Huichen

Not a lot changed the next few days, only Hui was now cleaner, fatter, smuggling food to her brothers and had been deemed the Meddler's, or rather, Li Haoli's, pet. Hui couldn't help but feel the name suited him well. 

However, things weren't calm. And today, as Hui was currently following Li Haoli , two steps behind him, as he circled around the groups of children, still busy meddling, sounds suddenly came from over the next hill. As a scout came running back. 

"We're in sight of Houlin village!"

It had been two weeks. In that time, after taking down such a large village, they had been avoiding the main roads, circling around the nearby cities. Hui had completely forgotten that their mission probably involved more than one village in its description.

However, now that they crested the next hill, and the smoke of the village came into view, the captains suddenly called for a halt, and everyone set up camp in a small ravine, completely masked from the outside. 

Hui sat herself down on a stump, cleaning up Li Haoli's armor, as he sharpened his sword.

Li Haoli looked down at her and smiled. Hui had long since learnt that this smile was never good news.

"Hey, little Hui, (once he'd found it out, he immediately found it funny and changed his address) how long do you think it would take for this blade to cut through you?"

Hui just smiled back. "Where are we cutting from?" 

Li Haoli, touched his chin, seriously considering "Hmm, how about top to bottom?"

Hui also seriously considered. "Hmm…I think it would take a bit less time than you perhaps, 2 breaths?"

Li Haoli immediately laughed back, with his hearty bellow, before, without warning, threw his sword at her. Hui didn't move, the blade grazing past her neck and imbedding itself into the tree directly behind her.

"Ah, I missed."

Hui looked up at the blade, before slapping her hands near it. A large mosquito immediately bled its inside onto her palm, the red a stark contrast to her skin. She looked at Li Haoli, and smiled widely. "Don't worry, I got it big bro!"

Li Haoli smiled. Hui would never know what he was truly thinking at these moments. However, he hadn't been aiming at the mosquito. He lifted his hand and gently rubbed her head, "Good job, Hui." before gripping his sword, and putting it back into its sheath, straightening up. It was almost nightfall, and they were to move out soon.

"Where are you going?" Asked Hui innocently.

"What? You're going to miss me?" asked Li Haoli. 

"Yeah." Hui's large eyes stared up at him.

He quickly grabbed her and threw her onto his back.

"Then hold on tight and don't make any noise!" Hui shook her head, she knew acting close would keep her from getting killed like the other kids, but the closer she got, the smaller the tightrope, and this man was completely unpredictable. She would die tonight if she didn't play it right.

So, as he quickly ran through the woods, his qinggong light, and well maneuvered, landing on tree branch to tree branch, she hugged him tightly from behind, digging her face into the back of his neck, as she tried to forget that she was in a prisoner for a moment, or riding on the back of a murderer and just pretend she was on the steady back of her father from years ago.

However, as they landed, she once more let go. She was no longer her old self, and this life was different. There was no pampering her, there was no man to protect her anymore. She was alone, alone, fighting against the world. And, for the first time, she felt a warmth in her heart, a small feeling of accomplishment. She'd survived 5 years already, 5 years of near death and starving, living by the skin of her teeth, without the help of anyone. She had people that needed her, and no one yet had even looked at her as a woman. 

Suddenly, even as Li Haoli creeped along in the darkness, she wished this moment could last forever. Right now, while the world inside her head was finally at peace. Suddenly, all the qi inside of her grew quiet, and she could feel it, if she cultivated now, breakthrough to the qi condensation realm was inevitable. Unfortunately, at this moment, all hell broke loose.

Li Haoli followed the other men, as they lit torches, throwing them at the thatched houses, and then, taking advantage of the chaos, slew the men that raced out of their homes, capturing the woman and children. A scene like what had happened in her town, once more was played before her eyes, and Hui didn't like it, but this wasn't the first time she had seen such a horrible scene, and this wouldn't be the last, so she held on tightly, even as Li Haoli cut people apart, left and right, like he slicing through cheese, even as he laughed at the misery of the weak, and stomped in the blood of his prey. Finally, as the chaos reached its height, he turned to her, pulling her around to his front, and she could see the everchanging wildness in his eyes, as the chaos of the night threatened to take hold of him.

"How is it, Little Hui? You like it?' He licked his blade, coated in blood. "You like what your big bro does?" 

Hui ignored his words, pushing away the blade and taking his face in her two small hands, staring into his crazy eyes, with her steady, gentle ones, even amongst the storm of wretchedness all around them, playing out in various displays of debauchery to all humanity, her eyes stared through it all, clear and at peace.

"Don't do that." She complained, rubbing the blood from his lips. "Your knife is dirty." Li Haoli hated dirty things, him licking his blade was not true to his real nature. She wiped the rest of the blood off his face. "Much cleaner, much better!" She said, smiling. SHe didn't notice that two tears had escaped her eyes, unable to feel them amongst the heat of the fire, but Li Haoli saw them, and suddenly his wildly glaring eye calmed down. 

It became colder, his lips drooped, and he hid his face in her small chest , as her hands still hugged either side of his head. "What are we to do, little one, what are we to do, in this horrible world." He muttered, muttered, muttered, even as tears fell on her hands, and hui held still, watching the chaos, and killing and raping happening all around her, as a desolate man cried in her arms about what he hated, but couldn't hate. What he now loved but shouldn't love. What he'd wished he'd forgotten, but what he'd really forgotten.