Currently, Nastasia was being stared at by Li Yu Rong as she sat on her bed.
After Lu Se Ying made his presence known, he sprinkled a weird powder on the bodies that dissolved everything -even the bones- in a matter of seconds. She wanted to ask what it was but bit her tongue upon receiving his look that clearly said not to ask questions.
Rather than dwell on it she had shifted her attention to the shivering boy, pale-faced before this gory scene. If it weren't for the fact that she had seen worse during her time serving as a trauma nurse at wartime, she too would probably be just as unsettled. After calming him down, she had gotten his story.
Apparently, that unruly group of guys had overheard his begging for medicine and a doctor from the medical guild, only to be turned away due to not having the money for it. Promising to give the boy a cut, they conned him into acting as the lure to pull in the fish.
Only after scolding Little Si and getting him to swear to earn money in legitimate ways did she give him one of the three gold coins still left in her possession. The amount had been decided from Lu Se Ying's comment, "no matter what the grandfather's afflicted with, it wouldn't cost more than a gold coin."
Once all that had been settled, Lu Se Ying had An Ying bring Nastasia back to the Palace of the Four Gates while he waited for Paoxiao to be finished with their business at the magistrate's estate. Once An Ying had given his report of the events that took place, he vanished from the room like smoke.
From that point on, Li Yu Rong had been watching Nastasia with an unreadable expression. After what seemed like forever, he finally said, "why?"
Not needing it to be explained what he meant by that "why," Nastasia forced her eyes to remain on his, not allowing them to travel to the hands clasped on her lap. It almost felt like she was confronting her grandfather when she did something wrong as a child. However, she wasn't a kid anymore and while she could have gone about the situation better, she didn't feel that she had done anything wrong.
"To help his grandfather. If there something I can do, I want to try."
Even without being taught all her life to not look the other way when someone is in trouble, just putting herself in the little boy's shoes was enough to invite her will to act. Her own grandfather was an important figure in her life. After her father had passed when she was eight years old, it was her grandfather that had stepped in and became her father figure. If anything were to happen to him, she wouldn't be able to bear it.
That boy, even though it had turned out to be a trap, the concern and care he had for his grandfather were genuine. It was because of that deep worry that she felt touched enough to follow him. If it had been her at that age and she needed someone to aid her in saving her grandfather... thinking that way, she couldn't look the other way as if the boy hadn't cried to her for help.
Li Yu Rong frowned to hear such a reply. "Ignore it. For a stranger, you'd have-"
"For a stranger." She stubbornly insisted.
Upset over her stubbornness and for being interrupted, he bit out. "If An Ying hadn't been there, do you understand what might have happened to you?"
She understood, but she wasn't weak. Her grandfather had made sure that she would be strong enough to face any situation, that her mind would be able to think her way out of any situation. Although she felt her fighting skills were average, that was only comparing them to the rigorous training her grandfather -who had been, at one point, in charge of training officers- had the special forces of the military to undergo.
While he was more lenient on her, who was learning for self-defense, the training was still rather tough. For the everyday person, unrelated to the military, she would be a tough opponent to face. Her thoughts, for a modern-day world, while they could be said to be overconfident weren't entirely unfounded.
Thus tilting her head with confidence, she declared as she flexed her bicep. "I strong, no need to worry."
However, for a world that followed a more past-like mindset but on a more mystical path, the thought was best tossed aside. Boys, as soon as they could walk, were handed a sword. As soon as they could read -for those that had the know-how anyway-, they were made to read books on war tactics, manuscripts detailing the family martial arts, and manuals on how to channel the vital energy through their body to make the most of their skills. A modern-day person of her world, who gave but a small fraction of their lives to the art and did not have either of the energies to fortify it, simply could not compare in strength.
For Nastasia that had spent most of her days in this world within the Palace of the Four Gates, her modern way of thinking was still the most prevalent. She simply hadn't spent enough time outside, nor had she learned enough about the magical aspects, to change this fact.
From her actions and from her responses to this conversation, Li Yu Rong was quick to understand this.
In nearly the blink of an eye, he made a move, sending his hand to slice out at her neck full of murderous intent. Though it was like that, the move was more speed without any real strength behind the blow. Asya blocked it beautifully. Her block responded quickly to his threat and was without any unnecessary movement.
However, the fact that there was no vital energy or spirit energy behind the move made the way she blocked utterly useless. If he had applied any true force, her arm would have been crushed.
As she did not realize this, after understanding that he had been testing her strength and feeling that she had done a fine job Nastasia tilted her head. 'See,' her eyes communicated silently, 'I can take care of myself just fine.'
Though it pained him to do so he needed to crush that confidence of hers lest she once again is heedlessly throwing herself into another bad situation. Yet, at that time, without anyone to help her out of it.
Releasing the energy of both the vital and spirit contained within his body, but only slightly, Li Yu Rong moved closer to Asya that sat at the edge of her bed. He could see her face grow uncomfortable under the pressure placed on her body.
In a movement too swift to follow, Li Yu Rong grasped both her arms and placed them above her head with one hand. His body pinned her to the bed. Though she had tried to execute a move to prevent his intended actions, she was unable to do it fast enough.
"I don't know how it is in your realm," he told her, "but here those little moves of yours are of no use. If you can't break free of this hold, don't think about playing the hero, throwing yourself into harm's way."
Struggling and twisting her body about to no avail, she said in frustration. "When An Ying not there I broke one guy wrist."
Angry at her stubborn reply, Li Yu Rong bit her neck. Not enough to break the skin, but enough cause a small amount of pain. He would have swatted her bottom over her stubborn desire to not admit her wrongs, but that would require him to shift and let up on her pinned body.
Releasing the skin he attempted to viciously shatter her pride over her accomplishment. "He thought you were a weak woman and so didn't guard against you. If An Ying hadn't intervened, you would be dead or worse! If you can't break this hold there's no way you could have defended yourself against them."
Her neck hurt from being bitten, the places he was pinning her at began to ache from her attempts to struggle free. Angry at him for being this way, she began to throw curses at him left and right in English. "Jerk, heartless bastard, let me-"
Not knowing the words, but understanding that she was cursing him, he shoved his tongue into Asya's flapping mouth to silence her words. He was frustrated over her stubborn need not to understand his concerns; thinking that she could just throw herself out into this realm unknown to her and still come out on top because she could do so in her own. This frustration was reflected in the way he attacked her lips, kissing her hard as he explored her mouth to his heart's content.
Once he left her breathless and panting, he nibbled her bottom lip a bit before pulling back.
Smiling seductively at her dazed face, he said. "Curse me again for my concerns and I'll kiss you again as punishment."
Hearing his words her brows drew down a bit as she frowned. Hearing that familiar line, both spoken on shows aired on TV and in the books she read, she couldn't fathom why it always seemed to work on the female lead. Kissing felt good, she had come to realize, so how could it possibly be used as a threat.
As it dawned on her that she said the last part out loud Nastasia's cheeks dusted red.
At first, Li Yu Rong was stunned, but then laughed out loud over the remark. "Oh," he murmured, tone going low, "if it feels so good then how about I kiss you as a reward for behaving?" Brushing his lips across hers lightly, teasing, as he said. "If you stop running about without a care, if you can promise this, I'll help you feel good again."
This last part was murmured in her ear as he took the opportunity to nibble on it. Shivering from the contact, Nastasia was made to understand why that line was such a threat. Having it thought of as a good thing, as a reward, was far worse then it being made into a punishment.
Fearing the mess she'll turn into if he continued on like this, Nastasia decided to consent to his desire for her to stay out of harm's way. Honestly, because she had heard that it was the little boy's grandfather in trouble and placed herself in the boy's position, she had been a bit muddle-headed in her decision. Li Yu Rong putting it in this way also made it easier for her to understand that.
Having seen so little of this world, it was unwise to run ahead alone. Especially in a world that did not follow the normal everyday sense that she was used to.
"Okay," Nastasia said, "I won't do it anymore again. I promise, so you let me up, now?"