Bab 10: His Majesty was Mr. Xin?
Princess Ye'er was reading a books when her father summoned her in their ancestral hall.
"Really?"
She asked excitedly. Lu'er her personal maid nodded her head and smiled at her.
"Xin'er!"
She excitedly called her. Xin'er comes rushing towards her.
"What is it Princess?"
"Finally, we can go out!"
"Really?"
Princess Ye'er nodded. She was so happy that at last, she could finally went outside.
She went on and greet all their servants that she saw on her way. They smiled knowing that the Princess they had known before had finally back to her feet.
She runs toward their ancestral hall but froze half way down.
She was so excited that she forgot to give her father a proper courtesy.
"Where is your manner?"
Duke Yan frowned.
"Oh!"
She turn back outside again.
"Where are you—"
Before her father could asked her, She then slowly entered.
"Greetings, Father!"
She said in a very akward position that made her father back with laughters.
"I really don't know what to do with you!"
He said between his laughter.
"kneel!"
"What?"
I thought I am free to go out, It looks like I'm her to be punished! she pout her lips and murmured under her breath.
"What?"
Duke Yan's eyebrows raised up and his voice become more serious.
"You won't listen to me now that you have someone else to rely on?"
Rely! who could that be if not him? oh my, does he really thought about that jerk? Not good!
"I'm sorry!"
She immediately apologize to avoid further trouble. Looking at the situation, it seems like her father is up to something.
"But I don't want to leave you, please don't send me away!"
She force a fake sob but Duke Yan knew her the most to fall from her tricks.
"Nonsense!"
She suddenly jerked when her father yelled at her.
"Father—do you really want me to go away?"
"I don't want to argue with you anymore!"
His father sighed
"Alright, let's pay respect to your Mother first, I have something to tell you, afterwards."
They both kneel down and burnt three sticks of incense and muttered their silent prayer.
"Mr. Xin asked to meet you!"
Duke yan said when they're walking outside.
"Mr.Xin?"
"You probably forgotten him!"
He said with a trace of weary in his voice.
"His driver is waiting for you outside and also—"
"Father, what's wrong?"
Ye'er asked when she sense some kind of uncertainty in her father's face.
"If you don't want me to go—"
Which I would be glad to! She thought happily only to be disappointed.
"You go! just bring Xin'er with you and—"
He paused.
"If you want to say no, this is the best time for you to do so!"
Ye'er was about to asked him, what he's supposed to mean, But he already turn his back and walked away. She doesn't know but somehow she felt that something's been bothering with her father, lately.
"Princess lets go!"
Xin'er put a black cape in her as per Duke Yan's instruction.
Her thoughts went somewhere as they were on their way to meet a certain Mr. Xin that her father had mention a while ago. She asked Xin'er if she knew him but she shook her head.
It almost took an hour before the carriage stop in motion.
"Princess we're here!"
The driver informed them.
"Mr. Xin is waiting for you in that side."
"Thank you!" Xin'er told the driver.
As she walked closer to the old man she saw a flush of visions that suddenly pop up in her head.
"Mr. Xin?"
When Mr. Xin turn arround, her eyes widened in surprised. Why it's him?
"Greetings Your Majesty!"
Xin'er automatically kneel down and pulled her dress to informed her. But she could no longer response, she put both her hands on her head as she suddenly felt an intense pain.
Her vision becomes doubled and she heard a clash of steel. .
2 months ago before the accident. . .
She was sitting for almost an hour in the river bank waiting patiently for the fish to take her bait. It was too hot and the sun shone just right above her, though there are trees that could shields her from direct sunlight, but still, it was hot.
Staying in couple of hours directly under its rays will be enough to turn her into a walking charcoal.
She was still sitting as the hours passed by. looking at the clear water, she felt that the water is inviting her to jump, and it took all her courage to resist the temptation.
"I can't swim!"
She sighed in frustration.
"Where all the stupid fish went? So I could be done with this nonsense!"
This is all her sifu's fault. She frowned.
"You don't have patience at all, your temper is not good either—terrible. .terrible!"
Her sifu told her.
"Go fishing! it will teach you a great deal of patience!"
Patience my foot!
She wanted to voice out her protest but he wave her away.
"What does fishing had something to do with my temper?"
Instead of having patience, it seems that she finally lost all of it, Instead.
"Woah! what a clever old man—"
Sneaking out in their manor was not an easy task. They have a very tight security, plus their guardsmen were all elites, personally trained by her older brother.
In order to escape without getting caught. she had to wear a man's clothing and disguised herself into a gentleman and painstakingly crawled into a dog hole with out getting stuck in between.
"How annoying!"
She said tossing the fishing rod in the side. Thinking all her effort had gone to nought makes her want to beat her sifu. She imagined how happy he was knowing that he successfully send her away.
She stood up and decided to walked but its not long enough when she heard a commotion not far away from her distance. Out of her curiosity she went to check what was going on.
There she saw a passerby being attacked by the mountain bandits.
"Why the heck this bandits came in this side? It's Strange!"
She thought. Those people come from the mountain side and this is far from their territory, unless someone hired them.
"That man must be an important officials."
She also seen that their carts were full of grains, clothes and other stuffed. They also bring so many livestocks with them.
She concluded that this people might be going to give some relief goods into a flood stricken area.
She recognized those bandits because of the mark in their hands. It was a snake slither in the body of the naked woman.
What a lame and pervert! She snorts.
She was about to turn arround when she saw an old man. He carelessly, stick his head outside as if watching some circus while one of the bandits pointed an arrow towards him.
"This old man!"
She suddenly jumped into the carriage and pushed the man inside. It was just half a heart beat away when one of the arrow stuck in the side of door and one was in the edge of her cape.
"That was close!" She muttered.
"Ching'er, why are you here?"
The old man asked her, blinking his eyes as if he was uncertain.
"Pardon?" She frowned.
She was about to step outside when she heard a metal being clawed right above their heads.
"Oh no!"
She snatch the old man in his waist and jumped up as soon as the carriage wrecked open.
"They're here to kill you!"
She said as soon as their feet lands on the ground. The old man's escort suddenly stops when they heard the loud noise.
"Mr. Xin!"
One of the escort panicked and was about to come into their side but they were hold up by the bandits, Princess Ye'er and Mr. Xin runs towards the other side but before they could step closer, a bunch of assassins suddenly appeared.
They come down from the bamboo trees.
"Those bandits are just their decoy, they meant to lure you out. They already set this trap long before you come"
Ye'er said in a matter of fact tone. Base on the attackers move and the place they were in.
The assassins are wearing black hooded cape and masks to cover their faces. They incircled the two of them and there's no way they could break free without a fight.
The circumstances was odd, it was many against two or perhaps against one.
This is what I got for fishing! She said sarcastically.
"If I am going to die in this place. I'm really going to haunt that old man, for the rest of his life"
Ye'er thought angrily, pertaining to her sifu.
"Can you fight?"
She asked the old man they called, Mr. Xin. Before he could answer, the two assassins already launched an attacked towards them.
Ye'er slid backwards and grab Mr.Xin by the shoulder. She could not even gain their balance yet, when another batch manage to come closer.
She had no choice but leave Mr. Xin on the ground. The dangerous place is actually the safest one, Lesson number one that her sifu told her.
She touched her palm on the ground to support her weight so she could lift her body up turn arround and kicked them with both of her legs.
She accidentally landed on Mr. Xin's back.
The old man groaned in pain.
"Im sorry!"
Ye'er apologized with a smiled. She missed calculated her move and forgot the old man was on the ground.
She grab him again and make him stand.
"Stay on guard!"
Ye'er was getting tired and annoyed, she could not concentrate on fighting. She had to considered Mr. Xin's safety while blocking
their attacks and defend the old man at the same time.
"This won't do!"
Ye'er was about to knocked Mr. Xin down when one of the assassin sneak an attack behind their back. She pushed him and slightly turn her body quickly enough to dodged the swords
The blade pass through half an inch away from her face. She saw herself in the reflection of the steel, she heard the swooping of air from the blade that pass through at her right shoulder and cutted a small strand of her hair.
She attacked the assassin by surprised, grabb his hand and elbowed him in his jaw. The man lost his balance and fall into the ground.
She was already tired and panting heavily.
"This won't do, I need to do something!"
Her sifu always reminded her to conceal her fighting skills. But Not today, Disperate time calls for disperate measures!
"I'm fired up!"
Xièxiè beaux. . .
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone