Three pairs of eyes stared at one another, each caught in their own thoughts.
"Manchu…" An Sun spoke in a voice only he could hear.
As if he heard him, Manchu shifted his glare from An Ruo and looked to him. There was a complexity of emotions running through his face, but in the end, his eyes turned up into a smile. A smile that made An Sun's heart tense with unease.
"Scraaa!"
All men turned to the sound of a bird's cry above. It was then that the stoic face of An Ruo changed, a flash of frost flashing across his eyes. When he looked back at An Sun, the fury in his eyes ignited even further.
"Very well played," An Ruo sneered.
He moved his hand slowly away from his axe, backed off a step, and turned with a glare.
"Retreat!" An Ruo shouted amongst the battlefield.
At the sound of his order, more and more Tuhan men repeated word for a retreat. An Ruo's eyes fixed on Manchu as he gradually walked across the field toward him. Manchu watched his movements with unconcerned eyes, his line of sight never leaving him.
The two were only a few inches apart when An Ruo placed a hand on Manchu's shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"Thank you," His voice was laced with a smile.
Looking at Manchu, An Ruo touched the bloody wound on his cheek, his smile growing even colder.
"You don't know what you've just done."
"I think I know." Just like his expression, Manchu's voice revealed nothing.
The smile on An Ruo's face faded, his nails digging deep into Manchu's shoulder.
"Good. Then be prepared for what's to come."
Walking away, the Tuhan men followed behind their commander. Manchu sighed and glanced over his shoulder. Staring back at him, two gray eyes shone in the dark. His figure stood amongst the blood and chaos, etched in the moonlight. An Sun unconsciously stepped forward, hands sweating at the palms.
With one last smile, Manchu turned around to follow the Tuhan army. He never looked back. A moment of panic overcame An Sun as he lost the color from his face. It was as if his heart had suddenly stopped beating, and all the blood had run down into his boots.
"The Tuhan men…they are retreating!" Fan Mingli, who finally made it to An Sun's side shouted with bright eyes.
When he noticed the pale complexion of the man beside him, his brows furrowed.
"Captain Sun?" Fan Mingli peered at him closely with his small, dim eyes.
The words he spoke, An Sun could not hear. His gaze remained solely fixed on the disappearing figure in the distance. Without thinking, he began walking toward Manchu, his speed increasing.
Beneath his feet, the ground felt soft. His heart was pounding within his ears. He staggered backward, his mind swirling, his breaths shallow until suddenly everything went black.
…
"Son of a…! Where the hell did he go?"
"Spread out a search for him, but remember we want to capture him, not kill him."
"Right!"
The heavy sound of footsteps rushed past the corridor. Rin watched from nearby, her body pressed up against the cold stone wall. When they were out of sight, she sighed a breath of relief.
By now, the Tuhan men had entered the city. However, rather than raiding and killing everyone within sight, they were searching for her. She could only think it was because they knew she was the Western Empire's leading strategist. Although there was one flaw in that theory.
How did they know what she looked like?
When Rin initially fought with them on the wall, they didn't hesitate to attack her – that is until they saw her appearance through the light of the flames.
At that moment, Rin had taken note of their odd gazes. If she were to compare it to anything, it was like a beggar catching sight of a piece of gold.
The sound of voices strained her back from her thoughts.
"Tsk, all this trouble for one kid." A man's coarse voice complained.
"Quit complaining and just follow your orders." A resounding smack sounded as the man hit the other on the back of his head.
It was only two men. She could take them out. For half a heartbeat, Rin stood still as stone. Her sweaty fingers curled around the hilt of her sword. The men's footsteps drew closer and closer…
"I'm just saying. I mean, who would believe one kid could…" The man's eyes widened, and he suddenly stopped to grab his throat, blood seeping between his fingertips.
Before the man beside him had any idea what had happened, a sharp and piercing pain plunged through his chest. He stopped short, his eyes surprised; his sword dropped from his hand, and his free one felt at his chest. He looked down stupidly from his ribs, then his eyes glazed over. When he looked up, his breath hitched as a pair of emerald eyes filled with cold, murderous intent stared back at him.
"You…" He whispered before the sword dug deeper into his chest, and his words were disrupted by blood and he collapsed.
Staring down at their bodies, Rin's eyes narrowed. She had never met either of the men. And yet, just before she killed him, he had seemed to recognize her.
Before she had time to think, Rin had heard a man's voice from behind her.
"The sound came from over here!"
A cold glint flashed across her eyes as she slowly turned around to face five Tuhan men. Their bulky and tall bodies were bundled in greasy bearskins, their large hands clutching tight to their axes. Rin saw their eyes glance down at the slain bodies beneath her before glancing back up. When their gazes met, the Tuhan men's eyes shot open even more.
"You're stronger than you look, boy." The burliest of the Tuhan men gave her a slimy smile and watched her greedily. "Though as strong you may seem, you're outnumbered now."
Rin's eyes observed the men's movements with cold eyes as they slowly began surrounding her. Their snickers echoed on all sides.
"Come with us peacefully, and we'll pull back our army." The Tuhan man grinned at her through a mouth of brown and broken teeth.
Hearing his words, Rin fought back a sneer. Pull back their army? After raiding and killing without mercy, they were willing to retreat so easily?
Again, they were looking at her with the same expression as the others. Nothing more than greed, excitement, and wonder.
It was a sickening gaze. A gaze her Uncle, Li Chang, used to look at her mother.
A trace of murder flashed across her almond-shaped eyes. Calmly, Rin picked up the sword from the corpse on the floor and closed it around her fists. With two swords, in both hands, she declared her stance. She made no sound, but her emerald eyes spoke a craving for blood.
The men were taken aback by her silent defiance but still smiled confidently. Holding the axes in their hands, they were all ready to knock the young man out...when one man was cut by the throat nearly ripping the head off of him!
The attack was all it took to wake the men. Rin stepped back quickly and stretched both swords out to distance herself.
"Bastard!" A Tuhan man angrily charged toward her.
Rin swung her sword at the man's face. She heard his nose break and saw the spurt of blood. The man flung his axe wildly, hitting only the air, as he collapsed. Rin stared at the three remaining men. Her chest rose in ragged breaths, but her eyes looked at them wildly.
She was stronger of an opponent then they thought!
Glancing at one another, all men nodded their heads and looked back at Rin with intense glares.
"Aaargh!" At the same time, they all charged, unaware of the cold smile spreading across her face.
If they wanted to fight her so badly, then so be it. With both swords in her hands, Rin sped forward!
…
Steel sang, sparked, and scraped through the air. Before long, only one figure stood. Gasping heavily with clouded eyes, Rin stared at the ground. Sweat had stuck strands of her dark colored hair to her forehead, and her grimace made her look more tired than ever.
Her head still rang with the fierce anguish of the emotions she encountered; she breathed deeply in the air. Blood, grease, and sweat invaded her nostrils.
Through her ragged breaths, she could detect the sound of a horn. Looking up, Rin heaved a deep sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness," She leaned tiredly against the stone wall.
The Tuhan army had retreated.