"Come on pretty lady." One man laughed while the other dug his fingers harder into her arms.
Meiwan cried the further from the light they went, dragging her deeper into the alley. One man let his hand rub over her shoulders and back, and she shuddered against his touch. Her life was over, whether she lived or not tonight.
"Here's far enough for me-"
A foot slammed into the larger man's back making him stumble forward several steps. Meiwan's eyes widened in suprise as her arm was suddenly freed, and at the arrival of someone new. In the dark, she could see the silhouette of a man, his robes were black. But why did he look familiar?
The thin man looked to his fallen friend. "Fu Bao!" He turned to face the attacker.
"Kill him, Bai. Kill him!" Fu Bao recovered his feet, but he rubbed his back.
Bai released Meiwan and charged the shadowy figure, throwing punches wildly. The girl rushed to hide behind a stack of woven baskets, hoping to shrink not only from their sight, but also from their minds. Her hands shook and her lips quivered. She looked on and watched as the three men fought.
The two men were clearly untrained, and it took all they had to stand their ground. It was too late when they realized that they were outmatched. The new comer landed his elbow in the larger man's face before throwing his knee into the skinny man's gut, making him double over and gasp for air. The fight paused for a moment as the man allowed the two rogues to recover, but Fu Bao took advantage of that grace.
"Bai, hold him off. Just for a second."
Bai's was confused, until Fu Bao retreated a few steps... in Meiwan's direction. The new comer seemed to sense the man's plan and moved to halt him, however, Bai followed his friend's command and launched himself towards the man.
Meiwan watched as he side stepped and grabbed the man by his collar, swinging him further away and into the hard ground. But now her vision filled with the round and hairy face of Fu Bao. He yanked her from her hiding spot and wielded her the other way.
Pain screamed through her arm and neck as he positioned her as a shield in front of him, his strong grip beneath her chin suffocating her. She clawed at his arm, but he ignored the slight pain the scratches caused him.
"Step back!" He growled to the man.
Black spots began to dance before her eyes, and her arms fell limp at her side. All Meiwan could think of in that moment, was that she wouldn't return to see Zhanyi. Instead, when morning came, her brother would be forced to welcome home her corpse. Her life was fleeting away, she could feel it. The lack of air in her lungs was about to bring about her death.
The man in the shadows stepped closer to them, his steps casual. "Come now, there's no chance you'd acutally want her? Look at her? What has she got, that a public house's courtesan doesn't?" He scoffed.
Of anything she could have expected her savior to say, his words were the last that came to mind. What did he really want by involving himself in this matter? Who was he and-? Meiwan, her thinking abilities fading quickly in the dark, revived as the realization hit her like a wall.
Shang Qinglou? She looked harder into the dark, trying to make out the face of the man. But it was his voice that clicked in her memory, and his harsh way of speaking. It had to be him, yet it couldn't be. Young master Shang would never to anything that went against his playboy character, anything remotely good.
"I said step back, if you don't want her to die! I could snap her neck easily." Fu Bao threatened.
But the man only continued closer. He had a jade pendant on his waist belt, a green crescant moon, that he spun in circles.
"Hmm, you could." His voice lowered. "But then I would have kill you, and send you to stay with King Yama in the underworld. It would be a shame for this young lady to go alone."
His words made the large man doubtful, and his grip on her neck loosened. A rush of air flowed back into her lungs and she breathed deeply.
"Let her go and I'll send you and your companion to the Yaman." His voice turned friendly.
Fu Bao looked to his unconscious friend laying behind the man, his body in a slumped position. Meiwan could tell that her captor was hesitating, after all, who would willingly allow themselves to be sent to prison.
"Please sir, let me go." She pleaded, her voice hoarse and her throat sore.
"How about I release her, and we'll all walk away." He proposed.
The man seemed to consider his words, his head tilting back and facing the moonless night's sky. After a moment, he nodded, gesturing for the large man to let Meiwan free.
"I promise."
His words set Fu Bao into motion. He removed his arm from around her neck completely and shoved her towards her rescuer, before rushing past the two of them.
Meiwan slammed into the man's body, but he didn't bother to catch her and let her fall towards the ground to his feet. She clutched his black robes in her hands, trying to stay upright, but still ended up hitting the hard surface.
Her captor rushed to Bai's side and helped assist him to his feet, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. The two stumbled off down the ally towards the main street, their pace slow but somewhat desperate.
"Want to run?"
Meiwan heard his whisper. Then to her shock, witnessed as he turned his back to her and released two hidden weapons, straight into their backs. She covered her mouth as she watched the two stop mid-motion and sink to the ground.
The man approached them on silent feet and knelt by them as they breathed their last breaths, blood beginning to pool around them.
"You said... You said you'd let us go." Fu Bao struggled to speak, his arm still wrapped around Bai. "Let us go." His voice faded.
They were dead. But all the man did was to coldly pull the two blades from their backs and wipe the blood off on their own clothes, before placing them back in this sleeve.
Meiwan watched in horror as he then stood and walked back towards her. After watching him murder two people before her, whether he had saved or not, she couldn't bare the thought of being left alone with him. Without thinking much, her head shook back and forth and she curled into a ball, hiding her face from him. She could feel his presence as he came to stand over her.
She heard him sigh, then felt his hands on her arms. She screamed and recoiled, not just from the fright of being touched again, but also from the bruises that had formed beneath her clothes. He paused, and Meiwan breathed heavily in the silence.
"Lu Meiwan," his voice was flat. "Get up."
It was Shang Qinglou. Her eye peeked over her elbow that gaurded her face and looked into eyes of her rescuer. He was on one knee next to her, his hands clasped together. His expression told her he had better things to do, that he was unfeeling of her situation.
"Shang Qinglou?" Meiwan studied his face, her voice shaky. "Why is it you?"
Qinglou's brows lowered and he frowned. "Were you waiting for someone else." He asked coldly. "I apologize miss Lu, I won't interfere next time." He came to his feet and turned around, but Meiwan grabbed the edge of his long black robe, bringing him to a halt.
"No. I just didn't think someone as arrogant and playboy as you would stoop to help me in such a situation." The words left her mouth before she could think about what she was saying. He just rescued me! Meiwan shrunk away in shame at her nasty tone, not even sure where it'd come from.
The young man turned back around and stared down at her, but without saying a word, grabbed her arms and yanked her to her feet. She winced at the pain it caused her, but remained silent.
"How did you find me?" She asked.
"Coincidence. "
Meiwan's brows lowered over her dark eyes. "Why did you kill them?" She pointed to the bodies several feet away.
Qinglou stared at her for a long moment. He wasn't going to give her an answer. So be it.
"Thank you, young master Shang." She bowed, bringing her hands out before her as a salut. "I'll return home now."
She moved past him, avoided the two bodies, and slowly made her way back to the market street. Looking both ways, now highly alert of any villains, and found the road empty. Meiwan turned left and continued walking home. It was just a few minutes walk.
Part of her though, wanted to look back at the boy who'd rescued her. Her mind wondered at the kind of person he was. However she decided it best for her to forget this night ever happened, and she hoped he would too.
A few steps down the street though, she felt his hand at her elbow. Meiwan glanced up at him beside her, his eyes pointed ahead. She tried to pull her arm away but he held her firmly.
"Don't move." He referred to her arm.
The two walked silently until the door of Yan mansion came into view, then he let her go. He stood and waited while she walked the rest of the way, then she turned and looked over her shoulder at him.
He had sent her home. He had stayed with her to make sure she didn't run into any more trouble. What a strange person, Meiwan thought. She faced the doors again and went up the few steps, then knocked on them. A servant's face peeked through the crack and then swung one of the doors opened.
"Miss Lu! Master Yan has been worried for you, come in!" He gestured for her to come through the entrance.
He then led her to her uncle's study, where he left her to enter herself. Her uncle's study was further back in the mansion, so it'd given her time to collect herself and tidy her appearance. She quietly entered and approached the desk where her uncle had fallen asleep, most likely waiting for her arrival.
"Uncle Yan." She called softly.
Yan Yifeng's eyes flew open and when he spotted her standing before him, rushed to greet her. His gaze ran over her, checking for injury or harm of any sort.
"Wan'er! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!" He grabbed her shoulders.
Trying not to wince, she smiled instead. "I'm sorry uncle, I should've returned earlier." She bowed in apology. "I ran into a friend and talked with her for a bit, and lost track of time."
Her uncle nodded, sighing in relief. She hated to lie, but she didn't want to bring her uncle any trouble or cause a scandal. What had happened to her tonight could keep any suiter from wanting to marry her, should he find out.
"That's good, I was worried for you and sent several servants to find you. I'm glad you're back safely." He smiled.
Meiwan nodded and returned the smile. She was too.