6 Feels like Forever (2)

"Okay, I trust you, big sister!" the little boy said. 

"Rou'er! Pack things up now!" her Father, who had just arrived, said in a rushed tone, his stature visibly tense and breathing heavily. 

"I can't explain much right now, but just listen to me and pack your things quickly," Father Fei added as he looked at her, heaving, trying to catch his breath. 

After looking at her Father's fear-stricken face, Fei Wanrou hurriedly started packing both hers and her brother's. Meanwhile, her brother was still looking at them both, not understanding how dangerous the situation they were in. 

As they were packing, Fei Zhen slyly put a purse on one of the bags his daughter was preparing. He tried to calm himself; he needed to be calm. It was his and his family's life at stake. The men he saw hiding around the village, eyeing it like prey. He knew what it was: the village would be plundered soon. He reached out to one of the wooden crates he had hidden for many years. He never thought he'd be using it again. 

His eyes scanned the nostalgic object that was with him as it made countless life and death bloom. The cold metal was wrapped in a bright red cloth, hiding the roughen state it was in after all the battles it went through. 

The sword he once used for protecting their country, he would now use to protect his family. 

He puts his sword on the left side of his waist, and after that, he scoops up his son in his arms. With that, they left at a hurried pace. Living in the mountains is indeed difficult, but in such a place did they feel warm and somewhat safe. 

Consequently, he was grateful that they lived in the mountains as there was a considerable long distance between the courtyard and the village. This only means that they still have more time to escape. 

A few minutes earlier before the Signal appeared... 

The coachman and the village chief were happily chatting. "The Ming Village is glad to take you as a guest until you leave tomorrow. Please send our thanks to Gu Official, for this little village is thankful," the old man chief said sincerely.

The coachman only smiled, with a weird glint flashing through his eyes, but disappeared quickly. "Well then, I will send your regards to Gu Official." The coachman then added, "Now that you are here, why don't we have a toast for our fair emperor?" he smiled widely as he stared at the old man. The chief smiled softly and said, "Well, such blessings should be attributed to the emperor, so let's take a seat and toast, shall we?" 

As the chief sat on a cushion, the coachman brought over two cups and a clay teapot that was already filled with tea and sat. 

The coachman clasps the teapot's handle and then slowly pours the tea into both of the cups. 

With both of them having their own tea, the coachman initiated, "To the emperor!" the chief responded with a smile, "To the emperor." A sound was made as the two cups hit each other. The coachman smiled as he watched the old man drink his tea, and with that, he asked, "This tea. What do you think about it?" 

The old village chief who was sipping his tea answered as the smell of the tea entered his nose. "This is a refined tea! What is it called?" the old man chief touched his beard, feeling curious as he looked at the young man in front of him. 

The coachman smiled. "This tea is called Wild Green Tea, weird, right?" the old man nodded as he looked at the cup of red tea in his hands. "It's exactly the opposite; the tea has a different color than the name on it. Why is that?" the coachman swept a glance in the cup of tea and then looked at the old man.

"There was a story back then that the lady who brewed this was saved by an unknown man. She repaid him with gratitude for saving her life, and with that, the lady who had just finished her brew tried to make him taste the Green tea to ask if the tea was lacking. The man agreed as he tasted the brew. Then, for an unknown reason, he stabbed the lady on her back." 

"The blood from her stab wounds unexpectedly spilled on the tea. They later found the woman's body dead on the floor while her things were missing. They found this red tea that was on top of the table, and because of that, they named it the Wild Green Tea. After learning about such tragedy, the lady brewer's creation became so famous that even the renowned brewer made a copy of it, using wild berries as the hue of the tea."

The Old man chief was shocked; such a story was made just by tea. "Poor lady, she can't just trust anyone because someone saved her life." he swayed his head in disagreement with the lady brewer's decision. 

"If I was in her shoes, I'd just give the man money." the old man chief laughed heartily, seeking consensus with the coachman. 

The coachman laughed and replied, "But you are doing the same thing she had done right now." The coachman placed the cup on the table and eyed the old man with a blank face. 

The old man who was laughing earlier slowly stopped as he looked at the young man who was looking at him blankly. His blank stare inexplicably made the old man tense, stuttering as he asked the coachman the meaning of his words.

"W-what do you mean?" the young man who was directly staring at him suddenly laughed then joked, "Ahh, it's just that you were so tense earlier, and I couldn't help but tease you. I'm just trying to say that you should also advise your children to not trust others quickly" the old man chief only laugh awkwardly, obviously still unnerved with the tense atmosphere. 

"H-haha, yes, you're right. I will definitely tell my children to not trust anyone so quickly." He then added, " It's already getting late; I will not disturb you much longer since you traveled a great distance to get here. May I excuse myself, for I will take a rest now." The old man stood up as he made his excuse. He was about to turn around when he suddenly felt a severe sensation.

*cough*cough*cough* 

He was coughing nonstop, covering his mouth. As he coughed again, a red substance appeared in his hands..shock was written all over his face. He eyed the man who was calmly staring at him, making his hair stand on its end.

"YOU POISONED ME!" the old man tried to call up his guards but was futile. Rage was seen on his face as he stared angrily at the young man. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ARE YOU NOT AFRAID IF THE EMPEROR WILL LEARN THIS?! " the young man laughed wryly. "It's a shame; your emperor is not my ruler. " 

"How could you do this? We've been good to you.." 

"Pfft--- HAHAHAHAHAHA what good? Did I even say that I need you to be good to me? I could've killed you on the spot with my sword, but isn't it fun to experience something different? It's war, after all; Your life is at my disposal. " The young man maniacally laughed as he gazed contemptuously at the old man who was already kneeling, spewing more blood with each cough; his raspy voice entered the old man's ears, making his body tremble in fear.

"This is the end, old man. Thank you for treating me like I'm a huge guest here! It's a pity I won't get to see you act stupid like earlier; you amused me. Anyhow, don't worry, you will not get lonely." 

The old man, who was gasping between his breath, slowly closed his horrified eyes, his own life leaving him. 

"Now, where are we.. Hmmm, oh yes," the man snapped his fingers as a mysterious shadow emerged from the window. "Ready the troops, we're having a huge feast tonight." The mysterious shadow was about to leave when suddenly he added, "And also, don't leave anyone alive." Hearing his cold words, the man vanished quickly into thin air, leaving only the young man's unsympathetic back.

Let the killing begin. Tang Guo, the coachman, grinned widely as he felt the exhilarating sensation, his grin wider than ever.