Brother YiFang

Before long, BeiYau reported what his men found.

"The last sightings of the man in black were around the Valley of Mourned, but some saw them on the other side near the Red Forest. Her Highness Concubine Hua might be among these places." BeiYau pointed to the map.

LuoXiang clenched his fist.

"What do they want from Concubine Hua? Why it's necessary to take him away if they could kill him on the spot?" LuoXiang said in the hope he might be right. Those people still need him alive so he still has the time to find him.

BeiYau glanced at General PoYang beside him.

PoYang lowered his head to the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, I will take my men to sweep Red Forest while Guard Bei dan other can go to Valley of Mourned. The Black Water Clan is so slick, at this moment we don't have not many choices than to seek one by one carefully"

LuoXiang nodded, General PoYang is known for his analytical and strategic capability, he can be relied on.

LuoXiang got up from his seat.

"Then, BeiYau, gathered your men and we rushed to Valley of Mourned. At the same time keep your men around Hua Mansion, who know those people still looked up for the situation"

BeiYau lowered his head

"Yes, Your Highness, em.." BeiYau raises his head seeing the Crown Prince get ready.

"Your Highness, I've been insolent, but, I think Your Highness should stay and wait at the palace. Your Highness wound is still not recovered yet"

LuoXiang turned his head and stared at BeiYau, making the man lower his whole body down on his knee.

"Please forgive me for being insolent"

LuoXiang wore his wrist armor and tied it.

"YingYing is my responsibility. I promised to protect him and now he's gone. As long as I'm still alive, no one can ever touch him"

....

At the valley.

The air is so fresh. The wind blows so lightly and leaves the sounds of small creatures around who play with their mates. This place looks so secure, surrounded by high rocks and cliffs, large dense trees, almost invisible from the outside. That makes his brother YiFang feel relieved to leave there alone.

Such a nice place, but BaiYing can't even get out of there because of his health condition. He had a bad headache and hurt in the chest every time he walked farther from the hut. It makes him have no choice but to stay there and try to enjoy his time. It's not so boring there, he can have the full warm sun from above, the fresh air. The sweet fruit he can pick as he pleases around the hut. Some cute little chickens roaming around on the lawn in front of him, some goats, and cute rabbits who are his friends. So far he enjoy it. Don't know how long he's been there. He forgot to count.

Although his heart still aches and can't go out, even just to visit his parents' tombs, he will try to think positively about what's going on. YiFang said after he felt better, he would take him out to visit their grave.

YiFang showed up from the end of the small path and walked towards him. He went to the town to buy some food ingredients while BaiYing waited for him there. He didn't know when that man left. He was gone when he woke up this morning.

"Brother Ying!"

YiFang came near him with some food wraps for him.

"XiaoYing, look what I bought for you. We have roasted chicken and some cookies. I also took the time to buy you some clothes since yours is so limited, and.." YiFang stopped his voice since BaiYing just ignored him, he's just busy playing with cute bunnies on his feet and doesn't mind about YiFang.

"Eh Ying'er"

BaiYing turned at him. Looked at him with his sulking face.

"Brother, what are we doing we? Why do you take me here instead of the town? This place is not bad, but every time you need to get back and forth to town to buy this and that. Why not just go there? And also, His Highness the Crown Prince must be so worried about me, he must be looking for me everywhere"

"Em, you want to go back to that place again? You said it's so hard to get out from there, why do you want to get back in there? We will leave here after your condition gets better so you don't have to think too much about that man anymore. After all, the situation is not safe now, I'm worried those people will find you again."

BaiYing thought it was a little bit strange because he never told Yi Fang about his condition in the Palace, how did he know he wanted to run away from there? Also, it's been too comfortable there, they don't have to think about the attackers whose are still out there and targeting him. Maybe since YiFang thought this place was so safe and he wasn't afraid to leave him alone.

"Um, yeah, I don't want to go back to that horrible palace after it's so hard tried to get out. Em, then brother, when can I visit Father and Mother and the entire Hua's family tombs? You said that if they were buried in a family cemetery near the foot of the mountain, let's go there"

"We can't, Ying'er, the killers might find you, we'd better wait for the right time. At least until the situation settles down and your condition allows you to run, right now, we can't take the risk."

BaiYing folded his knees, put his head on then tilted his head to see YiFang again. YiFang was an orphan. His family used to be his Father's business partner until the fire burned down the house and all the property in it. YiFang's both parents died when he was a kid so he raised by his uncle and aunt, who moved to another city when their house caught fire. Because YiFang had been betrothed to his sister BaiYen since kid, he stay and work around the city. Lastly, BaiYing got the information that YiFang was one of the workers in the expedition group in a city with a pretty good income, maybe he bought this hut with the money from job.

"Brother Fang, do you miss my sister?" BaiYing's question made YiFang, who was preparing the roast chicken he bought to eat, stop his hand, and smile.

"Eh, do you think your sister misses me too?"

BaiYing pulled his lips, he knew how his sister's character was. Even though she had been engaged to YiFang since they were a child, but since YiFang's family went bankrupt, his sister moved away from him. She even trying to break off the engagement at all costs, it certainly broke YiFang's heart, he knew how it hurt his heart so much.

"Brother Fang, please forgive my sister, she is just like that, but she is not that bad either. Like my mother, she have harsh words everytime she talks, as if, she only cares about money and nothing else. But just like my Mother who loves my Father, when he has financial difficulties, even though her mouth was sharper than a knife, she still tries to cheer him up. Well, it is not so obvious, but mom is not that bad, so you just have to be patient with her. Will you?"

YiFang took a deep breath, smiled looked at BaiYing, and grabbed his hand.

"Then, do you hate me too? Because I don't have much money to make your sister's life happy?"

BaiYing shook his head.

"Heh, no brother, why do I have to hate you? That money is not my business, the most important thing is that you can feed me when I'm hungry and it's enough. I don't need much, em, clothes like this is not so bad either. At least I don't have to wear any breast patches or dress up like a girl, emm I like it, brother "

YiFang tried to hold back his tears, he nodded as he pulled BaiYing into his arms when YiFang's hand hugged him. BaiYing saw a scratch that looked fresh on the young man's arm. He wanted to ask but maybe it was just a normal wound because he often went to the forest to hunt and fetch firewood, he might get the scratch at that time. However, that's just a thought popped into BaiYing's head.

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