Chapter 2: Reward and Punishment

After the commotion was settled, the youth looks up to where Lily was still waiting and using some internal strength, jumps into the room again. The girl in tatters also follows suit. Lily surprised and dazzled at the youth, immediately jumps into the youth's arms and pecked the white cheek before her.

Receiving the reward from Lily, the youth also pecks on Lily's cheek and makes her shy away. Looking at the sky that was getting darker, "Unfortunately, business is calling, and I must leave. I rather enjoyed your company for my first time here and would visit again when I have time." The youth bids goodbye and leaves a small pouch of silver. Lily, hearing his goodbye looks at the youth with her watery eyes and youth promise her to visit again and bids her goodbyes as well.

After doing so, the youth jumps down from the room with the tattered girl behind and heads towards the mountain. A certain distance away from the commotion, the tattered girl than starts to report to the youth in front. "Mistress, after solving the missing girls' case of the surrounding small villages, will you be heading home?"

The youth, being called mistress stops walking and looks at the girl behind with a devious smile. "Aren't I rather handsome like my elder brothers? Why did you start calling me mistress all of a sudden?" The girl frowns in response to her mistress. "Alright Daisy, no need to be mad. Eldest brother won't be happy to see me make you mad again." The youth coax, and upon mentioning Eldest brother, Daisy flushes and rushes off ahead of the youth. Chuckling at Daisy's reaction, she follows to head home as well.

That's right. This youth who came off as a playboy and considered handsome was a girl. Not only any girl either. She was the young mistress, the baby girl of the Li family that overlooked this city.

The Li family home was situated on a look out cliff of Eagle Mountain. This cliff was large and wide, filled with vegetation, and was overlooking the whole village. However, unlike most families that were appointed by the emperor of the Sun empire to care for a village and are servants to him, Li family title was hereditary. This was due to the fact that Eagle city was originally a tribal village and since the past the Li family was the head chief of said village. Hence the title was passed on from generation. Of course, the emperor tried to send his own men into the village to gradually take order over from the Li family, but this never worked.

The residents of the city had their own little quirks and liked to do their own thing. With the Li family, as long as order was maintained, and no one caused a commotion, the residents may do as they like. Not bounded by the majority of the laws like the other large cities around them, the residents grew to be free spirited as well.

At the door waiting for her was her mother, Madam Bai, and had she known, she would have snuck in through the back door instead. " Rouqi, where were you all day?" Madam Bai questions sternly. Rouqi, the youth, looks at her mother and gave a small quiet laugh in response. "Hehe, mom I was just helping my brothers with their stuff." Her mother immediately frowns and quickly Rouqi starts massaging her in hopes of calming her anger and saying in a spoiled manner, "Mom, you really can't blame my brothers and I okay? Also, you can't get mad. You know if you get mad, Dad will blame me and punish me again."

Hearing her only daughter pester her like so, she couldn't get mad anymore and pinch Rouqi's cheek while releasing a sigh. "Fine I won't get mad, but why do you dress like your third brother and why do you smell of powder and perfume?" She questions and Rouqi looks away. Hmming and hawing she looks everywhere but her mom and by luck she sees her brothers walking home and runs over to greet them.

"Eldest brother, Second brother, and third brother! Why are you guys only coming home now?" Seeing their little sister running over and their mom at the entrance looking at them with accusing eyes, they pretty much figured out the situation here. "Rouqi what did you do this time?" Her third brother, Fang, questions and pats her on the head helplessly.

"Looking at her attire, she must have posed as the 'Young master' that old man brought in today was complaining about." Their second brother, Feng, says before Rouqi even answers and their eldest brother, Vang, only sighs and adds in, "Feng, you need to stop spoiling her. Fang you too, I know you lent her the information about the village."

Feng and Fang only looked at Vang and gave him a look that says, 'like you aren't doing the same either'. "I can't help spoiling her though, and you know that. Otherwise you wouldn't have Daisy following her around these past few days." Fang says with a cheeky smile.

And sure enough, upon mentioning Daisy, Vang said no more and turned his head away to 'clear his throat'. Rouqi smiled brightly at them for supporting her to not get punished and laughs along with her two brothers teasing their eldest brother.

"Don't think that just cause that your mom and brothers can't help but spoil you, that I'll do the same." A stern and strong voice from behind her brothers said and she just can't help but freeze in her spot in response. Turning around stiffly, she sees her father, Master Li, looking at her strictly. "Dad, I didn't do anything wrong. I helped brother and them captured that nasty old man and I am also not hurt. I also finished my training before I went. I told my older brothers where I was going too. Am I still wrong?" She says all in one breath and looks at Master Li in anticipation of his response.

"Receive your punishment." He says and Rouqi looks down at her feet in disappointment. Her father walks past her into the house and walks to the family motto in calligraphy hanging on the wall and everyone else follows as well with helplessness on their faces and Rouqi being the only one with a frown.

"Kneel." and she did.

"Say what you did wrong." He says, and she looks up at her father in confusion.

"I really don't know what I did wrong." She responds with a shaking head and a vein starts to pop on her father's.

"Running off into the red-light district, playing with your 'Lily', putting Daisy and yourself into that nasty man's hands. Are you trying to worry me to death?!" He says sternly with worry and irritation all at once. He really doesn't know what to do with this girl anymore. She never acted like a proper lady to hung out with other girls of her age, but ran around to beat up gangsters and act like a rouge instead. Rouqi smiles at her father's words, knowing that she just worried him and she was still going to be able to try and get away with punishment.

"Dad, I know what I did wrong now, but I know you all love me and won't let anything happen so that's why I did what I did."

Her father sighs and she continue "I also couldn't help but get mad at that nasty old man capturing girls and forcing them into slavery and prostitution, so I convinced my brothers to help me catch him. I am sorry." Rouqi apologies sincerely and bows to the family motto three times before being let up by her father.

"You are to train from the time the rooster crows in the morning till dinner tomorrow as punishment." Her father says, and she sighs internally and nods in reply obediently. 'At least she still get's her food' Rouqi thought. Whenever her brothers were punished, not only were their training extended, their diet during punishment was also restricted to just rice and plain dried pepper. Just thinking about eating that kind of meal made her shudder at the thought.

"Alright, alright. Since this is done with let's go eat and get some rest for the night." Mother Bai says, and walks beside Master Li to rub his back.

"Master and madam. The food has been set and everything is ready." A maid comes in and reports to them and everyone follows the maid out and ended their night with a warmth full family dinner.