Gao Ru stood on the edge of the broken bridge, looking down into the dark, churning waters of the Red River. He heard the muffled sounds of rushing water and the distant creaking of the broken remains swinging in the wind.
He knew that somewhere beyond these waters, his prey was lurking.
Gao Ru had been tracking Long Ju for two days before the explosion. He thought this was going to be a very easy mission, but he was wrong. After two days and two nights of searching the region, he still hadn't found any trace of the Young Lady. He was getting frustrated and was starting to despair. He knew that Long Ju was a determined and skilled warrior, and he was worried that she might have got away without a trace, or, worse, that she might have drowned in the river.
He was considering turning back and reporting his failure to the council. To think, he was overjoyed when Patriarch Lin personally gave him the task to bring his daughter home. It was like pie falling from the sky into his mouth. Only now was he realising it would have probably been best to leave such a pie for someone else...
Gao Ru had been excited to accept the mission, because he knew that if he could bring Long Ju home successfully, it would be a huge boost to his career and standing in the clan. He was just a young official when he joined two years ago, and he had worked hard to steadily climb the ranks. He thought his sweat had finally paid off. That betting on the Long clan had been the right move.
He was quick to understand that the lady never left the city, but finding her was another issue altogether. He spent two days tracking her down to no avail. He thought he had caught up to her when he found the objects and clothes she brought with her on the run. Apparently, she sold almost everything to fund her escape. But it was a dead end, each transaction had a fake paper trail leading in different directions, an obvious distraction.
As soon as he felt confident again, after sifting through her small network of followers and friends, the inn he finally tracked her down to exploded in a ball of flames. He was about to lose hope when he managed to piece together from various witnesses her escape route and found the secret tunnel.
It was almost morning when his chase came to an end. When he first saw the bridge, he almost had a heart attack. Even if Young Lady Ju was an Aura user... was that enough to survive the fall, and the roaring waters of the Red River?
After calming down and thinking deeply, he concluded that it was possible. The ropes of the bridge had been cleanly cut by a sword. That meant the Young Lady cut them herself. He thought about the possibility of being misguided again by her tricks, but he ruled against it. The cut was done too close to this side of the cliff, meaning she couldn't have passed the bridge and also severed the rope. She could have used an accomplice, but the evidence didn't show the presence of a second person. Gao Ru sighed. Someone else could have thought the Lady was alone, but not him. One or more people were surely present last night, and they were concealing their presence to a level even he was incapable of sensing it. This only meant they were hostile, and Lady Ju cut the bridge as a last resort to either fight or escape her pursuers. Of course, she could have overestimated her chances of survival. So, the first thing he had to do was send a team to check the river and travel along the shores to find any traces of her, even if it was a corpse. Afterwards, he would have to question the Azure Wind Sect, to make sure she wasn't already in their custody.
The red sun was slowly crawling up over the horizon, and the dark night was yielding to the morning light. Gao Ru stood up and got back on his horse. He was almost frightened by his own intellect.
Long Ju coughed up mouthfuls of filthy river water and gagged, finally managing to take a breath of the colder morning air. She was shivering uncontrollably, her clothes soaked through. The frogs resting on her, frightened by her sudden movement, jumped into the water.
Long Ju threw up while trying to stand up, her lungs burning as she inhaled the air again after nearly drowning. She was exhausted, her body sore from the strong currents and the rocks that were scattered along the shore. She struggled to her feet.
Above all, Long Ju felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She had survived, and she was finally free. She took a few moments to catch her breath and regain her composure. Then she turned around and started walking downstream. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she had to keep moving. She quickly checked her body and was relieved she still had her sword and the silver box he stole from the masked man. Unfortunately, she lost everything else, except for the clothes she was wearing. Her bag, her shoes, even her identity token. The only thing she still had that proved she was a part of the Long clan was her ring. Only direct descendants had it, and it was almost impossible to forge.
She took a deep breath and slowly made her way downstream, clutching her sword to keep her balance as she walked. She had no idea where she was, and she was exhausted from the previous night's ordeal. The morning air was cold and crisp, and the sun was rising slowly in the sky. But Long Ju didn't feel the cold or the heat, she was too exhausted to even know what day it was.
After many hours of walking, Long Ju finally reached the first sign of a settlement. She saw a group of buildings, some of them connected to each other by rickety bridges. It wasn't much, but Long Ju felt a rush of excitement just by seeing people.
She approached one of the buildings that resembled a shop and poked her head through the door. She was met by the warm smile of an elderly woman. "Young lady, you seem cold and tired. Come inside and sit down," the elderly woman said, ushering Long Ju in. It looked like a small tavern. Aside from her, only a group of three other people were sitting at a table.
The elderly woman led her over to a seat at the far end of the room and put a cup of hot tea in front of her. Long Ju thanked the woman and began drinking the tea. The warmth of the tea and the feeling of being safe made her feel a bit more calm.
The group of three people looked at her curiously, and the elderly woman introduced Long Ju to them. They were travelling merchants passing through the village. Long Ju glanced briefly at their weapons. Merchants my foot, she thought. But her condition wasn't the best, so she chose to let it slide. The important thing was getting information about her whereabouts and leaving as soon as possible.
Long Ju quickly assessed the three men in the group. Despite their merchant clothes, it was clear to her that they were trained martial artists. They were sitting with their weapons close by, and their eyes never strayed from her own sword. She knew she had to be careful.
She took another sip of tea and looked at the elderly woman. "What is your name, madam?" Long Ju asked, trying to be friendly and courteous.
The elderly woman smiled and introduced herself as Madam Zhang. "Pleased to meet you, child. I see you're travelling alone. Where do you plan on going?" Madam Zhang asked.
Long Ju was not going to reveal information easily, but she was happy to get it from others. Long Ju responded with only half-truths, trying not to give too much away.
"I'm just travelling to explore the world and to find new experiences," Long Ju answered truthfully, but her real motivation was to get far away from her arranged marriage.
Madam Zhang nodded, seeming to accept Long Ju's answer. She continued the conversation. "Your destination is pretty ambitious, child. The world is a big place, you know."
The merchant men were not buying her explanation. "A young lady travelling alone in these dangerous lands. You're lucky nothing happened to you," one of the men chimed in.
"And, tell me, what brings such brave warriors to this small village?" Long Ju asked, shifting the conversation towards the three self-proclaimed merchants. They avoided her gaze and laughed awkwardly. She studied the merchants, analysing their body language and the way they were holding their weapons.
Suddenly, the door to the tavern burst open, and four other people entered. Their clothes were ragged, and they looked like rough and tough characters. Long Ju took one look at them and knew that they were bandits.