The guards from various floor entered to Xia's floor. The area was covered with the dead bodies of the duty guards. They split, and search for the ones who did it. A group of five guards entered the cell where Xia standing. The guard's eyes observe the whole room, except Xia there is no one.
"Take her." One of the Superior Guard ordered to others, he is the same person, who takes her here. Xia tightens her grip on the sword. But suddenly, the remaining one's come to the room. She is sure that she can't kill all of them.
'Suicide is better than death by their brutal torturing.' Xia knows that after killing their subordinates, they won't spare her life.
The guards move towards to Xia. She throws the sword towards the superior guide, the sword stabbed into his body. For a second, other guards attention shifted to the superior, at that time, she tightly closed her eyes and fall to the sharp rocks. Before she strikes the rock, abruptly something comes up from the sky, tightly grabs her, and disappeared to the sky.
"Aaaahhh---" She takes her all breath to scream.
"Shut up." A familiar sound appeared.
'Lei--- Is that him.'
Xia looked upwards to see the one who grabs her. The position he holds her didn't agree to look upward. But she realized that she is now under the feet of a dragon. The only belief that makes her calm in this situation is that the dragon is non-other than Wang.
"Can you slightly lose your grip, it's tight." She raised her voice, so Wang can hear her. But there is no reaction, he just ignores her suggestion.
'To whom, I'm talking---' Xia sighs.
Looking towards the earth from the sky is quite a wonderful view. The white fogs[clouds], the birds also flying with them. Everything seems to be very small, the mountains, trees, rivers, buildings... She also stretches her hands in the form of the flying birds.
"Wow---" An excitement tone produced from Xia. She seems to be very happy, for some minutes, she just forgets, about every bad thing happens.
Wang was searching for a place to leave her. He saw land near to the sea, and they are now far from the place too. He lowers the level of flying.
"Be ready for landing." After saying this, Wang just releases Xia from his feet.
"Aaaaa---" She fell to the sea, the seashore is nearer to her.
Somehow, she manages to swim towards the seashore. Wang fluttered his large wings, and fly towards his territory.
'Can't he give me a safe landing? What place is this? I need to find a safe place to stay.' While walking on the lonely road, she thought.
Already the moon appeared in the sky, so she takes a shelter near a large tree. Xia continues her journey in the early morning. Walked for hours, she finds a village. Xia entered the market area, the market seems busy in the morning.
Xia knows it's the best place to seek information. From the villagers, she gets some information about the village name, culture, and some of the frequent problems that happened near there.
The village name was Shinon, most of the people living here are middle-class people, and peasants, and the most shocking thing she finds out is the village situated near to the border of humans, and beasts. So anytime, a beast attack can be excepted.
Suddenly running horses sound was heard from the east side, people quickly run aside to give them the way. Five handsome men who were riding the horses, everyone there seemed happy to see these men, especially ladies.
"Today, my Zheng Wei is looking more handsome."
"Don't you see, Xing just look at me."
"Aww, my Fang---"
Xia heard some ladies gossiping with each other. Xia's interest increases to know about these famous five guys. So she approached a fruit seller to know more about them.
"These fruits look so fresh, look as directly taken from the farm." She takes an apple from a bunch of fruits and examines the apple.
"You have a good view lady, they are taken from the nearby farm. If you doubt it then taste it." He allows her to take a bite before buying it.
Xia slowly moved backward, while taking a bite and unfortunately she strikes with a middle-aged woman. Such an arrogant lady, she shouted on Xia for an insignificant matter. Xia gently says sorry repeatedly for hitting her. The lady walked away, but she still murmuring something.
Xia comes back to the seller and asks him to pack apples. For the seller, she is the first customer, so he happily taking fresh apples for her. At the moment, she asks about the five guys she sawed earlier.
"You know, who are those men?" Xia pointed towards the five handsome men on the horse.
"They are famous huntsmen, in other words, our saviors. After their arrival, the Shinon become a peaceful village once again." The fruit seller answers his customer.
"Huntsmen--- Do you know their names?" She heard two of their names from the ladies. But she didn't know which one has the name they were told.
"Every citizen in Shinon knows who they are. The famous Zheng Wei, Han Xing, Han Xi, Fang Song, and Yu Zhan." The fruit seller points out each person's name.
"Ohh--" Xia nodded her head.
The fruit seller packed the fruits and gives it to her. Xia gives him one silver stones as the cost of fruits and extra information. Suddenly, Xia saw the lady who strikes earlier, she is coming to her. Xia just takes her packet, and runs through the crowd, stopped in a safe place.
Xia takes a pouch, she hides in the clothes and gives a kiss to the pouch. She counts the silver stones in the pouch, a great smile appeared in her face after counting.
'No need to do any work for a week. Enjoy the vacation, Xia. The time is yours.' Xia shows that she is a skilled pickpocketer too. From the start, she watching the woman, and makes a plan suddenly to steal the money pouch from her.
Xia noticed a people gathering in a shop. She curious about, what going there, so she walks towards the crowd. There a fatty rich guy scolding and insulting a poor girl in front of the public. The crowd just seeing the show very interestingly.
Xia asks the matter to a person next to her, from her she figures out the situation. The girl couldn't pay the money, she borrowed from the man. On the situation, the fatty man stretches his hand to slap the girl. But instantly Xia grabs his hand before it reaches the girl's face.
"Assaulting a woman in public is a crime, don't you know that." Xia tightens her grip, gives him a sharp look, and walks close to the person.
"Who are you to stop me? Do you know who I am?" He raises his voice, from his looks one thing his clear that, he is not an ordinary guy. But Xia likes to fight with whose who aren't that ordinary.
"Haa, don't you know who you are?--Trust me, I don't have any interest too." Xia teases him in front of the public.
"Lady, I don't want to make a fight with you. If you want to stop me from insulting her, then give the money she borrowed." A filthy smile appears on his face. Xia leaves his hand and thinks for a second.
"How much she need to return?" Her voice is very sharp and clear.
"Just five silver stones." He forwarded his hands towards Xia, and open his palm.
Xia gives him five silver stones from the pouch and continue. "The debt is closed, now you can leave."
After getting his money, the fatty rich man just left the place. Before leaving he gives a sharp look to Xia. The crowd also dispersed, after the show ends.
"Thank you." A voice appeared from the Xia's back. She turns her head towards the girl.
"There is no need to thank me. I'm Xia, and you are?" With a pleasant smile, Xia asked.
The girl must be in her seventeens, looks like a peasant. Her clothes were seen like the frock stitched many times to hide the torn parts.
"You are so kind--- My name is Hua, Yun Hua. Living near the tribal area. Now, I don't have that much money to pay you back, but if you can need any favor from me, I will do it." Hua is quite a mature girl, she doesn't like to live in a debt.
"You don't want to repay, but can you do a favor." Xia likes her behavior, so she wants to know more about her.
"Why not, just tell me. Is it possible one for me, then I will surely help you." Hua is a friendly person, she knows how to talk to others.
"I am new here, So I don't know too much about the routes and hotels. So can you show me the village, and help me to find a room,-- at a low cost." Few more silver stones are left in the pouch after paying the debt of Hua.
"I don't think so, you get any hotel room here, the 'Loony festival' is coming, so most of the hotels were already booked." Hua thinks for a second, and continued." If you don't mind, you can stay at my house. It's a small one, but its clean and tidy. That way, I have a chance to return the debt." Hua guessed that the shortage of money in Xia's hands, so she makes an excuse to show her gratitude
'Free food and accommodation, what else I need. But staying with a stranger is not safe.' Xia comes to reject the offer but she suddenly saw the arrogant lady[the real owner of the money].
"If you are insisting, how should I say no. Let's go" Xia agrees to it. Hua leads the way towards her house, and Xia fastly follows her.
A person watching Xia from a distance.
"An interesting character, Who is she?" The person talks to himself.