Ming Shu looked at the black dot disappearing into the night and sighed. Beside her visit to her grandpa's house, this was the first time she would be without her little peeper.
Actually he was one of the people she owed something in her past life, so she was particularly reluctant to see him come back to his distasteful master. But there was nothing she could do for him now.
As a dark guard he is expected and trained to be forever loyal to his master and until now she didn't found a way to reverse that or thought it would benefit him, after all for the dark guards loyalty was their life.
Looking at the blackness outside her window she wondered if he'll be involved in the plan Zhao Song planned for this hunting ground.
Sighing once again, she closed her window. For now she could only pray that he would be fine.
————
Seven kneeled to his master.
The life of a dark guard is extremely dangerous they breath for their master and die for their master. Outside that none else matters.
Because he knew how dangerous their lives were and how loyal they were, Zhao Song never gave any of them a proper name, only calling them by the number.
Seven in front of him right now wasn't even the person he first gave the name. Which one was him? The fourth... the sixth seven? He didn't know and he didn't care. For him they were only convenient piece chess.
"Did anything unusual happened this days with that girl?"
Seven stood kneeled and didn't even looked up.
"This lowly servant didn't see anything, but she went to the Li's Household the day before and this lowly servant didn't follow since he had a high probability of being found. This lowly servant is useless and asks master for punishments"
Zhao Song shook his hand. He didn't care about the little girl who accompanied his sister, placing a dark guard around her was just a gut feeling of prevention.
"Doesn't matter. Tomorrow you will act. Ask one for the instructions. No failures are allowed"
"Yes Master"
"You're dismissed"
Seven bowed to Zhao Song and silently left the room to seek one's instructions.
Zhao Song tapped his fingers on the desk and smiled. 'Dear brother lets see if your forces are strong enough for you to escape this time'
————
The day of the hunting finally arrived.
A row of carriages could be seen making their way to a villa close by the Capital.
Inside her carriage Ming Shu was flustered for the first time in a long time.
Although she had absolutely confidence in her relatives martial arts, their opponents were going to be the royal imperial dark guards and not some ruffians from the slums! If something happened to any of them she could never forgive herself.
She bitted her lips.
She was too rash to propose this for Si Yifeng. Although she really wanted to help him and her final goal was to make him the Emperor, it wouldn't make any sense to have her loved ones hurt for this purpose. She was only doing everything for their good!
"Shu'er are you hurting?"
Ming Shu looked at the concerned look on her mother's face and let go of the breath she didn't even know she was holding.
Ming Shu shook her head. "I'm fine Mom"
Li Lifen saw that even though her daughter seemed calm, it was a mere pretense.
"Mom is so disappointing, right Shu'er?"
Lifen was like in the verge of crying, leaning herself in the carriage. Seeing her like that Ming Dhu was completely flustered. She didn't know how to deal with her mother sudden tears.
Ming Shu desperately shook her head.
"N-no, no. You're absolutely the best mom ever!"
"Really?" Li Lifen looked up to her daughter.
"Yes, yes" Ming Shu nodded quickly, afraid that if she was a minute late she the tears in her mother's eyes were going to fall.
"If I'm not unreliable, it means I can help my children right?" Li Lifen voice even faltered in the end.
Ming Shu didn't even registered what her mother said. She just she should agree witg whatever her mother said right now.
Finally a bright smile appeared in Li Lifen's face.
"So will you tell me what's been pressing in your mind?"
Ming Shu froze for a moment. "Huh?"
"You won't?"
The smile faded in Lifen's face and tears appeared in her eyes again.
"I will, I will"
Ming Shu nodded again and froze. 'Shit. This teary act is really tricky'
She looked at her mother again who now had a smile back on and sighed. Of course she knew was an act, but who would tolerate the tears of their loved ones? Ming Shu shook her head. 'If she used half of this act to fight Ye, that disgusting woman wouldn't stand a chance'
She sighed once again and told her mother what's been worrying her.