Another man who is skinny and looks like a monkey comes nearer as he bends his body, reminding in a low voice: "Leader Xue, the master might have been waiting for quite some time."

The corner of Xue Wu's lips go downwards as he says spitefully: "d.a.m.n it, thanks to the bad idea from that coward Bai Zi Qi we took so much effort just to secure this woman and brat. If it was according to what I had in mind, we should have just went in there and do them in with force like a man! What's with all these trickeries and calculations!" As he says so, he looks at me and my mother impatiently: "Stand up, and walk quickly!"

My right hand is held tightly by mother's delicate fingers as we jog behind Xue Wu, advancing to the front quickly. As I turn my head to the side, I see some vines crawling by the foot of the walls. On those vines, fiery red Rubus Coronarius can be seen blooming. The petals stack on one another, looking as sharp as the blood, so bewitching that it causes a person's heart to jump.

When the Rubus Coronarius blooms, how many incidents have been went through, who will know about it? All the beauties and fragrance gone, with only sorrow; when this flower is done blooming, it will be autumn, where the colour red can be seen everywhere, where the feeling of sadness can be felt anywhere.

That bewitching flower blooms ever so brightly right in front of my eyes, as if my heart is pierced by the green of the vines, the feeling of insecurities and unsettledness surged from the bottom of my heart.

After we exit this yard, a curvy, rocky path can be seen along the greyish green wall. The soldiers watching over us advance quickly. I tightly grabbed onto mother's fingers and raise my head to look into the distance. Under the bright sun that hangs in the middle of the sky, a tower can be seen. Iron armours and flying flags can be seen on the tower. On one of the flags with the pattern of dragon, phoenix, sun and moon, a large "Ming" can be seen. Suddenly, the hand holding me went stiff. When I look back, I see mother looking at the huge flag with a dumbfounded expression and not daring to walk in front.

"Mother?" I shake her hand and call out to her softly.

Mother's eyes widened and she looks at me severely: "Qing Qing, do you know where this is?"

Recalling the conversation between Tang Zhong and s.h.i.+ Jiu, I raise my chin and answer clearly: "Possibly the state of Qian."

"The state of Qian, the state of Qian, the state of Qian!" Mother repeatedly mumbles the words and her face become pale. With her gaze shaking and cracked voice, "Is it possible, that they are perhaps…"

Xue Wu angrily turns his head back and grits his teeth as he says: "Tsk, what are the two of you women doing dilly dallying there! Hurry and catch up!" Mother is suddenly pushed from the back and tripped, causing me who was still holding her hand to almost fall as well.

"Wuu~ Wuuu~" A low and heavy sound of horns blowing can be heard. The man with small head hurriedly grabbed onto the hilt of his sword and run as quickly as he can with his eyes widened. After he runs for quite some distance, he then slaps the back of his head and turn around to order: "w.a.n.g Liu, carry that woman, Dao Zi carry that brat and follow me the go up the tower!" A thin hand carry me from my back and that monkey face runs right after he has me under his arm.

"Dong~ Dong~ Dong~" "Wuu~ Wuuu~" Sounds of drums beating and horns blowing can be heard. From the side of my ear, sounds of metals clas.h.i.+ng into one another can be heard. As I lower my heard to look, I can only see the calf with a grey cloth wrapped on moving forward and backward, the brownish yellow gra.s.s shoe moves quickly. The monkey face climbs the stairs with huge steps as pants as he runs up. All that has made me feel nauseous.

I was then suddenly place down. I feel dizzy and only regain my posture after trudging around. As I raise my eyesight, I see soldiers fill the s.p.a.ces within the greyish green tower. In the middle of it, a man with an orange robe and hair don with a golden crown can be seen sitting on a grand Chinese chair. He tilts his head to look at us. He then raises his brows and touches his chin. He then slightly raises his arm and curls his fingers towards Xue Wu.