Hli Ja held Pao Hua's hand and led him to the gravestone. She cleaned the grave, weeded out some weeds, and removed some dried leaves. Her eyes filled with a thin layer of tears. "Grandma, I'm sorry. It took me so long to come to see you." She paused and then added, "Today, I brought my little brother whom I adopted along the way and your great-grandchild in my belly. Your great-grandchild will be coming in less than three months. We will come to visit you again when your great-grandchild gets a little older."
Afterward, they stayed at an inn overnight before making their way back home. Pao Hua looked much better, livelier, and smiled more. The night before they reached home, they stayed at another inn.
That night in their sleep, assassins ambushed them. Everyone in the inn was drugged except the group. Chue Yi, the two guards, and maids were caught by surprise. They did not have time to fend for themselves before they were immobilized, tied and dragged.
Hli Ja was not feeling well that night, so she was dozing on and off and heard the faint commotions. Suddenly, the door to her room was kicked open. The bang of the door alerted Hli Ja and Pao Hua awake.
They got up from the bed and looked at the door. A few men dressed in black clothes walked in and behind the those men, was a woman who looked like she was from an ultra-rich family.
The men rushed towards them. Hli Ja tried to fend the men off, but she had no weapons and with her belly, it was hard to move and soon they were held down.
Pao Hua had his fair share of abuse so he was not as scared but he did not know how to fight and he was only almost 8 years old. The men made Hli Ja and Pao Hua kneel on the ground and held Hli Ja's arms sternly.
An unfamiliar woman walked from behind the door. She had a big belly that looked like she was already on the full term. She walked up closer, emitting an aura of hatred and evilness. The moment she approached them, she leaned forward and fiercely slapped Hli Ja until her mouth bled.
Hli Ja's mouth began swelling but she endured the pain, not making it visible on her face. She exhaled, spat out some blood and shouted, "Who are you?" She was out of breath due to continuous slaps.
The woman irked her brows, smirked at Hli Ja as her face held a satisfied look. "I'm Mua Kong's lawful wife, Pa Chee. As you can see, I'm about to give birth to our first child." Flaunting her belly in front of Hli Ja's face, she proudly announced.
Those words shattered Hli Ja's whole world. She shook her head in disbelief as tears swelled in her eyes to deny the reality. "No, this can't be..."
"Oh yes, have you not figured the reasons why he locked you up at his place this whole time? Maybe because he didn't want you to find out. Stupid woman! Don't you know you're just a mistress he keeps on the side to satisfy his desires?" Pa Chee shouted in disdain as she stood up and kicked Hli Ja's stomach.
Hli Ja coughed and writhed in pain. She couldn't breathe for a while.
Pa Chee signaled for her men to drag in Chue Yi, the guards, and maids. The guards and maids had a painful, helpless expression on their faces as they whimpered and tried to wiggle. Chue Yi was worried about Hli Ja's safety as his lord had given him only one duty and that was to keep her safe.
"Your Highness," Chue Yi took all he could to mutter those two words, regretful at the situation.
Pa Chee signaled for her men to kill off Chue Yi, the guards, and maids in front of Hli Ja. Two of her men went up to the guards and the maids and stabbed them one after another right through their hearts. Blood gushed out and splattered everywhere on the ground. Hli Ja screamed and begged for them to stop, but no matter how much she begged, Pa Chee and her men did not care about a word. Hli Ja witnessed her people go down one after another.
After the guards and maids slumped down on the ground, one of Pa Chee's men looked at Chue Yi and walked closer to Chue Yi. With tears flowing down her face like a stream, sweating, and exhausted, Hli Ja shook her head as she screamed in horror. She begged for them to spare Chue Yi. One man inched closer to Chue Yi and thrust his sword right through Chue Yi and Chue Yi fell down on the ground once the man retracted his sword.
Pao Hua, even though he was shaking and scared, he still yelled out loudly, "You evil people! You will never get away."
Pa Chee glared at the boy and walked towards the boy. Hli Ja feared the boy would face the same fate, she pleaded Pa Chee as she wept, "Please, don't kill him. He's just a kid and can't hurt anyone. He has no one. I picked him off the street a few days ago. You are soon to be a mother. You should spare the child." She hoped that it would make Pa Chee think twice before harming Pao Hua.
When Pa Chee heard those words, even though the words did not resonate much to her, she hesitated. If she murdered the child without reservation, it might not be convincing to Hli Ja as she was resuming the role of a pregnant woman and soon to be a mother. Pa Chee stopped her action, turned around and ordered, "Tie them up," before she walked out of the room.
The men tied up Hli Ja and Pao Hua inside the inn. Once Pa Chee got outside, she ordered, "Burn up this place. Leave no one alive and no evidence behind." She was happy and satisfied as if she had single-handedly won a big war.