The week passed quickly and they still haven't seen any of the boys yet, and although the System had assured them that they are safe, the girls couldn't help but get worried. Wang ZeTian noticed their gloomy air around them and told them that they should get out, so she readied some Arabian horses. Laquetta and the rest of the group stood in awe of the horses; the Arabian horses, they are most well-known for their endurance and although they are in abundance amongst the nobility in Beisha, they had originally come from Arabian Penisula. The Wang household had come into the possession of them by a trader who had wanted to get into the good books of the Empress, by giving presents to her best friend.
"Thank you, mother!"
Wang ZeTian smiled, "Stay safe and keep your little sister safe, and, don't have too much fun."
She bid them farewell as she watched them trot away from the main entrance and into town, they needed to get out of Beisha's walls before they could go out into the countryside. So they rode slowly through the market, careful to not tread on anyone and they all smiled at the locals.
Laquetta had memorised the way to Longdu and was leading the group, she was at the front, Lucy behind her on the left, Lin XinYin next to her and Charlotte, Leslie, Lisa and Lottie taking up the rear.
Once they reached the gates and shown the soldiers their pass, they trotted out before Laquetta called out, "Shall we speed up?"
Lisa and Charlotte called out, "No! We need to stick together just in case something happens! Also, you have to look after Lucy."
"XinYin, I can trust you watch over my little sister as I go scout the road ahead, okay?"
"Yes ma'am."
Laquetta galloped off and she urged her horse to go faster and soon they were zooming through the open ground, it felt so free and Laquetta quickly got addicted to the feeling. The feeling of the wind in her hair and clothes, the taste of freedom was intoxicating yet so liberating. The trees whizzed past her and the blossoms were in full bloom, everything was a blur yet it was so beautiful. She slowed to a stop and decided she should wait for the rest of the group to catch up.
"Senbonzakura... a thousand cherry blossoms."
She got off and reached into her bag on the horse and pulled out a drink, sipped the water calmly taking in the scenery until she grabbed the reins of her horse and tugged them out of the way where an arrow pierced the ground where they just were.
Laquetta summoned her sword but did not dare to call out to see who the person was, there was a change in the air around her, but she brought her sword up and knocked the arrow away.
Then a figure clad in black came her way and the two clashed swords, she gritted her teeth underneath her veil and looked into the eyes of the other. It was a young boy, just a few years younger than her. She focused on him, so she kicked his legs out from underneath him, and she pointed her sword at his neck.
"Answer me or I shall turn you into roadkill."
She watched as the boy tried moving but Laquetta simply infused her qi into her foot and pressed the boy into the ground, she pressed the blade deeper into the boy's neck.
"How many more of you are there?"
The boy stayed silent, but Laquetta could feel him trembling, "I will let you go, only when you tell me some of the things I need to know."
A trembling voice sounded from the boy, "It was ju-just me and my big brother."
"Where is your big brother?"
"I am here. Please, let my brother go."
Laquetta got off the little boy and helped him up before giving him back to his brother.
"I would like to know more information."
"What do we get in return?"
Laquetta took in their appearances and could tell they were underfed and it seemed that they weren't too old so they must have had a hard time living in the wild, their skills were made out of necessity and weren't refined at all.
"Offer you a place to stay at my side. You'll have a roof over your heads, warm food, clean water to drink, and status."
The older of the two fell to his knees in shock before he clenched his fist and his gaze hardened, "How do I know that you're not lying?"
Laquetta's cool gaze washed over him, "Because I am the only hope you have."
She watched as the two glared at her, "I am not asking you two to do anything shameful, just be among some of my trusted servants. They will help you two get back on your feet, in the meantime, I have some food here that you guys can have."
Laquetta saw how both the older and the younger focused on the food immediately, she reached into her food back and pulled out some mantou and some flavoured rice with meat and vegetables in them.
"Here you go. Come on, get up you. Let's move to the side of the road."
She helped the boy up who stumbled slightly and was in awe of how weak he was. He vowed to get stronger and to be worthy of being her manservant, and to be able to protect his brother better.
"What is your name?"
"I am Feng Mian, my little brother is Feng Yue."
"They're lovely names."
Feng Mian looked up at her from where he was sat, "Th-thank you."
Further down the road, Laquetta saw her group coming, and she started waving her arms and Lin XinYin sped up slightly to get to her Lady quicker. She took in the sight and was extremely worried and confused.
"What is actually going on?"