Chapter 6
" No need young lady. I rather like it this way." the man smiled mysteriously and took the dagger back from her. She was surprised on hearing those words. She thought that he may hate that she used his dagger without asking his permission. Also, she thought that he would scold her later. But,t his reaction was totally out of her imaginations and she was secretly relieved that she did not end up offending him. With his level of skills, killing her would be a piece of cake for him.
After some moments pa.s.sed he looked at the men on the ground coldly and a sharp glint pa.s.sed through his eyes before it disappeared immediately. He was going to look into this matter once he returned.
" Sir, thank you for saving us. I will remember this favor. I will repay your kindness." Xia Lian was truly sincere with her words. She was sure that without his help both of them siblings would have been reduced into mincemeat. To be precise, they owed him their lives.
" Young lady, I'm just pa.s.sing by and you happened to be there. No need to be serious." the man chuckled. He obviously did not care about all these formalities. Anyone would have done the same, in his position. Who would be so heartless to leave a young girl and a child alone even when they requested for help. So, he felt that he did nothing out of the ordinary.
" Sir, if not for you we might have lost our lives in these woods. We are indebted to you and I will always repay what is owed." seeing that
" I'm called Xia Lian. Can I know the name of our benefactor?" Xia Lian want to know the man's name as she clearly resolved to help him in the future if need arises. She clearly did not know how he looked, so in the least she should learn his name so that she can repay his grace.
She initially wanted to ask him to remove his veil but managed to stop her loose mouth from spouting nonsense just in the nick of time. In this era, the contact between a man and woman is restricted. On top of that, a woman asking a man to show his face is purely outrageous and he might even think that she is a pervert without any manners. So, she asked for his name in spite of her unwillingness.
The man looked at the young girl's calm and composed expression and secretly praised her in his heart for her straight nature and att.i.tude. He saw many girls. They were either clingy or cry babies. But this girl was different. Unique, to be exact. He loathed women except his mother and younger sister. He always avoided them like a plague. Unknown to his heart, he could not bring himself to hate this particular girl. So, he decided to answer her question.
" Xuan Li Wei" he replied with a husky voice which he himself did not notice.
Xia Lian did not hear anything as she felt everything go dark around her when the veiled man opened his mouth. She was tired and now the previous day's exhaustion is finally taking a toll on her. She felt her body slip out of her control and she gave in herself to her exhaustion. She needed a good rest and with these thoughts she closed her eyes.
The young man saw her swaying and reached out to hold her just in time to prevent her head hitting the ground.
After seeing the girl faint in his arms, the man felt a trace of panic in his heart. He clearly had no idea nor experience about how to deal with women.
The feeling of something sticky on his hand made him realize that he was stained by blood, her blood. The wounds on her back started to bleed due to the pressure of the previous fight. So, she was fighting that good even with such serious wounds on her back. He was truly amazed by this girl who was not even half of his height. But, soon the appreciation is replaced with immense anger. Angry that she did not care about herself.
Did she not care about her body? If he had noticed that there are injuries on her back, he would not have made her fight no matter how dangerous the situation is. The young man's expression darkened as he stared at his hand which was now painted in blood.
He immediately raised his other hand to his mouth and whistled.In an instant a group of uniformly dressed men came out of their hiding with two horses and stopped before the veiled man.
They quickly saluted him, a respectful and dignified salute which can never be mistaken..
" General, What is wrong with them? " one of the uniformed men asked the veiled man on seeing the unconscious girl and boy.
" Bring me a horse.. Quickly!" Xuan Li Wei ordered and one of the soldier's brought a horse right next to him.
Xuan Li Wei quickly mounted the horse with the young boy still hoisted on his back. Then he hugged the young and pet.i.te girl around her waist to prevent her from falling off the horse.
Gripping the reins with this other hand, the stern general gave his men a series of orders before galloping away..
All the men looked at each other with bewildered expressions. They really did not see this coming.