Water Mirrored Moon - 水鏡月

Part I - Born of the Water Moon: 8. The Whip

Gao Wei leaned over the railing torn between amusement and irritation, cracking his fan repeatedly against his palm. He had been enormously surprised when the ugly girl, who was dressed as a boy, had broken her fall on the top of a carriage and then hilariously collided with an affectionate couple who had been walking next to it.

The pretty one had then appeared to pull her companion up, and they had escaped in the midst of the furor.

"That ugly bitch is either very lucky or very unlucky..." he sneered.

"Young Master...Shall we chase?" a guard asked, and then bowed.

"Of course, we give chase. Ready a horse: we'll meet at the city gate," he waved lazily, sounding unconcerned though inwardly he seethed.

Although the two girls had the advantage of the crowd, once they left the city there would not be a shade that could shelter them. They were on foot and he would be on horseback. It would only be a matter of time before he caught them and his blood rose as he anticipated the pleasure of hunting.

However, it was not to be as another guard strode up to report:

"Forgive your subordinate, Young Master. The Madam desires you to return to the manor immediately to meet with your betrothed. She's been waiting an hour...y-you must return."

Hissing, Gao Wei took out his annoyance by smashing the fan into the man's face.

"Go back!" he snarled, sweeping his sleeves out and waving a hand as the man slowly stood and wiped the blood from his nose. Sighing, he followed.

While Gao Wei unenthusiastically obeyed his mother, as it was now entirely possible that his prey would get away, his mood became exceedingly foul. Simmering, he returned to the family manor, unable to savour the pleasant prospect of a chase until the following morning.

Three streets away, Xiao Yu and Cui Xi continued to weave through the crowd. Xiao Yu had pushed a pressure point and sealed off the pain from her arm for her, but Cui Xi could still feel it pulsing.

"Come on," she gritted.

Cui Xi had had the same thought as Gao Wei. They would have nowhere to hide if they tried to leave the city...but...

"It would be better to hide in the city, but I'm worried that they will find your father," she said to Xiao Yu.

"I know," Xiao Yu murmured, biting her lip. She had already concluded that her father had left first because he had some item on his person that could not be revealed to others. It would do no good to mention to Cui Xi that he had probably eluded their pursuers quite easily. Her father was much more skilled than he let on.

Not saying much more to each other, they escaped out of the city. By staying off the main road, they had hoped they would make enough time to dodge the eldest son of the City Lord, but of course they hoped in vain. Gao Wei and his men caught up with them at mid-morning, surrounding them with their horses.