Mai woke in the small clearing that they had decided to lay in the night before. The sunlight was high in the sky as small birds chirps while they flew by. The tranquility of being surrounded by nature calmed Mai"s frayed nerves."What will happen if the Emperor catches us?" Mai thought to herself as she slowly started to stretch out her body. The ground that had felt so welcoming last night turned into rough patches with tree trunks running throughout.
"Good morning Mai" Han Bing called out beside her.
"Mm good morning" Mai said sleepily before adding "why did we sleep so long?"
Han Bings replied with "what you said last night was true. We mend as well enjoy the sleep while we have more opportunities to do so."
"Where are we going today?" Mai asked while attempting to rub a sore spot on her back.
"Let me help with that" Han Bing said " and Zheng Li said something about a cabin about a days walk into the forest, so we will try to get there tonight."
Mai felted Han Bings hands start to rub her shoulders in soft small motions. "Should I go harder?" Han Bing asked Mai.
"Mmmm" Mai let out a small moan as her body loosened "yes, please."
Han Bings hand applied more pressure as he worked out the knots on Mai"s shoulders. Before long Mai had lost half of the tension in her body as she was whimpering in relief.
Mai eyes were closed as Han bing moved the hair away from her neck. tracing his finger loosely up and down before moving in for a small nibble on the tinder part of her neck.
"Han Bing!" Mai exclaimed "let … lets go to the cabin right now!"
Han Bing laughed before agreeing with Mai "are you sure, they view her is absolutely delightful."
Mai looked around and had to agree with his a.s.sessment. The trees were tall and moved gracefully in the wind. The lush green of the forest that had yet to be touched by the harmful affects of humans was all around. Mai drew in a breath and caught the scents of multiple different flowers that the wind had scattered the petals from.
Mai looked at Han Bing and was about to comment on the beauty of there location before she saw what he was looking at. Turning her gaze downwards Mai realized that in her sleep her robe must have undone and with Han Bing rubbing her shoulders it was covering nothing important.
"Han Bing!!!!" Mai almost shouted in embarra.s.sment "you did this on purpose didn"t you."
Han Bing laughed and hugged Mai"s body into his before properly doing up her robe.
"I just wanted to see the face you would make, my Mai flower." Han Bing said after he stopped grinning to himself.
Mai couldn"t help but hit the man that was driving her crazy on the shoulder. "I am going to get you back" Mai said while slightly playfully pouting.
"I look forward to it" Han Bing replied with a giant smile "what ever will my lovely Mai flower do?"
"Hmph! You will regret saying that" Mai whispered as her eyes narrowed in a calculating light.
"Lets go, your to distracting for your own good" Mai said with some seriousness "don"t you know that we are running away from a crazy person?"
"Fine, fine" Han Bing let out, sighing deeply "you are right once again."
Mai rolled her eyes at Han Bing but noticed that the sides of her lips lifted up into a half smile.
"Which way?" Mai asked while going back towards the hunting trail that they were walking on earlier.
"North" Han Bing said while pointing in the direction that Mai had been walking in.
Han Bing placed the blanket back into there packs as he caught up with Mai walking down the trail.
——
"Have you found them yet?" The Emperor shouted out at the men dressed in black from head to toe in front of him. None of them flinched from his anger or aggression, standing stalk still.
"No your majesty, we are still tracking which way they left the city. It was awhile ago and the records have disappeared from the time period. Give us more time and we will find them" the man in the front of the group said while slightly bowing his head down.
"You are an elite group of spies how have you not discovered there location out! Someone must be helping them." The Emperor stated thinking deeply about the topic.
None of the men took up the provocation of there skills they had seen what the Emperor had been doing to those that displeased him as of late.
"Did that Zheng Li boy go with them too?" The Emperor asked cutting the silence in the room.
"Yes your majesty" the leader of the group once again said shifting his graze sideways to one of the other spies.
"His father is probably helping them. Go and fetch him for me will you? You can at least handle this task correct?" The Emperor said voice turning dark and dangerous.
"Right away your majesty" the leader replied while flicking out his wrist. They all flowed out of the room in silence as they went to follow the task set for them.
Once they were out side the palace walls one of the men looked at the commander and asked "are we not going to tell him?"
"That man is no emperor, but we will have to produce some sort of results or it will be our heads on the chopping block" the leader replied. "Just continue what your current investigations and see if there was another group that had a similar amount of people leaving the city at the same time… It"s time for a new Emperor."
The man nodded his head before saluting and moving back to his spot in the formation.