Fox In The Sea (3)

The evening breeze was warm. Some of the last rays of light glinted through the leaves of the roadside trees. Cicadas sang and the air was full with the many sweet scents of summer.

Such a beautiful evening, Hei Su would have normally sat aside to brew some tea and enjoy the moment but if one were to describe his mood right now, it would be quite optimistic to call it ugly.

Not only had he been framed into accomliceship by a loathsome girl, the city-guards that arrived just in time also abandoned all sense of reason in front of Lu Cheng, who turned out to be the second young master of the Lu family.

And now? He had been "invited" to Lu Manor for further "investigation". As such he had the honor to ride the prison-carriage with the loathsome girl. Great, just great.

It's not like he couldn't retaliate. All of the guards and servants from Lu manor, around this carriage, together couldn't match up to even half of his current strength. He could swat them into meat-patties like flies but what were the consequences? Would a bull just turn around and run away if you hit it's head once? No, no it wouldn't. Instead it would charge at you with even more brute force. In his eyes, the Lu family were but stupid brutes and not worthy of his attention.

Nevertheless, he couldn't just walk away and, in the future, drag them behind him like a tail. Neither was he willing to let any of them off.

There was also….

Hei Su glanced at the girl who sat in front of him. Her head hang low, she seemed lifeless. But her fists were clenched tightly. When she felt his glance on her, she just slightly lifted her head and stared back at him. He showed her a cheerful smile, that showed off his white teeth, however, it didn't reach his eyes.

She looked at him with a strange expression and let her head hang down again. Once more ignored, Hei Su studied his surroundings.

The carriage he sat in was made of wood and had an iron cage on top to prevent any escapes. Beside him and the loathsome girl, there was nobody else inside.

Outside were six guards, the three from Lu family and an old driver who didn't seem to have any sort of fight training.

The guards guarded the carriage with three of them on each side. Lu Cheng and the rest rode their horses at the front, leading the way.

They were slowly driving across an empty street that was framed by mostly pasture with peaceful spirit beasts on it and an occasional farm here and there. They obviously left the city and were headed for the border. There, they would enter Lu Manor.

Hei Su looked at the guard that was closest to him. A small guy somewhere in his thirtieth, nervous eyes and seemed to always chew on his lips. He called out to him and beckoned him over.

The guard's eyes quickly hushed over Hei Su with a suspicious glare. "Whaddaya want, lad?"

"Please, can't you do anything? I had nothing to do with all of this and you know it. I was framed!" Hei Su's acting skills had always been good. His act of a desperate youth was quite convincing. The guard looked left and right to make sure nobody was listening in on them and came closer.

"O'course we know. But that won't help ya. 's not the first time the Lu brat takes random people away, can't do anything 'gainst it. Better ya just accept it and live yer next life to the fullest." After he said that he gave a quick laugh and went back to his post.

Hei Su's face became rigid, some veins pulsating on his temples. 'Are you really a city-guard??!?!?' He smoothed out his face with some difficulties. At least that guy hadn't notice that he now had some extra items in his pocket.

What Hei Su had done was easy, while the guard had "calmed" him, he had quickly put a pill, some coins and a letter into his pocket. The pill wasn't anything special, really. It was a Spirit-Gathering Pill. Those pills could help with ones cultivation except that Hei Su's was way more potent than normal.

This wasn't some kind of generous present, Hei Su wasn't braindead yet, he put it there for its nice little side effect. But later more to that.

As for now, he shifted his attention to the carriage driver. The old man looked contend with himself and the world. He had bushy white eyebrows over closed, sunken eyes. His big knobby nose was red and his mouth slightly pursed into a smile. Some sparse stands of white haired peeped out from under his worn out hat.

When Hei Su went to the front to strike a conversation with him he opened his eyes and smiled at him. The jolly old man was very friendly and told Hei Su a lot about his years as a driver and how his son worked as a carpenter. When Hei Su noticed a pipe in his open bag, he proudly took it out for him to see more clearly. He talked about how it was inherited from his father and would finally light it. Hei Su ended the conversation here and left the old man with his pipe still in his mouth, little clouds of white smoke steadily rising to the darkened sky.

Hei Su observed his surroundings and estimated that he still had some time left.

He rummaged some through his pockets and found what he was looking for. Silently, so nobody would notice, he used some strength to crush the pills he had found and cast once more a hesitating glance at the loathsome girl.

She had deliberately ignored him the entire time. Fine.

With a heavy sigh he sat across her and waited patiently until she lifted her head to look at him. He gave her a wry smile and asked a question that had bugged him for a while now. "Why me?"

She didn't say anything. She just let her head down again. Just when he was convinced that he wouldn't get an answer from her, she finally opened her mouth. "Because you are able to."

Five words, but they were enough to momentarily stun Hei Su. He had thought this girl to be stupid and pathetic, helpless and naïve maybe malicious. But those simple five words made him change his view of her.

Out of all the people there, she had found him. She never ever doubted his ability. This would mean she was incredibly perceptive and confident in her own judgment. That wasn't all. Even now she still planned to use him. Hei Su hadn't missed her phrasing, that meant she was confident that he could get her out of this trouble even now and that's why she had framed him. To drag him along as a lifeline. She probably hoped that he would stage an escape on this way to Lu Manor in which she could disappear as well.

He stroked his chin in thought. 'Really an interesting loathsome girl….'

While nobody had noticed, his hand had already spread the pills dust around the narrow carriage floor. Hei Su attentively observed his surroundings. Now it's waiting.

The sky gradually darkened until all light left in the world, seemed to be from their little carriage's torches and the ones, the guards had lightened.

Just like this an hour had already run past when suddenly a change occurred. Everyone was still walking peacefully through the pastures in a snail's pace when all of a sudden the loud screams of spirit beasts could be heard.

All of them had heard the shouts of those beasts before, that was nothing special, but this was completely different. At this moment they sounded….frantic?

The guards looked around to find out where the screams came from and why, only to discover that they were everywhere. Covered by the darkness of night, seemingly an endless amount of spirit beasts had gathered at their side. With a loud bursting sound the fences that kept them away broke and in a flash, faster that any of them could react, hundreds of different beasts had already swarmed them.

The horses in front of the carriage panicked and the entire carriage jolted hard, the old driver flew back and hit the cage with his head, his pipe flying through the bars into the inside. The moment it hit the carriage's floor, everything changed color.

In an instant the carriage was engulfed in a roaring sea of flames. The screams of humans and animals could be heard but were hardly discernable. The iron cage suddenly gave an ear-splitting screech as it broke apart and slowly fell outwards, pushed by the explosion of flames.

The guards and Lu family's members were squeezed between the sheer endless amount of beasts and couldn't avoid it. Those who hadn't already been trampled to death, were buried under the burning hot iron. The flames spread and the stench of burning hair and flesh was everywhere filling the lungs of humans and beasts alike.

At that moment a shadow appeared inside the sea of flames. It shot towards a falling iron wall and flung it aside before it could hit the ground.

Hei Su stood above Lu Cheng with an expressionless face. His eyes were completely calm. Lu Cheng lay on the ground, terrified. He was unable to speak, afraid of what was to come. So he just closed his eyes, waiting for death.

"Young Master Lu, if you don't get up quickly you might get hurt even more. Let's go, quickly."

Lu Cheng paused. What he had expected to come, didn't arrive. Instead he heard a concerned sounding voice. He opened his eyes to make sure this voice had indeed come from the calm man in front him.

Hei Su couldn't suppress a light chuckle when he saw the comical scene of a mud-covered, disheveled and completely terrified Lu Cheng in front of him.

"Young Master Lu Cheng, we should go back to Lu Manor to take care of those wounds of yours."