Mint green sleeves covered the arms of a pale hand. She was startled when she entered. She was dressed in royalty, a sword of her own upon her waist, and a flower charm on her skirt. Earrings of jade and a hair crown of gold. She was a hybrid by her pointed ears. A marking on her forehead symbolizing her clan and golden beads in her hair. It was Nuwa Daiyu, the youngest daughter of the empress. "Lady Nuwa?" Chisheng Wei said, lowering her guard. "Chisheng Meiling?" Nuwa Daiyu said, a small smile forming on her face. But her smile faded as she looked over and saw Jinghua. "You're on the wrong side of the region, Ning Cheng." She said clasping her hands.
"They're here because of me, I brought them inside the town." Chisheng Wei said, putting her sword away.
"If you're trying to run away from your clan, you won't get far enough from here. This is the farthest away besides the Broken Regions. Your on our borders." Said Nuwa Daiyu
"We just need a safe place to stay for a little. Just for a little."
Whilst the three were bickering, Bingwen was slowly opening his eyes. The pain had gone away. He sat up and tugged on Jinghua's sleeve. The three stopped talking. "Ning Cheng, where are we?" Bingwen said, Nuwa Daiyu sighed. "There's a place you two can stay the night in. It has a bar and an inn. Our wines are said to be the best."
Chisheng Wei cleared her throat and crossed her arms. "I will be staying with you two, then. For safety at least."
Chisheng Wei thanked her master and followed Nuwa Daiyu, as did Bingwen and Jinghua. Nuwa Daiyu was leading them to the inn she spoke of. Jinghua was interested in the wine she mentioned. It had been a while since he had a good drink. And that's exactly what he did. What they all did.
After Nuwa Daiyu left, Chisheng Wei, Jinghua, and Bingwen all had a drink or two. Bingwen was completely sober. Jinghua and Chisheng Wei, on the other hand, were just a bit tipsy. Chisheng Wei loved to pick fights whenever she was drunk. And this wasn't her first time drinking even at her young age. "You know…for a long time now, Ning Longwei, I've wanted to kill Yuxuan Shi. And I finally did!" She said, raising her cup in the air. Jinghua looked annoyed and completely out of it. "Will you shut up? Enough with that bastard. I'll kill him if I ever see him again." Jinghua muttered.
"Ning Cheng, Yuxuan Shi is dead. He won't come back this time." Bingwen said, Chisheng Wei stood up, knocking over her cup. "But I hate my family more than him! My sister is awful and seduces every guy she meets! My father and mother hate each other and it makes me want to just end it all!" She continued talking nonsense, but Bingwen could somewhat relate. His mother and father never really got along either. Jinghua then spoke up, "You think you have it rough? My whole family is cursed. Because of me…My motherś sister died and so did her husband. Then my mother passed away. Now my father wants to end more people's lives. But I'll end his before he ends mine. I'll make him suffer when he dies. And I'll make sure he remembers all the innocent lives he has ended."
Bingwen realized how dark Jinghua's life was. Jinghua continued on. "He hated me since the day I was born. He hurt my mother and me. He wanted me to be the strongest in his clan. And now with his expanded army, he wants to take over the other clans of the Northern region. Starting with your clan, Bingwen" Bingwen was surprised, Jinghua hadn't called him that in a while. He knew that they were childhood memories but didn't understand why Jinghua still called him that. "You called me that again.." Jinghua perked up. Chisheng Wei laid her head on the table, still holding her cup.
"Of course I did. That's.. What I always call you." Jinghua said, hiccuping in the middle of his sentences. Bingwen got up. "I'm turning in for the night." But before he walked away to the room he was staying in, He heard Chisheng Wei mutter something. "It's funny. It won't matter if you live or die. Your life still tells a story. A legend. It holds a place in history."
Bingwen smiled. She was right. He continued walking to his room but was stopped when another hand touched his arm from behind. He turned to see that Jinghua had been following him. "What is it?" Bingwen asked. Jinghua's eyes fluttered open and shut. His head then fell onto Bingwen's shoulder. He then muttered, "Bingwen….why do you always leave..?" Bingwen didn't know what to say. So instead he helped Jinghua to the room he was staying in, the one across from Bingwen's. It had been awhile since they had slept in actual beds. After helping JInghua, he shut the door and went to his own room.
He had a hard time falling asleep. He kept on thinking about all the things Jinghua had said. He felt bad but knew he couldn't do anything.