章 24: Two Love Birds

They traveled forth for a week more, before stopping at a small town near a passage between two mountains, because the weather was stormy, and the rains increased the danger of landslides in the passage, which happened every autumn.

On the second day of the heavy rain and their stay in this town, Wu Long was sitting on the balcony on the second floor, overseeing the street below that now looked more like a river. Umbrellas were going through the street in both directions, and water was splashing from the steps of people holding them.

Suddenly, he noticed a pair, a young man and woman in traveling cloaks and bamboo hats, as they went through the street.

With his keen perception, Wu Long saw through that they looked severely fatigued, and malnourished. There was also a particular look in their eyes, one he was very familiar with.

They went through the street hand in hand, and went to an inn not far from here that was a lot cheaper. Not long after they arrived, a group of people went through the street from inn to inn, asking something.

There was a strange and mysterious light in his eyes. Something deep in them seemed to have awakened, and the feeling around him became different. He looked disturbed, for some reason only he knew.

Ever since Ye Ling's reveal, his memories from the distant past began haunting him again. Although he could deal with it, he also was feeling some change happening in his cognition. Although he could not explain it yet.

He took out his cloak and bamboo hat, and jumped down from the balcony, arriving on the street instantly being swallowed by the rain.

Hua Ziyan who was on the same balcony as him looked at his actions with widened eyes as they were quite sudden. They were discussing her technique earlier, and she took some time to ponder his teachings, as he was looking at the rain when he suddenly took off.

Wu Long approached the inn the couple went into, and arrived just at the time the group that came in walked into the inn.

He simply followed the group, and heard them asking about the young man and woman, giving their features and details. The inn owner looked uncomfortable, but since this was quite a common situation in inns, he knew that it was better for him to just comply. He gave them the room number, and the group, not knowing they gained another member, arrived in front of the room.

"Bam!"

The wooden door to the room was smashed in, and there was an immediate female scream from the inside as it was quite sudden.

"You! Just leave us alone! We've not done anything wrong!"

The young man angrily shouted as he unsheathed his sword.

"Hehe, that's of no use telling us, you'll have to tell young master Sui that" one of the group said.

"Yeah, you made us make a dangerous journey through this goddamn downpour through that pass, a clever idea, and I do have to give you credit for courage, but you will have to pay for that" another one said.

"We don't need him, just the girl" the third one stated.

They all took out their weapons, and started to go into the room. The couple retreated deeper inside, with the young man shielding the girl behind him.

"Suu- haa-, I guess I don't even have to ask much, since the story's as old as the world, really, why bother?"

Suddenly, a deep inhale, and then a similarly deep sigh as if the weight of unimaginable height was weighing down on the shoulders of whoever it was that sighed, came from behind the group, and a cold voice sounded after.

"Who-..."

Before they even got to ask the usual questions or to make any threats that would have inevitably followed thereafter, a sword danced through their midst, sending their heads flying into the air, and a shadow moved through the group.

The sounds of heads and bodies hitting the floor coincided with the sound of a sword being sheathed.

"Follow me, it's not safe here" he said to them, turned around and went to the corridor.

Wu Long waited for quite some time in the lobby, with the terrified inn owner who knew that something happened back there but did not have the courage to interfere.

"For your troubles"

Wu Long handed him a handful of gold coins, and finally heard footsteps behind him. He knew that they needed time to make up their mind, but would have eventually followed him as he just saved them.

"Um…"

"We'll talk later, it's not far" he said, interrupting the young man, as talking here would only be a hassle. He led them into the inn his group stayed at, and ordered a room for them to stay in, and food and drinks to be delivered to his room, after which he led them to the room adjacent to the balcony he was sitting on previously.

Hua Ziyan looked at him, and then the nervous looking couple with a puzzled expression, an obvious question in her eyes.

"We can talk once they have calmed down a bit and eat something, you'll understand, the same goes for you two, calm down and then we can talk" he said, as he gestured for them to sit, and the food arrived shortly after.

"T-Thank you" they sheepishly thanked him.

Though they completely couldn't understand the situation and his reasons, it was quite obvious he was helping them. They then started eating, and it became quite obvious how starved they were soon.

Hua Ziyan was quite shocked to see Wu Long seemingly interfering with someone's affairs on his own accord without being involved involuntarily or prompted to by anyone. Although he did help her when they first met, he was more of a spectator for some time, and it was only his displeasure from Zhao Wuji's words that led him to interfere, otherwise, who knows if he would have lent her a hand. He was also targeted by Zhao Wuji since he was wearing Yin Yang Unity Palace insignia on his cloak at the time.

In all their time traveling he ignored a few situations that occurred nearby with an indifferent look. So his behavior now was very mildly put, out of character.

As the couple calmed down and ate their fill, they looked a bit better, although only slightly, as it seems that the accumulated fatigue and malnourishment was not so mild.

"T-Thank you again, may I know… why you saved us and how can we thank you?"

The girl said, holding tightly onto the young man.

"Do not worry, I am not affiliated with anyone you should know, in fact, I don't know you or your origins and even exact situation. You can just consider it an act of sentimentality on my part, and I won't ask you for anything in return. You can call me Wu Long, may I hear your story?"

Wu Long said, dumbfounding all three people beside him in the room.

"I-I am Xia Jung, and this is Lei Ding. Me and her are from the Imperial Capital of the Azure Eagle Empire. We… we knew each other from childhood, and were always close. By the time we knew it, we… "

Here Xia Jung and Lei Ding both blushed slightly, causing a kind smile to appear on Hua Ziyan's lips. She no longer was impatient and just listened to the story.

"I get it, don't force yourself, just tell me what happened for you to be here instead of enjoying each other's love in your hometown."

After hearing Wu Long's words, both of their expressions darkened.

"It is the Sui family's young master, Sui Feng. He took a liking to Lei Ding, so he proposed to her family. They… they could not deny him, so we ran. We ran for a long time, but the pursuit always caught up… We thought that we would be safe at least for some time if we crossed this mountain path in this weather, but…"

Xia Jung explained with clenched teeth.

"Hmm, I get the gist of the situation, as I expected as much when I just saw you. But, running forever is not an option, and if experience ever taught me anything, that young master Sui will not stop searching just because you disappeared for a long enough time. Although you might be lucky to get away the chances of that are slim."

Wu Long said as if he had seen this hundreds, if not thousands of times. Both of them had despair in their eyes as they heard him. They knew it deep down in their minds, but just didn't want to admit it.

"Don't worry, I am not telling you this because I want you guys to give up. It is the opposite, I am telling you this because I have a solution to your problem" he then added, as the effect his words had on them was not exactly what he wanted.

As hope lit up on their faces, he continued.

"The solution is actually quite simple, I will personally solve it for you. We are going to the Imperial City, and while we are there I will make your problem go away"

This statement dumbfounded the three again. Hua Ziyan almost didn't recognize the aloof and mostly detached Wu Long, and the two were flabbergasted by his seemingly unlimited generosity, and at the same time shocked by his confidence.

"B-but, the Sui family is very powerful. How can you solve the problem with them?"

Lei Ding asked timidly.

"You do not have to worry about that. You will not last under their pursuit anyway, so why not gamble on at least a chance to end it all and live in peace?"

Wu Long said.

"Anyway, this is not a decision you can make instantly, and, moreover not in this state, now that you know a bit about why you are here, for now, get a good rest. Don't worry, you are absolutely safe here. Here, take these medicines, take one from each bottle for each of you now, and one when you wake up in the morning, it should make you feel better. We will talk tomorrow again, we are stuck here until the rain lets down anyway" he added, giving them three bottles of pills, and after some more hesitation and thanking him, they disappeared into the room he ordered for them earlier.

After some time in silence, he turned with a smile to Hua Ziyan.

"You can ask, don't hesitate so much" he said, chuckling at her expression.

"Then, are you really going to help them?"

"Yes"

"And you really are not related to them in any way?"

"Yes, I didn't know of their existence until a few hours ago when I saw them" he said, shifting his eyes to look at the already darkening outside scenery that was still covered in rain curtains. There was a strange look in his eyes.

He was looking at the rain with Hua Ziyan as she also was mesmerized by the tranquil atmosphere, with no sound but the heavy downpour of water from the skies.

"Do you have a reason?" she finally asked a question she was most interested in.

"Hmm, I do have one, but it is a story with a tragic end. I hate its end, so I change it if I see it repeating itself. Although I haven't for a long… long time now."

…

Want to hear it? I have to say it might not be a pleasant one"

"Mmm, yes, I think it will match the rain then"

"Haa, okay…" he sighed, seemingly organizing his thoughts.