The next day. Back with Lei, she couldn't sleep at all last night. She was just too worried that if she was to fall asleep, something would happen to her.
The man who is on her side came in and had brought her food, even if it was just a piece of bread with some type of porridge. "I brought breakfast for you," he said as he unlocked the cell and walked in. He set down the food and went to untie her.
"I forgot to ask you what your name was last night, so what is your name?"
"My name? It's nothing of importance to you. I'm just a passerby," he stated as he untied her.
Lei stretched her arms. "Nonsense, everyone is important," she said. 'I must've forgotten to give him a name when Dai Hui and Lei met. I mean he is one of Dai's right hand men,' Xiao thought. "So, what is it?" Lei asked.
"My name is Yan Lin," Yan replied.
"Nice to meet you, Yan Lin. You already know my name since you're a part of Dai Hui's men." Lei replied with a little smile as she hoped it would bring his spirit and hope up. She also hopes that they get to them before the days are up. Lei was scared, but she didn't show it or let it be noticed by Yan Lin as it would probably worry him.
"Likewise, Lei Feng," he replied with a little smile. Yan Lin has been through so much that he's fearless, even though he has a wife and a kid on the way. He had to be fearless and brave for them.
As the day went on, Yan Lin went to see Lei and also to untie her so she could stretch. He also went to see how she was feeling and to see if she was poisoned while he was gone.
The third time, Yan Lin went to go and check on Lei to see how she was doing. Yan Lin checked her pulse on her left wrist. Her pulse was steady, but he noticed something with her pulse and breathing. He was confused so he asked her if she felt sick or anything.
"I feel fine. Why? Does my pulse feel unsteady?" Lei asked as she was confused and a little bit worried.
"It's steady, but I feel something is wrong with your pulse and breathing."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean someone might have poisoned you while I was gone. Did anyone give you anything to eat or to drink?" Yan Lin asked as he was concerned, worried, and confused. He had given her medicine to protect her from any poison, unless he was tricked.
"I've only eaten the food you've given me. No one comes to check up on me after you leave, minus the first night. But I didn't notice anything or take anything from the person," Lei responded. She checked her own pulse and was trying to think what poison or medicine would do to the pulse and breathing.
Yan Lin thinks about it for a few minutes before he answers her. "I don't think there is such poison or medicine that can do that, unless they came up with it," he stated as he was pretty sure that was the case.
"So, what I'm hearing is that I'm basically dying unless they give me the cure for this?" she questioned.
Yan Lin looked down, "I'm afraid so, Lei. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I'm sure this is what they wanted, so they got their mission done or part of it anyway," Lei replied as she frowned, "oh and if Dai Hui asks if anything happened to me, please don't tell him."
Yan Lin nodded and looked up at her. He felt he had failed her.
Lei could feel how he felt by the way he looked at her. "You didn't fail me. You tried your best, Yan Lin. I would've probably already had been poisoned by a different poison," Lei stated as she let out a small smile.
Yan Lin nodded and went to leave had it already been thirty to forty-five minutes. "Before I leave, get ready to escape soon," he said as he looked back at her.
Lei nodded.
Yan Lin left.
It was now night. Dai Hui and Yu Min were close to where Lei was. They could see the lights from the place.
"We're close to the place," Dai Hui stated as he turned to look at Yu Min.
"Ok. Good. I hope that we aren't too late to save Lei," Yu Min replied to Dai Hui.
"We shouldn't be. It is the second day-night that she's been here, plus she has my right hand man in there with her," Dai Hui responded.
"Ok. I know she has your right hand man in there, but that doesn't mean anything, Dai Hui," Yu Min said.
"It does. Yan Lin will know if she has been poisoned right away."
"Some poisons take time to react with the body and react differently, so he wouldn't know."
"Yu Min, we'll get Lei out of there healthy and alive," Dai Hui stated as he was trying his best not to hit him.
"Oh, I know we will. I just worry about her health," Yu Min stated as he looked at him as if he knew that Dai Hui wanted to hit him.
Dai Hui looked back at him and then back towards the place to see if there were any people guarding the entrance.
There was one person who was guarding, watching, sitting down in front of the gate. The person looked tired and could fall asleep at any time.
"We should wait until the person falls asleep and then we go," Dai Hui said as he looked at Yu Min and then the men.
Yu Min nodded. At this point in time, Yu Min just wanted to get this over with so that he can save Lei and protect her.
A few minutes go by, and the man falls asleep. One of Yu Min's men shots the man with an arrow, killing him right away. They ran in and attacked.
Yu Min ran to where he thought they were hiding Lei. He got to the place and saw Lei, but she was unconscious. Yu Min ran over to her after opening the cell door. He went to pick her up when the cell door closed and got locked.
"You really thought it would be that easy to save your little girlfriend, didn't you?" a voice asked as they chuckled.
Yu Min looked up and saw no one. "Who's there?! Come out!" he yelled.
"Well, I can't come out yet or that will just shorten the time I have to play with Lei," the voice said again. It was the voice that Lei was hearing.
"What do you mean by that? Play with Lei?" Yu Min asked.
"Has she not told anyone that she has been hearing a female voice?" the voice asked as they let out another chuckle.
Yu Min tried to remember if Lei mentioned or asked about the voice, but he couldn't. "No, I don't believe so."
"That's great. That's fantastic! She hasn't told anyone about hearing my voice," the voice exclaimed.
"Why? Why have you been torturing Lei?"
"Because it's fun and also because of something that her father did."
"What did her father do?" Yu Min asked as he was confused as to what her father had to do with this.
"Well, that will give away my motive for why I'm doing this. But I'll give you a hint. Daughter," as soon as she said that, she faded away.
"Daughter? What did he do to your daughter?" He asked, not knowing that the voice was gone. He waited for an answer, but then realized that the voice was gone. 'What could have happened to her daughter that involved General Mu? Could General Mu accidently hurt her or?' Yu Min thought to himself. He put Lei down so that he could break the lock on the cell door. Yu Min got his sword out and broke the lock. He picked up Lei, carried her out, ran towards his horse, put Lei on the horse, then he got on. Yu Min motioned for the horse to go with his left foot. The horse started running.
After a while, they got to Feng's mansion. Yu Min immediately got off, got Lei down, and ran to her room.
The guards and servants helped him and also told Mu and Yawen.
Mu and Yawen ran to Lei's room after telling the servant to get a doctor.
Once they got to her room, they ran in and went directly over to them, Yu Min and Lei.
"Thank you, Yu Min," Yawen said as she hugged him and then let go. She was just so happy and grateful that Yu Min saved Lei.
"You're welcome, Mrs. Feng," Yu Min said as he smiled.
"Is she alright?" Mu asked.
"Yes, she's alright," Yu Min lied. He didn't want to worry them about the voice and that he has a clue of why the person is after Lei.
"That's great to hear," Mu said.
Yu Min nodded. He was worried about Lei.
A few days later. Lei was still unconscious, even though the doctor had given her medicine that would help her wake up and to slow down the poison in her system. Her friends would stop by to see if she was awake.
Everyone hoped that she would wake soon. Yu Min stayed by her side most of the time.
The third time Yu Min had stopped by, he noticed that Lei was moving a lot. He was hopeful that she would wake up some time soon. He also told her parents that he saw Lei moving and told them that she might wake up soon.
After he told them, he ran back to her room. Yu Min wanted to be the first person Lei sees, even though she should see her parents first. He also wanted to tell her sorry for not protecting her well enough.
Once he got back, Lei had already woken up and was yelling for someone. Yu Min ran to her and hugged her. "I'm here, Lei. I'm here," he said as he held her tight.
Lei hugged back tightly. She wasn't scared that she wouldn't see them, she was scared because she knows that she's slowly dying and doesn't want to tell anyone.
"I'm sorry for not protecting you as well as I said I was going to," Yu Min whispered.
Lei would hit him as she was scared to talk. She didn't trust herself yet to talk as she felt like she would tell him.
Yu Min didn't do anything about her hitting him. He knew that she was doing that because he lied to her. Yu Min knew that she was poisoned from the doctor that came the night of her return. The guilt he felt was like carrying an elephant, because he knew that he couldn't tell her that he knew about her being poisoned and there not being any cures or medicine for it.
Lei would start crying after a while of her hitting him. She would stop and cry into his chest. Lei would start talking and spitting things out that she hasn't told anyone, which included the voice and her being poisoned.
Yu Min held her even tighter. He would kiss the top of her head to let her know that she's not in this alone and also to let her know that everything is ok.
Lei would look up at him with red puffy eyes and tears rolling down her face. She looked at him.
Yu Min looked back at her, with a slight smile. "I'm here, love. I'm not going anywhere. And if I was, I'd tell you," Yu Min said as he gave her a kiss to ensure her.
Lei kissed back as she nodded. She already knew that Yu Min was going to stay with her even if the exams were around the corner. Lei also knew that she wouldn't be able to take them, but now she was starting to believe that she won't be able to finish the mission.
Yu Min would just hold her to keep her calm and relaxed. He would motion Pan Shi to go and get Lei's medicine since it was almost time for her to take it.
Pan Shi nodded and went to make Lei her medicine. On her way to make the medicine, she would bump into Dai Hui. "Dai Hui? What are you doing here?" she asked.
Dai Hui was startled by her as he was a bit lost. He scratched the back of his head and replied, "I was invited by General Mu and Second General Yawen. I got distracted by everything and lost the maid that was taking me to them."
Pan Shi let out a small chuckle, "is this the first time he's seen a mansion like this?" She had thought she said it in her mind.
Dai Hui looked at her. "It is. I mean being inside one and not being chased to actually get a good look at it."
Pan Shi was surprised when he replied. She then realized that she said that out loud. "Sorry. I thought I said that in my mind. Anyway, I can take you to them," Pan Shi apologized as she had a little blush on her face from embarrassment.
Dai Hui smiled. "Thank you, Pan Shi. It's fine," he chuckled.
She nodded and started to walk towards where Mu and Yawen would be.
Dai Hui followed.
They get there. Pan Shi knocked on the door and said that Dai Hui is here.
Mu told Dai Hui to come in.
Dai Hui nodded and entered.
Pan Shi left as she had to go and make Lei's medicine.
"General Mu. Second General Yawen," he said as he bowed.
"No need for that, Dai Hui," Yawen stated.
Dai Hui nodded and straightened up. "You invited me here for?"
Mu smiled and responded, "we want to say thanks for saving Lei. We want to give you a reward."
Dai Hui looked at them, confused. "A reward? For what? I mean I saved her because she's my friend, not because of what her status is," he questioned-answered.
"You risked your life to protect her and save her, Dai Hui. You deserve a reward," Yawen stated.
Dai Hui didn't want the reward that they were going to give him because he was doing what a friend should do. "I would like to decline. I can't accept a reward just because I was doing what a friend should do."
"Are you sure? Do you want to know what it actually is before you decline it?" Mu and Yawen asked at the same time.
Dai Hui hesitated, but then replied, "sure, but I'm still going to decline it."
Mu went to get the reward.
A while later, Mu came back with a small, bamboo box.
Dai Hui looked and his eyes widened. He had seen a similar box when he was younger.
"This is a pendant that will help you enter and get anything or anyone from the imperial guards without the hassle," Mu stated as he opened the box as he got to him.
Dai Hui looked in the box and saw the pendant that had engraved, "authority from General Mu and Second General Yawen."
The pendant was made from white jade. The words were stained red.
"Why are you giving me a pendant?" Dai Hui asked. He was confused on why they would give him a pendant.
"Because we thought that you would need it in case anyone plans to attack your small little village," Mu replied.
"I don't need it. I have enough men to fight off an attack if that were to happen. I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline your reward," he said as he bowed and left.