《Bronze Mirror》


 Chapter 1- A Doted Child Gambler

    In a certain restaurant in china town, a lot of people gathered but they didn¡¯t come just to eat. Four people were surrounding two chess players who were concentrating in a game of chess while the rest were sitting on chairs while they ate dumplings. There were almost 30 people in the restaurant and it was only 4 in the afternoon. At first, there were a lot teasing and joking but as the game went on the people became silent. Seeing someone winning in a chess game is normal but seeing an innocent looking 13 year old girl win while wearing a mischievous smile the whole time isn¡¯t.


    The girl¡¯s delicate hands reach for the pawn. She looked at her opponent and her gray eyes twinkled in delight. She picked it up and placed it in the board. Her voice was playful but clear as she said, ¡°Checkmate.¡±


    Li groaned as the audience cheered. The tense atmosphere immediately dissipated. The crowd immediately congratulated the little winner. Money was passed around.


    ¡°Well done Lilia. Even I did not expect that move.¡±


    ¡°I should have bet on Lilia. Now my wife is going to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Who would have thought of that turnaround? I think I just lost 3 years of my life!¡±


    ¡°D*mn it! Boss Li! I just bet this month¡¯s salary on you!¡±


    All of them were laughing good-naturally. Some ruffled the hair of the child. She protested but was still enjoying the praises.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you made your queen as bait.¡± Li said with a frown.


    ¡°Yup!¡± Lilian grinned, exposing perfectly straight white teeth. ¡°Granpa Li was in a hurry to finish the game so I took that strategy.¡±


    ¡°That means the next match is mine!¡± Shan said confidently, ¡°How about a game of poker Lilia?¡±


    One delicate eyebrow lifted. ¡°Didn¡¯t I beat uncle Shan in a poker game before?¡±


    ¡°You did but I¡¯m feeling lucky today. I just might recover my losses.¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t mind but you have a terrible poker face uncle. I can practically guess whenever you have a bad hand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lilia! We all can!¡±


    All of the men guffawed even Shan was holding his belly as he laughed. Li took a couple of bills from his wallet and handed it to Lilian. She took the money and raised it over her head in triumph. All of the men clapped their hands while they look at her affectionately.


    Usually they wouldn¡¯t bet with a child but Lilia had real skills. Whether it was chess, shogi, poker or mahjong, she was someone who can rival the gamblers in china town.


    She first came here when she was 5 year old, her only intention being to watch the old men play those games. A small child visiting them every time she arrived from school made their hearts soften against their will. Even when they were being scolded by their wives and children, they still taught her how to play the games. All of them adored her and treated her like their granddaughter or daughter.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    One of the men sighed, ¡°Lilia dear, why don¡¯t you marry my grandson. At least I can be sure that my granddaughter-in-law will be someone smart and beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± one of them interjected. ¡°Our Lilia will not choose your good-for-nothing grandson. With her brains, she will be someone important someday. Maybe a doctor!¡±


    ¡°I think a lawyer would be better.¡± One of them mused. ¡°With her penchant of outwitting people, she would leave her opponents in the dust.¡±


    ¡°I prefer a job where people have to follow what I say.¡± Lilia murmured nonchalantly while she placed her winnings in a well-worn purse. ¡°Whether it¡¯s barking like a dog or jumping over a cliff I-ah!¡±


    She stopped as she realized something. She looked at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s almost 5, I have to go now.¡± She said as she tied her hair in a ponytail, wore her scarf and parka then took her backpack. ¡°I have to help grandpa Po¡¯s shop. He said a shipment will come today. Bye!¡±


    Lilia practically ran as she left and the door closed with a ¡®ding¡¯. Everyone just looked through the shop window as Lilia crossed the street. When nobody could see her anymore somebody finally spoke.


    ¡°She was joking, right? About the dog?¡±


    ¡°I was more surprised about the cliff. I can¡¯t believe a statement like that came from our cute little Lilia.¡±


    Li burst into laughter as he replied. ¡°Who knows? She does have a habit in games where she would play with us, making us believe we¡¯re in control of the game, when all of a sudden we realize we were in the palm of her hand after all.


    Everybody murmured in agreement.


    Lilia spent almost of her free time in this restaurant winning money from them. As she no longer had parents, this half Chinese girlworked part-time in various shops including Po¡¯s antique shop and gambled for pocket money. Everybody in the china town made a decision to help Lilia. Especially Li¡¯s group who regarded Lilia as their own flesh and blood relative with his group¡¯s backing, Lilia had a better life than most orphans.


    ¡°Base on what she said, wouldn¡¯t being an army general suit her?¡± Shen asked. ¡°Unlike today, generals of the ancient times had direct command of the army. She can make them dance, charge under fire of hundreds of arrows or even roll over on the floor like a dog and they wouldn¡¯t complain.¡±


    Everyone then excitedly joined in the conversation.


    ¡°And from we can see, she has a knack for strategies, she might be the most successful general China has ever seen.¡±


    ¡°There is a difference between a game of chess or shogi from real life battle, you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of experience. If she can transfer her ideas from board games to real life battles, she might be unbeatable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a hypothesis! Being smart in a game doesn¡¯t mean you will become a heaven sent strategist or something!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she need to be a martial expert too? Isn¡¯t P.E. her weakest subject?¡±


    ¡°What a general needs is calm judgement and the ability to think one move ahead of their opponent.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t being a strategist be better? All she has to do is assist the general in handling the troops.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way a random guy is going to boss around my little Lilia!¡±


    ¡°I think were forgetting women aren¡¯t exactly welcome in a battlefield in ancie-¡°


    ¡°Alright! Alright! Alright! Everybody- ENOUGH!¡± Li finally shouted. His kind smiling face changed into a cold sharp expression. ¡°We still have a job to do.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Shan said as he placed a couple of secretly taken pictures of people. ¡°These men are our targets.¡±


    ¡°Take care of them and make sure there aren¡¯t any witnesses. We don¡¯t want the same thing to happen again. We were lucky it was only Lilia that time.¡±


    The rest of them men nodded in affirmation. Gone were the doting grandpas and uncles, only merciless mafia men were left.

 Chapter 2- Lost and Confused

    Lilia arrived in front of an old-looking shop. On the shop window was a painted sign in beautiful calligraphy "Crystal Dragon Antique Shop". Even when looking at it outside it held a sense mystery and when you opened the door it was like you were in a whole different era. There were lots of tables, chairs, plates, paintings, vases, swords, not to mention small little trinkets like earrings, bells, figurines. It was a treasure trove.


    "Grandpa Po," Lila called. "It''s Lilia. Grandpa?"


    Lilia gripped her backpack straps out of habit and walked around the shop being careful not to touch anything. There were statues of dragons, more vases, and cups. As someone who focused in the present and the future, Lilia had absolutely no interest in history. To her each item in this shop was just an overpriced commodity so she was just looking at them with nonchalance (but she was still dead scared of breaking anything).


    She was passing by the front of the stockroom when she felt a twinge in her heart. She immediately stopped and grabbed her chest. The pain was no longer there instead her heartbeat began to race as she stared at the door.


    "Grandpa Po?" she called.


    She opened the door slowly and saw boxes and crates inside the large room. One of the crates was opened. Must be one of the newly delivered stock. She went near it and grabbed the edge of the crate and peek inside.


    There were a sea of foam peanuts but she could see the edges and corners of the antique items. On top of all those items was a round item. It looked like a plate made out of bronze but it didn''t have any carvings on its surface. She carefully picked it up from the crate and held it in front of her face. In an instant she saw a familiar face. Her hair was fixed in an elaborate design while she wore a headpiece. Her most striking feature was her gray eyes that seemed to peek at one¡¯s soul. The woman held an expression of wonderment and surprise.


    Then the woman in the bronze plate blinked.


    "Ah!" Lilia exclaimed in surprise as she dropped the plate and took a step back. She didn''t notice a small box behind causing her to stumble and fall. She closed her eyes and brace for herself for the impact on her butt but instead of the cold hard floor she fell in soft wet grass.


    <hr>


    Nobody would surely believe her. As she fell on her bottom, the scenery in front of her distorted for a split second turning into a forest. Even the uncles and grandpas in the shop who adored her to no end will surely say she was just hallucinating.


    She stared at her surroundings. She looked at her right and then to her left but all she could see were grass and trees. She could feel the grass between her fingers. She proceeded to check her head for bumps just in case she hit her head when she fell and experience memory loss but no such luck. She then pinched her cheek and when she didn''t wake from a dream or hypnosis as expected, she began to panic.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Okay! Get a grip on yourself Lilia." Lilia said out loud as she stood up. "There is absolutely, positively no way I could have transferred from grandpa Po''s shop to here... in the middle of nowhere, no way!"


    She took a number of deep breaths to calm herself and felt the cool, fresh air. She could hear crickets in the surrounding.


    I guess that means I''m not in the city anymore; it¡¯s impossible for the air to feel this good in a city. Not to mention this place looks like an untouched part of a forest. What am I even thinking? That¡¯s just like saying I got magically transported from grandpa Po¡¯s shop. Hahaha No way right? Right?


    She fixed her scarf and zipped her parka up. She gripped her backpack straps as if trying to take energy from it and began to walk, carefully observing her surroundings. She pushed the chest high grass blades and overhanging branches away while wishing she wouldn''t accidentally touch a spider or encounter a leech.


    She remembered a book she borrowed once about a group of teenagers who were transported to a forest where they had to kill each other until one person was left. Totally not a good thing to remember when you''re stuck in the middle of nowhere and have no idea how you got there. Just please don''t let me meet some weirdo or some psychopath...


    Lilia was stunned. When she passed through overhanging vines she came face to face with a man. He looked in his early thirties with a well-built body. He had a beard and a hairstyle that reminded her of actors from those Chinese action movies her Uncle Shan liked to watch. He wore well-worn robes and cloth shoes. He was also holding a sword in his hands. He had the same expression of disbelief in his face.


    Shouts could be suddenly heard from a distance. The man looked as if he was startled by the sound, waking him from his trance. He glanced at the distance where the noise originated then looked at Lilia. He looked like he was in a dilemma.


    Lilia was rooted in the spot as thoughts of weirdos and psychopaths danced in her head. She gingerly reached for the side of her bag when the man¡¯s expression changed. He had now a determined look on his face.


    The man suddenly grabbed her arm then started running. He began to speak but Lilia had trouble understanding what he was saying.


    "Wait!" Lilia asked as she tried to keep up with the man''s speed. "Why are we running? Why do I have come with you?"


    The man looked at her strangely, possibly also unable to understand what she was saying. He pointed at the back and began to speak. "????????People??????run??????danger¡±


    Lilia found the sentence construction strange and he was using a lot of Chinese words that she was not familiar with. The words she knew reminded her of Grandpa Po. However, Lilia could understand the main point of what he said. This man was being chased. The question was why?


    She didn¡¯t trust this man. But the problem was she had no idea how she got here. She needed to know if she could rely on this person. Will she be safer with the man being chased or the people doing the chasing?


    And she had to make the decision quick because she was doubtful whether she had the speed or the stamina to run a long distance. Even now she was already breathing heavily. She also starting to feel a sharp pain in her sides and they were running for only a minute or two. The voices became even closer.


    "Stop!" Lilia said as she stopped running. The man turned to her in surprise. He impatiently talked as he tried to drag Lilia to run again. Lilia shook her head and racked her head for an idea to get over this situation. The pain on her side wasn''t helping.


    The man seemed to be in a state of panic. Yet, it looked like he had no plans on leaving her here. He then assumed a stance with his sword, ready anytime to face the men who were chasing him.


    "Ah!" Lilia blurted out as she saw the sword. "Quick! Hack these bushes and then those over-hanging branches."

 Chapter 3- Dilemma

    Su Ming looked at the child strangely as she rapidly pointed at the bushes and branches. She also made slashing motions with her hands to make her point.


    "I think I understand what you''re saying but-"


    "????trust??????need????" The young girl firmly said.


    Su Ming stared at the child''s expression and saw how resolute she was. He nodded his head. He began to cut the bushes and the branches while the little girlbegan to walk around. As he was swinging his sword he finally realized what the child wanted to do. She wanted to create an impression that they were taking this path. This area had a thicker fauna than the previous area. By cutting the branches and plants, it made an illusion that they wanted to travel easily without accidentally hitting their head or the thorny bushes scratching their skin or tearing their clothes.


    He couldn''t help but praise this child who looked only 12 or 13 years old. In his panic, all he did was run and didn''t think on how to outwit his pursuers. It didn''t matter that she was dressed or talked strangely. Once this was over he would be sure to thank this child.


    They could hear the crushing of grass and the rustling of leaves as the group drew near. Su Ming was about to run to the opposite direction of his handiwork when the child grabbed his sleeve. He looked at her, surprised, but she just pointed to a large tree. It was large enough to hide an adult with its thick trunk and exposed roots. The man felt blood drain from his face as he realized what she wanted him to do.


    The girl then dove under the cover of bushes and leaves which hid her small body while the man stood rooted on the spot. He wanted to run to another direction but he could not leave the child here. And now, it was already too late. His pursuers were already very near. He had no choice but to hide behind the large tree.


    "All that¡¯s left now is to believe in luck!" He heard the child murmur but he could not understand what she said due to some unfamiliar words.


    ¡°Where did that bastard go?¡±


    ¡°There! Over there!¡±


    ¡°We have to hurry before the others captures him first!¡±


    They are here. He could hear the newly arrived people pause for a split second then ran to another direction, most likely in the direction where he cut the branches and grass. This continued for a few seconds. The whole time Su Ming gripped the hilt of his sword very tightly. He didn''t know what came over him, trusting a child with his life but it was too late to escape now. All he could do was hope they wouldn¡¯t noticed him hiding just a few feet away.


    ¡°F*ck! The rewards going to be snatch away!!


    ¡°Faster! We can still outrun them!¡±


    The sound of steps that came began to diminish with only one or two people passing. The man held his breath and did not let it go. He did not expect that little trick would actually work.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Where are the others? They ran too fast!¡±


    ¡°They must have caught him by now. Do we still have to run?¡±


    "Wait!"


    Su Ming felt his heart dropped. He could hear a number of people stop. "What was that?¡±


    ¡°What? Just some small animal. What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go! Our brothers are already far ahead.¡±


    "That soldier is really a fool!" Another one said while laughing. "We may not be expert trackers but even a child can follow such an obvious trail. He really is just a soldier who relies on his sword!¡±


    "Do not underestimate him. He is still someone with an important position in the military.¡± Su Ming could distinguish three voices. He then heard one of them come closer to his hiding place. "Look brothers! The bushes here, the stems have been broken."


    "What do you mean?"


    "He must have cut the branches as a distraction but actually escape in another direction. The stems must have broken when he passed them."


    Su Ming felt his whole body turn cold. It was over. He didn''t notice the bushes but he must have accidently walk over it earlier. It would be over if they called for their companions.


    "Look what we have here." Su Ming heard rustling sounds of leaves then a cry. "How did a girl get here? Ooohhh... She''s a pretty one."


    "She''s wearing strange clothes, must be from another country. Did she get separated from her group?"


    "We should look for that soldier first. Tie that girl if you want her. We can have fun with her later before we sell her."


    ¡°Keep struggling! I like it when their feisty! Ah! She kicked me!¡±


    Su Ming was in a dilemma. Thanks to the girl being caught and distracting the men, he could take this chance to run away. But he was the reason the child was caught. If he did not bring her with him, she wouldn''t have to experience a faith worse than being attacked by animals or dying due to cold and hunger. He originally was worried why a young girl was alone here in the woods and wanted to help her.


    "??????.No!??????touch??????stop????????" Cried the young girl.


    Su Ming stopped thinking.


    "Let that child go!" He shouted as he dashed out from behind the tree. The three of men were surprised at his sudden appearance and reacted too late. He swung his sword to the man nearest him before the man could draw his sword.


    "Urgh!" The man grunted as his back was slashed and drop to the ground. The other two immediately let the girl go and drew their swords.


    It was two to one. Su Ming concentrated hard as he swung his sword again at the person closest to him while avoiding the other one with a twist of his body. He vaguely saw the child crawl away from the fight.


    Both of the men kept attacking him. It might look that he was a disadvantage but Su Ming was sure he could defeat these two. While he may be alone he was a professional soldier and a captain of a five hundred men. His sword skills were more than enough to take care of these men. The only reason he was running in the first place was because there were just too many of them. One versus a dozen men, more or less, was just too much.


    He parried a sword and kicked the person. He then turned to his side to face the other attacker. The attacker raised his sword sideways and swung hard, aiming for Su Ming''s shoulder. Su Ming immediately ducked then tackled his opponent to the ground.


    They both landed in the ground with an "Ooof!". Su Ming didn¡¯t waste time and immediately sat upright and used the sword to stab the man under him. The man dropped the sword to his side as his body trembled slightly. He stabbed him a second time when he heard a sudden noise, A loud sharp sound and a strange sound coming from a man. Sh*t! I forgot about the other one!


    When he turned to look, it was just in time to see the remaining attacker collapse to the ground. The little girl was behind the man with an outstretch arm. In her hands was a polished black block of wood. The child immediately crouched down to the ground and thrust the block of wood in the man''s back and Su MIng heard the strange sharp sound again.

 Chapter 4- Unexpected action

    Lilia released the switch and looked at her attacker who was now lying face down on the ground. She removed the sling from her wrist and placed the stun gun back to the side of her backpack. It was a gift from the doting grandpas and uncles from the restaurant. They knew that although Lilia was a bright child, her athletic skills left something to be desired. No, it was downright abysmal. Whether it was stamina or skills, there was no hope in her. Whenever they tried to teach her martial arts, she was absolutely hopeless.


    "I hate extraneous physical activities! I''d rather use my brain and make others do the heavy lifting!" she declared after a practice session that left her muscles aching for a whole week.


    So the protective old men had no choice but to give her a stun gun for self-defense (they tried giving her a Glock 19 but Grandpa Li got mad at them instead). It was, after all, better than nothing. And today wasn¡¯t the first time she used it.


    She was just lucky when this man was kicked down earlier; he stumbled with his back to her. All she had to do was stick the stun gun to his back and press the switch.


    She looked at her surroundings and saw the other bodies sprawled unto the ground. There was blood everywhere. In the center was a man with a bloodied sword. She took deep breathes as she calmed down.


    This wasn''t the first time she saw someone died. The uncles and grandpas from the restaurant were part of the mafia after all. She accidentally once saw Uncle Shan slit someone''s throat in the back of the restaurant. The blood gushing from the man''s throat spewed like a fountain. She remembered being dazed for a few seconds, her whole body trembling and then she bawled her eyes out. Her six year old self was frightened senseless from the sight. The old men from the restaurant were at their wits end in trying to calm her down.


    This didn''t happen only once but a number of times. And it wasn¡¯t always tied with the mafia; sometimes riots would occur, gang fights, accidents. There was always something happening in Chinatown. It didn¡¯t help that this Chinatown was situated in a questionable part of the city.


    Did she feel guilt from dragging these men to their deaths? No, she didn¡¯t. These men lying on the ground wanted to kill someone, not to mention they tried to take advantage of Lilia earlier. She didn''t need to understand what they were saying to know what plans they had for her, their lecherous expressions said it all!


    Lilia''s thoughts were interrupted when Su Ming knelt down in front of her, looking at her victim. Her victim only had the whites of his eyes shown and was drooling. His whole body was twitching every now and then.


    Su Ming had his brows knitted together as he noticed that her victim was still alive. He looked at Lilia in awe with a traced of religious fervor. Why he looked at her like that, she had no idea.


    "What? Did uncle think I killed him? I have a different- what are you doing?"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Lilia shouted as she tried to stop him but it was too late. The man had raised his sword and swiftly stabbed the man in the back.


    "W-w-what?"


    Lilia couldn¡¯t believe what the man just did. Her jaw dropped and her body trembled. When the man noticed Lilia¡¯s reaction he looked away in shame. Women were really delicate beings. They were too gentle for brutality and killings.


    He thought she must have found his actions despicable. He did kill three men; the last one was even unable to defend himself. She must have left the man alive due to her kindness. But having a survivor would be detrimental for their escape. He had no choice but to ruin this child¡¯s good intentions.


    Is this guy stupid? What use is a dead body? If you wanted to kill him, kill him after getting information! Lilia felt like her carefully formulated plan go down the drain. She was so upset she was shaking.


    Everything was deliberate. When she realized that Su Ming was being chased, she had an idea on how she could prove if this guy had good intentions or not. She wanted to know if it was safe travelling with him. What if all this time Su Ming was the bad guy? For example, a criminal who did heinous crimes and was being chase by the authorities?


    So when he was busy hacking the branches and tall grasses, Lilia secretly broke the small branches of shrubs. It was in the direction on where they were going to hide.


    She had made an assumption based on the sounds that his pursuers were on foot. That means these people have different running speeds and stamina. Someone was bound to be left behind. She carefully noted how many they were and especially focused on their tone of voice. She barely understood what they were saying so she sharpened her ears and looked for those who sounded tired, exasperated, helpless or disappointed. These were hints that these people were those who could barely keep up with the group. When paired with the fewer people passing by she made a decision to make noises to alert these men.


    She even intentionally let herself get caught. She wanted to know what their reaction would be. Were they good or bad people?


    If there were good people, she would rather side with them. There was safety in numbers. She would even point Su Ming¡¯s hiding place. She barely knew the other person so she didn¡¯t mind betraying him to ensure her safety. If they were bad people, she had hoped that Su Ming would act. If he didn¡¯t try to save her, she wouldn¡¯t mind exposing his hiding place. Not to mention the stun gun was already in her hands.


    She planned it all. Although she was disappointed with the group, at least Su Ming had proven that there are still good people in the world. That he was the kind of person that didn¡¯t mind putting himself in a dangerous situation to save a total stranger. Still, Lilia wanted to gather information from other sources other than Su Ming.


    ¡°One-sided information is skewed information. Skewed information can lead to mistakes. Avoid making mistakes. Take risks but minimize slip-ups as much as possible.¡± said by certain a mafia member.


    So it annoyed her that her other source of information just got killed. She was planning to quickly interrogate the man. Who were they? Why were they chasing this man? How many were they? Did they have reinforcements? Did they encounter strangely dress people like Lilia in this place?


    These are some of the questions Lilia desperately needed to know the answer to. The last one was especially important. When she entered the antique shop, Grandpa Po was missing. What if he was also in this place? Lilia wanted to know.


    It was what those old men in the restaurant would do. It was too late now though. What they needed to do was get away from this place. She didn¡¯t know when but the pursuers will notice that they went the wrong way and will back-track their steps back here. And when they return they will see the dead bodies of their comrades.

 Chapter 5- To-do list

    Lilia raised her head up high, feeling the wind caressing her cheeks. The scenery was constantly moving as she ran as swift as the wind.


    Not!


    There was no way someone who ran 18.3 seconds in a 100 meter dash could be considered fast, not to mention as swift as the wind.


    Currently, she was being piggybacked by Su Ming. At first Su Ming was dragging her but in less than a minute decided to just carry her. He felt sorry hearing her gasping for air behind him not to mention she seemed to stumble at every root, shrub and stone. The look of confusion on his face as he offered to carry her made Lilia wondered what he was thinking but soon forgot. She had something more important to think about first.


    I wonder what I should do now. I still don''t know where I am? Being carried, Lilia had a lot of time to think about what happened and what she should do now.


    First thing first, find a contact. Her uncles have always said if you arrived at a new place finding a local is important. It should be someone who knows the area and the people in it. Whether in a city, a company or a gang, an insider is indispensable. Luckily she met someone already. And he was a good guy too!


    (Su Ming who was carrying her shivered and looked at his surrounding thinking there were enemies. When he didn¡¯t notice anything he continued to walk, confused.)


    Secondly, overcome the language barrier. She needed to get the hang of the local language or she might meet someone who wasn¡¯t as open-minded as Su Ming. After all she looked very suspicious with her clothes and her bag. She might get into trouble later and be unable defend herself just because she couldn¡¯t adapt to the local dialect.


    Lastly, and most importantly, she needed money. She needed to change her clothes, to eat and sleep under a roof. All of these costed money. Lilia didn¡¯t know how she was going to find money. Should she sell some of her things? Will it even be okay to sell her things?


    The last on her to-do list will have to be postponed until she gets to a proper place. For now she needed to do something about the local language. With that in mind Lilia talked to Su Ming for the past few hours.


    "A thousand people?" Lilia exclaimed in surprise. "That''s already a whole battalion from where I come from."


    "What?" The man called Su Ming asked answered in confusion. "You talked?????? fast???repeat?????understand???not."


    "I mean that''s a lot of people. Is it the highest position before the general?" Lilia spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. Su Ming nodded his head indicating he understood what Lilia said.


    "There ?????? still???lot of rank??????two-thousand???three-thousand???a lot????commander?????leading the soldiers????"


    Lilia listened more to what Su Ming was saying not because she was interested but because she needed to learn the words he was using. For some reason their conversation led to military structures and ranking. Even Lilia couldn¡¯t remember how their topic got to this point. She was pretty sure the conversation was about the weather earlier.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    She kept chatting with Su Ming, trying to familiarize her ears and tongue with the unique yet familiar language the man was using. She was slowly adapting and it helped greatly that Su Ming was willing to explain to her the words she did not understand. As someone who was multilingual, she understood that just learning conversation level language was enough for now. It¡¯s not like she needed to recite poetry or anything to survive.


    ¡°So what is your rank Uncle Su Ming?¡± Lilia asked.


    Su Ming frowned then sighed. Lilia was sure it wasn¡¯t because she kept calling him uncle. Sure, he was surprised the first time she referred him as uncle. He even tried to make her stop however he gave up after the sixth time she called him uncle.


    ¡°A five hundred-man commander.¡± Su Ming replied in a small voice.


    ¡°Oh? A five hund- huh? A five hundred-man commander!¡± Lilia practically shouted the last words. Su Ming winced as her face was just a few inches away from his ears. ¡°You¡¯re amazing uncle! You are someone important!¡±


    Considering her botched plan of interrogating someone because of Su Ming, Lilia thought he was just a low ranking soldier. Someone who is a leader should realize the importance of information. This man didn¡¯t. It seems like he wasn¡¯t even sure why he was ambushed and being chased persistently.


    Instead of raising his head in pride or showing humility by saying the position was just a small one, Su Ming just gave another deep sigh.


    ¡°Uncle?¡± Lilia was sure she didn¡¯t say anything bad but was still nervous. She couldn¡¯t take the risk of losing this guy¡¯s favor especially now that she knew he was someone important.


    ¡°?????? not a good commander.¡± Su Ming spoke unhappily. ¡±???unlucky??????since I???leader??????losing soldiers.¡±


    "?????????????????????my family???uncle??????general?????????my cousins?????????????????? talent??????I did not??????army????????????retreat??????called ???????????????shameful???¡± Like a broken dam, Su Ming rambled bitterly.


    Lilia panicked! She could no longer understand most of the words Su Ming said. He was talking too fast! Right now she felt like she was listening to a k-pop song with a few English words. It was frustrating.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay uncle! I¡¯m right here!¡± Lilia shouted at the top of her lungs. Su Ming jumped in surprise and for the first time in a while, turned his head to look at her in his back.


    Lilia gave him a big sweet smile. She began to speak in a conspiratorial tone.


    ¡°You know uncle. I¡¯m really lucky. I¡¯ll share my luck to you. I¡¯m sure good things will happen to you from now on.¡±


    Su Ming stared at the girl at his back. Her cheeks turned rosy pink. Her large round eyes sparkled. Her smile showed perfectly white teeth. With that expression full of confidence, hefelt ashamed. To think he was complaining about his troubles in front of a child.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened in your work uncle but what matters is the future. It¡¯s what you are going to do from now on is what is important. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get your chance someday uncle.¡±


    He looked at her for a few seconds before what she said finally sink in. He stared at the sky before he suddenly laughed out loud.


    ¡°True! My ??????????better??????escape with your help??????¡± After saying those words, Su Ming resumed walking. His humor and morale restored.


    He was focused on the path in front of him again thus he didn¡¯t see Lilia¡¯s sweet smile changed into a look of relief. Truthfully, Lilia did not understand Su Ming¡¯s trouble. It was some kind of trouble with the family and some kind of running away. So she said some random words to get his attention.


    She wanted him to look at her. Her uncles would always say that whenever they see her laughing and enjoying herself, they would forget their troubles. It wasn¡¯t just them. Everyone likes to be given attention by someone good-looking. Even an adorable pet or lovely scenery can make one feel better. This was an undeniable fact.


    Of course if she was ugly, the rate of success will be less than fifty percent. Having a pretty face will always give you more advantage when it comes to interpersonal relationships.

 Chapter 6-Suspicions (1)

    "True! My luck has never been better since I became a commander. Escape was impossible but with your help earlier..." Su Ming laughed as his words trailed off. Finally in a good mood, Su Ming felt a rush of energy in his body. He ignored his arms that were beginning to numb as he carried Lilia. Although she looked slender, she was unexpectedly heavy.


    Talking to Lilia made his heart grow lighter. She showed great interest in whatever topic he chose. She listened intently to every word he said as if each word had its weight in gold. Most women would find conversations about military matters uninteresting or inappropriate.


    She was really a strange child. She was wandering alone in the forest wearing strange clothes and speaking in a strange manner. He had some suspicions about her identity: from a daughter of a merchant to something mystical. Seeing the magical black box she used to make a man faint made his heartbeat race in excitement on a possibility of her true identity.


    Suddenly, Su Ming heard incomprehensible voices. He quickly stopped walking and let Lilia down. He dropped to the ground allowing the tall grass to partly hide his body. He signaled Lilia to do the same. Lilia looked hesitant for a moment but quickly followed suit when she too noticed the noise. Su Ming cursed inwardly. He already unsheathed his sword.


    It was already lucky enough that they got this far without being caught. But he still had faint expectations that they could escape this place without encountering those men again. He just hoped there weren¡¯t too many of them. Once again the magical wooden block was in Lilia''s hands. He must remember to asked about the strange bag on her back. There were no strings or openings on it, so where did that magical item come from?


    "--tain"


    "--are you?"


    "Whe-- you!"


    Multiple voices rang out. Su Ming''s eyes that were sharp and focused began to turn round in surprise and delight. He quickly stood up and shouted back.


    "Over here! I''m here!"


    Lilia was surprised by Su Ming''s sudden action. From behind trees and grass, men appeared, some of them injured. When these men saw Su Ming they immediately showed a look of delight and immediately ran towards him.


    "Commander!"


    "Hahaha! I knew that was the voice of the commander!"


    "Li Ren! Old Chen!" Su Ming laughed in delight.


    "Friends?" Lilia asked curiously.


    "Allies! These are my men." He replied. When they were near each other these men immediately did a military salute.


    "Milord, I am so pleased you are not seriously hurt." Old Chen quickly checked Su Ming¡¯s condition and was relieved that his injuries were only light. He was an elderly man with a full head of white hair and a beard that reached up to his chest. He was a loyal servant of Su Ming¡¯s father. Instead retiring and spending the rest of his days peacefully, he followed Su Ming to the battlefield and acted as his lieutenant.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "To think we would still meet again commander. The Heavens are truly smiling upon us!" Li Ren laughed. He was a retainer of Su Ming¡¯s uncle that was tasked to serve and protect him. With his large physique and heroic air, he was always mistaken as the leader of the 500-man unit. He is currently a 100-man commander.


    Su Ming immediately helped them up. He couldn¡¯t believe he would see them again. Was this a result from sharing luck with Lilia? When they were ambushed and surrounded, they knew they would be defeated with only twelve men against more than forty fully armed ambushers. Left with no choice, they forced Su Ming, their commander, to escape. Old Chen, Li Ren and the rests were left to hold off the opponents.


    "I am glad you were able to survive!" He looked behind the trees, expecting more men to appear but was disappointed. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    Other than Li Ren and Old Chen, there was only three other people. One of them was even heavily injured.


    Li Ren shook his head in reply. Even he, himself, was only able to escape after sacrificing one of his arms. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use his sword without feeling excruciating pain for weeks.


    ¡°Maybe it was the wrong decision to go there.¡± Su Ming sighed. He understood that it was already a blessing that six men could escape from that trap.


    "We must quickly escape from this forest. I was just being pursued just a while ago. Chances are they are still around..."


    Su Ming''s words trailed off as he noticed his men weren¡¯t listening to him. They were all staring behind him. When he turned, he saw Lilia smiling helplessly as she looked at his men.


    "My lord. Who-"


    "Ah! Right! Right! This child is Lilia. She greatly helped me escaped from the people who were chasing me earlier." He laughed out loud. Su Ming forgot his sadness as he remembered his lucky escaped. Hearing her name Lilia slightly bowed.


    "Li Ya? Lil Ya? Is she from a travelling troupe? Her clothes are quite¡­ unique." Li Ren frowned. He didn¡¯t have a good impression of Lilia. He was wary of this girl who appeared in these mountains.


    Old Chen stroked his beard thoughtfully as he looked at Lilia from head to foot. Li Ren lowered his voice so others can¡¯t overhear their conversation.


    "My lord, this is definitely suspicious. Is there a chance that she is a spy?"


    "Hmmm¡­ That is a possibility but extremely unlikely. If she were a spy, then she is quite a lousy one. She would get apprehended or kidnap as soon as she steps in a village. She is too eye-catching.¡± Su Ming replied.


    ¡°Then what is she doing here, in the middle of the mountains? Could it be she made a mistake and was caught by you, captain?¡±


    Su Ming shook his head. He remembered at her panicked when she was taken hostage, her clumsiness as she ran and not to mention that magical block of wood.


    ¡°I have my own suspicions.¡± He voice held a secretive tone as he spoke. ¡°The truth is I think she is someone from the Jade Forest.¡±


    Both Old Chen and Li Ren looked at him in disbelief. Li Ren was the first to react.


    ¡°Are you sure commander? Those from the Jade forest are usually companions of powerful men. To find one so easily and all the more in this place is very unlikely.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure. But it is well-known that those from the Jade forest all have three things in common. They are all beautiful women. They have unique abilities. And the men they picked will have heaven-defying luck.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of pretty women in the world captain. As for helping you before, it might be a coincidence or maybe she really has some skills. But saying she is from the Jade Forest, might as well say that a random piece of pebble is actually a gold nugget. It is too much of a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°If only these two points I would not have this suspicion.¡± Su Ming looked at his two subordinates in the eye, his expression serious. ¡°She has a magical objectthat renders its target unconscious. It makes a loud sound then before you know it, you are on the ground.¡±

 Chapter 7- Suspicions (2)

    Li Ren couldn¡¯t stop himself from giving Su Ming a strange look.


    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Su Ming excitedly said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t personally examine it but I am sure it is a magical artifact. It is as thin as sword¡¯s hilt and as big as child¡¯s hand. It is colored black, polished until it shined.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Li Ren just stared at his commander then gave a helpless look at Old Chen.


    Old Chen who was listening quietly the whole time finally spoke.


    ¡°I believe you milord.¡± Old Chen kindly said.


    Su Ming eyes shone as he acquired an ally. He continued speaking even more enthusiastically than before.


    ¡°And also notice her clothes, her bag and, most importantly, looked at her feet. What kind of shoes is that? Think about it! If our kingdom can acquire the favor of someone from the Jade Forest, wouldn¡¯t we be invincible?¡±


    ¡°That is true, milord! As expected from someone in the Su clan, prioritizing the kingdom before personal benefits. To think you must be already weary after experiencing multiple battles.¡± Old Chen continued to say. ¡°Since we just got recalled from the front lines, isn¡¯t this a chance to go home and visit milady?¡±


    ¡°¡­ What are you talking about Old Chen? The war is not over yet. We may be summoned anytime to the frontlines.¡± Su Ming paused for a while before he could respond. He couldn¡¯t understand how the topic suddenly shifted to visiting his home and wife.


    Li Ren, on the other hand, quickly grasped Old Chen¡¯s intention.


    ¡°I think what Old Chen means is that, including the ambush earlier, you already suffered enough for the glory of the kingdom, Captain. It is not a bad idea to stabi- I mean, refresh your min- uh¡­ body.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Su Ming stared at his 100-man commander who spoke in a serious and righteous manner even if he was stammering in the end. The other soldiers nodded as they looked worriedly at their commander.


    ¡°Maybe the ambush was a sign that you were walking too hard.¡± Old Chen said as he stroked his long white beard. ¡°The sooner we escape from here, the sooner you can request for a leave milord.¡±


    Su Ming looked at his men who all looked troubled except for Old Chen who was wearing a soft smile. This certain smile made him scowl as he recalled what that expression usually means.


    ¡°Old Chen, stop patronizing me. And stop smiling like that!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean milord?¡± Old Chen replied innocently.


    Su Ming rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend Old Chen. You often used that look every time you try to humor my father. I understand you people might not believe me now but you will change your minds sooner or later.¡± Su Ming finished what he said in a matter-of-fact tone.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Old Chen¡¯s hand, that was stroking his beard, stopped midway. He chuckled as he recalled his previous master. He would also roll his eyes whenever he was exasperated with him. This father and son were really alike.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about milord.¡± Old Chen calmly said. Su Ming snorted in reply.


    ¡°If¡­ she is really from the Jade Forest, what will you do? What are planning milord?¡± Old Chen who was smiling kindly suddenly turned serious. ¡°How will you tie her to the family? Will you be taking her as a concubine?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? She is a child!¡± Su Ming was aghast. ¡°She¡¯s too young!¡±


    ¡°There a lot of men who likes them young, Captain¡± Li Ren cut in.


    ¡°Then I am not one of them! Besides, are you trying to make my wife hate me more than she does now?¡±


    ¡°Milord, milady doesn¡¯t hate you. She-¡±


    ¡°That is enough about my marital status Old Chen.¡± Su Ming interrupted him with a wave of his hand. ¡°We already wasted enough time here. It is already getting dark. Let us leave. Of course, Lilia will be travelling with us.¡±


    ¡°Captain to trust-¡° Li Ren hesitantly started to speak but was immediately interrupted by Su Ming.


    ¡°Hmph! No need to say anything. I have confidence in her.¡± He walked towards where Lilia was. He began to tell her that they will be travelling with his men. The little girl gave a soft sighed and spoke to Su Ming with that strange lingo of hers.


    Li Ren and Old Chen were watching this scene.


    ¡°I think it was poison.¡± Li Ren muttered. ¡°There must be a needle soak in quick acting poison attached to that so-called magical artifact.¡±


    Old Cheng just hummed in reply.


    ¡°Are you not going to inform Captain? He might be getting deceived by this child.¡± Li Ren asked curiously as he looked at Old Chen.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I¡¯m also rather curious about this girl. Not for the reasons that milord has mentioned.¡± Old Chen said.


    ¡°Ho? What is it then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the way she carries herself. There is a different¡­ air around her.¡± Old Chen said thoughtfully.


    Li Ren was quiet for a while before he quietly spoke. ¡°Could she actually really be from the Jade Forest?¡±


    ¡°That remains to be seen. Like milord said, it is still a possibility.¡± Old Chens turned to the soldiers. ¡°Prepare yourselves. We will be leaving now.¡±


    As he spoke, Lilia walked towards Old Chen and the soldiers. Her odd clothes were even more apparent now that she was standing just in front of them.


    ¡°?????? glad?????? travel with??? grandpa, uncles.¡± She said with a bright smile as she bowed slightly.


    Li Ren and the other soldiers stared at her blankly. They even forgot the throbbing pain from their wounds. Old Chen simply hummed in reply. Su Ming, on other hand, didn¡¯t know whether he would laugh or cry. This girl was really too much. She had also immediately called him uncle. It sounded so natural that any third party would assume that he was the neighborhood uncle that watched Lilia grow up.


    Su Ming shook his head. Was this a quirk of those from the Jade Forest? According to the rumors, they were said to have unique skills and habits. But the most important trait was that they were all good-looking. Lilia was a pretty girl with a slender frame and gray colored eyes only seen in the northern kingdoms.


    And yet¡­ and yet, how can this child be so shameless? Su Ming lamented in his heart. Is it because she is still young?


    ¡°Hohoho There is no need to be too polite. Just refer to this old man as Old Chen.¡± Old Chen laughed as he lightly replied.


    ¡°Old¡­ Chen?¡± Lilia asked with a tilt of her head. Her eyes full of curiosity.


    ¡°That is right. That is how everyone refers to this old man.¡±


    Lilia nodded her head in agreement as she smiled even brightly.


    Li Ren coughed. His forehead wrinkled as he frowned. He began to mutter under his breath: ¡°Disrespectful brat! Doesn¡¯t¡¯ even know how to bow properly. Is this how you treat your elders? And how dare this child act so familiar!¡±


    He was annoyed with Lilia¡¯s words and actions. Yet, he didn¡¯t dare to say it out loud. She did have the backing of Su Ming. He had already informed Su Ming of his opinion regarding Lilia. Any more than that would make him sound like he was whining.