Jun Aohan held her close and firm as they soared into the air.
She felt as light as a feather as the streams and brooks flitted by beneath her feet.
She gasped with delight.
“Heavens, it’s so beautiful here! Whoever owns this country estate must have plundered so much from the common folk!”
Jun Aohan felt a pang of inexplicable guilt.
“Do you think the owner of this place evil?”
“How would I not be?” she muttered as a-matter-of-factly, “I abhor the rich and noble who understands nothing about the difficulties of the common folk. They can float up in the clouds, not knowing about the life of ordinary people down on Earth and seek only to satiate their insatiable greed for wealth and comfort!”
Tenderly, she caressed Jun Aohan’s cheek.
“Strangely, I feel an odd intimacy with you. I daresay I would have long walked away and not look back if you were one of these high and mighty lords or princes!”
She stuck out a tongue playfully, suddenly doubting herself.
She had always felt a stately air of nobility about Jun Aohan as if he really is a member of the aristocracy.
Even though she would dismiss the idea as piffle in a trice.
Why would Jun Aohan come with her to plunder the vault if he really was a member of the peerage?
While almost dying in the attempt too!
Meanwhile, Jun Aohan too was ruminating over what Ye Qingli just said himself.
The notion that she almost guessed who he is made him shudder.
That caused him to lose control of his aura that he nearly fell.
He somersaulted quickly and landed like a feather.
“The way’s just ahead. But wait up; I need to leave some instructions.”
“All right. Go on ahead then!”
Without so much as a doubt, she stood there alone, waiting for him.
Jun Aohan vanished and flitted deeper into the cave.
Ao Shuang’s figure materialized beside him with hardly a noise.
Like his shadow, she never strayed far from him.
Jun Aohan relayed his orders placidly.
His voice sounded as cold as steel. Leaving Ye Qingli’s side as good as tuned him back to his usually aloof alter-ego.
“Remember, no word must get out that this estate belongs to me.”
Ao Shuang bowed low obediently.
“Understood, Your Highness!”
Then Jun Aohan had one more instruction.
“Make sure no one speaks. If you can’t, then make sure that person speaks nothing at all."
His voice pierced the stillness with the cold of icy gales of a bottom abyss.
“By your will, Your Highness!”
With that acknowledgment, Ao Shuang melted once more into the darkness.
She never questions her master’s will.
Obedience and compliance – these were the only aspects that define her existence.
Jun Aohan left hurriedly away.
He rejoined with Ye Qingli and they left the mountains together.
Only now, from within the darkness, emerged another figure: Ao Xue.
She bit her lip hard.
A thin trickle of blood dripped from her lip, dyeing her scarf with flowery splotches of red.
But she felt no pain.
In her eyes blazed indescribable anger and hatred.
She pivoted and barreled a fist into the sturdy trunk of a tree beside her.
HOW!?How could Master meet this woman again!?
She had been raking her mind for days.
All to think of ways to prevent her master from meeting Ye Qingli!
Is this Fate?!NO! I refuse to accept it, Fate or not!
Bitterly, she hissed venomously, “I’ll kill you, Ye Qingli! I’ll kill you! So I swear!”
She snapped her fingers and more hooded figures appeared at her call.
“Push forward the schedule. Keep her under surveillance at all times and when the time is right, kill her immediately.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
The men acknowledged their kill order and they vanished out of sight.Ganjz, thebrokenpen's Thoughts
Scribbles of TheBrokenPen:
傲雪 was translated as “Au Xue” before, so for the sake of uniformity (again), I’m changing it to “Ao Xue”. Terribly sorry for the late update. A few difficulties have resulted in me taking up more work.(>人<;)对不起I appreciate feedback of all kinds, and monetary donations go a long way in encouraging our journey together into this story!