Ming Jian and Shu Qin sprinted for the horses, but there were so many soldiers everywhere. Shu Qin grabbed a sword from one of the soldiers nearby and tried to cut her way through the crowd. Ming Jian followed suit, but this only brought on more soldiers. Shu Qin, already rather traumatized by the proposal from Mu Cong, felt herself become overcome with fatigue. Ming Jian also began to tire out, as he couldn't fight off the masses and protect Shu Qin. Ming Jian's spirit broke when Mu Cong appeared with his elite guard. "You didn't complete your mission!?" Ming Jian roared in anger, but couldn't dwell on it as Mu Cong began to attack him. Shu Qin felt tears stream down her face again. After all her training in the army, she understood that disobeying an order was punishable by death. However, she felt that dying right now wouldn't be helpful in anyway. As much as she liked Mu Cong better, Shu Qin knew that in order for history to continue its course, she must save Ming Jian. Thus, she leaped into the battle between Mu Cong and Ming Jian and began to attack Mu Cong. By now, Shu Qin's clothes were covered in dirt and blood, and her face was covered with grime. Also, Shu Qin had taken off her hair accessories and wiped off her make-up, so it was hard to imagine her as the seductive courtesan that was visiting the leader. The soldiers backed off from the three fighting figures, scared that if they tried to help, they might accidently hurt their own leader. The three swords flashed coldly in the night. The metallic sounds of the swords clashing could almost be passed as music, and the three leaping figures as celestial dancers. Suddenly, Ming Jian pushed Shu Qin out of the circle. Shu Qin dropped to the ground just in time to avoid Mu Cong's sword. Shu Qin gaped at Mu Cong in horror, and saw that he shared the same expression as she did. The last thing she remembered was Mu Cong falling to the ground, with blood gushing out of a wound on his back. Ming Jian stood behind him... And then she was sucked into the void. When Shu Qin woke up, she found herself on a soft bed with silk blankets. She was in a lavish bedroom. Each piece of furniture was made from the best wood, and the walls were lined with valuable artifacts. It was just like the bedrooms that Shu Qin saw when she was watching some Chinese drama, complete with the two servant girls standing at the door. "My lady, the Chancellor and Young Master Mu Rong are waiting outside in the garden." "Where am I? How long have I been here? How did I come here?" Shu Qin refused to budge without a satisfactory explanation. "My lady, this is the Mu Rong family's mansion. You arrived here this morning with the young master and the Chancellor... I think you were originally at the Chancellor's mansion last night." The servant girl bowed her head in respect while answering Shu Qin's questions. "The Mu Rong family's mansion... wait, so that means that this is Ming Jian's place!?" "Of course! Why, did you expect something different?" The girls giggled. "No, but why are you girls laughing?" Shu Qin eyed them suspiciously. What was so funny?" "Well, my lady... Young Master has a habit of staying away from all women except for his mother. In fact, he just turned down his 45th marriage proposal from another family today!" The girls giggled even louder. "And all this is really funny because...?" Shu Qin was getting rather impatient. She could never stomach such girly nonsense, even when she was in the 21st century. "Well, Ming Jian actually brought you home himself... so we were wondering if you would... you know..." One of the girls nearly fell with this new bout of giggles. "Would what? Stop giggling and just spit it out. That's an order." Shu Qin could feel her head getting ready to explode. The two girls immediately stopped the giggles and stood up straight. "Please excuse us for our impudence, my lady... but we were wondering if you would happen to be the woman that Ming Jian would actually agree to marry to..." Shu Qin scowled. "That would be impossible, young ladies. Now, should I change, or can I just wear this and go meet the Chancellor and Ming Jian?" Shu Qin pointed to her thin silk sleeping robe. "My lady, here are the clothes you will be wearing today. They are very pretty, if I may say so myself." One of the servant girls smiled demurely and bowed. In the other girl's hands were a long, pink silk robe and a pale pink, almost white dress with lavender roses embroidered on the edges and sleeves. Shu Qin agreed, and thought that this was a great work of art. "Oh, um, thank you." Shu Qin took the clothes and hurriedly draped them on. There was a pair of slippers next to the bed, so Shu Qin put those on. She was about to step out of the room when one of the servant girls stopped her. "My lady, your hair..." "What's wrong with my hair?" Shu Qin looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was braided and knotted into a bun. "Well, the Chancellor is here... so if you wouldn't mind... please let us fix your hair for you." The two servant girls bowed their heads while waiting for Shu Qin's response. Shu Qin sighed. Her hair right now was perfectly acceptable in the 21st century, but apparently it was far from being appropriate in the 7th century. "Fine. But keep it quick and simple." "Yes, my lady." replied the two girls in unison. Shu Qin sat down in front of the dresser and closed her eyes, preparing herself for some absurd "fashionable" style. After about five minutes, Shu Qin had nearly fallen asleep when one of the girls said, "My lady, we are finished." Shu Qin looked into the mirror and almost gasped in surprise. Rather than the hideous look she had anticipated, she saw instead fresh look that made her look more like her own age. Part of her hair was left in a bun that slanted slightly sideways towards the left. The long bangs on either side of the face were braided with silk ribbons, and some of her hair in the back was left down to form a black, silky curtain. A few cherry blossoms were also put into her hair, which added a nice delicate touch that brought out the slight blush dabbed on her cheeks. The red hair pins were pretty too... Shu Qin froze as she suddenly thought of Mu Cong falling with a wound on his back... "My lady? Are you... feeling well?" Shu Qin jerked back into reality. Mu Cong was her enemy now. What happens in the past stays in the past... and so should her feelings. She stood up. "I'm fine. Now, where is the Chancellor again?" "We'll will lead you there." "You don't need to now." Ming Jian stepped into the room, and behind him was an old man with a soothing smile on his face. Ming Jian was as cold as ever, his eyes glistening with the cold gleam reserved for his enemies and any females who dared stray in his path... Shu Qin felt weak. She didn't want to see Ming Jian now, not after what happened last night... She felt anger threatening to burst out of her... "You must be Shu Qin Wen." The old man smiled and asked Shu Qin. "Yes. And you are the Chancellor, right?" Shu Qin smiled with an effort. This old man was nice, so he deserved to be nicely treated. Well, at least he was nicer than Ming Jian. "That is one thing I am. Now, aren't you curious about how you left the camp?" "Yes! I just remember being sucked into something, and I woke up in this place." Shu Qin was curious. If she was unconscious, wouldn't she have been captured by the enemy? As powerful as Ming Jian was, it would be impossible for him to fight off the masses AND save her... "I am also the Keeper of Time and Space. From time to time I can manipulate time and space, and luckily I was able to snatch you two from the camp before you were chopped into pieces last night." The old man sat down on one of the chairs, looking very serious. "If I'm lying, you can kick me in my family jewels." Shu Qin's jaw dropped to the floor. If that was the case... ...then the old man would be able to help send her back! |
