Compensation (2)

Hedrick then turned back with a smile and looked at Ibo Chen. Without knowing why but everytime someone looked at the smile, his or her heart skipped a beat. It was a feeling of judgement before someone powerful. It seemed like one's secrets were all revealed open without anything to hide. That was no different for Ibo Chen, the young girl or anyone in the crowd. One could call it 'The Laugh of the Devil'

" Ain't you going to lead me to your home?" Hedrick asked Ibo Chen with the smile still on his face that slowly started to fade.

" No! I mean yes! This way, my home is this way." Ibo Chen fearfully spoke as he stood up while staggering and led the way to his home.

" That was scary!"

" Right! I felt like all my secrets have been looked at "

" Yeah! me too. I felt like I had been opened and naked without anything to hide."

" Yeah that's right."

" I feel sorry for Ibo Chen to have met such a devil."

" I begged for more than he can chew." discussions continued as the crowd scared into different directions leaving the lackeys on the ground in pain.

Hedrick followed Ibo Chen to his home to get his compensation. When they arrived, before them was a great mansion reading' Minister of Finance' in bold gold calligraphy.

" Wow!your home is so grand. I bet I'm going with more than 100 gold bars." Hedrick said with a smile.

When two guards outside saw the state in which their young master looked, they knew something big must have happened. One of them quickly ran into the mansion to deliver the message while the other up roached them.

" Sir, how may I help you?" asked the guard politely.

" Call me the Minister. His son needs care and protection before it's too late.Some bandits want to bring harm to the young master. Bring me to the Minister, I need to discuss the details with him." Hedrick said in a serious tone.

When the moment the statements fell into Ibo Chen's ears, he vomited a mouthful of blood and fainted because of anger. Many thoughts ran into his head trying to connect what the devil was trying to say.

'After beating me to such a state, the first thing he spoke was bandits wanted to destroy my father's mansion. Is the devil insane or was he trying to play tricks on my family. Are you trying to say you are the bandits going to destroy the family. Come one! atleast find a better excuse. Don't take all of us to be so foolish.' those were Ibo Chen's thoughts before he fainted.

" Yes, please come in. The Audience hall is this way."

" Guards come take the young master for treatment." The guard hurriedly executed the orders without delay. His only thought was, this thing must be very severe looking at the condition of his young master.

In the Minister's study, an old man in his sixties was seated studying a document in his hands as he stood facing the window. His sharp eyes seemed like they could penetrate anything they fell upon.A guard hurriedly entered,knelt on his left knee with his his hands clasped and head bowed announced his arrival.

" My Lord, something bad has happened."

" What happened that made you run all this way?"the old man asked indifferently.

" It's about young master."

The old man's expression slightly changed as he closed his document and placed it on the table gently and steadily.

" How is he?"

" He is currently lying unconscious in bed. He has a few bruises on his face and one in the chest though they don't look severe."

" What else? Tell me quickly."

" Yes sir. He came back with a young youth who said it was done by the bandits. He says that he has something he wants to talk to you about. "

" Ohh... Interesting. What else? "

" He says that he wants to meet you urgently. That's all. "

" Okay, bring him to me. "

" Yes sir." the guard bowed once as he took a few steps backwards and left the room.

When the guard disappeared, the old man waved his hand and a man with a resemblance of a shadow appeared.

" What have you found?"

" He is a little unusual. His profile are clean and can't be tracked back. I think you should be extra careful." the shadow said in a soft fading tone.

" Ohh... even you can't find anything about him."

" His robes seem to have the Mentrol badge at the edges."

" I get it." said the old man as he waved his hand and the shadow disappeared.

A few seconds later, Hedrick led by the guard entered the study. The guard respectfully knelt down and greeted while Hedrick remained standing as he studied the room.The old man waved his hand and the guard together with the maids respectfully bowed and left the room.

" Oh... so you are the legendary Ibo Chun."

" Cut to the chess." the old man said indifferently.

" What's with the rush. Things won't be interesting if one doesn't have patience."said Hedrick as slowly twitched his lips into 'The laugh of the devil.'

When Ibo Chun's sharp gaze' The gaze of nakedness' met with Hedrick's smile ' the laugh of the devil' it ended up as a stalemate leaving the two stunned by one another. The smile slowly faded as so did the gaze and the temperature in the room returned to normal.

Hedrick slowly began moving with the bow in his hand behind his back before speaking.

" Ibo Chun born in the year of ×××× his father was a great hunter named Chaulau while his mother was a teacher named Yun. At that time, a great civil war broke out in the Ibo Clan as two brothers fought for title of Clan Head leading death and the greatest massacre in the history of the Ibo Clan. Chaulau escaped with his wife Yun into the mountains were she dead giving birth to a baby boy whom they named after the two parents hence the name Chun. Chaulau bestowed at his skills to his son before he was bitten by the Seven coloured demonic snake and died."