RIN

Walking through the rocky area were three men. Two of them held sharp swords in their hands and bamboo hats that covered their heads.

The third man with his hair messily tied up in a bun, had a long piece of hair fall in front of his face, concealing his left eye. Held over his shoulder was a human-sized white sack.

One of the men began to walk near the unstable bridge"s edge and stares down at the river down below.

"Stop. We"ll drop him here." A man with a sword"s gruff voice harshly ordered.

Listening to his orders, the man carrying the sack plops it on the hard stone ground. Crouching down, the man loosens the sacks ties, revealing the tied up figure of a boy.

The boy tied up in the sack was none other than Rin, her mouth covered by a white cloth while her hands were bound by long strong ropes.

"Good. There seem to be a lot of heavy rocks here, so we"ll gather some to put in with him, then hurl him down the river. Although the drop alone will probably kill him, we need to make sure he doesn"t float back up."

Xu Mujin remained silent as he crouched over Rin"s unconscious body. The men behind him indifferently stared at her motionless body.

"Tsk, how can such a scrawny boy be capable of being captain?" One of the men scoffed.

"Well, he won"t be captain for long now, will he?" The other man snickered slyly as his wicked gaze wandered toward the deep cliff.

Both men stared at Rin"s limp body with haughty contempt and amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Hurry up and dispose of him. Once you"re done, we"ll return and you"ll receive your reward as Sir Delun promised." A man said toward Xu Mujin.

With lowered eyes, Xu Mujin bobs his head in understanding.

"Alright." Xu Mujin casually unsheathes his sword from his side.

The men behind him eye one another, wicked sneers spreading across their cracked lips. Xu Mujin lifts the sword in his hands above Rin"s body.

The man closest to Xu Mujin slowly approaches him, suddenly raising his sword ready to strike at Xu Mujin"s back – a cold sinister expression shown in his eyes.

Slash--!

Bright crimson blood splattered through the air, the rocky mountain ground becoming covered in a dark liquid.

"Eh?"

The man, with his sword held up in midair tensed, his eyes enlarging upon feeling a sudden intense pain in his side.

With wide eyes, he looks down to see a sword impaled deeply into his stomach – red pools of blood flowing down his clothes, causing them to stain.

"What…" The man"s gruff voice trembled, drops of blood pouring down his mouth.

However, before he could complete his sentence Xu Mujin swiftly sliced through the man"s stomach, deeper pools of blood forming on the ground with some splattering on Xu Mujin"s face.

Below his feet was the man"s ripped open body, drops of crimson liquid flowing out from his body and on to the stone ground.

The second man who witnessed his companion being brutally killed by the young man twisted his face in violent anger.

"Gyaaa!" He furiously charged toward Xu Mujin with his pointed sword.

Subtly shifting his gaze toward the charging man, Xu Mujin calmly twists his gleaming sword around and harshly jabs the end of his sword into the man"s stomach.

From the harsh impact, the man is violently pushed back, his body slamming onto the stone ground.

Leisurely walking toward the man"s fallen body, he points his sword toward the man"s neck.

"Let me just say, I possess no interest towards your master, Sir Delun"s rewards or meaningless promises. If anything they"re completely useless to me. However, I"m certain someone like you would be interested in what my Master has to offer you." Xu Mujin"s eyes sparked with apparent indifference.

"Hah, as if! What can a puny little brat offer me?" The man spat. "Let me tell you; you"re only acting so bold because you bear a sword to my throat. But let me tell you, you won"t be alive for long. When Sir Delun and his men find out I haven"t returned, they"ll know something is wrong and dispatch men to kill you and your little master!"

Not all affected by the man"s words, Xu Mujin simply stares at the man with unreadable eyes. However, the man a.s.sumed Xu Mujin"s silence for taking his words into consideration.

With a sneer, the man continues. "So, what do you say? Let me return, and n.o.body will get hurt."

Helplessly releasing a sigh, Xu Mujin, continuing to clutch his sword near the man"s throat, turns toward the unconscious body of Rin.

"Young Master, how long do you plan to pretend? Instead of being lazy why not come over and help."

With her body lay down on its side, Rin rotates her head around, releasing a light chuckle.

"What a shame, I thought you wouldn"t notice."

"Young Master…"

Sighing, Rin effortlessly stands up, the tight ropes around her hands and legs coming loose easily.

Gently dusting off her legs and arms, Rin smiles toward the man.

"You"ve been working for Captain Delun for some time now." Rin walks calmly toward the two with a gentle smile. "Doing so many dirty deeds for that man, must pay well doesn"t it?"

The man narrows his eyes suspiciously, completely unsure where the conversation was going.

"What"s your point boy?" The man wearily watched the boys" movements as he stepped closer toward him.

With a celestial smile, Rin"s eyes dim darkly. "My point is, it must really help support your two daughters in the Guando"s western district. They"re staying with your mother and father I believe?"

Hearing Rin"s ominous words, the man"s suspicious eyes enlarge; his complexion becoming pale instantly.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! What have you done to my family?! Don"t you dare lay a hand on them!" The man hollered furiously, his pleading eyes blazing furiously with murderous intent.

Revealing a smug expression, Rin chuckles softly, her gentle smile remaining.

"Don"t worry, nothing"s happened to them…yet. If you simply do as I say, your family will be safe from harm"s way." Rin grinned maliciously.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d…" The man harshly gritted his teeth. "To think the so-called n.o.ble and fair Governor Tao possessed an underling to conduct such dirty and twisted schemes!"

Gently scratching her rosy cheek with a wry smile, Rin tilts her head at the man, her eyes shimmering brightly.

"You"re right on that one." Rin chuckled delightedly. "Now tell me, what will you choose to do? Follow my orders or have your family killed?"

The man staring up at Rin felt his scalp go numb. He didn"t understand how the eyes of someone so young could cause him to shudder in fear.

"I..."