Prologue

It was on the edge of dawn when He Hong saw it. He was traveling home after trading at a nearby village. Before he reached his home village, he spotted a suspicious-looking heap on the ground. He Hong approached it cautiously, slowing his cart down as he grew closer. As he did so, he realized that heap was actually a person.

He hurriedly got off his cart and rushed to the person's aid. They seemed to be an older teenage girl, no older than seventeen, and looked dirty and injured. Her clothes were covered in dirt and blood soaking through the pale fabric. Her face was no different, littered with blooming bruises and blood dripping from her face.

He took off his outer-most layer of his robes and buddled her up in them. He carried her to his cart and hurried off to his home to his wife. As he rushed in with the girl, He Lin was quick to react. She helped him bring her to their spare bed.

"What happened?" He Lin asked as she quickly gathered her supplies, "Where did you find this poor girl?"

"I found her on the side of the road." He Hong explained as he looked for a cloth and bowl of water. He shook his head, "I don't know what happened to her, but it doesn't look good."

He Lin rolled her eyes, "No shit, dear." She nodded to the girl, "Clean her face up, I'll need to head into town for some wrap."

He nodded and got to work. As he gently dapped at her head wounds, her hand suddenly shot up and grabbed his wrist. He Hong was startled for a moment and he noticed as her eyes opened, dazed and confused.

"Father?" Her voice was hoarse and strained, "Father?"

He Hong hushed her, "Shh, it's okay."

Her grip tightened, "Forgive me, father. Forgive…Me…" She trailed off as her eyes slipped close once more, Those words left a pit in He Hong's stomach.

Could it be-? The thought that a father could hurt his own daughter pierced the older man's heart. He shook his head and continued cleaning her wounds.

Just after he finished cleaning her, his wife returned and patched her up better than he could. After a few hours, the girl finally woke up.

"Are you alright?" He Lin asked as she handed her a cup of tea. The girl looked dazed but took the offered cup.

"I'm-" The girl took a moment to breathe, "I'm alright. Thanks to you, I presume?"

He Lin nodded, "I am He Lin and this is my husband, He Hong." She pursed her lips, "What happened, dearie?"

The girl tensed up and He Hong spoke up, "You don't need to tell us. If you need somewhere to stay, however, you're welcome to."

She looked up, clearly startled, "You would let me-? But you don't even know my name."

He Lin merely smiled, "We don't just let people in need go on their way without trying to help."

The girl bit her lip, "I could be a murderer."

He Hong, "We'll take our chances."

This finally brought a smile to the girl's face, "My name is Xu LanYing. Thank you."