The change in the atmosphere was instant. A minute ago, everywhere had been filled with a soft underlying calmness. But as soon as she made her declaration, a heavy tension settled between them. Liu Han's dark eyes stared heatedly down into her brown ones at her words which threatened to destroy everything he had worked for.
Years. He had spent years pursuing the Lady of Death to avenge the crimes she had committed against his family. Not only him, but all four of them held deeply rooted grudges against the evil woman, and now they had come so close to fulfilling their lifelong desires.
Only for the main factor in accomplishing their goals to turn out to be a young roguish girl who got into more trouble than she was worth. Thanks to her penchant for getting negatively involved with the law as well as her constant movement from one town to another, it had taken them several months of tracking before they effectually found her. The irony that they found her in the clutches of the same person they fought against had not been lost on them.
The plan to break the girl out had required several weeks of careful monitoring of Daiyu's activities as well as that of her subordinates. Severe risks had been taken to obtain information that would be of immense importance. Plans had been made and remade to accommodate any and all possible things that could go wrong.
With all the effort that had been put into rescuing the girl in front of him, Liu Han felt that the anger rising in him was certainly justified.
"What did you say?"
"I said I'm not coming with you to any mountain or anywhere at all," she repeated stubbornly.
Him telling her a bunch of mystical nonsense, she could tolerate, maybe even believed it a little. But asking her to follow them to a temple she had never heard of was totally unacceptable. Not only was there the fact that it would be pretty stupid of her to do so, but these people had their own way of living and she had hers. Before now it had been a side thought but with the information she had just heard, it might not be such a bad idea to give up crime. Being wanted in seven provinces was already too much for one person. She was not even twenty yet. Living like a traveler certainly had its perks but she honestly wanted to take life a little slower. From the little she had seen of this village they had brought her to, she had decided that it would not be unpleasant to settle down here and maybe try her best to live normally.
She vocalized her thoughts to Liu Han, who just continued to glare at her. His face was still devoid of any emotion, it was only through the way his eyes hardened that Liling knew that she had struck a nerve with her refusal.
Han stood there for a bit longer that he would have preferred as he watched the girl who had caused him more trouble than she could have known. A small malevolent part of his mind suggested he just kill her and be done with it but he shook his head to banish the thought. Then he closed his eyes and took several calming breaths as he mulled over what she had said.
To his admitted disappointment, he realized it was within her rights to refuse his offer. After all, that was what it was; an offer. The girl before him was relatively young and no one with a sound mind would immediately accept to travel hundreds of miles with four total strangers right after she had just escaped captivity. As much as he may not have liked it, he even found her intentions understandable. She still had a lot of years ahead of her. There was nothing wrong with her wishing for some peace and quiet in her life.
But he had no intentions of leaving his quest uncompleted. They had come too far to fail now. There was always another way.
"Alright then, try and see things this way." His voice had lost most of its earlier heat when he spoke again. "If you do not come with us, we will be forced to have to remain here to protect you from the mercenaries that will most assuredly be sent after you. And when they fail, Mei Daiyu herself will come to take you. There is no guarantee that this entire village will not become collateral in her attempt.
"But if you accept my offer, I can guarantee your safety all the way to the temple. And when we are done with everything, I will personally bring you back here. This will be my promise to you."
For a moment Liling felt her resolve falter as she considered what he had said. Being aware of the mannerisms of the Lady of Death, if indeed she was after Liling for something as important as this, then it was utterly impossible for her to live the life she wanted. No matter where she would go, she would always be in danger. She might not have much in the form of combat prowess but she was not overtly concerned over her own personal safety.
Rather what made her accept Liu Han's offer was the thought of endangering the people around her wherever she went. Her early life in the orphanage had been spent in near isolation because of her unique behavior. She had no wish to live like that again. To be forced to live alone because her very existence would put all those around her in danger. If this was all it would cost to never have to experience that, then it was an acceptable price to pay. After all, she could not miss what she never knew she had.
The defiance in her eyes faded as she lowered her shoulders in submission. "Fine. But you better keep that promise of yours."
His eyes softened as well and he gave her a tiny smile. It was the first sign of positivity she had seen on him and it did something funny to her insides. "You don't have to worry about that."
Liling eyed him in a questioning manner just as they began to walk again. The inn was just a few buildings away. "You seem very determined to stop the Lady of Death. Do you by any chance hold a grudge against her?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Liling wished she could take them back. The faint smile on Han's lips faded away instantly and a shadow of something flickered across his face. Before she could be sure of what it was, it was replaced by the emotionless expression he had been wearing when she had first met him, if a bit more stern. His voice had likewise lost its soothing tone once more.
"It can be said that I have a personal score to settle with her. A promise I cannot afford to leave unfulfilled. Hurry up, we will have to depart soon."
That ended their conversation and he returned back to the inn with Liling following him a few steps behind. Neither of them said a word despite the somber mood their talk had ended in.