The Ageless Dream

11.4 Jie Ming's Gift (46)

The moon has hung high and silence invaded the whole military camp. Dong Li Hua is laying sideways on the bed and the sounds of cicadas echoing through made her restless. She gave up then faced Huang Zhao who is sitting upright while leaning on the headboard and reading a book report.

"Huang Zhao." tugging his sleeves, she received a short hum from him. Dong Li Hua copied his posture and maintained a distance away from him. It's a good thing she placed pillow barricades between them. "Huang Zhao." she called once more.

"What?" he flipped a page and raised a brow without the thought of looking at her.

"Who's that woman?" Dong Li Hua bent her knees and placed her arms on top before she sets her cheek on it while staring to Huang Zhao. With the help of the lit brazier and lamps, she had a clear look to him. Although there is a mask covering his upper face, from his tempting lips and perfect nose, she can tell he is handsome.

"Who?"

"You know, the one who came here this morning." her gaze settled on the book report when she noticed its title. "Flooding Yangtze River?" Dong Li Hua thought. Why is he reading that? Is it a huaben?

"Xie Er." he simply answered and closed the book to take a gander towards her.

"A friend?"

"More than a friend." Huang Zhao inclined his head on the headboard whilst looking up.

"Girlfriend?"

"What 'girlfriend'?" he raised a brow once more. This is not his first time hearing strange words coming out from her mouth.

"Ex-lover?" she smiled playfully. Huang Zhao is too mysterious and she is curious to know his life.

"Jealous?" Huang Zhao's lips curved into a malicious arc as Dong Li Hua snorted.

"No. Im just curious to know." after saying that, she recalled something. "How is King Zheng now?"

"King Zheng?" he was puzzled why she asked that. Huang Zhao lowered his gaze, his eyelashes covering most of his eyes. "King Zheng is fine. Why?"

"Nothing." Dong Li Hua sighed. She turned her back from him and lied down before pulling the quilt to cover herself. Huang Zhao took one last glimpse of her. He faintly smiled and placed the book inside a desk compartment.

The next days, Dong Li Hua is unable to see Xie Er again. She kept thinking how beautiful that thirteen-years-old girl has grown into. What's more, Xie Er is an elite imperial guard. Li Si must have liked her, ah.

"Fifth block removed." Huang Zhao placed a wooden block on the side of the table. He lightly smiled to challenge Dong Li Hua who is trying to pull out a block from the tower. She forced Huang Zhao to play with her using many games she knew from the 21st century such as Jenga.

Dong Li Hua sighed when the tower did not collapse after she removed a block. However, the tower broke in a sudden that she can't help but smile in a forced way. "No fair! You know martial arts so its easier to balance things! You cheated!" she loathed, pointing her hand to Huang Zhao with an accusing gaze.

"Unbelievable." Huang Zhao muttered. She invented games where she kept losing, how is that justifiable too? Moreover, everytime she loses, she would blame him for being a martial artist.

"Cheater." she crossed her arms while pouting her red lips. The table was cleared by a servant and placed a go board instead.

"Enough of those games, what about go?" he amiably smiled but Dong Li Hua harrumphed.

"Wont play with you, cheater." she secretly gave him a glare and Huang Zhao kept his forced smile. He suddenly had a label like that? Since when did he cheat, ah?

"Miss, Jie Ming dropped by and left a gift." Jie Cui went to their place underneath a tree where they are sitting.

"Hm? Let me have a look." Dong Li Hua accepted the mid-sized box. She opened it up when her eyes widened.

"What's the matter?" Huang Zhao noticed her shocked expression since her irises shrunk. He is about to snatch the box to have a look but Dong Li Hua closed the lid and placed it on her lap.

"Jie Cui, take Lan Hu and Xiao Hu here please." she turned stoic in a quick second. Jie Cui complied and went to the tent. When she came back, only Lan Hu is following her.

"Miss, I think Xiao Hu went out again. She is not inside the tent."

Dong Li Hua heaved a deep sigh. She opened the box and took out a white cat from it. The white cat did not move and its eyes were closes as if sleeping.

"Xiao Hu." she faintly smiled to the cat and brought it to her embrace. Dong Li Hua bit her lower lip, tightly holding the cat in sadness.

"Miss..." Jie Cui gasped. She staggered back but Lan Hu stepped forward and licked the white cat's head. On the other side, Huang Zhao stood up.

"Call ten soldiers to follow me. Have the first group search Hann!" his tone was commanding that the servant he ordered quickly rushed to finish his task.

"Jie Ming, why did she do this?" Dong Li Hua slowly let go of Xiao Hu's corpse. There are no wound but the cat's neck was broken. It must be Jie Ming who strangled it to death. Now that she thinks of it, she regretted asking for Jie Ming's freedom.

"Miss, there's a paper." Jie Cui noticed a folded white paper inside. Dong Li Hua placed Xiao Hu on her lap then took the letter. Written there is Jie Ming's name and gratitude.

"Go take a basin of water." Dong Li Hua knew it's a rice paper and the handwriting is not Jie Ming's. Once the basin of water came, she drowned the rice paper and took it out. Jie Ming's previous thanks are gone, replaced by a new message:

Miss, nübi did not kill Xiao Hu. There is a man who suddenly barged into Wu daifu's residence and killed him. He took me away to use me to pass this box to Miss. I don't know why he did this but he told nübi Miss was the reason his brother died. That man called himself Du Mingluan.