his past that contained them and him, poured in like swarms of bee as he touched the sword.

This is a sword that was forged in the Heavens especially to avenge the ones who hurt the ones related to blood of the Tians.h.i.+ Emperor.

He could feel the sword vibrating in his hand as if it was still active and out of fear, he put it back in the scabbard.

She wanted it to be buried with her! And it will stay buried.

And...

I don"t remember seeing them getting buried. So I died before them?

Yes...

And when I died, my brother and Mingxia were with me... My sons too...

I asked something of my brother as my last request...

What is it?

What is it...?

And Mingxia asked me to think of the one thing I wanted to remember as I drink the soup.

What was it?

What was it...

Ah... Yes!

I wanted to tell her...

Tell her...

Tell who, what...?

I wanted to tell her... My beloved Consort...

My beloved, I love you!

That"s what I wanted to tell her.

But, who?

The third woman in my dreams..?

Who was it?

And then came the memory that was hidden to him till then and tears started dropping from his eyes. Those pure eyes and smile... That woman who always smiled for him...

Hanmi...

Jiang Hanmi...

I love you!

I"ve always loved you...

Lu Yuanjun stumbled a bit and was caught by Yanchen.

"You okay? Is it the stuffiness in this place?" he asked and Yuanjun stared blankly at him. He didn"t feel stuffy. He felt like he was only breathing now.

I finally found out who that thris woman is. I was cruel to her!

I let her die miserably... My love... I"m sorry!

I"m sorry!

I"m sorry I never told you that I loved you when I loved you with all my heart.

I"m sorry!

I"m sorry I let you die feeling insecure... I"m sorry.

His heart pounced and his thoughts were jumbled for sometime before he could compose himself. Suddenly a thought popped up in his head.

If I"m here again...

Will I have another chance to meet you?

If I am here again, will she be here too?

Will I ever get a chance to meet her?

Then he remembered the latest dream he had...

He asked who the third woman in his dreams was and the reply was "The one you want to protect and cherish..."

The one I want to cherish and protect...

Want to...

He said, "want to"...

Not "wanted to..."

Not WANTED to but want to...

Who do I want to protect and cherish?

Manman...?

Li Xueman!

So she is Hanmi from my last birth? And also the descendant of my brother from my last birth?

What is this feeling?

So I love her this life too?

I do, don"t I? I always did!

Would she remember her past life too? Will she hate me for abandoning her?

Should I tell her?

I should tell her about her ancestors grave, right?

But... How will I explain?

What should I do?

Yanchen didn"t notice his friend anymore and his heart filled with fear and confusion.

He stared blankly at his friend who was explaining away how popular and rich they are going to be because of the discovery.

But all Yuanjun could think was that the happenings after they announce of this discovery of an ancient grave.

More people will come here from the government and would conduct various tests and exams and would take everything they find here with them. They will pick those two who lived happily and now resting peacefully and bring them to labs, separating them, possibly decimating their body in the name of science trying to find out why their body is still well-preserved, poking and prodding...

No! No way! No way I can let this happen to my brother and his wife! No way!

But Mingxia... She said to give what they have left to her descendant....

What should I do?

I"m sorry, Mingxia, I bet you said that to help your descendant. But I cannot let you two to be manhandled by others. The way you both lived in the past as royalties, well-respected by everyone... I will not let anyone humiliate you now!

Yes, I will not allow it!

Yes! I will not let anyone know about this place!

Other things ,he may decide later.

Lu Yuanjun took a deep breath, reaching to a decision. He took a stroll and while at it sneaked the pair of red jade earrings and kept it inside his pockets.

Mingxia, I will take just this for your descendant as you asked of me. Other things I won"t touch! It is dangerous if anyone knows about such old artifacts and they will disturb your tomb.

His mind pondered...

His friend here who is too excited... What can be done about him..?

Yuanjun"s lips pursed and his eyes had a dangerous glint as he took out his phone from his pocket.

He realised that there was no signal in his phone and he paused for a second.

He saw Yanchen trying to take photographs with the coffin to mark his discovery and Yuanjun grabbed Yanchen"s phone from him and ran out of that tomb and crawled out of the tunnel and got out while Yanchen who was slow, followed him behind.

Lu Yuanjun crossed the rope, while checking his friend"s phone for any pictures and after confirming none of the photos he took is uploaded to the cloud due to the lack of Internet connection and as he was sure that this is the only copy of the pictures, he threw the phone right into the sea down below just as Yanchen got out too.

"What did you do?" Zhong Yanchen screamed at the top on his lungs as they both crossed the rope bridge swaying heavily as the evening breeze was heavy at that alt.i.tude.

"I"m destroying the evidence as you see," Yuanjun paused and faced Yanchen who was walking towards him. He fixed his hair that was blown by the heavy wind and set it behind so that the fringes won"t fall in his face.

"What?" Yanchen walked closer not noticing the devilish expression his friend is wearing and grabbed his collar. "What the h.e.l.l are you saying? That phone had many of my important...."

"This tomb shall not be revealed to the outside world, " Yuanjun said and pulled Yanchen"s hand off of his collar and he took a couple steps back.

He looked at his friend who was donning an odd expression in his face. He always was friendly with him and warm but this is the first time he is seeing this cold expression from him.

Like an angered dragon...

"Did he actually believe that he was an Emperor in his past life?" he snorted.

"What if I want to?" Yanchen didn"t back off. He is no pushover. He hailed from a long line of soldiers. He cannot be scared easily.

All Yuanjun had was a smirk and he dialled someone in his phone and Yanchen could only hear what Yuanjun was saying and nothing from the other side but the replies were only short, like maybe a single word.

"First Brother, I need to confine someone"

"..."

"Zhong Yanchen"

"..."

"The Li property by the beach"

"..."

"Yes"

"..."

The phone call ended and Yuanjun grabbed Yanchen who was now pale, by his arms and brought him by the entrance and there was already a van with tinted gla.s.ses waiting for them.

"Leave his car at the Milton Hotel"s parking lot and mind the cameras. Leave mine at my home," Yuanjun ordered a couple of men clad in black suits wearing black sungla.s.ses like some high-profile thugs.

"Yuanjun! My family will definitely... Ooow" Yanchen"s mouth was stuffed with cloth and he was thrown inside the van with his hands cuffed and Yuanjun joined them in the van that took them to their villa by the beach.

Yuanjun saw his reflection on the window gla.s.s and even he was surprised by how dangerous he looked.

---

"Come on, bro! Why are you acting like a thug? And your brother... He is on politics and is not worried about the repercussions and just kidnaps a Zhong who is also an in-law of the Huang family just because you asked? You are just one Lu family. What will you do against the two biggest aristocratic.... "

" I"ll tell them you are staying in a hotel, leaving your wife alone. You think any one of the two families will bother with you?" Yuanjun untied his ropes and pushed him on the bed.

Zhong Yanchen was tongue-tied. His family would skin him alive if they knew he treats his wife like this. His friend is right.

He thought of another way to get his friend let him go. Who wouldn"t want fame and glory, right?

" Just stay here for a while until I decide what to do with that tomb, " he waved and turned to leave.

" Come on, those two mummies... They were so intact and if we figure out how they did it, then we could prove our ancestors were better than the Egyptians or... If it is just because of some natural conditions, we can examine..."

"Enough, Yanchen!"

Yuanjun glared at him. "As I said THAT TOMB WILL NOT BE DISTURBED."

*Thud*

The door locked after Yuanjun left the room. He could faintly hear the cussing of his friend and Yuanjun, not minding it, went and sat on the couch in the living room, rubbing his temples.

What should I do?

My brothers... First was the Fire Emperor and he loved his wife and this life, he married the same woman he loved his previous life and he is now a successful politician.

Second brother is actually Rijun... He followed his father back then and now too... He loved his wife in his previous life, despite her betrayal and this life she truly loves our family.

Third brother is Lord Ming who was Mingxia"s best friend and he found the thing he loved and is now currently owing the best designer brand in our country. He loves his wife too and she probably is his wife from his previous life too.

And I love the same woman I loved in the last too. If I think deeply, there seems to be a correlation here. And it definitely has Mingxia"s hand.

But what do I want to do? Should I Continue as a professor? Or...

While Yuanjun was contemplating, in an high raised building, in her well furnished office, Li Xueman was sitting, ma.s.saging her temples.

There is a contract option available for them but they don"t have the funds to take on that contract. If they could have that contract, they will surely improve the state of the company a lot and they can get out of this troubled state.

As they were discussing this issue, her mother just came to her office while she was in a meeting with the board members.

She shouted in front of them and her employees that Xueman is not willing to sell a property she owns even though someone was willing to offer a good price for it.

And now everyone wants her to sell that property and to invest in the company to get the contract.

"You will get double the money you invest anyway! It is a sure shot, " they all say.

Every one of them owns properties too. Why aren"t they selling their properties for the company? Why must I sell my property, my ancestors spilled their blood to protect? Not to mention...

Her hands unconsciously grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts and her beautiful finger hovered over Lu Yuanjun"s name. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to hear his voice. But there was something inside her that tried to stop her.

He wanted to know about that property too. But why?

He wanted a month long time. Will he appreciate it if I call him?

Will he think I"m being clingy?

Before she knew it, she had already pressed the call b.u.t.ton.

Yuanjun who was deep in thoughts heard his phone ring and seeing the name, his expression softened.

This is the woman he had loved for long. Even before he remembered their past life, he had loved her. From when they were in middle school... He just didn"t realise it till she Confessed. He didn"t realise what he felt was jealousy and not hate towards her.

How stupid was I?

"Manman," he smiled.

"Yes?" she was surprised that he answered her call.

"Are you in your office?" he asked since there was no sound from the other side.

Isn"t she the one who called? Why isn"t she saying anything? Maybe she is having a bad day?

"Is everything okay?" he added.

"So-so," somehow she felt like all her troubles have been washed away just with his gentle and caring voice.

"You need help, Manman?" he asked after much deliberation, " You can ask me anything, okay? Not just monetary help but a shoulder to lean on, a friend to have a chat over a cup of coffee or if you want... Even more, like in bed..." His voice got deeper as his intentions got sinister.

"You, pervert!" she chuckled. She was really comforted by his words. She knows he meant it all and she was not put off by his last sentence. He is someone she wants as her husband and that includes everything he mentioned.

"You in a good mood now?" he asked and she hummed. He felt his mood getting better hearing her voice too.

"Bye, Yuanjun. Love you," she said and before he could say anything back, the line went dead.

"I love you too, Manman" he said with a smile looking at his phone.

This is nice... This feeling of having each other!

But she seems to be in trouble...

He patted his chest. He could feel the earrings he picked from the grave. The earrings that should belong with Li Xueman.

He pondered for a while looking at the earrings.

I know what I have to do!

He made a call to his second brother.