His Rui

"I didn't kill him…spare me …please."

The shadow guard pleaded as he dragged his body back. He wanted to run away but An Ping never gave him any such chance. Before he could fly away by using qingqong, An Ping kicked very harshly on his stomach making him unable to get up.

The shadow guard pursed his lips as his face became red because of the pain he was feeling.

But the pain never went away.? It increased only because the next moment, Li Rui pierced the same part of his body with the sword in her hands ruthlessly.

"Was it you who attacked him?"

Li Rui asked again and the shadow guard immediately shook his head hoping that she would leave him.

However he had already sealed his fate when he had tried to provoke Li Rui by saying that it was him who had attacked Xi Ying.

Li Rui stabbed him again. After each stab she asked him if it was he who attacked Xi Ying and injured him but with every stab, the shadow guard said the truth …he never stabbed Xi Ying.

But it was of no benefit.

He was stabbed until he stopped breathing while An Ping standing a few steps away from his dead body breathes sharply seeing the ruthlessness of Li Rui.

Such ruthlessness ….he had only seen in his master.

An Ping glanced away from Li Rui as he remembered his master again.

It was only then his gaze fell on the figure lying on the ground.

"How did this…"

An Ping was shocked as he asked.

However, Li Rui never gave him any such chance. Stepping away from the dead shadow guard, she said

"An Ping"

She called him in an authoritative tone that made AN Ping answer her instantly.

"Yes, My Lady."

"Find some place …a cave perhaps. We will treat Lord here."

Li Rui ordered and An Ping could only obey her.

Because he could see that Xi Ying needed to be treated soon. Because he knew that he couldn't move his master too much in such a condition.

Because he knew that only Li Rui could treat him.

So he went in search of some safe place.

-------

Imperial Palace

It took the shadow guard half a shichen to reach the Imperial Palace. When he reached, Eunuch Wang immediately informed the Emperor about his arrival.

Working inside the Imperial Study room, Zhao Wang Lei only thought that coming back of his shadow guard meant that the work he had sent them for had been done.

So he happily asked Eunuch Wang to let the shadow guard enter the study.

However, the brightness in his eyes soon vanished when the shadow guard kneeled down on the ground and told him all the happened events.

Li Rui was never killed…instead, it was Xi Ying who got heavily injured.

With his phoenix eyes sharp and cold, Zhao Wang Lei stood up from the chair he was sitting on and walked to the shadow guard.

With each and every sound of his footstep, the shadow guard trembled fiercely.

He had thought that he would face some hard punishment so he felt very afraid. Still, he shouted out respectfully.

"Your Majesty, please punish me."

Zhao Wang Lei sneered coldly and said

"Of Course we will."

The shadow guard trembled but soon his trembling stop.

The next moment, his head lay a few steps away from his torso.

He was dead.

Eunuch Wang looked indifferent towards this scene. He didn't say anything and just called some servants to drag the body away and dispose it secretly. He then called some selective maids to clean the Imperial study room.

As the servants cleaned the study room, Zhao Wang lei calmly sat on the chair. His phoenix eyes were still sharp and cold as he called for Eunuch Wang.

"Did Zhuang Chen wake up?"

He asked Eunuch Wang who immediately answered in 'no'.

Zhao Wang Lei let out an exhausted sigh.

He suddenly looked out f the window and whispered

"It will rain soon." And then he went silent again.

After a moment of silence, he said

"Two shichens later, Go and ask Zhao Zhang Wei to stop kneeling. Ask him to go back to his Palace and then come to meet us."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Eunuch Wang said and then left the Imperial study room to do the said chores.

---------

Deep inside the forests, An Ping found a safe place after his search of less than half a shichen.

It was a cave. Inside the cave lived a lion which An Ping killed very easily from the bow and arrows he took from the dead shadow guards.

He then helped Li Rui to bring Xi Ying inside the cave.

They were fortunate to reach inside the cave at a right time because the rain started as soon as they stepped inside.

An Ping again felt a little relieved to follow Li Rui's order to treat his master inside the forests only. They wouldn't have been able to reach Xi Manor in such a short time as they were already very deep inside the forests.

Inside the cave, the sound of rain falling on the ground could be heard very clearly.

At this moment, Xi Ying was lying on a bed made of stone with his back facing Li Rui and An Ping.

With one hand, An Ping held the fire to show some light so that Li Rui could tear the clothes on the wound more easily, and in the other hand, he held the plants that Li Rui had given him when he had gone to pick her and his master after he had found the cave.

They were perhaps some useful herbs she gathered when he had been searching for some safe place. An Ping hoped that they were else he would have to leave for Xi Manor leaving his injured Master and Li Rui alone here.

After all, he couldn't let his master die here without doing anything.

An Ping's face went serious when he saw the wound on his master's back.

It was a very deep cut. An Ping frowned and then looked at Li Rui.

He wanted to ask her if she could really treat his master.

But he was afraid that he would look too rude if he asked anything like this.

"I can do it. I just need a few things and your help."

An Ping was startled when he heard Li Rui.

He glanced away as he felt a little embarrassed because of being caught.

"This servant didn't mean to …" doubt My Lady.

An Ping had wanted to say but Li Rui didn't let him finish.

She pointed towards the corner and said to him.

"Make some fire there also find something with which I can grind these herbs. Bring some water to clean the wound."

An Ping's embarrassment immediately flew away and he nodded his head.

After putting some things together he made a fire and then he left the cave to gather the things Li Rui had told him despite the heavy rain.

On the other hand, Li Rui moved towards the entrance of the cave. She broke some wood from the trees that were surrounding the entrance of the cave and then she tried to make a container from that wood by using the sword.

Busy in her own work, she never noticed the man lying on the stone bed opened her eyes once and his eyes fell on her blurry figure.

"Rui"

Xi Ying whispered in a very low voice. A moment later, he went unconscious again.

And then the night started … a very dreadful night for Xi Ying that he will never forget in his life.