《The Magnolia Beauty》 1 Heartbroken Under such circumstances that something unexplainable would occur on this cold, beautiful spring. The day before, it was raining as if it had never rained so hard before. The rain quickly flooded the streets, the grass was dampened with puddles, and the skies were covered in dark grey clouds. Suyin sat down by the nearest window in a cafe, waiting for her crush, Minsheng, to come by after he finished some errands. They have known each other for seven years, growing up together since they were teenagers. Suyin always had a crush on Minsheng, but never sort of got the courage to ask him out on a date or to even be her boyfriend. It was about 10 o''clock in the morning already and Suyin had been waiting for Minsheng for about an hour and a half past their meeting time. Suyin glanced at the clock that hung on the wall on her left side of her view and turned back to look outside again, seeing a familiar figure standing in the rain with an umbrella across the street. "Is that Minsheng?" Suyin stood up from the chair, her gaze never shaken from the figure that looked like Minsheng. She immediately ran out, forgetting to take her umbrella with her. The rain was pouring even more during the time that Suyin ran outside, soaking her hair as she raced to the stoplight to see if it really was Minsheng. Across from Suyin''s side, Minsheng gripped on the umbrella, holding a lady''s hand while Suyin watched her lean forward to kiss Minsheng on his lips. Minsheng grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him, holding her dearly with a big grin on his face. Suyin was watching afar when this happened, causing her eyes to swell up. "What kind of pain is this? Why is it hurting my chest so much?" Suyin clenched her fists and brought it to her left chest as the sound of thunder roared throughout the sky. Minsheng was never the kind of person who would do this in Suyin''s eyes, but little did she know that Minsheng had been toying around girls left and right. Being blinded by love from him caused her to ignore those thoughts. Minsheng glanced towards Suyin''s direction and noticed that she was standing under the heavy rain that poured. Her teardrops slid down her cheeks but the raindrops hid it under the grey sky. He promptly let go of the girl that he was holding, moving towards her way. Realizing that Minsheng was getting close to her, Suyin turned around and ran off to avoid him. She did her best to get away because she already knew the answer that she would be nothing more than a friend or someone to lean on, but she was stupid enough to believe in him. "I''m never believing in anyone again!!" She wiped her tears, dashing towards an open green field where soccer would have been regularly played if it was a sunny day. "Suyin wait--" Minsheng tried to discuss with her, recklessly pushing people away so he could get to her but failed to do so. Suyin spun around and gave him a dirty glare--something that she would have never done if she didn''t see what had happened today. Minsheng flinched back after seeing her gaze. She would have never done anything like that to him, so was it possible that she saw him flirting around with another girl? "Let me explain!" "You don''t have to explain anything! I was stupid to believe in you and I really thought that you were a genuine person to me!" Suyin shouted out to the world, trying to out beat the roaring thunder that closed into them. "No! It''s nothing like that!" Minsheng hesitated, gazing at the sky as the thunder became harsher and louder. "Leave me alone! It was a stupid waste of time for all of these years to think that I would even fall for someone like you!---" Boom! A flash of light (lightning) hit Suyin, causing Minsheng to freak out and run away from mother nature. All Suyin could see in her eyes was a bright light, blinding her in every way that made it impossible for her to see. ..... Neighh! The sound of the horse''s cry could be heard in Suyin''s ears. "My lady! Wake up! Let''s go right now." A lady dressed in plain clothes tried waking up Suyin, who laid by a large oak tree. "Hurry! You don''t want your father to get mad at us now! You know mother''s going to beat us!" She continued to shake Suyin''s shoulders, gradually increasing her strength to wake her up. "Mmhhh." Suyin grumbled, fixing her head to find her comfortable spot to go back to sleep. With the feeling of dry grass and the smell of cherry blossoms surrounding her, she knew that something was wrong. "Hm?" Suyin immediately opened her eyes with a blank expression. "Good thing that you are awake, my lady! I didn''t think you would wake up soon enough." She made a sigh of relief, wiping her sweat as she helped Suyin up. "We need to leave soon and leave our horse here! I don''t even know why you decided to try to ride something dangerous like that!" The servant said, furrowing her brows as she sat on her heels. She interlocked both of her hands and laid it on her lap, never looking up to Suyin as she took a glance around the area. "I-I''m....not back at home?" Suyin''s eyes were scanning the area. Trees, a lake nearby, and the sound of a horse crying echoed through the forest. She then looked at her clothes which weren''t the ones that she was wearing previously--and it was raining during that time! Over here, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, trying to find ways to emit through the trees in this dark forest. "Am I dead?" "Of course, my lady. You were the one who decided to take one of Master''s horse and learn how to ride it, only to let it free." The servant explained to Suyin the situation, causing her to frown. "I don''t remember this?" Suyin thought about her previous experience back at home. She remembered being a pediatrics doctor working at the hospital and Minsheng betraying her before she could remember anything else that was recent. Not to mention... "And instead of trying to ride that horse, I failed and let it free instead huh? I tried to calm the horse down but it dashed towards me and in a neck of time, I was able to barely escape from being trampled upon from the horse." Suyin answered the servant as she nodded with a confused expression. "My lady, why are you answering yourself to what happened just a couple of minutes ago?" the servant asked as Suyin shrugged her shoulders as if she didn''t know why. If her answer was correct then it meant that Suyin could remember memories of this occurrence too! Suyin kneeled in front of the servant, causing her to freak out (because a noble lady should not kneel in front of anyone) and closed her eyes. "Think Suyin. THINK." She concentrated hard in her mind. Memories of her family and the great emperor Euitae resided in her mind. She came from a noble family who are scholars and have a good relationship with the emperor and the palace in general since her father is the one educating the princess and prince. Emperor Eunitae! This was the era of time when the Long and the Qin clan was in war! Somehow, Suyin''s concentration closed everything out of her, but it made her focus really well. She could hear a faint voice calling out to her, causing her to open her eyes. "My lady!! Did you not hear what I said. Your father is going to kill me if they see that you''re kneeling in front of me!" The servant tried to pull Suyin''s arm up so she wouldn''t kneel in front of her. Although her history sucks as hell, she surely didn''t remember about this era of time although she clearly remembered learning about this at school in high school and college. Maybe it was taboo to learn about who won in this war and what happened in the past. Suyin somehow couldn''t grasp as to why she couldn''t know or understand, but maybe that would be what they called, "Cheating to the gods" during this time and day since she didn''t even belong in this time frame! All she could remember that last occurred before all of this difference was a lightning flash and being suddenly blinded, only to end up here! Well? Maybe Suyin will just go along with this. She was startled at first, but she had nothing to lose. Her parents back in the present day were no longer there due to old age and she actually didn''t have any close friends either (besides Minsheng). Minsheng was the reason why she didn''t have many close friends because they warned her about him but this was because they were jealous that he would stick with her rather than anyone else. "Areum!" The servant looked up to Suyin, startled because she called her name as she kneeled in front of Suyin again. "Y-Yes!" She answered out. "Let''s go home." The maid, Areum, nodded her head in agreement with a smile, standing straight and tall as she brushed the leaves off of her plain, baby blue dress. Suyin could recall that Areum''s name was given by her because Areum was an orphan and was being bullied by others at the age of six. That''s when Suyin took her in as a maid/servant, protected her, and gave her a name to give her an identity to herself. Areum promised to devote her life to her and loved Suyin like her own sister of hers, but the status was something that she would never go against either. The two walked together with Suyin in the front as she guided Areum out of the forest. Suyin wasn''t too confident in finding a way to get out of the forest, but thanks to the horse''s track, she found a way to get to this forest because of that. She couldn''t let Areum worry and freak out, though. Each footstep began slowing down more and more and Suyin honestly felt lost at the sight of all of the pathways that the forest had ahead of them. "Um.. maybe it''s this way." Suyin pointed at a random pathway. She honestly only wanted to go the direction that had moss on one side of the trees because she remembered about the saying that the side with the moss should lead her home. Unfortunately, she wasn''t too sure about this place and caused her to become more and more unfamiliar with her surroundings. Four silhouettes swiftly surrounded Suyin and Areum from up above, causing the two to shriek in surprise. "What are you two ladies doing out here?" one of the guys asked, rubbing his chin with a grin on his face. "It seems like you two shouldn''t be out here... unless you''re doing some dirty work." He continued, scanning Suyin from the top to the bottom. "Stop! We aren''t doing anything wrong here! We just got lost here." Areum explained. "Lost?!! Do you think we are stupid enough to think that you two are just here because you ladies are ''lost'' instead? It''s hard to get here by foot!" another one of the man''s minion exclaimed as the other men nodded. "According to you brainheads, you think everyone has to do something ''dirty'' in order to come in this damn forest. Is your name on this forest or something?" Suyin grumbled, glaring at the man who shamelessly continued to check her out thoroughly. "Ey. Come down beauty. Don''t you know that this forest is the barrier between the Qin and Long clan? Anyone knows that." The man stopped rubbing his chin, then walked closer to Suyin as he got a sniff of her fragrance. "Say. If you don''t want to become dead souls, why don''t you give up something else instead and we''ll let you two live?" Suyin turned her head to the man as she gritted her teeth, slapping the man''s face as he slid off the sword from his scabbard. "How dare you slap my face, you stupid woman!" He swung his sword towards Suyin. She was just about to be ready to find a way to dodge before closing her eyes. Clang! Suyin''s focus forgot about the dangerous situation at the moment and opened her eyes, fixing her attention to the eyes of a beautiful man that stood in between the bandits and Suyin. He had sharp eyebrows that could cut someone''s gaze and eyes that made his face look so evil and fearsome yet so beautiful. 2 A Beauty CHAPTER 2 The bandit''s eyes went from a death glare to a frightened expression, shaken from the defense of the man that saved Suyin right in front of her eyes. Suyin took a long stare at the man''s back in front of her. Although she could only see the back of his shoulders, she could smell his fragrance and his body physique. The smell of orange blossoms danced around her. The sweet, floral smell helped her calm down from death just a couple of minutes ago. This person really just saved her. She would''ve been dead if he didn''t come right on time to help her. She was only able to see his face seconds before he turned around to the bandit as if he was hiding his identity so she wouldn''t see him. "M-My lady!" Areum yelled aloud, running towards Suyin with a worried expression. "I''m okay," Suyin commented, eyeing back to the bandit with a glare. "What the hell is this? Do you not know who you are messing with?!" The bandit yelled to the man who didn''t falter at his comment. The man didn''t hesitate to move, sliding his sword back in the scabbard. The bandit waited for the man to put his guard down, looking at him from the corner of his eyes. Right when he saw that the person placed his sword back into the scabbard, he decided it was time to strike, sliding out his sword. "UGH!!" the bandit groaned in pain. Right before his eyes, the tall, handsome man took out his sword and swung it across the bandit''s body before he could even strike back. Areum and Suyin covered their mouth with their hand, shocked at what had just happened. "This man killed someone right before my eyes! Yes, he''s my savior but I can''t believe that he killed that bandit off so quick!" Suyin said in her mind, startled because this was the first time she''s ever seen anyone kill another person. Working in the medical field, Suyin was either saving someone or looking after patients, but in this world, it was a whole different story. The man knelt down to take a look of the corpse of the bandit''s body. His eyes were still wide open, which disturbed both Areum and Suyin, but they didn''t dare to make another move or say anything. "He killed our master! After him!" The other bandits cried aloud, swinging their swords in the air. The other bandits rushed towards the man and Suyin, startling her because of the sudden attack. She tried to move back but tripped on a tree log, falling down on her butt. Stunned, she watched the mysterious savior fly his sword across the other bandits, barely seeing him within an eye''s movement. "What was that?!" Suyin whispered as Areum shook her head, sitting next to Suyin in fear. By the time Suyin blinked a couple of times, all of the bandits suddenly fell, their body lifeless. The man turned his back to Suyin and Areum, trying to not turn around for them to see. Seeing that all of the bandits were dead, Suyin was not scared anymore. It was a dog eat dog world in the past and it was either Suyin and Areum dead or the bandits. "So much for bringing them back alive so we can investigate them." The man commented, making Suyin turned to him as she smiled at his back. Although he sounded like he didn''t want to interact with them, it sounded as if he had to make an excuse in order for him to help the two. Suyin stood up, cleaning her silk dress as she walked around the man, seeing his face again. "Thank you for saving us, savior! If you need any help in the future, I will be glad to help" She carelessly said, cupping her hands together into a fist as she bowed her head towards the man. She grinned, looking at the man as his eyes were fierce as if he was angry. She flinched but she didn''t let it bother her. If he wasn''t there to help her, she would''ve died and it wasn''t a big deal to thank their hero, but why did he look so mad? Suyin gazed at his face, seeing it better in the front than the back. She was correct when she saw him from a quick glance, he was a handsome, beautiful man. His skin was fairly white and beautiful and she only reached to his chest when Suyin stood next to him. His shoulders were broad, sensing that there were muscles behind this guy. Suyin knew that she shouldn''t mess with a person like him. "Let me ask you before I kill you." His voice was cold, like icicles shooting towards her. "Do you know who I am?" He questioned her in a serious tone, his eyes looking down on Suyin. "Huh?!" Suyin responded in surprise. He just saved her and now he wanted to kill her?! What kind of good samaritan was he?! The clothes that he wore weren''t something plain like Areum and he wasn''t wearing any armor as a general would. So who was this person who decided to save her and be like this now? Was he actually an assassin sent out from someone? If he was an assassin, it was a pity that someone this beautiful has to live their life doing dirty work for someone else. "No! I have no idea who you are. Heck. I don''t even know why I ended up here. I blame my father''s horse that ran off over here." Suyin muttered, crossing her arms to her chest as she disregarded his serious demeanor and aura. "So much for a handsome man", She uttered beneath her breath, rolling her eyes. "Suyin!! Young miss!" Suyin turned her head around to hear an echo of her name. "My lady, I think master brought someone to find you!" Areum said, running to Suyin as she tugged her sleeves. She took a quick glance at the man and looked away, afraid that he was really going to kill them. "I know! I''ll shout out for help because this man is crazy enough himself." Suyin whispered as she waved her hands in the air, jumping. "I''m over here!!!" She yelled aloud, "Come help me! There''s someone who wants to kill me!" She turned back to mock the man, only to see no one but Areum. "What?" Areum spun herself around, not believing her eyes as she examined the area. It was completely clean! There were little traces of blood from the corpses, but the man and the corpses were both gone! "How did he disappear!" Suyin frowned with an unsatisfied face. Great. Now that guy is gone, her accusations are going to sound like she''s crazy. "Young miss!" A male servant hustled towards the two as he looked around. "You said there was someone who wanted to kill you." He didn''t have a sword or anything on him, but he was willing to risk his life in order to save Suyin. If she died, he would''ve been the next one in line to die anyway from his master. "No, it''s nothing. Forget it." Suyin brushed the problem aside as if it wasn''t a big deal. She was more agitated about the man just disappeared after threatening her. "What a coward!" Suyin directed to where the man once stood in front of her. The male servant seized a chance to take a peek at what Suyin was staring at but he saw nothing but endless rows of trees circling them. "Well.." Suyin tugged Areum''s sleeves, dragging her. "Let''s go back home." ------ "Areum!! What did I tell you to not take the young lady out of the outskirts!" Suyin''s father shouted to the maid as she promptly kneeled down, sniffling. She didn''t want to make any eye contact with Suyin''s father because she knew that she was supposed to keep an eye on Suyin. "Father!" Suyin ran towards Areum and her father to prevent him from punishing her. "Stop it. It was my fault that I ran out. It wasn''t Areum''s responsibility for me!" Suyin opened her arms, protecting Areum before he dad could whip her with a thin bamboo stick. "Y-You¡­ dare to defy me and talk against me?!" His wrinkles were apparent the more he frowned, aiming at the bamboo stick at Suyin. "I''m just telling you that it was my fault and Areum shouldn''t be the one taking responsibility for my own actions!" Suyin answered her father. What he was doing was irrational and it wasn''t right that Areum took the fault instead. WHACK! Suyin winced at the stinging pain at her hip. Her father just whipped Suyin with the bamboo stick! "My lady! Stop it, you didn''t do anything wrong. It was Areum''s fault that she didn''t stop the young lady." Areum cried, rubbing her back from all of the ache. "You stop it or else I''m going to punish you myself, my way." Suyin turned to Areum, massaging her hips. "You dare to talk to your father like this! You go write me a 20-page letter on the emperor''s pearls of wisdom and proverbs right now! (Note: *This would be the Emperor and the previous emperor''s historical success in their lives such as winning a war, donating charity, etc with the year, time, and date). Suyin held Areum''s hand, dragging her to Suyin''s Snowdrop lotus courtyard. "My lady. Why did you do that?" Areum followed, still holding Areum''s hands. Suyin turned her head and beamed. "Because what my father did was wrong. It was my fault for leaving, not yours." Suyin pushed the doors, revealing her room. On the left side had a mirror and a dresser for all of her clothes. On the right side laid a folding screen panel divider with printings of snowdrop lotus flowers on the screen. Ahead of the folding screen, there is a small square table that can seat four people around it. Straight ahead was her bed covered in layers of pink drapes covering around it. Suyin called out to another servant, demanding for medicine as they rushed off to grab it to her. She took the medicine and sat down on her bed. "Areum." Areum promptly attended to Suyin, startled that she summoned her while she was patiently waiting, folding her hands. "Close the door, come here, and turn around." Not comprehending what Suyin was going to do, she followed Suyin''s instructions, facing her back to Suyin, who remained on the bed, sitting up as Areum kneeled on the ground. "Now take off your clothes." "What?!" Areum turned to Suyin. ------------------------------------ Side note: I would like to note that Areum''s name means "Beauty" in Korean. Suyin named her this because she wanted Areum to sound different and unique from everyone so Areum would understand that she is someone who is important like everyone else. A side note to how Suyin named her Areum is because when they both were young and Suyin was thinking of a name for her, Areum would always agree to anything that Suyin says with a "eum!" This caused Suyin to say, "Ah" aloud and created the two name together since "eum" would sound too awkward as her name. She wanted to find a unique name for Areum. Young Suyin didn''t want a typical name for Areum. "Ah" "Eum!" = "Areum" [This would make more sense in the next chapter when we learn a little bit about Areum''s past with Suyin.] 3 The unusual person "Just do it!" Suyin ushered Areum, tugging her robe down to see her bare back. Areum winced at Suyin''s actions, unsure of what she should do. "Just look ahead and don''t turn around," Suyin commanded. She began applying medicine to Areum''s back softly so she wouldn''t hurt her. Suyin saw all of the whip lashes that Areum got because of Suyin. She lowered her eyebrows. "I''m sorry I''ve caused so much trouble for you." Her voice softened, feeling bad that Areum had to always take the blame for everything that she had carelessly done. "It''s okay." Areum smiled, reassuring Suyin since she wasn''t angry. "I''m willing to do anything for my young miss." She then added. Suyin grinned bitterly. To find someone who would do anything for you is hard to find. Areum was more than a maid in Suyin''s mind, but she knew that the difference of status during this time was hard than the present day in her time. Suyin finished rubbing the medicine on her back, tightening the lid of her medicine jar. Areum was grateful that Suyin treated her well now and back in the past. She knew that she could never endure the bitterness out on the streets without Suyin''s existence in the world. When Areum was young, she had no identity to start with as a child. She was deserted by her parents at a young age and had to survive by stealing food from others. Areum stole Suyin''s food when she was younger, pushing Suyin down on the ground as she ran off with Suyin''s bag of steamed pork buns. Suyin''s father chased after Areum and was about to report her to the guards until Suyin told her father that she gave the food to Areum. After that day, Suyin secretly followed Areum to her little home under an abandoned, cold home. Suyin would sneak out of her home at night to give Areum food. "Did you want some food?" Suyin would question. "Eum!" Areum immediately replied. It wasn''t until Suyin was caught from her parents one of the nights that she begged her parents to allow Areum to be her maid. Her parents didn''t like the idea, but because of Suyin''s kind heart, they decided to let Areum stay with Suyin at their home. Areum knew that she was different from Suyin, and their relationship could not be more than just a mere maid and master rather than having a bonding friendship between the two. Areum slid the top of her hanfu back up. "Thank you for the medicine, but you didn''t have to do that" she answered in a modest tone. Suyin shook her head and handed her the medicine jar. "It''s fine. It''s not much either since you did get in trouble because of me." Suyin shrugged her shoulders, acting as if it wasn''t a big deal. "Young miss!" A voice outside of Suyin''s door called out. Suyin glanced at Areum, nodding to let her open the door. A male servant walked in, lowering his head. "Master has suggested you to go visit the Prince and the Princess at the Palace." He spoke. The Prince and Princess? That''s right. Areum shook her head, puckering her lips. She could see the faces of the Prince and Princess of the Long clan painted in her imagination with their radiant appearance. Although she hasn''t recently seen the Prince lately, she''s been having tea with the Princess because she was feeling of lonely in the palace since her brother was always so busy. "Alright! I''ll head on over there right now." Suyin rolled her sleeves back with a smirk in her face and stood up to get ready to leave. As soon as she stood up, Areum panicked and jumped up right when she did, stopping Suyin''s footsteps. "What is it?" Suyin questioned, looking at Areum with a perplexed expression. "My lady, you can''t just go out like that with your dirty outfit! We need to change first!" Areum demanded, shoving her to get changed. "Ah... you''re right." Suyin stared down at her clothes. Specks of dirt were on her sleeves and her wrinkled dress didn''t look good in her if you were to consider the idea that Suyin would be at the palace filled with nobility and etiquette. ---------------------------- "Miss Han has entered the palace!" the servant announced, dropping his head as they opened the door to the Princess'' courtyard. Suyin carefully walked in along with Areum by her side. Her sky-blue silk dress, fair pale skin, and dark long hair made her actions graceful. Many of the workers in the palace believed that if Suyin wasn''t the daughter of the noble Han family, they would have mistaken her as the sister of the Princess in the palace. "You have arrived, Miss Suyin." Yanyu leisurely paced towards Suyin. She was in no hurry and was composed, opposite of Suyin who hurried over to Yanyu. "Yanyu!" Areum''s elbow touched Suyin, causing her to fix her throat as she respectfully bowed to Yanyu. "Princess." She shifted her tone, taking a look around the servants as Yanyu ushered them to leave. The servants beside Areum scurried off Yanyu''s beautiful, large courtyard. A lotus pond could be observed right next to her pavilion and peony flowers were planted throughout the walkway. "Wow. Were these flowers all planted in here for you?" Suyin leaned down to smell the fragrance of peony flowers that swayed in the wind, blowing her hair in the air. "Actually, I planted these when I have the time," Yanyu replied, smiling at Suyin''s response to the flowers. "It seems like you haven''t been here for a while. Brother and I were wondering how you were doing back at home the last time you came here." Suyin directed her head to Yanyu and gave her a big grin, her smile brighter than the sun gleaming between the two. "Of course home is nothing but dull! I can''t stand the life of staying home all day." Yanyu''s peaceful expression changed into a surprised one. "Dull? Why did you say that? Recently, you used to tell me how troublesome it was to be out all the time instead of staying home." Yanyu declared, strolling along aside with Suyin. "Um. Yeah, I did consider that at one point recently but..." Suyin glimpsed around and leaned on the cement lantern next to the plum blossom tree. She tip-toed to the nearest branch she could reach and tenderly picked off the plum blossom flower, handing it to Yanyu with a bright expression. "I think that living a life that is meaningful to you makes more sense when you find something you like doing, you know?" Yanyu hesitated, unsure of what Suyin was expressing and silently accepted the flower that Suyin handed to her, giving her a small smile. "Suyin." She stared at Yanyu, who gazed at the plum blossom before the two looked at each other. "Hm?" "Never mind. I forgot what I was going to say." Yanyu shook her head. She stopped walking and watched the active Suyin stroll around the garden. "Did you know how different you are now from the last time I met you?" Suyin and Yanyu continued wandering for a bit until Yanyu got bored, so the two sat down in the pavilion, sipping green herb tea as Suyin listened to Yanyu''s life in the palace and how lonely she''s been feeling because her brother has been occupied. "Maybe you should go out and find something that you enjoy doing," Suyin suggested, sipping her tea. Yanyu could only bitterly smile at Suyin''s words. "As a Princess in the palace, we cannot do anything that will ruin our reputation and name." She sighed in disappointment, staring down on the ground. Suyin bit her lips, understanding how females in the past were always grounded down wherever they were. They were supposed to stay in one place and follow their partner''s footsteps rather than their own. Suyin lightly slammed her teacup on her lap, causing Yanyu to jump in surprise. "Ruining one''s reputation and living as your own self is two different things." Suyin looked straight into Yanyu''s eyes. She placed the teacup on the table and held Yanyu''s hands. "You need to have freedom in your life and take control. You are the person who will be walking the path in life, not the others who may control you for that." Yanyu glanced up at Suyin, then gazed back down on the floor with a hopeless expression. Suyin frowned, raising Yanyu''s chin up. "You must look ahead with determination and bravery. If you don''t, you''ll always live your life seeing the ground instead of soaring through the sky with no limit." [Idiom: You will always stay in one place being afraid if you don''t find what makes you happy and free.] Yanyu pondered for a minute or two, absorbing what Suyin was trying to say. She understood that Suyin is trying to say things for the best, but she felt that as a Princess, it was unnecessary for her to go through all the trouble to fight for what Suyin call, "freedom." Suyin was for sure strange in Yanyu''s point of view because she never noticed how passionate and outspoken Suyin was towards the Princess. The Suyin before would always watch what she would say and would be a bit more...relaxed. "Miss Suyin. It seems like you seem a bit unusual the last time I saw you." A male voice declared, causing Suyin and Yanyu to turn to the owner of the voice. "Brother!" Yanyu glared at his comment as Suyin began to reflect on the Prince''s words, slowly agreeing to what he was saying. Prince Long Jianyu was a tall and well-built man who had just finished his class with Suyin''s father. One of the servants told Jianyu that Suyin was in the Princess''s courtyard and hurried off to see her after he finished listening to her father''s lectures. Jianyu was the crown prince,the older brother of Yanyu who was a couple of years apart from the two girls. Suyin wasn''t too intimate to Jianyu compared to Yanyu because of Jianyu''s bursting reputation with the girls. The man was about 177 cm in height, half of Suyin and Yanyu''s height which made them look shorter than they would be. Jianyu clothes were silk black and gold which carried the atmosphere of nobility and power in his hands. His eyes were soft, always holding a concerned or compassionate expression on his face with little or no intimidation. He was highly favored by the emperor and the empress because of his obedience and kind-hearted soul which won the hearts of many girls in town. It had been a while since Jianyu had seen his little sister and Suyin because his father instructed Jianyu to take care of the townspeople in a small neutral mountain village. It was a project that was crowded with homeless and sickly people, and the emperor wanted Jianyu to solve the problem so that the people would support him as the future emperor. Jianyu failed to do so and came back home with no solution and no favor to the civilians. Suyin could care less that Jianyu was one of the "most handsome man ever lived" quoted by many girls since she felt like Jianyu was someone who was like a brother to her. Suyin could remember the memories with Jianyu in the past such as fishing with him, encouraging him to understand her father''s lectures, and writing poetry in the pavilion. She still pondered about the statement that Jianyu mentioned to Suyin though. "Hm. Am I that strange? How different am I?" Suyin challenged the question, as Jianyu chuckled. He sat right next to Yanyu who continuously frowned at Jianyu for being so direct to Suyin. Unlike Jianyu, Yanyu would keep her thoughts to herself rather than being so honest like her older brother. She believed that it wasn''t right of him to say something like that to her since maybe Suyin had a life experience change or something similar to that happened to her. "The Suyin I know would be more reserved and ladylike." Jianyu grinned, leaning on the table as he poured himself a glass of tea. "Suyin seems to beso honest and brave now." Jianyu took a sip of tea with a grin that was never washed off of his face. "I understand." Suyin pointed with her index as she looked up the ceiling to think for a while. In Suyin''s memories of this body and person, it seems like the Suyin before had the noble aura around her. She was poised, humble, and always listened to others before speaking. It was a shame that she couldn''t be like that, but that type of character wasn''t like her. Suyin was a person who stood on her ground and would fight for her rights and freedom. Suyin held her index up in the air, then pointed at Jianyu, who coughed on his tea as he glimpsed at her. "It doesn''t matter if I am different. I am still Suyin." Someone pointed at Jianyu, the crown prince. Pointing in front of someone was a gesture that was known to be rude, but the way how Suyin casually pointed at him caused Yanyu and Jianyu to freak out. If Areum was here, she would have already lectured Suyin for doing something like that, but she had to leave to pick up some ink and paper at a shop in town. "Suyin." Yanyu''s voice lowered with a concerned look in her face. Suyin turned her thought to Yanyu. "You do know that pointing at others is an offense. Especially towards royalty, it can be a big punishment." The guards nearby surrounded her and pointed their swords towards Suyin. 4 Taboo "Wait! I-I didn''t mean it." Suyin lifted her hands like a criminal. Jianyu crossed his arms, chuckling. He raised his right hand, ushering the guards to disperse. Suyin glimpsed around to see if the guards would appear out of nowhere. "Godness. You are asking for trouble aren''t you?" Jianyu coolly said as Yanyu swayed her head, sighing as if there was no hope for Suyin. "So... what the Princess just said... is it true?" Suyin questioned, scooting in closer to Jianyu. He nodded and covered his mouth with his hand so Suyin would only hear. "Just don''t try that on anyone anymore, before you really offend someone." He stated. Suyin''s eyes widened. Holy crap! What trouble has she gone into going to the past?! There will be some rules that she definitely will have to remember! If she doesn''t recognize the red flags, she''ll surely die for pointing at people or something similar to that! Suyin began rubbing her chin, thinking really hard as Jianyu wordlessly observed her. "What is she doing? Does she have a beard or something for her to be rubbing her chin?" Jianyu thought in his head, curious of what this Suyin was thinking about. "My lady." Areum carefully walked in, bowing to the Princess and Prince before kneeling in front of Suyin. Suyin turned to Areum, "Yes?" She promptly answered. "Your father has requested you to come into his study room to discuss matters. I suggest you go and not waste time." Areum recommended. Suyin agreed. She didn''t want Areum to get in trouble due to her actions again. Suyin turned towards Yanyu and Jianyu and slightly bowed, "My apologies to the Prince and Princess, but Suyin must go now." She announced. The siblings smiled, acknowledging her dismiss as she walked off with Areum behind her. "Brother." Jianyu looked at his sister, who watched Suyin''s back. "Do you think that Suyin''s sick?" Jianyu turned his head back to Suyin, who spun around and waved at them before walking out of the courtyard. "No." He lit up a grin seeing her walk off. "I think she''s finally comfortable with who she is now. I rather see her happy and confident than being restricted to who she really is." Jianyu could recognize the huge difference between her personality, but it didn''t change a single thing because the Suyin in his memories was someone who always had a smile in her face only when she found an answer to her solutions. It seems like she found peace and satisfaction among herself finally, not being bothered about her family''s name and reputation. Yanyu absorbed what Jianyu said about Suyin. She was quite envious of how nonchalant she was. Was that the feeling of being comfortable? Yanyu then recalled about what Suyin said earlier to her when she handed Yanyu the plum blossom. "I think that living a life that is meaningful to you makes more sense when you find something you like doing, you know?" Yanyu held the plum blossom that Suyin picked carefully in the palm of her hand, staring at it as the curves of her lips lit up. "Maybe you''re right, brother." Near the siblings next to the pavilion, the bud of plum blossoms was slowly blooming. ---------- The door slid open, entering Suyin who carefully walked in as she lowered her head, looking around in silence. Piles of books laid on top of another on the table and the rows of bookshelves seemed endless. Suyin glanced around at the spacious study room, often occupied by his father and the Prince and Princess. "Suyin?" Her father sought. "Yes?" Suyin reached to the end of the room, seeing her father stand behind the table. His arm was tucked to the back as if a scholar was thinking deeply. Suyin was unsure of what this "matter" would be. Was he going to ask her to do something for him? Was she going to teach? "My child, you have grown from the last time that I noticed." Suyin lifted an eyebrow, unsure of where this old man is going with his statement. Her father never turned around to look at his daughter. He was staring straight out through the paper window as if his mind were somewhere else. "As a father, I want you to know that I want you to take over me someday, but it is a pity that you are a young lady." He finally turned towards Suyin, who stood in front of him and patiently attended to him. "My daughter. I think it is time for me to find someone for you." He stated. Right after stating the term, "someone" Suyin simply figured what her father was trying to do. "Are you trying to marry me off into some noble or prosperous family?!" She questioned her father. In her gut feeling, she knew this idea wasn''t a good idea. He flinched, startled at her response. "Suyin. How dare you talk back to your father!" He said in an angry, but soft tone. His daughter never once talked back to him. "Ever since you stole the horse this morning, you''ve been acting so rebellious! Do you want a greater punishment than this!" Her father threatened. Suyin bit the bottom of her lips, trying hard to not talk back to her father. She was never like this in the past, but it was unfair for her father to just marry her off to some stranger that she most likely didn''t know. Suyin turned, walking away from her father as she slammed the door open, stomping down the corridors. Areum followed right beside her as the two headed back home. ------------ It was a day after the incident and Suyin was wide awake. She was seated on a stone bench, watching the sunrise under a redbud tree. She couldn''t sleep because of what her father told her the day before. "Finding someone," Suyin uttered, leaning her head on the tree bark. Did her parents really love and care for her? Suyin recollected memories of her father''s continuous commands to do this or that his way. Her mother was never around Suyin. She would often be out "praying" at a temple, but would actually go around town purchasing worthless items which she would bring home. Suyin in the past did not argue or complain once during those times. Suyin always found interest in medicine, but she couldn''t remember the reason why. Her father and mother would make a huge deal and scene whenever Suyin always mentioned about learning medicine or even the thought of touching any herbs. She was never able to do anything she enjoyed to do in her life. Although Suyin had a life filled with hardships in the house, there were little happy moments of Suyin. She would reminiscence that included the Princess and the Prince, but they were only moments. Suyin could feel the heaviness in herself. Her heart was bottled up and buried deep into her heart. She couldn''t do what she wanted to do and followed her parent''s wishes throughout her life since childhood. "I will do what I feel is right and happy." Suyin laid her hand on her chest, closing her eyes. "Help! I need someone to help me, please!" A voice echoed from afar. It sounded like a little girl, crying out for help. Suyin''s feet flew up and she began searching around her surroundings. It couldn''t be in her courtyard or home, otherwise, Areum would have told her already. It sounded like someone outside of the house not too far from here. It was early in the morning and her parents and Areum were still asleep. Suyin slipped on her shoes and lifted her skirt, climbing on the tree to hop onto the roof. "Anyone, please help!" The voice was still calling for help. In Suyin''s mind, the people hearing this child is a coward, too busy to hear, or were such deep sleepers! She jumped down from the roof, planting her feet on the ground and dashed toward the voice. There was a dirt path on the road not too far from Suyin''s home.A wooden cart was toppled over with layers of what it looked like yellow flowers to Suyin. A young girl was crying, rubbing her eyes. "Are you okay?" Suyin inspected the child, who had minor scratches from the pebbles and rocks from the dirt and made sure that she was in a good condition. "Help me! My father is hurt!" The girl pointed towards the cart. Suyin didn''t notice that someone was under the layers of flowers toppled over him. She rushed to the scene of the incident and brushed all of the flowers aside. The elderly man was knocked unconscious, presumably from the fall. Suyin rolled the man over so she could see his current physical state. Scanning from the bottom to the top, it looked as if there were no problems, but she noticed a faint smell of iron. She looked at her right hand over and saw a smear of blood. The man''s right arm was torn, bleeding from the impact of the fall. It wasn''t gushing out blood-often a dramatic effect from what you would see in movies-but it was running down his sleeves and soaked the ground with it. Suyin wanted to wrap it, but she had no bandages or antibiotics to help stop the bleeding. Suyin rummaged around for a cloth or something to stop the bleeding, touching the "flowers" that was toppled over. "Wait!" Suyin grabbed one of the petals, touching its texture and smelt it. It wasn''t just a regular flower that was lying here! These were known as Hamamelis mollis, or to better call it in her times, witch hazel. Suyin specialized in Chinese traditional herbs to better understand her roots and good thing it was helping her now! These flowers can be grounded to help stop bleeding if she wraps it around his arm. Suyin decided to use the roots to wrap it around his arm temporarily since there wasn''t any bandage for her to use. The little girl sat right next to her father and Suyin, kneeling with her eyes on her father. "Is my dad going to be okay?" She questioned, looking at Suyin. Suyin nodded, lighting up a small smile in midst of this chaos to assure her. "Yeah. Your father is going to be okay." ... Suyin was able to find bystanders help her carry the man to his home. It turns out that the elderly man and child lived near Suyin''s home. Before Suyin left, the little girl thanked her, asking if she would come back again. Suyin didn''t give her an answer because she didn''t know who they were but she reassured her that maybe they will one day. After, Suyin headed back home with a struggle to jump over the wall to her courtyard again. After that incident, three days passed. Suyin was always bored at home, wanting to find ways to keep her busy but her parents kept an eye on her. They often directed her to do things for them such as sending gifts to other families to make their reputation look good, but Suyin didn''t like how they loved the fame and reputation of their name. In order for Suyin to get used to this world and its resources, Suyin secretly ordered Areum to bring her medical books so that she would be familiar with Chinese herbs and plants, in case she would need to use it in the future. Areum didn''t like the idea, which Suyin didn''t know why, but did it for her anyways. .... "Suyin!" Areum paced through the corridors, calling out her name. Suyin was resting in her seat, reading her book about mixing Chinese medicine. Areum dashed in, catching her breath before speaking. "What did you need?" Suyin casually asked, skimming through the book with her eyes. "S-Someone came. They told your father that you saved them." Suyin placed her book down and looked at Areum in the eyes. "I saved them?" She hurried to the main hall, seeing the elderly man she saved talk to her father. "Father." Suyin bowed, then bowed to the elderly man. "She''s the one who saved you, is that correct?" Suyin''s father asked as the elderly man smiled, nodding his head. "Yes. I faintly remembered her face before I was knocked unconscious. My daughter can also confirm that she was the woman who saved me." The man glanced at Suyin, then turned back to look at her father. Suyin was sweating cold bullets at this time because she knew that she would get into big, big trouble. The two continue to converse with Suyin present there, sitting down on a chair across from the man and her father. She didn''t really listen to their conversation because she was trying to think of worse case scenarios in her mind but after hearing the word, "marriage" coming from her father''s mouth, she came back to reality. "Huh?" Suyin''s attention perked. "What did you say, father?" "I said, this was the man I wanted you to marry." He smiled generously to Suyin. She felt her stomach drop down as if the bad feeling came back again. This old man?! It was worse than she expected! "Ah, yes. I do finally get to meet her. Your father told me many things about you. I would like to sincerely thank you that you saved me, Miss. It must have been fate that we met." The man had a delighted look on his face, causing Suyin to feel uncomfortable. She didn''t come back in time here to get married to an old geezer! She had a sullen expression, glaring at her father who didn''t bother to stare at his daughter. "So then, we will talk about a good time for the marriage next time, perhaps?" Suyin''s father commented. The elderly man agreed. "It''s getting late now and I must be heading home. Again, thank you for your daughter for saving me and taking good care of me. Whatever medicine she had, saved my life." The elderly man bid his farewell to the quiet father and apprehensive Suyin, watching him leave the front doors as it closed. Immediately, his father turned to Suyin, slapping her in the face. "What the hell did you do?!" Her father shouted at her. The servants lowered their head, terrified to interfere between them. "Didn''t I tell you to never touch anything that relates to medicine? Why are you acting high and mighty by helping others?!" Suyin bit her lips, not wanting to talk back as he continued to slammer her with crude words. "I always emphasized back then in the past for you to avoid anything with medicine and focus on education!" Her father continued to lecture, "Do you even hear me?! Are you deaf?" Suyin shot up a scowl through her father which surprised him. Suyin had no memories of her parents ever telling her anything about learning medicine. She did remember back when she was a child that she shouldn''t touch medicine because it was supposedly a family taboo, but there was nothing more she could recognize beyond that. Maybe some of the memories of the original owner of this body blocked out some memories due to her stress and depression. "I''m not going to marry that old man." Suyin declared, squeezing her hands into a fist. Her parents have controlled her throughout her life, so it wasn''t fair that they get to choose who she will marry. She''s had enough with her parents. "Wha...what did you say?! You need to know that because of your mother''s spending on useless things, we barely have any money now-" The father grew more furious, his face now turning red. "Honey, what''s all the ruckus.." Suyin''s mother casually walked in, as if the current situation wasn''t a big thing. "Mom." Hopefully, Suyin could get to her mother if not her father. She was a woman so she might understand. "Father wants me to marry this old man." Suyin''s eyes pleaded with help in her eyes to her mother. Her face turned ugly, unconcerned. "I thought that the marriage was finalized already. Suyin! You should know that we need someone to pay it off. This is the only way now." Her mother ushered, brushing aside her statement. "M-Mother. You are going to sell me to someone?!" Suyin responded. Suyin''s mother grimaced at her, ready to hit her for talking back. Her hand swung towards Suyin, but Areum dashed in between the two to take the hit in her face. "H-How dare you to interfere with this, you servant!" "STOP IT NOW!" Her father yelled in a harsh and cold tone. "You all better stop it now before I throw you all out." He gazed at Suyin. "It is a family taboo to work or touch any medicine. You should have known better not to do anything that involves medicine." He grew quiet for a second, putting his hands to his back. "We are going to finalize the marriage and begin as soon as possible. Suyin, you are on house arrest." He stared at Areum and the other servants who stood afar, observing the scene the whole time. "No one allows Suyin to go out or interact with anyone at all until the marriage. She is under my punishment. This includes Areum also." The man coldly stated before dragging his wife back into the corridors to go to sleep. The night grew cold and Suyin stood in the middle of the main courtyard, hurt and shocked at what was going on. "Suyin. Let''s go." Areum tenderly tugged Suyin''s sleeves, trying to drag her to her courtyard. "Did my parents.... sell me out to an old man??" She felt betrayed by her parents. She never got any freedom, happiness, or say in anything. If she went against it, they always controlled her and punished her. Suyin allowed Areum to drag her to her courtyard. Throughout the night, even the wind didn''t dare to whisper its tale to the trees. 5 The night is young It was past midnight and Suyin couldn''t sleep. Time slowly passed on and she couldn''t afford to waste any time because her father was going to force her to marry some old dude. She tossed and turned, groaning with frustration as she sat up, frowning. "Damn it." She cursed, slamming her hands on her lap. She took off to Areum''s room (which was next door to Suyin''s) and knocked on the door. "Areum." Suyin whispered, knocking on her door. She didn''t hear a single thing as she continued to knock. "Arreuum." She whispered, raising the volume of her voice. "Hmm?" Areum was half awake but somehow managed to open the door along the way. One of her eyes was closed and the other one was open. She was doing her best to wake up immediately, but couldn''t help being tired with the incident that just occurred hours ago. Suyin slid the door open, looking around if there were any other servants walking around this late at night before she hopped into Areum''s little room. Surprised at what Areum was doing, she was immediately awake, her eyes wide open because of Suyin''s actions. "W-What are you doing, my lady?" Areum asked. Suyin shushed her, raising her index finger to her lips to keep quiet. Suyin sat down on the cold, hard floor and ushered Areum to sit next to her with her hands. Confused, Areum sat down, looking at her. "My lady, you shouldn''t be sitting on the ground..." She whispered. Suyin ignored the comment and glanced around before she came in closer to Areum. "Areum. You said that you would follow me wherever I would go....right?" Suyin wanted to know if Areum would go along with her plans. She was finally done with this family. She was going to run away from the family and go to the other side where the Qin territory would be at. They wouldn''t be able to do anything since they were in a war anyways. "Yes. I''ve already promised you that I will follow where my lady goes, even in death." Suyin frowned at Areum''s comment. "Areum! I''m not going anywhere to die!" She whispered in a harsh tone. "I...." She smirked, "I''m planning on running away from this hell---Ahem, this place." Areum gazed at Suyin, unsure if she was just playing around or if she was serious. "My lady! You are the only daughter in this family. What would they do if they knew-" "They don''t need to know. Look. I rather run away and take the chances whether I get killed or not rather than marry that old man." Areum then understood what was going on. If Suyin were to marry the old man, it wouldn''t matter if she was the only daughter in the family. Her name would have been changed into her husband''s name and she wouldn''t even have any power to have a say in it. "Was that why you tried to learn how to ride a horse that one time?" Areum asked. Suyin calmly thought about it. The day that she took over the owner''s body, Areum kept mentioning about her learning how to ride a horse and how it ran off into the forest. "You knew that your father was going to marry you off already, huh?" Areum added on. Suyin could remember most of the memories of the owner''s body, but some were blocked out such as that one. Maybe she did realize that her father was going to marry her off, which was the reason why she wanted to learn how to secretly ride the horse. "Yes. And I think it''s finally time to run away for my own freedom and rights." Although the original body owner didn''t know how to ride a horse, Suyin at least had some basic knowledge on riding one, since she rode one when she was a little child. The two made a plan that would occur two days ahead because Suyin and Areum would need to find some resources such as money, clothing, food, and water. They both agreed that Areum will be leaving first after she goes to town to buy some items and clothes for them. Suyin would come later on at night so that it wouldn''t be too suspicious. She planned on buying a horse of her own with the savings that she saved used to buy accessories and put the horse near her courtyard. When it would be time for her to run away, she would jump over the walls like she did a couple of days ago and take the horse to run off in the middle of the night. The two laughed, talking all night about how their future was going to be far different from the days now. Areum swore to always serve Suyin as a maid and be by her side, no matter the cost. Although Suyin may not have a title under her or her family name anymore if she runs away, Suyin will always be a noble lady in her eyes. Two days had passed after the two girls had made their plan. Suyin was still under house arrest and couldn''t get out of her home. Areum could only go in and out of the house for a while before she would be followed by the other servants. Areum had some errands to run and finish for Suyin since she wrote a letter to Princess Yanyu and Prince Jianyu talking about her escape and the marriage that she didn''t want. She explained that they shouldn''t worry if she disappears since she''ll promise she will be back one day to see them. The Princess and Prince decided to keep this a secret away from her father and people in the palace since it would lead to a bigger problem. The whole morning, Suyin was anxious about their plan. Suyin sewed a handkerchief for her "fiance" so that Areum would have an excuse to go out and tie the horse near her courtyard. After Areum tied the horse, she dropped off the handkerchief to the man and went back home. The sun was setting and the stars beamed through the dark sky. "Don''t be late," Areum whispered as Suyin nodded, holding Areum''s hands before the two parted ways. "It''s time to sleep." one of the servants of the house exclaimed in the home, as everyone in house walked to their bedrooms to sleep. Suyin walked around in her courtyard, gazing the place where she born. She would never come back again after this, and it was going to be the last time she would see her father and mother. This was the only way for her to secure her freedom and herself as a person. Suyin walked down the corridors along the way to her room, sliding her fingers across the paper walls as she closed her doors and sat down in her bed. "Just a little bit more and everyone should fall asleep," Suyin whispered to herself. She didn''t know how this was going to go, but she was hoping it was going to work out. A knock on the door distracted Suyin. Who could be knocking on the door at this hour and time? There shouldn''t be anyone awake right now, so it was probably Areum. She could have forgotten something or didn''t remember to tell Suyin something important. Suyin rushed to the door, sliding it open with a larger figure in front of her. "W-Who''s that?!" Suyin questioned. The figure covered her mouth and held her close to them. It was night time so Suyin couldn''t see the face of the person. She tried to scream but the person''s grip was too tight. She tried to struggle, only to hear the person''s voice. "I''ve been waiting since I first laid eyes on you to see you." A man''s voice said. Suyin paused, trying to scoot her face away from the man''s face. "The day that you said you didn''t want to marry me made my heart break, did you not know?" Suyin''s eyes widened, understanding the current situation now. It was the elderly man that was engaged with her! As much as she tried to struggle out of his grip, she could feel the aura of the man enjoying her fight against him. 6 The Forest of Lost Souls No matter how much Suyin struggled to get out of the elderly man''s grip, it was no use. He wrapped his arms around her and shoved her behind until the back of her knees hit her bed. The two fell on the bed with the perverted man on top of her. "I saw you one day out shopping, you know? I couldn''t take my eyes off of you from that day on. I entered your house and planned to ask for your hand in marriage since my wife passed away years ago and overheard your father discussing with your mother about their financial problems." The man crept up a smile to his face, stroking her face with the back of his hands, "It was the perfect opportunity to offer up to pay all of their debt in return to have yourself to me." His expression changed, furrowing his brows with a glare, "Then you said you didn''t want to marry me. Do you not understand how much of an offense that means to a man?!" He attempted to kiss her neck, pulling the top of her hanfu loose but Suyin fought back. She wasn''t trying to cause a big scene. If her parents knew and witnessed this scene, for sure she wouldn''t get out of this situation (meaning getting married to this old geezer)! "I''m.....not.....going to marry you!" Suyin''s eyes were tearing up because of how delicate she appeared at that exact moment. Although she believed that, there was no way that she was going to be stuck here forever. Areum was expecting for her to meet up at the forest! She couldn''t let Areum and herself down!She kneed the man''s fragile part between the legs as hard as she could. The man screamed in pain and held onto his precious area. Suyin took this perfect opportunity and stood up as swift as she could, dashing out of the room. "S-Suyin!!" The man cried out, still in pain. She climbed onto the redbud tree, shaking off the petal leaves as she attempted to hurry. The perverted man got up and hastened toward her way. There was no time to waste as she hopped on top of the roof and dropped down to the ground, scraping her knee along the way. "Hurry! Suyin is running away!" She overheard the old man call for people, but it wasn''t going to stop Suyin from running away. Suyin browsed the area, looking for the horse and located it from afar, hiding from the bushes as she used every ounce of her energy to untie the ropes off. Her heart was pounding so fast, she felt it could burst at any moment. Her hands trembled as she untied it, jumping on the horse''s saddle and sloppily ushered it to begin moving. The black horse bolted through the dirt road. The entrance of homes was still, and as much as Suyin used her strength to keep herself composed, tears rolled down her face, falling down on the horse''s hair. The horse followed the moon''s pathway that lit the dark road, escorting her to the forest. -------------------------------------- By a log laid a bag of items and clothes with a small little butterfly lamp sitting at the edge of the log. Areum was pacing back and forth, taking deep breaths with a concerned appearance on her face. Suyin was supposed to be there already since it was getting dark. She imagined all the scenarios that could have possibly happened to Suyin. Did she get caught from her parents? Did something happen to her along the way? Did Suyin possibly fell asleep waiting for everyone? Areum couldn''t hold still and could only be tolerant with her disorganized thoughts. The horse''s scuffle echoed through the forest. Areum knew that it had to be Suyin that was on the horse! She tiptoed, trying to see through the darkness of the forest. "Suyin!" She whimpered. The figure of Suyin came closer to the area and attempted to halt the horse, falling down in the midst of doing so and caused the horse to run off. "My lady! The horse!" Areum moved to help Suyin get off the ground. Suyin rubbed off the remaining tears and fixed her clothes. "It''s fine. Let the horse go. It has done its job already, let it free." The horse hustled deeper into the forest, scuffled sounds were faint. Suyin held onto Areum who bustled to hold the other bags. "What happened to you, my lady? What took you so long, I got so anxious!" Suyin couldn''t tell Areum the truth on what had occurred because that would stress her out. She didn''t want Areum to cause any problems since they were already out. Maybe if time passes, later on, she''ll probably mention it to Areum then. "Sorry. Some of the servants were still wide awake so I had to wait for a while." She dusted the dirt off on her arm and knees. "As long as you are not injured, then that''s good." Areum aimed southeast, escorting Suyin. "I saw an abandoned house not too far from here. It''s about a three-kilometer walk from here. I brought rice and made little trail marks out of it so we wouldn''t get lost getting there." ---------- The fire was the only light that emitted the gloomy, damp room of the deserted house. Cobwebs were at corners of the home and there were few to little furniture in the house. Whoever lived in the home apparently left a couple of things there and ran off, but at the same time, it didn''t look like someone recently lingered around there. Dust occupied the area except for the corner where Areum and Suyin rested. Two small beds of hay stacked on top of each other could be seen, which Areum took care of before Suyin came. Areum lifted the steamed bun to her mouth and sat next to Suyin, who wrapped her hands around her knees, clutching it tightly. Areum had another steamed bun on her left hand, offering it to Suyin. "I''m not hungry," Suyin commented, gently pushing Areum''s hand away. Areum puckered her lips, sitting down next to Suyin. She nibbled on the steamed bun. "I cleaned up an area for us to sleep in. Although this little home is shabby, it''s decent enough for us to stay in for a while." Suyin didn''t converse with Areum. Silent filled through the room as the two wordlessly sat there. Suyin could relive the horror of the old man harassing her. It was the first time that something like that had happened! She was disturbed about what he had done, but she wasn''t going to let anything like that happen to her ever again. She let out a resounding sigh, blinking a couple of times before she shifted to Areum. "Let''s go to bed. We need to sleep and get out of here while we can before father finds us." She broke the silence in the air, the crackles of the twigs were crumbling down as it turned white. Areum acknowledged that it was already late and they needed to rest. They had to find a way out of the large forest and head to the heart of Qin, the city that was known to be "prosperous, yet militant," opposite of their loving city of Long. The city of Qin wasn''t just at the other side of the forest, but their territory started right after they got out of the forest that divided the two clans. It was said that the Long clan had been trying to take over that town of Qin''s for years, but they had a powerful military force in their hands that obstructed them to do so. The town that Suyin and Areum were planning on going to was called Yuewei, a city rumored for their famous food and music. It was overheard by people of Long that it was a rich town, but only people with a special jade can enter into the city from the side of the forest in case of spies from the Long clan. They were strictly enforced and guarded throughout the day. Suyin and Areum intended on finding an alternative route to get into the city, but at the moment, they wanted to get away from their homeland and start a new life somewhere else where no one would recognize and notice Suyin, the daughter of the Han family. She was their face and family line, but she detested her parents how controlling and unsupportive they were to her. After Areum finished eating her steam bun, the two went to their little bed and fell asleep, uncertain of what the future will unfold for the two of them. ----------------------------- Morning came earlier than expected for Suyin. In her dreams, she could see a man wrapping his arms around her tightly. The man''s shoulder was drenched in blood and she could smell the strong aroma prickling her nose. She couldn''t turn around to see his face because his grip was tight. It was at that moment that Suyin sat up, covered with a cold sweat. Was it that old man haunting her in her dreams now? She glimpsed around, scanning around her as she gasped in relief. It was all just a dream. Suyin wiped her sweat with her sleeves. Areum was dozing off near her and she didn''t want to wake her up. The cold air emitted from the holes of the paper window that was ripped due to age, causing Suyin to rub her arms for warmth. She got up and went out to go search for more wood for the two so at least they wouldn''t get sick from the cold. The fog lurked through the forest, making Areum uncomfortable. That wasn''t going to hinder her from finding wood and proceeded to wander down the path that Areum made (with the rice stuck onto the bark of the woods now). Suyin planned on going to a higher area so that she would know where they were at. As long as she had an idea on their location, it was a good starting point instead of getting lost in the forest and blindly discovering their way out of this place. Suyin slowly trailed uphill, using a thick stick to help her climb upwards. She reached the top of the hill, marking a cliff not too far. The area was unusual from the ground level. There were only a couple of trees and then ahead of that was an open area laid at the top of the cliff. "NEIGHHH!" The horse shrieked at the top. Suyin immediately flashed a smile in her face. "Great! The horse is up here!" She whispered to herself. She raced over near the cliff, reaching the end of the trees before she froze in place and dashed behind a bush to hide. She peeked her head above the bush to see what was going on. Ahead of her, a group of men in black covering their faces surrounded a calm man in the middle. "I-It''s him!" Suyin squinted to make sure that it was the man that she encountered when she first came to this time era. It was the handsome man who saved her from those bandits, but what was he doing there? "You''re surrounded! What are you going to do now?!" One of the men covered in black exclaimed, pointing his sword to the handsome man. "Yi Tienzheng, come with me right now!" Another one came closer to the man, who wasn''t bothered with the swords encircled around him. "You think that the man''s little minions will affect me?" He cooly said, unaffected by their threats. The men swung their swords at the man, who evaded all of the hits, swiftly and delicately flowing. He tugged his sleeves down, revealing daggers from his wrist as he launched a couple of them in the air, hitting all of the men, groaning in pain. They immediately toppled down on the ground, restless. Suyin restlessly watched all of this happen, spying one more man who shot an arrow behind the trees near Suyin towards the man''s way. The person in black didn''t realize that Suyin was near him. She couldn''t help herself and jumped up from where she was hiding in. "Watch out!!" Suyin shouted as loud as she could. The arrow flew through the air and at the same time, the man thrust his dagger at the man in the black near Suyin. The arrow penetrated through his right shoulder, causing him to kneel. Suyin sped to the man, freaking out at the arrow that was sticking out from his shoulder. "You''re troubled!" Suyin tried to observe how deep the arrow stabbed through his shoulders but he kept twisting his shoulders away from her. "What are you doing here?" He coldly said, his eyes piercing with a glacial expression directed to Suyin. Suyin didn''t bother to look at his face and converged to his injuries. "We need to get this treated before it gets infected." His words didn''t go through Suyin''s ears, attempting to examine how deep the arrow has pierced in his shoulder. The blood stained through his robe, causing Suyin to worry that the injury could be life-threatening. The male sat still, his figure bigger than her as her petite hands lightly touched his shoulders. Immediately, the male slapped her hand away, attempting to distance himself from her but the pain on his shoulders weakened him with no energy to do so. "Stop! If you keep moving, you will lose more blood." The man paid no attention to her, forcing himself up to stand. The man took a couple of steps ahead of her and toppled down to the ground. Suyin walked to the man who was now unconscious. Thankfully, he was resting on his side since the arrow was sticking out on his right chest. As long as he was knocked out, she could do something to save him at least. The bitter attitude didn''t help much, but since he was unconscious, she could help save him at the very least for saving her the first time they met. "So much for listening to someone like me," she complained, shifting his body so he would face up to her. The wind rustled the bushes and trees surrounding the two. Suyin didn''t feel safe where they were at because of all of the lifeless bodies near them. The stench of blood and death prowled through the place, so Suyin determined that curing him there is not the best place to be at, in the current moment. With her black horse crying and lingering near them, she decided to drag the man to the horse, marching back downhill while she tightly gripped onto the horse''s halter, the man lying on the horse''s back. ------------------- 7 50 Collection Bonus: The Forest of Lost Souls @@ Areum and Suyin conversed through the night in their bed before sleeping in the abandoned home. Areum explained about the forest''s name that was the name of a person who used to take care of the forest, but it was commonly called the "Forest of Lost Souls" by citizens of both sides of the Long and Qin side as rumored. "Did you know why it was called the Forest of Lost Souls?" Suyin questioned, laying in bed, staring at the cobwebs on the ceiling. "Hm... good question. I don''t know either. The servants back at home often called it that and they would shiver. The servant who looked for us back then didn''t want to come, but was bribed with money." Areum shrugged, playing around with one of the hay. "Oh, I heard rumors before." Suyin turned her body towards Areum, facing her. She stuck out both of her hands like a claw, moving it in a rhythm as she creepily smiled at Areum. "People said that they would hear footsteps in the forest or lights that appear out of nowhere. If you follow either one of them, your spirit gets lost in this forest forever." Areum watched Suyin with a scared expression. "There are also sayings of many dead bodies here and that they endlessly walk through this forever. That''s why it''s called the Forest of Lost Souls because many spirits can''t move on because they cannot find their way out." Suyin smiled, "And to be apart of the group..." Suyin aimed her index finger at Areum. "I''m sacrificing you so that I can survive! Muhahaha!" She teased, causing Areum to jump at Suyin''s laugh. "Stop it!" Areum sulked, curling up into a ball. "I''m just kidding. Let''s stop talking and really head to bed before we really won''t get any rest for tomorrow." Suyin said, covering her mouth as she yawned. That night, Suyin and Areum heard rustles of leaves due to strong winds. It scared the two thanks to Suyin''s fictional made-up story and Areum decided to move her haystack of bed to sleep right next to Suyin (which she definitely was glad to have a sleeping partner that night because she scared herself too.)@@ 8 Encounter The deserted residence was surrounded by the trees, taller than the home. Outside of the place had a little yard that the former owner may have used to take care of little animals such as chickens. The horse was attached to the side of a tall, skinny log, chewing some hay that Suyin had set in case it was hungry. Inside the home, Areum and Suyin squatted down next to the man who rested on the bed. Suyin managed to take out the arrow carefully but had nothing to cover his shoulders with. A bucket of water was next to her but her hands were stained red from extracting the arrow and suppressed the blood from flowing using her bare hands, but they appeared troubled now. "What do we do with him?" Areum examined, having no experience in any medicine or aid for injuries like this. "There were some herbs that I saw near here. They are in batches together and have yellow petals." She described, "It is used for any injuries. I''m surprised that such herbs existed in this forest. Grab me a bundle of them and find me a rock about the size of my palm." Areum approved and sped out to find yellow petal herbs from Suyin''s information. The man was sleeping soundly, allowing Suyin to take a glimpse of him from time to time. His eyelashes were long and following his appearance, it seemed as if he hasn''t slept for quite a while, sinking into a deep sleep. His eyebrows were neatly shaped, making his overall feature look graceful. His skin was flawless and had the shade of light cream. The delicate clothing he was wore dampened in blood and Suyin couldn''t linger to keep pressure using both of her hands because she would need to treat it when Areum came back. Although she could smell the blood, his sweet fragrance never left him. With no other option, she dipped her hands in the bucket of clean water to clean off the blood and tore the sleeves of her silk, peach colored hanfu until the side of her shoulder was noticeable on both sides of her arm. She had to rip two long pieces on both sides so it would be adequate enough to treat the injury of the man. "It''ll just be awhile. She''s going to go get the herbs so I can help stop this bleeding." She uttered under her breath, hoping he wouldn''t wake up. Areum raced back in, carrying a big bundle of yellow petaled herbs and set it next to Suyin. "My lady. I got the herbs." Suyin nodded her head once, concentrating on her strength on his shoulders. "Your sleeve..." Suyin shushed Areum, hoping that the man wouldn''t rouse up. Areum bit her lips then spun back. "I''m going to go find something to eat and drink then outside... and find a way so we can get to Yuewei," Areum noted. "Be sure to let me know if you hear anything. I don''t want Father or anyone to find us here, otherwise, we will be in big trouble." Areum acknowledged Suyin''s words, walking out of the home. She felt disturbed because of Suyin''s actions, but couldn''t say or do much. Suyin raised the bundle of the herbs to her nose, sniffing it. "It''s these." She stopped putting pressure on the man''s shoulders and began grinding the herb on one of her ripped sleeves with the stone. After a couple of minutes, she finished grinding the herbs and gently pulled down the man''s robe to reveal his broad shoulders. Quite surprised at his masculine physique, she attempted to stay conscious to tend his wound and bandaged his right shoulders using her ripped sleeve with the herbs in it. She carefully bound it around, not seeking to wake him up and grabbed the second piece of the fabric to bind the medicine that was now around on his shoulders. After wrapping it around, she could feel someone clutching onto her wrist, hurting her in the process. She shifted her attention and saw the man''s eyes open, and alert staring at Suyin. "What the hell are you doing." He spoke in a threatened tone. Suyin scowled at the male, drawing back her arm. The male let go of her wrist since he was still weak. "I just saved your life, that is what I''m doing." She responded with the same attitude he was delivering to her. The male attempted to sit up but groaned in pain in doing so. "Look. Just sit okay?" She ordered, crossing her arms. The man looked at his shoulders before he recognized that what she used to wrap. It was the sleeves of her silk dress, now torn at the shoulders of Suyin. Suyin didn''t notice that he was watching at her but immediately avoided eye contact when she turned her head to him. "I didn''t do much since I didn''t have many resources. This is a return of a thank you for saving me last time." She bluntly expressed. His character was terrible, but Suyin wasn''t the type of person to leave someone there to bleed to death. The male didn''t say anything back, facing up to the ceiling. Suyin slowly let her guard down, putting down her arms, her expression neutral. "The wrap was awful." He insulted, causing Suyin to sneer at his criticism. "That''s all I can do!" She argued following his mock. He noticed the arrow that laid near Suyin and reached with his left arm to take it. The man rolled the spear of the arrow, studying it and put it in his sleeves. There was a long, awkward pause between the two before Areum barged in the house. "My lady! I hear a horse coming through this way!" Suyin bounced up to her statement along with her heart. She raced to Areum and shut the door, staring outward through the holes of the paper windows. A man wearing a black and gold cloak investigated the area. Suyin changed her attention to the horse that was just outside of the home. "Crap. I should have let that horse go sooner! What if they find me?" Suyin muttered. She held her breath the closer the man got to the house. He hopped down from his white horse, clothed with a beautiful black and gold barding covering its body. The white horse patiently waited while the man wandered closer to the door. He had a strong aura around him due to his attire and color of choices he wore. Suddenly, without Areum and Suyin noticing, the male that Suyin treated opened the door, wearing his bloodied light-blue robe. "Your Highness, Prince Fuhua." He gently kneeled, causing Areum and Suyin to open their mouths in awe in sync. For sure it wasn''t part of the Long clan because Suyin didn''t recognize the colors and the face of the man! "Yi Tienzheng, you have suffered enough." The male supported Tienzheng up. Tienzheng whispered a few words to the royal Prince before he turned his head back to Suyin and Areum, indicating that it was fine. The two got out of their hiding spot behind the door and bowed. "Your Highness!" Areum and Suyin said in sync, not daring to look up at the man in the robe. "You may rise." The Prince declared. He glanced at Tienzheng who was tended by Suyin and shifted his gaze back to Suyin and Areum. "To accommodate for helping my right-hand man, I give you this to welcome you to our home. It is a one-time entrance to Yuewei. In return, we will take your horse." He gave Suyin a dragon stone carved in jade and a rolled silk paper. Suyin blankly acquired the jade stone and the paper without prompting any questions. "I''ve been finding you everywhere, Tienzheng. We shall leave and I''ll go call the royal doctor to help you." Tienzheng clasped his hands together weakly in front of him. "Thank you, Royal Highness! Long live the Prince!" He pronounced. The Prince offered his cloak to Tienzheng, taking it in as he wrapped it around him. Suyin and Areum were confused and lost, dazed by what had just happened, but didn''t dare to move an inch, watch them, or speak a word to the royal Prince or Tienzheng. A big figure emerged in front of Suyin, making her look up to the figure. Tienzheng took off the cloak and tossed it to Suyin. "Wandering around like that. You''re begging for trouble to befall." The male coldly stated, his words were filled with no sympathy and made it sound like she was pathetic for walking out like that to the Prince. Suyin wanted to crush those words with her own, but couldn''t say anything more with the Prince''s appearance behind him. It wasn''t the right time for her to fight this person at the moment. She rolled her eyes, taking the cloak and wrapped it around her body haughtily. Areum and Suyin bowed the Prince goodbye as the two took off with the horses. "My lady, what''s the scroll?" Suyin forgot about the scroll that the Prince gave, rolling it open. It was a sketch of the area! Some of the places were marked and hand-drawn, presumably from the Prince but many spots were left empty and unmarked. "We aren''t too far from Yuewei!" Suyin beamed. Finally, something good was happening to the two of them! Areum and Suyin rushed back to the house to gather their belongings and ventured off to find their way to Yuewei. ---------------------------- Tienzheng''s POV Tienzheng and the Prince rode on the horse down the dirt pathway. It seemed as if they were in no rush to go anywhere. Tienzheng mounted on the black horse while the Prince rode on the elegant, white horse. "Did you find anything?" The Prince inquired, turning his head to Tienzheng. He shook his head, "It seems like the Long clan has had firm security after they failed to persuade the mountain people to take their side." Tienzheng answered. The Prince simply nodded his head, then turned to Tienzheng. "Your Highness, should we go to the royal doctor to heal your shoulder?" The male sought. Fuhua glanced at his shoulder with the silk, peach cloth enclosed around his shoulders. "Surprisingly, that woman had some skills in medicine, but we should go." He said. "Prince Fuhua, we should stop with your identity as Tienzheng. What if the spies sent from the Long clan find out about your identity?" Fuhua took off the mask that showed the true features of his face. Behind an ordinary-looking man was a handsome man hiding behind the mask. It was a magical mask that enabled him to take on the identity of a scholar. "Do you really think that Your Highness would really let that happen, Weizhe?" The male challenged in a sharp tone. Weizhe was Fuhua''s right-hand man who attended him and was by his side day and night. He immediately dropped his head, not daring to challenge the Prince. "No, your highness." He hesitated, pondering for a second before he spoke, "Do you think that those two ladies from before can recognize the Prince of Qin?" Weizhe suspected in a troubled tone. "The last time I bumped into the two, they encountered the bandits before I captured the guy I needed. They traveled north to the Long territory. They certainly have never met the Prince in person before if they fell for what we said" Fuhua casually remarked. "I overheard them discussing their way to Yuewei while I was half-conscious in the vacated residence." "Ahh. Was that the reason why you told me to give her the dragon jade?" Weizhe spoke, forcing Fuhua to convey an evil glare to Weizhe. "Are you mocking me?" He warned. "N-No. I understand, Your Highness. They did save you, after all." The pair set off back home to the palace to tend Fuhua''s injuries. The special mask that was given by one of his masters allowed Fuhua to spy near the Long clan''s section in the forest by concealing his identity. No one could have possibly noticed that Suyin was the only one who saw through the mask and could detect his genuine facial features whether or not he used the mask or not. ------------------ 9 Yuewei Suyin and Areum roamed down a small, narrow dirt trail. The trees were close to the pathway, almost hitting the heads of Suyin and Areum. Areum was carrying the map and followed the tracks of the map to get to Yuewei. The noise of a flowing stream echoed within the forest the closer they got to their destination. "It seems like we have to cross this river near here to get to Yuewei." Areum aimed ahead. Suyin followed the trail and discovered that the little dirt path was the accurate way for them to follow. A bridge was made out of fresh wood as if someone assembled it not too long ago. The rope didn''t look sturdy but had a promising destination straight ahead. If the Prince made this map, presumably they made the bridge to cross to their side of their territory. The two gradually but surely marched through the rapid current from below. It appeared as if one wrong misstep and they could easily slip into the stream. Although the current didn''t look shallow, Suyin could stare through the water for so long and not see the bottom of the river. Upon reaching to the other side, Areum and Suyin stood at the top of a hill, surveying the tall gates enclosed by concrete brick walls. Guards were fully armored, some carrying swords attached to their waist and a couple of them carrying spears. Cautiously, they proceeded down the pathway as the trees became less apparent in their eyes. An open field packed with tents and large, wooden cart with spikes facing in the front were endlessly in rows. "Halt!" The guard demanded clearly in a deep, reasoning voice. The male held onto the scabbard on his waist, ready to strike Suyin and Areum if they did anything reckless. The two girls flinched at the guard''s command, stopping their tracks. They grasped the idea that they could reach to the city, but of course, with Yuewei being the strongest, military force, they weren''t going to permit two women to walk into the city at a simple cost. "What are you doing here?!" The guard examined in a harsh tone. More guards emerged near the guard who stood near the wooden spiked carts. The guard studied Areum then took a long gaze at Suyin. He noted her strange attire-- the silk, beautiful peach robe was ruined by the rip on both sides of her shoulders, but the gorgeous black and gold cloak wrapped most of the rips. The guard''s eyes were wide after remarking the cloak on her, taking out his sword. "What are you doing with that?!" He investigated, pointing his sword at Suyin who was flustered at his question. All of the guards swiftly lined up in front of the main guard and faced their weapons at the two. "What are you talking about?!" Areum questioned, puzzled at his question. "That is the cloak of the Prince!" One of the guards shouted out, leading in front of Suyin as he held the cloak. "The Prince''s right-handed man gave this to us!" Areum reacted, firmly defending themselves. "The right-handed man of the Prince does not have any power to give the Prince''s cloak to anyone!" The guard exclaimed. One of the guards grabbed Suyin''s wrist, dragging her in. Suyin struggled to fight against the man''s grip, "This was given to me!" Suyin screamed. "Silence!" The guard attempted to take the cloak off of Suyin. "You have wounded the Prince, knocked him unconscious, and used his cloak to get into the city, you spy!" The guard fought with Suyin, who grappled to fight back. Areum was held in the back, if she moved an inch further, the arrows were going to shoot at her. Suyin clung onto the cloak, struggling free from the guard as the dragon jade fell down into the ground. The guard who fought with Suyin froze, staring down at the jade. "T-The jade of the dragon!" He bent to the ground, shaking uncontrollably in front of Suyin. All of the guards immediately kneeled hearing the name, not daring to lift their heads up to Suyin and Areum. "I-I apologize for the misunderstanding!" The main guard exclaimed, now kneeling towards Suyin and Areum. The guard helped Suyin stand up, pleading for mercy. "It''s fine. It''s just a misunderstanding after all." Suyin frowned, still irritated at the nonsense story that they made up about the two. She could now understand why this city was so troublesome to get into. She bent down to pick up the jade dragon and cleaned off the dirt on it, placing it inside of her robe. Areum ran to Suyin, mouthing an "are you okay" to Suyin as she nodded once to assure her. The guards instantly moved to the side and made a row in the center to enable them to walk into the gates of Yuewei. The wooden bridge came down, permitting Suyin and Areum to access the city. Perplexed about their actions, Suyin and Areum entered into the territory of the Qin and the city of Yuewei. ---------------------------- *30 minutes ago* Prince Fuhua and his right-hand man, Weizhe reached there from another path (different from Suyin and Areum''s path). Qin Fuhua''s aura was compelling and terrifying, his expression dark and cold as ever like the sky without a moon. His clothes that he wore earlier was now covered with a beautiful black and white silk robe, embroidered with gold threads. It made him resemble an evil villain from stories that were told back in the days. Weizhe, on the other hand, was unaffected by Qin Fuhua''s presence. It was respect and admiration that Weizhe would risk his life for Qin Fuhua, which was the reason why he still rode on his favorite, white beautiful horse while he mounted on the black horse that he had discovered back in the forest. Qin Fuhua wouldn''t approve Weizhe to ride on the black horse for some odd reason, but he didn''t dare to ask the question, why. The guards recognized the two from afar, immediately standing on guard and stood in a line on both sides, creating a pathway in the center. "Your Highness!" They all addressed in a synchronized tone. Not daring to look up at the Prince of misfortune, some shivered in fear. Qin Fuhua and Weizhe''s horses nonchalantly walked down the path, until Qin Fuhua halted his horse. The guards, fearful that they did something wrong,dropped their heads even lower. If they could hide under their armor, they could definitely do so at that exact moment. The general guard, who took care of who came in and who came out of the gates was right next to Qin Fuhua. Qin Fuhua didn''t glance at the general guard, staring straight ahead. "If someone comes in with my jade of dragon, you let them in without any question. If I hear that something happens to the person with the dragon jade, they shall be executed by me." Qin Fuhua commanded. "Yes!" The general guard quickly responded, obeying his command in his head. "Your Highness! What has happened? Where is your royal cloak?!" The general guard questioned in a respective manner. "Someone had injured me back in the forest. I will be heading to the doctor to check it out." Qin Fuhua''s horse slowly strolled ahead of the general guard. "My royal cloak was taken away." He commented before he moved on with Weizhe. Qin Fuhua didn''t tell them that he gave Suyin the cloak, challenging her to see if she deserved to enter the city or not. For sure, if they see the jade of the dragon, they wouldn''t dare to do anything to her in the end anyway. They planned on going to the City of Qin, but it was too much of a trip to take and he was already exhausted from everything that had happened previously. Qin Fuhua intended to take a trip to see a doctor who was working hard to become the next imperial doctor so that it wouldn''t be too much of a trouble if he could assist him. Qin Fuhua, the Prince of Qin and Weizhe entered the city, not paying attention to much of the townspeople crowding up. They were either frightened or interested about the presence of the Prince of Qin. -------------------------------- *30 minutes later on* The guards scattered after acknowledging the person who had the jade of the dragon(which is obviously Suyin). One of the guards ran up to the general guard, glancing at two figures that entered the palace. "Sir." He commented, "That person... is actually a woman, who had the dragon jade!" The general guard admitted that too. It was unusual for the Prince of Qin to recognize someone and give them the jade of the dragon. The stone was handed down by the previous King, but only those that hold the jade of the dragon had the ability to surpass any objection or rules. It was rumored that due to the current King''s ruthless actions, the previous King personally gifted it to the Prince for his protection in case anything unfortunate occurs. It was surprising that the beauty had the jade in her possession. It was nearly impossible to steal or take the jade without the Prince''s consent. People who strived to seize the dragon jade were often met with an unfortunate fate when they have it in their possession. It was said that there was a curse that the previous King put, but seeing how the woman was perfectly fine besides her strange attire, the Prince may have given it to her. Suyin and Areum cruised down the road together, holding their belongings. Unlike the Kingdom of Long, the Qin city was bustling with people everywhere. Shops were set up in the road while a crowd of people bundled up to stalls that sold inexpensive items. Some people gave Suyin a bizarre expression because of her attire but paid no attention to her after awhile after being so intrigued by the shopkeepers. "Young miss! Come here and take a look at these beautiful hairpins!" One called out to Suyin. She grinned, refusing the offer as the two strolled down the lane. "My lady, what are we going to do now?" Areum spoke, barely audible with the crowd of people grubbing and speaking by the shops. "We need to find a place to stay in. Let''s go look for an inn." Areum nodded. Eventually, after a couple of hits and misses with some shops being an escort shop, Suyin and Areum found a decent inn that allowed them to stay in for a couple of days. The two sat in their room for a while, catching their breath with all of the voyages that they had to do. "My lady, I''m going to go to find some new clothes for us." Areum excused herself. Suyin took off the cloak, placing it flat on a chair. She didn''t want to dirty the cloak because it was, after all, the Prince''s cloak. She didn''t realize how sophisticated the cloak appeared. The cloak had a hood with brown wool at the top, a beautiful crane was stitched in gold at the right chest of the cloak and its stitching was exquisitely designed around the edges. The symbol of orange blossom was crafted on the bottom right and left of the cloak. Although the color was covered in black, the color of the gold design had left it being a sophisticated appearance to it, opposite of Suyin. Her shoulders were still showing and the ripped silk robe had been dirtied. Thankfully, Areum had brought very few pairs of clothing. Suyin wanted to wear something more common than silk, but could only find silk clothing thanks to her family''s reputation that had their family name on the clothing. They were so engrossed in their reputation and name, the Han family had a stitching expert sew their surnames onto their silk clothes. Suyin concluded that it was best to take one of Areum''s outfit since she didn''t have any outfit that would stand out like hers. "I should burn these soon," Suyin commented, tossing her bag of clothes to the side. Suyin wore a simple white and blue outfit, wearing a wooded, butterfly hairpin and walked out of the room after writing a note to Areum that she was heading out to grab some fresh air and explore around. Suyin never really got a chance to go out on her own back in her hometown because her parents were worried about losing face if Suyin does something wrong in public, but now, she felt free. The chains in her heart and mind were loose, which meant she could do whatever she''d like without fretting about her parent''s selfish reputation and name. This meant that she would be able to read books about medicinal herbs and learn how to help others in this world! Inspired, she sought for shops that provided medicine or anything that was similar. Suyin stumbled upon a couple of shops, asking if there were any way for her to learn about the herbs. Many escorted her to leave. "Women aren''t supposed to learn how to treat others!" the medical shopkeeper exclaimed, shoving her out. "How dare you think that medicine is something you can practice!" another person raged. Hopeless, Suyin decided to roam down another pathway. There weren''t many shops or stalls lingering around where she was at, but she really needed another way to learn medicine. Pondering, an imaginary lightbulb lit up her head, as she pointed up. "The library!" She said outspoken. She covered her mouth, learning about medicine in this era was harder than she expected. It made sense to Suyin since women back in the days were deemed to linger home and be a housewife. Something like that wasn''t going to stop her from doing what she loves, and she will do something to change the idea that women should also have a role in playing prominent positions in the past. Suyin casually tapped a man''s shoulder, who turned around to see Suyin smiling brightly at her. "Yes?" He kindly answered, responding back with a small smile to himself. "Do you, by chance, know where there is a place to possibly read about medicine?" Suyin looked up, trying to make up something, "My lordship had asked me to run an errand to pick up some medical books." In her head, she was begging for the gods to help her learn some medicine during this time. At least so she would have some acknowledgment in herbs during this time. Most of the herbs didn''t exist anymore in her world.Guessing that a random plant can help heal others was too hazardous for Suyin to do. "Ahh... There is a shop down the alleyway. You just go down there and make a right. It''s a little shop near a plum blossom tree." The male replied, turning around to watch the shopkeepers talk about their product. Suyin hurried off towards the alleyway, hoping what the male said was correct. ----------------------- A couple of minutes later, a group of men showed up at the little house near the plum blossom tree. They booted the door, hunting for Suyin who appeared to not be there anymore. "Where is that lady?" One of the men questioned. The male that Suyin asked earlier, grinned. "It seems like she isn''t here." Another man came running down the alleyway. "Sir!" He clasped his hands together and kneeled in front of the man. "Master has ordered us to retreat back!" The male then smirked, "You won''t be away for so long!" The male exclaimed. The man that Suyin had accidentally bumped into was a man named, Huang Liwei. He was ordered from a person back in the Long Clan to find any beauty and capture them- an obsessive request, yet the money that the old man was willing to pay was high. ---------------------------------------------- Suyin hid quietly waiting to hear the footsteps to disperse and the noise to die down before she popped out of an empty pot in the old house. She had already seen the holes in his words right after he stated, "alleyway." Was there no chance that she would be able to find a way to learn about medicine during this time? "You can come out now." Another voice called in a demanding tone, alarming Suyin. "Crap! I thought they all left already?!" Suyin reflected, her palms beginning to sweat as her heart began to beat faster. Ever since she came to this world, all she ever confronted with was trouble! 10 100 Collection BONUS: Yuewei @@ Suyin and Areum mounted on their horses and exited the city of Yuewei, heading to the gates where they entered before. Suyin was on a beautiful, white horse with her long hair up. The golden hairpin that a Prince would usually wear was clipped on the top, and a fake mustache was between her lips and nose. She wore a beautiful golden silk robe, and her presence made others believe that she was a god sent from the heavens. Areum sat on a beautiful black horse, its skin was glowing from the sun. With a sword equipped at her waist, she had an expression of arrogance. The two were cross-dressed as men--specifically Prince Fuhua and Weizhe. "Your Highness! Prince Fuhua!" The general guards kneeled in front of Suyin, who graciously let out an evil laugh. "MUHAHAHA! You think that you would get away with this?!" Suyin took out the jade of the dragon, beaming to their faces. They covered their eyes due to a strong light of reflection from the jade of the dragon. "Nooo!!" The general guard cried out, begging for mercy. Suyin shoved the jade of the dragon in front of his face. "Qin Fuhua will do whatever he likes with this. Would you dare to steal it without my consent?" She threatened. He shook his head in fear, attempting to move back. "Your Highness. I suggest we just sacrifice him to the gods from above for dirtying the jade of the dragon!" Areum demanded in a harsh tone. "Suyin..." Qin Fuhua frowned at Suyin. He was holding his fan and was casually going out for a walk outside of the city. "What are you doing?" He coldly glanced at the jade, then gazed at Suyin, who stopped beaming the jade of the dragon to their faces. "Uhh.." She hid the jade of the dragon behind her. "How did you know that I''m Suyin?!" she asked, upset that he figured that it was her. Qin Fuhua rolled his eyes in annoyance, piercing a (metaphoric) icicle through her chest. "Because I was the only person who handed you that jade of dragon, idiot."@@ 11 To be a Hero pt 1 She couldn''t recognize the person that called her out, but it sounded different from the person before that was searching for her. Carefully, she gently pushed the door. A tall, young man stood in front of the door, kindly smiling at her. "I apologize for intruding but I''ve been following you ever since you mentioned about being interested in medicine earlier." He appeared genuine by his words, fitting his appearance. Men during this era were surely beautiful! For this person, he was wearing a light blue robe with a delicate, yet simple design that didn''t draw any attention towards him. His eyes were filled with a glimmer of hope and his physique was not too big, but he wasn''t skinny also. Unlike Tienzheng, he seems to be more approachable if Suyin had a choice. Suyin sneered at the man, doubtful whether or not she should believe his words. "Look, I come from a family that is experts in medicine." He attempted to persuade. "I just found it interesting that a woman would be so interested in learning about medicine..." His voice trailed off, amazed at the idea. No women would dare to attempt to learn any medicine because they were afraid of being shamed and bullied on. A lady, who is daring enough to go to every medical shop to ask for help was determined to learn about medicine. He was amazed at her headstrong character since most would give up on the idea as a woman. Suyin didn''t trust this man, though. She smiled, "Thank you. I actually do want to learn." She admitted, walking closer to the male. She then dodged him and raced off, running off down the alleyway back into the main road where shops and stalls stood. The man(Liwei) earlier that she questioned was correct from her doubt since she eavesdropped their discussion. A while ago when she was strolling along the main road, the male (Liwei) flaunted about possessing so much money because a wealthy person from the Long territory had been "obsessed" with beautiful ladies. They grumbled about how he was an old man and seemed "desperate" for such young beauties they had captured back at "the inn." Suyin couldn''t bear the thought and intended to follow them to their base to help free the captured girls that they may have kidnapped. It was a trap that Suyin made when she questioned him casually since she was hoping that he would take in the bait. Now, she could follow their tracks by using their footsteps to save the girls from being delivered to an obsessed person. Listening about an obsessive, old man reminded her of the past, causing her to groan in disgust in her mind. It was evening and Suyin didn''t want to lose sight of the group of men that walked straight ahead, not noticing the figure (Suyin) from afar who secretly followed their tracks. Upon reaching a pathway made for wolves (similar to a red-light district) a couple of miles far from where Suyin stayed at, the group of men walked into the inn. "This must be the place." Suyin quietly muttered, watching the yellow words that were written on top of the building. "XINYI HOST INN" Now that Suyin understood where their headquarters would be at, she would think of a plan to help and save the women deceived by the wolves hiding in their den. She hurried off back to the inn to Areum, plotting a risky, yet brilliant plan to save them. ------------------------------- "Did I just get rejected?" The man questioned himself, chuckling as he watched Suyin dash off. He was planning on saving her if the group of men came since he followed her, but she somehow was clever enough to think and hid away from them. He shook his head, regretting that he missed an opportunity to speak to her about his private room collection on books about medicine. With nothing else to do, he strolled back home. Upon entering the entrance, his servant bowed. "Young master, the Prince of Qin had arrived. He is waiting in your courtyard." He gave a nod and hastened to his courtyard. Qin Fuhua sat down on a stone chair, sipping on a cup of tea in the man''s pavilion. He was the only person who was around the courtyard at the time since no one dared to approach the man. He detected the Prince, bowing. "Welcome, your Highness!" He addressed. Qin Fuhua elevated his hand, ushering that there was no need for a welcome. "Cheng Wansun, the son of the royal doctor in our nation." Qin Fuhua remarked, spinning his teacup in a circle. A small amount of tea enough for a gulp was left in Qin Fuhua''s teacup and he observed it swirl in a rhythm. "I apologize for the delay, your Highness. What do you need from someone who is nothing but a mere grain of rice for you?" Wansun questioned, unsure about the Prince''s request. "I want you to check if my injury has healed or is in progress in healing." Qin Fuhua pulled his robe down. The silk, peach cloth was still wrapped around his shoulders. "Y-Yes, your Highness." Wansun promptly undid the knot from the fabric. He examined the Prince''s shoulders, marking that the bleeding had stopped a long time ago. "Your Highness." Wansun''s eyebrows lowered, concentrating on the Prince''s shoulders and the silk fabric with the dead leaves, now soaked in blood. "Whoever helped treat your wounds did an amazing job! From the looks of it, the person took care of your wound, placed pressure to stop the bleeding, and used these herbs to treat both the bleeding and wound so that the injury didn''t turn out to become a scar." He looked at Qin Fuhua, stunned at the skills that the person had to treat him. "Then it seems like I was correct then." Qin Fuhua nodded, finishing the tea that lingered in his cup. "You could have treated it yourself with the medical powder, but you didn''t in order to see how this wound would heal, correct?" Qin Fuhua only nodded at the man''s guess. Wansun was correct, the Prince did not come for any medical examinations, but for an answer that he sought for. Although it was quite unusual for Qin Fuhua to go to Wansun instead of his father, he assumed that he didn''t want to cause a ruckus in the palace about his injury. Qin Fuhua was skeptical about the girl''s medical skills, but she was far smarter than he had expected. Not only did she pay attention to the amount of blood that could have been lost, but she found a specific type of herb to help heal his wounds quickly so it wouldn''t become a scar on his body. "Your Highness, if you do not mind me asking, who helped you with this wound?" Wansun asked, curious about the fabric that now laid on the table. Whoever wrapped his shoulders wrapped it firmly but with a small pull, it easily fell apart to allow others to easily detect the injury location. "Just someone who I bumped into and was a hassle to deal with." Qin Fuhua replied in a sarcastic tone, paying no attention to Wansun''s amazement with the medical work that the person had portrayed. "Since I got the answer I expected, I shall take my leave." Qin Fuhua graciously bowed his head, excusing himself as he exited Wansun''s courtyard. Wansun, on the other hand, was amazed at the work that the Savior did to help the Prince. If possible, the next time that Wansun encounters the Prince again, he would ask if he knew who and where the savior was located at. -------- "Really?!" Areum slammed her hands on the table, ushering Suyin to tone her voice down. "Shh." Suyin smirked. "It was just as I expected. I overheard the man talk about an old, perverted man back in our hometown." She began covering her chest with a white wrap so the bump would not be visible. "Either it''s that old man who I would have been stuck with or another person." She tied her hair up with a white, plain ribbon. "Whether or not it''s them, we have to rescue those girls. I''m not letting any more men take advantage of us as a female anymore." Suyin uttered, staring outside through the window. The sun was setting down and the chattering citizens began dying down as it was time for people to go home. It was an opportunity for Suyin to find out what was occurring at the brothel inn. "Are you sure that you don''t need me?" Areum was worried about Suyin. Suyin finished up dressing up, slipping on the outer garment of her robe. She now transformed into a fine, young man, wearing a silk-blue robe that Areum had taken from her father''s wardrobe in case they needed to cross-dress to hide their identity. The luxury robe was a bit bigger on Suyin, but it portrayed prosperity and luck. She grinned as Areum watched in awe. "You sure will pass as a man" Areum nodded, confident in Suyin''s plan. Suyin nodded, heading out. "I''ll be back, I promise." ------------------------ 12 To be a Hero pt 2 The road that Suyin took earlier was now bustling with lady escorts, calling in men to come to their brothel and enjoy the best of their experience there. Suyin casually walked, trying to fix her voice so it would appear "deeper" than usual. In one of Suyin''s sleeves, she tightly clutched onto a little white porcelain bottle that she had stolen from one of the herbal shops before she came to the red light district as a male customer. Suyin promised to herself that she would pay them back later, but it was necessary for her to have it with her to keep her "safe." "Come in, handsome man!" A woman with delicate jewelry called Suyin. Suyin proceeded to walk down the pathway, standing right in front of the brothel. "XINYI HOST INN" "Welcome! Come in and we will give you a great time!" A young lady ushered Suyin to come in. She endeavored to give a low, but deep laugh, walking in. Inside of the place crowded with men drinking wine and shouting with women around their arms, savoring their moments. "Welcome, young man! You seem new here, how would you like to start off with a lady? Would you like someone who is soft and kind? Or are you looking for a more expensive, beauty?" An older lady approached Suyin. Thankfully, because of all the savings that Suyin had and Areum''s money, they had a decent amount that could be spent. For this chance, Suyin agreed that she would save the other innocent ladies fallen in the hands of an evil person. "Ah yes. I''m looking for any type of lady of your choice." Suyin remarked in a low tone, smiling tensely. She glanced upstairs, noticing the familiar man (Huang Liwei) who walked downstairs. "It''s that guy!" She noted in her head, shifting back to the old lady who brought in a woman in her early twenties. "Enjoy your stay here, young sir!" The old lady beamed with Suyin returning a decent amount of money in her hand. The woman escorted Suyin ahead, but Suyin halted her tracks as soon as she got close to the staircase. Huang Liwei slowly strolled down the staircase, passing by Suyin before he stood right next to her. Suyin froze, not moving an inch before she watched him walk back upstairs. "Ah.." Suyin put her hands on her stomach, acting as if she was having problems with her stomach. She would best the best actress for having stomach pains since she would always lie to her parents back in the present day, so she wouldn''t have to go to school. "My stomach hurts.." Suyin''s escort marched up to Suyin, seductively touching her abdominal. "Are you okay?" She spoke with a concerned expression. Suyin''s eyes got bigger, worried that the woman would accidentally (and casually) touch her chest."I-I''m okay!" Suyin immediately responded, "I just need to use the restroom, that''s all... haha." Suyin chuckled out of nervousness, pushing the woman''s hands on her body. "I''ll go to the restroom and I''ll be back." The escort nodded, "Did you need me to go with you-" "No!" Suyin rejected aloud. She then smiled, "Ah. I can go on my own. Why don''t you wait for me upstairs? I''ll be back soon." Suyin led her escort to go upstairs. Dumbfounded, she nodded and walked upstairs while Suyin held onto her stomach. "There has to be something here." She reasoned to herself, searching around the place. There were still a lot of people and Suyin needed to do something fast. She walked into the kitchen doors with people running in and out of the place, too busy to notice her presence there. "Hurry! We have a table upstairs asking for a feast and one downstairs at the table!" A lady came in, holding a paper in her hands as she handed the paper to the chef. The chef continued to cook, paying no attention to the lady who entered as she ran out of the kitchen. Suyin got a chance to hide behind the table and took this opportunity to use the powder that she had stolen from the medical shop before coming here! She quickly took off the tip and began pouring it in the raw meat and jars of the wine that was set out. The chef never turned his head back to Suyin, engrossed in his cooking and his own world which gave Suyin the opportunity to hurry back to the lobby area of the brothel. ------- The room that Suyin and the escort was the calmest room in the whole inn. The escort could be seen pouting and sulking in the corner while Suyin sat down on the table alone, expecting for something good to happen. Suyin pulled her sleeves and secretly sprinkled some powder in the tea, swirling the tea so it could dissolve. "Young miss, come have a drink with me to have a toast as a celebration to our encounter," Suyin said. Although Suyin was a woman, dressing up as a male made her more charming than ever under the lamp that lit next to her. The lady was mesmerized by her toast, happy that the male (Suyin) was finally giving her attention. "I will, your lordship." She took the teacup out of Suyin''s hands and toasted with her, drinking the whole teacup in one gulp. "Shall I accompany you tonight at the bed tonight, my lord?" She flirted with Suyin. Suyin calmly nodded, "You may go ahead on the bed first and get ready. I will be sitting here for a while." The escort happily jumped up to Suyin''s words, heading straight to the bed as she slowly began taking off the first layer of her clothes. "59...60!" Suyin counted the seconds in her head, nodding down the count time of the powder that should kick in. She turned around to look at the escort who was unconscious on the bed. Suyin stood up and swung her fist to the air. "Oh yeah! It worked!" She smiled, walking up to the escort. "Young miss? Are you awake?" Suyin whispered. There was no response and she was sleeping soundly. Suyin pulled the covers over the escort, tucking her in. "I apologize for what I have done," Suyin remarked, sitting by the bed. From the loud noises from earlier, the place was finally dying down. She stuck out her head from the door and looked outside down the hallway. No one made a single move anywhere. It was so quiet that Suyin''s creaks on the wooden floor were the only audible sound that could be heard in the brothel. Suyin then smirked after poking her head in one of the rooms. Everyone was asleep now thanks to the sleeping powder. It was finally time for Suyin to find the missing ladies and let them free! She stuck out her head from the second floor to look downstairs and saw that the bodies of men and women collapsed due to their unconsciousness. A couple of the men were snoring and some of the bodies of the women laid down on the ground, resting soundly. Suyin began to investigate the brothel. The clock was ticking each minute pass by as Suyin scavaged through the second floor, then the first. "What am I missing?" She pondered, standing on with her back to the bookshelf. All of a sudden, a minor push from her behind caused the bookshelf to rotate, making her fall down to her butt as she hit the ground. "O-Ouch!" She rubbed her butt. Behind the bookshelf on the first floor at the end of the hallway was actually a secret passageway! Suyin scurried ahead, the walls narrow and dark with a small candle lighting the pathway. "Someone, please help!" A cry could be heard as Suyin got closer to a dungeon. "Really? This is something out of a movie!" Suyin said to herself, concentrating ahead. There was only one way in and one way out in the same area, so Suyin had to be careful and smart! She hurried down to the cell, where a couple of ladies were resting on the ground. "H-Help!" The lady saw Suyin, who hushed her to quiet down. "No one has been here since a couple of days ago. We are starving." One of the ladies begged. Most of the women''s faces were dirtied and their hair was in tangles as if they had been stuck here for days. "The leader had planned on taking us tomorrow to the Long territory to this old man''s home, please help us, hero!" She begged, clinging onto the bars. "Okay. Well... here. Let me think." Two of the guards were soundly sleeping with an empty jug of wine next to them. Suyin smirked, looking at the two bums that were snoozing off their heads. "That''s what you get," Suyin stated, simply taking their keys that were placed on their waist and ran to the cell door, unlocking it as she turned the key. "There. Now hurry and leave! They should be getting up soon." She ushered. The ladies ran out, hustling down the narrow, dark hallway and out from the secret passageway. About two of the women were still sitting down, too tired because they didn''t have the energy to stand up. Inside the cell, the ground was murky smelled like a wet dog. There was no plate of food or water for the ladies. Suyin decided to help the two ladies up, one on both sides of her as she tried to carry them out of the cell and out of the brothel. "Come on, you guys have to survive and live!" Suyin spoke, gently walking down the narrow hallway and out of the basement to the lobby area as the two ladies weakly moved beside Suyin. "Thank you, Mr. Hero. I shall never forget this." The lady on Suyin''s right side announced. "As long as you guys are okay, that''s all I''m asking for." Suyin smiled. ------------------- Right after Suyin carried the two girls out of the brothel, chatters could be heard from inside the inn, causing a loud commotion. "Was there something that happened?!" Suyin could hear people talking from the inn. She tried to use all of her strength to carry the girls, hiding behind an alleyway. A couple of the girls that ran off earlier came to help hold the two girls, holding them as Suyin stood in front of them. "You guys can hurry and go now." Clashes of weapon and swords could be heard from the inn. "Hurry, before they come out!" "Thank you, Hero." One of the girls said, her eyes welling up with tears asSuyin bid them farewell. Suyin had to absorb the thought of "hero," almost correcting them because she forgot that she was dressed up as a man. "No problem. You guys have to make it back home safe and sound and never come back near here." Suyin assured them. They dashed off, with Suyin turning around to hear the sound of endless footsteps gather up nearby. "Find them!!" A powerful command could be heard nearby. Suyin was about to turn around until she bumped into someone''s chest. Suyin was about to use the rest of the sleeping powder on the person for defense but stopped after she recognized his face. "You--" She froze. The man''s face was full of hostility and the aura of piercing coldness blew straight across her. The only person that was distinctive enough for Suyin to recognize who it was-Tienzheng! "Y-You!" Suyin was ready to burst out his name when he covered her mouth, pulling her into his chest and squeezed onto her waist. She could feel her feet become lighter when Qin Fuhua flew up to the rooftop with her. The group of men began running through the alleyway with their spears and swords. "They shouldn''t be far!" one of the men in the group cried out, running down. Suyin''s face was buried deep into the chest of the man. "murflahgahing?!" Suyin attempted to speak but Qin Fuhua would squeeze her tighter if she proceeded to talk, muffling her words. "Stapheitoricantbreathe" She tried to utter. The more she spoke, the tighter he held onto her, nearly suffocating her close to his chest. Finally comprehending that if she kept talking, he would pull her tighter to his chest, so she didn''t utter a single word anymore, her face still buried in his clothes. There were more footsteps coming and going from the group of men that came out from the brothel, yelling out words that Suyin couldn''t catch or hear thanks to Qin Fuhua who calmly anticipated for the chattering to die down from the brothel. "Someone had poisoned all of us!" Suyin could clearly hear the chaos in the inn below and grinned. Poisoning them with the sleeping powder? She could laugh if she could, but Qin Fuhua''s grip wouldn''t allow it. "You did this?" Qin Fuhua questioned. She could feel his head lower to hers as if he was impressed by her plan. She could only nod twice. Qin Fuhua finally let go of Suyin, who took a couple of breaths to show Qin Fuhua how tight he was holding onto her. "You held me so tight, I couldn''t even breathe!" She whispered, complaining about the strength of his grip. Qin Fuhua didn''t bother or flinch to give a reaction to her, totally ignoring her. Everything then fell down to Suyin as she furrowed her brows. Wait. How did Qin Fuhua know that she''s Suyin when she''s clearly dressed up as a man? "How did you know it was me?" Suyin asked, unsure how he came here and how randomly kind enough for him to help her. "There was a commotion about this beautiful lady with plain clothes, walking down to every medical shop and getting kicked out." He answered with no emotion, "I was forced to follow you since you have something that I still need back." Suyin had to think for a second. Right. The jade of the dragon was still in Suyin''s possession back at the room. Qin Fuhua''s words were actually, a lie. The lady had something special that no one else had that Qin Fuhua could recognize that was something unique about her. The woman''s medical skills and one other thing that he had been trying to figure out: the scent of magnolia flowers that emitted around her. Qin Fuhua''s master revealed that the flowers of magnolia would help guide the way for a better future, but Qin Fuhua couldn''t comprehend his words. It was very rare for magnolia flowers to flourish in the territory of the Qin clan because of the soil and dry air, which were not fit for any flowers to bloom. Suyin could only grin at him, "Sorry. Um... it''s back at the inn..." She apologized. She wouldn''t have questioned about him following her since she was too engrossed in saving the ladies in the basement. "Did you see anything unusual down there?" Qin Fuhua questioned Suyin, who perked up her head. "Anything?" Confused, Fuhua''s eyes pierced through Suyin''s soul, a serious tone not to be messed with. "Did you find any scrolls or key. Anything that you find unusual in a basement." Suyin now understood why Fuhua was there now. He was planning on going down the basement, but because of the commotion, he was unable to thanks to her. She shook her head, assuring the male that she didn''t see anything out of the ordinary. "I don''t think there''s anything in there that was unusual... besides the fact that they were kidnapping girls!" Suyin explained, still angered by the fact that those men were kidnapping girls. Qin Fuhua had a distressed expression. "Well then, I''ll take you back to the inn where you are staying. Give me back my jade of the dragon and that''ll be it." Suyin agreed. She didn''t want to hold onto that jade any longer after those guards were like a dog on a leash after she dropped it. It was better for him to not know that she dropped it on the ground too if it was that valuable. Qin Fuhua carried her off at the top of the rooftops with her guidance to where she was staying at. On the ground in the kitchen as the chef stopped cooking was Weizhe, who turned around to smile at the plates of food that was poisoned. "Guess it''s my turn now, Prince." ------------------------------------- 13 The Sweet Fragrance Weizhe''s POV The plates of rice with stir-fried vegetables, rice, and broth were left with bits of crumbs by the time the dishes returned from the lobby. Weizhe would offer a drink (which was poisoned with scorpion powder that would temporarily paralyze everyone) to the workers around the house in disguise as the chef. He was able to knock the original cook unconscious and "borrow" his clothes to be in disguise so he wouldn''t stand out from the crowd. It was a perilous, yet simple mission that Weizhe was ordered to do. It was wise of Qin Fuhua to recognize Suyin in the attire of a man (and her fragrance) when she stepped into the inn. He detected her from their roof but didn''t attempt to make a move to cause a commotion. He ordered Weizhe to keep an eye on the troublesome girl in case anything goes down. Suyin''s sleeping powder was effective, but it wasn''t sufficient enough for them to sleep so long. Without the aid of Weizhe''s scorpion powder blown with a pipe into all of the rooms, they would have already been up and running. It was planned for the guards hiding in their secret den to not use the scorpion powder, thus the chaos of the guards chasing to find the culprit. Besides that, the customers were practically frozen stiff in their sleep (sleep paralysis) for a good 30 minutes. With all of the guards and Huang Liwei out of the inn to find the criminal, it was accessible for Weizhe to finish his mission that was entrusted by Qin Fuhua. ------------------------------------ Suyin''s POV After Suyin retrieved the Jade of the dragon from her room, she casually skipped outside of the inn, wearing a plain attire. A peach white pure robe with a bun bouncing on top of her hair as small strands of hair fell at the side of her face. She stuck out her hand, revealing her right palm to show the jade of the dragon lying in the middle. "Here," Suyin leaned in closer to the Qin Fuhua, "did the Prince not come with you?" She asked Qin Fuhua, who took the jade out of her hand immediately right after. He disregarded her, marching back down the road in the dark. "W-Wait!" Suyin took one step, her words stuttering because she wanted some answers from him. Qin Fuhua turned to Suyin. His presence and gaze could stare through her soul. She halted, stiff as a stick. Qin Fuhua then spun to head back to Weizhe. "T-Thank you!" Suyin blurted out. It felt that every time she was in trouble, this man would come and save her miraculously. Call her lucky, but without him, she would have been dead already. Qin Fuhua paused for a second to glance at her from the corner of his eyes. He didn''t respond to her, only raising his left hand with the jade of the dragon. "I only came for the jade of the dragon. More than ever, you were practically in the way." Qin Fuhua responded. Suyin furrowed her eyebrows with a pouted expression. "In the way?!" She could only hear all the excuses that he could make up if he lingered. It was good that he wasn''t there anymore, otherwise, she would have been annoyed by him. It did bother her that he appeared out of nowhere, but Suyin was not in the right position to be nosey and get her nose into something that wasn''t her problem. Annoyed, she stomped off back into the inn to stay with Areum. ---------------------------------------- Qin Fuhua''s POV Qin Fuhua rested on top of the rooftop back at the Xinyu brothel, patiently waiting for Weizhe to come back with the items that he had requested him to "borrow." It was impressive enough for the male to find Suyin at the brothel of all places. He leaned back under the night stars. The moon appeared to look bigger in the dark skies as the stars dimly lit. With a cup of rice wine held with his right hand, he calmly sipped once or twice, appreciating the taste and flavor. "A Bit Of Fragrance Clings To The Hand That Gives Flowers*" ***In life, the art of giving is important. It is often said that by helping others, the person on the giving end will feel a little of what the person on the receiving hand feels. His mind was filled with Suyin, who risked her life to save others. Even his men in the battlefield wouldn''t be daring like her, who was hard-headed and determined. "Master." Weizhe hopped to the rooftop, kneeling with his hands cupped in front of him. At the corner of Qin Fuhua''s eyes, he could see that Weizhe came back with nothing but a mere face of defeat. "I apologize for failing. There was no sight of the key shaped like a rose anywhere in the brothel." Qin Fuhua lowered his cup and then placed it on the tile, reflecting on the location of the key. "While the commotion with Suyin''s presence and the girls running away, do you think that one of those ladies was actually an agent?" Qin Fuhua muttered. Weizhe paused at Qin Fuhua''s words, absorbing in his theory. "Maybe you''re right. The last time we came here, I remember seeing Liwei holding a key to his waist when he traveled to the brothel, but when he came back out that day, the key wasn''t with him anymore." Weizhe agreed, rubbing his chin with his index finger. "Your Highness, do you think that Suyin has anything to do with the key?" He speculated that Suyin may have known that the key shaped like a rose led to one of the most precious and rare herbs known in the territory of Qin. This herb was known as the 100-year-old- Hong Teng. The herb was a Sargentodoxa vine that would be used to temporarily cure the Princess''s muscle pain that she had been enduring for two years now and Qin Fuhua had been desperate to find the cure to save her. She was his precious little sister that was the only light in his life. He was prepared to risk his life to save hers if he had to. "No. I don''t think she understands how dangerous the brothel is, for her to go in as a man defenseless." Qin Fuhua gripped the cup of rice wine tighter this time, angered that he didn''t find what he needed. It was a waste of his time and was a hassle to go through all of this to figure out that someone had stolen it. Although Suyin was smart, she wasn''t someone who would just go in head-on. Having the key in your possession was dangerous, and Qin Fuhua understood how dangerous the location of the 100-year-old Hong Teng would be. ----------------------- Back to the POV of Suyin Three days passed since Suyin saved the ladies from the brothel. Areum and Suyin needed to find a job so that they would have an income, but there was no luck due to Suyin''s will to learn medicine also.The income that Suyin and Areum came with was slowly running out. They could only stay in their inn for another day and needed money if they wanted to stay there longer. Rumors circulated about a lady who was desperate to study and work in a medicine shop, and many had recognized Suyin as the person. She was often ridiculed and looked down upon by various of low-lives men. The women, on the other hand, wordlessly gave her their support with their eyes of sympathy. Areum went to the other side of the place to find a job while Suyin was out on the streets scanning around for vegetables with an empty, brown basket on her elbow until a tall, muscular man obstructed her path. "What are you doing?" Suyin warned at the man, who mocked her. "You little ant. You think that you have the power and ability to do anything you want in here? Who do you think you are?" The man defied, his hands on his hips with a cocky character to his face. He was a muscular man, about six feet tall, who wore nothing but a thin shirt. He wasn''t a nobleman for sure, and he appeared to be nothing but a little, unknown soldier that patrolled the streets. "I heard about someone who was brave enough to scatter around here to learn about medicine. Is that you?" He bent forward to Suyin, who lowered her knees so she would avoid his hideous face. She laughed, browsing around her. A crowd of people began gathering up the scene, engaged in the two. "It seems like I''m a little well known here already?" Suyin returned with a convinced tone. She shifted her feet to move aside from the man that stood in front of her. "To have someone find me because of the rumors they heard, oh how dearly impressed I am." She sarcastically stated, placing her right hand to her forehead, pretending to be a vulnerable, little woman. "You---" He took one step ahead, recoiling Suyin''s response. "You think that I wouldn''t dare to hurt you?!" He lifted up his hand, clenching into a fist. "Hurting a woman because of the words that seem to pierce through you like an arrow? A man who appears scary to others due to his physical appearance is actually hurt by that?" Suyin giggled, covering her mouth as his face turned bright red. His clenched fist was shaking with Suyin''s word literally through him. Suyin really blew it this time. "How dare you!" His fist flew towards Suyin, who dodged his fist and swiftly grabbed a jar of wine from the table a couple of feet near her and slammed it on his head. The man was soaked in wine and dropped down on the dirt, dazed from the impact on his head. "M-My wine!" The customer cried. Suyin apologized with a bow to her head and handed them the last of her money. She promptly scurried off as the crowd dispersed, walking back to do their usual business. "Great. The last of my money." Suyin let out a sigh, racing back to the inn after paying the customer. She was bummed out that she couldn''t find any way to learn their medicine and find a way to make money. It was hard enough as a woman to be looked down upon due to their gender, and Suyin was hoping to beat that. At all cost, she felt that maybe they (the men) were right about a woman''s destiny to stay at home and bear children. Right before she turned to a corner to head back to Areum at the inn, a figure popped out of nowhere in front of her, startling her. She jumped back, recognizing the man that blocked her way. It was the person earlier! His head was now bandaged up and gave her a big grin, ready to swallow her whole if he could. "You-" "You think that you can just hurt me and leave like that?" The man cut Suyin off from her words, stepping in closer to Suyin''s personal space. "Just because you are a woman does not mean anything to us!" He clenched Suyin''s wrist, squeezing it along the process. "You hurt my pride and my dignity, what should I do with that?" He observed Suyin from the bottom to the top with a smirk on his face, which made Suyin afraid. She tried her best to let herself free from his grasp but he was too strong for her to even move an inch. "What the hell are you gonna do?" Suyin hissed at the male, attempting to break free with every ounce of struggle. "Hm... what do I have here now?" Another voice called out from the darkness. "Tienzheng?!" Suyin''s eyes lit up with a hopeful expression that he was coming to help her. The silhouette came out of the darkness, showing a figure of a beautiful man. "I-It''s you!" Suyin cried out. The man was the person that Suyin had suspected when he first emerged at the abandoned house near the plum blossom trees. He credited his family was learning and are experts in medicine, but Suyin felt that it was too good to be true. "What do you want?! This is none of your damn business!" The man cautioned the male beauty who laughed at his comment. "That''s kind of funny, considering the fact that this woman is someone that I am actually quite interested in." Wansun held a fan with his right hand, fanning himself composed as ever. "If you don''t get out of here soon, I''m going to kill you." The man threated Wansun, who bluntly snubbed his threats. Wansun closed in the gap between the man and Suyin, causing the man to take a small step back because of his boldness. Wansun gently touched the man''s shoulders. Right as the man swung his fist at Wansun, he evaded and sprayed some white powder that came out from the palm of his hands. The man froze in place, unable to move a single inch of his body. Taking the chance, Suyin hurried to the side as she watched the scene unfold. "If you move a single inch starting from now to thirty minutes, the yin and yang in your body will begin to fight against each other, causing your blood and nerves to go to an unimaginable breakdown in the brain." Wansun then gave a hard pat to his back, then shifted his attention to Suyin, whose face was pale white. "What the hell have I gotten into?!" Suyin thought to herself. She was glad that this person didn''t have anything against her otherwise, she''d be dead from his poison just like the other guy standing near them. He grinned at Suyin, ushering her to come over to him. With a cautious mindset, Suyin slowly walked towards Wansun. She didn''t want him to do the same thing to her if she didn''t listen to him, after all, he was the scariest one at the moment. Wansun chuckled at her frightened appearance, deciding if he should just approach her with fear or kindness since she was skeptical of him. He fixed his throat, putting on a dreary grin on his face as she advanced to him. "Ahem." He stretched his right hand to hold her wrist, not gripping too hard to hurt her, but tight enough to install fear in her. "You are going with me somewhere." He said, dragging her away. Suyin had no idea whether or not this guy was a bad or good guy, but her instincts immediately told her to follow where he was going. 14 Bittersweet memories Suyin felt lost, getting hauled into a carriage. Wansun softly guided her to rest inside a white and red carriage and rested outside on the wooden boards for courtesy. She had no idea where she was going and the fact that she was stupid to allow him to do this to her, was this it? Suyin imagined all the probabilities to who this guy really was. Was he someone who was going to take her as a prisoner? Would she live? or will she vanish into thin air? Suyin didn''t get the opportunity to get married or even have a boyfriend yet because she was pursuing a stupid boy back the present day. With Wansun outside of the carriage, he overheard Suyin''s groans filled with a sorrowful pitch. He laughed softly so she couldn''t get the impression of his character. Wansun wanted to make a good first impression the first time he met her, but it seems like forcing her would be the only way for Wansun to reveal her that he was speaking the truth the first time he met her (about his family and background). Images of death darted in Suyin''s mind inside of the carriage, which bothered her because she had many ideas that she still needed to do. She felt overwhelmed but didn''t want to let the man outside of the carriage know her vulnerability. She mentally slapped herself to get a grip of herself and took a deep breath, widening her eyes so she could clear her mind. The carriage swiftly stopped in motion, causing Suyin to fall out of her seat. She now could feel the weight lift, as if someone got off of the carriage. Assuming it was the person who was transporting her to wherever she was at (Wansun), she was determined to discover a way out and make a run for it. "3.....2...1" Suyin counted down, prepared to leap out of the carriage like a marathon athlete. Right before she could jump out and sprint as fast as she could, the curtains raised with an elderly maid kneeling in front of Suyin. "Gooo...?" She could only say the words, hesitant if she should make the run for it. Why is there a maid here? The servant anticipated for Suyin to get down from the carriage, in which she promptly did. She bounced down from the carriage (instead of going down with the aid of the maid) with an amazed look. What was in front of her laid a delicate and spacious home! Some of the maids inside the manor were occupied doing their own chores--clothes, baskets, pots of flowers, etc. Suyin could see how vast the manor was! Compared to her home, this place would beat hers in a heartbeat! "Young miss." One of the young maids beckoned to Suyin, who stooped in front of her. "Ah, huh?" Suyin, still in awe, glanced at the maid. The maid held onto a pair of clothing for her to wear. "The young master had requested you to go change first before you meet him in his pavilion" Suyin nodded, perceiving the idea of why she was here now. The man earlier could have really been telling her the truth! With no choice but to follow the orders, she went inside to the guest room to change her clothes. Gracefully with a hairpin borrowed from one of the cases that Wansun had requested the maid to give to Suyin, she deliberately took each step with a noble characteristic. The silken aqua robe wrapped around her body, representing the behavior of grace and prosperity around Suyin. Upon arriving at the courtyard, Wansun promptly shifted his concentration to Suyin, gazing at the beauty for quite some time. Unaware of the moment that had passed when Wansun was staring at her, Suyin, who dodged his eye contact, marched towards his way. "What is this?" Although she deliberately tried to ruin the mood, he grinned, relaxing by the pond with a fishing pole next to it. "It fits you perfectly." The male acknowledged, casually fishing in his pond to catch a fish. "What do you mean, ''it fits you perfectly?'' Do you think that this is a joke?" Wansun grasped the bamboo fishing pole and laid it to the side of the tree and went into the pavilion. Suyin paused when she saw what she was seeing what was in front of her. Suyin''s mouth open wide, astonished. Wansun looked at her reaction and chuckled with amusement. What stood in front of the two were endless rows of herbs! Dried herbs, regular plant herbs, roots, vines, all in rows. "You should figure what these are, correct?" Suyin could only nod her head, assuming what was going on now. Was he going to teach her medicine? Wansun laughed, "I apologize about being rude earlier, and not to mention, not introducing myself any sooner than ever." Wansun slightly bent his head to Suyin, setting his right arm to his chest like a gentleman. "My name is Cheng Wansung, and I really come from a family of medicine." He smiled, scratching the back of his head for being embarrassed that someone didn''t recognize him. "Suyin. Han Suyin." She felt convinced that he was really a medical expert. "I...just have a question that I wanted to ask." Wansun raised his head to gesture that he was listening to her. "Why did you make me change into these clothes?" she questioned, lifting her arms out to show the beautiful robe on her. Wansun sat down on one of the stone chairs, "I''ve heard around town that some lady was trying to learn medicine." It was evident that Suyin was the person that Wansun indirectly mentioned. "As for the outfit.... if you would like to work as a student under my care, I don''t think it''s proper for me to mistreat my first student." Suyin approved, understanding why he had done this in the first place. "But... why me? You do know that I am a WOMAN." Suyin couldn''t comprehend that he was willing to teach a girl the ways of medicine. It made sense that a woman touching another man or person''s body would be considered as harassing others in the past, but she just wanted to know why he had the desire to educate her. Wansun lit a bitter grin to his face, one that Suyin would never see through him. "My mother learned medicine and passed it onto my father. As a child, she was a mother who I felt could cure the world if she wanted to." Suyin listened, sympathizing the male. He let out a big sigh before patting his thighs to change the subject. "Anyway, why don''t we get started?" Through the whole day until night time, Wansun explained Suyin the basics of Chinese herbal medicine, recognizing the difference between the Yin and Yang in the body and how it can easily affect anyone. She toured through his medicine hall which was almost as big as the Long clan''s royal medical library until dusk came. "I''ll take you back home." Wansun offered. Suyin smiled, swaying her head to decline him. "Thank you for teaching me. I learned so much today that I think I''ll be in debt to you if you help me like this." Suyin already felt bad enough that he was willing to teach her. She held one of the medical books tightly to her chest. The book was originally a blue book, but due to its age, the color faded to a light, sky blue cover. It explained about the different types of herbs with ink pictures drawn into it. Wansun had given the book to her as a contract as a mentor and a student. He proposed Suyin to find and draw any herb that she couldn''t recognize and write it in there. Since he had a medical library, he would help identify the herb or unknown item and explain about uses of the certain item that Suyin drew to his best knowledge. With Suyin walking out of the door, she changed back into her plain clothing because she felt inconvenient in the robe (because she was nowhere near a status to wear something beautiful as that which wasn''t hers). Wansun followed behind her out of the door. "Are you sure you don''t need a ride home?" He offered one last time as she shook her head. "No. I greatly appreciate all that you have done today. I''ll find you again when I can." Suyin was worried about getting kicked out of the inn. Not to mention, Areum is probably freaking out that she had disappeared for so long. She didn''t get a chance to tell her that she was essentially kidnapped and brought in as a student. She hurried off by foot back to the inn. Wansun watched Suyin run back home on foot. He was concerned about her safety, but couldn''t deny that she was capable of handling anything that came in her way. The first time he had seen Suyin, it had reminded him of his mother. She was a passionate woman who tried to break the taboo of women learning medicine, only to fall ill from an unknown disease. The illness took a toll on her life when Wansun was still a child. With the secret scroll of medicine hidden in the family''s hall, Wansun''s father took over his wife''s role in order to pass on her legacy of talent. He sensed that Suyin had a gifted talent for medicine, and from his teachings today, Suyin caught on smoothly without any problems. Following her figure disappear in the dark, he traveled back home for some tea under the pavilion. ---------- "Areum! I have so much to tell you!" Suyin swung the door open, only to see her packing up their belongings. Areum bowed to Suyin, apologizing that she couldn''t find a job to contribute something for the both of them. "My lady, we''re getting kicked out tomorrow morning." Suyin''s happy mood was shot down instantly. Because Suyin was so excited about learning medicine, her selfishness had forgotten about finding a job to pay for their stay. Disappointed, Suyin kept Areum in comfort, forgetting to tell her the good news about studying medicine as she tucked the book tightly in her robe. -------------------------- Areum "My lady... where are we going to go?" Areum held onto the leftover bags of clothes that they had left. Suyin didn''t respond, only giving a shrug to her shoulders. They walked together in silence, not sure where they should go or do. Down the dirt road with few people roaming around since it was too early in the morning. The only sound that could be heard were the cries of the rooster and the footstep of clients walking in and out of shops. An elderly man dressed in a white robe stumbled down to the ground, lifeless in front of Areum and Suyin. Surprised at the unexpected appearance in front of her, Suyin quickly shook the man, kneeling to the ground where he laid. "Are you okay?!" Suyin asked, shaking the elderly man non-stop. People proceeded to walk past the man as if it wasn''t a big deal. Areum was startled but only attend next to Suyin because she didn''t know what to do. Suyin wanted to help him, but she knew that the people would only complain and dispute against her if she helped the elderly man there in public. She didn''t want to cause any more trouble for both Areum and the old man. With no choice, she decided to shake his shoulders a couple of times, praying he would wake up from his unconsciousness. He moaned in agony, weak enough to converse. "Young kind lady, please take me to my home." The old man pleaded. A small scroll dropped from his pockets down into the dirt. He could barely get up and even talk, only to black out of consciousness once again. Areum was doubtful about the man''s last words, but Suyin had already carried the old man on her back. He was a small tiny man, and Suyin could take him as far as she can and help the man. She was, after all, a doctor back in the present. She wouldn''t let any patient or person die in front of her like that. Suyin used her chin to aim at the scroll that fell from the old man''s pockets. "Areum, take that and look at it please." Areum got the small scroll from the ground and rolled it out. The scroll was about the size of a phone and showed the map to his home. Strange as it appeared, it had, " (Lili''s Home)" at the top corner of the scroll. The old man''s house was deep at the East of the town in Yuewei, near the countryside (opposite of where they came from, of course). Suyin took a couple of rests in between the walk, but couldn''t afford to lose any time with the man''s life clinging on. Finally, upon reaching a small cottage home, the two had noticed that the old man lived by himself. In front of the house had piles of wood that was supplied, ready for the cold winter and small farmland with herbs and plants. Suyin didn''t have the leisure since she was still carrying the old man piggyback style. She was sweating, but it was all worth it for even just one life. She carefully placed him down on the bed and touched his pulse on his right wrist, sitting down on a wooden chair next to his bed. For her conclusion of his physical examination with all of the knowledge that she had, it appeared that the old man had fainted from fatigue. Areum was still half-awake from waking up so early thanks to the owner of the inn''s obnoxious voice. "He''s alright already. Let''s go." Suyin''s feet couldn''t move, stuck there as she sat by the old man''s side. It felt strange, but the old man looked familiar to her as if a piece of memory had been erased. The ease in her heart and mind assured her that he was no enemy of hers. "Let''s wait until he''s awake." Suyin put her arms to the side of the bed and rested on it. It was too early to be able to identify whether or not the man had any internal injuries since Suyin was far too unequipped for something like that, so she waited until the evening, to the point that Suyin and Areum had fallen soundly asleep till then. --------------------------------------------------------- *A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER* Suyin woke up, flinching along the way as she opened her eyes. She unintentionally knocked out waiting for the old man to exhibit any signs or symptoms of complication. She flew out of the seat after she realized that the old man had vanished. "Areum!" Suyin turned around, to see Areum sleeping conveniently on the ground with her head lying next to a barrel. Alerted, she woke up from Suyin''s voice. "Help me find the old man!" The two began to search in the small home for the old man, only to find nothing but an empty home. "My lady, look! I discovered this!" Areum delivered the letter to Suyin. "To my savior. Thank you for helping me while many others may have just passed by me. There are things that are best kept in the dark, such as who I am and what purpose I serve in this world. I advise for you to take over this home until I, one day, have fully accomplished my duties in this life, for I believe that you will one day make this world a better place. The flowers that had blossomed in the spring will soon wither in fall, but the petals tell a story of its time. The season that has been granted will soon blossom again in the next spring." 15 Collection Bonus: A Sweet Momen *This was during the time when Suyin was captured by Wansun studying about medicine. During this event, Areum was seeking for a job to provide for the both of them* "I''m looking for a job to do. Do you guys, by chance, have someone who needs work?" Areum asked the owner of the inn. He crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Ah, I''m sorry but... we have enough workers here already." "Please. I''m in need of income! I''m willing to wash dishes even for little pay!" Areum urged the owner of the shop. Everywhere she went, it appeared that they weren''t hiring any workers, so it made Areum desperate to find something to do to help Suyin. She wanted to be at least useful to her. "I''m sorry, Miss. You will have to find somewhere else that is accepting workers at the moment." The shop-keeper excused himself and then went back to do take care of his customer''s needs. "I-hic-got a job-hic-for you." A drunk man stood up, staggering towards Areum as he slammed the jar of wine to the front counter. The shop keeper didn''t care since the man had money. As long as he doesn''t mess up the place, it wasn''t a big deal to the owner. "Mind your own business!" Areum hissed at the man, sickened by the stench of alcohol in his breath and body. The man scowled at Areum, barely able to point the jar of wine to her. "You think that you''re some kind of woman who even has a reputation?! Just come be my concubine and you will live forever in pleasure." He insulted, laughing like a madman. Areum grew impatient with the man. What would Suyin do in situations like this? She wasn''t as bold as Suyin but held a strong passion for her freedom just like her. She seized the jar of wine and kept it over the top of her head, holding it with both of her hands. She wanted to launch it at him and when she did, she failed and missed her shot, miserably. The man was now furious but couldn''t keep his sense of balance. "You--You try to go at me, you damn nobody!" *WHACK!* A rock flew across the man''s face, causing him to cry in agony. "Ow!! What the hell?!" He swung around to the culprit, a man standing at the stairs. "What the hell do you want?!" He complained. His right cheeks were now red from the impact of the rock. Areum turned around. "Y-Your highness!" Areum kneeled down, bending her head so low that she couldn''t see his face anymore. Zhang Weizhe, the right hand of Qin Fuhua (and the "supposed" Prince that Areum and Suyin had mistaken), had a demeaning glare on his face, one that expressed bigotry and hostility. The drunkard man then pointed to Zhang Weizhe with disrespect. "Your highness my ass!" The man tried to spit at Zhang Weizhe but evaded by taking a step to the side. Weizhe touched Areum''s shoulders to help her up. "I heard a commotion down the inn and decided that I should check it out. I didn''t recognize that it was you." "I apologize for the disturbance, but this man here had provoked me enough to cause a scene." The more that Areum stayed with Suyin, the more she felt like trouble came upon her also. She promptly bowed, embarrassed at what had occurred, but Weizhe only laughed. "Take this man out of the inn before I spill some blood in this inn." Zhang Weizhe commanded the owner of the inn. He dropped a bag full of money to the front counter. The shop-keeper immediately ushered his workers to throw the man out of the place, never to be back there again. Areum kept thanking Zhang Weizhe for saving him and insisted that if he ever needs any help such as chores, cleaning up, or something that she can help, to ask her if he needs it. She knew that she was just a nobody with no name or reputation, but felt thankful that at least someone besides Suyin had acknowledged her as a human being. Areum left back to the inn a couple of blocks down from where she was at, merrily hopping down the road because the drunkard fool had been kicked out and beaten up by the other men. Arriving at the inn, her mood instantly disappeared by the owner''s protests about their stay and how they didn''t have any more money, causing her to cry deep down because she wasted the whole day happy that the jerk received their lesson. "I''m so sorry Suyiiinnn~" 16 Ying Yues Flower Lilies The smog from the clay stove had emitted in the atmosphere and out from the little chimney''s hole in the house, showing signs of life in the house. It has been two weeks since Suyin and Areum lingered at the small cottage home. After she obtained the letter, Suyin considered that she would take care of the house until the old man return, worried that he would come back to a home that was deserted in shatters if Suyin and Areum left. The house had a large yard in the back packed with fresh vegetables, plants, fruits, and even medicinal herbs. The two remained in the house, taking care of the plants, house, and yard. They were grateful that the old man had offered his home and give them a place for the two to stay, otherwise, they would have been homeless and would have struggled to find a place to stay. Areum was in the yard watering the plotland while Suyin was in the house, steaming vegetables for the two.Areum proceeded to water the plot of land by using the bucket that was next to the well from the home. She watered the vegetables until she saw a figure laying on the ground. Areum was frightened since she didn''t know if the person was dead or not, but recognized that the size of the body was one of a child''s! Alert, she instantly moved towards the body of the child who rested with her arms cupped to her knees. The child''s eyes were shut tightly as if she was in distress and trembled, enduring the pain. Areum set the bucket down on the dirt and picked her up. "Are you okay? I''ll bring you to my lady." Areum affirmed, swiftly wrapping the girl''s arm around her shoulders and carried her into the house. "Suyin!" Suyin saw that Areum was carrying the girl wrapped around her. She immediately placed the pot to the side of the table so that it wouldn''t burn from the oven. "A child?!" She blurted out. The girl was hyperventilating, panting really hard to the point where Suyin could tell that the child had been enduring pain. "Areum put her on the bed, I''ll check her pulse!" Areum scurried to the room with Suyin following behind. Areum put the girl on the bed with Suyin sitting down on a chair next to the girl. "Do you mind if I take a look?" Suyin calmly requested for the child''s consent. It was essential to ask permission first if they were still conscious. Suyin''s specialty was in children so she grasped on how to converse to kids with the proper tone and manner. The girl could barely nod her head, granting her authority to check on her. Suyin felt the child''s small pulse on her wrist, attempting to recognize the heartbeat pattern. "Strange, she has an irregular heartbeat pattern," Suyin spoke, trying to solve what was wrong with the child. "Are you hurt all over?" Suyin asked the child. She steered to her knees, aching as her tears began to roll down because she couldn''t handle the pain anymore. "Good girl. I know that you''ve been enduring for a while now." Suyin tenderly caressed her head in a caring manner. She was amazed by how much the child had been enduring the pain. She gently touched her knees which felt tender. As soon as the touch was pressed, she shifted her legs as if she felt the pain. "That hurts." The child told. Suyin nodded. She wanted to reduce the pain and comprehend what was wrong with the child, but because of her abnormal pulse, it was too complex for her to figure anything out. If only she had her gears back in the hospital! This would have been far smoother with a blood test, bone density examinations, and other tests to run to rule out the problem! Suyin couldn''t show the child that she was troubled so she lit a grin. "I''m going to let you lay down straight, okay?" Suyin asked gingerly, making sure that the girl felt comfortable. She nodded her head and glanced at Suyin. The child didn''t look frightened as she did before she came in the door since Suyin''s face didn''t seem defeated at the sight of the child. "What is your name, little girl?" Suyin remained to keep her distractions off of the pain. What is crucial for a child is to keep their mind off of the discomfort that they are enduring in order to lessen the severity of pain they were in. "Chuhua." She replied with one word, not saying more or less. "Ah! What a lovely name! It means chrysanthemum, a type of flower. Did you know that?" Suyin occupied the child with facts, keeping her composed as she swayed her head. "Did you know that your name signifies happiness and longevity?" The child''s eyes widened, amazed at Suyin''s comment. "Does it really mean that?" Throughout the child''s life, the doctors had always revealed her parents that they didn''t know what was wrong with her and that they weren''t certain if she would survive the sickness. The child wanted nothing less than normal life, but because of her illness, the doctors considered it "hopeless." Suyin lit a smile to her face, nodding. "Un! If you have such a wonderful name like this, you can endure anything in this world!" Suyin softly pressed on Chuhua''s muscles, but this time, Chuhua didn''t react to the injury. "Does it still hurt?" Suyin examined, watching to see if her facial expression changed. She nodded, "I can endure it this time, though." The child didn''t look uncomfortable as she did a couple of minutes ago. "How does it hurt?" Suyin wanted to know the symptoms to at least get a bigger picture of her illness. "Sometimes this pain comes and goes in my body and it feels like it''s burning everywhere," Chuhua described, hopeless that her explanation would cure her. Even the doctors couldn''t figure out what was wrong with her. "At times, it stings a lot, and then it doesn''t hurt as much anymore." The pain still lingered in Chuhua while describing her symptoms to Suyin, who incorporated the information into her head. "If it''s a burning sensation and touching areas that are vulnerable to this would cause more pain...." Suyin darted off, gazing at the wall for a couple of seconds. "That means that it has to do something with the muscles." Suyin reflected herself. Back in the present days, Suyin had a case similar to this during her first years of being a pediatric doctor. That was a couple of years back and because she attended many children with various diseases, she couldn''t recall the forgotten situation and problem! "Well, I think I have something to start with though." Suyin patted the child''s head softly then got out of her chair. "Areum, look after her please, I''ll hurry back and treat her. Don''t forget to put out the fire!" she raced to head out of the door. Suyin had an idea that would positively treat her illness temporarily. It was a good thing that she met Wansun. The blue book that Suyin kept inside of her robe was always with her in case she needed something, and this was the perfect opportunity to utilize the book for help! Suyin already had some experience in using Chinese herbs back in the present day since she had been interested in ancient Chinese medicine since she was little, but many of the books were either burned or lost from the aging. "I remember there was a plant that would help ease pain and stiffness." Suyin strolled outside of the home, traveling to the little forest near the house while she held the book in front of her. She flipped through the pages to find the picture of a plant to make sure that it was the one that she was thinking of. The trees surrounded Suyin, making her look small in the forest since they were tall and slender. This forest wasn''t as large and dark as the Forest of Lost Souls and there was a dirt pathway so she wouldn''t be lost. "Impressive enough, I do recall that the plant is commonly used for the elderly. Problems such as arthritis and muscle strains were inscribed in here for the indications of the herb." She flipped through the pages, continuously pacing without stopping. Suyin found the page of the herb. "That''s it! Ying Yue''s flower lily." Suyin abruptly felt a thud against her head, causing her to nearly fall to the ground. She massaged her head to lessen the pain and seized her book from the ground, dusting it off. She promptly bowed, "I''m sorry!" She gazed at the person''s face and paused. "T-Tienzheng!" For some odd reason, she was always colliding into this person whether or not she liked it. This time though, Qin Fuhua looked dramatically different from how she remembered him. He stood up straight, with his feet placed together like a commander. His aura was filled with loathing and coldness surrounding him. He wasn''t in any common attire as he did before. The male was far more attractive and tall, his hair up with a golden crane coiled at the top of his head. A tall, long black robe wrapped around his body and his silken grey robe hid behind it. The man''s appearance didn''t yell out, "scholar" anymore, but he resembled a handsome Prince from the depths of hell. Qin Fuhua lowered his brows, giving a brush or two to his chest. He didn''t say a word or didn''t wince at her presence. "What are you doing here?" No. Suyin shouldn''t even question why he was there. She didn''t need to know what his business was there for. "Ahem. I mean, sorry for getting in your way. I''ll be taking my leave now." Suyin moved aside, lifting her right hand as a "excuse me" as she continued her search for the herb. "Are you looking for something?" Qin Fuhua spoke firmly, not moving a single step ahead. Suyin ceased, lifting one eyebrow up. "Oh, is the great scholar actually interested?" She thought to her head, lighting up a mischievous smile to her face. She casually spun around to him, but Qin Fuhua didn''t turn to stare at her so she faced his back. Gleefully, she hopped past him and traveled off from the dirt trail. Maybe she shouldn''t tell him so he would actually be curious for once. She looked at the side of her eyes to sneak out a glance to view if he was accompanying her but he didn''t. He proceeded to walk forward from the dirt pathway, which made her upset. Not caring why he was there, he wasn''t important at the moment, anyway. ----- Suyin reached to an edge of a cliff, searching the edge to find the flower. It was a small little flower herb that only grew in areas of the cliffs. The legend behind the Ying Yue''s flower lily was a tale about a gorgeous woman named Ying Yue. Everyone admired and cherished her because of her passion for flowers and generosity, but unknowingly, the more respect and love she obtained from people, resentment emanated. Because of her fondness for flowers, a jealous female merchant poisoned the flowers in her field, causing her to fall into a deep sleep at the cliff of the fields when she was nurturing them. After the incident, all of the flowers had disappeared and her body transformed into a white lily flower bell that dangled next to the cliff. It was stated that these flowers were used to cure muscle difficulties among the elderly because of her mother who had complications with stiffness in her hands. The lily flowers then radiated all over China, only apparent near cliffs that were believed to be the help of the spirit of Ying Yue, who loved everyone, notably her mother. Suyin had discovered this story when she was a kid from her grandmother. It was a myth that was told to her grandmother from her late mother and so it passed on. Suyin had wished that Ying Yue''s flower lilies would exist during the present time, but people had suggested that the flower had disappeared in the world due to industrialization and greed for land and money. Suyin couldn''t believe it that the herb she needed the most was the flower that she knew the best (in terms of the story behind this). Suyin sought to look for the little white-belled flower and noticed it at a further end of the cliff. Suyin would have to bend down and reach for it if she wanted it. She wasn''t a big fan of heights, but for the sake of the child, she had to do this to help the little girl since she promised. "Alright." Suyin let out a big sigh to ease her tension. "Do it for Chuhua." She spoke to herself in her head. Suyin paced to the edge of the cliff and stooped, trying to grasp the flowers that were right in front of her. "Just...a little more..." Suyin inched closer to the very end of the cliff to seize the flowers. "Got it!" Suyin plucked the flowers with the palm of her right hand. Unknowingly, her left hand was too unsteady, causing her to slip. Gravity took over her body as she fell down to the cliff, dropping head first. Misfortune was always Suyin''s shadow. Whenever something good happens to her, something always has to wrong. "I''m so sorry Chuhua!" She closed her eyes, in hopes that maybe in her next life, her bad luck wouldn''t follow her. 17 The Prince of Qin Suyin was anticipating to die from the cliff sooner or later, but she didn''t feel any collision at all. Instead, she contacted something warm against her head. "Hm?" Suyin opened her eyes and peered up, only to see Qin Fuhua''s attractive features in front of her. Qin Fuhua held her (specifically bride-style) with Suyin leaning her head on his chest! Qin Fuhua easily landed on the ground with no difficulty. The two were surrounded in an area next to a pond with a small waterfall flowing from the middle of the mountain. Due to the weather and collapsing rocks in the past, the center of the cliff formed a small waterfall which made the current at the base of the place. It was a small beach area, besides the grasses and trees near them. "T-The flowers!" Suyin quickly got out of his grip and plunged down to find the flowers. It was challenging enough for her to even get it, she''s not going waste it now! The flowers floated above the pond, making Suyin hop into the pond, slowly walking in the water to seize it. Luckily the pond was shallow enough that it only reached up to her knees. "There!" She stated, grabbing it as she shook off the excess water droplets on the flower. Qin Fuhua watched Suyin spring out of his grasp and ran into the water. Did this woman have no shame? He perceived her idiotic self, doubtful if this person was even a woman. He was impressed...again but it was temporary.He swiftly gazed away from her when Suyin spun around to him. It was the perfect opportunity to go back to the cottage and save the child! Suyin held the flowers up, facing the sun and smiled until she saw the cliff.....and Qin Fuhua! She had forgotten that several minutes ago, she was resting on his chest! "Um.." Qin Fuhua didn''t look at her but she felt the need for appreciating him...again for the infinity of times he rescued her. "Thanks." She delivered, embarrassed that she was clenching onto him earlier. Without him though, she would have been dead, yet again. Somehow when disaster follows her, he appears at the right time to save her. Suyin gripped the flowers close to her chest, making sure that it wouldn''t fall out of her hands again. She stepped closer to the cliff, staring up. "How am I going to get this to her now?" She softly spoke, looking at the tall cliff, then the flowers. The little girl was most likely enduring the pain again, and it would take Suyin hours to get around this place to arrive back to the house. Although it was selfish of her, she would have to ask Tienzheng if he could take her back to the cottage. It was the quickest way. "Um.." She turned her head to Qin Fuhua. "Do you mind taking me back up to the cliff and back to my place?" She spoke hastily. Qin Fuhua only stared back at her, not giving her an answer. "Look, I have someone who needs my help right now. I know I am not in the right place to ask for you help but-" "And what do I get in return?" Suyin stopped talking. What does he mean he gets something in return? Suyin had nothing to lose because she was in a rush and was desperate to find a way back. "We''ll deal with that later. Please. I just need to get back." Qin Fuhua conceded. He picked her up again, carrying her as he sprang from the ground, flying high up in the air. Suyin was amazed at Qin Fuhua''s strength and ability to even soar up like this! She was afraid of heights, so she held tightly to the flowers to her chest, squeezing her eyes throughout the rest of the traveling. Qin Fuhua traveled from the cliff, soaring through the sky, the forest, and towards the cottage. While flying, he lowered his head to look at Suyin who tightly closed her eyes while clutching on the flowers. "Is she really that important to you? Even when you barely know her?" Qin Fuhua thought to himself, reaching to the cottage home. His feet landed on the ground, causing Suyin to open her eyes. "We''re here?" Qin Fuhua dropped her, making her fall, butt first, to the ground. "How dare you!" Suyin whined, rubbing her butt as she got up. She had no time to fight with him so she threw out an ugly glare to Qin Fuhua, then hurried inside the cottage. "Suyin!" Areum turned around. Areum was holding the child''s hands to support her. Chuhua glanced and saw Suyin walking in the room. "Suyin!" She also said, smiling at her presence. The smile was short because of the pain. "I''ll boil this and let you drink it," Suyin stated, heading to the stove to boil the water. It took a couple of minutes for Suyin to finish the process to pour the drink into a cup to give to Chuhua. "Here. Drink it." Suyin helped the child sit up, blowing the medicine as Chuhua slowly sipped the medicine. She gave a displeased expression from the bitter medicine but was very obedient in drinking it. It would take only a couple of minutes to kick in, so Suyin sat there while Chuhua rested on the bed. "Do you feel a little bit better now?" Suyin asked. "Mhm." She nodded. "I do not feel a lot of pain like I did before!" She announced. Suddenly, the door swung open with Qin Fuhua there, standing at the entrance to the door. Suyin, Areum, and Chuhua turned their heads to the door in sync. They all poked their heads out the door. Chuhua was feeling better and didn''t feel pain in her muscle, so she leaped out of her bed as soon as she saw Qin Fuhua. "Big Brother!" Chuhua ran up to Qin Fuhua to give him a hug. Qin Fuhua returned one back and gave a fatherly smile to his little sister. "Brother?!" Suyin and Areum both said at the same time, shocked. What was even more unexpected for Suyin was that Qin Fuhua actually had a genuine, handsome smile! He looked way more attractive with a smile like that, but it was a shame that his poor attitude had to ruin it. "Little Princess, what did we agree on?" Qin Fuhua cooly noted. Chuhua nodded. "I''m sorry, Big Brother. I didn''t mean to go out this far," She confessed, "but they left my carriage and I got a little too carried away." Suyin''s mouth was just wide open. Who? What? When? Where? What the heck was going on?! Suyin couldn''t comprehend what was going on as well as Areum. "I brought the carriage here. Go back home, okay?" Qin Fuhua softly spoke to Chuhua. "Mhm!" She whirled around and jumped to Suyin, holding her. "Thank you for treating me! I wished you were the one treating me instead of those doctors!" Chuhua said. Chuhua held Areum also, thanking her in the process for taking care of her before she left to go to the carriage with Weizhe bowing in front of the Princess. "Thank you for taking care of the little Princess." Qin Fuhua praised straightforward to Suyin and Areum. Dumbfounded, the two looked at each other. "Isn''t that the Prince, and why is he kneeling?" Areum said to Suyin, staring at Wansun, who also agreed. "I apologize, but it was my job to represent the Prince at the time. I am actually the right hand of the Prince, Weizhe." Weizhe admitted, then nodded to take his leave with the Princess. Areum and Suyin couldn''t believe their eyes. Then... the person that they have been talking to the whole time.... "Tienzheng?!" Suyin claimed. "My lady! Why are you calling his name all of a sudden?! He isn''t Tienzheng! That''s the Prince!" Areum hushed Suyin. Areum was sure that this person standing in front of her was not Tienzheng, the scholar. Qin Fuhua stared at Suyin comfortably. "Who is that person?" Fuhua didn''t acknowledge the name, but Suyin was a hundred percent sure that he was Tienzheng. "I was thinking about letting you linger for a couple of days here, but because you served her some medicine that we don''t know of, you must come with me." Qin Fuhua addressed, going back to his bitter self again. Areum tugged on Suyin''s sleeves. "Are you going to be in big trouble?" Areum murmured. She swung her head. "Just take care of the house," Suyin assured. If she knew that the child was a Princess, she would have taken precaution with the medicine. She understood that back in the days, royal families were extremely cautious with their people. They could easily manipulate people and execute them because of their authority. Qin Fuhua''s cold, facial expression never left him. It was shocking how different he seemed when he was with Chuhua, but as soon as she left, frozen glaciers pierced from his eyes. Suyin was even bold enough to ask and command him to take her back here! She comforted Areum that she would be fine and walked out of the house with Qin Fuhua following behind her. --------------------------- Suyin and Fuhua sat in the carriage with a heavy atmosphere between the two. Suyin was now curious as to why he was a Prince and not a scholar. Qin Fuhua rested at the right side, staring out of the window through his see-through silken fabric while Suyin examined his side profile. Was he really a Prince? Or was this all just a joke also? "Tienzheng," Suyin uttered. Qin Fuhua was still gazing outside, not turning to her as she grimaced. Was it because of the name? "Prince," Suyin spoke. "Finding out names will not work." Qin Fuhua responded, reluctant to look at her. Suyin wanted to know who this person really was and why he had two names. It was strange that Areum had not figured out that he was Tienzheng either, so it was unusual for her to be the only one to recognize him. "Isn''t that your name?" Suyin asked. He didn''t turn to look at her, which caused her to sulk. She had forgotten how much of a jerk this guy was! "Why take me?" She began to speak her mind. "Because if anything goes wrong with my little sister, you are the one accountable for it." Qin Fuhua answered immediately. "Not to mention, there''s something that must be discussed with you only." ---------------------- The rest of the ride was occupied with silence, Suyin got too bored to even care about the Prince''s presence in the carriage. She fell asleep, her head leaning against the wall as the horse halted. Suyin raised her head, oblivious that she was still sitting next to Qin Fuhua. "Where am I at?" Suyin gazed out the window, remarking a beautiful area with concrete bricks on the ground and wall. She pushed the silken fabric that covered the carriage to the side to stick her head out to take a glimpse. The building was designed elegantly in velvet red, black, gold, or a blend of those colors. She was amazed at how complex the area looked like compared to the city of Yuewei. "Your Highness. We have arrived." A familiar voice greeted from outside of the carriage. Qin Fuhua had an ill-tempered face on him because of Suyin''s head and body in the way. He shoved her aside, getting out of the carriage. "H-Hey!" Suyin accompanied Qin Fuhua from behind, getting out of the carriage. The person standing in front of Qin Fuhua and Suyin was no other than Weizhe, his right-hand man. "The Prince?" Suyin regarded him as the Prince, instead of Qin Fuhua because of their first impression of Wansun back then. Fuhua threw out an ominous glare to Suyin before he stomped inside the entrance to his home. "I apologize, young miss. But I am not the Prince. Please do not call me that unless demanded to do so. I believe that it is essential for you to acknowledge the Prince as the person that was with you just now." Weizhe stated, then accompanied his master. Suyin gave a sarcastic expression because she didn''t want to call Qin Fuhua the Prince, but she had to acknowledge it. She stepped inside the gate of the manor. Compared to Wansun''s home, this was enormous and elaborate! She trailed after Wansun. Gorgeous ornamental vases were hung onto the side of the columns and the shades of the building were mostly gold and silver, a perfect match for someone who''s called the "Prince" after all. --------------------------- Suyin followed after Wansun who traveled to Qin Fuhua''s courtyard. His area was separated from the main yard by a long red bridge that was surrounded by a body of water. Suyin was amazed at the scene of the place because the body of water was well-taken care of. She could see the clear, blue lake and koi fishes swimming together in sync. Some of them hid under lotus leaves and birds were chirping, resting on the edges of the bridge. She proceeded to follow Wansun into the gates to his courtyard--a gorgeous, vast green area. There were delicate designs of exquisite furniture painted in black and gold in his area, but something felt off. Ever since Suyin had entered the home of the Prince (including the manor), there was no sight of trees or flowers in sight besides the green, dark grass. Wansun and Suyin entered in Qin Fuhua''s pavilion, east of the courtyard near the pure water that reflected the clear sky. The male calmly took a sip of tea from his teacup, leisurely writing with a brush held on his left side as he scribbled down some calligraphy on the paper. "Your Highness." Wansun clasped his hands together, kneeling in front of Qin Fuhua. Suyin stood next to Wansun, staring at Qin Fuhua who furrowed his brows. He excused Wansun to stand up as he responded, moving out of his way so Suyin could walk in front of him. "Go sit on the chair," Wansun muttered to Suyin. Suyin let out a mute, "why" out of her mouth but listened to the man. She was already dead on the way here because she fed the Princess some medicine. They could just point fingers at her and no one would question why. Suyin wasn''t even sure that the medicine would work on the child or cause any side effect because it was specifically used for the elderly.She prayed to the gods, hoping that Tienzheng wouldn''t punish her harshly. Of course, everyone knew that the Qin Prince was merciless and brutal. Anyone who confronted this Prince would meet nothing but misfortune. Suyin sat down on the chair, ready for anything to occur as she closed her eyes. She swiftly flashed out a cross using both of her index fingers, "I''m sorry if I did anything wrong, Prince!" Suyin cried out. Qin Fuhua didn''t flinch at her words, watching her with her dramatic self as Wansun shook his head at the side of the pavilion. "How do you know that I''m Tienzheng?" Qin Fuhua investigated, causing Suyin to open her eyes. "Huh?" She answered, startled at his response. "I''m not going to repeat myself again." He grumbled. His temper ran short, so it made his voice appear aggressive and demanding. "O-Oh. Um." Suyin was confused at what was happening. Why did he want to know why he''s Tienzheng? Duh. Anyone who sees his face would know that he''s Tienzheng, the scholar. But how is he the Prince all of a sudden? She also wanted to know but had no guts to say because she was afraid that he would cut her tongue for questioning too much (for being too meddlesome). "It''s obvious, don''t you think so?" She claimed, tilting her head in confusion. Qin Fuhua moved his head near Suyin''s. Suyin automatically began to move her head further back, dodging his eyes. Qin Fuhua solemnly turned around to face the water. Qin Fuhua used his palms to glide down to his face to put on his mask secretly, returning back to Suyin. "Are you sure?" He challenged for the last time. Geez. If Suyin knew how much she wanted him to verify his identity, then she would clearly have to be dramatic about it then. "Well, duh. If no one knows that you''re Tienzheng, then why would you be here then? Are you trying to pretend to be the Prince or something?" She exaggerated, irritated at his investigation. Qin Fuhua held her wrist tightly, causing her to be in discomfort in the midst of it. "Do you see no distinction?!" He aggressively stated, gripping her wrist. Suyin tried to pull her wrist back but had no energy to do so. What was with his obsession with his identity?! "Ouch! No! Geez, that hurts! Stop it!" She hissed, trying to pull back. "Your Highness, it seems like she seems unaffected by ''it''" Wansun commented. Qin Fuhua let go of her wrist. "It seems like we have no choice but to make you stay then." Qin Fuhua pronounced, putting his hands to his back. What did it mean no choice but to make her stay? Was she some sort of criminal or something for knowing who he is or something?! Suyin rubbed her right wrist because of the force that Qin Fuhua had clasped. "What does that have to do with the little Princess?" She replied, frustrated at all of the uproars. "Miss, it seems like the Qipian Mianju didn''t work on you," Wansun lowered his head. "Qin Fuhua wanted to test you to see whether or not it worked, but it appears like it has no impact on you." It took a couple of minutes for Suyin to comprehend what was going on, now. That was the reason why Qin Fuhua was asking her if he knew her or not. "This person is not Tienzheng, but rather, the real Prince of Qin: Qin Fuhua." Wansun bowed to Suyin, gripping his hands. "I beg that you will no longer call the Prince Tienzheng unless ordered to do so by me or him. It will only draw danger for you to call him that name." It made sense now. It was probably the reason why Areum didn''t see him as Tienzheng, but the real Prince of Qin! She nodded her head, "But... if I stay..." "You are responsible for the little Princess and hold a life-threatening factor of the Prince''s identity. You will be under our supervision and responsibility from now on. It is important to keep an eye on you, under orders that you may spill a secret that only the Prince, me, and two othersknow about this." Wansun cut Suyin off. "And don''t worry about your maid. I have assigned guards to bring a carriage to fetch your belongings and Areum to come to stay with you to comfort your stay here, as long as you tell no soul about this condition." "Take it as you owing me, now." Qin Fuhua declared. Suyin turned to look at Qin Fuhua, who gazed at the water, modestly attending to the whole conversation as she nodded her head. "Um." Suyin wanted to know how Chuhua was doing during this whole stay. It was important for her to determine what was wrong with the Princess and figure a way how to cure it. She wouldn''t be able to leave the place without knowing how the child would have reacted with the medicine she gave anyway. Something was wrong with Qin Fuhua at this time, though when Suyin stared at his back. He didn''t have the cloak to cover his wound, showing signs of dried blood on his right sleeve. Suyin had barely remarked this when she was gazing at his back and physique. Was it from the impact that was supposed to hit her instead when she fell down from the cliff? 18 Seeking for Help Suyin stepped up to Qin Fuhua, tugging his sleeves as he shoved her with his arms, pushing it ahead. "What are you doing?!" He called, stepping away from Suyin. "What is that?!" Suyin knew it. The moment that she fell from the cliff, she was supposed to hit the edge of the rock, but Qin Fuhua had cushioned the hit for her. "That is nothing of your affair." Qin Fuhua coldly answered. Suyin gazed at him, trying to pull his sleeves again. Qin Fuhua evaded her. "That isn''t a concern?! That was from the fall earlier isn''t it?! Why did you do that?!" Suyin had pushed Qin Fuhua to the side of the pavilion, causing him to stand next to the frame of the pavilion. Suyin made an effort to look at his sleeves before he shoved her away and this time, it made her fall down to the ground. "So you could save the Princess! If you got wounded, who would cure her?!" Suyin stopped fighting with Qin Fuhua, gazing up at him from the ground. Of course. The Prince of Qin wouldn''t have done something so reckless if it wasn''t relevant to him. It made sense that he had to make sure that Chuhua was cured and taken care of after all, which was really his purpose. Suyin was no one significant to him, except her medical abilities for his little sister. Suyin got up and turned to Weizhe. "I''m ready to go to my room," Suyin announced. Weizhe nodded, giving his regards to Qin Fuhua before moving back to the main courtyard. ---------------------------------------------- Suyin had settled in the Qin manor within a couple of days. She wanted to confess to Areum about the secret, but it was too much of a burden for her to handle since it would ruin the Prince''s reputation and secret. It was better for Areum to not know about the circumstances otherwise, she would probably be in danger also. Her only excuse she could use was observing the little Princess''s health which was actually another reason that she lingered. It was unusual for the Prince and Princess to be living away from the Palace, though, since Suyin assumed they would have a luxurious lifestyle. Suyin never got the chance to see Qin Fuhua or even Weizhe since their courtyard was separated from the main courtyard. It was as if they never stepped in the main courtyard or even feel obliged to see the little Princess. Suyin and Areum rested in the East wing of the manor, opposite of Qin Fuhua''s. Her room was the nearest to the Princess''s room, to watch her health and condition. Qin Chuhua would have episodes of muscle pain, but there were no side-effects whatsoever with Suyin''s medicine. Although all it could do was briefly cure her pain for a couple of minutes, she couldn''t depend on the herb. She couldn''t solve Chuhua''s illness, so she didn''t have a solution to the problem. Suyin had set Chuhua in her bed, relaxing. It was about night time, and Suyin frequently checked on the Princess to see how she was doing. "Suyin?" Suyin spun around before leaving the room. "Yes, Princess?" Suyin replied. Chuhua had a concerned tone when she summoned Suyin. "Can you honestly tell me something?" The child''s eyes dropped, worried. "Of course, what''s wrong?" ".....Will I die, soon?" The little girl wanted to know what was honestly wrong with her. She was restricted during her play time although she often played with the maids, Areum, or even Suyin since they have been in the manor. She understood that her sickness was hopeless according to the royal doctors, but she had hope that Suyin was the only one who believes that there was a cure to her disease. This was the reason why Suyin wanted to be a pediatric doctor. She had seen children struggle with the concept of death and their time which wasn''t on their side. Suyin formerly wanted to become a teacher, but after seeing the death of her little nephew, she knew that she had to at least save someone, even if it just gave them more time. Suyin didn''t know what to do with her question. Would she be straight-forward about it? Would she tell her a little white lie? She paused for a second to think about her response and sat down next to Chuhua. "I won''t let you die, at all, no matter the cost," Suyin assured. "I know that it''s hard for you to keep going, but no matter what, the Prince and I will find a way to cure you." Chuhua was composed after Suyin''s words, nodding her head. "I believe in you, Suyin. Thank you." The child answered, closing her eyes. "Good night, Princess." Suyin marched out of the room and delicately closed the door without making any noise. She could sense another presence near her, assuming it was Areum. "Areum, before you go to sleep, make sure that I have a couple of Ying Yue''s flower lilies left for tomorrow." There was no reply to Suyin''s command. She noticed it was unusual that Areum wasn''t acknowledging her. "Did you hear--" She swung around, recognizing that the person standing behind her wasn''t Areum, but Qin Fuhua! "What the hell?! You frightened me" Suyin touched her chest, feeling her heart beat swiftly because of his appearance. It had been the first time since the interrogation about his identity that they had seen each other. "The Princess is sleeping if you were going to see her," Suyin pronounced in a flat tone. She had already made plenty of nicknames perfect for him in her head for being a stupid jerk. "Freaking Frost." She uttered beneath her breath, cursing him. "Hm." He acknowledged, casually roaming with his hands behind his back. It was out of the ordinary for Suyin to see Qin Fuhua at this time since she rarely saw him at the main court. Suyin was curious where he and Weizhe had wandered off to at the back of her mind even if she didn''t want to think about it. Qin Fuhua passed by Suyin and walked off to his courtyard, stepping through the gate to the bridge and traveled off. Suyin could see little candles lit in the water for vision. Suyin was supposed to head to her room, but couldn''t help herself to linger in the main courtyard, sitting down in the middle of the grass in the center. She sat down, crisscrossed with her hand resting on her elbow as she put her head on the palm of her hand. "SIGH. The Prince was just here a while ago." A voice deliberately expressed out loud. "Seems like his bandage was unattractive on his arm. It''s a SHAME that there isn''t anyone that can HELP wrap it because everyone is so fearful of him." Suyin moved her head towards the voice. Weizhe strolled through the corridor, carelessly pacing to Qin Fuhua''s area after she saw him. "Aurgh. Damn you, fool (*Suyin was playing on words with FUhua)" She rolled her eyes. As a Doctor, she wasn''t going to leave someone''s injury go blind, especially the Prince of Qin. Suyin image how they would all point fingers at her if she didn''t something about it. If he gets infected by something and dies, she was the reason why he was hurt in the first place. She could picture a whole case scenario of irrational things the people would claim against her. ---------------------------------------- Qin Fuhua''s courtyard could be noticed from a far distance from the main court. The bridge could be dimly seen by the little flower lanterns placed in the water for decorations and a guide to lead the way to Qin Fuhua''s courtyard. Han Suyin brought a thin roll of cloth, similar to adhesive tape, and a thicker white square cloth to cover his injury. At her left hand, she held a small bag filled with ground herbs that Areum had packed before coming here. Suyin hastily paced through the bridge and shoved the gates open. She walked through the courtyard and marched down the corridors into Qin Fuhua''s room. "I''m here." She announced with a grumpy tone. Qin Fuhua took a sip on his tea, relaxing with nothing but his inner garment. Qin Fuhua didn''t wear anything under the garment (besides his trouser), so it showed his bare chest. Although the robe was a dark, navy colored and it was a long robe,evident of seeing his chest. Suyin released her items and covered her eyes. "S-Sorry!" Suyin retracted, instantly picking up the items on the ground as she slid the door shut. Although Suyin treats patients and agrees that the male and female anatomy are all the same (aside from the gender), she would not directly gaze at one''s bare body (excluding medical reasons). In the inside of the room of Qin Fuhua, Suyin could hear him quietly walk around. He put on a thicker robe and slid the door open. Suyin''s back faced against the door, in case the man had no fear of revealing his bare skin. "What is it?" Qin Fuhua stuck his head out. Suyin spun around and saw his face, frowning at him. "Come out, I''m going to treat your arm." She commanded, "I''m going to sit at the bench here, so hurry before I lose my patience and hurry back to sleep. I''m losing sleep time here." Qin Fuhua didn''t change his expression, having a dull look to his face. He only nodded, following her to the bench at the courtyard. Suyin settled her items next to her: A small knife to cut the cloth, the thin cloth, her grounded herbs, and a thicker cloth. "Where is it?" Suyin examined his arms but could see nothing due to the robe he had on. Qin Fuhua had a blank look to her. Suyin began to poke at his right biceps, causing Qin Fuhua to flinch as his eyes snared at Suyin. "There it is." She firmly insisted to wrap it, clutching his right arm as she slid his sleeves down to his shoulders. Qin Fuhua didn''t react or move as if he allowed her to do whatever she needed to do. Qin Fuhua''s wrap was disordered and lazy as if someone had blindfolded themselves to help Qin Fuhua. The material was thick and the knot was loosely done. Suyin held back her laughter, "Who did this?" She snickered for a second. Qin Fuhua snarled at her tease. "I did it!" Weizhe shouted out, lifting his hands as he hopped out of the bush. "Qin Fuhua wanted to wrap it himself, but I proposed to help him. Is it good?" "Weizhe! I told you to be still, geez!" Areum stifled him, dragging him back into the bush before they realized that Suyin and Qin Fuhua had already seen them. "Hehehe... We were just doing our errands." Areum had stated, carrying a bucket as she hauled Weizhe away. Only at this moment would only be the time that Suyin and Qin Fuhua had looked at each other, perplexed. Suyin shrugged it off while Qin Fuhua acted as if nothing had happened. She deliberately stripped the super thick cloth, revealing a superficial cut that became a long scab. "If I don''t take care of it now, it would have become a scar." Suyin''s eyes lowered with a bothered tone. It was all her fault that he had wounded himself. His skin was flawless and beautiful, but the injury had to appear there. She took out her herbs, throwing it on the thicker cloth using her hand and lightly pressed on his wound. "Does it hurt?" "Mm." Qin Fuhua swung his head, staring at her like a little child. Suyin held his wound with the thick cloth, covering the thin cloth around thoroughly and adjusted the knot. It wasn''t too tight but it wasn''t too loose either. "There." Suyin cleaned up her mess, prepared to leave. "If it is relevant for you, there is a temporary cure for the Princess." Qin Fuhua discussed. She turned to stare at Qin Fuhua. Did he know that she was stressed about obtaining a cure for the child? "Although, finding the medicine won''t be easy. I will need your assistance." Suyin narrowed her eyes, suspecting Qin Fuhua. What did she get in this? She knew that Qin Fuhua only asked for her help for his own needs selfishly, but she knew that she couldn''t refuse the offer because it would help find the cure for Qin Chuhua. "What is it?" Suyin gave in. She had nothing to lose anyway, so why not take the proposal? "There''s a village up in the mountains within the territory of the Qin and Long. At the top of the forest lies a village with mountain people who has a strong-based army. There is someone up there that knows how to find a temporary cure for the child. Enough to cure here for at least a year." "How did you know that would work?" Although Qin Fuhua was capable of going on his own alone, why would he need her? "Thing is, half of the village was struck with a strange illness with rashes all over their bodies. Although the leader of the village does not want to admit defeat, he is searching for someone who can help his village in exchange for anything." Qin Fuhua stared at her eyes. "That is why I need you to come to help me." The man admitted, in an earnest tone. It appeared that he was desperate enough to go ask Suyin for help. Qin Fuhua had been gone for days, but that was because the man was trying to solve what was wrong with the village. Qin Fuhua had limited knowledge in the medical field and his friend, Wansun, had departed to the city of Zhaoguan to buy some herbs and medicine. Wansun''s stay was going to be for a couple of days and Qin Fuhua did not want to interrupt him for help. 19 Jiaoshu Village It was the next day after the conversation with the Prince. The sun rose behind the mountains and the sky slowly became blue. Suyin rested at the edge of the bed while Areum had slept at the end. The night before, Suyin had contemplated whether or not she would help the Prince of Qin, but it was intriguing that the village leader had a cure for the Princess. "Miss Suyin." A voice muttered through the window near the bed. Suyin had grumbled and tossed her body up, awake from the voice. She was half-conscious at the moment. "Miss Suyyyin." Suyin unconsciously walked to the window to see Weizhe''s face emerge in front of her. "Whoa!" Suyin sprang up at the sight of his face in front of the window, surprised. "Weizhe! What the heck are you doing at the window?!" She stated, recognizing that it wasn''t the door that she slid open. It was the window that she slid open without any hesitation. "Miss. The Prince is anticipating for you in the carriage. Didn''t you agree on it yesterday that you will go with us?" Weizhe spoke. Suyin ceased to think for a second, pondering about what had happened the day before. ---------------------------------- *Yesterday Night* "Alright! I''ll go with you since you asked personally." Suyin spoke with a proud tone. "If you do go, just remember that you do not provoke those people." "Yeah, yeah. I understand, ''your highness''" She mocked, rolling her eyes. The one who always gets aggravated the most would be Qin Fuhua himself. Why would she disturb anyone else besides the grumpy Prince? "Now, we will meet BEFORE the sun rises tomorrow. We set off from then on." Qin Fuhua commanded. Suyin brushed it aside as she agreed. She was already falling asleep by the time that Qin Fuhua had purposed for her to go with him. ------------------------------------- "Oh crap! I''m late, aren''t I?" Weizhe nodded his head, causing Suyin to make a ruckus as she paced around the room. "The Prince seems to be bothered. His face is getting gloomier as the second goes by." Weizhe remarked, giving her a concerned look before he ran off back to the entrance of the manor. Suyin had to get ready as fast as she could. First by fixing her hair and slipped on a better-looking robe. During their stay at the manor, the Prince had been generous enough to pay Areum and Suyin for taking care of the Princess, so they had the opportunity to buy clothes, food, and things for themselves when needed. Suyin raced off to the entrance of the gates after speaking to Areum that she would be out for a couple of days. Weizhe was standing outside of the carriage, giving Suyin a big, fake smile as he aimed inside with his eyes. Suyin nodded her head, hopping inside the carriage. Qin Fuhua''s eyes were closed as if he was angry. Suyin had slapped herself in her imagination for not paying attention to what he had said the night before. He was probably waiting for more than two hours! Suyin didn''t say a single word, as they began to travel along the route to the village. ***************** In the middle of the travel, Suyin had felt an intense sense of gloominess from Qin Fuhua. He didn''t speak a single word beside silence in the air. "Um...Sorry." Suyin uttered beneath her breath. She knew that it was her fault and she was astounded that Qin Fuhua did not leave her behind. Of course, maybe it was because he needed her to go with him, so he would have no choice to remain anyway. Qin Fuhua did not speak, only the sound of his breathing could be heard. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I didn''t mean to come late... I honestly forgot about--" "Quiet. I am meditating." Qin Fuhua hushed Suyin with a firm tone. She bit her lips. From the tone of his voice, he didn''t appear to be angry at her. Qin Fuhua opened his eyes, with Suyin doing the same thing. "What are you doing?" Qin Fuhua inquired, looking at her. "Shh. I''m trying to meditate too." She imitated him. He furrowed his brows and gazed away, avoiding her. "Hmph. How do you like that?!" Suyin said to herself in her voice. With Suyin''s eyes closed, Qin Fuhua scoot in closer to her, sensing his presence near to her. The male brought his head close to hers, and due to this, Suyin opened her eyes, observing his face right in front of her. "What are you doing--" Qin Fuhua tugged in her robe, tightening it. Suyin''s robe was loose and exposed the skin of her neck and middle chest. "An attempt to entice someone like me is not going to work." The horse stopped, which signified that they had stopped somewhere. Qin Fuhua turned his head away, unaffected and got out of the carriage, leaving Suyin behind. "Wha?!" She brushed herself as her face got as pink as a peach. She hurried to follow the Prince, moving the curtain behind. A view of endless paddy fields stood in front of Suyin, and the mountains and trees were so green, the sun reflected against it made it brighter than ever. Suyin shifted her attention to a group of men outside, investigating the Prince and their group. "What about her?" One of the men questioned. They seemed to look bigger than Qin Fuhua''s men, and most of them had a unique tattoo at the pit of their elbow. It appeared to look like a special Chinese character colored in blue, indicating that they come from a specific group of people. "That''s nobody--" "Ah, yes. That''s my fiance." Qin Fuhua cut off Weizhe, grinning at Weizhe as he lowered himself. "Y-Yes. It is his Highness''s lady." Weizhe spoke. "Wait! M-Me?!" Suyin pointed at herself. Qin Fuhua moved closer to Suyin and held her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. "She''s a bit groggy from the ride. She didn''t get any sleep last night." Qin Fuhua stated, gripping on Suyin''s shoulder as if he told her to follow along. "Ah. Yes, I couldn''t sleep in the carriage either. I didn''t feel well this morning." Suyin put her hand over her head as if she was some damsel in distress because she didn''t get her beauty sleep. Maybe she was exaggerating too much, because Qin Fuhua turned to her and forced a smile on his face, frightening her in the process because of how horrible his "fake" smile was. "Haha! No wonder the Prince of Qin had been so grumpy coming here the past few days! He didn''t even let his woman sleep or rest at all!" One of the men roared out, shouting as they proceeded to let Qin Fuhua and his men in. Suyin''s face was burning, turning bright red because of what they had said. What kind of men were they?! Qin Fuhua and Suyin went back into the carriage, sitting in there with utter silence again. "Really? Fiance?" Suyin spoke out, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two. "It''s either that or let you become a corpse." He mentioned, leaning on his hands as he peered outside. Okay. Correct. He was right on that. Suyin didn''t want to argue back since there was nothing more than she could say. ************************** After Qin Fuhua, Suyin, and his men reached to the gate checkpoint where the villagers had verified who they were, it took another hour or two into the forest and mountains to reach to the village. Qin Fuhua had to tutor Suyin about the villagers, who are specifically called Jiaoshu(s). They had persevered through plenty of wars and are the only force that has been in peace for more than fifty years. Although the people wore similar clothing like theirs such as a hanfu, they also wore knee-high skirts for women for easier cultivating and movement. They all are born with a special tattoo at the elbow pit on their right side with a special character of "Jiao" with a symbol of a bird. This was a noble tattoo to have because it is only given at their age of ceremony presenting their skills and commitment of their culture. They usually would have to go through a series of trials in order to get the tattoo. The village leader was always known as Sh¨¬ zh¨£ng, which was the term for "mayor" and was passed on from their ancestral family line. They were similar to a King, but the only difference was that the Shi Zhang had processed written freedom to his people as long as rules aren''t broken. The village never accepts any newcomer or people from out of the village due to the bloodline of the Jiaoshu and influence of outsiders, so most of the time, the Prince of Long or Qin were always unwelcomed, except this time, they were desperate enough to allow them to come help find to cure the disease. *************************** "We have arrived at Jiaoshu village, your Highness" Weizhe announced outside of the carriage. Suyin had to absorb as much as she knew and followed Qin Fuhua out. Houses were made out of stones, and some of the homes stood on top of the hill. Suyin could tell that out of all of the homes, the biggest one was all the way at the top of the village. "Is that Shi Zhang''s home?" Suyin had guessed, pointing at the top. Qin Fuhua nodded. "Just stay near me." Qin Fuhua commanded. From where they stood at the entrance to the village, it was big and beautiful, with their forest and plot land surrounding them. The mountains looked like ancient paintings, beautiful tall mountains with rocks and trees combined to make it look like a wuxia movie. It appeared that the climate and environment was an ideal place for agriculture and taking care of animals. No wonder rulers had been trying to take over the Jiaos or at least attempt to have their influence fall on their side. Not many people were out in their fields and those that were seen plucking their vegetables and fruits off and placing it in baskets. Suyin could hear coughs and cries from afar which made her wander off without Qin Fuhua''s request. Her footsteps led to the sound of the coughs in one of the homes. She leaned at the edge of the opened door to the home, to see who was sick. A child around the age of ten laid on his mother''s lap, hacking sickly with rashes that appeared on his face, arms, and legs. The mother turned around to see Suyin at the door and glared. "Who are you?!" She called. The boy began coughing harder. "Son!" She glanced at him, then gazed at Suyin. "What business do you have here?! I''ve never seen you before?!" The lady delivered with an unfriendly tone. "Your child... He has been sick for a while isn''t he?" Suyin noted. The lady''s eyes relaxed as soon as she turned to her son, who was sleeping on his lap. She caressed his head and hair. "What does it have to do with you?" she suggested. Suyin grinned with a gentle and kind, sincere smile. "I''m here to help you guys." Suyin didn''t get to finish her conversation because she felt someone pull her back, spinning her around in the process. "What did I just say?! Do you not listen?" Qin Fuhua scowled at Suyin as he held her elbow. "I know! I just wanted to see what was wrong" Suyin then let go of his grip as he headed straight to the Shi Zhang''s residence. ******************* "Shi Zhang, the Prince of Qin has arrived, again." One of the servants spoke. "Does he not know how to stop?" Shi Zhang uttered. "Although the Prince came last time with one of his men, it seems like he brought his fiance with him." The servant added. Shi Zhang raised his eyebrows, sparking interest. "Let him in then." Shi Zhang was interested as to why he would bring his fiance to the place. The last time that the Prince of Qin was here, he had mentioned about someone who would be able to help his villagers. ******************************* Qin Fuhua, Suyin, and Weizhe waited at the front entrance of the Shi Zhang''s residence. The gates were pulled open, allowing them to enter. Suyin had to stay by Qin Fuhua''s side, with Weizhe following behind them. They entered in the main residence and sat down on the chairs as they waited for Shi Zhang to enter in. "It seems like you have brought someone in here, this time." Shi Zhang uttered, coming in with a cane. He was an elderly man around the age of sixty. The man slowly stepped in and sat down in the center with Suyin, Qin Fuhua, and Weizhe sitting at the side of him. "Yes. I have brought the person who will cure the village." Qin Fuhua stated. Shi Zhang sat at the edge of his chair, leaning on his cane as he gazed at Suyin. "Is she the fiance? Are you sure that she will be able to cure than rather than hurt them?" As soon as Shi Zhang finished, a group of his army gathered around the three of them. Suyin gripped the side of her chair, startled by the ambush. Qin Fuhua tugged Suyin with his elbow to make it oblivious. Qin Fuhua grinned, "Yes. I''m sure she can help you." The soldiers then grabbed Qin Fuhua and Weizhe''s arms. Although Weizhe was alarmed and wanted to protect the Prince, Qin Fuhua was as calm as water. Although he may be alarmed, he does not show fear in any condition. "In case she does harm my people, would you trade your life in exchange for her trust then?" Shi Zhang purposed. Suyin turned to Qin Fuhua, who shifted to gaze her as he nodded his head, looking at her straight in her eyes. "Yes." Qin Fuhua was a cold, selfish man who only thought about himself in the world, but when it comes to Suyin saving someone, who would have thought that he gave her a glance full of confidence? The men carried Qin Fuhua and Weizhe away as the two abided. Shi Zhang let out an evil laugh, with both of his hands still leaning on the cane. "Say, young miss. Do you think you can do it? It is a wonder that the Prince of misfortune had placed his bet and life on you." The elderly man chuckled, shaking his head. "Do you think I can not do it?" Suyin challenged, "And if so if I can do it, what do I get?" He grinned at her. "Only time can tell until then." Shi Zhang stood up and left, still laughing. "Is he crazy?!" Suyin thought to herself. For once, Qin Fuhua had placed his life for her and gave her a firm look. But how would she be able to figure this out alone? ************************** She walked down from Shi Zhang''s residence, defeated. Could she really do it? She didn''t expect Shi Zhang to just sweep Qin Fuhua and Weizhe away like that. Qin Fuhua''s men stood at the side of the residence of Shi Zhang as if they already knew what was going on already. Had the Prince really anticipate this to happen already? As Suyin walked down the road, she could hear coughs and cries of people. Some adults sat at the edge of their home with red rashes on their bodies. That was when a lightbulb lit on Suyin''s head. "The child!" Suyin rushed off to the first house that she had stumbled upon. It would be easier for Suyin to figure out what was wrong with the child, first. Since the adults, as well as the children all, have similar symptoms, it could only mean that there was one disease spreading around the village. She rushed to the same house, with the mother now alone. "What are you doing?!" The lady was in the middle of washing her clothes outside of her house, hanging the clothes on a clothesline. "It''s you." She vaguely said. Suyin had to bend down, placing her hands on her knees as she gasped for air. "Your child. How long as it been since he was sick?" The lady was reluctant to say anything, pinning her last shirt on the clothesline. "About a couple of days ago." Although the lady was suspicious of Suyin, she could feel Suyin''s sincerity and trust. Suyin ran up to her and held the mother''s hands, hoping that she could take a look at the child. "Do you trust me to see how your child is doing?" Suyin asked. The mother flinched but gazed at Suyin''s eyes. Her eyes were beaming with hope and sincerity. The mother didn''t want her to hurt her son, but the faith and expression of hope had caused her to nod her head. "He''s sleeping right now, so please be mindful with my child." She declared. The mother had already seen some people die from the disease and was frightened to lose her son from the illness. ******************************* The little boy was sleeping in his room, breathing heavily as he coughed. Suyin delicately sat next to him and glimpsed at his red rashes. "Just like the others..." Suyin validated. Suyin turned to the mother who held her child''s hand as he slept. "Did you know what happened before he got those marks on his body?" Suyin needed to settle what the disease was. "He complained about having head pains. Before all of this, he went out with the neighbor''s kids, playing." Suyin modestly listened, staring at the kid''s rashes. Was it chickenpox? Although there are many types of diseases related to rashes, Suyin remembered that chickenpox was a disease that was deadly back in the days. "Would it possibly be chickenpox?" The lady glanced at Suyin and shook her head. The mother let out a heavy sigh, slouching. "We''ve had all kinds of doctors. They said the same thing, but whenever we take their prescribed medicine, they would seem worse than before." It was impossible. Somehow, there should be a cause behind the sudden illness. A mosquito had lingered around the room for a while, with Suyin''s eyes on it once it came inside the room. It sat on the corner of the wall, trying to get out of the room to get outside. 20 700 Collection Bonus: Ying Yue There was a beautiful lady who had nothing but her love to help people and her dear mother. She was a young lady, delicate and beautiful was often described by the villagers. She lived in a small town in the mountains. It was hard to get there because of the road to reach the village, but many people sought for the lady to see her endless beauty and the beautiful town that many believed to be similar to Jiangxi. The lady''s name was Ying Yue. She was the daughter of Chingxi Yue and Jun Li Yue. They lived in a home with a beautiful farm with many resources of food fresh from their land. Her father was in the war and never came back home to his wife and daughter. Ying Yue''s mother was known to be a smart and faithful woman who always waited for her husband''s return from the war. As the years went by and Ying Yue began growing up, her mother quickly aged more and more, never giving up that her father would come home from the war. Her mother began having problems with her muscles and had difficulty using her left hand. She would walk around her farmland, looking at the plants and the distance to see if her husband would ever return home. During this time, Ying Yue had continued to take care of the plants and began planting flowers to accompany her mother with her walks. Ying Yue wanted to find a cure and medicine to help her mother, but because the village was so small and getting any outsider''s help was too far (since they lived in a difficult area where you most likely have to hike down to get to other towns), Ying Yue didn''t have any other solution. One day, a nobleman had stumbled upon the village with no memories except his name. His name was Canghai and Ying Yue was the first person he met since their house was the closest to the entrance of the village. Ying Yue knew that this person didn''t come back from the war since he was wearing an outfit that only a family with wealth would wear. She welcomed him into their village and let him stay at their house since the man had lost his memories. She took care of Canghai, showing him around the village and taught him the difference of all of the flowers. "One day, I hope that there will be a flower that will help everyone feel better." Ying Yue expressed to Canghai. As time flew by, Canghai''s time with Ying Yue caused him to fall in love with the woman. He had expressed his love for Ying Yue due to her generous heart and sincerity. Ying Yue''s feelings were mutual, but their love only lasted for a short period of time. One evening, a group of men came by the house to bring Canghai back. It was time that the cousin of the emperor had to return back home. They had been searching for him for months and the town of Ying Yue''s was the last place that needed to be searched. Throughout the whole time that he had been staying there, Canghai lied about his lost memories to hide from his enemies and became too intrigued with Ying Yue and the village. Betrayed and hurt from Canghai, Ying Yue never allowed him to come back to the village, ever again. Time went on and Ying Yue continued to nurture her flowers and mother. Everyone in the village and those outside the village began to come because of her love for flowers and willingness to help others in need (such as chores, giving out flowers, etc). All the people from the village and those outside loved her, which lead her lover, Canghai coming back to her again. Although Ying Yue couldn''t let go of Canghai, he had promised her that he will help her find a cure to her mother''s muscle problems, mentioning that there was something that could temporarily help ease the pain. He was working with a female merchant who was hired to find a source to help Ying Yue''s mother. The female merchant was a person with no name but had fallen in love with Canghai at first sight, which was the only reason she did this. As time went on, and Canghai kept coming back to see Ying Yue, she became jealous that Ying Yue had all the attention and love while she had nothing. After finding out about Canghai and Ying Yue''s love, the female merchant stopped finding a cure for Ying Yue''s mother and began to find a way to kill Ying Yue. She was blinded by her one-sided love and the attention that she didn''t get from anyone. The female merchant went to buy powdered poison and poisoned the thing she loved the most: her flowers. She knew that Ying Yue was trying to find a cure for her mother, and all they knew was that the cure was a type of flower only sprouted with love, care, and empathy. By the time that Ying Yue came to her flower fields, the poison had affected her, causing her to fall into a deep sleep at the edge of the cliff. By the time that Canghai or her mother had noticed Ying Yue missing, all of her flowers had disappeared as well as Ying Yue herself. Everyone searched for Ying Yue, puzzled about her flowers and her disappearance. Her mother cried for her every night, and Canghai fell into a depression soon after the loss of his lover. One night, Ying Yue''s mother strolled along the empty field of land that was once nourished by a bed of different flowers. She saw Ying Yue''s figure from afar near the cliff and hurried there. "Mother, I am sorry for leaving you so soon." Ying Yue''s spirit had a look of regret, but could only give her mother a bitter smile. "The day that you had me to the day now, I know that you had been looking after me carefully. Ever since father''s disappearance, it was hard enough for you. I''m sorry. But I have to go now. Use this and it''ll help you." Ying Yue''s spirit turned around, disappearing and turned into a bright, white lily flower sitting at the very edge of the cliff. The medicine that Canghai had been looking for was the blessing of Ying Yue, a gold-hearted and sincere person was the key to the flower. ************************** Canghai, later on, found out that the female merchant poisoned Ying Yue''s flowers and Ying Yue, herself. She begged for forgiveness because she was jealous and wanted love also. Still depressed about the loss of his lover, he took everything he had and ran off to live in Ying Yue''s village, taking care of Ying Yue''s mother from time to time. From that day on, Ying Yue''s mother and Canghai knew that the flower lily was the spirit of Ying Yue''s blessings, who disappeared in the world, forever. The white lilies were used as an herbal drink for her mother to help temporarily cure her illness. White Lilies laid all over her mother''s home, and specifically, cliffs since it was the place that her spirit rested there. Everyone mourned for the disappearance of Ying Yue but noticed that her home had been filled with white lilies instead of various type of flowers. From then, everyone believed that Ying Yue had planted a special flower for her mother and everyone to use, calling the flowers Ying Yue''s flower lilies. ************************** Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. 21 Room for Survival The room was filled with stillness after Suyin''s attempt to diagnose the child''s symptoms. The trees howled with the sun setting up high in the sky, leaving its light through the open window in the room. The mother and Suyin observed as the child gradually drift off to sleep while they sat next to each other. "I apologize, but what was your name?" Suyin didn''t mean to just barge into their room. The mother gave her a small smile. "My name is Xu Meifeng. My son''s name is Xu Yahui." Meifeng responded. Suyin sprang up from the bed and bowed, "My name is Han Suyin." Now all the introduction had been placed, Suyin could start asking more questions then. Specifically, something that had been bothering her for a couple of minutes ago. "Do you know anything about the bugs here?" Suyin questioned, looking around for the mosquito that was there a second ago. Meifeng shook her head. "I apologize, but I don''t think I can give you an answer to that." Suyin bit her upper lips, thinking about what she should do next. Now that she at least knew someone from the village, it was a good start. "Do you think that there is anyone who knows about the village the best?" She stuttered, placing her hands up before Meifeng could speak. "B-Besides Shi Zhang! (Of course)" Suyin uttered. She knew that Shi Zhang had the upper hand in this "trial" since he has the Prince and Weizhe at the grip of his hands. "Ah.." Meifeng quietly thought about what Suyin said. "If it isn''t the Shi Zhang..." She turned around to Suyin, covering her mouth with her right hand. "I think there is possibly one person that can kind of help us," Meifeng commented. *************** Meifeng and Suyin traveled to her older brother''s home, but upon arriving there, he was nowhere to be found. His neighbor suggested going up to the woods since he often gets wood at the forest nearby. The two marched off to find Meifeng''s brother, who somehow knows how the illness started. ****************** Meifeng''s brother could be seen from afar in the woods, assembling the chopped wood and neatly piled it on top of each other on a frame backpack. The woods were as dry as the area-- opposite of the agriculture in their village. Tall, shriveled trees mostly fell from the wind and weather, and it was the best place to collect wood. Endless rows of trees were fallen with not a single leaf in sight in any of the branches, and a couple of people were scattered all over to scout for wood for their own homes. Suyin and Meifeng had just arrived at the woods and had been searching for Meifeng''s dear brother. After noticing a familiar figure from afar, Meifeng had the biggest smile in her face- something Suyin hasn''t seen from the woman. "Brother!" Meifeng yelled out his name, flapping her hands at him. After hearing his name being announced, he turned to see Meifeng''s hands waving in the air with an excited expression on her face. "My dear sister!" He called out, greeting back to her with a smile on his face. He carried the backpack now filled with chopped wood on his back and went towards the duo, who waited for him at the bottom of the hill. "How are you doing?" He said, turning to Suyin who gave him a small grin. "Who is this?" His facial expression shifted due to an unexpected surprise. He recognized that Suyin wasn''t someone from the village, and it was strange for his older sister to be hanging out with someone out of town. "This is Han Suyin." Meifeng turned to Suyin and shifted her attention back to her brother. "She is helping us with the disease that''s been spreading around." Meifeng had a lively and hopeful appearance on her face, opposite of her brother''s who had nothing but skepticism about the woman. "Suyin, this is my brother, Huang Wen," Meifeng revealed. Suyin slightly bent her knees and clasped her hands to bow to her brother. "It is nice to meet you, Huang Wen." Huang Wen''s eyes were narrowed the whole time, suspecting her. "What''s the point of finding someone out of our village to cure the disease?" Huang Wen blurted out to Meifeng. Suyin was caught off guard, shocked at his response to her. Were they all always this obstinate and arrogant?! "Brother, you have to understand that no one has found a cure to the disease yet, and if we don''t take the chance of having her help us, we would just let all of the other people die from this disease... including my son." Her voice began to tremble, holding back her tears. Huang Wen began to loosen up, letting out a big sigh. "My dear older sister, you do know that I only know that the possible thing that I have found so far is that it isn''t any illness that we may have confronted before." He shook his head and turned to Suyin. "I apologize about the doubts, but there is only one thing that I know for sure has a reason behind all of this." Huang Wen, Meifeng, and Suyin headed to his house to put away the firewood. As they walked down the trail to head to Huang''s Wen home, little did they know that someone was secretly following them behind... ************************* Upon arriving at Huang Wen''s little house, he dumped his backpack filled with chopped wood at the back of his home. A little wooden fence surrounded the home to keep away wild stray animals to ruin his little home and garden at the back of the yard. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Suyin and Meifeng volunteered to carry some wood by hand so they wouldn''t feel burdened to have him carry all of the wood and followed Huang Wen''s actions, dropping the wood at the designated area. They headed inside the home, with Huang Wen brewing up some tea while the two girls sat down on a little round table. "What do you think the illness could be?" Huang Wen addressed to break the utter silence. He placed the cup down, sliding it to Suyin and Meifeng, pouring the tea in the cup. "There is a possibility that the illness that is spreading around is the chicken pox..." Suyin bowed her head, to thank the man for giving her the cup of tea. "On the other hand, I need to understand how this disease was spreading in the first place." Suyin''s mind wandered off, staring into space while Meifeng and Huang Wen listened. Suyin wanted to know how this all started and why? Suyin could only sigh, blowing on her tea to cool it off and took a full gulp, finishing the cup of tea. Meifeng and Huang Wen''s eyes widened, surprised by the way how she drank the tea. Usually, tea is often enjoyed by taking a small sip, one at a time. But Suyin finished it like it was a cup of alcohol, causing her to drink more in stress as she poured more. "Um... Miss Suyin." Meifeng commented at her actions. Suyin turned her head around and forgot about the presence of the siblings for the moment. She suddenly realized what she was doing. "Ah! I-I apologize, I was thinking about the possibilities of diseases that could be spread here." The thought of Qin Fuhua and Weizhe popped up in her mind. The expression that Qin Fuhua gave her before he left was something that was imprinted in her mind. She needed to save the town fast- for Qin Fuhua and for the people that lived there. This was the reason that Suyin wanted to become a doctor, to save the lives of people, and she knew that they need her the most at the moment. "I''m sorry but, I don''t think you will belong here." The male spoke out, causing Meifeng and Suyin to turn to him. "What do you mean?" Meifeng glanced at Huang Wen. Suyin''s vision began to blur, her sight deliberately not in sync with her as she shook her head. "What did you do?!" Meifeng screamed. She tried to get up but was affected by the tea that Huang Wen had given to the two. "I am sorry sister, I''m doing this for my survival. This is nothing but just a sleeping powder." Huang Wen assured. Meifeng''s body began to give up and collapsed down on the ground. Suyin tried to get up, toppling the cup on the ground as she tried to head to the door to get out of the house. With all her strength, she mustered enough to unlock the door and fell down to the ground. The door swung open, with a figure at the entrance of the door. "Suyin..." A male voice called her name sweetly. That was the last thing she heard before everything blacked out on her, leaving her unconscious on the ground. 22 A Skeptical Trus "**yin *re y*u ok*y? *ey, *''m *er* s* *o''t worr*.... " It was the only thing that Suyin could understand: mumble of words before she blacked out again. ---------------------------------------------- Suyin could hear a crackle of fire pop and the chilly air rushing past her face. She could hardly open her eyes with the pain pounding on her head. She felt sore from her arms, possibly from the fall from knocking out unconscious by Meifeng''s brother. That was when Suyin instantly forced her eyes open. Suyin laid on a thick blanket on the cold, ground with a small bonfire near her. She gently got up, still groggy from the sleep medicine Huang Wen had put in their tea. It was already night time, but there was no one in sight around her. Suyin had roamed around the area, unfamiliar to her. Someone had brought her into a cave, presumably either to camp out and wait until morning to bring her to someone or rescue her. Someone''s outer robe hung on one of the rocks. The path to the cave was nearby and Suyin had noticed that the robe''s color was a jade-green colored outer robe, something that a man would wear. "Qin...Fuhua?" She spoke to herself softly gazing at the robe. The entrance to the cave wasn''t that far from where Suyin was at, but why was she in the cave all of a sudden? Suyin recollected that Huang Wen had drugged Meifeng and her, which she found to be odd of him to do, and then suddenly, she appeared in a cave! Wouldn''t it be correct if Suyin was in a jail cell or something similar to that if she was unconscious and they were trying to capture her? Suyin heard footsteps outside of the cave and light from the fire torch began to glow bigger the closer the person got to the entrance of the cave. Suyin raced back to the little bed and closed her eyes, pretending as if she never woke up. "Sigh. Miss Suyin is still sleeping. There isn''t any time to waste..." The voice expressed. The owner of the voice was the last person that Suyin heard before she was unconscious! Was it really the voice of Qin Fuhua? Suyin took a peek with her right eye to see who the person was. The man sat down by the little bonfire, setting two fish on a stick on the fire to let it cook. Suyin realized the man was not Qin Fuhua, Weizhe, nor Huang Wen. The man detected Suyin trying to take a glimpse as he lit a small smile to his face. "It seems like there''s no hope in saving the village. After all, there really is one way of finding out what the disease really is..." Suyin tried so hard to keep her eyes closed, keeping it a bit too tight. The man glanced at her from the corner of his eyes as he continued to flip the fish to make sure it was fully cooked. It was intriguing enough that this person had some sort of idea, and she needed to know if he was someone who was on her side, Shi Zhang''s, or someone else. It wasn''t possible that the man was Qin Fuhua since he was taken as a hostage in exchange for Suyin to save the village. "I know you are awake." The man explained. He grasped on the idea that she was fake sleeping when he noticed her eyes were twitching. He lit up a small smile on his face, a mischevious one as Suyin sat up. "Just who are you?" The woman gave a straightforward question, one that would let her know whether she was facing a friend or foe. She turned to the man, whose face was someone she had never seen before. There was a saying that people said long before that the first impression people gave should not be judged. The first thing she remarked was the scar on his right cheeks. The scar was about an inch long, but it didn''t bother her because the man had mesmerizing, light-brown eyes. His hair was down with a topknot on his top head tied with a green cloth, revealing his long and beautiful hair. Staring at the side profile of him, he had a playful expression on his face, as if the current situation was just a little game that he was playing. "Woah, Woah. Is this what you do to someone who just saved you?" He said, lifting both of his hands like a culprit. "Saved...me?" She hesitated and stared up to think. She promptly brought both of her arms to her chest, covering her chest. "Did you take advantage of me?!" Suyin was ready to beat this guy up. Whether or not this person was serious about what he had said, she had remembered about hearing a man''s gentle voice before she lost conscious. The owner of that voice was actually this guy! Because of his sweet voice, maybe he did something to her! "H-Hey! A real man does not take advantage of a woman who has no desire!" He justified himself with an offended tone. Based on what the man said, it seemed like Suyin could really trust him, though. She felt her clothes, which was unaffected by the person since she still had her blue book with her in her robe. "Who are you," Suyin demanded an answer from him. She had to be cautious with who she was talking to since Huang Wen made her lose her trust in the people in the village. "Chen Zhaohui." Zhaohui casually responded with no suspicion of her. He was more engrossed in cooking the fish thoroughly instead of Suyin. "Well, I am Han--" "Suyin. I know." He cut Suyin off. He stood up and walked towards Suyin with a fish on a stick, handing it to her. "Eat first before we discuss anything." Suyin glared at him and then the fish, unsure whether or not she should be eating it. Maybe he poisoned it or something, but she didn''t want to take the chance. "I''m not hungry." She was firm about it, but her eyes were ready to devour the food since she didn''t get a chance to eat. "Are you sure?" Suyin nodded, trying to avoid the fish. "Okayyy." Zhaohui took the fish and took a bite of it, munching on it. Suyin could bear the hunger in her head, but her stomach was just not cooperating with her. In order to avoid any more thoughts about food, Suyin changed the topic. "Why did you save me for? How do you know my name?" Zhaohui took a bite of the cooked fish and stopped when Suyin asked him the question. He lowered the fish and squatted right next to Suyi, stared up, and got into a deep thought of "why" he saved her. "Hm..." He rubbed his chin sarcastically as if it was hard for him to think about his answer. "I kind of overheard your conversation when you were with that lady and man earlier." He confessed. Suyin gave him a glare, upset that he was eavesdropping on their conversation. He shrugged his shoulders at her response. "Hey, what can I do when I have a solution to the problem?" Suyin''s gaze then loosened. Although she was suspicious of Zhaohui, his tone and attitude sounded like he was really telling her the truth. "Anyway. I followed you guys behind since I wanted to talk to you privately." Zhaohui placed the stick of fish at the side, crossing his arms as he turned to her. "Someone gave that man money to drug you. He is trying to intervene with your investigation." "How do you know all of this?!" Suyin was outraged. How would she believe him now? Was he trying to manipulate her or was he really telling her the truth? "Shi Zhang had come up with a plan to intervene whoever was trying to help with the village. I guess, he lost all hope to the people outside of this town to help. I''m guessing the man (Huang Wen) earlier had planned to intervene since Shi Zhang paid those people for it." Suyin glanced at the pit of his elbow while he spoke. Although Suyin didn''t have much knowledge about the people in the village, Huang Wen had the tattoo at the pit of his elbow, but what about this man? Was he someone outside of the village? Suyin glared at him, unsure whether or not she should trust him. "And what do you think I should believe in everything you said?" She pointed at the pit of his elbow, "Someone who doesn''t have the identity of Jiao shouldn''t be talking to me." Zhaohui laughed and shook his head. "You can believe me on this. I am on your side in curing the village." He stood up and grabbed his scabbard, throwing it in front of Suyin. "If you don''t believe in me, you can point my sword to me." The man was serious this time, gazing through her eyes. Suyin stared at the scabbard and tossed it back to him at the bottom of his feet. "Then tell me, who are you and where do you come from?" Suyin questioned, still skeptical of the man. "I''ll let you know at another time. Finding the cure for the village as soon as possible is more important than anything else right now." Zhaohui explained. Although Suyin would hate to admit it, he was correct. Time was ticking and this person is the only one that she can really trust now. He had saved her from trouble and there was really nothing for her to lose since she now knows that the Shi Zhang had already planned to stop whoever the Prince was bringing with him. "You have to think that the Shi Zhang would keep the Prince hostage and make the King of Qin pay a huge price in exchange for their son," Zhaohui commented, causing Suyin to look at him. He gazed at her, "this means that if that would have happened, it would''ve been your fault. The King of Qin wouldn''t let you go so easily then." Suyin had guessed correctly at Shi Zhang''s laugh when he met him. With all of this happening, it was easy for the Prince to fall in the hands of Shi Zhang to get his favor, but why would he do that to his people? "Anyway, get some rest. We have some investigating to do tomorrow." Zhaohui said, stretching. Suyin agreed. If this man was true to his words, she believed that maybe he wasn''t someone so bad after all. ------------------------------------------ "Han Suyin. Wake up." Suyin gently lifted her eyes, gazing at the hazy face of Qin Fuhua. "Wake up. We need to finish this mission." Recognizing that it was Qin Fuhua, she instantly opened her eyes to see the face of Zhaohui watching her. "It''s morning, young miss." Zhaohui got his outer robe that hung at the side of the rock. Suyin rubbed her eyes to look at Zhaohui one more time just to make sure it really wasn''t Qin Fuhua. She was probably half-awake, so it caught her off guard. "S-sorry." Suyin apologized, standing up as she handed him the blanket. Zhaohui wrapped it around him and noticed that it wasn''t a blanket she was sleeping on the whole time, but it was actually his cloak! Suyin glanced at where he slept, which was the cold, hard ground. His scabbard and elbow was most likely his pillow, so she felt bad. Although she wanted to apologize, he marched out which caused Suyin to chase after him. Outside of the cave, they could see a stunning view of trees and hills. The cave was right in the middle of a mountain! To be able to climb down from the cliff to reach the cave was amazing enough for Suyin to be afraid of looking down. "There were some things that I discovered about the village and the disease," Zhaohui delivered, studying the view in front of them. Suyin turned to him as he continued, "This disease was not contagious, which means person to person couldn''t happen. Not just that, but they didn''t show any signs of improvement after taking the medicine for chicken pox. It hurt them even more than ever. According to my inspection, the doctor that had been prescribing medicine was sent by the Long Emperor, Wang Jianguo." The Long emperor? Have they been trying to get on the Shi Zhang''s good side? Zhaohui put his right hand in front of Suyin, waiting for her response as she stared at it blankly. "What is it?" She asked, unsure what he was doing. "I flew down here to show you my secret passage where I stay and you''re giving me a lost expression? I don''t think Young Miss will be able to fly back up, will she?" He teased. Suyin gazed at the top of the mountain, realizing that maybe he was correct that she doesn''t have any flying abilities to get back up there. She took his hand as he held her, jumping up through the sky in a second. He then landed on the ground. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Suyin was unstable for a second so Zhaohui waited for her to catch her breath. "Ugh... Thanks." She thanked. Zhaohui nodded his head with another mischevious smile. "It seems like Young Miss does not like heights." He teased, grinning at her. Suyin frowned at his comment and quickly stomped off down the green hill. Zhaohui quickly followed behind, putting his hands behind his back. "We should start by looking--" Suyin stopped her tracks, causing Zhaohui to turn to her. At the sight of something that made Suyin smile, Zhaohui turned straight to where her eyes were laid on: a handsome man with a couple of soldiers next to him. "Prince Jianyu!" Suyin placed both of her hands at the side of her mouth, an attempt to yell at him so he could hear her. Jianyu was dressed in regular, noble attire that he would not normally wear in the palace. The delicate fabric of the robe glistened from the sun''s reflection, making his presence look even brighter than before. He turned at the sound of his name, sparking a genuine smile at Suyin from afar. Suyin and Zhaohui were at the top of the hill, opposite of Long Jianyu who stood next to the horse carriage. Suyin hurried down the hills with Zhaohui trailing behind with no sense of the idea of what she was doing as she reached to him. The guards were alerted and held their spears tighter, in case the pair planned on hurting Prince Long Jianyu. Jianyu furrowed his brows, lifting his hands up to excuse the hostile atmosphere. "These are my friends." Long Jianyu shouted in a serious tone. The soldiers then nodded, halting behind the Prince. "Suyin! It has been a while! I''m glad the plan worked out for you." Long Jianyu smiled as Suyin beamed at him. "Yes! What are you doing here?" She questioned. Jianyu laughed and scratched his head. "Nothing much. My father wanted me to go do some charity work with the villagers here to help gain their favor." Zhaohui then pulled Suyin at the side, leaving Jianyu by himself. "Don''t you think that we have other things to WORRY about?" He emphasized. Suyin then agreed. Maybe Prince Jianyu was busy himself too. She didn''t have the leisure to talk to him at the moment, but it was nice to see a familiar face. Suyin turned to Prince Jianyu and smiled. "Well! It was nice seeing you again, but I need to go do some err..." Zhaohui gave her an odd look by scrunching up his face, "chores!" Suyin added, pointing up to the sky. She quickly dragged Zhaohui off, running down the hills to go back to the village. ---------------------------------------------------- It was about a good hike down to get back to the village. Suyin and Zhaohui were well aware that there were some people that tried to stop Suyin according to the Shi Zhang''s orders. Although Suyin didn''t understand why all she could do was to sneak around the villagers by lurking behind the walls and barrels. "I don''t know, I don''t understand why a woman would want to become a doctor. It''s a woman''s duty to stay home and bear children and take care of them." A villager uttered. Suyin was behind them, biting her lips so she couldn''t burst out in anger about the idea. Zhaohui noticed her facial expression and patted her shoulders. "Hey." He whispered. "There is another one of my hiding place near here. That''s where I think the disease had started from." Suyin looked at him, confused about his secret identity and place here. Just who was this guy? Zhaohui guided Suyin cautiously down the wooded areas where Huang Wen first collected wood when they first met. Zhaohui hastened up across the hills of the dried wood, taking a trail that wasn''t tracked on foot by no means. Zhaohui bustled through bushes and branches with Suyin slowly falling behind. She was only athletic to a certain point, and apparently, Zhaohui had better endurance than her. Zhaohui would impatiently wait for Suyin to follow behind, then hurry ahead again. ------------------------------------------- Suyin was able to follow Zhaohui again after catching her breath, reaching the top of the hill. Zhaohui glanced around, ready to twist a key into his secret entrance, "We can talk in here first--" Before opening the entrance, he was stopped after he heard a footstep running through the woods. *FWOOP* An arrow flew towards Suyin''s way. She was able to avoid at it at the very last second thanks to her fight or flight reflexes, falling down butt-first to the ground. Zhaohui wanted to find who the culprit was but could only see a glance of a masked man in black before he used a smoke bomb, to run away after the attack. "Who was that?!" Suyin said angrily, pissed at whoever was trying to attack her. She wasn''t ready to die yet, but that doesn''t mean that they should be a coward and use such methods to shoot her like that! The arrow stuck on a tree right next to her, so right before Suyin seized the arrow, another sound of rustle could be heard nearby. "Someone has been watching us." Zhaohui ran to Suyin and squat down to protect her. He listened to the sound of the rustle of someone''s clothes as if they were flying their way there. 24 Still Water "Who is that?!" Zhaohui threatened to the person traveling to them. The mysterious person darted down right in front of them, kneeling to Suyin. She instantly recognized him and sprang up, smiling. "Weizhe!" She cried, hugging him (in a friendly way where Suyin would consider Weizhe like his brother). She could not have welcomed his presence much sooner! "M-Miss Suyin! Please do not do that, Your Highness would kill me if you were to do that to me." Weizhe was staggered at her abrupt reaction. Suyin chuckled, "S-Sorry, I got too happy." Suyin needed to remember about the old traditional ways of what was inappropriate and what was customary according to the time era. Of course, hugs was a common thing back in her days, but here, it would be comparable to something that was embarrassing to do from a woman. Weizhe then shifted his tone, bowing to the two. "Miss Han Suyin, Your Highness has delivered a piece of important evidence that may be a good use for you." Weizhe delivered her a wooden small box, about the size that would fit a small ring. He glanced at Zhaohui, who did nothing but speculate. Weizhe didn''t care much about his demeanor and was prepared to leave. "W-Wait!" Suyin called out to Weizhe. He turned to her, "How did you get out of the cell?" Suyin had to give herself a push mentally to finish her sentence, "...Is the Prince doing well?" Weizhe lit a small smile to comfort her, "There are things that are needed to be done such as this mission." He flew off back into the distance while Suyin and Zhaohui watched him disappear from the forest. -------------------------------------------- *Weizhe''s POV* In the "Prison cell", Qin Fuhua took a sip of tea at the table. His cell was nothing more than just a guest room of the Shi Zhang, who came by every so often to check up on him. Weizhe flew across the rooftop and swiftly entered the room, bowing to Qin Fuhua. "Your Highness, I have presented her with the evidence that will help her with the illness. Do you think she can do it?" Weizhe cowered in front of Qin Fuhua. He tenderly put his cup up to drink and hid his smile behind the ceramic material, which threw Weizhe off. Weizhe was astounded by his pleased face. "I shall wait, just like the Prince!" Weizhe exclaimed in rage. Unlike Qin Fuhua who was composed enough to wait for Suyin to identify the disease, Weizhe was anxious and restless. But because of his(Qin Fuhua''s) facial expression, this made Weizhe even more eager to see how all of this mess would wrap up! ----------------------------------------------------------- Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *Back to Suyin''s POV* Suyin held the box that Weizhe had just given her. Just what was the "evidence?" Zhaohui turned to her, giving her a skeptical (but sarcastic) expression, "You''re suspicious of me, but who are you? How do you know so many people with that kind of power?" He inquired. Suyin shrugged her shoulders, "It''s called bad luck." She responded nonchalantly. Zhaohui laughed at her reply and headed to one of the trees. "Forget what I said, it''s scaring me enough to know you and the power of people you associate with." He had a secret doorknob that would open as long as he had the key. Zhaohui then inserts the key into the doorknob and twisted it open, exposing an entrance from the large tree in front of them. "Speaking of which." Zhaohui went inside with Suyin following him. He closed the entrance and walked ahead, exposing a small room about the size of a regular-sized bedroom. There were little hand-made things that were arranged in the room and a little small round wooden table right in the middle of the room. A bed made out of bamboo was at the corner of the wall and objects such as a slingshot, a little wooden toy figure, and other similar items were distributed around the room. "There''s one thing that I found to be ominous ever since the illness began." Zhaohui went straight to the table and sat down, intertwining his hands together. Suyin trailed after him and sat on a chair straight across from him. "The villagers began feeling ill after they toured this lake nearby here. Although I have tested and examined to see if there were any poison or foul play, the water was perfectly fine to drink." Suyin pursed her lips, stuck in deep reflection about the situation. "Anyway, all I can gather is the location of the place has to do something with the sickness," Zhaohui told with a stressed tone. There was something that had been bugging Suyin about the village, and it wasn''t the people or even the shady Shi Zhang who hindered with her investigation. Suyin was still holding on to the wooden box that Weizhe had given her. (*Weizhe''s words a couple of minutes ago*) *"Miss Han Suyin, Your Highness has delivered a piece of important evidence that may be a good use for you." * She flipped the box open with a doubtful face. A dead mosquito laid in the little box. Zhaohui hurdled in close to Suyin to take a peek at what she was staring at and gave her a strange look. "That person you were speaking to..." He glimpsed at the box that she held at the palm of her hand, "Miss Suyin, why is there a dead mosquito in there and how is that going to help us?" Her eyes lit up a sparkle that caused her to stand up. "Zhaohui! About the lake, show me where it''s at!" Suyin finally found the solution to the problem now and needed to confirm her theory. If it was correct, this would save the whole village and the Qin Fuhua. ----------------------------------------------- A still lake surrounded by massive trees was as quiet as the sound of the bugs hovering around the field. The pair strolled down the forest path and reached their destination at the side of the lake. Little crackles could be heard from afar, a sign that a tree bark or trunk had fallen off from itself. Suyin could smell the stench of the earthy fragrance of the water from the decomposition of plant substances that had dropped in the lake. There was no ripple or movement of the lake. If Suyin didn''t know this was a lake, it would have looked like a frozen lake that didn''t budge at any movement. "Was it always like this?" Suyin asked, taking a glance around the water of the lake. "From the rumors of the villagers, they have complained about not having enough rain for this past year," Zhaohui replied. "And they failed to catch any more fish since the water seemed ''poisoned,'' there were no more fishes alive here. Many of the fishermen that used to fish here had stopped after catching all of them and feeling sick from coming here." He watched Suyin and followed her to where ever she needed to go. "Not enough rain?" Suyin could have guessed correctly with the item that Weizhe had given to her. If there wasn''t any water current, the problem with this lake was not the consumption of water, but the flow. No fishes meant that the culprit behind this illness was the reason why this all started! Suyin nodded her head, after realizing that there was no source of any predator to attack them! Suyin turned to Zhaohui and stared straight in his eyes, causing him to be surprised at how serious she seemed at the moment. "Zhaohui. I think I have the solution to help the village now." She smirked. "There was a case back in the hospital---er.." Suyin coughed to change the terms, "Back where I lived. A child was sick with similar symptoms of chicken pox, but it wasn''t chicken pox. He had another disease called, Dengue Fever." Suyin pointed her hands up in the air and gave him the biggest grin he had ever seen from her. "A still water will cause these mosquito bugs to plant their eggs in the water, and since the fishermen had been fishing all of the fishes, this was the perfect place for them." Suyin then pointed at the water. "Fishes usually eat the eggs of the mosquito, but since they are all taken out, this was the perfect home for them plus no water movement." Zhaohui then snapped his fingers, now comprehending her theory. "If that is so, then the real reason why they are all sick would because of the mosquitos!" Zhaohui now grasped what was the problem behind the disease. "Mhm! The reason why the doctors are suggesting it is chicken pox is that the symptoms are similar, but it appears that they did not investigate thoroughly enough to find out what it really was. Luckily, I had a case similar to this before, so I knew. The medicine that the doctors had prescribed to the villagers harms the illness rather than help it, which explains the critical condition they were in." Suyin can finally go to the Shi Zhang and finally get the two out of the prison! "We did it Zhaohui--" She whirled around to look at Zhaohui but he was nowhere to be found. "Zhaohui?" She called. There was no response and the only echo in the area was Suyin''s voice. "So much for supporting me." She grumbled. She had no more time to spare since it was necessary for her to send the news to Shi Zhang. "Sorry, but I''ll go resolve the problem with the village first, Zhaohui." Suyin hurried off back to the village, with a figure leaning on top of the large tree, smiling mischievously at Suyin from the ground. "Young Miss, it seems like only you can save them." ------------------------------------- Jiaoshu village was a beautiful small town that had everything that people could ask for: the agriculture, mountains, and scenery. Suyin could believe this would have come out of a Chinese martial arts movie or something and there would be a shifu standing at the top of clouds circling the mountain. Since it was the afternoon, there weren''t a lot of villagers on her path since they were doing chores such as washing clothes, hunting, or farming on their land. Suyin made a fist from her hands and marched up to the hill of the Shi Zhang promptly and proudly. Some of the villagers glared at her, letting out a couple of murmurs to the person next to them. "I heard this female wanted to be a doctor, but watch her hurt us instead." One clearly spoke out loud. Suyin overheard it and turned her head to glare at the man talking, throwing an I''ll-prove-you-wrong facial expression and continued to walk up the hill. If Suyin could compare the atmosphere and the people around her, it would be like a thousand of her father and mother(of this time era) at that moment. Neglecting the thought that she was the center of the attention of the villagers, she stepped right up in front of Shi Zhang''s home. Qin Fuhua''s soldiers were all there, they seemed to look worn out from all of the babysitting they had to do outside of his house. Suyin boldly knocked on the door, noisy enough for the insiders to hear. "Who is there?" The door slightly opened enough for the male servant to peek his head out to see who was banging at the door. Suyin had realized that it was the same male servant who helped them the first time that they came into the Shi Zhang''s home. Before the male servant could react to close the door, Suyin kicked the door open with her right foot. She knew that they would not let her in, especially after the Shi Zhang''s plan to stop Suyin from finding the cure. Suyin hustled through Shi Zhang''s home, racing to the main corridors to the Shi Zhang. The male servant tried to stop her but failed to do so because he fell down when Suyin had kicked the door. "In a hurry, are we?" A voice called out in the main residence as Suyin barged in. She gazed at the Shi Zhang who turned to her with a big smile. Shi Zhang''s male servant ran in the room, "Shi Zhang! She is here--" He snorted and shook his head. "A good entertainer, you sure are." Suyin gave him a perplexed expression but had no time to understand his crazy talk. The elderly man was leaning on the chair lazily. He rested mainly on the right side of the arm of the chair and had his legs stretched out. If someone didn''t look and walked in front of him, they would clearly trip because his legs would have been in the way. "I found the solution to prevent this illness from spreading." Suyin spoke, "Not just that, but I know how to cure the people that are sick." Shi Zhang sat up straight this time, but he was still smiling at her. "Ah, so you found a solution then? That''s great!" Suyin nodded her head, biting her lips because she didn''t comprehend the Shi Zhang''s mind at all. First, he wanted her to find a cure to the illness. Then, he wanted to stop her. What was with the Shi Zhang?! "May I have a paper and brush, please?" Suyin inquired. The Shi Zhang nodded with the servant running off to give her the materials she needed. By the time that the servant found her the paper and brush, a crowd of the villagers outside of the main residence were invited in to see the turmoil by observing from the Shi Zhang''s windows and outside courtyard. There were noises and giggles about Suyin and how she wanted to help them. Suyin didn''t care about all the whisper and gossips and scribbled down the problem of the illness and how it all started and then placed resolutions to fix it. "What is important is for your village to build a foundation of moving, current water from the still water. You can do this man-made by digging enough to connect it to the river or waterfall nearby. This will help the fishes reach the lake and help with the infestation of mosquitos too." Suyin described the purpose of the lake and how it all started to the beginning of the illness and to the doctor''s medicine that was prescribed as harmful. The Shi Zhang only observed, amused, yet entertained by her dedication. "There are some herbs that I need, in order to cure everyone who is ill right now," Suyin mumbled to herself, contemplating about the ingredients. "We can provide that, but the question is, who will be willing to be your first patient? Once I see that your medicine would miraculously work, only then I would believe this whole story." The Shi Zhang challenged, interested in how she would respond to this. The people of Jiao were known to be distrustful of the outsiders. Since Suyin was also a female, this just made the situation worse for herself. Who would let a female lady help cure one of their own? And how would they know if the medicine would work? "She will just make a fool out of herself just like the Doctor from the Long Kingdom." A female spoke, swaying her head as she rolled her eyes. "How would we know she was making this all up?! What if her medicine will poison us instead?!" Another one cried out from the crowd. Suyin bit her lips. Great. How would this work now? It was harder than she had expected to gain Shi Zhang''s trust. After all, he was the one who believed she would fail in the first place. "I will allow her to cure my son as my first patient." A voice pronounced out from the crowd. A lady and a man stood in a pair, as the female elevated her hands. Suyin turned around to see a familiar face staring straight at her. "Meifeng!" Suyin smiled. Just as she was going to wave at her, she turned to see her brother, who had a busted lip, cower his head down to hide from her from embarrassment. Suyin glared at him but could tell that the sister did a little beating up to teach him a lesson. 25 The Savior The sun was finally setting down behind the mountains and the sky finally turned orange-red. It was about evening by the time that Suyin and the Shi Zhang had arrived in Meifeng''s resident. The crowd of people who were engrossed in the outcome of this mess had followed behind Suyin and the Shi Zhang, as well as two familiar people that hung out in the back of the crowd to avoid any disturbance. Qin Fuhua and Weizhe borrowed some common clothing of the Jiao after obtaining consent to leave and attend Suyin in action with her solution to the village, so they were hidden in the black with a blue cloth covering half of their faces. "Suyin, I um.. apologize.." Huang Wen tried to finish his sentence but his sister, Meifeng cut him off, "More like, I kicked his ass for you, and for myself." She crossed her arms. "I personally am sorry about my stupid brother though." Suyin raised her hand to stop Meifeng from apologizing. "It''s fine, someone had explained it to me." Luckily, it was Zhaohui who revealed Shi Zhang''s plan. If it wasn''t for that, she would have probably kicked him too. Fortunately, he was Meifeng''s brother, so she did the job for Suyin. The Shi Zhang sat inside and remained patiently as Meifeng offered him tea. "Shi Zhang, thank you for coming into my home. I apologize if it isn''t as big as your home, but please be comfortable and feel free to ask for anything that I can personally provide." Meifeng stated, smiling at Shi Zhang as he graciously accepted the tea. "It''s no worries. It feels just right at home!" He tenderly said and took a sip of tea as he watched Suyin enter the child''s room. Suyin had already written down the prescription of herbs and materials needed to make the medicine and Shi Zhang''s servant had acquired the requested items. All Suyin needed to do now was to wait for the water to boil so she could make it a liquid drink to let the child drink it. "Has he been feeling better?" Suyin watched him rest, his eyes closed. "No. After the incident with my brother, I woke up back at home with my brother here. He didn''t realize how bad the situation was with my son." Meifeng sighed, concerned about her son''s sickness. Meifeng turned to Suyin and held her hands, just like how Suyin first did when she first met her. "Please, help my son. I really believe you can do it." Suyin grinned and responded, patting her hands. "I know I can do it. Just trust me." Just then, a ruckus was created outside of Meifeng''s home which made them bustle outdoor to see what was happening. "Who the hell are you?! And what right do you have to come barge right in here?!" One of the villagers approached one of the soldiers who held a spear. Suyin couldn''t recognize them as Qin Fuhua''s soldiers because they were dressed differently from the ones that were outside the Shi Zhang''s home. "The Prince of Long is here in present and you don''t appreciate it?!" Another guard shouted, shoving the villagers to the side. "Prince of Long...?" Suyin turned to scan for Prince Jianyu''s face and located him from afar. He was wearing attire similar to one when she saw him earlier with Zhaohui: cotton, light green cloak to contrast his light blue, silken robe. "Stop harming the villagers! Have I not told you to stop using force?" Long Jianyu hastened to the soldiers and forced them away. The soldiers gazed at the ground in humiliation. "B-But we were just making your job easier--" "No, I have already told you to not interfere with my business." Long Jianyu addressed. The crowd watched Prince Long Jianyu lecture his soldiers, unimpressed how they were behaving in their village. Just when Long Jianyu turned around to leave the area, he spotted a familiar face staring straight at him. "Suyin?!" He called out. Suyin waved at him and ran up to him with a big smile on her face. You could tell the height difference between the two when Suyin stood in front of Long Jianyu. She only reached his shoulders, but he was happy to see her doing well, staring down at her. "What are you doing here?" Jianyu peeped at the crowd and the direction that she ran from and leaned towards her to whisper in her ear. "Is this your chore you were talking about?" He whispered. Suyin chuckled and responded. "Pretty much." She answered. Suddenly, a gloomy aura could be felt around the crowd, as if an (imaginary) sinister cloud had hurdled over all of them. Weizhe turned to Qin Fuhua. His gaze targeted on Prince Long Jianyu and Suyin with a somber expression on his face. He wanted to say something to him, but like what the saying goes, *"When a mute eats dumplings, he knows how many he has eaten." *(Meaning: This is used to point out that Weizhe knows the situation quite well, yet says nothing.) Qin Fuhua''s gaze was as sharp as a brand new sword that could easily cut anything that would fall in front of it. The people began to feel an ominous atmosphere near the two (Weizhe and Qin Fuhua), so they decided to keep a good distance away. "Your Highness." The soldiers waited for Prince Long Jianyu to follow them, as he nodded his head. "This isn''t the right timing to see you now, but I will see you, for sure soon?" Jianyu requested from Suyin, who happily nodded at him. "Of course! Good luck, Prince Jianyu" Suyin hurried back to the home while Long Jianyu marched off to another area of the village, a location near the villagers. --------------------- Upon arriving back to Meifeng''s residence, Suyin had given her (Meifeng''s) child the medicine to drink. Suyin, Meifeng, and Huang Wen sat down in a circle, anticipating for the child to react to the medicine. He had been sleeping more than usual recently and didn''t have any strength to get up. The Shi Zhang remained in their living room, nonchalantly idling at the side. "Mnnn" The child started grumbling, shifting his body to the side as his eyes gently opened. "Yahui! My child!" She cried, kneeling to the side of his bed as she squeezed his hands. "Ama... you''re holding my hands too tight!" He whined. Meifeng laughed with tears in her eyes and let go of his hand. "How...are you feeling?" The Shi Zhang rushed inside, with a smile on his face. Yahui glanced at his arms while he laid on the bed. "M-My spots are gone, and I feel better than before!" Yahui uncovered his bedsheets and attempted to stand up, but staggered at the side of his bed. "D-Don''t stand up yet. You still need a lot of rest and medicine for you to recover." Suyin explained, supporting him to sit back on the bed. "Suyin... you did it!" Meifeng smiled radiantly. "My child hasn''t had this much strength ever since the last time he went out to play with his friends!" "Although he is gradually improving, be sure to keep him hydrated and give him the medicine that is prescribed, okay?" Suyin assured Meifeng. "Suyin..." Huang Wen could never gaze at Suyin''s face since the incident. "I...APOLOGIZE FOR MY MISTAKE AND IDIOCY!" He stooped down to the ground, with a sinful look on his face. It caught Suyin off guard as Meifeng shook her head. "N-No. It''s alright" Suyin grinned, helping him up. He was touched by Suyin''s kindness because of how quick she would forgive him. "If you ever need ANY help at all, just let me know and I will be there!!" Huang Wen directed to Suyin. All she could do was smile back at him and agree, otherwise he would have kneeled there until Suyin was out of his sight. -------------------------------- Suyin, the Shi Zhang, and everyone else had returned back to the Shi Zhang''s residence to discuss what they would do next. "Haha! I knew you would do it!" The Shi Zhang chuckled, as he sat down on his seat. "More like, you wanted to stop me from helping the village," Suyin grumbled under her breath. The Shi Zhang gave her a look as if he didn''t hear and wanted her to repeat it again. She smiled, "It seems like the Shi Zhang''s method to stop me from helping the village failed." Suyin bravely said. The crowd caught that and began looking down with regret on their face. Guilt came from judging her gender and stopping her from curing the village, and they knew that after seeing the results of the child, they understood why the Prince of Qin came with her now. "That''s great! I''m glad you were able to overcome the obstacle!" The Shi Zhang responded with a lively expression on his face. "Come in, I''m sure she''s been waiting for you!" The Shi Zhang invited. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The door slid open with Qin Fuhua and Weizhe next to him, walking to the chair as they sat down. Qin Fuhua had dust and holes on his robe and Weizhe''s face had dirt across his face as if the two were treated poorly. "I-I''m sorry for taking so long! Were you guys okay in the prison?" Suyin had apologized, rubbing both of her hands in front of Qin Fuhua. Qin Fuhua swung his head and Weizhe observed him and followed with the same reply, shaking his head. "Y-Your robe!" Suyin''s eyes were fixed at his torn robe on his right sleeves. The Shi Zhang chuckled at the impressive show that the Prince of Qin and his right-hand man gave to Suyin. Acting pitiful and helpless opposite of how the Shi Zhang attended them while Suyin was away. In reality, the two were treated as guests and were able to even go out to shop and stall time while Suyin worked hard to find the cure. "Shi Zhang...Why would you really stop me from helping your own people? I don''t understand that." Suyin said with a bland tone. She couldn''t comprehend why he would hurt his own people. "Was it because you didn''t trust me?" The Shi Zhang gave her a genuine smile and shook his head. "No. Han Suyin, you are someone with a very special ability that maybe no one has and you don''t know your capability yet." His voice was calm and serious, something that Suyin and even Qin Fuhua haven''t seen before. "Miss Suyin. From the first time I saw you, I already knew you would save us. What I did was to stall time because someone is out there trying to stop you." Suyin had to grasp everything in for the moment. Who would try to stop her and why? "The Shi Zhang is actually a shaman. Although he doesn''t tell much people about it, he can tell who is genuine and who isn''t." Qin Fuhua revealed after looking at her lost expression. "Speaking of that, since we saved your village, are we going to get what we came here for?" Qin Fuhua addressed, unbothered by all the turmoil. "Ah yes. The Prince of Qin is looking for the 100-year-old Hong Teng. Unfortunately, I don''t have the key with me, if that is what you are asking for." The Shi Zhang told. "There is someone with the key, though. I can tell you that. She lives in the village of Liaoping" Qin Fuhua nodded, "Do you know where the location of the 100-year-old Hong Teng is at?" The Shi Zhang shook his head, "Regrettably, where ever it is hidden, I can not see that far. It seems like it is hidden somewhere even I can''t even sense it." ------------------------------------------------------ A man in black flew back to the soldiers who rummaged through the forest. He was the person who shot Suyin earlier with the arrow, but she was lucky to have missed the shot, otherwise, they would have succeeded in their plan. "It seems like His Highness, Long Jianyu, haven''t figured us out yet. Should we tell him?" The soldier changed back into his regular uniform and tossed the black clothes down on the ground and quickly burned it to hide the evidence. "No. Our orders from the emperor were to specifically capture the medical man that is accommodating the Prince of Qin and find the 100-year-old Hong Teng." The other soldier whispered, bustling back to the group of soldiers as they headed off to search for the 100-year-old Hong Teng around the forest near the Jiaoshu village. The soldiers believed that Zhaohui was the medical person of the Prince of Qin, but little did they know that it was Han Suyin, the daughter of the educator of the Long royal family. The arrow was originally directed toward Zhaohui, but because Suyin was in the way, they decided to shoot her down to apprehend Zhaohui but failed their mission. 26 Liaoping After everything was resolved with the Shi Zhang and the villagers, the chaos finally settled down. Some of the villagers left home with eloquence filled with guilt because of their approach to Suyin during her stay in the village of Jiaoshu. Suyin had addressed the plan to save Jiaoshu and the people and ways to restore their living style. It took the whole day to assist them to set it up. The next morning, Qin Fuhua, Suyin, and Weizhe bid their farewell to the Shi Zhang, who genuinely wished them the best in their journey. With a polite bow, the three were ready to depart when the Shi Zhang whispered something in her ear that made her face turn red. With a flustered expression, she vigorously waved her hands in rejection and hurried inside of the carriage. Qin Fuhua glanced at the Shi Zhang who snickered with a shake on his head, then stepped back inside his home. "What a pity." He blurted out on purpose to let Qin Fuhua hear. He furrowed his brows and went inside the carriage to see the woman with a red face. (What the Shi Zhang whispered to Suyin: "If you''d like, you can stay here forever. I''ll set you up with my grandson!") -------------------------------------- Heading back inside, the Shi Zhang was in a satisfying mood, marching to the corridors with his cane. As he pushed the doors open, a male sat on a chair, twirling a little toy ball. With the sight of this person, the Shi Zhang glared and rambled past the man. "What are you doing here?" Shi Zhang charged in a gruff tone. "Whoa, old man. Don''t tell me that you are not acknowledging me now." The male turned his head to Shi Zhang and smirked at him. "Not to say, I had a part in saving the village too. I heard that the village was struck with a strange illness, so I came by to see what was going on around here." It was the person that was hanging around Suyin, Zhaohui! Zhaohui playfully got up and followed the Shi Zhang, who had an irritated look on his face. "Don''t care for the village if you do not want to be a part of it." He groaned, scrunching up his white mustache as Zhaohui stepped in front of him to halt his progress. "I know. I didn''t mean to leave the village, but I had no choice--" "No choice to be the next Shi Zhang?! Are you trying to follow your father''s footsteps?!--" "That has nothing to do with it!" Zhaohui took a long breath and closed his eyes. He stared at the Shi Zhang, who was his grandfather and held his shoulders. "I know that the villagers would not accept me as the next Shi Zhang. You already know how I feel about it and what I was going to do about it." The Shi Zhang did not speak a single word, the side of his eyes full of wrinkles from all of the stress and grief he had gone through in his life. "Child. It''s been six years already--" "And I am back, for now at least. I think I finally found something to make me want to become reliable." He gazed at his grandfather''s eyes, "I will take the trial to fully become a part of the Jiao." The Shi Zhang was shocked. A flashback of little Zhaohui flew through his mind, reliving the times when he would always run away from the house because he didn''t want to be the next Shi Zhang. The villagers never knew the child''s status because him becoming the heir to the Shi Zhang was not declared until he was fully a Jiao. This meant that he needed to go through the trial and get his tattoo at the pit of his elbow to be accepted completely as a man. Zhaohui never got the chance to go through this trial because he ran away from home in search of his parents and his missing sister. As time passed on, the Shi Zhang couldn''t avert his fate. All he knew about Zhaohui was that an encounter with someone would change his life. It was an unpredictable thing that the person who altered his mindset would be that woman. ---------------------------------------------------- In the carriage, Suyin eventually calmed down to be fully focused on the next question that she had been asking herself since their departure from Jiaoshu village. She turned to Qin Fuhua, who was reading a manuscript next to her. "So... how did you know that the mosquito was the culprit of this illness?" Suyin inquired, interested in his answer and discovery about the bug. Qin Fuhua glanced at her, then gazed in front of him, "Weizhe." He called. Weizhe, who was sitting outside of the carriage perked up at his name. "Ah, yes. Your Highness was investigating the illness before we took you there." Weizhe said with an enthusiastic tone, "Prince Fuhua witnessed someone who got bit by a mosquito and then got sick a couple of days after. We didn''t know if it was exactly the problem behind the illness, but we gave it a shot to give you a hint to see if it was correct." With a proud look on his face, he held his head high and lifted his chest with pride. "Your Highness is accurate in his investigation yet again." Suyin then glimpsed at Qin Fuhua, who had no care in Weizhe''s proud attitude. She was fascinated at the way how quick Qin Fuhua is to grasp on situations. There was no surprise as to why he was highly respected and dreaded by many not only because of his presence but his brilliant intellect. It was a pity that his rude character had to ruin it all. *BOM* The carriage suddenly halted, causing Suyin to rocked herself forward as she held onto the side. "Are we home already?" She asked, peering out of the little window. They arrived back at home. Great! Now Suyin can finally have some rest and time for herself! First, she would go and have a nice, warm bath as a fresh start of coming back--- "I will take my leave right now, Your Highness. If you need assistance, please let me know by then." Weizhe''s voice could be heard outside. "Good. You may leave now." Qin Fuhua appointed as the carriage began to move again. "Wha?! I-I''m not leaving?!" Suyin''s mouth was open wide. She didn''t know where he was going, but she didn''t want to go anywhere else at the moment. "We still have to retrieve the key." Qin Fuhua remarked. Correct. Suyin had forgotten about what the Shi Zhang had stated earlier. ********* "There is someone with the key, though. I can tell you that. She lives in the village of Liaoping" ********* There was no point in going back home if she couldn''t save the Princess. Suyin let out a disgruntled sigh because she was exhausted. Eventually, time went on and Suyin had fallen asleep in the carriage, with Qin Fuhua at the side, studying his literature. Minutes flew by and turned into hours. The exhausted Suyin was in a deep sleep with no disturbance from anyone or anything. With all of the turns and jumbles from the wheels hitting pebbles and rock, Suyin''s head flew from the side of the wall to Qin Fuhua''s shoulders. He was thrown off at the sudden movement but wasn''t disturbed at her head leaning on him. He could see the exhaustion in her face. Her eyebrow furrowed and her eyes were pressed tightly as if she was having a bad dream. Qin Fuhua gently shifted her body so it wouldn''t cause her to have any neck discomfort once she is awake and went back to reading his scroll with his left hand. ------------------------------------ The carriage was at a full stop when Suyin abruptly raised her head up to see what was happening outside. She felt the jolt that caused her to wake up as Qin Fuhua got out of the carriage. Suyin quickly followed him. They had arrived at the entrance to Liaoping. Unlike the other places that she has been to in the Qin territory, it was easier to enter into the city. Qin Fuhua swayed his hand to shoo away his servant who nodded to leave the two, dashing off with the horse and carriage. "Wait, why do that for?" Qin Fuhua turned around and set a spell on his face, concealing his face with his right hand. He swung around and leaned close to Suyin''s face, which startled her. She gave him a concerned smile and hunched back, with no urge to get near him. "Do you see who I am?" Qin Fuhua sought. Suyin shook his head. Right as she was about to open her mouth, he placed his index finger to his lips to signal her not to talk. "I am Tienzheng. Remember that." "Right..." Suyin looked away and laughed restlessly at him, unsure of what she should do. No matter how much she looked at him, he was still the Prince of Qin. She knew that she had to follow his directions so Suyin stayed put and listened to him. Qin Fuhua wrapped Suyin around with his left arm and pushed her close to his shoulders. "W-What are you doing?" Suyin tried to fight back, pulling away as he quietly inclined to whisper in her ears. "In order to follow along, I will be accompanied by my wife to see my ''family'' here in Liaoping. If the Prince of Qin came to this village, it would cause a disturbance which means nothing but danger." The gates swung open, allowing the two to enter inside. Qin Fuhua let go of Suyin and roamed ahead of the district with Suyin following right behind him. Suyin was filled with awe and amazement of the town. It felt like she was back in her hometown! Many of the people were lively and cheerful. Music could be heard playing in inns and in other areas, people were singing with delight. "Wow! This place is amazing! It''s as if I walked into a scene in a Chinese drama!" Suyin commented, gazing at every little shop that the two came across. Qin Fuhua looked at her and gave her a strange look as if he didn''t understand her language. "Ehehe... I mean, it''s really different here from the other places that I''ve been to." Suyin beamed to him. There was no hostile atmosphere here since no one knew about her and Qin Fuhua''s identity. Qin Fuhua stopped walking in front of a manor, but Suyin was so immersed in her surroundings, she smacked her face into Fuhua''s back. "Wha..Where is this?" Suyin brushed her forehead with her right hand as Qin Fuhua entered in. "Welcome master!" A servant approached Qin Fuhua. He nodded and turned his head to Suyin. "I have brought a wife home and decided to drop by in town." Suyin aimed at herself and widened her eyes. "Yes, master! We shall prepare the room for you to rest in." The servant raced off to prepare their stay. Qin Fuhua shifted his body towards Suyin''s way and leaned towards her ears. "You will be staying here until I come back. This is my ''second home'' as Tienzheng" Qin Fuhua slipped the Jade of the dragon in her hand. "In case there is trouble by anyone, including the people in this house, just use this to protect you. Weizhe is not here to look after you and I will be out." He muttered. "O-Okay," Suyin nodded, gripping on the jade of the dragon tightly. Qin Fuhua turned to the entrance of the door as the servants opened the door for him, leaving Suyin there all by herself. "What am I supposed to do here??" She complained. Suyin was not the type to just sit around and laze all day. If she wanted to do that, she might as well get married to some rich guy (sarcastically). Suyin was full of frustration. She thought she would have been able to help him with the mission, at least. But staying home was something that she would least expect. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Mistress." The servant called to Suyin, who turned to him to see him lower his head down. "The room has been prepared for you to settle in." Suyin lit a mischevious smile to her face. Behind that smile was an idea that was going to put her in trouble. ------------------------------------------------ "Ah! This feels great!" Suyin stretched her arms, marching proudly down the road of the shop district. She was dressed in plain clothing that wouldn''t stand out from others so that she would easily wander around without having to worry about Qin Fuhua recognizing her. --------------------------------------------------- *An hour earlier* Qin Fuhua (or known as Tienzheng to the people) commanded the servants to not allow Suyin to exit out of the home. No matter what she did, the servants would not permit her to go out or help them in any way. She would offer to help wash the clothes, cook, and even water the plants, but they all graciously rejected her offer. Because of Qin Fuhua''s boring idea of not letting her go roam in a new city, Suyin had approached one of the lady servants to let her sneak out borrowing her clothes, otherwise, she would "kill" herself. (Note: Her and her playful self -_-) Terrified that Tienzheng would come home to a dead Mistress, the lady servant allowed her to borrow her clothes and sneak past the guards and servants in the manor. ------------------------------------------------------- "Miss! Will you be coming to the lantern festival? This event will occur in two days! Be sure to buy yourself a personalized lantern! If not, I can make one for you!" One greeted out to Suyin, who was interested. "A lantern festival?" Suyin clasped her hands together with her eyes lit. She had been wanting to go to a lantern festival back in her time, but because it always occurred while she was busy with work, she never got the chance to attend one. "Yes! Be sure to make it to the event! Buy yourself a lantern, or I can help make you one if you would like to!" "I would love to!" Suyin stepped in closer to the cart filled with different kind of lanterns while she tried to get her pouch from her waist. Because she wasn''t looking ahead of her, Suyin crashed into a male, causing her to drop her jade of dragon and money pouch. To not cause any problems from the people recognizing the jade of the dragon, Suyin tried to pick up the jade of the dragon as swift as she can, launching it inside of her robe. "Miss... are you okay?" The male asked Suyin. "Yes, I''m alright. Sorry about that--" Suyin was too busy trying to hide the jade of the dragon that she didn''t recognize the person she bumped into''s face resembled exactly like the man that she had been in love with... Minsheng! "M-Minsheng?!" Suyin roared out to the man. His eyes were full of confusion but gradually became soft at the sight of Suyin''s face. "I''m sorry, who are you talking about?" The man replied. Suyin had to rub her eyes a couple of times to make sure that she wasn''t just blind or some sort. "Sorry about that." Suyin scratched her head and laughed. "You just look like a....friend of mine." The male gave her a kind smile, returning her the money pouch. "Here." Suyin took the money pouch from him. She looked at his whole physique and found it odd that he was covered in layers of clothing. His skin was as white as the fresh snow on top of a mountain. His head was wrapped around in a beautiful silk royal red cloth that kept him from the sun, making him look quite mysterious to her although she recognized his face. The man turned to the shopkeeper, "How much is this?" he aimed at a lantern with a fox imprint on it. "It''s going to be 15 yen for that." The shopkeeper told. The man took the paper money and gave it to the shopkeeper. "Keep the change." He spoke, taking the lantern and shifted his attention back to Suyin. "I saw you were eyeing on these lanterns. For my apologizes, I should give you one." The male grinned at her. Suyin fluttered her hands in rejection to the lantern. "I should be the one paying for it. I didn''t see you and bumped into you." She bowed, feeling bad for bumping into him. The male laughed and put the lantern in her right hand, "Don''t worry about it. Let''s take it as... our friendship. May I know your name, Miss?" He smiled, "My name is Feng Junli." Suyin could only give him a fake smile in the midst of all of this. Suyin would bet with her life that this person was Minsheng for sure! But although she did believe that, he didn''t act like Minsheng at all. It was a man who appeared exactly like her crush but the personality was the total opposite. It didn''t look like he was lying. "Hm. It could be possible this could be his ancestor in the far past or something." She pondered to herself. "My name is Han Suyin." She didn''t want to take the lantern but had no choice since he already purchased it. Oh well! It meant that she didn''t have to spend any money on it. This gave her more of a reason to go to the lantern festival since there were no plans for her anyway. "What a beautiful name," he remarked as Suyin gave him another smile. Deep down, she was ready to throw up with all of the sweet talks he was giving to her. Maybe because he had the identity that looked like Minsheng which was the reason why she was bothered by him (and angered), but she had to understand that this was a different time and era. "I... have to go now, before it gets dark," Suyin declared, pointing back to the way she came from. "But, it was nice meeting you, Junli. Thank you for the generosity in giving me this." Suyin said, waving to him to shoo away. "It''s not a big deal. After all, money is no problem for me." He stated before Suyin shooed him off, waving him goodbye as she hurried off home. Suyin had enough fun for the day to travel around for a bit. She didn''t know when Qin Fuhua was going to come home, so she absolutely did not want to go home seeing his usual grumpy face. A group of men sitting at the tables watched Suyin as she skipped off back home. "That''s the girl.... she has it. That must mean she''s someone we can use against the Prince." ----------------------------------- Suyin had arrived home just in time as the sun settled down and the stars soared through the dark skies. The crescent moon shimmered in the night but left the road a bit darker than usual. Suyin sat around the pavilion, playing with the paper lantern due to boredom. "Mistress, it is getting late. You should go to bed." The servant stated, "Our master sometimes does not come home, so we should not wait in case he doesn''t arrive." "Well..." Suyin took one glimpse at the entrance of the door and agreed. "Okay. Can you put this somewhere for me until I ask for it?" Suyin handed the servant the paper lantern that was given by Junli. The servant bowed, taking the paper lantern. -------------------------------------- In the bedroom, Suyin sat on the chair around the round table near the bed, sipping on tea as she dazed off into space. *BAM!* Qin Fuhua swung the door open, staggering towards her way. Suyin stood up firmly, shocked at his condition. His face was cherry pink and reeked the smell of alcohol. "You." Qin Fuhua blurted out, facing to her. "I have been seeing you with another man." He mumbled out the words, walking up to her. Suyin tried to obstruct him with her arms, but he held it tightly. Qin Fuhua forced her to the bed and pinned her down. "Don''t you dare smile at another man!" He yelled at her, putting his head at her shoulders. Although he wasn''t doing anything to her besides complaining, Suyin tried to struggle free from his grasp but couldn''t. "What are you talking about?!" [ Author''s note (because I can''t exceed to a certain amount of words T_T): Hello readers! I have some awesome news I wanted to share to you guys! The reason why this chapter took a good while to be put up was that I was working on a TRAILER NOVEL of this! AND the servants in Qin Fuhua''s manor only know him as Tienzheng. 27 A Tipsy Drink Qin Fuhua huddled his head closer to Suyin, causing her face to turn red. She didn''t know what to do since he was acting this way. "Someone is here. Don''t move." He softly whispered in her ears, his breath warm towards her ear. The door flew open with a person covered in black pulled an arrow towards Qin Fuhua and Suyin. Suyin was about to let out a shriek when Qin Fuhua braced her body and rolled her on the bed, ruining the bedsheets as the two turned to evade the arrow. Qin Fuhua flicked out three kunai daggers to the masked man who flew off as one of them slit the right side of his arm. Qin Fuhua gently let go of Suyin''s waist, seized the arrow, and ran out of the room, only to see the man dressed in black clothes disappear. Because Qin Fuhua and Suyin had made a mess and ruckus, the servant only reached halfway in the corridors when he spotted Qin Fuhua out of his room, with his robe loosened and Suyin on the bed with a messy hair. "Ehehe... I thought something bad had happened. I''ll just go back to bed now." The servant laughed, shuffling back to his room. "N-Nothing happened!" Suyin roared in defense, fixing her hair. Qin Fuhua walked back into the room, rubbing the temple of his head with his index and thumb. Suyin scowled at him, puckering her lips. She lifted the bedsheets to cover herself, confused by his bold act. "Ahem. How did you know that someone was there?" Suyin tried to play it cool, covering half of her face with the blanket with her eyes only shown to him. Qin Fuhua did not reply and managed to sit on the bed next to her. "Upon arriving home, I noticed something was off." Qin Fuhua turned his head to Suyin, "Did you do something?" Suyin could only give him a laugh, "Eh heh heh... I kind of... snuck out to explore." She grumbled, "Come on, you didn''t let me out, so of course I''m going to find a way!" She added on. She hesitated and moderately glimpsed at Qin Fuhua, in case he gave her his typical gloomy and irritated glare, but she could see that his face was still flushed from his flawless skin. Was Qin Fuhua really okay at the moment? She could still smell the alcohol hindering from him, which made her feel concerned. Suyin let her guard down and dropped the bedsheets, observing him. It appeared that he was having a headache. Was that the reason why he snuggled his head in with Suyin? Suyin got out of the bed and poured a cup of cold tea (because it was in the room for too long) and turned around to Qin Fuhua and handed him the drink. "Here, drink this." Suyin delivered the cup of tea to him. Qin Fuhua took the cup of tea and gulped it, wiping off some that fell to the side of his lip. Suyin turned to pour some more drinks but was stopped by the grip of his hand, clutching onto her wrist. She shifted her attention back to him and stayed. Qin Fuhua was sitting on the bed while Suyin stood up next to him, unable to move because he tenderly held her wrist. "Are... you okay?" Suyin turned around to him and tried to examine his face, but Qin Fuhua placed his head (and whole weight) on Suyin''s stomach. "W-Woah!" Suyin held onto him, barely able to keep him up since he was heavier than her. She carefully pushed him down on the bed and was about to leave when he abruptly put his arms around her, making her unable to move as she laid on the bed with him. "Hey, you!" Suyin poked his head and body, but there was no response to her poking. "Wake up. I didn''t plan to sleep here with you." She groaned, trying to move his body away from her but failed to do so. --------------------------------------------------- Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. It was about six in the morning. A small little bird chirped on the little tree in front of the room that Qin Fuhua and Suyin slept in. Qin Fuhua was already awake, slipping on a new robe after a bath. His head was pounding in pain from the day before because of what had happened. -------------------------------------- *The day before* -Qin Fuhua''s POV- As soon as they arrived in Liaoping, he dropped off Suyin to his manor so that he could properly investigate who had the key in their possession. *********** "Young sir?....Sir?" The waiter had to call Qin Fuhua''s name a couple of times before he snapped out of his daze. "Ah yes? I apologize." It wasn''t possible that he saw someone who looked like Suyin outside of the entrance of the door walking down the road. He shrugged it off once the waiter asked him what he wanted to order. Qin Fuhua was supposed to have dinner with a man from a noble family. He (Qin Fuhua) was told by one of his personal soldiers that the person knew where he had seen the key, and at this moment, he was the only source that could lead them to the person holding it. "AHAHAHA! NO WORRIES, I WILL BUY YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT!" A man''s roar cried out. The man was wearing a golden silk robe with two women on each side of his arms, bursting in the restaurant as if he owned the place. His belly was round just like his face and his domineering behavior didn''t help his attitude. They giggled and teased him by gently patting him with his long, grey beard. The two ladies carried the scent of hunger for his money: golden rings on their fingers, golden hairpin, and pieces of delicate jewelry on their hair with the indulgence and desire through their deceitful eyes. "Ah, there you are!" The man raised his right arm towards Qin Fuhua''s way. He strolled with the girls to the table, sitting on the chair right next to Qin Fuhua with his two ladies, who were too busy glossing him up with affection. Qin Fuhua was unimpressed at how lousy this person was, but if it was the only way for him to find information about the key, this was the only hope. "My *Huaban, wait for me okay? Take my money and go buy whatever you do with it" He took out a stack of paper money and handed it to the two ladies. Their eyes lit at the sight of money and happily seized it from him, both kissing his cheeks before the two exited out from the restaurant. [*At this part, he is referring them to "flower petals." I didn''t want to use the word "flower" since it would have sounded awkward and there are two of them that sticks to him like glue, hence his flower petals.] "Well then! I have been called in here for something important, isn''t that right?" The man finally noticed Qin Fuhua''s presence, who had no ambition to get near the man beside the information that was needed to know where to go next. "Why don''t we start with some rice wine for a toast for getting to know each other like brothers?" Qin Fuhua lit a small smile to fool the man. The two were acquaintances who were both well-known in the city. Although the name "Tienzheng" wasn''t as large as the man''s wealth in the city, they knew each other from their status (One, a scholar and another a wealth). Qin Fuhua decided to set up a "friendship/brotherhood acknowledgment" with the man in order to figure who had the key. If it wasn''t for the big reputation of the man''s desire for women in his life, Qin Fuhua would avoid this hedgehog. "I, Meng Jianhong, will toast with you as an alliance of a brother." He announced, flinging his cup of rice wine to Qin Fuhua as he raised his up. Small drips spilled out from the impact, but Jianhong gulped the rice wine down. "More!" He called out, sticking out his empty cup to Qin Fuhua. During the whole time, it was Qin Fuhua''s plan to make the hedgehog (Jianhong) drunk so that he could question the man with no suspicion. First, he was well known to fall head over heels with any girls that he confronted, and second of all, he was the worst drunkard ever. Whenever he started to get drunk, he would blurt and answer any questions that would be asked, whether or not it is directed to him. Hours passed on between the two. The hedgehog was so intoxicated, he had blurted out every possible answer that Qin Fuhua would ask him. Of course, Meng Jianhong commanded Qin Fuhua to drink also, but the man watched how much he drank opposed to Jianhong. "Do you possibly know where a key shaped like a rose is located?" Qin Fuhua let out the answer after validating the man was drunk and gone. Jianhong was blabbering a couple of words, slouching on the table as he demanded Qin Fuhua for another drink, like a ''man he is.'' Qin Fuhua poured another cup to him carefully. "I don''t remember!" Jianhong answered, taking another gulp of rice wine. "Oh! Haha. There was a *Hua that I found so delicate, oooh." He shriveled up his body with a pleasant grimace on his face, "Psh. Unfortunately, she had a burn scar on her arm, so that was what made me stop going for her." [*Hua in terms of calling her a "flower" since he hasn''t gotten the chance to chase after her yet.] Qin Fuhua modestly listened, eating rice with his chopsticks. "Oh! Ahaha! That''s right!" He clapped his hands, "That Hua... uhh... I actually went after her even when I saw that scar, but it seems as if she had returned from a long journey somewhere because she dropped a flower and looked tired. I picked it up and returned it to her... but that flower she plucked didn''t even feel like a flower at all!" Qin Fuhua halted and leaned ahead, "Do you know where did you see her at? That ''Hua'' of yours sounds intriguing enough for me to be interested too." Qin Fuhua commented, trying to locate where the person was at. "Of course! It''s at....ahaha... I remember bumping into her at the shopping district near here!" Qin Fuhua gave a smirk. Although Qin Fuhua didn''t drink as much as the hedgehog, he still was feeling buzzed and tipsy from all of the drinking he had to do with him. From the grin to an expression of exhaustion on Qin Fuhua''s face, he rubbed his face, "Ge, I have to go throw up. I will pay for the expenses and need to hurry home. It''s not a good sight to have others see me vomit." Qin Fuhua fumbled, rubbing his head. "NONSENSE! Ge will pay for this! I have so much money, this is so little! Ahaha!!" The man laughed to himself as Qin Fuhua excused himself to leave. Moments later, Qin Fuhua arrived home at night time to hear the sound of someone running through the tile rooftop near Suyin''s room. Although Qin Fuhua was buzzed, he was conscious the whole time, putting an act of "drunkness" to Suyin so she wouldn''t be scared of someone barging into the room for her. Even if Qin Fuhua put up an act, the words that he shouted was truly from the bottom of his heart, ignited with jealousy from the gestures of the Prince of Long the day that he stood behind the crowds and watched in Jiaoshu. ------------------------- "Mmmnn!" Suyin stretched her arms and legs from the bed, comfortable from her sleep the night before. She yawned, covering her mouth until she remembered what had happened the night before. "Don''t you dare smile at another man!" Suyin darted up with her messy hair, after recalling what happened the night before. She was resting with Qin Fuhua the night before because he was on top of her and he was upset at her! Suyin shifted her attention to the back of the man who sat down on a chair behind her. "Are you finally awake?" Qin Fuhua uttered. Suyin''s face turned red with the thought of him cuddling close to her face. It was the most intimate thing that someone had ever done to Suyin. That wasn''t the only thing but... was the Prince of Qin actually jealous? Or was it just an act to save her from the black-hooded bandit? Qin Fuhua turned around to face Suyin, but she couldn''t bear to look at him, so she stood up and flew out of the room. "I-I''ll... fix my hair now!" Suyin raced out and scurried down the corridors. The servants could only look at her with an odd expression since her hair was a mess. "What am I thinking of? Where am I going to go fix my hair?" She questioned herself. She halted and turned to the corner of the corridors, pushing the entrance where the maids'' courtyard resided in. One of the maids working on the garden gazed at Suyin, who(Suyin) smiled at her (the maid). "Do you mind helping me?" --------------------------------------- "Mistress, Young Master is waiting for you outside of the gates." One of the maids rushed into their room. "Mistress, if you are here, then why aren''t you with the Young Master?" Another maid asked Suyin. "Um...well..." "Don''t worry about it. She''s reasonably shy because they are still newlyweds!" Another one explained as the maids snickered around Suyin. "It''s... not that! I just..." Suyin couldn''t say anything because she was too flustered with what had happened. The maid finished combing her hair and put it up into a bun with a jade hairpin, pinned to the top of her hair. "Off you go before the Young Master gets upset!" The maid smiled. Suyin turned to take a look from a small golden mirror and was astonished at the sight of it. "Wow! I would never be able to do anything like this. Thank you!" Suyin gleefully bowed to the maids, who declined her bow to them. She bustled off to the front of the entrance right after. ------------------------------------------- Qin Fuhua and Suyin were set off in a horse carriage to the shopping district. Suyin had no idea about Qin Fuhua''s plan but was ecstatic that he was finally going to show her around, at least. The pair got off of the carriage and began walking around, looking through shops that carried various items such as hairpins, shoes, clothing, silk, and so on. Suyin''s footsteps paused at the sight of a medicine shop, selling different types of medical items like herbs and insects. Suyin turned to Qin Fuhua and gave him a can-I-go expression. Ignoring it as if he didn''t see it, it meant that it was a green light to let her go in and explore around. Qin Fuhua set his eyes on a woman walking around with a brown basket around her right elbow, shopping around. "I''ll be back." He stated. Suyin was more interested in her medicine than him, so she didn''t hear him and darted right into the shop. Qin Fuhua carefully followed the lady, trying to take a glimpse at her arms to see if there were any burn marks. When her sleeves were down, he spotted a mark, but he wanted to make sure that it was a burn mark according to that hedgehog. "Wha~ This place has everything!" Suyin was amazed at the medicine shop that she entered in. Not everyone was so eager to be in a shop as much as her, and it showed. The owner found her odd, but thought nothing too big about it, shrugging as he continued to help his customers. There were columns of small drawers, and if you were to open those little drawers, there would be herbs, insects, dried leaves, and other medical items that were essential for the body. "EVERYONE OUTTA THE WAY." A man hollered, shoving the customer''s way as he sped inside the shop. 28 The Lantern Festival pt 1 Meng Jianhong barged right into the medical shop, launching paper money at the shop keeper. "I need something to cure this ugly headache of mine! Ugh! I shouldn''t have been that drunk yesterday!" He snarled. The customers gave each other a displeased look on their face, huddling around the man. The shop keeper only grinned, "I''m sorry, but I am still taking care of this customer-" "It doesn''t matter! I''ll give you more money now!" He urged, slamming more paper money on the table. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Stop harassing the shop keeper! You have to wait your turn, too!" Suyin placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Meng Jianhong. He turned around to look at Suyin, his eyes opening up wide with a smile lit on his face. "My Hua, it seems like I have never seen you here before." Jianhong lit a smile on his face, grazing his mustache. "I apologize for my behavior, I just have a horrible headache and feel like I need to vomit, but nothing''s coming out!" Suyin rolled her eyes, letting out a big sigh. This absurd man was having a hangover and it seems like the world would end for him if he didn''t get his medicine. "It''s okay. He''s usually like that." The shopkeeper mentioned. Meng Jianhong didn''t care about anyone else except Suyin, who was practically the only one who did something to him with his rude attitude. "Beautiful Hua, why don''t you come with me? I''ll buy you everything that you want!" The man grasped her wrist. Suyin took a step back as she pulled back her arm, resisting him. "What the heck are you talking about?!" Suyin exclaimed, walking out of the shop. Meng Jianhong didn''t stop and followed her as he ran outside too. "My Hua, once I set my eyes on you, you are like the beautiful wind that gently breezes through the trees. Startled, but gently shaken by the presence of you." He proceeded to accompany her, with Suyin trying to bustle off to find Qin Fuhua. He had to ruin the moment and mood, and she couldn''t even find Qin Fuhua! Where the hell was he at?! ------------------------------------------------ The shopping district was bursting with many people, walking around and buying groceries and items for their essential needs. Maybe because it was almost the day of the lantern festival that families were buying ingredients to make the usual tangyuan dessert. Qin Fuhua tried to follow the girl down the pathway but was blocked by crowds of people walking by. He peered forward to the girl who kept walking further and further away from him, heading to the boat that would cross the river. With no other way to get to her because it was too late, Qin Fuhua had forgotten about Suyin''s existence in the medical shop. "I hope she isn''t making trouble in there, like usual." He grumbled to himself, rushing back to her. -------------------------------------------------- "Young miss! Come here!" An older woman called to Suyin. "Did you want to get your readings for the lantern festival to find your lover? I can tell you as long as I look at you and your partner (or friend hehe)''s palm!" Suyin couldn''t hear her well because of the crowd and came forward, as the woman caught her hand, looking at the person next to her. Meng Jianhong''s eyes lit up, with a big smile on his face. "Oh really?! Haha!" He was still following Suyin''s trail. Suyin was trying to get away from him but he somehow kept finding her. Right when Meng Jianhong was going to give his hand to the woman, Qin Fuhua''s arm cut in the middle between the woman and Jianhong. "Thank you for finding her, I will be taking her now." Qin Fuhua cut between the lady and Jianhong, seizing Suyin''s hands as he pulled her towards his chest. Qin Fuhua dragged Suyin away from Meng Jianhong. "HEY! YOU''RE TAKING MY HUA!" Meng Jianhong cried out, trying to follow the two but the elder lady held his hands, smiling. "Ehehe, I''ll do it with you to look at our compatibility together if you want!" She snickered. Meng Jianhong''s face began to turn sour because of his nausea from his hangover and the lady, as he ran off. --------------------------------------------- Qin Fuhua was hauling Suyin by interlocking his hands with her, with a grimace on his face. Suyin gazed at him. Was he upset at her because she wasn''t at the medical shop and he was there waiting for her? She tried to let go of him, but he gripped on harder. "Mr. Grumpy face," Suyin mumbled. The two marched down the shopping district to a port near the river. In this area, there was a river that separated the North and South Liaoping. It was about two miles apart and would need to be crossed by a Hongtou sampan, a little boat that people would pay to row them over to the other side of town. A bridge was in the process of being built, so this was the only way at the moment to reach to the other side. People were coming back and forth by this transportation, something is commonly seen in the past, but not for Suyin. "For two." Qin Fuhua handed the worker money as he nodded with a smile on his face. The worker slipped the money carefully in his pocket and cleared their way, "Come in!" He invited the two to his boat, enough to fit about five (including himself) in his Hongyu sampan. Qin Fuhua went to the boat first and turned to her. "Can you come in, by yourself?" It sounded like he was challenging Suyin, who was offended by the way he spoke. "Hmph, of course, I can!" She exclaimed. Right when she stepped into the boat though, it swaggered side to side, causing her to lose balance and nearly fall in the water. With Qin Fuhua''s agile reaction, he caught her in midst of the commotion, with Suyin tumbling on top of him. "So much for doing it by yourself." He taunted, letting her go as she sat next to him. "I just had a misstep, that''s all!" Suyin was annoyed at Qin Fuhua because he was constantly doubting her. The worker began rowing, as they headed to the other side of town. "...Why weren''t you at the medical shop earlier?" Qin Fuhua questioned. Suyin crossed her arms with the thought of the walrus (Meng Jianhong) following her. "That walrus wouldn''t stop following me." She replied straightforwardly. "If that guy wasn''t vexing me, I would''ve been perfectly fine." Qin Fuhua was facing the front of the boat but slightly turned his head to Suyin. "Remember, we are still newlyweds. If he or anyone does something to you that you don''t like, just tell me." Suyin''s eyes grew bigger. She didn''t want to stare at him because she could feel his eyes gazing to her. It was near impossible that he was genuine about that since he was putting up a show to everyone here. Suyin felt better at that notion, yet somehow, a small hint in her heart shrank deep down. She lit a small smile back at him, agreeing. "Yes, I didn''t forget, Zhangfu." Her tone gradually getting smaller than before. Qin Fuhua took one more glimpse of her before he looked ahead, staring at the other side of the city crowded with shops and boats. --------------------------------------- Qin Fuhua and Suyin walked next to each other, exploring around a new area that Suyin didn''t know existed. The pair reached further north, arriving at the heart of the city. In the middle of the place was a beautiful garden with a pond filled with koi fishes. Lanterns were placed on every store and kart while the trees had little rectangular wooden ornament hung with people''s surname on it. "Make a wish before we start our lantern festival so your wishes can come true!" A young man cried to the people. Crowds of people could be seen hanging their surname in the wooden ornament on the large plum blossom trees and people huddled together to buy a lantern. "Wow, to be able to see this in person is amazing" Suyin clasped her hands together in excitement. "You act as if you haven''t attended a lantern festival." Qin Fuhua said, detached about the people as the two proceeded to walk up north. "I...haven''t! Back at home, I was always stuck home. They would never let me out on my own because that would ruin their reputation that their daughter likes going out." Suyin replied, upset that the Prince of Qin believed as if the world revolved around him and he was always correct. Qin Fuhua noticed that the further they got away from the shopping district, the fewer people there were around them. "Where are we going?" Suyin asked, unsure of what Qin Fuhua''s intentions were for bringing her there. "I''m trying to find someone with a burned scar on her arm." Qin Fuhua finally let Suyin in on the plan. There was nothing to hide from her and because of how fast the girl had disappeared earlier, he would need her help. "Hm... would it have to do with the key that the Shi Zhang mentioned?" Qin Fuhua only nodded. "It is the only way for us to find the key. No one knows about the location at the moment, but this is the first step in retrieving it." Qin Fuhua entered in one of the inns, walking up to the counter. "Welcome!" The innkeeper greeted Qin Fuhua and Suyin. "One room please." Qin Fuhua ordered as the shop keeper nodded. "O-One?!" Suyin was muffled by Qin Fuhua, who held her close to him. "Right this way!" -------------------------------------- The room was a spacious room that had a bed, a table, three chairs around the table, and a little balcony that could see the people below them. Throughout the whole day, Qin Fuhua was observing from the outside with his seat as he sipped on his tea to see who was passing by, but couldn''t find the girl with the burned scar anymore. The only distinctive characteristic that he could remember from noticing her was her unusual black swan hairpin that was bound at the side of her long hair. Suyin, on the other hand, decided it was a perfect time for her to study the blue book that Wansun had given her in the room. There was some information that she wanted to read, but never had the time and chance to because she was constantly either busy with the Princess or tasks around the manor back at Qin Fuhua''s home. It was about night time when Suyin had remembered about the paper lantern back at his manor. "Oh no!" Suyin hopped out of her chair, putting both her hands on her head. Qin Fuhua rose and moved to the room, troubled that something happened. "My lantern! It''s back at home" Suyin was crying deep down inside. She really wanted to attend the lantern festival the next day, but how was she going to celebrate it if she doesn''t have a lantern? Qin Fuhua let out a big sigh of relief that nothing happened to her and that it wasn''t a big deal. If Suyin would have known that they weren''t going back home, she could have brought her lantern with her. ********************* After taking a bath, Suyin walked into the room with Qin Fuhua sitting on the bed. "Um..." Qin Fuhua looked at her, undisturbed at her confused expression. "We are not an actual couple, you know." Suyin finished her sentence. "Mhm." He answered, not moving a single inch on the bed. "I''m going to bed." Qin Fuhua pronounced, blowing out the candle near the bed. "Fine." Of course, what can Suyin do to the Prince of Qin? He''s going to have to sleep on the bed because of his spoiled self in the palace. She stole most of the pillows and a layer of the blanket on Qin Fuhua''s bed before he could lay on the bed and smoothed it out on the floor. "Goodnight!" She grumbled, covering herself with the blanket. **************** Time flew by and Suyin had fallen in a deep sleep. Qin Fuhua was already awake in the middle of the night because he had planned to write a letter to Weizhe to have him investigate where the location of the 100-year-old Hong Teng would be inhabited. Carefully and cautiously, he leaned down to carry Suyin (princess style) and gently laid her down on the bed. He laid the pillows back on the bed and covered her with the blanket. Qin Fuhua lit the candle with a fire steel and began grinding up ink to write his letter to Weizhe. ---------------------------------------------------- Morning came by, Suyin was already awake but didn''t see Qin Fuhua anywhere in the room. Suyin swiftly spun a bun with her hairpin and fastened it. It wasn''t as elegant as the maid''s work the day before, but it was simple enough to look clean and proper. She decided to go out for a walk, hoping to at least spot Qin Fuhua somewhere. "Heading out?" The innkeeper inquired from Suyin, as she nodded with a smile. "Your husband was out way early in the morning. I asked if he wanted breakfast but he kindly denied and left." The innkeeper said. "Ah. Well, thank you for letting me know." Suyin strolled out around the north shopping district. Although it wasn''t as busy as the south side, it was still a good amount of people because it was where they would hold the lantern festival. Suyin had arrived at the plum blossom trees where they placed their names on a small wooden board and hung it on the trees to request for their wishes. "That reminds me!" She bustled in line with the people, waiting for her turn. "For just 1 yuan, come and make a wish!" The vendor screamed out, calling people in. It was finally Suyin''s turn and she handed the vendor the money, with a smile on her face as she delivered the wooden board to Suyin. "All you need to do is go over there to write down your surname and make a wish as you hang it on the plum blossom." The vendor explained, "By tonight when you celebrate us with the lanterns, we will all soar through the skies and make our dreams come true!" Delighted, she went to the side where people wrote their surnames on the board and attached it on the tree. Suyin held the brush on her hand but paused. If she were to put her own surname, "Han" on the board, she didn''t want to make it a big deal. Of course, there are many people not related to her with the same surname as her, but she didn''t want to cause any trouble if there were people seeking for her. Suyin decided to write down a different surname and walked to the plum blossom tree, going up on a wooden ladder and climbed on the tree to put it in the highest spot that she could find. "Are you sure you want to climb that far?" One of a passerby asked Suyin, who fearlessly nodded. "My wish needs to come true and I want this to be placed where it can see everything here!" Suyin found a place at the edge of the tree at the highest point. She stretched out her arm to barely reach to the edge of the branch, hanging it there. Suyin knew that it wouldn''t be possible to take off the name from there unless you were willing to climb, but most of these people wouldn''t be able to reach it. She grinned as she sat on the big plum blossom branch. She could see the view from above and view the horizon of the city from where she sat. It was time for Suyin to get down from the tree before she really gets in trouble and not have her wish come true. Suyin climbed down the tree, to the ladder, and leaped down, brushing her hands and gawked proudly at her little name tag that was high and away from the others that all bundled up. "Hm, what are you staring at?" A voice called to Suyin, as he came closer to Suyin. She looked at the person and lit a small, fake smile. "Ah, Feng Junli!" She patted him on the shoulders, still disturbed by the fact that he looked exactly as Minsheng. "What are you doing here?" "I heard a young, beautiful lady was climbing on the tree and I grew curious. Surprisingly enough, it turns out to be you." He chuckled. Suyin had noticed that he was wearing his layer of clothes but in a different color this time. His face was still covered around his head as if he''s going to go walk in a dessert. Suyin wanted to ask why he wore layers of clothes in the beaming sun, but it was an inappropriate time for her to ask. "Anyway, are you coming to the lantern festival tonight?" Suyin shook her head, "I don''t think so... I do want to attend but I might not have time to go..." "No time? I already got you a lantern, so you have to go!" Junli chuckled. "Come on, I''ll see you here tonight?" Suyin could only give him a short laugh, "I''ll see if I can make it." Although this person wasn''t Minsheng, he still resembled like the person that she had a crush on for years. During the times that she had struggled in her medical school, Minsheng was always there to help her cope with her stress and problems. He was always a shoulder for Suyin to lean on, so she couldn''t reject his offer but couldn''t say no either. Her heart was still shaken up from what had happened with Minsheng. -------------------------------------- 29 The Lantern Festival Pt 2 The district was occupied with energetic people roaming around. Families, couples, and friends always looked forward to the lantern festival because they believed that the wishes you make that day would come true. Music was presented by a group of men, playing on the traditional guzheng and another one with a pipa. Suyin was in the room in the inn after she failed to find Qin Fuhua, who was nowhere to be discovered anywhere. Since she didn''t want to bump into anyone else, she chose to stay back in the room to study some more while she had the time to. Chinese medicine during this time period was more complex than the ones that she was taught in her era. Maybe because it was the modern technology that helped shape up medicine and the lack of the old herbs only discovered in this time period was what Suyin had trouble distinguishing them. If Suyin needed a specific item or herb, she would go to a pharmacy to ask for the prescriptions, but over here, even some of the medicine that is essential would be needed to be obtained in areas that grew the certain item rather than going to a pharmacy store. The sun was gradually settled in, so the townspeople were eager to attend to the lantern festival. Suyin was too immersed in her book, that the voices of the people jabbering downstairs and outside caused her to close the book since she couldn''t concentrate. "Time for the festival then!" Suyin said with an enthusiastic tone, looking at the crowds of people strolling around the district from the balcony. It was like a stream full of people. On the right side, the people would be walking up ahead, and on the other side, they were moving in, heading down the path. ---------------------------------------------- A green, jade hairpin was secured on Suyin''s bun, the same one used that the maids had applied on her hair a couple of days before. Suyin had enough money to buy herself a decent amount of lipstick sheets used for the lips and a small, tiny clay pot about the size of a coin that was applied for eyeliner. Suyin wanted to look at least nice for the celebration since she never got the chance to go out for the lantern festival. This was the first time ever and what was beautiful and better about celebrating the lantern festival during this time period was the fact that the sky was so dark, that there were so many stars that dispersed everywhere. Unlike the modern era where light pollution from luminous sources would hinder most of the stars in the night. This obscurity was astonishingly different from the other nights. Suyin leaped out from the inn with a plain, cheap outfit that she bought and bustled down to the middle of Liaoping, where the big plum blossom tree and the pond resided. Hordes of people filled the walkway and Suyin couldn''t even move a single inch until she waited for a good minute or so because people were out getting their fortunes and compatibility read from some of the vendors. "Come get your chicken skewers here!" Suyin escorted to the side of the pathway to go to the vendor that sold the meat. "Hello! How much would you like?" The vendor asked Suyin. Suyin grinned and lifted one finger up. "Just one." "That will be 2 yen," the lady stated. Suyin took out two coins and delivered it to the lady, who then gave the chicken skewer to Suyin. "Thank you" Suyin smiled, spinning around. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Suyin was about to go back in the pathway, but someone pushed a girl in front of Suyin, causing the girl''s hair to fall down. Her hairpin dropped on the ground right in front of Suyin''s foot. Suyin bent down and grabbed the swan hairpin, returning it to the girl. She caught the hairpin from Suyin, looking up at her, "Thank you." Suyin was started at the sight of this girl because... it was the lady that she had saved back at the Xinyi inn! Suyin''s expression looked calm, but lit a small smile seeing her face, "No problem." "Have....I seen you before?" the girl inquired Suyin, staring at her carefully as Suyin shook her head in denial. "I don''t think so. You may have mistaken me for someone else." Suyin didn''t want to let her know that she was actually that "man" that rescued her back then. It was just something she wanted to do, and she didn''t want to cause confusion or anything for her since Suyin knew she was presumably traumatized from the incident. "Ah, I''m sorry." The girl bowed, "Thank you again." She bustled off into the crowd, blending in as Suyin observed her. "She''s actually doing fine here." Suyin felt convinced that she saved her life and she was doing fine now. Suyin was happy that she was able to help someone at least in this lifetime to get away from harm. "It seems like the little Miss may know her." A sound called behind her. His voice was deep and soft, yet had a sense of supremacy in his tone. Suyin froze up like an icicle and nonchalantly spun her head around. "Y-You!" Suyin pointed to Qin Fuhua, who placed his hands behind his back cooly. He scowled at her fingers, lowering his brows and pushed her hand away. "You dare to point a finger at me?" Qin Fuhua lowered himself to Suyin''s ears to whisper. Suyin took a step away, raising both of her hands in a martial art of a way to defend herself. "I didn''t mean to. You just appeared out of nowhere like a ghost." She retorted, glaring at him. She paused, then peered around like a meerkat. How the hell did he just appear out of nowhere? "What are you doing here? I thought something like this festival is not your kind of a thing." Suyin crossed her arms, interrogating him now. Qin Fuhua narrowed his eyebrows, shrugging his shoulders. "There was nothing to do in the inn, so I decided to come out for a walk." ******** In reality, the Prince was out seeking for the girl in the crowd. He was stealthily watching her behind until he detected Suyin, who had helped her up. When he saw her face, he could barely recognize her because she had makeup on. She was a beauty of a flower that blossomed even when the days were cold and dry. Contradicting to her outfit that was plain and common to those that are poor (obviously, she purchased it for a cheap price), her beauty was not neglected. Qin Fuhua had lit a small curve to his lips, something that you would call a smile at the appearance of seeing her kind, reliable self from a distance. ******** Qin Fuhua led the way, taking a few steps away from Suyin and halted. "Are you coming?" He commanded. Suyin looked up and responded. "Yeah." She went to him, trailing behind him as the two began to walk down the district. -------------------------------------------- As the night grew darker, more people overfilled the roads. It was at this point where Suyin had struggled to catch up to Qin Fuhua, who casually marched onward, not turning his back to her. Suyin had to bounce a couple of times to see his back because of how occupied it was, almost losing him in the crowds. "Wait!" Suyin hesitated as she saw a hand stuck out in front of her from the crowd, staring up to the owner of the hand. "If you don''t want to get lost, hold my hand." Qin Fuhua uttered, faint enough for her hear within the crowd. Suyin hesitated, then pressed her lips, taking his hands as he hauled her to him. "So short." He commented, which caused Suyin to give him a nasty glare. "At least I can run fast!" "Fast enough to be caught by people." He added on, eyeing her at the side of his view. Suyin opened her mouth as if she was offended, with Qin Fuhua lighting up a sneer on his face. "It''s almost time to release the lanterns!" A child yelled, holding out his lantern up in the sky. Suyin lit a small smile to her face, saddened that she didn''t carry her lantern with her as she attended the child and his parents pass by the two. Qin Fuhua was observing the whole time and stopped his footsteps at a little cart full of lanterns. "Young lady and young man! You two seem like a great pair together!" The man greeted out, with a hunch back as he gestured them to come to him. His wrinkled eyes made his eyes smaller, but he had a sincere tone that drew Suyin in. "Ah, sorry we are not a couple--" Qin Fuhua lured her to the little cart loaded with lanterns. "Ah, what a pair, but it seems like you two don''t have a lantern for the festival, hm?" The old man thoroughly seized one of the lanterns from his cart and held it in front of Suyin, whose eyes were lit with joy as she gazed at the lantern, formed like a flower. "This is for you, young beautiful lady." He smiled. A couple of his teeth missing but it was the most genuine smile ever. "I hope you two the best and give you guys my sincere blessings." "Thank you so much!" Suyin returned to Qin Fuhua, who did not show any emotions and held the lantern up. It was about the size of a pillow, big enough to see the little details of the flower. "Look what I got! A lantern!" She was smiling at first but then bit her lips glancing at Qin Fuhua. "Ahem." She fixed her voice, but Qin Fuhua pointed at the big, plum blossom tree where everyone had a lantern in their hand. "They''re starting soon." He spoke. Suyin was about to get ready to run to set the lanterns free with the crowd but didn''t move. She looked at Qin Fuhua and shifted her body to him. "Wait, hold this!" She ran off, moving through the crowds of people and hurried back to the elderly man as she took out the very last bit of her money in her bag. "I''m going to take this one, okay?" She grasped the phoenix lantern, handing all the rest of the money to the elderly man and bustled back to Qin Fuhua. "I...You.... need to join with us too." Suyin attempted to catch her breath, holding up the lantern for Qin Fuhua. Qin Fuhua gave her a blank expression and exchanged the lanterns. "I''ll see about that." He held onto the phoenix lantern. Suyin and Qin Fuhua traveled to the center of the district, with the crowd ready to light up their lantern and let it free into the sky. ------------------------------------------- The party began to let go of their lanterns. A big, beautiful array of lanterns sailed in the dark sky, irradiating up the night as the children, parents, and couples observed. Suyin clutched to her lantern, shutting her eyes tightly. Qin Fuhua was forced to light his lantern up by Suyin too, and stared at her discreetly, grinning at her. "A kind-hearted soul." He shut his eyes and let go of the lantern before Suyin could notice. Right when Suyin finished making her wish and opened her eyes, she saw that Qin Fuhua had already released his lantern. "Already?!" She spoke, then freed hers also. She gazed at her and Qin Fuhua''s lantern, that sailed in the sky right next to each other, even though Qin Fuhua had let his go first. The two observed the scene, something that could only be seen on television for Suyin if this was the modern period. "So... did you make a wish?" Suyin asked Qin Fuhua with a radiant tone. He furrowed his temples and dodged eye contact with her. "Tell me! I''m sure the great Prince--err... being you are, you would totally do it!" Suyin was trying to get Qin Fuhua to admit to her, but he didn''t answer. "It''s a pleasure to meet you here, Han Suyin! What happened to my lantern I gave you?" Suyin directed to the person talking, a familiar voice that she''s heard before. Junli was standing with his hands on his hips, smiling, but this time, he wasn''t wearing any sort of bizarre clothing that she had seen before! His hair was up tied in a bun with a dark green silk robe. His pale, white skin was flawless under the night with a charming smile on his face. "Oh crap. That''s right." She pondered to herself, grinning at him. "It''s a pleasure to see you, too." Qin Fuhua gaped at Junli, his eyes piercing through the man''s eyes, but it seemed like Junli was concentrated more on Suyin''s presence rather than Qin Fuhua. "O-Oh! That''s right!" Suyin looked at Qin Fuhua who had a fierce gaze to Junli. "This is Junli, my friend that I had made a couple of days ago because I dropped my money bag. This is--" "Tienzheng. Song Tienzheng." Qin Fuhua blurted, "Thank you for being generous to help my WIFE out." Qin Fuhua emphasized the words, with Suyin interrupted in her conversation. She leaned to him, "Okay. I get it, I''m your wife," murmuring to him. Although Qin Fuhua practically ignored what she was saying, Junli chuckled. "Ah, I apologize about that, Sir Tienzheng." he stared down on the ground, and back up at Qin Fuhua. "She seems rather fragile, I suggest you take more care of her, as her husband." Qin Fuhua could feel the fumes emanating from the temple of his head, provoked at the presence of an incompetent who does need to be present. Suyin, who stood in the center between the two, began to chuckle apprehensively at the hostile tension among the two. "Uhh... Anyway, I forgot to bring your lantern back at home." Suyin couldn''t lie to Junli that she had forgotten to get the lantern back at Qin Fuhua''s manor since they were resting in an inn. "It''s nothing to worry about since she had her OWN lantern anyway." Qin Fuhua insisted, disregarding the existence of Junli. "No problem, Suyin. I understand." "Young Master." A female voice summoned, timid yet stern in her tone. Suyin and Qin Fuhua shifted to see who it was, shocked. "There you are! Where did you go?" Junli turned to his servant, who bowed at the presence of Qin Fuhua and Suyin. "Jiayi was trying to locate you the medicine that you desired, so Jiayi has been seeking for it the whole time and obtained it," Jiayi answered with her soft, high-pitched tone, only loud enough for the three of them to hear. She never once looked at Junli in the face, gawking at the ground. "Ah, I told you that it''s nothing to worry about." He laughed, comforting her, "Next time, don''t do anything without letting me know, okay?" Jiayi nodded her head. "I didn''t interrupt anything, have I?" She stared at Suyin and Qin Fuhua. "N-No! Don''t worry about it." Suyin tenderly answered, shaking her head. "No. It was just in time for us to leave, anyway." Qin Fuhua grasped Suyin''s right hand, interlocking his fingers with hers. "It is getting late and we have to depart now. I bid you two goodbye." He stated, then hauled Suyin off. "Junli! I apologizebutIwilltalktoyoulater!" Suyin stated in a dash before being dragged by Fuhua. "Young master... who are those two?" Jiayi sought, with Junli staring at the back of Suyin. "Just a friend..." His eyes never left the back of Suyin. A bitter smile lit up his face seeing the interlocked hands. "We have to go back to take your medicine now," Jiayi declared. Junli nodded. "Yes, I know. I will come back now." Jiayi''s eyes glimpsed at the back of Suyin and Qin Fuhua. Behind the weak, modest girl was a character opposite of that deep down behind the stare toward Suyin, the person that Junli set his eyes on until their appearance vanished within the crowd. ------------------------------------------------ Qin Fuhua was pulling Suyin until she vigorously let go of his hands, frowning at him. "Hey! Stop. I''m not some sort of puppet or toy you can mess with!" Suyin raised her voice, agitated that she didn''t get a chance to explain herself to Junli about the lantern. After all, she felt bad that he purchased it and gave it to her instead. At least, he was thoughtful enough to even buy her a lantern, unlike Qin Fuhua who wouldn''t consider her. Qin Fuhua turned to her, "Still. We are considered wife and husband here, so I don''t like it if it destroys our reputation." "So much for being considerate," Suyin grumbled, crossing her arms. "I think you should be more attentive about how I feel instead of being a robot!--" Qin Fuhua promptly twisted around, beginning to run toward the end of an alley, leaving Suyin alone. "What happened?!" Suyin thought to herself, becoming cautious. She wanted to pursue Qin Fuhua, but she knew she would slow him down instead. "My Hua!" Jianhong emerged from the corner of one of the shops, opening his arms to her, tipsy. "I finally found you after all this time! Where did you go?" Suyin dodged him as he attempted to wrap himself around her, falling down on the soil with his hands on the dirt. With a smirk on his face as he gazed down on the ground, he lit a wicked grin. "Capture her." 31 Maniac Qin Fuhua hustled, rushing through the alley to pursue the strange man who hurried off. With his dexterity, he caught up to the individual and knocked him down to the ground. "Who the hell are you?!" Qin Fuhua held onto the man''s collar, his eyes peering straight at him. ---------------------------------------------------------- "Mmmnn..." Suyin grumbled, dozing. She felt soft cushion rubbing against her hands, waking up. She was lying in a peculiar place, although she was slumbering on a bed. The silk, pink sheets comforted her, but the room seemed dark and vacant. Suyin had to glance around for a second to even memorize what had transpired before all of this. -------------------------------------------------------------- "Capture her" Jianhong''s fellows appeared to her. Suyin tried to outrun the men but there were too many. Six against one, one of them captured her and punched her in the abdomen, causing her to knock out. ----------------------------------------------------------- "I gotta get out of here." Suyin got up but felt a chain on her left arm. She glanced at her left wrist, not believing what was happening to her. "A chain?! What the hell?" Suyin grumbled. What was going on? The sound of footsteps growing closer to the door made Suyin get butterflies in her stomach, her heart thumping faster as the noise halted. The door slid open, with a familiar person standing in front of her. Jianhong, the man who kept claiming her, "my Hua." It annoyed Suyin. He gave her names she didn''t like, and not to point out, he had a terrible personality. "My beautiful Hua." Jianhong smiled. He took a step closer to Suyin, but Suyin scooted back on the bed, running away from him. "What do you want from me?!" Suyin exclaimed, gawking at the man. He simply laughed at Suyin, brushing his beard with his right hand. His left hand was behind his back. "Oh, my beautiful Hua... I know something that you may not notice." He remarked. Suyin gave him a baffled face, not grasping what he was revealing about. "I''m sorry, but I don''t think you have the right person." "I know that you have the jade of the dragon." The man snorted, swaying his head as he walked to the bed, relaxing down at the edge. Suyin didn''t know what to do, she was scared that he would do something to her¡­ or Qin Fuhua. She moved her knees to her chest and held them. He showed her a devilish grin, leaning forward as he stroked her hair, sniffing it. Suyin smacked his hands. "Don''t worry, my Hua. All I demand is why you have that jade. I won''t punish you." "I don''t know who you are talking about," Suyin explained. She didn''t know what was more frustrating¡ªJianhong''s fascination with calling her, "Hua" or the reason he demanded to learn why she knew the Prince of Qin. "Don''t even dare to lie to me." He threatened, changing his tone within a second, sounding more aggressive and vicious. "Let me tell you this." Jianhong was standing up, putting his hand on his back. "That.... stupid Prince! All we did was make a little mistake and he..... killed my wife! That damn royalty slit my wife''s throat in front of me." The man had a sorrowful expression, his voice quavering for a second. "And I know that if you are here, someone will come to get you for sure. My men saw you dropped the jade of the dragon which only belongs to the Royal Prince of Qin." He lit up an evil smile, laughing. It startled Suyin. The blockhead would dare to do something like that?! She couldn''t believe it, but looking at the manic''s reaction, he switched off from laughing to crying, back and forth. It scared Suyin stiff. "That stupid Prince Fuhua. Once I get my hands on him, I will kill him ten times worse than my wife!" Suyin couldn''t handle him spitting fire at Qin Fuhua no longer, and got the courage to get close to Jianhong (this was as far as she could get with the chains) and slapped his face, hard enough to hear the echo through the room. After getting slapped, Jianhong turned to him, ready to throw a punch at her but stopped, giving her a grin. "My Hua, if you just listen obediently and just come to me, I will treat you well." The man took a step to Suyin, holding her hand. She shook it off as the man began to laugh. "Don''t even dream about it!" "What? Don''t you want to side with the innocent person who has their first wife killed by the Prince for just a small mere reason?" Suyin had paused, thinking for a second. She knew Qin Fuhua the best.... well at the moment at least. He wouldn''t just recklessly kill someone for no reason. Seeing how this man was, there had to be a reason Qin Fuhua threatened him! "Whatever it is, I already told you I have no connections with the Prince. It is up to you whether you want to believe it!" Jianhong rushed in to grab Suyin''s arms, as she struggled to fight him off. The chains were shaking, hurting Suyin''s left wrist. "I will not be your wife or anything related to you!" Suyin cried out, trying to pull out of his grasp. "Master!--- "A servant walked into the room, opening the door. The servant stopped his footsteps as He was caught in the middle of their fight. Jianhong turned to him as Suyin fought off his grip the second time. "What is it?!" he grumbled, agitated by the interruption. The servant moved his head to the right, aiming at the main hall. "There is someone here." He softly spoke. Jianhong turned to look at Suyin, who glared at him back as he glanced at his servant. "I''ll be there." He said. If Suyin could describe the way he appeared at the moment, fumes would puff out of his nose because of how angry he was at the moment. Jianhong then left, with the servant following behind him. Suyin could take a sigh of relief, staring at the red scratch marks from the manic and the red mark on her left wrist. She could only have a moment of rest since the most important thing to do now was the escape this hellhound. How could she escape this place, though? They tied the chain to a sturdy pillar. There was no way to pull it off since the frames were all connected. Suyin pulled her left arm toward herself, but she was hurting herself instead. "These are some sturdy frames for a bed!" Suyin complained, trying to kick the frame, but hurt herself instead. She needed to find a way out, and quick before the crazy guy does something to her! ------------------------------------------------------------- *Qin Fuhua''s POV* Qin Fuhua retreated to where he left Suyin but didn''t see her anywhere. The Prince had tried to investigate who the person in black was, but as Qin Fuhua held the person, he bit his tongue, bleeding out of his mouth and stabbed himself. It startled Qin Fuhua at the sudden rashness but buried the body before he came back to Suyin. He surveyed the area, walking two blocks down the now empty district. It was already past midnight, so there weren''t many people on the road anymore. "Suyin." He turned a lady over, thinking it was her. She turned around and gave him a weird expression, frowning at him. With the random lady walking off. Concerned, Qin Fuhua looked around the district to see if she was lingering around from the lantern festival. Throughout the whole night, Qin Fuhua went to search for her, unable to find her. Exhausted, the Prince left back to the inn to sleep for several hours, to get rest so he could investigate where she had disappeared off to. ------------------------------------------------------------------ It was seven in the morning. The doors of the inn swung open to show their customers and spectators that they were open for service. People were already eating their breakfast ¡ª a simple, chicken congee, a bowl of rice, a simple blue-porcelain tea set on a table, with dumplings set at the side of the table. In front of the counter of the inn, three men stood in a triangle. Two of them were in front of the counter, and one man stood behind the counter, wearing clothes of a worker in the inn. "I am not satisfied with this at all!" The man slammed the table. "I want my money back!" "S-Sir. I apologize about this, we will compensate--" "Do you not see that the food is terrible?! We want our damn money back!" One of the men shouted. The two men were about to go out until a server collided into him, scattering the tea on his shirt. "You piece of crap! What the hell have you done!" The man slammed the server to the side, taking off his shirt. Qin Fuhua was marching down the stairs to head out to find Suyin when he regarded the man who took off the top of the robe. Qin Fuhua squinted at him, discerning an essential piece that may help him find Suyin. The man who had tea spilled on his robe was muscular, but he had wrinkles around his eyes. Whenever he grimaced, lines would appear on his forehead. He took off his outer robe in a rush, throwing it to the server''s face. There was a cut at the right side of his arm, the same area where Qin Fuhua threw the blades to the man in black the other night. As the workers rushed to soothe the man down, Qin Fuhua knew that he was going to lead him somewhere. It was an opportunity for Qin Fuhua to figure out who was trying to hurt Suyin. It additionally had to be the same reason why Suyin disappeared. ----------------------------------------------------------- An hour passed by, and the workers composed the two men down by giving them their money back. They threatened to tear the place down if it ever happens to them again but had to leave due to personal reasons. The two accompanied side by side, chatting with each other. Qin Fuhua trailed behind, trying to hear what they were conversing about. "You heard about that crazy guy? I heard the master paid a visit last night to see him about" The man leaned closer, "overthrowing the royalty." "Stupid. Remember that one girl we had to capture? That crazy man obsessed with women didn''t want to show our master he had her, but claimed that she was in one of his room." The man laughed. "But he''s not that stupid enough to fall for something like that." Qin Fuhua could only try to read words from their mouth (and try to hear them), trying to figure out what was going on. So far, he could recognize words such as "a crazy man obsessed with women" and "she''s in one of his room." Only recognizing that amount caused Qin Fuhua to grit his teeth. He could attack the two of the men, but he needed them for further inquiry with their connection to the person in this town. Qin Fuhua held his steps, concluding out who the culprit was. Obsessed with women? In his room? The only person who would fit this information would be Jianhong. Outspoken and thinks he can do whatever he wants would be the reflection of Jianhong in the village. Qin Fuhua felt an intense sense of heat emanating from his head. The two men gradually walked farther away from Qin Fuhua, but that wasn''t relevant to him at the moment. It was more important to figure out how Jianhong associates with these two men. ------------------------------------------------- Han Suyin was sleeping on the bed, with the chain bounded around her left wrist. She had dozed off due to exhaustion but was always on alert. While she slept, Suyin began sweating and hyperventilated. ***************** Qin Fuhua stood in front of the throne, his gaze never darting off on the woman on the ground. He slightly tilted his head up with no sense of sympathy or humanity. Rows of guards stood in front of the Prince and around the woman, who wore a beautiful red robe. "No! Not her!" The woman gradually got up, massaging her temples. "Kill her." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The two guards stepped up to the woman and caught her arms. Her eyes were full of tears, begging for another chance in front of Qin Fuhua, but he had no compassion. Another guard came up in front of the woman and slit her throat. "No! Stop it!--" ------------------------------------------------------------- Suyin hopped up with her hair in a mess. She was still breathing heavily, glancing around her to make sure that what she saw was just a nightmare. "It was just a dream." She gasped for air, wiping off her sweat with her sleeves. Suyin remembered that there were chains on her left arm. She could hear footsteps coming closer to the door, so she promptly laid down on the bed, feigning that she was resting. The door swayed open, with the servant bringing a tray of food for Suyin. He carefully placed it on the table near her bed and turned around to leave. Suyin took a peek, then jumped at the servant by going straight to his legs to make him fall. With Suyin''s grip on the servant''s leg like a cat clinging on someone''s legs, the servant turned to look at her on the ground. "W-What are you doing!" He tried to let go of her grasp but was not strong enough to fight her. Headstrong Suyin held onto his legs on the floor, not giving up. "Where the hell is the key?!" She darted to the chains with her eyes. "W-What key? I don''t have it!" The servant tried to grapple free from her. She was so enraged that she was stuck in the room and chained up that she blurted out an empty threat to the poor servant. "You are so dead once I strangle you!" Suyin exclaimed, clenching her grasp. "N-No! I... I just work here!" The servant began to falter, "L-Look..." Suyin didn''t let go of him, wrapping her arms around both of his legs. The servant was a skinny, fragile boy who appeared to be about sixteen years old. "I-I can help you!" Suyin stared at him but pressed harder. "Stop lying!" "I swear! The master has the key with him but I-I can help if I can!" Suyin stopped, freeing him as she hunkered down, scowling at him. The boy had wheezed for air, sitting right next to her. "Geez, lady. If I knew you were that strong and scary, I wouldn''t even volunteer to come in to deliver breakfast for you." Suyin gazed at him. "What do you mean, ''volunteer''?" "No one wanted to come in here, because they were frightened that you were dead." The servant swept off the dust from his shirt. "D-Dead?! Why the hell would they think I''m dead?" 32 Desire Recap: Jianhong had captured Han Suyin and chained her up in a room after Qin Fuhua had suddenly disappeared to chase after a mysterious person trailing after them. Jianhong spoke about the death of his wife, thanks to the Prince of Qin, and attempted to bribe Suyin to become his wife. Qin Fuhua learns that someone "crazy and obsessed with women" had captured someone that was in his room, and can only conclude that Suyin was the one who would fit in the situation. Suyin had awakened the next day, attempting to fight against (or at least trap) the servant only to learn that they all thought she was dead. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ---------------------------------------------------------------- The servant lowered his head, placing his index finger to his lips to shush Suyin. Suyin was not ashamed of how she clung onto his legs just a couple of seconds ago. She sat down, with her legs crossed as the servant hurried to take a peek outside of the doors and then turned to her. "Every time Master Jianhong keeps a woman here, the next day, they are always found dead by either hanging themselves or by the Master. He usually does not know his strength and can go crazy sometimes..." the servant had lowered his voice, barely enough for Suyin to comprehend what he was saying. "At night, we (the servants) can hear his crazy laughing by himself at night." Suyin shuddered at the thought of what would have happened the night before. If this kid didn''t barge in the night before, she wouldn''t have known what would have happened to her! "Why are you speaking to me?" Suyin questioned, interested in the reason why the servant had volunteered to come in. He was also the same person who came in the night before. "One of the older servants had mentioned about Jianhong taking interest in a woman after meeting her at the medical shop." The servant hesitated for a second, his eyes staring down at the ground, "I... know it sounds ridiculous but I can not save enough money to buy my mother''s medicine and she is very ill." His eyes then darted to Suyin''s, giving her a direct, passionate answer, "Master had promised to give me extra money to provide my medicine but had always delayed it. My mother has been getting more ill. After hearing that you possess the jade of the dragon given by the Prince of Qin, I have no chance but to ask you for money so I can buy medicine to help my mother!" He begged, lowering his head at a 90-degree angle from her. Suyin was thrown off at the kid''s desire. If it was up to this point that he had no choice but to do some work behind the master''s back to save his mother, it only meant that he was desperate for help. Suyin bit her lips, smiling at the kid. "Look. If you help me out of here, I promise you that I will give you the medicine you need." She paused for a second, "But you have to promise me that if I do that, you need to stop working for this crazy man." The servant bowed to Suyin, kneeling in front of her. "Thank you, thank you!" He generously thanked her. "I know that the Master holds the key with him all the time with a pouch on his sleeves. The only time he would not hold the key is usually his bath time or when he is sleeping. The master should be having his bath soon in the morning before he goes out, so I will make sure to keep an eye on it." Suyin nodded, "If you retrieve the key, make sure to bring extra clothes of your outfit for me to change. I''m going to burn these clothes to hide the evidence." Great! If this goes well, she could slip away from the man and figure out who this man worked for. Knowing how much he wanted to catch the Prince of Qin, she knew that there would be a trap with Qin Fuhua''s name on it. "What is your name?" Suyin asked the servant. The servant stood up and turned to her, "My name is Shao Feng." She watched him hurry out of the room. Shao Feng. Suyin had guessed at the kid''s age was ten years old, with his voice still high pitched since he didn''t reach puberty yet had a fate of working with someone so corrupted like Jianhong. Someone at the age of ten would be learning at a school or would be playing with friends, not being caged for labor that the child didn''t deserve. ---------------------------------------------- Servants lined up at the side of the hallway down to the door, waiting for Jianhong to come to the bathing room. Inside, maids had set up red flower petals on the beautiful bathtub which was about the size of a pool as the heat simmered up in the air. Jianhong entered, taking off his robe and graciously walked into the pool. At the center of a pool, a concrete statue of a beautiful lady stood in the middle of it. "My wife..." Jianhong stared at it and then started to laugh like a crazy man. Shao Feng slowly crept into the room, after the servants dispersed when Jianhong entered in the bathroom so that he could look for his robe. He watched Jianhong laugh by himself, caressing the statue as he grabbed the key to free Suyin from the chains in the room and slowly crept out of the room. --------------------------------------------------------------- *Qin Fuhua''s POV* A pigeon bird flew up in the sky, catching Qin Fuhua''s attention. He pulled out a little whistle, a sound that only birds could be heard as the pigeon flew straight to Qin Fuhua. He lifted his index finger as it landed on it, with a letter attached to the legs of the pigeon. Qin Fuhua had taken the letter off of the bird as it flew off from his finger. "There has been a sect in the village that is looking for the Prince of Qin to find reasons to take the kingdom down. Investigating at the moment is not a priority. Save Suyin and find the medicine for the Princess first. -WZ" According to the investigations he commanded Weizhe to investigate, whoever that was related to Suyin''s disappearance and the men in black that tried to attack Suyin had to be associated with someone who was trying to bring the kingdom of Qin down. Outweighing the current priority though, Weizhe''s sense of logic was exactly like Qin Fuhua: saving Suyin and the Princess. ----------------------------------------------------- *Back to Suyin''s POV* After the servant had returned to give Suyin the key so she could be freed from the chains, she had promised the servant to meet with her at night time by the medical shop. After changing into the same servant clothes just like Shao Feng, Suyin was prepared to leave, only to hear loud, massive clashes of sword outside of the room. "There''s an intruder! Bring more help here!" 33 This is my gif "Intruder?" Han Suyin paused for a second. The clothes that she wore were balled up in her arms. For her to carry her old clothes, she took one of the table cloth lying on the table to make it into a bag. Suyin had requested one of the servants (after they found out that she was still alive) to light up her lamp so she could see, but she needed to destroy her evidence. She threw the clothes down on the ground, taking one last glimpse of it before burning it with the candle. "This is my gift." Suyin watched the flames slowly creep to the clothes and took a step to peek out the door. A massive line was formed down the hallway and to the other side, with the soldiers carrying their swords. Suyin couldn''t see what was going on because of the pillars that blocked her view. If she were to rush out right now as a servant, then maybe it wouldn''t have been a big deal. Suyin had to look in the mirror to make sure that no one-- even Jianhong-- could recognize her. She had a plain, tan male servant outfit on, with a hat on her head. She had tied her hair into a bun to hide any excess hair and took a deep breath. The fire was starting to get bigger and she didn''t want to get any smoke inhaled, so she swung the door open, scurrying down the hallway. With the chaotic clashing and people groaning, Suyin wanted to try to find a way out, in an attempt to escape as quick as possible. Suyin tiptoed down the hallway, carrying her bag in front of her as she paused her footsteps. Up ahead of her was none other than Jianhong, approaching down the hall, screaming and pointing to servants to help the guardsmen. "You!!" Jianghong had noticed Suyin at the corner of his eyes. Suyin held her breath, not daring to inch forward. Jianghong had finished taking his bath and heard all the screaming occurring outside. With his hair bun still damp, the madman had rushed other servants to help the guards fight. He pointed at Suyin from afar, about 8 inches (30cm) away from her. "This isn''t the time to be washing any clothes right now! Go help the others right now!" He pointed at Suyin, spitting out fire at her. He was ready to approach Suyin until he heard another scream coming from Suyin''s direction. "Fire!!!" A servant screamed, causing Jianhong to turn his head to the screaming servant. "God damn it. Hurry and put out the fire then!" Jianhong was irritated enough with the sudden ambush. "Whoever has done this is going to die in my hands!!" He dashed off to the direction of the servant screaming fire from the room Suyin had snuck out from. Turning her body around to take a glance at Jianhong, she let out a sigh of relief that the idiot didn''t recognize him. She had to take a second to pat her heart, feeling as if it was stuck at her throat. A line of servants hurried with buckets of water running past Suyin as she tried to get out of the situation at the moment. One side of the building fought with an intruder and another fought with fire. This was the perfect opportunity for Suyin to slip out while she could. "This is not any of my business, so I need to get out of here to meet up with Shao Feng later." Suyin had thought to herself, nodding her head as she pushed through the wooden gates to enter the east side of the courtyard. Suyin had no clue where she was going but was instructed by Shao Feng to continue east to exit through the backside of the manor. High-pitched sounds made from the swords clashing against each other echoed through the courtyard as guards laid on the ground. Suyin had no interest in what was going on with the scene, attempting to flee while there was a distraction, hiding behind the huge, porcelain pots that laid at the corners of the corridors. In the middle of the scene, the person in black had knocked out one of the soldiers with his scabbard. Suyin tried to observe the person as quiet as possible, attempting to move from one pot to another while he was distracted. The person had a black suit with a mask covering his face and headgear to hide his identity and hair. The swift movements of the man in black seemed as if he was just dancing along in the wind knocking the soldiers down. Suyin found it strange that the man in black did not attempt to hurt any of these soldiers with his sword. Instead, he was knocking them down with the metal scabbard of his sword. All the men that laid all over the ground weren''t dead-- they were knocked unconscious! Instead of being too engrossed watching the scene, she was getting closer to the exit when the man noticed Suyin, flying straight toward her. "A-ah!" Suyin''s eyes had looked straight in the eyes of the man and grabbed a small chair and lifted it to attack him. The glance of the man in black immediately shifted to an expression filled with softness and relief when he saw the eyes of Suyin, stopping his steps right in front of her. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Attack him, stupid servant!" A soldier rushed with his spear aiming at the man in black while he was distracted by Suyin. The soldier''s spear aimed straight to back of the man''s lower left quadrant and struck him, barely puncturing him about 5cm in. The person groaned for a second, swinging the metal scabbard at the soldier''s head as he flew straight down to the ground due to the concussion. Suyin''s eyes widened at the scene right in front of her, dropping the chair as she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She couldn''t do anything because she couldn''t figure out who this person was. "Are you....?" Before Suyin could finish her sentence, the man in black lifted his index finger, placing it to the location of his lips. He kneeled, breathing heavily now as more soldiers came in. With the situation turned around, the man had pulled a small, dark brown glass bottle and slammed it to the ground, causing the whole area to turn into smoke. All the guards began yelling, calling each other. "Find him!!" They screamed, panicking. This was the perfect opportunity for Suyin to escape out without anyone noticing. The smell of the smoke slowly reached to the eastern courtyard, so the mixture of the bottle that the man in black had used and the smoke from the fire had made the coughing seem more intense. Suyin rushed to the wall, touching the walls to reach the wooden gate near her as she pulled the doors, small enough for her to slip out while the others suffered in the smoke. --------------------------------------------- The cicada was making noise in the garden of a home. Small bonsai trees were neatly lined up with a pathway made of stones, guiding visitors and the owner of the courtyard their rooms. "Jiejie. Jiejie. Where is Master?" A familiar voice called to the maid who carried a tray of dishes, shaking her head. "I think he went out. It''s strange... the Master never leaves without letting us know." the maid answered. The girl frowned, taking a deep sigh. "Okay. As long as he didn''t go out without taking his medicine." The maid shook her head, looking at the full teacup filled with the Master''s medicine. "He didn''t take it and just left suddenly.... as if something was going on." ***** The identity of the concerned female about her Master was none other than Jiayi, the person that Suyin had saved when she was in the brothel dressed up as a man. Jiayi was a maid of Junli''s apparently and had seized the key-shaped as a rose, known to lead to the 100-year-old Hong Teng, known to cure any kind of illness when she was at the brothel and was captured. ***** It appeared that Junli had disappeared suddenly that the maids were looking all over for him---especially Jiayi who had a bad feeling about his disappearance. "Let me know if you see him." The maid nodded, leaving the courtyard and back to the corridors that led to a large beautiful hall furnished with ancient antiques such as expensive porcelain that was given from previous Kings to swords and shields passed down from generations. Jiayi''s mind wandered off, thinking about the Master''s health until she heard a loud thud as if someone fell to the ground. Jiayi turned her head around and saw that Junli had collapsed to the ground, laying on his side as he groaned to pick up his sword. "M-Master" Jiayi had whispered, looking around to see if anyone spotted Junli and hurried to his aide, holding his shoulders as he used all of his strength to get up. "What did you do?!" Junli''s face and lips were pale. Jiayi helped him to his room and laid him down on the bed. "Go get me some medicine for me to take." He immediate ordered. Jiayi did not argue and rushed to get his daily medicine to him. Junli could bitterly laugh, with the scenes playing in his mind: [Flashback] The sight of seeing his Uncle after the lantern festival made him suspicious because he was riding a carriage as if his journey was miles away from home (when it wasn''t that far). "Oh, hello Uncle Jianhong." Junli had felt a sense of stopping his Uncle after recognizing his guards were fixing the carriage. Maybe it was another of his mistresses or girls that his Uncle loved to play around with, but Junli had felt something off about the carriage this time. Jianhong moved the cloth aside to look outside, to see who was calling him, "Uncle". "My little nephew, Lin Junli. Hello to you." "Are you heading home now?" Junli tried to take a glance in the carriage, tiptoeing and moving his head around as his Uncle frowned. "Yes! Now, keep your nose out of places where it shouldn''t be." He grumbled, going back into the carriage. "Let''s go." Jianhong rushed the soldiers. The soldiers nodded, ready to take off. The horse had slipped for a second and caused the carriage to lean to one side, revealing the inside of the carriage. Junli took the opportunity to take a glance inside the sedan and spotted the unconscious Suyin, lying in there next to his Uncle. "No... that can''t be." [end of his flashback] ------------------------------------------------ Junli let out a sigh of relief when he saw her eyes, taking off his mask wrapped around his head. He knew it was her. He knew that even though she looked like one of the servants, those eyes would never lie to him. Her eyes were always filled with empathy, kindness, and courage in them that caught his eyes when he first saw her. He would have saved her the night of the time he recognized her, but the side effects of his medicine caused in to fall into a deep sleep. Due to that, he never took his medicine in the morning, grabbing a bottle that had personally made in case he ever needed it. It was a bottle mixed with various herbs and powders, similar to making a smokescreen to lose his enemies in case something happens. "Here is your medicine, Master." Jiayi had slid the tray to him and set cloths of small, square towels to wash up his wound. "It''s no use." Junli laughed, looking at the medicine. "I only ordered you to give me medicine to help with my back, not my illness." "You need to stop thinking about that and think more about yourself! What about your family? You were so good to take the medicine yesterday so that you can meet that one lady." "That is why wearing layers of clothes, no matter if the heat is killing me or not is the only way out for me right now." Junli disregarded Jiayi''s complaint as he lifted his black top, exposing a pool of blood smothered around his skin on his back. The puncture wound was bright red and was oozing down to his buttocks. ----------------------------------------------- The sun was slowly setting, glowing the sky beautiful orange, red, and hints of blue scattering the universe. At an alleyway away from the main road, it was quiet but safe enough to walk around to be able to hear footsteps for Suyin to hide from Jianhong and his soldiers. Suyin was still wearing the servant''s clothes from Jianhong''s manor. It wasn''t possible that she could change back to her clothes because Jianhong could be hunting for her at any moment. Not just that, but wearing servant clothes that are from Jianhong doesn''t help at all. She needed to be discreet where she would be going around town and avoid large areas such as the main roads of the city. Suyin had promised Shao Feng that she would meet up with him to help his mother with medicine but didn''t have money to do so at the moment. Maybe it was possible that she could help diagnose his mother and find a cure for her instead. Suyin thought of any possibilities to help Shao Feng. Suyin had approached closer to the medical shop and had recognized Shao Feng, who had his bun tied around with a simple white string. "Shao Feng!" Suyin smiled, waving at him. "You''re here. I''m glad you got out!" Shao Feng smiled, running to her. "You know that the Master--Er.. Jianhong wasn''t too happy about what happened back at his place, right?" He pursed his lips and blew, making an expression of blowing. He mouthed out "F-I-R-E" with his lips as Suyin chuckled. "You know, he needs some heat in his life anyway and deserved it," Suyin replied, brushing it off. "Was the intruder your doing too? Was it a friend of yours or something?" Shao Feng questioned. Suyin shook her head, furrowing her brows. "I...don''t know... but he did make my escape easier." Her tone lowered, a bit concerned because she was hoping it wasn''t Qin Fuhua who was the one who got hurt in midst of this. Did he come to the manor to save her? Suyin shook her head. "Anyway, I don''t have the money with me yet, but I can help diagnose--" "Hm... who could this be, huh?" A voice called out from behind, scaring the two of them as Shao Feng and Suyin jumped around to see who it was. It was Junli who smiled at the two as he leaned on the edge of the wall. "It''s been awhile Miss Suyin, fluttering here and there." He slowly walked to Suyin, making sure that his wound wouldn''t open because of his movements. Junli was so concerned about Suyin getting captured again that he had snuck out again at night to find her. He searched everywhere for her, only to find that she was perfectly fine with no evidence of crying or pain anywhere. Junli walked up to Suyin (ignoring Shao Feng''s presence) and patted her on her head, closing his eyes. "It''s good to see that you are safe." His genuine voice softened, barely enough for Suyin to hear. Junli tried to keep a smile on his face in front of Suyin as he leaned on the wall, slowly losing his power to stand any longer as he slid down, with his head sitting up on the wall. "J-Junli!" Suyin cried, running to him as she tried to shake his arms awake. He barely had enough energy to smile now. "Junli?" Shao Feng had to think for a second to recognize the name, and hurried to his aide and Suyin. "Are you okay?" Suyin touched his head, burning with light palpation on the back of her fingers. Shao Feng tried to help Junli up but felt something warm at his back instead. He glanced at his hands to spot red blood on his hands. "Suyin, he''s bleeding from the back!" "Bleeding... from his back?" It all made sense now. The person who was in black, the soft eyes, and his words he said to her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It began getting darker as the night grew cold. A man with a fierce, cold, merciless gaze pierced through the courtyard as he sat down on the rooftop tiles. With a long cloak to keep him warm, he clenched his fist. "After all of these years, you still want to get revenge on me. Even after killing the one you love-someone who I had loved before... you still try to find something to use against me." Qin Fuhua''s words were breathlessly said in the dark cold, watching Jianhong''s every move. The wife that Qin Fuhua had to kill was precious to him(Qin Fuhua) ONCE in the past. The question was now, where was Han Suyin at in his(Jianhong''s) manor? 34 Mr. Hero *10 years ago* It wasn''t strange that the Prince had affection for a particular lady since the two of them grew up together in the palace when the nanny of Qin Fuhua brought her daughter with her. With the King''s approval of allowing her daughter, Meimei, to come to play with the Prince, the two grew close quickly. Qin Fuhua had arrived at the city of Liaoping, the bustling city known for its festival and beautiful lanterns. Qin Fuhua had made time to try to see her whenever he had the time to visit her. It appeared as if he was looking for someone as he strolled down the busy street filled with various shops. He had leaned down to stare at the various bracelets made out of green jade. "Looking for something important?" A voice called out to Qin Fuhua. He turned his head to see the face of a beautiful girl, who gently smiled as she used the sleeves to cover her face shyly. "What is the dear Prince doing here in a little city of Liaoping?" Qin Fuhua was relaxed, looking around to hide the existence of his true intentions of coming to the city. "I happened to pass by the gates and wanted to visit the town since it has been a while." The girl had her maid with her, slowly and carefully turning to her. "You can go give the baozi to the homeless. I will come by later." The maid lowered her head, "I will be taking my leave now." The lady was very obedient and reserved, calmly waiting for Qin Fuhua to say something to her. "Would your Highness like it if I, Meimei, invite you to have tea together?" Qin Fuhua lit a small smile to his face, nodding his head. "It would be my pleasure to be accompanied by a great friend like you." ----------------------------------------- *Five years ago* "Meimei, you seem distressed. What is it?" Qin Fuhua questioned. "My father... wants me to marry an older man who had promised a great future for me..." Meimei uttered. "We promised that you would wait!" "Being a lady in the palace is filled with stress!" Meimei cut Qin Fuhua off. "Being watched twenty-four hours.... having to uphold a name and reputation of being the Prince''s wife...." Meimei lowered her head but boldly glanced up at Qin Fuhua, "I can not live that life." ********************** [Literal flashbacks that Qin Fuhua could remember] During the gathering for Meimei''s wedding, Qin Fuhua had made a promise to see her. "Your Highness, please meet my husband, Jianhong." Meimei shyly smiled, covering her face with happiness as an older man walked in proudly, wrapping his arms around her shoulder. "It''s nice to meet you, Your Highness! Haha. It is an honor to be able to meet the Prince of Qin in person!!" ******************************* It was a cloudy, cold morning. A burst of freezing air howled in the sky, causing people to shiver. Rows of soldiers were lined up to watch the execution of the rumored lady that Qin Fuhua had been in love with. Tears rolled down the woman''s cheeks. Her last request was to wear a beautiful red gown before dying in front of her beloved childhood friend. Sitting in front of Meimei was Qin Fuhua, who stared down at her from his golden chair. "Meimei... why did you betray me?" Qin Fuhua''s eyes never wavered in front of Meimei as he questioned himself in his head. "I was the one who poisoned your general." Meimei''s tear had rolled down from her face but had a blank expression on her face, ready to face the consequence. "If you want to kill someone, kill me. Not my husband. I was the one who protected him." "Your Highness, this was true. Evidence shows that the tampering of the general''s drink during the stay in Liaoping was from lady Mei." the soldier commented, interlacing his hands together. "Please execute the culprit and avenge for the general!" One of the higher generals had stayed in Liaoping. Jianhong and his wife, lady Mei was captured because they were accused of poisoning the general because of a dispute between money possession. The general was cured back to health in time, but Jianhong was accused of attempted murder and was captured to stay in jail. With no choice, lady Mei confessed her crimes to let her husband out of jail for being falsely accused. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He turned his eyes away for a second, promising himself to never fall in love with another woman again. Qin Fuhua turned his head back to stare at Meimei, his expression growing as cold as the howling wind. Heartbroken, torn, and dead deep in the core of Qin Fuhua''s heart, he raised his right arm, signaling the two guards to hold her. "Kill her." Meimei''s eyes looked up at Qin Fuhua, struggling to give him one last glance before she was killed but the eyes of the cold Prince were not the same as he did five years ago. The Prince''s wrath had made him see no sympathy for betraying his people. -------------------------------------------------- [Current] **"When the red phoenix is witnessed, the sun radiates its beautiful color but the moon cries to the Phoneix to remind him to come back home." **Author''s note: Red phoenix is symbolized as noble and majestic. It is important to be cautious of other people because of their wealth and fame. Be aware of your surroundings and people. ** Soldiers crowded up in a group with Jianhong walking in front of them, pacing back and forth. Qin Fuhua was watching from afar on top of the rooftop tiles, staring at the south courtyard. Piles of dark ashes could be seen with half of the room exposed to the exterior. Qin Fuhua could barely listen to what they were saying, concentrating on the lips of Jianhong who grumbled to be able to read what he was saying. "Did anyone find lady Suyin in the fire?!" (read from the lips of Jianhong) Fire? Did something happen to Han Suyin? Qin Fuhua felt his heart sink for a second. He wanted to go down there and find her but he had to control himself. Did Jianhong do something to her? He held his scabbard so hard, it shook. His eyes were filled with disgust and hatred for the crazy man. He needed to change his plan now. ***************************************************** Han Suyin and Shao Feng had to help carry Junli back to his home. Shao Feng had been to Junli''s place once in the past a couple of months ago, but he had remembered where it was at. It was obvious why Junli''s name sounded so familiar to Shao Feng. Before speaking any further, Junli could barely speak, guiding them to the back of his home. There was a ladder left at the edge of the wall(since this was the way that Junli had left earlier). "You go first, lady Suyin. I''ll help hold sir Junli" Shao Feng stated. Suyin was worried that Shao Feng would not be able to hold Junli. "Don''t worry. I promise I can carry him. I''ve done massive work around the house worse than this." Shao Feng flashed a smile to Suyin so that she wouldn''t worry. She nodded her head and headed up the bamboo ladder first, trying to stay low at the roof tiles so she wouldn''t be detected. "Okay. Can you carry yourself for a little bit?" Suyin questioned Junli. He could only nod, breathing heavily. "Sir Junli, I will help push you up, okay?" Shao Feng clenched his teeth to help hold Junli, who tried his best to pull himself up over the ladder. After a couple of good minutes, Suyin was able to help Junli and Shao Feng was able to climb up the bamboo ladder. Putting the ladder beside a large, pink blossom tree, the three of them headed to Junli''s bedroom. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Junli breathed heavily on the bed with sweatdrops falling at the side of his temples. She wiped off his sweat with a clean towel near the bowl of warm water that was placed at the side of his bed table (assuming that the maid placed it there recently and found that Junli had disappeared again). Suyin watched carefully while Junli slept, wondering if she should go find the female servant of his for help. "....Sir Feng Junli is the uncle of Jianhong." Shao Feng mentioned. Suyin darted her eyes straight up at Shao Feng. "That makes them blood-related!" her mouth opened in shock. How could someone soft and gentle be related to someone who is a crazy, fickle old man?! "Have you heard about the rumor about the Prince of Qin who executed the lady of Jianhong....?" Shao Feng tilted his head to Suyin who could only act as if she couldn''t remember since she was nowhere near the Qin territory (since she was originally from the Long clan territory). She put her index on her hands to make it look as if she was thinking hard but shook her head. "The Prince of Qin had executed his past lover because of Jianhong. The ruthless uncle''s wife had poisoned the brother-in-law who was a high-rank general because of money issues." Shao Feng scratched his head. "I only heard it from the other servants here and there. They said it was the reason why he went mad." Suyin looked at the child, her eyes uneasy. "Why did you work for the crazy, old man then?" "My mother was very sick and I had no more jobs I could do. I begged for money to help save my mother and Jianhong decided to take me in.... only to barely pay to buy a single bread." The child''s eyes were sunken, his tone barely keeping up with him. "It''s only been almost a year but I barely managed to save enough for the cheaper herbs for my mother." "Don''t worry Shao Feng. I will help you as soon as I can, okay?" Suyin pats his head, smiling at him. Suyin glanced back at Junli, who calmly rested. Although his breathing wasn''t intense as it was before, she needed to take a look at his wound. Suyin sat down on the bed of Junli, gently waking him up. "Junli. Feng Junli." She uttered. Shao Feng took a step but froze. He knew that it was wrong for a maiden to look at a man''s body-- even little Shao Feng would have known that. "Can you help me?" Suyin asked Shao Feng, who nodded in return. Shao Feng helped Suyin so that Junli could sit up. She untied the knot to the male''s robes as the bloodstain seeped through his inner robe. She lifted his robes down, only revealing the back of his skin to her while Shao Feng was in the front of Junli. "Junli. I''m going to clean your wound, okay?" Suyin stated, her voice lowered. Junli was weak but was able to speak to her, "Pardon for being too much of a burden for you two." He softly answered, facing in front of Shao Feng as he shook his head. "No, don''t worry about it, Sir Junli." Shao Feng answered. There was a sound of footsteps heading their way, but Suyin, Shao Feng, and Junli were too occupied with what had occurred to not notice. "Young master, is that you?" A voice called outside of the room. She was in a hurry, sliding the door open. Right before her eyes were Shao Feng and Suyin who froze in place, staring at the servant of Junli, Jiayi. She frowned as her face began to quickly turn red. Jiayi scurried to Suyin and slapped her across her face, causing Suyin to make an unpleasant expression towards Jiayi. "What the hell are you doing to the Young Master?!" Jiayi screamed at Suyin. Suyin''s face was red from the impact. Damn it! If Suyin wasn''t occupied with her hands, she would be swinging a slap back at Jiayi. The audacity of this girl! "Jiayi! What are your manners?!!" Junli raised his voice, something that Suyin had never seen before. He managed to use up his energy to yell at the little maid. "But this person! I... I thought he was trying to hurt you!" Suyin did not want to get her nose in any problems or get stuck in between one, so she began cleaning his wound with the white towel at the side, washing off the blood. Besides that, she had forgotten that she was wearing a male servant''s outfit and she was currently a "male" right now. "These two are trying to clean my wound and save me. You did not do a proper job of wrapping my wounds! Now apologize to this savior!" Suyin''s face was stinging because of the slap but couldn''t bear to be distracted by the little chaos. Jiayi''s face was as red as a tomato because she was embarrassed due to her rash actions. "I...Jiayi wishes for an apology from the savior" Jiayi kneeled immediately, not daring to glance at Suyin. "Go get me more water, towels, and wraps if you have them," Suyin demanded from Jiayi, not caring about her apology at all. Although she could feel the sting on her face, it was more important to make sure Junli''s wound wouldn''t get infected any further. -------------------------------------------------- It took about two to three hours to wrap up everything with Junli. Jiayi had brought Junli his daily medication as well as his medicine (that was approved by Suyin) to help relieve his fever and pain. Junli had the maids prepare the guest rooms for Shao Feng and Suyin in Junli''s courtyard. Suyin could be seen sitting outside in the courtyard, sitting down at the edge of the stairs. She stared up in the sky, staring at the clear moon that reflected on the little pond next to the stairs. "Jiayi apologize for what I have done." Jiayi''s voice was behind Suyin, who turned around. "I really thought that you guys were trying to kill him." Damn it. If Jiayi wasn''t so sincere in her apology, Suyin would have slammed one back at her, but it seemed like she repented for what she had done so Suyin. "It''s... fine." Suyin regrettably said, turning to look at Jiayi in the face. She had to roll her eyes deep down in her own thoughts for letting Jiayi get a freebie slap from her, but decided to be a good person and brush it aside. Jiayi bowed, ready to leave until she saw the face of Suyin (*Mind you, she is in a MALE servant outfit with a hair bun tied up with a white string very similar to Shao Feng''s outfit). Jiayi paused for a second, staring at Suyin for a couple of minutes. Suyin gave her a confused expression, touching her face. "Is...Is there something wrong with my face?" She asked. Suyin had forgotten that a couple of months ago, she had saved Jiayi and a couple of other female prisoners in a basement at a brothel. "Thank you, Mr. Hero. I shall never forget this." (Author''s note: Chapter 12, page 12) "You...You''re Mr.Hero!" Jiayi hurried in front of Suyin, shocked at what she had done to her. "Oh my... how dare I slap the hero who saved my life!" Jiayi had now bowed in front of Suyin when her knees on the ground. The lights had lit a bulb in her head when Jiayi had mentioned, Mr.Hero. Suyin laughed, shaking her hands. "I... I think you are mistaken!" Suyin had mentioned. "No. I know it IS you! YOU were the one that saved us." "I think you have mistaken... I uh... am just a low servant who has no money and found Junli--- er YOUNG MASTER Junli at the side of the shop." Suyin answered, trying to reject Jiayi. "I could never forget your face...." "You uh..." Suyin had to think for a second. Qin Fuhua''s mission here was to retrieve the key. If she had someone who LIVES here to help her, that would be perfect for her! It was a set stone then! She was going to play this role as the "Mr.Hero" with her male servant outfits so that she could acquire more information about the location of the key someone in the city. It would be easier for her to move around dressed up as a man since Jianhong wouldn''t figure her out anyway. "Please keep it a secret that I saved you from the brothel. I just couldn''t handle it with the thought of all of the helpless women stuck in there like that." Suyin went along with the story. "Jiayi is pleased to help as much as she can for her savior. Without you, Mr.Hero, I wouldn''t have been here." Jiayi paused for a second, "May I have your name... Mr.Hero?" Damn it. She needed a name to go with the hero play now. "It is my pleasure to help. You can call me Shu" It was a lame attempt for making a Mr.Hero name, but it was her nickname back in her days anyway. "Jiayi is pleased to meet you. Jiayi will be taking her leave now." She carefully bowed, walking off in the distance. Suyin watched her disappear from her sight before letting out a loud sigh. Great! At least she would have someone on her side now at the moment. It was perfect for her to start somewhere to look for the key while she hid. All that was important right now was to let Qin Fuhua know that she is doing fine now. ------------------------------------------------------------- "Welcome my friend Tienzheng!" Jianhong let out a big smile, opening his arms, boasting about his manor to Tienzheng, who was also known as Qin Fuhua. Yi Tienzheng was his ''other'' name, given with a fictional background. Qin Fuhua''s master had given him a special mask fit for him to be able to hide his identity, which he uses to investigate in areas where he wouldn''t be in too much danger as he would with the identity of the Prince of Qin. Changing this plan was like walking in a tiger''s den, but doing so would lead him to more answers to find where Han Suyin had disappeared off to. Tienzheng walked down the corridors and into a room that had a table for the two to sit down and have tea. Jianhong began to pour rice wine in both of the cups, handing one to Tienzheng as Jianhong held one too. Tienzheng could smell the alcohol from the man''s breath and knew that the crazy bastard was barely there. "Remember our alliance with our brotherhood?" Jianhong mentioned. Tienzheng nodded his head, smiling as the two lifted their teacups to finish the drink in one go. "Tienzheng. I wanted to tell you about your wife." Jianhong then stated, in a serious tone. He paused for a second, as Tienzheng calmly listened. He knew that Jianhong was testing him, so he lit up his expression. "It seems to me that my beloved wife has gone missing for a while. Have you seen her by chance?" Tienzheng stated, his eyes perking up at the man''s gaze. "That''s what I wanted to talk about." He shook his head, sighing in regret. "I know that you two were only married for a short period, but... your wife has betrayed you." Tienzheng slammed the table with his right palm, "Nonsense!!" He cried out, "She would never do that!" "Your wife... did you know she was the spy for the Prince of Qin?" The man was plain stupid. Tienzheng continued to play along with Jianhong, to acquire more information. "There were some men that followed her back and tried to attack her. They were aiming for you in reality instead of that lady... Suyin. I know that you''ve lived your whole life here secluded, but I''m sure your marriage was just a set up to keep an eye on things around in this town... especially after my wife..." Tienzheng laughed it off, shaking his head. "How wild can a little woman be? That''s why you can not trust women at all and have them as your toy... correct?" Tienzheng poured another cup of glass to Jianhong. "Tomorrow, we set off to the brothel! I will treat my brother and myself well to the ladies there!" 35 Personal feelings [The next day] Suyin had just finished combing her beautiful long hair and tied it up into a topknot with a white tie. With her old outfit still intact, Suyin didn''t get a chance to take a bath. The night before she went to bed, Junli had commanded Jiayi to summon her into his room. Junli laid in bed, his long, beautiful silky hair covered his pale, white skin. He turned his head to look at Suyin, still resting on the pillow with his hands on his abdomen. "I already let Jiayi know that you are a guest, but everyone will think that you are my medical man. Shao Feng will be your ''assistant'' so that others may not question..." You seem very skilled in taking care of wound care." Junli stated. Suyin tried to avoid his eye contact, nodding her head. "True. Maybe I should temporarily stay here until you are healed." Suyin answered. In reality, she could take this opportunity to start searching for the key for Qin Fuhua. "Thank you, sir Junli for allowing me to stay in your manor." Junli lit a small smile, then paused. "Would your husband be worried that you are staying in another man''s home?" Suyin paused, forgetting that she was ''married'' by words to that cold-hearted Prince in Liaoping for the sake of finding the key. Although they are not married in reality, it was just a play so that no one would suspect Qin Fuhua. "Heh heh... Actually... I think it''s better if I just hide here for now. I do not want him to worry about what had happened. I''ll let him know that I''m okay eventually." Part of what she had said was true. She did want to let Qin Fuhua that she was okay, but she didn''t want him to worry about her... that is... if he''s even worried! Before she had left the room, Junli ordered Jiayi to hand her some new clothes that would fit her so that her old clothes wouldn''t cause any disturbances if his uncle (Jianhong) found her, wearing his servant''s clothing. [Author''s Note: Each household, if they were very wealthy, had their clothing for their servants, maids, etc based on how they are treated by their Masters. (Example given, Jianhong''s servants wore white and blue basic outfits, but Junli''s servants have a better quality of clothes). This showed their ownership and wealth. Some noble families can only afford common servant clothing though. I am not sure if this is true in reality, but this idea was made up in my mind and if it is true, it is just pure coincidence!] ------------------------------------------------ [The next day] Someone knocked on the door, causing Suyin to fly out of her seats because she was supposed to be a "man." She had a cloth to wrap her breasts so that her chest would seem "flat" than curved when you look at her from the side profile. "Come in," Suyin called out. She had fixed her hair, tying it into a topknot. With the new outfit on, Suyin had a lime green hat with a lime green, silky one-layered robe. Although it looked plain, small sewn flower vines with the initial "FENG" written on it (in Chinese). She turned to see Shao Feng smiling at her. He was wearing a beautiful darker lime green colored outfit but was plainer since it was a servant''s outfit. She could say though, it looked WAY better than Jianhong''s choices of his servant''s outfits. "Shao Feng! You look amazing!" Suyin complimented. Shao Feng smiled shyly. "Did you let Junli know that we are going out?" Suyin asked. Shao Feng nodded. "Sir Junli had requested us to pick up his medicine at the medical shop on the way back." He added. ------------------------------------------------- The pair set out down in the bustling Liao Ping city to the East side of Liao Ping, known as the poor side of the city that no one cared to go. Most of the people there lived in a cramped home as about the size of a bathroom. In contrast to the bustling city of Liaoping that Suyin was introduced, this side of the town was dark, depressing, and quiet. There were still people walking out there and there were small shops selling soup and used items sold for very little money. The atmosphere around the area felt more depressing. Shao Feng arrived at a little wooden home with Suyin right next to him. "Ma! I''m back." "Is that my little Shao?" An older voice called out. Shao Feng hurried inside as he urged Suyin to follow him. The two walked inside the room, with his mother sitting on a chair, boiling some water on a little fire pit. "Ma, I brought a friend with me to help cure you." Shao Feng said, holding his mother''s hand. Her eyes were wrinkled. His mother looked like she was in the mid-40s. "Ah, child!" She slapped Shao Feng''s hands, "Why did you bring a medical man here for? How can you afford to bring one to me?!" She yelled at her son. "Ma. Don''t worry, this is my friend." Shao Feng looked at Suyin in the eyes as she nodded. "Don''t worry. Shao Feng is a very good friend of mine. I came here on my own will to see how you are doing." Suyin smiled, reassuring the lady. "I''m thankful for you to be friends with someone like my child." In the home, there were only two chairs in the little home. Although it was small, it was warm and cozy enough to feel right at home. The mother slapped her son''s hands again. "Go get her a chair, won''t you?" She ushered Shao Feng to get a chair. Suyin laughed, "It''s okay. I''m here to see how you are doing. Do you mind if I check your pulse?" Shao Feng''s mother nodded. Suyin began to feel the veins on her wrist, quietly listening. Suyin could tell that her pulse was fast. Too fast that there was something wrong with her. Suyin showed Shao Feng''s mother the back of her palm, "May I?" She questioned. Shao Feng''s mother nodded without hesitating as Suyin went straight to feel her forehead. It was abnormally warmer than usual. "How are you feeling?" Suyin began to question. Shao Feng''s mother smiled at Suyin. "Shao Feng, where are your manners? Here. Go out and buy us some bread to treat this kind young friend of yours." "But Ma... what about my friend?" "Don''t worry about him! Just go." Shao Feng''s mother ushered him to go. He stared at Suyin and mouthed, "I''ll be right back" and ran off to find food. "My, my." Shao Feng''s mother got up slowly, and slowly walked back to her bed as she covered herself with her blanket. "It seems like I wouldn''t get away from a Doctor like you." Shao Feng''s mother said. Suyin could tell that she was hiding her sickness from Shao Feng so that he wouldn''t worry about her. "Has my son caused any problem for you? To beg you to come to help me?" She asked. Suyin shook her head. "No, I came here really on my own. For someone young like Shao Feng, I don''t understand why no one would help him." Shao Feng''s mother moved her hand inward, urging Suyin to come to see her on the bed. "I''m dying." Suyin looked at her, with no hesitant, the old lady only smiled in her bed. "My son doesn''t know that. He thinks that I''m temporarily sick, but I know that if I tell him that I am dying, I don''t think he would be able to handle it." Shao Feng''s mother''s eyes were closed, her eyes wrinkled as she slowly spoke on her small, bamboo bed. "My husband had gone to the war and never came back home when I had Shao Feng. As time passed on and he continued to grow up, I gave up everything for him. Although we were poor and didn''t have much, seeing the smile on my son''s face was enough for me." "Don''t say that. I didn''t get to diagnose your illness." Suyin softly said, putting her hands on Shao Feng''s mother''s hand. She lit up a smile as she opened her eyes. Small, gentle, and fragile hands were laid on top of Suyin''s. "My body is not young anymore. Sometimes when I want to do something, it won''t listen. I just can''t move the same as I could when I was younger." She stared up at the ceiling. "I couldn''t move my body.... but when I heard my child call my name, it felt like I woke up from a dream." She bitterly smiled, "In my dreams, my husband called me, but as I got closer to him, I woke up to hear my son''s voice instead." She turned to Suyin. "The money my dear child had saved up for me... I went to the doctors to tell me that something is wrong with my heart. They said the blood isn''t flowing well [Note: Coronary artery disease; Damage or disease in the heart''s major blood vessels]." Suyin frowned. "I think you should let your son know. It''s best for you and him. What you are doing is selfish and would lead him to have no one in this world after you leave." Suyin had figured that there was a possible chance that her heart was not flowing well, based on the irregular heartbeat that she had listened to earlier. "My son is still young." "Who cares if he is still young! If he knows that his parents chose to leave him all alone without letting him know, do you think that he will ever grow?!" Suyin had blurted it out. The feeling of warmth-frustration, pain, anger-- began to boil within her. "My parents had passed on without ever letting me know. What did I get to do that?" Suyin was more upset now as if she spoke to her parents at the moment (her parents back in the present day who had passed away when she was young). "Why is it that you do not understand his passion? You don''t understand that all he wants to do is for you to get better. If not, why not let him spend all his time with you instead of keeping everything a secret? Doesn''t that hurt you and him in the end?!" Shao Feng''s mother did not say a single word. Suyin had clenched her hands into a fist, holding her feelings back. It shouldn''t be personal to her, but it hit her right on the spot in her heart. "I''m back." Shao Feng said, bringing a little white bag as he hurried in. "Shao Feng, stay for today and go take care of your mother. I''ll let Junli know and you can come back tomorrow." Suyin ordered. "Sort things out here first." "Suyin but I.." Before Shao Feng could say anything, Suyin rushed out of the little home. Right as she left, she could hear Shao Feng''s mother. "Shao Feng, my dear child... I have something to tell you...." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Suyin could feel the heat emitting within her. Suyin was the only child but her parents were never there to support her in the beginning. They had always made excuses that they were out busy or at work. Through the years of medical schooling and upon the last semester of her graduation, that was when she received a phone call that her mother had passed away from prostate cancer that she didn''t know of and her father had gone crazy and killed himself by overdose after her mother''s death. Selfish. It was the only word she could think of throughout the whole time that they hid all of the lies in front of her. She didn''t get to say goodbye and they never told her anything. On the day of the funeral, her relatives gossiped about her, being a "left-out" child since she had no clue what had happened until it was too late. They believed that Suyin was a bad child, despite her being in medical school and even thought that she was forced to be taken care of by her very own parents. "Selfish!" Suyin had blurted out of her mouth in front of the crowd near a brothel shop. Her eyes were swelled up but because of her anger, she was able to hold back her tears. "S-Sorry." Suyin had to laugh it off. The crowd of people stared at her as if she was crazy and continued with their own business. "Okay. I have no time to think about the past. It''s time for me to get the medicine for Junli." Suyin took a deep breath so that she would regain her conscious and feelings. It was important to not be distracted and off-track as she wiped her eyes. She then began to head to the medical shop to pick up the medicine for Junli. ------------------------------------------------------------------- A crowd of ladies dressed in very light robes huddled together around Jianhong and Fuhua (who is disguised as Tienzheng). Jianhong has been drinking throughout the whole time and Fuhua had been feeding him with more rice wine to make him drunk. The stench of alcohol and sweet scents of various types of smell in the brothel would make one dizzy in the place, but not for the men who were the wolves. "Would you like me to massage you, my lord?" One of the ladies asked Qin Fuhua. He played it cool and smiled at her, staring at her face until he noticed someone walking past the brothel outside. A familiar, looking person continued to stomp off. Could it possibly be? Han Suyin?! Qin Fuhua had distanced himself from the group, heading outside. "Hey, hey! Where are you going?!" Jianhong exclaimed, ushering Fuhua to come back. "I''m going to get some air. You enjoy your time with the ladies." Qin Fuhua said, heading outside of the brothel. He quietly followed the person in a lime-green robe. "That couldn''t possibly be." All of a sudden, he could see her eyes shimmering as if she wanted to cry. "Selfish!" The crowd all watched her as well as Qin Fuhua calmly within the crowd. She sluggishly chuckled it off and bustled off into the medical shop. "Finally, I found you." Qin Fuhua softly said, observing her. After Suyin got out of the shop to pick up the medicine, she hopped off back to Junli''s manor, not knowing that Qin Fuhua was secretly tailing her along the way. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Suyin felt like she was being watched and followed, feeling tense as she made a sharp turn. As Qin Fuhua tried to race after her, he noticed that she was running away from him. "That idiot!" Qin Fuhua had said in his head. With her running and making all of the fuss, it would only cause a commotion around the shopping district. He flew up the roof tiles and began to fly towards her, picking her off of her feet. "Awh, get off of me!" Suyin struggled, her feet wriggling in the air as Qin Fuhua carried her up to the top of a random building. Suyin was facing in the front of Qin Fuhua, so she back to elbow the sides of his chest but didn''t feel any pain from her fight. "What''s wrong?" Suyin paused right after she heard him speak. It was strange that the owner of this voice sounded... concerned and sincere since he was always a cold-hearted Prince. She stopped struggling as time froze in place. The two words that popped up in his mind were those two words. He couldn''t let go of her when she had such a sad yet painful expression on her face when she screamed out in the crowd like that. Holding her like that, Qin Fuhua finally let Suyin go so that she could see who it was. "Qin...Fuhua?" Suyin softly whispered, staring at his beautiful eyes. Those were the eyes that Suyin remembered. Suyin could not see his identity (Tienzheng) which was a special mask that Qin Fuhua''s master had given him to hide his identity. She was the only one who couldn''t see it at all. She could only see his true self, so it was hard for her to know whether or not she should call him that. His eyes were not sharp nor they were not fierce. Suyin had noticed that his face was relaxed, his eyes were fixed straight to her own eyes. Qin Fuhua gently held her shoulders and leaned in closer to her. This time, his face was visibly closer to her face now and she could smell the orange fragrance scent coming from him. Qin Fuhua was not mad at her. No way. His eyebrows slowly lifted as he softly spoke to her. "I said, what''s wrong?" He repeated the same words that he had said earlier but this time, softer. It was nearly the same tone he used to speak to his sister, but it was a sterner and direct. "Huh...what?" Suyin had to shake her head for a second to regain her consciousness. She was so focused on his handsome face that she forgot to answer him. "I..uh.." Qin Fuhua let go of her shoulders. From afar, Qin Fuhua was taller than Suyin, so he had to look down on her while Suyin stared up to look at his face. "I um...I''m okay." Suyin couldn''t look at his face when she said that. She knew it was a lie and for some reason, she just couldn''t lie to him. "Liar." Qin Fuhua commented. "I just..I..." Suyin couldn''t say anything but stutter. All of a sudden, she felt a caress on her head. She lowered her head, surprised at his action as he tenderly stroked the top of her head with his hands. It was a couple of seconds but for Suyin, it felt like time had stopped between the two of them. The way that Qin Fuhua acted at the moment was not normal. She felt her head and then tip-toed to feet his head. "Are you okay?" Suyin questioned. "Where are you staying?" Qin Fuhua asked as he stopped caressing to know how she was doing. "I''m staying at er..." If Qin Fuhua knew that she was staying at Junli''s place, he would drag her out because it would ruin his name. "I''m staying at my friend''s place! He''s my savior who helped me escape from that one pighead''s place." "Pighead...?" Qin Fuhua paused for a second to think about what Suyin had said. "Then that''s good. Are you being a little hero again, troublesome one?" He questioned, looking up and down on her outfit. "Y-Yeah! How did you know it was me?" It came to him that the Master had foretold him about a beauty who would come to his path during his journey. A woman with a scent of Magnolia blossoms. Suyin was the only person in his life that only had this scent and it was very peculiar for him to smell another woman''s scent (since he could care less about other ladies and it was always a perfume, not themselves). "Someone made a scene and I decided to see who it was and found you." He stated. Suyin smiled at him. "It was really... um... nothing to worry about." She pointed down at the ground. "Can you send me back down? I have to go back to send the medicine back to my friend." Suyin uttered. Qin Fuhua narrowed his eyebrows which now seemed normal to see this face of his for Suyin. He carried her princess-style and jumped down from the rooftop in a second, causing Suyin to scream internally in her head. A bit dizzy from the sudden blood rush as Qin Fuhua let her down, she was about to fall when he quickly held her wrist. "Are you sure you''ll be okay?" Qin Fuhua asked. It took a couple of seconds for Suyin to get all the blood back to normal in her head as she nodded to reassure him. "Yes. Don''t worry. I''ll be back as soon as I retrieve the key." Suyin reassured. She waved at him and hurried down the pathway and made another sharp turn. "Retrieve the key?" He was the only person (besides Jianhong) who knew that the servant had possession of the key, so how did Suyin know where to go? ---------------------------------------------------- 36 Accomplice Qin Fuhua decided to trail Suyin behind, not letting her know that he was stealthily following her. It seemed to him that her spirits were lifted back up after talking to her, so she bustled off to her destination. Qin Fuhua had to keep her distance from her so that he could find out where she was staying. Every time she took a turn to a corner, Qin Fuhua had to hide behind a wall, pottery, or cart to make sure that she wouldn''t discover him at the corner of her eye. The two soon reached the gates of Junli''s manor. Although she crossed by the entrance and made a sharp turn to the left, Qin Fuhua took a glimpse at what she was doing: the lady raised the bamboo ladder from layers of stacked hay and climbed up the roof and bounced down to the other side after she took the ladder to the other side of the manor. Qin Fuhua was curious about the identity of her savior since she wouldn''t have possibly known someone in a higher rank due to her unfamiliarity with the city (based on the manor that he was living in). He secretly flew over to hide behind a large tree to see the maid that Qin Fuhua had been following! "Sir Shu, the young master Junli is waiting for you in his room," Jiayi declared. Suyin grinned as she nodded her head, with Qin Fuhua observing from afar. He examined their actions. Suyin lifted a small black bag about the size of a coin bag (Junli''s medicine) and walked to knock on the sliding door. "That stupid idiot. Does she not know how to take care of herself?" Qin Fuhua was disturbed that she was barging into a random person''s room. Although Qin Fuhua wanted to investigate more and find out about what was going on with Suyin, he had to go back to attend the pighead in the brothel. With one last look back at the manor, he hopped over to the outside of the manor and walked back to the brothel. --------------------------------------------------------- "I''m here with medicine," Suyin lifted the black little bag. "Oh, and Shao Feng will be spending the night at his mother''s place. There was a little problem that needs to be fixed." Junli was sitting up this time, putting his weight on the right side of the bed. Although it looked like he had more energy than the day before, his face still appeared to be pale than ever. "That''s fine by me." He glanced at her appearance. Although Suyin was dressed up as a medicine man, she still looked gracefully stunning in the outfit. He had to shake off the reminder that she was a married woman and aimed at the table about five feet away from him with his eyes, "Do you mind putting the medicine on the table and lay it out? I will be there by then." Junli softly requested. Suyin nodded her head, "Mn" She headed straight to the table to lay out the little black bag. The bag had a couple of things in there: dried poisonous scorpion, small herbal plants that looked like buds of a flower, little balls of what looked like dried pill bugs, and finely grounded green herbs. From her guess, the medicine that Junli has been taking is critically important for his health. Poison? Herbs? It could only mean one thing: fighting against the Yin and Yang in his body. Suyin had studied about this while she was trained by Wansun, a good friend of hers she had met that was a medicine scholar. *Mini flashback when Suyin stayed over at Wansun''s place* "In our body, we have a Yin and a Yang. Without either one of them, our body will not properly function well. They are the function in our body, being the Yin as the organ and the Yang as our function of the organ." Suyin had a scroll about the body''s function as a Yin and Yang. "Some poison will be given as a treatment to balance the body out. The only circumstance that this would happen is when the person is seriously ill and need to have a negative effect to hinder the illness." *end of flashback* Someone knocked on the door as Suyin swung her head to see who it was. "Come in," Junli stated. A maid carried a wooden tray with her. A small, white porcelain pot was in the center of the tray. "Place it on the table and leave," Junli added. He deliberately held himself up, enough to hold back his groan. After putting the tray on the table, the maid hurried out. "I know there''s a lot to process, but this is what I have to deal with every day," Junli remarked, trying to laugh it off as he sat on a chair next to Suyin. Suyin didn''t respond to him, modestly sitting there with no emotion on her face. "Hey..... hello?" He leaned a bit forward to look at her face. "Are you okay?" He inquired, wondering if there was something wrong with her. "With an illness so serious as this, why are you taking this so lightly?" Suyin abruptly blurted out, her eyes directly looking at his now. "What do you mean?" Junli leaned back this time with her sudden outburst. "Looking at all of these medicines, having to take it every single day... it has to mean one thing only: your illness is incurable!" Junli was surprised at her prediction. How did she know that he had an incurable disease? "Wait... did you just figure that out by looking at all of the medicine that was in the bag?" Suyin bit her lip and nodded her head. "Mn. There''s poison that''s working against other herbals that are good for you." Junli''s eyes lit up. "I knew you were a great person! It was a good idea to have you pick up the medicine!" he excitedly said, standing up from his seat. As he stood up, he could feel the immense pain at his back, causing his butt to slowly fall back to the seat. "What do you mean by that?" Suyin questioned. "A good idea to have me pick up the medicine?" "According to the way how you dealt with the wound and your gentle, caring nature, I had a feeling that you have some knowledge in medicine." He said, all proud. His smile never left his face throughout this whole time. "So, what do you have?" Suyin questioned, putting all the herbal in the teapot. "Nothing much...." the smile that was on his face began to fade into a little pout. "Ever since I was born, the doctors couldn''t find out what was wrong with me. The doctors cannot figure what is wrong with me but all they know is that I was not allowed to go out during the day because of the sun." Junli stated, pouring the medicine in the teacup. "I''ve always hated drinking these." He said before taking a whole gulp of the medicine. He made a sour expression before continuing, "I''ve tried to go out in the sun before, but red dots appear all over my body." Junli laughed, remembering something in the past, "I nearly died because I couldn''t even breathe too!" He said, shaking his head. Suyin began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "That explains all of the layers of clothing you wear to go out. Not to mention how white your skin is." Suyin blurted out without thinking. "Most likely.... maybe a sun allergy. Solar urticaria?" Suyin thought to herself. It was the only crime to the illness that correlates with the problem. There was no doubt that he would have to take the medicine if he wanted to go out. There would be consequences after all. Junli chuckled, shaking his head. "That''s only if I take this medicine. Without this nasty stuff, though, I wouldn''t bear to get out of here without breathing or having these red bumps on my body." He then silently watched her, with a bitter grin this time. "Because of this disease though, I grew further apart from my father" Junli added on. Suyin gazed at him, disregarding the disease. "When I was a bit younger, a couple of years back, I heard that my Uncle Jianhong and his wife tried poisoned my father." He poured more medicine in the teacup and took another gulp. This time, taking in the bitter as he took a long breath. "Funny to say that my father is a high-ranking general of Qin." He smirked, "Maybe that''s why my uncle was so jealous of him. My uncle was nothing but a mere wealthy merchant with no name except a shadow behind my father''s name." He paused for a second, looking down on the ground, "I heard that his wife, Mei, had planned it all along. It dragged the Prince, my father, my uncle, and that lady all in one web of a problem." Prince? Was this related to the killing of Jianhong pig''s late wife that drove him crazy? "Didn''t the Prince... kill Jianhong''s wife?" Suyin questioned. She was sure that Qin Fuhua wouldn''t have killed someone ruthlessly like that. Suyin had wished that he didn''t. She knew that Qin Fuhua was a good person... but the name that was given to him like the Prince of Misfortune. Was it just all in her thoughts that he was a kind? Junli nodded his head. "During that time, there was a lady people called, ''Meimei'' who was a graceful woman that everyone believed would have ended up with the Prince. Whenever the Prince came to town, the townspeople believed that he would take her to the palace to get married to her since the two grew up together as kids." Suyin felt her heart shrink a little after hearing that. Did the Prince have feelings for this woman... too? "The Prince never came back for a while and Meimei got married to Uncle Jianhong. She devoted her life and heart to him..." He grimaced, "All that and she gave up her life to save his! And the one who killed him would be the person that grew up with her. The Prince had no room for any compassion for anyone but himself. It is rumored that he killed her due to his jealousy." Suyin now felt like her stomach had plummeted this time. The Prince killing someone that grew up with him? Was he someone that she could trust? "I still don''t believe that my Aunt Mei did it. Although she was executed and killed, she wasn''t the one who tried to poison my father. There was no way that she was able to do something gruesome like that. It had to be my Uncle! He was the one who wanted my father''s gift given by the King so he could use it to sell for more money! That greedy old bastard. He''s still trying to get on our good side to steal the antiques!" He slammed the table with his fist, causing Suyin to jump up. "I''m sorry. Did I startle you?" Junli looked at Suyin, who shook her head. "I understand the anger that is resented in you. I think that it''s important for you to keep up with your health though if you want to keep fighting with that spirit." Suyin stated, pouring the last medicine into the teacup. "If you keep ignoring your daily medicine, you won''t get well and you will get worse, we wouldn''t want that, right?" Suyin softly said, sliding the teacup towards him. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The busy streets of the brothels were filled with plenty of women down the streets and rich men howling with women by their chests. "Hey, handsome man. Come inside and we will show you some fun." An older lady called out to Qin Fuhua, who ignored her request and hurried back to the brothel. The brothel was busier than usual. When Qin Fuhua entered the brothel, he could see that Jianhong''s face was flushed from all of the alcohol. There were only two ladies by his side now, hugging him as he continues to hand him paper money like it was nothing to him. "It seems like my brother is having a good time." Qin Fuhua abruptly said, sitting across from the two girls. "HAHA! Of course, I am!" Jianhong glanced at Qin Fuhua and then looked at his girls, "Where are your gals?" He asked. "I nearly fell asleep waiting for you for so long!" Qin Fuhua could only laugh. "I apologize. I had forgotten to bring my bag of money. I wanted my dear brother to enjoy this so I decided that I should pay for this evening''s time." Qin Fuhua swiftly answered. "Come! Grab some more beautiful ladies for both of us!" He ordered Qin Fuhua to have a taste of spending time with the ladies too. Qin Fuhua calmly smiled, "My dear brother, I am too tired and if I drink more, I will just fall asleep here until the night howls. I will grab a lady when my tiredness is gone away." He added. Jianhong could only look at him for a second then laughed it off. "Dear brother! Don''t tell me that you are already going to sleep at this hour?!" He pushed the two ladies off, ushering them to leave the room. "Dear Haus, leave this room for the two men to talk." He said. The two ladies fell down the ground and gave him a dirty look before leaving. "It is said that women are delicate like flowers. Plucking the flowers make them less valuable." Jianhong commented, with a big grin on his face as he watched the two girls leave. "That''s all they want. Money. With a big name and money, they are willing to do anything for it." He rolled his eyes from the door to Qin Fuhua, who calmly sat there to listen. "Don''t you think so, dear brother Tienzheng?" Qin Fuhua grinned, acknowledging him. "Don''t you think that a little flower that was in my hands had been plucked off too?" Qin Fuhua knew where this was going. He wanted to remind Qin Fuhua that Suyin had betrayed him. "Your lady... that woman. What was her name again? Yinsu? She was trying to pry on my money and gave you away like it was no game for her." He added. After meeting Suyin and learning what had happened, he could feel an immense heat gradually increase from his body. Who did this guy think he is? He could only hold his anger in the form of a fist under the table across from the man who was behind all of this. "My dear sworn brother. I would never break it apart for a mere little woman like her." Qin Fuhua gave a big smile to Jianhong. "Do you think that I married her for no reason? She was a lady of a wealthy family. I took her in so I can take care of the possessions the family would give me." he added on. "Haha! My, what a great brother you are. Your ideas are swell just like mine!" Jianhong laughed. All of a sudden, his expression changed into a serious one. His eyes were set on Qin Fuhua''s eyes immediately. "Say, since we are this. Why don''t we use your wife as an escape?" The man''s volume began to decrease to a room level so that only Qin Fuhua could hear. "Escape?" Qin Fuhua sought, with a wicked smile on his face, playing the pig''s game. "There has been something I''ve been wanting to get, but someone is in the way. This gift is so valuable given by the King, that the person is practically protected from it. If we were to get this gift and sell or even steal it, this city will be in the palm of our hands!" Jianhong leaned from the other side of the table, "As a sworn brother of mine, I can tell you that I tried to take it a couple of years back, but unfortunately, my bait had been taken off of the hook and killed by the nasty Prince of ours." Jianhong had whispered. Bait? Was this man talking about the incident with Meimei? Was there foul play that didn''t make Meimei the true culprit of the crime back then? Qin Fuhua pressed forward. "What do we do with Suyin?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Once you find her, you will bring her to my home without telling her at night. I will have the guards follow you so that you are protected. If you betray me in any way, I will finish you in an instant with my men. We take her to my manor and we give her some medicine in her drink so that she is unconscious. During this time, we go to the manor of General Feng''s home to steal the Qin heavenly sword given by the King and split the costs by all means. There is someone who wants this sword from a third party and they are asking for big loads of money that I couldn''t even imagine for it!" Jianhong said, excited in his face. Qin Fuhua''s face was beginning to turn dark, in a form where his eyes were piercing through Jianhong''s eyes now. Was this the man that framed lady Meimei, who gave her whole life to him and caused Qin Fuhua to kill her? "So what is that Suyin going to be used for then?" Qin Fuhua''s body couldn''t handle it any longer. The immense sense of heat began to cause his teeth to clench so that he wouldn''t do something to hurt the man. "We frame her, use her, and then when she gets executed or killed, we will be free!" He laughed. "This idea had worked back then. But the only problem I had was that I didn''t have the chance to steal the precious heavenly sword bestowed by the King." Jianhong began chuckling, bowing his head to make sure that Qin Fuhua comprehends what was going on. "Remember that I have guards outside of this brothel of mine, my dear sworn brother. You dare to do something to me, and the guards will come flying in any direction to you right now. When you left, I had already made this command. Now you are stuck with me." Jianhong only roared with laughter, leaning back on his seat as if he was the King of the world at the moment. Qin Fuhua''s fist began to shook under the table. Why the hell did lady Meimei take the offense for then? Was she an accomplice with the crazy man or was she faced with life or death with her decision? Qin Fuhua was the man who killed her. He was the one who believed that she loved this stupid man, but little did he know that the man''s plan was far planned than anyone else''s. Qin Fuhua''s clenched fists were ready to fly out at the old man at any moment now. 37 Adding rocks to the mountain A cold breeze brushed against Suyin''s face, causing her to close her eyes for a second. She was leaning on the wooden railing next to Junli''s room. After giving him the medicine, Suyin had decided to go outside to get some air. "The Prince had no room for compassion besides himself!" The face of Qin Fuhua popped up in her mind, which made her frown. Everything that he had done up to his point, she felt like at times, Suyin was a pawn of his. It was pure coincidence that she may have accidentally intertwined her fate with him. Suyin suddenly heard whispers nearby Junli''s room, causing her to slowly creep up at the corner of the wall. "Young Master. But I finally found the item that I have been looking for." Jiayi said. Suyin could barely see the face of Jiayi. She was facing Junli outside of his room where no one could see them. Suyin happened to be near just to hear little whispers and tried to get close to the two to listen to their conversation. "Stop it! I told you! I don''t believe in the nonsense!" Junli was angered that she had risked her life for a key. "No one knows where this place is at, or even if this place even exists!" He was baffled at the maid''s belief. "Young Master, wait! But the key is in my possession!" "And that will only bring you danger because other people are looking for the key also. You know that already." Junli escorted himself, upset that she would put herself in danger for him. "I''m going to go take a bath." Suyin hurried back to sit down at the pavilion in the courtyard. Was this the item that Qin Fuhua wanted?! --------------------------------------------------------- Junli had finished taking a bath after taking his medicine. He slowly strolled down with a beautiful light blue robe. The moon was lit just perfect to show Suyin''s figure and face in the darkness. Junli lifted his hands to excuse Jiayi who followed behind him. She calmly bowed and excused herself, leaving Junli''s courtyard. Junli calmly approached next to her in the pavilion so he could take a closer look at the side of her face. Her eyes were blank-- as if she was staring off into the distance down at the ground. "Miss Suyin?" Junli softly said, staring at her. There was no one around the two so he could call her that (or at least, freely). Suyin felt troubled deep down inside but couldn''t brush off what Junli had mentioned about Qin Fuhua earlier. "Miss Suyin." Junli raised his volume enough for her to at least hear him. Suyin perked up and looked at him blankly. "Oh. Yes?" Suyin finally replied, turning to him. He smiled at her, chuckling for a second. "Are you alright?" Junli wanted to make sure Suyin was not feeling uncomfortable after he told her about his past and the incident with his uncle. "Ah... yes." Suyin paused for a second. For a while, there was a long silence. They didn''t utter a single word until Suyin broke the stillness. She played with her hands, avoiding eye contact with Junli. "Um... Thank you for telling me about yourself... and your uncle." She stopped, worried that she would believe he was the same as his uncle, "Don''t worry about your uncle! I know that you are not like him at all." She stated with a worried expression. Junli stared off through the courtyard, looking at the silhouettes of the trees. It looked as if there were an endless amount of stars in the sky. "Thank you for listening," Junli responded. He turned to her and smiled. "For someone who I just met, you are a pure, kind, and genuine person. I''ve never met someone like you before." He declared. Suyin could only smile at him, unable to say anything. Knowing that she is the wife of "Tienzheng" in this town, it was important for her to not cross the line between friendship. "I''m going to go inside and rest up." Junli excused himself, a bit embarrassed with his confession. "Go get some sleep soon, okay?" Suyin only nodded with her head. "Mn." Junli slowly headed back to his bedroom, with Suyin staring at the back of Junli until he disappeared into his room. Suyin noticed something at the corner of her eye-- Jiayi''s head bobbing up and down behind the bushes outside of the courtyard gate. Perfect! This was the perfect opportunity for her to follow the servant girl to see where she hid the key. She carefully and quickly ran near the courtyard gate, standing behind the wall as she slowly peeked down the corridors in the main hall. Jiayi kept looking from the left and right hall, making sure that no one noticed her as she scurried down the hall. Suyin chased after her cautiously and trailed behind her. Jiayi quickly ran into a room, closing the door as quietly as she could so there would be no squeaking. Suyin followed behind through all of this, observing the servant maid in the bookroom where they had bookshelves filled with wooden and paper books in them. Jiayi pulled one of the books out of the bookshelf. It was a crimson red book that had a print of a butterfly on it. Suyin tried to take a better look but due to her rash actions, a book from one of the bookshelves fell to the ground, *THUD* Suyin''s eyes grew bigger with a surprised expression. Why was she being so clumsy at an important moment like this right now?! Suyin picked up the book to put back on the bookshelf, not realizing that Jiayi was standing in front of her. Jiayi crossed her arms, a bit angry at Suyin as she smiled. "J-Jiayi! What are you doing here?" Suyin tried to change the topic to try to distract her from thinking she was following her. "I could ask the same thing. What are you doing here, young sir?" Jiayi interrogated Suyin. Ah right. Suyin had forgotten that she was dressed in a pair of male clothing as a medicine man. She grabbed a random book on her hand, quickly defending her actions. "I.... was already in here when you barged in and scared me!" Suyin had opened the book already by the time Jiayi saw her. Suyin closed the book, glancing at the faded Chinese characters that were written in front of the cover: "GENERAL OF THE QIN" "I was researching on young master Junli''s history to see if there was any medical history on his father." Suyin blurted out, trying to add rocks to the mountain*. (*Meaning Suyin had to make it up at the spot. [Adding rocks to the mountain] meant that a person believes that rocks come from pieces of the mountain itself, so a person adding rocks to the mountain would make it appear to look like it resided there, but in reality, those rocks did not belong there and it was all made up.) Jiayi frowned at Suyin, holding the book close to her chest. "Mister Shu is very dedicated to helping my master." She calmly said. She glanced at the crimson book and then looked at Suyin. "Did you... see anything?" Her head was lowered, questioning the suspicious Suyin who immediately shook her head. "You were the one who scared me instead, coming in so quietly like that." Suyin nervously laughed, lying in front of the young maiden. "But a beautiful book like that, I have not seen before. Does it have a special meaning to the young maid?" Suyin fixed her voice, hoping to gain some answers from her. "No. Um..." Her face began to turn a little red, her eyes were darted down on the ground with a small smile on her face. "Young Master taught me how to read... so this is all I know how to read. It''s a collection of poetry." Jiayi replied, placing the book down on a small, rectangular table next to her. Ah! So that was what it was. From the face of the maiden''s shy expressions, Suyin knew that the "Young Master Junli" was more than just a Master to her. Suyin nodded her with a mischievous smile. "I... uh... gotta go now!" Jiayi rushed out, a bit embarrassed. Suyin chuckled a bit, turning around before her eyes stared at the crimson book, laying on the table. What was so special about it? Just as Suyin walked towards the book, Jiayi came back in. "I forgot something." She quickly stated, glancing around until she saw the book. She recklessly grabbed the book because she was flustered with Suyin''s expressions as she dropped the book under the table. She bent down to get the book and ran out of the room. "Guess I shouldn''t have been too nosy about her business." Suyin shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. Just as she looked at the table filled with piles of different scrolls and novels, a small little silver item caught Suyin''s eyes. "Hm?" She tilted her head, looking under the table. When Jiayi dropped the book under the table, the key fell and laid on the floor. Suyin reached under the table to grab it to take a better look. A beautiful rose-shaped-like key about the size of a finger glistened under the lamp. What was this key hiding under the table? Did Jiayi drop this? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [ Qin Fuhua ] Qin Fuhua carefully watched the man''s gaze. Jianhong delightfully took the small teacup of tea and gulped it down as he slouched back behind the chair. Qin Fuhua knew that the man was a selfish bastard who was only smart enough to save himself. Qin Fuhua''s lips curved into a small smile, looking at Jianhong. "Brother. Do you dare to do something like this? We are sworn siblings after all since that one day." Qin Fuhua replied. "You know that I am nothing but a mere scholar who does not know how to fight, but utilizing my wife to be useful is something I should do." Jianhong let out a roar of laugher, pointing at Qin Fuhua three times with his index finger as he shook his head. "Haha. See? This is why you are such a good brother. You are very knowledgable and know what needs to be done." The man had a proud face, feeling as it was correct to trust Qin Fuhua (who he knows as Tienzheng). With the pressure that Jianhong was giving to Fuhua earlier, the man wanted to test him to see whether or not he would be flustered. It was a play to see whether or not Qin Fuhua could be trusted. "Would my brother like another wine" Jianhong asked. Qin Fuhua smiled and refused. "Older brother. If I take another one, I do not think we will accomplish our plan for tonight. I already am at the tip of my drunkness." Tienzheng commented. "Ah. The sun has served its purpose for today. Now that the moon is out, it is time for you to do your duty." Jianhong commanded, flicking off some leftover steam bun bits that rested on his beard. "Then I shall take my leave." Qin Fuhua nodded, heading out of the room. As he got out of the brothel, two guards in commoner clothing followed behind him, obvious yet discreet. The first thing that the Prince had noticed was the sword sheath buckled on their left hips inside of their robe. Qin Fuhua stumbled, grumbling to himself like a madman as he acted as if he was drunk. The Prince tumbled over an older looking merchant at a stand. "What the hell are you doing to my stand?!" The man yelled at Qin Fuhua. The Prince could only grumble and look up at the man. He then got up and fixed himself to act as if he was drunk. ------------------------------------------------------------------ [Han Suyin] Was this the key that Qin Fuhua was looking for? Or was it just decoration for one of the manor''s rooms? If so, why would Jiayi hide it in the book? There were so many questions that she wanted to ask herself, but how would she even know the answer without finding the Prince? Suyin carefully placed it in her sleeves inside her robe and stood up. "I guess it is time to pay a visit to confirm that this is it." Suyin was outisde of Junli pavilion. In order for her to sneak out past Junli and Jiayi, it would make sense that she would have to continue to use the ladder to get faster access to Junli''s place for her (plus Junli told the guards to excuse her rashness if she does use the ladder for this purpose, so no one could stop or hurt her anyway). Suyin was still dressed up as a medicine man. Her hair tied up and her clothes carefully tucked in like a male, she lifted the sleeves of her robe and used the ladder to head out to find the Prince. Seconds before lifting up the ladder..... *SWOOP* The sound of an arrow shooting in front of Suyin''s face scared the living out of her as she immediately fell back down on her butt. Suyin faced at the direction where the arrow came from but could see nothing but the moonlight and the darkness. Where did it come from? Suyin could at least tell that whoever shot the arrow intentionally did that on purpose. The arrow pierced right into the tree bark with a small white folded paper stuck in between the wooden arrow. "A note?" It took a couple of attempts for her to take out the arrow with the letter stuck onto it since she wasn''t strong herself. After successfully pulling out the note, she made sure that no one was around the pavilion and sat behind the tree to read the letter. "Suyin. Please meet me at the place where the lights floated above the sky Tienzheng" The first thing Suyin could think of was: Is this a trap? She wasn''t stupid enough to fall for anyone''s trap, let along reading a letter like this. Anyone could have written it. A stench of orange fragrance diffused from the paper to Suyin''s nose, causing her to freeze for a second. "No. It had to be him." It was interesting that Han Suyin had a gut feeling that Qin Fuhua had written this letter. After all, the paper smelled like him. Back in the ancient days, many of the nobles would offer money to merchants to handmake their paper for them and buy it off. Paper was very valuable during this time. Specifically, for special missions like this, Qin Fuhua had his papermaking person make his very discreet. Enough for his own men to know that he was the one writing it. What was needed for them to confirm that it was the Prince''s paper was to shine it under the light to see a special marking of a phoenix under a candle. Only his very close and most trusted men only knew this. But what was even more interesting was that Han Suyin could catch the one thing that no one could--- the scent of the man himself. It was interesting that the pair could recognize each other this way. Throwing the paper in her robe now, she hurried off to find the Prince where the lights floated in the sky: the center of the district of Liaoping. --------------------------------------------------------------- Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. 38 Still a Man The stars were all scattered in the dark sky. Surrounding the speck of stars was the crescent-shaped moon right in the center, hovering above a small little white cloud. The streets of the district were empty. From time to time, one or two people would be walking down the streets, either drunk or coming out from a brothel. A figure not too far from the center of the district heading toward the tree was the petite, strong-headed Han Suyin. She rushed as fast as she could to meet up with Qin Fuhua to tell him the good news. Another thing that worried her was the letter that was written before she even decided to head out of the Junli''s pavilion. If the Prince had to send a letter to her, it must have been very important. At the moment, all Suyin wanted to do was hurry to meet up with the Prince to figure out whether or not the key she had in possession with her was the item that they were looking for this whole time. Suyin had arrived at the large plum blossom tree in the center of the district. A large plaza laid in front of the tree that was preoccupied with plenty of vendors and sellers a couple of hours ago. The sound of the countless wooden ornaments was spinning on the tree, some hitting against each other because of the wind. Suyin took a glance around the area to see whether or not Qin Fuhua had arrived but there was no one other than herself there. Suyin stared at the plum blossom tree, decorated by the wooden ornaments that were filled with dreams, desires, and wishes of the people in Liaoping. Suyin could see her ornament hanging at the edge of the tall tree, facing the whole city. Although it was hard for her to see the characters written on the wood, she could see the name she had placed: "QSY" with an orange flower drawn in the front. It spelled, "Qin Suyin" borrowing the dear Prince''s first name in hopes of making his wish come true: treating the Princess so that she would be well. "Why are you wearing that?" A familiar voice called out to Suyin from the darkness behind her. Suyin jumped, but then slowly turned around to see the person that she was looking for. "T-Tienzheng!" Suyin called out. "Qin Fuhua," Suyin said in her head with relief. Just as she was about to take a step closer to him, Qin Fuhua was stumbling, as if he was intoxicated. She froze in place, watching him come towards her as he held her shoulders. Right as he pulled her to him, he pulled her hair tie, revealing herself to him. Han Suyin was dressed up as a medicine man, so it was natural that she had her hair tied up in a bun with a common robe worn by many small physicians that didn''t have a big name. Qin Fuhua wrapped his hands around her shoulders, whispering to her. "Follow what I do." He calmly said. The small, petite woman was perplexed but nodded anyway. Qin Fuhua carefully held her wrist, pulling her as he immediately ran to one of the brothels nearby. "Where did he go?" One of the followers of Jianhong asked the other. The two panicked. After feeling relaxed, thinking that Qin Fuhua was drunk and was not in the right state of mind, they didn''t think that he would escape so quickly. "Right there!" The other shouted, pointing their finger at the two silhouettes far from them. ------ When Qin Fuhua had stumbled upon the old man at the vendor, it was actually one of the Prince''s men that were secretly watching out for him. The old man was one of Qin Fuhua''s trusted soldier that had fought alongside him in plenty of battles. During the conversation of Jianhong and Qin Fuhua was happening in the room, two familiar men stood in the next room listening to the conversation through the walls. One, the old man of Qin Fuhua''s trusted soldier, Zhaoyun, and the other was none other than Wansun. After Qin Fuhua had stumbled at the vendor (which was Zhaoyun), he made a quick notice that the Prince had dropped two letters for him. One letter was for Han Suyin and the other was a command for Zhaoyun and Wansun to follow orders of what to do next before it becomes dangerous. Wansun, dressed in all black shot the arrow through Junli''s home and toward Suyin after seeing her. Getting directions from the Prince was easy enough for Wansun to know where she stayed in since it was the former general''s home (Junli''s father). ----------------------------------------- "They came in here." the soldier said, kicking the door of the brothel. Many of the girls screamed. A couple of the ladies covered their mouths gasping, others were shocked at what they had done. The two soldiers scanned the room, looking around to see if they could find Tienzheng. "Who dares to come in and barge in my home?" A voice called out. The soldiers both looked at each other and then looked at the delicate, older lady descending down the stairs. "I apologize for the rash action. Did a man and a woman come in here?" One of the soldiers asked. The lady smirked, lifting her right eyebrow. "You think that a brothel like this would invite a man AND a woman to this place. What do you think this is?" The lady interrogated. "I swear I saw them come in here." The other whispered to the soldier. "Please, may I insist on finding them. They''re uh... wanted people by Feng Jianhong." he pleaded, lowering his head to her. "Feng Jianhong? Hm..." she paused for a second, thinking. "If you insist." The older lady rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. "There''s nothing to hide here." she shrugged. ---------------------- As the two soldiers attempt to look for Qin Fuhua and Suyin, they attempted to find them through the occupied and empty rooms. Many of the occupied rooms were older men with several girls in there, screaming as the soldiers barged in. They continued to search until the last door at the end of the hallway. As they barged in, they could see a man laying on top of a woman on the bed. "Stop what you are doing!" The soldiers called out, getting ready to take out their sword. Qin Fuhua''s face turned to the soldiers with an arrogant smile on his face. The Prince was nearly naked at the top half of his body. He was wearing a dark, crimson red silk robe and nothing else at the top. With his broad shoulders blocking the face of Han Suyin, she was facing away from the soldiers so they wouldn''t see her face. (*It wouldn''t have mattered anyway because they have never seen her face before, but Suyin was just plain embarrassed and shy about what was going on right now.) "You want me to stop devouring my lady here for what business you have here?" Qin Fuhua got out of the bed, showing his bare chest to the two soldiers. His chest was muscular and well-toned. Although Qin Fuhua was the Prince and he may have lived an "easy" life than others, it didn''t mean that this man was well-built. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The two soldiers took a quick glance at Qin Fuhua. "We apologize." They hurried out after discovering that it was not the man that they needed to find. After hearing the door slam close, Suyin hurried up on the bed, her face flushed from Qin Fuhua. ---------------------- After running off like that, he barged into the brothel with the owner of the brothel, openly inviting him in. The lady seemed delighted that he came as he requested her to borrow some of the clothes of the "pleasure" women. When Suyin had changed her clothes, Qin Fuhua barged in, (plus had taken off his magical mask) taking off the layers of his crimson silk robe one by one until Suyin saw his bare chest. It was natural for Suyin to treat patients and others and seeing their skin. After all, all humans have the same anatomy (female and male), so it was a no brainer that she is not too afraid of seeing a male patient''s bare chest or back. But...why was she feeling so flustered seeing Qin Fuhua''s bare skin? It was not any different from any other men, but it was just something that Suyin couldn''t grasp to answer herself. "Are they gone?" Suyin asked, her body feeling all of the heat from being very embarrassed and shy as she tried to avoid looking at him. "The old lady will let me know." Qin Fuhua replied, putting back his clothes on as he changed back to the robe he wore earlier. While changing, Qin Fuhua looked at Han Suyin at the corner of his eyes. He could see that she didn''t want to look at him, especially after he had just laid on top of her as if something was going on so that it seemed natural for the two to be in the brothel. Suyin was wearing an outfit of a pleasure lady* so the clothes were thin and light although it consisted of many layers of thin clothes. (*note: would like to say, this is my way of calling a prostitute) Qin Fuhua was a man, after all, so he couldn''t help but stare at the beauty of the lady sitting at the table who was turning pink like a plum blossom flower. After being distracted, three knocks on the door was heard by the two of them. Qin Fuhua grabbed the clothing Suyin had worn earlier and placed it on the bed. "Change back into these clothes and meet me out there with the old lady and Zhaoyun." Qin Fuhua uttered before he left the room. 39 Cautious hear "Haha. Yes, it has been a while, sir Tienzheng." Suyin carefully walked down the hallway to the front of the brothel where groups of women sat down on the tables, eyeing on the dear Prince. Some of them chuckled, their eyes darting to and away from Qin Fuhua. Right in the middle of the brothel was the owner of the brothel and Qin Fuhua. Right as Suyin appeared in the scene, many of the pleasure and entertainment women''s faces turned dark and somber. Their eyes now glaring at Han Suyin who casually sat down next to Qin Fuhua. "My dear. Now that the lady is here, shall we finish our business here?" The old lady exclaimed, clapping her hands to usher the women to get back to their work. -------------------------------In a small-sized room, beautiful decorations of red, black, and gold were painted in the bedroom. The bed was beautifully decorated and covered in layers of thin red cloth-like silk. Right in the center of the room lies a round brown table with three occupied seats. The aroma of green tea filled the room. "It is the pleasure of seeing the Prince again," The older lady immediately clasped her hands together and placed it on her right hip, gently bending her knees as she graciously smiled. "W-wait what?" Suyin was freaking out, turning her head immediately to Qin Fuhua who calmly watched her. He turned to stare at Suyin but didn''t utter a single word to her. "How long has it been?" Qin Fuhua spoke, calm as a river flowing down from the mountains. "My dear. Has it been about three years already? Look how much you''ve matured." The old lady smiled, laughing as she fanned herself with a folding fan as she looked at Suyin. She paused for a second, looking at the Prince for a while before she put her fan down. "Is there something important that caused you to be in this much trouble?" She questioned in a serious tone. Her eyes furrowed like a worried mother. "You know that if your subordinate didn''t come here, I wouldn''t have prepared this quick for you." She stated. Qin Fuhua looked at Suyin and then looked back at the lady. "It''s that Jianhong." The old lady immediately covered her face in a gasp, "Don''t tell me that he''s trying to steal your woman-- er.. lady here." she teased, exclaiming in a sarcastic tone. "Oh dear, no. What is your name dear?" The lady kindly asked. Suyin was lost in the moment with their conversation but immediately answered the question when she asked. "H-Han Suyin." She replied. Suyin had been zoning in and out of their conversation because she had no business in knowing what they were speaking about. "Han Suyin..." The old lady smiled and held Suyin''s hands. "It''s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Huang Qiyao, the owner of this beautiful brothel." The lady carefully caressed Suyin''s hands. She then let go of her hand and poured a cup of tea for the two. "Something is off with ''that'' person. There was another group of soldiers that weren''t his men that followed him into this small little shop when I followed him that one night." Qin Fuhua mentioned. Qiyao stared at Qin Fuhua for a second, reflecting whether or not she had seen Jianhong anywhere suspicious. She quietly listened with Suyin observing the two''s conversation. "There has to be something big going on with him other than the plan he had talked to me about tonight." Qin Fuhua added. "What he spoke to me about today... it seems like it was urgent as if he wanted to use me as his decoy." The door suddenly slammed open, Weizhe and Zhaoyun lowered their head in respect for Qin Fuhua. Immediately after, Weizhe came to whisper next to Qin Fuhua. After a few seconds, Qin Fuhua nodded as he stood up from the chair. "I''m sorry but I will have to take my leave with Suyin now. It seems like we need to get going now." Qin Fuhua lowered his head as a quick goodbye. Qin Fuhua held Suyin''s wrist, pulling her up. "Let''s go." He commanded. Suyin, unable to grasp with the sudden need to leave, blankly nodded. "G-Goodbye and thank you for such kind hospitality." She quickly said, before following Qin Fuhua out of the door. Qiyao watched the two leave in a hurry. With a surprised face, she then smiled, laughing to herself. "Oh, dear. He has grown so much, hasn''t he?" She said to herself. -------------------------------------------Outside down the empty streets of Liaoping, Qin Fuhua, Han Suyin, Weizhe, and Zhaoyun walked together, with the two guards behind Qin Fuhua and Suyin. To kill off the silence, Suyin had a question. "How did she....know?" Suyin questioned, turning her head to him. It was obvious that Suyin could see through the magic barrier, but how could that lady know that he was the Prince of Qin? Suyin had the question wrapped in her head ever since she was there. Qin Fuhua grew silent, looking ahead instead of looking at Suyin. He stopped his footsteps and so did the three of them. He paused for a second, thinking as he put his hands behind his back. He turned to Suyin. "She''s a friend of my Master." He answered with a straight face. The four of them continued to walk down the streets. "I grew up with her and my Master. She was practically my other mentor." He added. It was interesting that a lady who owned a brothel would be a well-known martial artist, although no one knew except those that were taught by her and Qin Fuhua''s Master. The two of the Masters were well-known as a duo for fighting against demons and assassins. ------------------------------------- After walking for a while, Suyin paused for a second. "Wait, where are we going?" Weizhe and Zhaoyun looked at each other as they both nodded. Piles of black ashes were laid in front of a large familiar-looking home. Qin Fuhua turned to look at Suyin as her eyes widened. She realized where she was standing now. "Ah, finally you are here!" The doors flew open as Jianhong laughed out loud. Suyin turned to Qin Fuahua, giving him a "what-the-hell-is-going-on" expression as he blatantly ignored her. Qin Fuhua lowered his head, clasping his hand to greet the man. "I have arrived to bring the lady." Qin Fuhua stated as he used his chin to point at Suyin. "What...what the hell are you doing?!" She yelled, taking a step back. Before she could run away, Jianhong called the guards to capture her to put her in a confined room. ------------------------------------------------In the dark, gloomy mansion, the moon hid behind the house of Jianhong, showing a shadowy silhouette at the top of the roofs. A beautiful, familiar-looking person calmly waited, seeing the cold breath out of his mouth as he let out another sigh. Right below Qin Fuhua, who was sitting on top of the roof, was Han Suyin, who was tied up by her hands and legs and Jianhong, who daringly watched with amusement. "Do you think that you can get away from me?" Jianhong questioned. He sat right across from Han Suyin, who was now tied-up with ropes around her wrist. If a glare could kill someone right now, Suyin''s eyes were darting through the wicked and perverted Jianhong. "Oh, darling. My dear Hua. Don''t give me that look." He stood up and walked closer to Suyin. "Did you see what you did with one of my rooms? You tried to burn down the mansion did you?" Jianhong chuckled for a bit. "Haha. I like that in a woman. I have never seen anyone so daring like you." He walked towards Suyin and held her chin up to face his. With a smirk, he smiled. "All of the women that went through me wanted to face death, but you? You''re something else." He lifted an eyebrow, inspecting Suyin''s body. Suyin slammed her tied-up hands to his face, giving him a good hit to the face as he groaned in pain. "Why you---"There was a knock on the door. "Master, Sir Tienzheng has been waiting for the meeting. Sir Tienzheng mentioned something about the plan--" "Shut up!" Jianhong screamed at the person behind the door. "I will be coming after this." "It seems urgent." The person said. Jianhong pointed at Suyin, grumbling with an irritated look on his face. "When I come back, you will want to face death afterward!" Jianhong hurried out the door, giving Suyin time to push herself to move all the way back to the wall of the bed. "Han Suyin. You aren''t meant to die, and you are not meant to become a bait for someone to use." She said to herself. Blood boiled up in her head because of the sudden arrangement to meet back up with Jianhong. She had just run away from this pig and now she''s back?! What the hell was Qin Fuhua doing?! As thoughts were running through her mind, she heard a flutter of clothes fly down into the room from the windows. Suyin tensed up immediately, startled by the sound. As she saw the face of Qin Fuhua, she sighed in relief, rolling her eyes. "What''s with the sudden appearance?" Suyin sarcastically said. "Aren''t you supposed to be meeting with the perverted pig?" she added. Qin Fuhua did not speak a word and walked towards her, sitting down by the bed. "What are you doing?" She uttered, unsettled at his quietness. Qin Fuhua pulled her arms closer to him, breaking the distance between the two as he quietly untied the ropes around her wrist and legs. "I wouldn''t let him do anything to you." Qin Fuhua said. After loosening the ties, he looked at Suyin. "Jianhong is going to be going to General Feng''s home to steal the Qin heavenly sword." Qin Fuhua had then tied her arms and legs again, but this time, it was enough for her to be able to have some room to squiggle free without any pain. "He will be coming back with some tea to knock you unconscious." The Prince went straight to the point, coming closer to her as he whispered to her ears. "Fake your unconsciousness and when we arrive at General Feng''s home, we will start our attack. When this happens, run to the south where the sun meets the moon." "The sun and the moon? How will I--" Suyin stopped herself from asking any more questions. She knew that Qin Fuhua could be trusted as she nodded her head. "Mn." Qin Fuhua patted her head and disappeared from the window afterward. Loud footsteps could be heard coming closer to her room as she tried to keep her composure still. She knew that it was important for her to play the role right if she wanted to survive. Suyin felt better that Qin Fuhua was there to loosen up the ties because it was hurting her. The door slowly creaked open, with Jianhong''s head popping into the room. He held a tray with two tall cups of tea. "My dear Hua?" He turned to look at the bed to see Suyin sitting down on the bed, tied up as she cautiously stared at him. "I apologize for my behavior earlier. You may have been angered that your dear husband had betrayed you." He sat down on the bed and laid down the tray next to her. "Let''s take a cup for forgiveness shall we?" He looked at Suyin all tied up and then laughed. "I will feed you if you don''t mind. It''s important to keep you tied up so that you will not run away." The man held up the cup for him with one hand and the other held for her. Suyin smiled and nodded. "Okay. I give in. I will accept your forgiveness" Suyin softly said, peering in closer as she sipped the tea. She flinched, scaring Jianhong as he spilled his tea to the ground. Using the opportunity to keep him distracted, she spat out the drink in her mouth to the bed as quickly as she could before he could look at her. Suyin gave a worried expression, "I thought I saw a bug and got scared." She gave a look of fragileness-- something she knew that would work on someone as stupid as Jianhong. He laughed and shook his head. "A strong woman who is afraid of bugs. You are really something." He glanced at Suyin''s cup of empty tea with satisfaction. "I have to go back to talk to Tienzheng. I will be back shortly." He said with a grin on his face. Suyin could only smile as she watched him leave. With a disgusted look on her face, she used her tied up hands to wipe her face. "Thank goodness Qin Fuhua told me before something happened," Suyin said to herself, taking a deep breath. A couple of minutes had passed before Suyin could hear Jianhong''s lousy footsteps come in closer again. This time, Suyin laid on the bed, closing her eyes as she faked her consciousness. Jianhong quietly came in this time, closing the door as he looked at the unconscious Suyin. "Suyin?" He said, shaking her. She didn''t move a single inch and didn''t make a sound. With a big grin on her face, he wiped his mouth. 40 Solar Eclipse Jianhong wanted to do something to her so badly, he was ready to touch her. But right as he could, a gush of wind blew in from the window. "Who is that?!" His eyes darted to the window and hurried to look out to see who it was. There was nothing but the moon facing back at him as the darkness faded in. Jianhong turned back with two guards bowing down at him. "My lord! We are ready to depart!" The two guards said in sync. The identity of the two guards was Weizhe and Zhaoyun, taking the opportunity to fake their identities to be their guards for the ride to General Feng''s home. "Okay, okay. Let''s go." Jianhong uttered, tempted by Suyin. He quickly tried to shrug it off so he could carry on with his mission. "Carry the woman and throw her in the carriage." He mentioned, leaving the room. Suyin continued to fake her unconsciousness, unaware that the two guards were Qin Fuhua''s people. -------------------------- "Where am I going?" Suyin thought to herself, keeping her eyes glued shut through the entire time. "Qin Fuhua said to run to the south where the sun meets the moon after getting out..." She had repeated that through the whole bumpy ride to Junli''s manor. -------------------------------------------- There was a sudden halt in the carriage and Suyin could hear a couple of people talking to each other. All of a sudden, the sound of the swords coming out from the sheaths could be heard, with men yelling at each other. Was it time for Suyin to make the run? Or should she wait? Qin Fuhua did not make any instructions on this and only mentioned what he needed. With more men yelling and some groaning from being killed, she opened her eyes immediately, noticing that no one was in the carriage. Suyin hopped up and began to loosen the ties that Qin Fuhua had done earlier before. She took a peek out from the carriage curtains and noticed that there was a fight going on around the bamboo forest. Although it was around five in the morning now, Suyin could see a glimpse of the surrounding environment and decided that this was the perfect time to head out and run to where Qin Fuhua told her. Two different parties were sword fighting against each other in the midst of Suyin getting ready to get out of the carriage. One of the party was dressed in all black and the other was grey. Suyin couldn''t tell whether or not she should trust any of them. There were about six to eight people around the area with all of the mess, but she couldn''t find Jianhong, Qin Fuhua, or anyone else. The people looked unfamiliar, but Suyin needed to leave soon. As she jumped out of the carriage and quickly scrambled away from the scene, one of Jianhong''s men caught her. "Where do you think you are going?!" One of the guards asked, pulling Suyin''s wrist closer to him. Suyin tried to fight him off by pulling her wrist back but the soldier was stronger than she was. "Let me go!" Suyin yelled, glaring at the soldier. A soldier laughed and was about to strike her with his sword until one of the soldiers in black jumped in to strike him from behind. They suddenly hurried back to help their comrades in the sword-fight battle. Shocked with what had just happened in front of her, she froze in place for a second. "This is real," Suyin whispered to herself. Seeing blood was nothing to her but to be in a position where she saw someone die in front of her first-hand by someone''s shed of blood was new to her. She needed to keep calm and continue to move on otherwise she would be stuck in this battle. Suyin lifted her hands up and down, taking a long, deep breath. "Run south," Suyin uttered in her head. She then dashed as fast as she could down the bamboo trees, dodging them as the sun slowly began to rise up. Where she ran, there was no path but she knew deep down inside that it was the right way to head towards the sunrise. "Where the sun meets the moon..." Some riddle that the Prince had given to her. Why didn''t he just tell her where it was at? Suyin couldn''t complain now because she was beginning to run out of breath. The sounds of the swords clashing against each other began to fade away with silent slowly enveloping the area. Birds began to chirp and the sky was turning into a beautiful mixture of purple, blue, and orange. Along the way, Suyin had stumbled upon a creek with a waterfall flowing down from the rocky ledge. It was the only way from the south now. Upon there lies a foo-dog or known as a lion statue that guarded the creek. Suyin decided to catch her breath next to the creek, breathing heavily as she leaned on one of the tall rocks. Suyin kept staring at the stone dog, which was out of place from the area. Trees surrounded the area now with the statue in front of the creek was just random. After catching her breath, she walked up the stone dog to take a glance at it. Moss piled up at the bottom of the statue as well as its legs. It was holding a spear that was interesting to Suyin. To protect its land, the face had a snarl, showing its fang against any evil spirits or being around the area. After studying the statue for a while, she had hit a lightbulb in her head. "Run to the south where the sun meets the moon." Fuhua''s voice reasoned in her head again. Where the sun meets the moon! Suyin pointed up in the sky. "When the sun meets the moon, there''s an eclipse." She looked at the lion statue. It was said that in the past, during an eclipse, evil spirits would lurk during the eclipse because of the rare events, so the foo dogs (known as lion dogs) were the protector of the sacred land.* *(Please note, this is fictional!) This should be the place that Qin Fuhua wanted her to be. But... what was the possible reasoning as to why he wanted her to be here? ---------------------------------------------------------------- *Qin Fuhua''s POV*Sitting on a horse behind the wretched pig Jianhong, Qin Fuhua quietly watched. The two guards disguised as Jianhong''s were actually the Prince''s. There were another five or six men of Jianhong who surrounded them as well. Weizhe and Zhaoyun glanced around the area and then nodded at each other. At the side not too far from general Feng''s home, the group halted. With the group of men was the carriage at the back, supposedly carrying Han Suyin. "Go check on the girl to see if she is still unconscious," Jianhong ordered one of his own men. The guard nodded, rushing to go check the carriage. As Jianhong spoke with his men, Qin Fuhua had Zhaoyun and Weizhe prepare for the battle between them as they waited. "Master!" The soldier ran back in a hurry. "What is it?!" Jianhong replied, looking irritated as he turned his head to the soldier. "The miss... the miss is gone!" "Impossible! I had her drugged! She can not be conscious enough to be awake by now!" Jianhong rushed to the carriage himself, seeing the empty little room without anyone in there."How was this possible?!" Jianhong grumbled, "Without her, our plans are ruined!" Weizhe and Zhaoyun had placed Suyin in another carriage, taking her to the mountains. Although she was in another carriage, Qin Fuhua knew that trouble would only persist once they have seen that his men are guarding the carriage. It would only mean danger since Qin Fuhua is suspecting that Jianhong is affiliated with another third party. With Suyin in the carriage and Qin Fuhua''s men taking her, he knew that she would meet trouble sooner or later in the mountains since he was planning on taking her back home. Without the Prince, Weizhe, or Zhaoyun apparent there, he could only take her to one place that only the Prince knew--his secret base. Just as Jianhong was going to take a step back, a loud sound from the front entrance of General Feng''s home opened. Feng Junli, dressed up in all black covering his body came out with his army of guards. He walked around the manor to where they were at. The soldiers jumped up at the rooftop, aiming their arrows at Jianhong from the home as Jianhong was shocked in place. "Wha...How did they find out?!" Jianhong said, panicking. He then gave out a manic laugh, lifting his eyebrow as if he wasn''t surprised. "It''s time for the surprise party to come then." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 41 I Promise You A large group of men hurried down from the pathway, wearing grey outfits. They were the same outfits that were fighting in the bamboo forest like the ones Suyin had seen before. Jianhong roared in laughter. "My dear nephew, you dare to defy your uncle?" He challenged. Junli could only smile, looking around at Jianhong''s men. "Such a strong, powerful man, sheltering behind so many people, huh?" He spoke. He glanced at Qin Fuhua (who he only knows as Tienzheng). Junli knew that it was one of his men that sent him a warning letter the day that Suyin had the letter sent to her. Zhaoyun was the one who shot the arrow through the tree to send Suyin the letter while Weizhe shot another one through Junli''s room simultaneously. In his letter, it depicted the information about alerting him that his uncle was going to come. Feng Junli''s father was out of the village with his wife to go pray to the Buddhist, so he was responsible for taking care of the house. Feng Junli nodded at Qin Fuhua to let him know that they were ready as Qin Fuhua and his men pointed their swords toward Jianhong. "Y-You!" Jianhong uttered, startled at the sudden move. "You are working for someone else aren''t you?" Qin Fuhua mentioned. "Why... aren''t you just a mere little scholar? How dare you point a sword like that to me!" Jianhong shouted. Qin Fuhua could only give him a cold expression, his eyes not moving away from Jianhong. "The man who had pointed fingers at his wife. To make her fool so that he would save his own life, is it?" Qin Fuhua coldly said. Jianhong''s eyes were scanning around him, as he threw a bizarre, white ball down to the ground. With the impact of the ground, it made a mixture of dust, dirt, and smoke around the area as everyone began coughing their lungs out, including Qin Fuhua. Jianhong dashed his life out of the area, running away for his life as the soldiers of Jianhong began to fight with Qin Fuhua and Feng Junli''s men. It was nearly impossible for them to see anything, but Qin Fuhua, Weizhe, and Zhaoyun knew that they needed to stop Jianhong from running away. "Go get Jianhong!" Weizhe uttered, protecting the Prince of Qin. Covering his mouth with his sleeves, he nodded, dashing off in the air to follow the cowardly man. ------------------------------------------------------- Jianhong ran as fast as he could, tripping over some of the twigs of the trees as he hustled towards the hill in the mountains. There were little trees here and there, but it couldn''t stop him from escaping. As he tripped over a large root from a large tree, Qin Fuhua was able to catch up to the man. "Stop it right there." Qin Fuhua drifted down, taking a step closer to Jianhong as he retreated away, using his feet to push against the ground. "Y-You don''t know who you are messing with!" Jianhong began to stutter, as he screamed at Qin Fuhua. "There''s nothing that can stop you right now." Right as Qin Fuhua finished his sentence, a man covered in a grey mask with a dark blue outfit soundlessly flew on top of the tree, pulling the bow and arrow directed at Qin Fuhua''s back with a poisonous snake coming out from the man''s sleeves. Distracted at Jianhong''s shameless begging, Qin Fuhua didn''t get the chance to notice until the arrow fired. He was unable to block the arrow, piercing right through his upper right arm as the snake took a bite on his shoulder. Jianhong promptly stood up and ran off, with the person helping him flying away as well. Qin Fuhua felt a gush of pain on his right arm, but that wasn''t the problem: The snake slithered off to follow its master. With all of the force that he could, he pulled the arrow out from his arm. "My lord!" Weizhe hurried down the forest after seeing Qin Fuhua knelt on one knee. Zhao Yun immediately followed behind Weizhe and the two held the Prince up. "My lord, we had Jianhong''s men captured and most of them killed. Some of the men that were his reinforcements did not speak of who the other party was," Zhaoyun lowered his head, "those that were caught all bit their tongue to death." Qin Fuhua shrugged his shoulders so that Weizhe and Zhaoyun didn''t help him up anymore. "Go find anything about Feng Jianhong''s history and investigate the maids and his men to see who he was affiliated with." He glanced at his arm. "There is something I have to do." Qin Fuhua was still able to move but his right arm was practically paralyzed. Whatever it was, it was affecting his body and he still needed to meet up with Suyin. Keeping the head of the arrow for later, he used up all of his qi to fly to where he had promised to meet Suyin. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Suyin had fallen asleep, sitting down on the ground and used the statue so she could rest on something with her back. The sun had risen already by the time she awoke, hearing the sounds of birds flutter away. The sound of clothes rustling among the wind made Suyin wake up immediately, hoping that it was Qin Fuhua who appeared in front of her. She saw Qin Fuhua''s figure flying in the sky. Nearly reaching to her, Qin Fuhua had used up all of his energy and plopped down to the ground. Suyin stood up and rushed to Qin Fuhua''s aid, helping him up until she saw the blood smeared all over his clothes. "Q-Qin Fuhua!" It was all she could say with him suddenly appearing. What had happened while she had fallen asleep waiting? Qin Fuhua closed his eyes, breathing heavily. "Help me up." He uttered. He barely had the energy to stand so Suyin had to have him lean on her. Qin Fuhua used every ounce of his energy to reach the lion statue. "Do you still have the jade of the dragon?" Suyin nodded, taking out the item and handed it to him. Qin Fuhua weakly but surely placed the jade of the dragon in the lion statue''s mouth. It triggered a pathway through the creek and into the waterfall. Qin Fuhua placed the jade of the dragon in his pocket as the two slowly entered the secret cave through the waterfall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You stupid, wrenched being!" A man yelled at Jianhong. He threw his teacup down to the ground as it smashed in front of Jianhong. Shivering, he kneeled to the man, putting his face to the ground with his hands touching the floor. "I-I''m sorry! I have failed you!!" Jianhong''s voice began trembling. "I-I used that ball to turn smoke around me! It worked but I..." "And to have my men help useless men like you. You''re nothing but a mere empty shell now that you are a wanted man." The man called his men dressed in grey to drag him out of the prosperous hall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Drips of water fell to the shoulders of Han Suyin, following the injured Qin Fuhua to the cave. It was dark inside the cave with the sunlight being the only source of brightness in the hallway. Qin Fuhua limply walked down the pathway, using the walls of the cave for support. As the two entered deep into the cave, Suyin watched Qin Fuhua weakly feel the walls of the cave with his hands. "I can help you up if you want to." "No. Leave me be." Qin Fuhua firmly answered immediately. His face began to look pale, but Suyin couldn''t do anything but follow him. Qin Fuhua felt the walls as he pushed through one, calling Suyin to follow him inside. A room filled with a large, long dark wooden table was in front of them with cushion seatings on the ground. The room was filled with bookshelves and even a bed at the side. The walls were decorated in black petals with little candle posts that can be lit to see in the dark. "What is this," Suyin uttered. If she didn''t know they were under a waterfall, she would have believed this was another room of Qin Fuhua''s manor. Qin Fuhua barely had enough energy to slide down at the edge of the door after closing the door. His face turned pale, with his lips tainted in red from the blood slowly coming out of his mouth. "You know, I am a Doctor. You can ask me for help." Suyin stated. At first, she felt angry, but suddenly softened at the face of Qin Fuhua. His eyes were blank, staring through the distance. Barely holding up to his awareness, he turned to her, he finally spoke. "I was poisoned by a snake..." His eyes closed, losing his consciousness. "Wait... you!" Suyin tried to shake him for a couple of seconds before he didn''t wake up. Suyin took the cloak off of Qin Fuhua carefully as she gently used it as bedding for Qin Fuhua to sleep on. After lighting the lamp so the room was more visible to Suyin, she was able to see the whole area. The room was about half of the size of a courtyard and of course, it would make sense since it appeared to have looked like an important area for people like Qin Fuhua to be able to only enter in. "I''ll be back, I promise." Suyin turned to give one last look to Qin Fuhua and hurried out of the cave, carrying the Jade of the Dragon with her. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 42 A Nights Stay High above the mountains, the clouds were felt like they would never be reached. Han Suyin was picking up any herbs that she could find to help save Qin Fuhua. She continued to pick up all the herbs she could find and piled it around her left arm as she continued to smell the plants and see what would work and what wouldn''t. She wanted to know why Qin Fuhua was suddenly poisoned, but it didn''t matter now because he was unconscious. "I''ll ask him later," Suyin assured herself, taking a deep breath as she continued to gather the herbs. Some trees could be used as medicine. Suyin knew this because she had used some back when she was still at the hospital. There was a camp incident where one of her friends got bitten by a rattlesnake. Luckily some trees were usable as a medicine to keep the venom from breaking the tissues apart. She reached out to the tree to pick the leaves. The leaves were specifically used in modern medicine (in pill form) as a pain reliever, but it is possible to heal a venom bite if crushed to use its oil to put on the skin. Slowly looking at the texture of the leaves, Suyin brought it close to her nose to smell it. "Don''t eat that!" Suyin stopped, turning her head to the person. A tall, feminine-looking male with long, white hair in a silk white hanfu came running to Suyin. "That''s dangerous to do. Do you not know what this is?" He asked, pointing at the leaves that she was holding. Of course, just to remind her that all of these people are ignorant of women in the past, she nodded her head with a calm expression on her face, opposite of how the man was reacting. "Yes, I know what this is. These are the tree of Reiyi. The leaves are draped down like a beautiful umbrella that blocks the tree barks from any sunlight to deflect it since it cannot grow under any sunlight." The male gave her a flat gaze, his eyebrows furrowing to comprehend what was happening at the moment. "H-How would a woman even know that?" He questioned, looking at her. Suyin rolled her eyes at him with the fact that all of these men just don''t expect anything out of any women at all. She was about to leave him, turning around until she saw a specific herb in his hand. It was an analivegam flower that he was holding. Bundles of them! Suyin stopped her tracks. "Where did you get that?" Suyin promptly questioned the man. With a dazed look and stunned at Suyin''s knowledge, he answered her without thinking. "It''s an herb used for healing venom--" "Venom bites! How is it possible that you have it by your hand though?" Was this guy some sort of special herbal medicine guy or something? From where she was during the present days, the analivegam would only be found in India. "Wow..." Those were words that could only come out of his mouth, but Suyin wanted to know where this guy found it. It could save Qin Fuhua! In a rush, Suyin pulled out all the coins that she could find in her sleeves and pockets, handing all of the herbs picked up from the area. "Please let me have it. Just that one could save someone." It didn''t matter where he got it. Suyin knew exactly that would be the herb that could the Prince. Her clothes were all dirtied from the soil and dirt that picked up along with the herbs, but Suyin didn''t mind that at all. Flustered at Suyin''s rash actions, the male could only shake his head. "Ahh.. no, it''s okay... you can take it if you need it." He replied. "There are foreigners in the town and I bought a bit too plenty. I was planning on planting some here, hoping it''ll grow, but if you need it, you can have it." He kindly stated with a smile on his face. Suyin couldn''t take something empty for no reason, so she handed him all of the herbs that she worked hard on picking and gave it to him. She grabbed his hand and placed the money thereafter the man handed her the herb and hurriedly left. With a dazed expression on the male''s face, he watched Suyin drift off down the grassland and into the forest, further down until she disappeared. With a closed-lipped smile, he only shook his head. "It seems like Miss was in a hurry for something." He turned around and went back towards the town, carrying the bundle of herbs and money in his hand. -------------------------------------------------------------- With a couple of tossing and turning, Qin Fuhua opened his eyes, staring at the dark ceiling of the cave. A strong stench of oil mixed with the smell of green grass caused Qin Fuhua to slowly lift his head to see what was going on. The last thing that he could remember was walking with Suyin to the room in the hidden cave before everything passed out. Seeing the familiar layout of the room, he realized a cold touch on his left forearm. Suyin was sleeping with her hands on Qin Fuhua''s arm (on the ground). He looked a bit further from here to see a bucket filled with watery blood with a piece of fabric in it. On Qin Fuhua''s bare shoulder was a wrap made out the top of her sleeves. His top hanfu folded neatly beside him. He froze for a second, looking at the wrap and then glanced back at Suyin. She was just wearing her undergarment (at least the top)! Was this woman stupid? Qin Fuhua went back to the mode of "being a man" again as he grew flustered. He would lecture her after all of this is done, but even with the minimal movement that Qin Fuhua was doing, she did not wake up an inch. Qin Fuhua lowered his head briefly and shifted his weight to carefully learn closer to Suyin. The woman''s back was exposed but as flustered it caused Qin Fuhua to be, he stared at her face with a prolonged look filled with... admiration. He didn''t come into a sense of what he felt every time he bumped into her. It was always a coincidence whenever they crashed into each other, but this time, it felt different. It felt like time had stopped and it was only the both of them at the moment. It had stopped enough for Qin Fuhua to realize that this was a woman filled with everything he wished he could have been. Qin Fuhua tried to slowly move her hands so he could get up to cover her with the cloak, but as soon as he let her go, she immediately woke up. Suyin shook her head, her eyes were still half-open. "Hm...?!" Alert and cautious, Suyin thought that something had happened to Qin Fuhua, only to find the two of them staring at each other. Suyin covered her chest, crossing her arms to her shoulders. "Wha....what are you trying to do to me?!" Suyin exclaimed, sitting up as she pushed herself away. "You should be the one explaining that." Qin Fuhua replied, looking away as his face began to flush. "Here!" He stood up, throwing the cloak to her face as he stood up in a hurry. The cloak flew directly to Suyin''s face, unable to catch the cloak as she groaned. "H-Hey!" Suyin looked at his cloak and wore it around her shoulders, making it tight enough to cover the top as she followed him. "I had to use something to wrap it around you! All I had was my clothes." Suyin grumbled underneath her breath. "It was all to save you." She pouted. "I better be getting a damn large pay after all of this is done." Suyin followed Qin Fuhua to another room, filled with more books. The dust had been sitting there for a while and webs began to form in some parts of the corner. She stopped speaking when she saw how quiet Qin Fuhua became. "...How long have I been out?" He asked, his voice soft. "About a half of the day," Suyin replied, watching him from his back. "You still need to rest though! I won''t let you go anywhere until you get another day''s rest otherwise your wound can reopen and you can get a fever that way!" Suyin demanded, frowning at him. "If that is so, only this time will do then." Qin Fuhua said, moving back to the main room as he sat down. Suyin sat down next to him, covering herself with his cloak. She avoided eye contact with him as he stared at her. She could feel the eyes on her but tried her best not to say anything about it. What was she doing?! Was she an idiot? She had forgotten that Qin Fuhua is a man! A MAN. A person who has the Y chromosome in their DNA, and here she was, sitting next to him, covered in her hezi (it''s a red, silky undergarment worn at the top)! e Suyin was so focused on crushing the medicine in the cloth with a rock that she forgot about the aftermath of all of this. Even with the cloak covering her, she felt cold. She didn''t realize how cold it got during the night! Qin Fuhua was watching her the whole time because he noticed how cold her hands felt when he moved her. The idiot couldn''t even think about herself for one second, could she? Qin Fuhua stood up, walking towards Suyin as she lifted her hands to surrender. "P-Please don''t do anything!" She closed her eyes. He was the Prince, after all, he wouldn''t want someone as lowly as her, right?! Qin Fuhua took the cloak and wrapped it around him as he sat down to cover both of them. With Qin Fuhua sitting behind her under the cloak, Suyin''s face began to flush in bright pink. "It''s cold in here. Just stay here for a while." Qin Fuhua whispered in her ears. Suyin turned to look at him and felt his head, worried about him. "You''re burning up" She wanted to stand up but Qin Fuhua held her down, wrapping his arms around her. She was worried but couldn''t do anything since she was stuck. With no choice, she stayed with him throughout the whole night. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Awakening to a soft warm embrace, Suyin lifted her head, opening her eyes to see Qin Fuhua wrapping his arms around her still. Surprised, Suyin jumped out of his embrace, waking him up in the process. He only opened one side of his eyes, looking up at what was going on. "Y-You." Right. Suyin had forgotten that Qin Fuhua had a fever and felt cold. She moved towards him, gently touching his forehead as she sighed in relief. "You''re better." She said, feeling like a load of burden was off of her chest. If the Prince of Qin died in the hands of Suyin, she did not deserve to be a doctor at all. Qin Fuhua wrapped the cloak around her, standing up as he took off her wrap around his bare shoulders. "It''s time for us to go outside. I don''t think they''re looking for us anymore." "They''re?" Who were they looking for? Suyin couldn''t figure what he meant by that. When Suyin was out looking for herbal medicine for him, she didn''t see anyone except the man dressed in white. ------------------------------------------------------------ It took a while for Han Suyin and Qin Fuhua to head back to the manor. Since he was still "Tienzheng" it was hard for him to walk around alone with Suyin wrapped around his cloak. With Suyin wearing some dirty, slave clothing (that they found lying on a clothesline nearby the city-- Qin Fuhua was nice enough to leave some money after Suyin nagged about stealing other''s clothes), they were the center of the attention. "I thought that was his wife." One whispered to another. "Maybe that''s all just a rumor. He probably just bought another maid to serve him in the house." Suyin couldn''t get away from being the center of attention, especially with Qin Fuhua here. Embarrassed, all she could do was hide behind him. "How much is this?" Qin Fuhua abruptly asked the shopkeeper, who was still busy whispering to his fellow workers as he lit a smile to his face. "Ah, yes! This is the most extravagant silk that you can buy out of these here! We can hand-make an outfit for you-" "I''ll buy it for her." Qin Fuhua suddenly blurted out, pointing with his head towards Suyin. If Suyin had to choose to walk around the town naked or be called crazy for being a doctor, she would choose to be called crazy instead. Her face was flushing red because of all of the whispers and rumors that were spreading around her. Qin Fuhua had her glued to the back of him because the slave''s clothing was large on her. "Yes. I will make it for her." The shopkeeper stated, telling the workers to drag Suyin into the clothing shop. ----------------------------------------------------------------- After being dragged in the clothing shop and had her measurements taken by the women, they were trying to get every little detail about her. "Who are you?" "How did you meet the sir Tienzheng?" "What is going to do with you?" All of the ladies surrounded her in all of these questions while they were working on her dress. They chuckled as they continued to ask Suyin questions and began gossiping to each other. All Suyin could do was smile.. like an idiot because she didn''t want to say anything wrong to cause Qin Fuhua any trouble. After finishing the dress in just an hour after getting help from the three ladies, Suyin walked out in a beautiful, black, and gold silk hanfu. Stunning enough to have Qin Fuhua have a ''glance'' at her. "Beautiful! My, she would look like a Princess, wouldn''t she? Haha," The shopkeeper said in awe, his hands on his hips. "She''s my wife." Qin Fuhua replied, pulling her in next to him. All Suyin could do was smile and came close to his left ears. "What are you doing." "Act the part." He replied. "Thank you. I will be taking my leave now." Qin Fuhua took out a stack of money and dropped it on the table of the shopkeeper. His eyes began to sparkle. "Thank you, my lord!" He happily shouted. --------------------------------------------------------------- Qin Fuhua and Suyin had arrived at the manor. Of course, in this manner, Qin Fuhua was known as Tienzheng, a high-class scholar, so it was important that he had to play his role since Suyin was his "wife" after all. As the two walked in, Weizhe was sitting down in the central hall, with a defeated look until he saw Qin Fuhua and Suyin. "Your Highness" He quietly said, with a concerned expression. "Jianhong.... he''s dead." Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 43 Goodbye "Jianhong is dead?" With a confused look, Suyin couldn''t think of anything else. She slowly turned to Qin Fuhua, who showed no expression on his face. It seemed as if Qin Fuhua had expected something like this to happen already. Weizhe had kneeled, cupping his hands together in front of Qin Fuhua. "With him out of the picture, I believe that we have no more evidence to see who he is tied with." Weizhe was distraught. After the Prince had left Weizhe and Zhaoyun to go meet with Han Suyin, the guards of Jianhong had scattered away. The ones that were caught had bitten their tongue, staying loyal to the man. Qin Fuhua shook his head. "There should be something different about the people that Jianhong had been associated with." The picture of the man in grey. "The men that Jianhong had been with is associated with someone who is greatly associated with poison." Although it was a start, Weizhe''s eyebrows lifted. He bit his lips and then nodded. Weizhe knew that Qin Fuhua would tell him to go investigate any clans or tribes that knew any poisoning sects or at least someone who was well known in making devices such as Jianhong had used to run away from them (smoke bomb practically, but a weaker version). "Wait." Qin Fuhua ordered in a mannerly tone. Weizhe turned around to the Prince. "Get ready and head back home. I will come in a couple of days." Qin Fuhua ordered. Weizhe nodded and then left out the door. From that moment, Suyin had remembered about the key that she held in her waist belt. "Ah." She turned to Qin Fuhua, who looked back at her. "The key." She had wrapped the belt a couple of times to make it sturdy enough so that it wouldn''t have fallen. "Tada~ I found it at least!" Suyin let out a big grin, proud of herself since she did this all by herself. The rose-shaped key was handed to Qin Fuhua. He glanced at the key and then back to her. "Where did you get this?" He firmly questioned. How did she know that the people living in the Feng mansion would have possession in it, especially the maid? Suyin shrugged her shoulders. "Staying in the Feng mansion, I had overheard about a key, hoping this was it." The most important thing she wanted to do was to leave this place. Of course, after saying goodbye to the new friends she made here. Qin Fuhua kept a straight face, raising his head as he placed both of his hands behind his back. "Then your mission is finished. We shall leave tonight then." Tonight?! Suyin couldn''t possibly let Qin Fuhua know that she made friends here already, besides, it would have been rude to leave them like this. "Ah...haha. Yes." Suyin sarcastically laughed, "I''ll.... I''ll go pack." She said in a hurried tone, quickly waving at him before she ran off down the corridors. --------------------------------------------------------------- Waiting for the sun to rise below the mountains would be the perfect opportunity to head over to Feng Junli''s place. Hopefully, Shao Feng had come back from his mother about her time that is slowly ticking by. Suyin had secretly acquired some common clothes that the people wore so that she wouldn''t stand out anymore (by threatening the poor maids again). Tying her hair up again to fake her identity as a male, she left the manor of Tienzheng and hurried down the streets. Qin Fuhua wasn''t home since the last time she had talked to him, so he probably had gone to investigate the death of Jianhong. Although it should be a sad thing for Han Suyin, he was selfish until the end of his time. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Young Master, someone is here to meet you." One of the maids softly spoke outside of Junli''s room. "Someone by the name of... Shu...." The maid paused. There was no surname to go with that name, so the maid felt confused for a second. All of a sudden, the slides of Junli''s doors swiftly opened. "Allow him to enter the manor." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Suyin had entered the manor of Feng. Although Junli''s mother was not home at the moment, there were many servants and maids walking around to prepare a ceremony of some sort. Suyin walked down the corridors until she saw a familiar face---Shao Feng! "Shao Feng!" Suyin happily said, dashing to him. "Ah... Su--" He looked around in case people looked at them. "Han Suyin!" He whispered quietly to her. She laughed as well as little Shao Feng. "I have some great news! Young Master Junli had allowed me and my mother stay here!" He happily said. "After you left, my mother told me everything and wanted to apologize to you." "Ah... heh heh... it''s my fault for being so impulsive." She scratched the back of her head because she was embarrassed about her actions. "You dare to come here to say hello to my young servant while ignoring me?" Another voice called out. Suyin and Shao Feng turned around to see Junli come in with a smile on his face. "Junli!" Suyin said, waving at him. "Sir Shu. It''s nice to see you again." Jiayi politely bowed to Suyin. Right... the only one who didn''t know about her identity was Jiayi. She nodded her head, grinning. "What''s the occasion here?" Suyin asked, looking at the elegant pottery and plants that servants were walking back and forth. "My mother''s coming home in a couple of days so we are setting up a little party. Would you like to come over?" Junli asked. "Ah." With a bittersweet smile, Suyin shook her head. "I.... actually came here to say goodbye to you all." She said with a sad tone. "I''m thankful to meet you all and there''s nothing more than sincere words of appreciation for what you all have done for me." She bowed to them all. "Ah-- it''s okay--" Shao Feng tried to stop Suyin from bowing but Junli quickly walked up to her and held her shoulders. "If you have anything that troubles you, you are always welcome to stay here," Junli stated. "Anything and anytime. Just tell me and I''ll go out my way." Suyin was surprised but nodded as she smiled. "My husband and I will be leaving tonight so I just came here to say my goodbyes" With a couple of exchange in words with Shao Feng, Junli, Jiayi, and Shao Feng''s mother (who rested in one of the rooms), Suyin had learned that Shao Feng is taking care of his mother with the help of Junli who hired a medical doctor by her side. Although Jiayi didn''t know where the key had disappeared, Junli suggested to Jiayi that it was best to not look for it because he knew his disease and did not mind it at all. Of course, Jiayi still does not know that Suyin is a girl because she had left to help the others set up the manor for Junli''s mother... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- With Suyin looking out the little cloth window in the carriage, the night sky was the only thing that can be seen. Suyin had made friends who actually supported her as a woman. If only everyone was like that. Through this whole time in the carriage, Qin Fuhua was looking at her (of course, they are sharing one carriage after all). He didn''t need to stay as the identity of Tienzheng, so Qin Fuhua had taken off his mask, revealing his true face to the others (and of course, Suyin wasn''t even affected by this). 44 The Reward "W-Wait for me!" She quickly followed him, heading outside. "Gege!" Chuhua''s little voice softly called out to Qin Fuhua. Qin Fuhua gently smiled, squatting down to Princess Chuhua''s height with a pat on her head. Chuhua turned her to Suyin when she walked into the front gates and ran towards her, waving at her. "Hi, Miss Suyin!" She waved, waving her hands to Suyin as she waved back. "How are you feeling?" Suyin questioned, looking at her as she lit out a big smile on her face. "Better than ever!" She turned around to look at her brother (Qin Fuhua) and then turned back to Suyin. "Ever since you came, I''ve been feeling better than ever before!" Chuhua uttered aloud on purpose so that her brother could hear her voice. Qin Fuhua ignored her remark and strolled down to his courtyard. Before Chuhua and Suyin could talk together, Qin Fuhua turned around to the two. "For working so hard, I reward you with whatever you want." He said softly. "Wait!" Suyin ran to Qin Fuhua and stopped him before he left. "Hm?" "Since you said I can have a reward..." She was hesitant at first, looking down at her fingers before she looked at him, "Do you think I can go back to a friend''s... place." Qin Fuhua''s eyebrow furrowed. She knew that she was not supposed to just leave him and his sister like that because she had to take care of Chuhua. "Y-You can say that I can have whatever so..." She saw Areum who didn''t know that they were returning today and dropped all of the things to run to Suyin. "My lady!" She cried out, holding Suyin''s hands. "It''s so nice to see you again!" Suyin had no choice but had mouthed "I''m sorry" to Areum and turned to Qin Fuhua. "I''ll... I''ll come back soon! I promise. Areum will stay here to help take care of the house while I''m gone. I promise!" Qin Fuhua turned around with his hands behind his back. "No." He said in an angry tone and left. Rejected, Suyin could only pout and sulk, the same as Areum who was used as a poor scapegoat. "My lady," Areum said in a low tone. "I''ll talk to you later," Suyin said as she went back to get Chuhua to head to her (the Princess) courtyard. -------------------------------------------------- ''"Ahh, I shouldn''t have just asked." Suyin walked back and forth in her chamber. Areum was pouring tea in the cup, calmly watching Suyin. "Why didn''t you just tell the Prince that you wanted to see your parents?" Areum suggested, thinking of ways for her to help. "No." Suyin stopped her steps, thinking about her parents before she bitterly smiled at Areum. "I don''t have parents like that." Right before Qin Fuhua could knock on the door that leads into Suyin''s chamber, Suyin had blurted out some curse words about the Prince. "This Prince thinks that he''s so grateful and this and that, acting cooly in front of his little sister, only to say no to me." Suyin was angry about Qin Fuhua''s suggestion about "rewarding" her. With a frown on Qin Fuhua''s face, he quietly opened the door, enough so that Suyin wouldn''t hear. Suyin was facing in front of Areum, who immediately saw the Prince as she tried to point at Qin Fuhua. She put her hands on her hips and then put her right leg on a chair. "Damn it. Next time I save him, I''m going to make his medicine so bitter, he''s going to wish that he was nicer to me." Areum kept pointing at the Prince, "My lady." Areum softly spoke, pointing towards Qin Fuhua''s way. Frozen in place, Suyin noticed where Areum was pointing: behind her. Suyin slowly turned around to see an angry Qin Fuhua, crossing his arms as she gave him a big smile. "Ha... haha.. I was just... kidding." Suyin put her left hand behind her back, laughing as if it was a joke. "I hope it was." Qin Fuhua said in an angry tone. Although he seemed angry, Suyin was surprised to see him in her room. Why was he here? Suyin looked behind him to see if anyone followed him. If it wasn''t the Princess following behind him to visit her, then why was he here? Qin Fuhua threw her a bag of coins and a set of clothes towards her. Suyin was able to barely grasp the items in a hurry. "Come back when you''re done doing whatever business at your friend''s home." Qin Fuhua said, angrily slamming the doors closed before Suyin looked at Areum. "Does that mean.. I can leave?!" Suyin happily said, hopping up as Areum nodded to her question. "My lady! Don''t worry about me here. Please do whatever you need at Lord Wansun''s home." Suyin nodded, smiling at Areum. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Good bye, my dear lady" Areum smiled, handing her a bag filled with clothes and the money that Qin Fuhua had given to her. The two were outside of the manor. Weizhe had offered to take Suyin to her friend''s home but she politely declined. Suyin looked around, trying to see if anyone else would come to see her off. Areum had observed Suyin, who looked impatient or at least anxious as she lit a small grin on her face. "Are you looking for his highness?" Areum whispered, giggling as Suyin frowned at Areum. "N-No!" Suyin retracted, grabbing her things. She quickly stomped off towards her way to Wansun''s home. ----------------------------------------------------- Qin Fuhua was watching from afar at the gates of his manor, with Weizhe by his side. Weizhe had watched Qin Fuhua stare in front of the gates, wondering what the Prince was staring at until he saw Suyin stomping off. He lowered his head, "My lord, shall I suggest to follow the lady?" He asked, trying to comfort Qin Fuhua as he shook his head. "Forget it. We have other important things to do." Qin Fuhua uttered, walking down the corridors. 45 Calm before a storm Suyin had realized that she was either always in carriages or somewhere that she couldn''t see, so it would be pretty hard to even encounter Wansun somewhere out in the middle of the city like this. She knew that Wansun had to be an important figure or at least a person around here because of all of the medicine that he had with him. With a family background in medicine and a large, vast variety of them, Suyin knew that he would be the best bet at learning medicine, for now at least. People were walking together in crowds, walking past various shops and stalls while Suyin had remembered about the bag of coins that Qin Fuhua had tossed to her. She had forgotten about it all along, but thanks to Areum, she had packed it in her little backpack bag made out of simple light-brown cotton. Maybe Suyin can look at it later when she is out resting somewhere so that she can know how much she can spend on food or have somewhere safe to stay instead of resting outside. With a carefree spirit, Suyin happily walked around, looking at various items she had never seen before. Jades were lined up in a stall with different types of colors that swirled together to make a piece of beautiful jewelry. Suyin was never the type to like jewelry, but the designs that laid in front of her caught her eye. Suyin had lowered to look at the little Chinese calligraphy on top of a certain jade with the words, "Jade of the Dragon." Suyin chuckled at it because it was fake. Why would someone sell something like that anyway? She laughed it off, hopping off to look around some more before she left. ------------------------------------------------------- Throughout the day, Suyin couldn''t remember where in the world Wansun had lived, causing her to be troubled because she didn''t want to waste her free time playing where''s Wansun (Note: a play of words from Where''s Waldo, a game where you have to find a certain person in this huge mess of things). It was already getting dark and Suyin had no choice but to find an inn to reside in. She couldn''t turn back to go back to the manor now, especially because she knew that Qin Fuhua will think she is hopeless since she doesn''t know where to go to find her friend''s home. Sitting in her room, Suyin opened the doors to look at the moon that stared directly down back at her. Sighing because of how beautiful it looked, she leaned by the windows, feeling a cool breeze fly by her. In this life and era, she never really got a break to take a breather at all! She had just realized that with all of the things happening back to back, Suyin was always in the center of the trouble. A tall, silhouette had been standing at the top of the rooftop on the other side of Suyin''s window, staring at her as she had fallen asleep. The Prince''s cloak danced along with the breeze as he carefully and quietly flew in through the windows to enter the same room as Suyin. He carefully carried her to the bed, pulling up the bedsheets to cover her. Qin Fuhua sat next to her on the bed, watching her sleep soundly. The Prince had been working on his assignments but couldn''t help when he saw her at the windows. The Magnolia scent that would never go away from her was like a haunting dream to Qin Fuhua because he could always somehow find her that way. He brushed her hair, tucking it behind her ears as he stood up to leave the room, making sure that the doors and windows were closed tightly before he left. -------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Prince has entered the inn!" A loud commotion had wakened Suyin up, jumping up in the bed. Wait. How was she in the bed? The last thing she had remembered was staring at the moon from the windows. Although Suyin didn''t remember what happened last night or how she got to bed, she had a really good sleep. It''s been a long time since Suyin was able to sleep comfortably like that in a while. Carefully, Suyin fixed her hair and slowly slid the door to take a peek at what was going on. "Hurry, the Prince of Qin has arrived in the inn! Everyone get everything for the Prince as needed!" another one cried out, rushing down the stairs. "The Prince of Qin? Is he here?" Suyin asked herself. She found it odd that the Prince of Qin appeared in the same inn, asking for some grand entrance which was unusual of him to do. To get a better look at things, Suyin decided to take a glance down the ground level from where she was at within the chaos of the workers running back and forth to serve the "Prince of Qin." Suyin peered closer, squinting to look at this so-called Prince of Qin as she widened her eyes. He did not look like Qin Fuhua! What was this person doing? Everyone scattered to bring the man a table filled with various food. Appetizers, dishes, to all types of desserts laid in front of the man. Another person was with him which was not Weizhe nor Zhaoyun, so it was nearly impossible that this person was a Qin Fuhua! How dare they! If Suyin was able to just go down there and tell them that he wasn''t the Prince, they wouldn''t believe her words. From the way of how nervous the workers had appeared, she knew that it wasn''t a great thing to do. She had learned her lesson from the previous incident knew that this outcome wouldn''t be so great, so she decided to observe what was going on. "The Prince of Qin is requesting for more wine!" The servants called out. "Hurry and bring it out!" The man commanded, angrily drinking the wine as he began eating. One of the servants had a tray with the wine in the middle. As the servant nervously tried to pour more wine into the man''s teacup, his anxiety caused him to drop the whole tray, causing the man to hit the table, standing up. "Don''t make me take out the Jade of the Dragon!" The man yelled out, taking out a light-green jade. Still watching from afar, Suyin had noticed that the color was lighter than the real one, but was this what people do to abuse the power of the Prince? This wasn''t Qin Fuhua and she knew that he was impersonating him! Furious, Suyin decided maybe it was time for her to show up and ask him a couple of questions herself. Although she knew that this might cause her trouble, she knew that she had to defend Qin Fuhua at least. "Take it out then!" Suyin yelled down to the first floor. Everyone was startled at Suyin''s rash actions. The man who was impersonating the Prince was also taken aback at what she had said. Suyin hurried down the stairs and headed to the so-called "Prince''s" table glaring at him. "You are not the Prince of Qin." Suyin began to interrogate. The man was a bit nervous, looking around at the servants, but then pumped up his chest. "Yes. I am the Prince of Qin." He then shoved the Jade of the Dragon in front of Suyin''s face as if it was a curse. "Do you not see this?! Be afraid to die under circumstances when you face the wrath of the dragon!" Was the man serious? Even if Suyin didn''t know what the jade of the dragon did, she would believe that this person was crazy. Suyin rolled her eyes, snatching the jade from the Prince to take a closer look. "Oh really? What does it do?" She questioned, staring at the jade as if she didn''t know. The man laughed, pointing at her. "Look at her! She will face all misfortune!" The servants and workers in the inn became paranoid. "M-Miss. Please pack up your belongings and leave. We do not want any misfortune to occur here." The owner begged, covering himself with his hands as if Suyin was going to hurt him. "What are you talking about? This isn''t even real--" A sword was quickly pointed at Suyin by the soldier next to the mysterious man but he lifted his hand up to stop him. "Please, I''m begging you to leave.." The owner begged, handing Suyin back her money that was paid for the stay overnight. Suyin could only roll her eyes but then nodded. Before leaving the impersonator, she threw the jade back at him. "Don''t you dare ever do that again," Suyin warned, glaring at the man. Although she was throwing empty threats, the man didn''t flinch at all. With no choice but to leave the inn, Suyin had been irritated at this event. How could anyone ever fall for such a stupid trick? Have they never seen Qin Fuhua in real life or something?! ----------------------------------------------------------------- "My lord," The soldier said, lowering his head next to the impersonator. "No, it''s fine. We need to do a couple of things before finding out why this girl knows about the jade." The impersonator said with an unpleasant look on his face. 46 Days of Studying Suyin was stomping down, angry about what had occurred but then a carriage had stopped in front of her. "Please wait." The man inside of the carriage ordered. The horses halted as Suyin stopped to see who it was. She lowered her head, trying to identify the person before she realized who it was. "Miss Suyin." Wansun softly said, smiling as he got down the carriage. "Ah! Wansun! What a pleasure to finally find you!" She happily said, waving at him. Some of the people around the area watched while others continued to walk past them. Wansun had his left hand behind his back and his right hand in front of him. He was wearing a silver-silk hanfu, laughing at Suyin''s actions. "What are you doing?" He chuckled at her waving action. "Oh, this? It''s a way of saying um.." She had to think for a second. Of course, it was different back in the days. No one would wave at each other like this in the old days. Suyin laughed, "it''s a way of saying hello to friends!" Suyin smiled. "Were you looking for me? I stopped to say hi to you, but if there''s anything you need, don''t hesitate." He kindly stated. Suyin could thank the gods that Wansun was such a kind, sincere person! "Remember about the offer to stay at your place to study some more? Do you think I can come to stay at your place for a while to study more medicine?" Suyin asked, a bit shy since it was the first time that she had to ask someone to stay at their place. Wansun smiled, his eyes turning into a smile also as he nodded. "Of course, Miss Suyin! It''s a pleasure to be able to teach you." He said. "Come into the carriage and we shall head to my place." Suyin shook her hands, "Ah, no! That is for you!" She quickly rejected, "I shall walk." Suyin pointed. "Miss Suyin, please. The words of the wind whistling along with the trees do not turn back to where it came from.* (NOTE: This means that it''s against his morals to allow her to walk since it isn''t gentleman-like)." With no choice, Suyin was in the carriage with Wansun, sitting in there as she looked outside in the window. The two had conversed in the carriage, with Suyin talking about her adventures and her encounter with a snake bite, not specifically talking about Qin Fuhua, but saving someone with it. She wanted to learn more about medicine so that something like that can be prevented in the future. ------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a typical day for Suyin; First off, she would have to wake up in her guest room, where one of Wansun''s maid kindly offer her breakfast before she leaves for his courtyard which was not too far from the corridors of her room. After arriving at the library, she would read up on some books and then go to the medicine room where she would learn how to combine different herbs to see what works and what didn''t work. But on this day, Wansun had plans for her, carrying a basket made out of bamboo. He was dressed up in rather cotton clothing with a bamboo hat to finish it off. He grinned at Suyin, who stared at him oddly. "Where are we going?" She asked, holding her book down. Wansun was already holding a bamboo hat for her, smiling. "There''s a certain rare herb that I wanted to find. I wanted to go find it up in the mountains to find it so that I can research it more and you will be going with me as an apprentice." 47 Anxiety and Humiliation "What kind of medicine or herb are you looking for?" Suyin asked, looking around the cold, damp ground. Wansun was looking around the trees and dirt as well, moving his head left and right to make sure that he didn''t miss anything. "It''s a flower called the Niaoshao flower." Wansun took out his journal with some sketches of the flower. "I heard that it stays up in the high mountains where the fog lies. Its color is bright pink in the morning, but as night comes in, the flower turns purple, hiding its beauty." He pointed at the flower in the drawing, "I haven''t seen it before, but the others had talked about the features of this flower. It is hard to miss since it stands out so much in the fog." Suyin nodded her head, looking at the flower that Wansun had sketched. If it was something that stood out, then it wasn''t going to be that hard. She continued to follow right behind him before the two heard a shriek, causing her to turn around to see nothing but dense fog. "Wha. That scared me." Suyin patted her chest, assuring herself before she turned around to follow Wansun again. There was nothing but fog in front of her. "Wansun?" She called out. There was no answer called out from the fog. Suyin turned her head around and looked to see if she could see anyone or anything. The more steps she took in, the more she panicked. "Wansun!" She yelled aloud. "I''m over here!" Wansun called out again. Suyin turned her head to the East which was where the voice was called out. "Come over here Suyin! Follow my voice!" Suyin hurried to the voice of Wansun, reaching a rocky, cave. "A-Are you in here?" She said a bit freaked out about where it was leading to. She wasn''t sure if something was leading her there but Wansun was quiet again. Cautious, she slowly crept inside the cave to see Wansun inside with a girl laying down unconscious. Little candles were the light in the cave, so Suyin hurried to help Wansun at his side. "There''s no pulse," Wansun said, shaking his head. Although the girl was dead, her body was still warm, an indication that she had barely died. Suyin looked at Wansun and then looked at the girl. She had looked familiar as if she had seen her before. It was one of the ladies that Suyin had helped at the Xinyi Host Inn. Suyin then looked at the girl, recognizing that it the girl that begged to be saved! How did she end up here, though? Suyin couldn''t tell Wansun what had happened, since she didn''t want to drag him into this mess. All of a sudden, Suyin and Wansun heard some voices outside, one that sounded like someone she had known before. "Did you finish the job?" someone spoke outside. Wansun looked at Suyin and pointed with his index finger to hush her. Suyin nodded her head, doing her best to breathe slowly. "The job has finished. She said that she did not find the person who had freed her and the rest of the girls." Another voice replied. "Damn!" If it was the girl who she had encountered at the host inn, the only person who would be behind this would be Hwang Liwei, the person who had captured the girls to be put into prison. "My lord, shouldn''t you be getting ready for the wedding with Princess Yanyu." A different person spoke, with low confidence in his voice. "Stupid! That useless Princess didn''t even want to marry me! Having to be declined in front of the King and my father..." Liwei angrily spoke, "She''ll see what happens when she becomes my wife." "My lord! We have found something suspicious over here!" After that, Suyin and Wansun could hear footsteps getting further and further away from them until silence filled the air. Wansun took a deep long breath and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness they didn''t come in." He said, looking at Suyin. Suyin was frozen, thinking about what could happen to her dear friend. How in the world did the Princess become engaged with Liwei? Had this always been a thing and she didn''t mention it to her? Suyin looked up at Wansun, her eyes unwavering. "Wansun. I have to go back home." Suyin couldn''t think about what could happen to her friend if Liwei ends up marrying her. Whatever his status was to allow him to marry her in another country, Suyin knew that this wouldn''t be good if he had control of her. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Suyin had bid Wansun farewell immediately after the event. Although Wansun had offered to take her back home again, Suyin declined, telling him that she needed to do this herself and thanked him for being such a kind guest. Suyin wanted to go back to Areum to let her know but she didn''t want to get stuck with Qin Fuhua again. With no doubt, she did ask Wansun if she could borrow a horse for a quick way to get back to the gates of Yuwei to head back to her home. It was at Yuwei where Suyin had first encountered Qin Fuhua and realized he was the Prince. It was months ago that had happened but it felt like it was just yesterday that she was still back at home with her parents. Speaking about her parents, Suyin felt troubled coming back home because she would have to encounter the perverted old man who wanted to marry her again. Suyin felt the goosebumps thinking about it as she reached the gates of Yuewei. "What do you want here?!" The guard demanded, staring down at Suyin who descended from the horse. "How did you get on that horse? Did you steal it?" He questioned Suyin as if she was some sort of criminal. "Geez, no. I learned.... it." Suyin had to make up an excuse. She had forgotten about the amount of power women didn''t have compared to men. She probably had attracted a lot of attention riding a horse out of nowhere from where Wansun had lived (which was very far). "I want to leave." Suyin rolled her eyes as the guard glared at Suyin. "Who dares to leave without a token of approval to leave the Palace!" The soldier laughed at Suyin, humiliating her. Suyin frowned at him, turned around with the horse following her. That was right. It was pure luck that Areum and Suyin were able to enter the country. How could she ever get out of here to save her friend? The soldier began to tell the other soldiers, telling them that a woman riding a horse wanted to leave the country as if she had power. They all began ridiculing her, causing Suyin to glare at them all. It was just plain stupid that a woman couldn''t do anything they wanted without being judged. "Was it for Miss Suyin?" Weizhe had walked around the corner, holding the scabbard of his sword, wearing all black as his hair was down. He looked at the guards and then to Suyin, who blinked a couple of times to stare at him. What was he doing here? The guards quickly began to shut up, knowing his identity as they all stood straight in a line. "What did they say? Needing a token, Miss Suyin?" He asked again. Flustered at the guard''s behaviors, she glared at all of them, making faces at them. Weizhe laughed, lightly scratching his nose as he pointed towards the left of him. Suyin looked in the direction where he pointed to see Qin Fuhua sitting down at the table, drinking a cup of tea outside at a restaurant near the checkpoint. His eyes ever so cold and fierce as ever, gulping tea. "Tienzheng would like to chat with you" He whispered to Suyin and then fixed his voice. "Ahem. I see that you have been slacking off with your job. Would you all like to be punished by guarding the animal''s fertilizer instead?" The guards shook their heads, panicking. "We are sorry!" They all said, bowing down to Weizhe. Suyin snickered at the soldiers walking to the table with Qin Fuhua (whose identity is Tienzheng) with a big grin on her face. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to Suyin, calmly looking at the smile at her face. "Are you entertained yet?" He questioned. Suyin turned around to see the soldiers kneel and turned back at him, only nodding her head with pleasure. "Why are you leaving out of the city?" He questioned Suyin who stopped smiling. She bit her upper lip, avoiding eye contact with Qin Fuhua. "If you want to go back, you should have told me that you were tired of taking care of my sister." Qin Fuhua was looking at her the whole time, noticing that she had been avoiding eye contact with her. Trying to make her guilty because he knew she didn''t talk to him he took another try. "You should have at least told Areum." He then crossed his arms, leaning back at the table as he watched her. Suyin couldn''t hide the truth from him, but she didn''t know if he could help her. After all, the two kingdoms were at war with each other. Although, at this moment, both of the kingdoms were on the verge of starting a battle against each other. Somehow whenever she needed help, Qin Fuhua had always been there to help her. Through her lies, she couldn''t bear to tell one to the Prince of Qin since Areum was in their hands. "I... need to go back to save my friend from marrying a monster." Suyin finally spoke, her eyes looking up at Qin Fuhua now. Qin Fuhua was not faltering an inch, observing her as he quietly listened. "It''s.... it''s not because I wanted to leave, but I need to go back to my hometown to warn her... at least." "How do you think that will go? After working so hard to run out of that place and here, do you think it''s that easy to come and go as you please?" Qin Fuhua was correct. Everything that he had said was true. If she left this country, it meant that she couldn''t come back, and going back to her hometown meant that her parents would eventually find out, causing her to give them a face of disgrace. Suyin slowly lowered her head, lowering her head to Qin Fuhua. "P-Please help me get me to and from the Long territory please." She softly said. Suyin never asked for help but she felt so helpless even being ridiculed by the soldiers, Suyin knew that she can''t do this mission alone. Qin Fuhua only looked at her, then mocked a laugh at her. A laugh? The Prince of Qin doing that was really out of his character, but was he going to think that he would actually help her? Suyin tried at least, so that''s all it mattered. A flying bird mocking a duck works sometimes. *(Meaning it didn''t hurt to try). "If you know that you were wrong, then that''s correct. Going to the territory and coming back is suicidal." he looked at Weizhe who had punished the soldiers for humiliating Suyin and then glanced at her. "If you really want to do this, then let''s get married." 48 A Moment of Truth Qin Fuhua shook his head with a serious expression on his face. He placed both of his arms over the table, wrapping his hands as he leaned forward. "This is the only way if you want me to help you." Was this man serious? Why would it be her out of all of the beautiful women that probably had crossed his path? Suyin had to think through this deeply, sighing. Qin Fuhua observed her behavior, shaking his head. His eyebrows furrowed like the usual grumpy person he was. He was most likely offended that Suyin felt that way. "If you want to get to the Long territory and back here, we would like to fake a marriage." Qin Fuhua clarified. He looked even grumpier than ever but didn''t make a single sound. He simply closed his eyes, waiting for her reply. "Oh! Well... o-of course it would be." Suyin chuckled. Suyin thought that he was going to marry her on a serious note. "If we were to get married going through the forest...." "There is another way in and out of the Long territory that connects here." Qin Fuhua pointed to the north of the area, "Along the way, there is a checkpoint of the Long territory that allows merchants to go in and out. If we were to fake our marriage and ride the red carriage from my home here to visit your family that lives in the Long territory, they would have no choice but to allow it, since the Kingdom from both sides has not said anything about this...yet." Suyin acknowledged his idea. If this really worked out, then she could easily go in and out of there quickly. The lips of Suyin''s curved into a smile, nodding her head as she held out the cup of tea in the air for him as an approval. "Deal!" -------------------------------------------------------------- Upon Suyin''s approval of the wedding, Weizhe and Zhaoyun had to prepare for the wedding for the next day. A red carriage, a set of wedding clothes for Qin Fuhua, some of his trusted soldiers turned into civilians dressed up in red to walk around them as a celebration, people who played music in celebration. Weizhe had suggested utilizing a vacant home that no one uses as a "home base" for their marriage that wasn''t too far from the other checkpoint. It was a large cement bridge that was one way in and out, so they had to make sure that everything was real. It was early in the morning, about 5''o clock am, where the sun continued to sleep as the rooster cried out in the sky. "Why marry me?" Suyin suddenly asked him, playing with the rims of the teacup with her index finger. Why was he helping her? It wasn''t like she had anything valuable to her enough for him to take notice and help her. Qin Fuhua looked at the mirror to see Suyin playing with the teacup. Her voice quivered as if she felt like she didn''t deserve his help. He knew she meant to ask why he was helping her, but because of the maidens who helped him dress up, she didn''t want to ruin the mood. *"The plum tree does not grow on its own without help." Qin Fuhua truthfully said, reassuring her with the unconfidence she had in herself. It was true that his initial plan in the beginning when he first met her was to help cure the Princess. Time passed on and with her along the journey, he immediately trusted her enough to save him from Jiaoshu and she retrieved the key at Liaoping. Her capabilities had surprised him each time and made her interesting than anyone he had ever met in his life. *(He meant, "Because you were always there to help me"). With Qin Fuhua''s assurance, Suyin bitterly smiled to herself, looking down at the teacup now. Maybe because people were there, that was the reason why he said that to her. But, those words made her a bit happy, even if it was fake. He was always there for her and she was glad at least he took notice of her. After grooming up Qin Fuhua, he left outside to let Suyin get ready to wear her wedding clothes. The two old ladies began to comb Suyin''s hair, lecturing her how messy her hair was, scrubbing off the dirt off of her skin. Beautiful dark red dye made out of flowers was used as the base of lipstick, eyeliner, and eyebrow makeup that was made out of inkstone that was grounded into powder shape with water added onto the mix. A small, beautiful porcelain pot with a small bag used as the blush was used to apply on Suyin''s face. The maidens chuckled at Suyin because of how much she changed with the luxurious clothes and makeup on. They went on talking about how handsome Qin Fuhua was and how lucky Suyin was to marry such a handsome and noble scholar. Suyin could only chuckle deep down, knowing how he was in reality. After two hours, Suyin had finally finished. Her legs were about to give up on her because she sat down for so long and then stood up for another hour just to put on all of the clothes. A veil covered over her, but curious Suyin walked up to the mirror to see herself. "Wha..." It was all she could say to herself. The beautiful bright red dress with its fancy gold jewelry decorated around the dress. Her veil was covered in gold and red. Suyin felt like a Princess in another world with this outfit on, she could barely recognize herself with the makeup on! She lit a smile on her face, knowing that although this was a fake marriage, she should make the most out of it in this little "play" that Qin Fuhua and Suyin did to help save her dear friend. ----------------------------------------------------------- Suyin descended down the stairs, slowly with her veil on as both of her hands were in front of her. She carefully walked each step down with the beautiful red dress, only to nearly trip at the last few steps. Suyin felt like she had fallen, but felt a pair of hands hold her up. She couldn''t see who it was because the veil blocked her view, but she knew that Qin Fuhua''s long fingertips wrapped around her shoulders, helping her up. Suyin could only laugh as an excuse, "I''m sorry." She quickly said. She was not used to any long dresses like this at least. The bottom of the dress was a bit longer than usual and it was mainly Weizhe and Zhaoyun''s fault for picking out the wedding clothes they had thought would fit her perfectly. All Suyin could hear was Qin Fuhua''s voice, but she didn''t know that when she got out of the room and descended the stairs, Qin Fuhua''s eyes were glued onto Suyin until he caught her. "It''s fine." The two words Qin Fuhua said was quick yet soft enough for her to barely hear. Suyin was sure glad she had the veil to cover her face because she was starting to get embarrassed for nearly eating the ground. Qin Fuhua stared at her (although he could only see the veil) as Weizhe and Zhaoyun cleared their throat. "We are ready for departure! Please bow to each other!" Zhaoyun stated, standing next to Weizhe. The two were at least happy that Qin Fuhua couldn''t take his eyes off of Suyin, bumping each other with their elbows as they squealed deep down inside. Suyin and Qin Fuhua bowed to each other, carefully as she hit Qin Fuhua in the head with her head. "A-Ah! I''m sorry again! I can''t see." Suyin apologized immediately, rubbing her hands against each other because she could imagine his grumpy face again. "It''s fine." He softly responded. "oohh hooo." Weizhe modestly noted, colliding his elbow with Zhaoyun again. The two were practically teasing Qin Fuhua because they had never witnessed him so gentle and like this before, so it was a fun scene for the two to watch. Suddenly, Qin Fuhua shot his eyes to the two-- a death glare that was a warning as the two stood up straight again. Both of their eyes were wide, trying to suppress the laughter of this scene. "Let''s depart to the bride''s home." Weizhe then declared. The two quickly got out of the house to get on their horses before Qin Fuhua could get to them. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Along the ride to the checkpoint, it wasn''t that far from the house that they stayed in. With Suyin in the carriage and Qin Fuhua sitting in the front of the horse guiding the way to her home, their first mission was to pass the checkpoint. As the soldiers were checking some merchants in front of them, they noticed the carriage. The soldiers were dressed differently than the ones in the Qin territory. They had pointed helmet hats and wore brown-colored armor instead of gold for the Qin territory. Instead of spears as their choice, they held swords. "Halt. Why are you here for?" The soldier stopped Qin Fuhua, who stopped immediately. With the softest voice that Suyin could hear from outside, he smiled at the soldiers. "Brothers, I am getting married to my beautiful wife. She lives in the village not too far from here and I wish to cross to do the ceremony." Qin Fuhua said. The guards looked at each other, suspicious of Qin Fuhua while they moved to try to look in the carriage. "Are you sure you are carrying a bride in there or you are smuggling something illegal?" the soldiers quickly questioned Qin Fuhua. Before he could answer, Suyin moved the cloth covering the entrance to the carriage, peeking out. "Sweetheart. Is there something a matter?" She quickly responded. Qin Fuhua turned around to Suyin and smirked. "My mother is sickly so we must hurry." Her voice shaking, trying to make herself a fragile woman. The soldiers lowered their guards, turning away from them. "Hurry and let them go!" the guard commanded. Everyone entered through the entrance to enter into the Long territory. There was a rest stop nearby where everyone rested because they were all tired from walking. Although their initial "home" wasn''t too far, it was still a good far distance. Suyin had sat in the carriage, still wearing her veil before Qin Fuhua came in, scaring her. This time though, he pulled the veil off of her which surprised her even more. Her eyes widened at how close Qin Fuhua was (because he took off the veil) as her face began warming up. "W-What are you doing?" She asked, covering her chest as she backed up. Qin Fuhua hushed her because of her rash actions. "Where do you live and where does your friend live?" He asked. Suyin lowered her chest, looking at him. She had no choice but to tell him the truth since there was no point in hiding it. Upon revealing her face, Qin Fuhua was taken aback at how beautiful she had looked with the whole outfit on. It wasn''t just the makeup but it was like she came out of a painting into real life right then and there. He never took a glance away from Suyin, sitting across from her now. "Um..." She paused for a second, "she''s the Princess in the Palace of Long." Impressed, Qin Fuhua didn''t say much. It made sense why she had worn such luxury clothes when he first met her. "The Princess, eh? That''s who you want to save?" Suyin gazed straight into his eyes, "I just need to warn her, that''s all I want." "How about your parents then? Should we arrive there?--" "No" Suyin stopped him in the middle of his sentence. With a bitter smile on her face, she shook her head. "I.." Her tone lowered, her eyes looking down in the ground now. "I''m a disgrace to them... I ran away from a marriage I didn''t want and..." Why was she telling him all of this? Maybe because she didn''t want to see them again or he had just asked, but her feelings poured out with the thought of her parents, "I''m just a puppet living with them." Qin Fuhua didn''t mean to touch that topic, but he had insisted that she probably had missed them. Although he didn''t know how to cheer her up, he lifted his hand to her head, patting her. "My parents never loved me either. Living in the Palace although I''m the Crown Prince," he laughed as if it was something ridiculous to him, "It scares me." And that was the last thing Qin Fuhua said before he left the carriage. That was the first time that Suyin had seen the vulnerable side of Qin Fuhua. He was always so vicious, grumpy, and upright about his image, but with what he had said felt like the two bonded in a way that she would have never thought. His last words before he left, Suyin could feel his voice shaking while her heart slowly torn apart. But why did she feel this way?