Yu Han was stunned. Mr. Gong had mentioned arranging a travel crew, but Yu Han hadn't expected it to happen so soon. The man was dressed in military attire, had short trimmed light brown hair, and hazel eyes. The scar on his right eye proved he meant business.
"Let's go," the man wasted no time.
"Just like that?" Yu Han's eyes widened, "Let me say goodbye to the villagers."
The man frowned and glanced away. Yu Han could sense the urgency in his expression. Therefore, he dared not make him wait and rushed into the village to bid farewell to everyone. He was a little disappointed that Tao was still at school, but he met with everyone else. Mr. Gong, Zhang Meng, and Madam Zhang were all pleased that he came to see them one last time before leaving. They all wished him safe travels.
Yu Han returned to the man quickly, only to see other soldiers surrounding the village alongside him.
"What is all this?" Yu Han asked in awe.
"Your escort group," the man replied bluntly, "Let's go."
Just then, all the soldiers marched and lined up, waiting for further command. The man gestured to Yu Han to proceed to the end of the line. Although perplexed, Yu Han obliged and walked down the line with the man. A barricaded car was awaiting them, one with large wheels and a tall structure.
It had a large tank-like body, painted pure black with golden etchings of various mystical patterns. As the man opened the door for Yu Han, the interior was exposed. Red seats and wooden panels created a comfortable space for traveling. It was much more comfortable than the train he had taken this morning.
As Yu Han sat inside, the man closed the door shut. Looking outside the window, Yu Han found that separate trucks had been prepared for the soldiers. Turning back inside, Yu Han noticed a screen separating him from the driver in the front seat. He wondered if the driver could hear him.
"Hello?"
The following silence made him embarrassingly look away. The car started, and the beautiful scenery of the Meitong Tea Village slowly disappeared. As Yu Han glanced out the window quietly, he noticed how his life was full of anomalies so far.
It hadn't been two full days since he had woken up, and he had already gone through a lot. Although his mind was filled with questions, he closed his eyes and let himself be grateful for being alive.
After being so close to death and giving in to it, he felt more value for his life. For him, it had no meaning. But even a layman could tell he was an influential figure.
A grand vehicle, dozens of soldiers, and a personal escort to bring him to the Zhongping State said it all.
Yu Han took a deep breath with his eyes closed, recounting the events that had occurred.
He, who had no memories, was certainly the center of attention. Some people wanted to help him, others wanted to kill him. But what did he want? The realization that he wanted nothing made him open his eyes in disappointment.
He felt uneasy because he didn't know what to look forward to. He didn't know what his goals were. When Tao talked about his ambitions earlier, he was so impressed that a 17-year-old had his life figured out. It didn't matter if that business was illegal. At least, he had plans.
Whereas Yu Han? He had nothing. He was following the plans people crafted for him. People told him to go to Zhongping State, and he was going. Even there, people would tell him to do something, and he would probably do it.
He hated having no control over his life. Maybe that could be his ambition; to have control over his life.
His lifeless eyes suddenly had color, and his breathing was significantly calmer. This was a good goal to keep him going—living for himself and finding control over that life.
From thinking about how to live his life, Yu Han fell into a slumber quite quickly. Only 20 minutes of car ride made him drowsy.
A little further into the journey, the car stopped and the ironclad man opened the car door, only to find Yu Han sleeping in peace.
"Kid," the man called him once but in vain. He shook Yu Han frantically to wake him up impatiently.
Yu Han woke up with a jolt, "What's wrong?"
"Food," the man always spoke less. He stood guard quietly as he waited for Yu Han to get out of the car.
To his surprise, they had stopped by an inn. All the soldiers were stretching after the long ride, ready to have their share of food. The man guided Yu Han into the inn, and within seconds, the entire inn was only filled with soldiers. Yu Han, the man, and the silent driver took one table.
"What do you eat?" the man asked with the menu in his hands. Despite speaking less, he was considerate.
"I'm still trying food here. Anything is fine, I guess."
The man ordered a bunch of random dishes and waited as the innkeeper prepared the large menu.
The silence over their table irked Yu Han. Every other table had lively soldiers, laughing and chatting. But the table he sat on had a stoic scarred man and a silent driver.
"By the way, I never asked your name," Yu Han tried to strike up a conversation.
"Liu Longwei," the man replied instantly.
"So… Do I call you Mr. Liu? Or Brother Liu?"
"Do I look like your brother?"
"No. Actually, wait, I don't know what my brothers look like."
"How do you know you have brothers?"
"I don't know. I'm going to find out."
"Okay."
"Okay…" Yu Han pressed his lips together out of awkwardness, "Mr. Liu… What is your job?"
"To escort you to the Capital."
Yu Han shook his head, "I meant the permanent job. Are you in the military?"
"No," Longwei replied, then frowned, "I'm the Emperor's Bodyguard."
Yu Han's eyes widened in surprise. He looked around at the other soldiers. They were all dressed in similar armor.
"What about all of them?"
"Imperial Guards."
Being escorted to the Capital was one thing. Being escorted through the Emperor's guards was an entirely different story! Yu Han wondered if he was the Emperor's long-lost secret love child or something…
"It's better to keep your head empty," Longwei broke his trail of thoughts, "After all, food is here."
The waiter appeared shortly with the several dishes Longwei had ordered. All the food looked scrumptious, but Yu Han had other things on his mind. Longwei grabbed his chopsticks and tapped them on the table to get Yu Han's attention.
"If you don't eat well, I'll force-feed you."
Yu Han's jaw dropped, "I'm not opposed to eating food in the first place-"
"Quiet!" Longwei frowned, "No talking while eating!"
Despite his stoic personality, Longwei acted like a strict mom toward Yu Han. It wasn't a scenario he had imagined, and hence, he felt a little uncomfortable. But he dared not oppose a man who could kill a group of attackers with mere needles. Yu Han quietly ate food as ordered, leaving nothing out.