A few hours had passed. Lei was back to practicing, even though she had told her father and Aunt that she wouldn't be practicing anymore that day. She needed to get her strength back and more strength than she has ever had. "I need to get stronger and better so I can fight her," Lei said as she was practicing her sword work. Lei wouldn't take a break at all, not even for dinner.
Pan Shi, Mu, and Yawen were worried about her.
"Master, Madam, Lei won't stop. I've tried everything. I think that Lei has lost it," Pan Shi spoke.
"Pan Shi, you should know better that when Lei puts her mind to things, no one or nothing can stop her. Not even her own parents," Yawen stated, "she's like me when I was her age."
"Yawen is right about that, Pan Shi," Mu chimed in.
"I know that, but she did listen to Yu Min, before they broke up," Pan Shi stated as she didn't realize she had said that Yu Min and Lei used to date.
Yawen's eyes widened. "Huh?"
Mu knew. "Lei told me and Jun that she was dating Yu Min, but had to break up and she had hoped that Yu Min understood what she was getting at by breaking up with him," Mu said.
Yawen looked at him and was about to fight him. "You didn't tell me?"
"I found out about them today," Mu replied as he looked back at her.
"Still," Yawen replied.
"I was going to," Mu stated.
Pan Shi chimed in, "Madam, that's not important now."
Yawen looked at Pan Shi and replied, "it is."
"It's not, Madam. What's important now is trying to get Lei back."
"Love, she is right. It's not important. It's important to get Lei back and let her know that she isn't doing this alone," Mu chimed in.
Yawen looked at Mu and nodded. "Right. We do need to let her know that she isn't doing this alone. She has us and her friends helping her."
Mu and Pan Shi nodded.
"How will we let her know that she isn't alone for this?" Pan Shi asked.
It took Mu and Yawen a few minutes before one of them answered.
"We could just tell her," Mu stated.
Yawen and Pan Shi shook their heads.
"Girls don't want to be told that. Us girls will ask for help when we need it. So, we should wait until she needs help from us, but also hint at her that she isn't alone in this and that she has come a long way," Yawen stated.
"But Lei doesn't like being hinted at. Also, she is kind of clueless when it comes to that type of stuff," Pan Shi replied.
Mu and Yawen looked at Pan Shi and nodded. "Right. So, then what do we do then?"
"I don't think we can help as much as we want to, even if we do think of something to tell her that she isn't alone in this," Pan Shi stated as she looked back at Lei.
Lei was still practicing. She was hurting herself even more. Hurting herself as in making herself tired, exhausted, sore. Lei was long gone into her mind and what she needed to do.
After a few hours of Lei practicing non-stop, her knees gave out, making her fall. She started to hit the ground. She had also started crying. "THIS ISN'T FAIR!! WHY ME!?!?!" Lei yelled out between sobs. "I won't have enough strength to defeat her or her goons…no matter how much I practice and know how the fight will go…"
Someone heard her and went to her. "Lei?"
Lei didn't hear them.
The person crouched down and hugged her. "Lei, we can do this. You're not alone in this battle," he said.
Lei hit his chest, crying still. "Dai, what have I gotten myself into? I can't do it anymore. She's going after all of my family and friends and hurting them."
Dai Hui let her hit him. "Get it out of your system."
Lei continues to talk about what's been bothering her, which included that she wants to go back to the real world.
Dai Hui was confused by that, but he ignored it and let her cry and talk it out.
A few minutes passed, Lei had calmed down and stopped crying. Her and Dai Hui were now talking. Talking about his people and how there's a festival the night of two nights after tonight.
"Why are you here? Did Yu Min send you or did my parents need you?" Lei asked.
"Your parents needed to speak to me and also Yu Min did send me, but only to make sure that nothing suspicious was going on here at the manor," Dai Hui replied.
Lei looked at him as if she would believe that, but she let him think that she did. "Ok, what did my parents talk to you about?"
"They were catching me up on things around here and also to keep an eye on you," Dai Hui responded.
"So, you know that Yu Min and I aren't together anymore?"
Dai Hui nodded, "yes, but only because they're worried about you, Lei."
"I know they are, but they can't be or they'll get hurt."
"They'll get hurt either way, Lei. They just want to protect and help you, they don't care if they get hurt," Dai Hui responded as he looked at her with a serious face.
Lei looked at him for a second and looked away. She nodded. Lei, Xiao, knew that if they died in the book, that she would just get to see them again when she returns to the real world, except for her father. She wanted to get out of her book, but she also didn't at the same time. Lei didn't want to leave her father, not like how she did in real life. Though, she did keep some of the money she earned away for her parents so that way they could get a better life.
"Lei! LEI!" Dai Hui exclaimed. He had been trying to get her attention for the past few minutes.
Lei heard him and zoned back in. "Huh? Sorry, I got caught up in my thoughts."
"Lei, do you need to talk about what you were thinking about for your mind to catch up?"
'Should I tell him or should I lie?' Lei thought. She told him a lie, which is better than her telling him the truth so that way, she wouldn't mess the book up any more than she has.
Dai Hui had a feeling she was lying and was hiding something from him, but he went along as he had a feeling that the truth would probably be unbelievable.
After a few more minutes, Dai Hui left. Lei had seen him out. She had to make sure that she wouldn't mess up the storyline any more than she already has. Lei, Xiao, needed to think of a way to finish the storyline up to the part where she knows it will go down, if the leader didn't change their approach to getting the things they need to win and help their daughter.
Lei headed to the pond to see if she could figure something out so that way no one else is getting hurt or targeted. Once she had got to the pond, she would see Yu Min, or so she thought.
"Yu Min? What are you doing here?" She called out as she walked closer. Something had blown into her eyes and she rubbed her eyes to get it out. Once she stopped and opened her eyes, he was gone. Lei had frowned as she knew that Yu Min would never come here again, not after the way she had yelled at him and had broken up with no real reason or well not the true reason for why she had broken up with him. She had tears in her eyes, even though she had no more tears to cry. Lei walked on to the bridge, got up on the railing, and sat down on the railing with her feet above the water.
A few servants walked by and saw. They had known that Lei does that to allow her thoughts to leave her mind and allow new ones in, but they always ask to make sure that is what was going on.
"I'm just clearing my mind to allow new thoughts to flow in," Lei said.
They all nodded and continued with what they were going to do.
Lei smiled as she watched them leave. She had realized that she hadn't seen Bai Chun since their Mother and Father had come home. Lei tried to think if she had seen him anytime after their Mother and Father came back home and she couldn't. "Pan Shi!!" She called out.
Pan Shi comes running and appears next to Lei. "What is it, young mistress?"
"Have you seen Bai Chun after pa and ma got back?" Lei asked as she looked at Pan Shi.
Pan Shi had to think, she hadn't and so she shook her head no. "I have not. Why do you ask, young Mistress?"
"I realized that I haven't heard or seen him after the party or well after he bandaged my wound up again," Lei stated. She had started to think for the bad, though if the leader did do anything to him, they would've told her, unless that is how they get Lei. Lei, Xiao, knew that couldn't be right either way. 'She must've found out how it was going to end for her and thought of something totally different to attack Lei,' Xiao thought.
"Could he just be out helping other kingdoms, villages?"
"He would've told me or our parents or well he would've told his servants to tell us and they haven't," Lei replied as she was starting to panic, but didn't show it.
"Now that you have mentioned his servants, they haven't spoken to any of the others about what Bai Chun is up to," Pan Shi mentioned as she had realized that Bia Chun's servants didn't say anything about Bai Chun for the longest time.
"And you didn't think to tell me any of that?!?" Lei slashed out, not realizing or meaning to.
Pan Shi got startled and flinched and went on her knees. "I'm sorry, young mistress!!" She exclaimed over and over.
Lei saw, heard, and realized that she had slashed out. "It's fine. I'm sorry to have slashed out on you. I didn't mean to, nor did I realize that I had slashed out," Lei said as she kneeled down and looked at Pan Shi.
Pan Shi looked at her. "No, you had the right to slash out on me."
"No, I didn't, Pan Shi. I'm just overwhelmed right now and all I want to do is relax for just one day, but I know I won't be able to." Lei frowned, but then quickly switched it to a smile.
Pan Shi gave her a hug. "You'll get to relax here soon, I can feel it." Pan looked at her as she smiled. She had hoped that if she smiled she'd be more convincing.
Lei hugged back. She already knew that she won't be able to relax soon. "I hope so." Lei smiled back. 'I know she's only smiling to convince me that I'll get to relax soon.'
Pan Shi nodded. She let out a referring chuckle. "Lei, we should probably get you a bath and you get ready for your first day back at college since you're able to go back."
Lei nodded as she got down from the railing of the bridge. "It's going to be awkward since Yu Min and I haven't spoken at all since we broke up, but then again I don't really see him during the day." She started walking back to her area.
"Lei, you'll be fine, plus Yu Min must know by now the reason you broke up with him and is getting ready," Pan Shi responded as she followed behind.
Lei nodded as she let out a sigh, hoping that he understood the reason why when she broke up with him. "Hopefully…" she mumbled softly.
After a while, Lei was soaking in water with rose petals. She was left to relax her mind, but also to think about what will happen when she's near the end of the book. "Will I be able to actually be able to finish my book how it's actually supposed to end without telling more people that I'm not the Lei they know and that they're just characters based off of people in the real world?"
As she went on rambling, someone appeared and didn't realize that Lei was in the bath. He was being chased and didn't think anyone would be bathing. He hid behind the curtain where Lei was bathing.
Lei screamed.
The man heard and looked over at Lei. He goes red and puts his finger up to his mouth as if he wanted her to be quiet.
Lei nodded as she looked at him. "Yu-Yu Min? What are you doing here?" She whispered.
Yu Min walked over to her and kneeled down facing the other way. "I understand why you did what you did. The group and I have a plan. As to why I'm here, well, that's simply because I was being chased by a groupie of the minions."
"Yu Min" Lei stated as she let out a sigh. She was hoping that she wouldn't have seen him for a couple more days or well at school.
A few guards came up to the curtain. "Young Mistress Lei, are you ok?"
"Yes. I had simply seen a shadow of a maid, which startled me," Lei stated as she lied, because she didn't want Yu Min to get into trouble with her parents and also them losing a little bit of respect for him.
"Are you sure that's what happened?" One of the guards asked.
"Yes it is. Are you questioning me on what I saw and what startled me?" Lei stated.
"Of course not, but we had passed by a few minutes ago before we heard you scream and we didn't see a maid or servant leave here," the other guard stated.
"They must've left through a window then. Can you go and find out who it was?"
"Of course. We'll go and see who it was," they both said as they left.
Lei waited to hear the door closing to speak again. "Yu Min, you need to leave now."
Yu Min nodded. "Sorry for rushing in here. I didn't realize or think that someone was in here." He got up and went to leave.
Before he left, Lei had mumbled that she loved him.
Yu Min smiled as he heard her. He left.
After a little bit longer, Lei had got done, dried off, and got into her clothes for bed. She then headed to her room to sleep. Once she got to her room, she sat down, took off her boots, and laid down. Lei tried to sleep, but her mind wouldn't power down so that way she could sleep. She had just stayed in her bed, thinking and smiling that Yu Min knew why she had broken up with him and started coming up with a plan.