Chapter 9 - I Love You, Ming 'er

Xinyi enjoyed playing along with the fish in the brook while her necklace swung around in the air. She trusted no one would venture this forest in the middle of the night.

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The squad of brothers took cover behind a few nearby trees but Lei Ming, as if he was in a trance, kept walking toward the girl who was playing in the water with the fish.

His brothers thought she enchanted Lei Ming. One of them grabbed him while whispering, "Ming," however, Lei Ming did not even give his brother a reaction because of his enchanted state.

One of them gulped and slapped his brother. Only then did Lei Ming looked back at him with a bewildered expression.

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"Xinyi, Xinyi, someone is approaching," warned a nightingale on a tree.

"Dammit, where?" Xinyi asked.

"Toward your left," said the nightingale.

She turned her head and saw a man. His face was partly clear to her because the moonlight reflected on him. Xinyi gasped, but she abruptly ran for her clothes while her hands covered her b.r.e.a.s.ts. She pulled the cloth first and wrapped it around her body.

Her sudden movements woke Lei Ming from his stupor and saw her running away with her clothes in hand. When he saw the girl's backside, he yelled, "Wait!" But, she ignored his command and sprinted toward the other side of the brook — her goal, to get away from those men.

Xinyi did not turn around but yelled, "Stop! Don't come any closer."

Lei Ming shouted, "I will not come close. But please, stop running!" while chasing her through the forest. She was no match for a trained man. Soon he passed her and said, "Stop!"

When Xinyi heard that man's voice, she felt anger, but could not tell why. However, this time, she obeyed his command and halted right away. Her hair left small gaps, which allowed Lei Ming to see a part of her face. But, it also allowed her to plot an escape.

Lei Ming thought she would genuinely stop and listen to him. "Please, don't run, Miss. I will not hurt you," he said as he stepped closer. He slowly removed his coat to hand it to her, but it gave her the wrong idea.

"Stop!" Xinyi shouted and raised a palm against him. "Don't come any closer," Xinyi said as she moved back two steps.

"Don't be afraid. I just want to give you my coat, My Lady. Cover yourself with this," he said as he placed down his coat on a bush and openly waved an arm at the two men to keep them from coming out from their hiding place as not to alarm her further while his face focused on her.

Xinyi saw that gesture and understood. That way is no. But this man's voice sounds familiar, like that sc.u.mbag husband of mine. Is he Lei Ming? If it's him, then he is not old and could be checking  out on me in Anjing... Ah! ' A sudden reality startled her in fright. Oh no, I hope he hasn't gone there yet. He must not know it's me. This is not good. He also saw me playing with the fish.

Lei Ming looked toward the jittery girl and said, "Sorry for interrupting your bath. I don't mean to eavesdrop on you. It just happens I was here looking for something. I promise I won't hurt you. I will turn around and give you time to change and please, don't forget to use my coat to warm yourself," he said and turned his back on her.

He continued to talk, mentioning he lived nearby and did not say he was the owner of the land or the governor of the city because he didn't know who she was and her reason to be in his estate at this late hour. Most of all, after those spirits came out. Even if she was only a passerby, he had no assurance of her real persona.

All of what they saw could only be an illusion too. He was trying to be rational in dealing with this situation.

While Xinyi was unaware of what went through in that brain of his, she went behind the tree where the nightingale was and began changing, but she didn't listen to Lei Ming's gentle babbling. She looked up and saw the nightingale.

"Little friend, can you help me?" she said to the nightingale, but in the ears of Lei Ming, he heard two birds took turns chirping but didn't realize she was the other tweeting bird.

Lei Ming thought of making a slight glance, afraid she might have run away but held himself. Scaring her would be the last thing he would do. Instead, he only called, "Miss, are you still there?"

"Yes, don't look back," said Xinyi.

"What can I do for you, Xinyi?" replied the bird.

"Can you call the other birds and stop this man and his other companions from running after me? I need to go back to that house over there," she said as she pointed a finger to Anjing pavilion.

"That's all? Your wish is my command," said the bird. The nightingale sang, and rush of flapping wings and chirping could be heard heading toward them.

"But be careful. Just obstruct their path and fly away if they try to harm you," added Xinyi.

"Yes, My lady," said the bird.

On that note, Xinyi folded the thin cloth, making it shorter, laid it on her head like a veil, and tied the edges below her chin. With the fabric covering her face, she ran toward the dense forest trees as fast her feet could carry, opposite to her exact destination.

Both of his brothers shouted, "Ming 'er, she's getting away." The two hurriedly came out from hiding. They ran and jumped on trees to cover the distance faster. Suddenly, the birds flew toward them. They had to stop and cover their faces with their arms. To their puzzlement, the birds didn't hurt them but only flew around them.

After hearing the shout, Lei Ming turned around and saw her running. "Miss, stop! I promised. I won't hurt you," he said while jumping on trees getting near her. The birds also flew toward him, and he reacted the same way with the two, but his eyes sneak a peek above his arm to see where she headed. He saw her running in a zigzag between trees.

Xinyi glanced back to see if they were still following. When she saw that they had stopped, she hurriedly jumped on tree branches and changed direction, heading toward the villa.

However, since Lei Ming had a good standpoint, he saw her moved up on trees. He abruptly shouted, "Hahh!" Vibrating sounds struck the birds who were blocking him, and they fell on the ground in an instant, got dizzy but unharmed.

Before the birds' body touched the ground, he was already on the run, following Xinyi hopping from a tree branch to another.

Xinyi sensed some movements from the trees near her. So, she turned her gaze and saw him. 'Jeez, can he not leave me alone?' She whistled using two fingers on her lips and the dizzy birds awakened and charged back toward Lei Ming.

While jumping, Lei Ming tried to convince her. "Please, stop running. I just want to know your name and the reason you're here?" Yet, Xinyi continued her escape. The bird reached Lei Ming, but with a wave of his hand, a strong wind blew at the birds, hindering them from coming further.

As he ran, questions plagued Lei Ming's mind. He couldn't think of a good reason she was afraid of him. Then a thought struck him, Are those spirits could be her doing?

"Don't make me use force to stop you," he said with no gentleness in his tone this time, but he still had mixed emotions, reluctant to hurt her but also felt the need to protect his people.

Xinyi heard his words, and a shiver ran on her spine. However, she would not run from a fight even if that man could be her husband unless there was still another better way to avoid a fight.

At this point in time, an object on their bodies swung and resonated with each other. Her pendant glowed. She looked down and was surprised. This was the first the pendant glowed. Xinyi turned left to her pursuer and saw something on him glowed as well.

At the same time, an object in a handbag dangling on Lei Ming's waist lighted. All of a sudden, he heard a woman's soft voice whispering in his ears, "I love you, Ming 'er. Why did you leave me?"

With that distraction, Lei Ming stopped on a tree and spun around, but saw no one.