Mohan's lips curled into a faint smile at the sound, ready to respond when Kara had already spoken up. "Ah, Lady Holy Maiden," he remarked with feigned politeness. "Does our Holy Maiden know this mortal?"

The moment Liuyanan approached Kara who seemed familiar with her existence, Mohan felt an inexplicable unease in his chest. Liuyanan stepped closer to him and whispered, "There are some things I'll explain later."

With that she strode directly before Kara, eyes narrowing as she said, "So it's young chief Kara himself? For a moment I thought some mad dog was barking nonsense here."

Kara's face darkened at the barbed words. His anger flared but quickly subsided as if recalling something important, though his fury remained evident in every rigid line of his body. "Don't think just because Prince Jiai protects you means you can insult me," he gritted out, "Today I'm letting this go for your master's sake, but next time I'll demand double retribution."

He turned on his heel without another word and left with his guards in tow.

Liuyanan paid no heed to the threats as she returned to Mohan's side.

Meanwhile Ram, the beastman whose life had been saved by Mohan, hurriedly approached and bowed deeply. "I owe you my life, Hero. I am Ram of the Beast Tribe. This debt will never be forgotten - but I must return immediately to attend urgent matters before repaying your kindness properly."

Mohan found Ram's straightforward nature endearing and quickly stepped forward with a smile. "Heh, I didn't do much at all," he chuckled. "If you want to thank someone, it should be this lady here who truly helped."

Ram turned toward Liuyanan to express his gratitude but she merely laughed softly, "No need for thanks - if you're thanking him you're thanking me too. We're a package deal. Hurry back now."

Without another word Ram took leave of them with another bow.

As the beastman vanished from sight, Liuyanan tugged Mohan's arm through the crowd oblivious to the startled stares their closeness drew. "Come along," she whispered urgently, "this isn't the place for conversation."

She led him into a grand building and through to an inner hall where servants were swiftly dismissed with a sharp wave of her hand. Releasing his arm at last, she turned to face him fully. "I know you have many questions," she said smoothly, "now is your chance to ask them - there's no one else here."

Mohan's voice softened as he replied, "There were so many things I wanted to ask before seeing you... but now that we're together, words feel inadequate somehow. Just being near you makes all the rest seem unimportant."

The heartfelt declaration sent Liuyanan tumbling into his embrace with a delighted laugh. "Always your silver tongue," she chided playfully, her voice muffled against his chest. "How many innocent girls have fallen for that charm since I've been away?"

Mohan grinned and pulled her closer still. "Innocent? Don't flatter yourself - but when you're not around, my heart feels empty. It's as if something vital is missing."

At this admission Liuyanan buried her face in his chest and murmured softly, "The same goes for me... I think of you with every meal, every night. There was a time I couldn't even eat properly, couldn't sleep. Was that terribly foolish?"

Mohan's heart clenched at the vulnerability in her voice. Her romantic declarations always moved him more than he cared to admit, so he tightened his embrace and teased gently, "Who taught you all these pretty speeches? You're certainly no fool - though you should keep practicing to sharpen those brain cells."

At this she laughed again, then settled onto his lap with a playful slap on the arm. "You always make nonsense of things," she chided before softening. "Sit down and let's talk... I'll tell you why I was here in the first place."

Mohan had long been curious about her connection to the Beast Tribe, so he remained where he was, arms still wrapped protectively around her as Liuyanan delivered that fateful look of exasperation before settling cross-legged on his lap.

The story she told unraveled slowly like a poisoned thread. After their parting in Tianlong City, Liuyanan had discovered through accident the Bloodkill Order's plan to deploy their necromancer soldiers against Molan and Mucian Tian. Fearing Mohan might be endangered, she'd written instructions for her handmaidens to warn him - only for these plans to be intercepted by Bloodkill himself.

Enraged at this betrayal, Bloodkill had her confined immediately in retaliation. After subduing her martial arts skills, he ordered her secret transport back to the Dark Church's headquarters with such haste she barely remembered what happened next.

Though she despised the necromancer training program - a stance that put her at odds with her master who supported it wholeheartedly - those days of forced isolation were agonizing. The tension in her chest had only eased when Bloodkill returned defeated, his failure to Mohan's hands finally lifting the burden from her shoulders.

Yet Bloodkill's wrath wasn't finished. He accused her of disloyalty for protecting an outsider and threatened church punishments. Fortunately Liuyanan's beloved mentor intervened with a compromise - to keep her under close supervision as punishment rather than public censure, though this did little to satisfy Bloodkill who reluctantly accepted the arrangement.

As she spoke these final words, Mohan felt his heart ache anew. "You went through all that for me," he whispered fiercely. "I'm so sorry."

She only laughed brighter at his guilt. "What suffering could it be? Look at me - perfectly fine!" But Mohan knew better than to believe her nonchalant dismissal.

Holding her tighter, he felt the soft pressure of her head against his chest and let out a quiet sigh. If this was what true happiness felt like, then yes - let time stand still forever in this moment.

The grand hall filled with the scent of their shared warmth as if even the air itself had been charmed by their reunion.