บท 50: Paoxiao, A Knight in Shinning Armor

Only a bit of time had passed since Lu Se Ying had left Paoxiao to find his own way home. Or rather, for Jiang Ya Lin to show him the way the home. He had no sense of direction. Even in the Spirit Realm, he had someone that could point the way for him. Especially when it was a place he didn't often travel.

Their travel, all except for the clamorous noises clinging to the lively streets, was made in silence. For some reason, even without stopping for anything, the way back felt much longer. Paoxiao wanted to complain about it but held his tongue. After all, if she wasn't leading him back, it wouldn't be wrong to say that he'd possibly find his way home well into the night once he finally got his bearings.

As for Jiang Ya Lin, she was enjoying the extra moments with him, even if they were made in silence. At the same time, as she led Paoxiao down the longest route back to the Palace of the Four Gates, she kept in mind all the streets they've been down so as not to retrace their steps in any way. Afraid that Paoxiao would catch on to her ploy.

"Jiang Ya Lin!"

The voice, shouting out in anger, had Jiang Ya Lin's spine stiffening in dread. Swiftly reaching out for Paoxiao's hand, she wanted to run with him into the crowd, losing that person in the process. However, her hand fell short of reaching him when the next words rang out, clear as day.

"Jiang Ya Lin, you stop right there! Gallivanting through the streets with another man like a dog in heat when you're someone's fiance!"

Balling her hands into fists, Jiang Ya Lin turned around and marched straight up to her accuser. Before the other could react, she grabbed hold of his lapels and yanked him forward. "You listen here, Cheung Fai Guang! You may have cozied up to my grandmother, but that doesn't mean we're engaged. Father won't agree to it so long as I don't agree with it!"

Cheung Fai Guang ripped her hand from him and flung her backward. Before she could become a crumpled heap upon the street, Paoxiao reached out and caught her. Fai Guang sneered.

"Are you waiting for your beloved Gong Meng Yao-ge to finally speak up that he wants you?" He taunted. "He's never going to say that he wants you, you know. Regardless if he would actually even entertain the idea of you being his wife, his family would never allow it. You're nothing but some rubbish Commander Jiang picked up in passing, so who knows when he'll tire of you."

Jiang Ya Lin bit her lip against hollering out like a shrew at the side of the road. Those biting words, even though they fell from the mouth of a pig, cut her heart. The things he spoke were her deepest fears.

She and Gong Meng Yao had both grown up in militant families that had close ties to one another. It was for this reason that they had the opportunity to be childhood friends. Her only affections for him were the feelings between siblings. He, as well, had only ever graced her with the affections afforded to a little sister.

He would never say that he wanted her as a wife, nor would she hope for him to speak such words.

However, it was true that even should he want it, his family would never allow it. That she was something picked up in passing, that she would probably be abandoned once Commander Jiang tired of playing father... even the servants of her family cursed her such since young.

Hearing it so often dug it into her heart, creating a deep seeded fear to sprout unhindered. The only thing that managed to keep it from crippling her was the constant love given to her by her father, Jiang Yu Xue. He held her in the palm of his hand, like a treasured daughter that was truly born from him.

Jiang Ya Lin opened her mouth to retort, not wanting to remain her usual passive self in these situations with Paoxiao at her back. However, before anything could make it passed her lips, she was drawn back tightly into a warm embrace.

The feeling of being held in Paoxiao's arms caused her heart to speed up and her face to redden. Even though she was embarrassed, she rejoiced in the feeling of it. Paoxiao, on the other hand, did not hold the same sweet sentiments. Rather, his blood was boiling in his veins.

Although he didn't understand how human courtships went, he could tell from the conversation that this low down scum was squeezing his way in through loopholes. Not only was he trying to cheat his way in, he had no respect for the one he was trying to take as his wife. Treating her lower than an insect.

Seeing the cute and child-like innocent Jiang Ya Lin that constantly went out of her way to help him, being smothered and walked on, angered him like nothing else. Paoxiao glared at the little worm that was wriggling in front of him, trying to act like he had legs.

The sheer violence in that glare, a glare from a demon, was so strong that the bodyguards on either side of Cheung Fai Guang drew their weapons. Paoxiao sneered at them, the corners of his lips drawing up into a mocking fleer.

"Oh, is that right?" Deliberately pulling the girl tighter against him, he said provokingly. "You're a bit too late, though, I've already claimed this girl as mine. If you have the strength, then take her from me." With that being said, he swooped up Jiang Ya Lin into his arms in a princess hold. With one good jump, he had the strength to leap from the ground to the second story rooftops, disappearing from view.

At their back, Cheung Fai Guang's voice could be heard screaming out. "Who is that impudent flirt!? Jiang Ya Lin, if you don't come back here, your grandmother will be hearing of this!" Only, his cringing shouts were ignored. The threats falling on uncaring ears.

Even after some time had passed, neither of them spoke a word. After a second more of this silence, Paoxiao suddenly leaped from the rooftops to an obscure street corner. He set Jiang Ya Lin back on her feet. "I wanted to send you home, but I don't know where to go." He reluctantly admitted.

After saying so, he shook his head. "No, rather, I stopped because I need to apologize. Being that I don't know how these things work between your kind, I might have made things worse."

"No," she denied, "I'm glad that you did. That guy thinks that he'll be able to climb up in power because I'm an unwanted girl; he's convinced my grandmother that he's the only one who'd be willing to seek me as a wi-"

Reaching out, Paoxiao pinched her chin, forcing her downcast eyes to look up at him. He couldn't bear to see her beaten and self-deprecating appearance. The strong tom-boy he was used to seeing shouldn't look like this.

"You're not unwanted. If you were unwanted, Commander Jiang wouldn't have wasted the effort it took to raise you. You don't waste time on something you don't want. " He then added, "you're such a nice and courageous girl that anyone would be lucky to have you as a wife."

As he said so, Jiang Ya Lin felt the damn on her emotions break as tears spilled from her eyes. Startled, Paoxiao wiped at them with his thumb. "D-don't cry! That rough guy won't be able to bother you anymore! Look-"

Paoxiao stopped and realized with some dread that he had broken the rules Li Yu Rong set for him long before he nearly broke this one rule just now. As he raised his hand to create a charm, he nearly revealed his ability as a demon. Earlier, in his anger, he had caused a scene and for the people viewing that scene, he had displayed his extraordinary abilities.

Swallowing back his dread, he decided that as long as he said nothing, Li Yu Rong would never know. Thus, to prevent more from being revealed he dropped his other hand from her chin. Reaching into his wide sleeve, like he was pulling something out, he created the charm away from view.

When he finally pulled his hand out, on his open palm, was a white jade bracelet that had arrays carved across it. Taking her hand, he slid the bracelet onto her delicate wrist, nearly as white as the jade. "So long as you're wearing this, he won't be able to touch a single strand of hair on your head."

Jiang Ya Lin's heartfelt so warm and full, that she wanted to cry again, but because of his earlier reaction, she forced it back. Smiling brightly, she said. "Thank you, Xiao-ge, but this is too much to accept."

"Nonsense! You've been a constant help to me these past two months, think of it as a repayment for that."

No longer attempting to reject it, Jiang Ya Lin proposed instead, "then let me continue to work for it by helping you get home?" She still wanted more time to be around him, before they had to part.

With a nod from him, they both made their way to the Palace of the Four Gates. The atmosphere between them, a little sweeter than before.