The sound of children's play and laughter poured in like the sound of rushing water.
"Sister Anna!"
A child called out to the young girl standing with a blank expression on her face.
"Hm?"
A breeze passed through blowing that child's braids. A freckle-faced boy with skin like wheat, smiled revealing an empty gap in his set of teeth, the corner of his eyes crinkled knowingly.
"There she goes, spacing out again." He leaned forward and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Pass the ball! The b-a-l-l!"
"Oh!" She looked down and spotted the ball at her feet, with one quick sweep of her leg she punted the ball and it soared over the child's head back into the center of the field.
Ting Yue watched it land and shouted"Thanks!" before racing back towards the kicking grounds.
Anna tilted her head slightly as she beheld the view.
An unforgettable scene.
She formed a square with her thumb and index finger and held it up to encompass the boy and his friends.
Children with dirty clothes, laughing and playing to their hearts content. Ahhh, youth. It was so beautiful it made her almost envious.
At that moment, someone inserted themselves in her shot.
"Beautiful?! It is you!"
She blinked at the unfamiliar face.
He was dressed in fine silk, his clean skin and glossy black hair, were neatly slicked back into a ponytail. A fine contrast to the children in worn and dirtied clothes racing around the kickball grounds, while outfielders passed to each other to hit them with the ball.
A polite smile pressed itself on her face.
"You... must be one of the emissaries that came to speak with Master Mo." She concluded.
"Indeed," the lad placed his hands on his hips as he approached her, his chest puffed out with pride. "I am."
The children's playground was far removed from the estate, to be able to have spotted her at any given point, his eyesight must be very good. But... she was told to keep the children out of sight today. Since he found her on his own, she wouldn't be scolded for this right?
"What brings sir all the way out here?" she asked.
He smirked at her question. "You."
Anna blinked a couple of times. Just now she felt a tingling sensation but she suppressed the urge to laugh lest he took it personally.
He wasn't a bad looking lad, just a bit too thin, with his long oval-shaped face and slightly pointy ears. He reminded her of the funny character from a movie, who always tried to get a pretty girl to laugh.
Anna could only point at herself and feign ignorance.
She turned as if she were about to leave.
"Me? Is Master Mo perhaps looking for me?"
"No, no!" He kept even pace with her, and when she stopped walking so did he. "I came to see you on my own." He clarified.
"Me? Why?"
His eyes were practically sparkling.
"From the moment I saw you, I-
WHACK!
Anna blinked, she didn't see the ball come but she saw it bounce off the back of that person's head, a gust of wind blew his hair and clothes, the ball itself continued to spin for some time before finally dropping.
Whoever kicked it definitely used martial force.
She leaned to the side to see who had kicked it, Ting Yue with his hands akimbo stood on the other side of the field glaring alongside the other children. He yelled, "Stop bothering Sister Anna!" Despite the distance and his size, his voice projected well.
The emissary, slowly turned around, his blank expression morphing into one of embarrassment, annoyance, and then rage.
Anna eyed the back of his head which was seemingly unscathed from the blow. She had thought it from how quickly he had followed earlier, but despite his thin frame his martial foundation had to have been good.
The emissary bent down to pick up the ball and begrudgingly threw it back. It landed before the feet of the children but rather than going for it, they contuined staring.
"Which...Which one of you br- I mean... which one of you kids threw that?"
Ting Yue raised his hand, his eyes shimmering with defiance "Me."
"You?"
"By the way, I didn't throw it, I kicked it." To demonstrate, Ting Yue kicked the ball and it shot across the field towards the emissary in seconds.
Surprisingly the emissary caught it, though the ball continued spinning in his hand. He watched it do so before studying the ball in the palm of his hand.
Rage flickered in his eyes but he suppressed it, a smile stretched across his face instead.
"That... was a good kick, but..." He threw it back, the ball was caught by Mapo, a red-haired child behind Ting Yue. "You should learn how to kick properly if you're not careful someone..." The emissary walked closer, he folded his hands behind his back. Ting Yue mimicked him and approached. "Could get hurt."
"I know. That's why I kicked the ball at you." Ting Yue raised his chin at the emissary that towered over him.
Despite their height difference, the level of intimidation he exuded didn't make him seem any shorter.
The emissary squinted at him.
"You...did it on purpose?"
Ting Yue shrugged. "I couldn't help myself. Bugs that gather to bother Sister Anna, I suddenly get the urge to crush them. All bugs that bother Sister Anna deserve to die!" The child's irises flickered red in that instance.
Sister Anna called out in warning. "Ting Yue!"
Ting Yue folded his arms and looked away.
Looks like you could take the child out of the Jianghu but not the Jianghu out of the child.
Since he had learned to get along with everyone else she thought he had assimilated well but, looks like there was still some unchecked aggression left.
Anna watched on feeling unsettled. Should she call for help? No, someone needed to keep an eye on him. The moment she left, he would let loose.
"Are you calling me a bug?"
Ting Yue pointed at him, mockery dripping from his eyes. "Your arms, legs, even your face is long, and your ears are so long to match just like a crane fly? If you're not a bug then tell me what manner of human are you?"
The emissary's expression was as if he had just been shat on by a bird, the rage and disbelief slowly loading.
"Don't make fun of the way people look! His features aren't even that exaggerated!" Anna hurried over to intervene. She had been secretly relieved that their conversation was interrupted but now she was dreading the backlash.
"Sister Anna is too nice!"
"Does putting people down make you feel any better? I said don't do it, just listen." She gestured towards the fuming emissary. "Quickly apologize!"
"It's weird someone like this even has the confidence to flap around in front of your face!" Ting Yue shouted loudly for the emissary to hear.
Anna felt drained all of a sudden, the way these children worshipped her, she didn't know what caused it nor did she want it.
"I'm not that important of a person that people need to look a certain way in front of me!"
Ting Yue looked away.
"We'll have to agree to disagree." He walked back towards the children. "Forget it, let's play!"
Behind her, Anna felt a chill, in her peripheral she saw the emissary move.
"Look out!" Mapo shouted.
When Ting Yue turned around, Anna blocked him, a barrier of light radiated from her hand, containing the emissary's bluish outstretched hand that seemed frostbitten.
"I apologize on behalf of this child." Anna still blocking him, knelt. "I'm responsible for him, yet I failed to control him. I ask Sir not to take the words of a child too much to heart."
The emissary retracted his hand, only to find Anna lowering her head even further.
Ting Yue couldn't stand seeing her in such a demeaning position. "Stop it! Stand up!" He tried to pull her up himself but she wouldn't budge.
"Ting Yue, I hope you can learn it someday. In life, just because you can offend someone doesn't mean you should. There are people out there who can afford to make the lives of you and those around you very difficult otherwise. That's why it's important for you to know your place."
Ting Yue gave up on trying to make her stand and glared at her then the emissary.
The first emissary's emotions flickered as he eyed Anna kneeling were complicated however he didn't say anything so she couldn't stand.
"Jerk! Why is Sister Anna still kneeling!" Mapo kicked the ball at the emissary but seconds before it could get near him it was sliced in half.
"Well spoken." A teenager taller than the emissary appeared.
Anna shifted her eyes to see who had arrived. They were wearing blue silk outer coat similar to the emissary only his was longer... a comrade?
The second emissary eyed Ting Yue with coldness as he held out his sword.
"Not going to apologize?"
Ting Yue pursed his lips.
The stranger held out his sword over Anna's head.
Anna saw its shadow and her mind went blank.
"Then, her apology is meaningless, isn't it? Her life too."
THUD.
Ting Yue dropped to his knees immediately.
"You're not stupid, are you? You can clearly sense the difference of boundary force between the two of us." The second emissary looked to the first who was now angrily biting at his lips.
His gaze averted from the second emissary, it was clear he was intimidated by this person.
"To get riled up by a child... fourth brother, I knew you were pathetic but not this much."
"!"
The second emissary walked up the hill steps.
The first emissary glared in the direction of Ting Yue who was kneeling. His hand flew to his sword.
"Enough, Jia Hao."
The emissary's head flipped in the direction of an old man, dressed in a fur cape, the old man stroked his long beard.
ok just
"F-father. How long were you standing there?"
"Doesn't matter. You've wasted enough time fooling around here haven't you?"
Jia Ho lowered his head and hurried up the steps. As he did the old man took in the children with narrowed eyes.
"So these are the orphans General Mo's raising. I didn't see them anywhere earlier but is this all of you?"
The children blinked back at him.
"You, the peach girl. Speak."
He was referring to Anna, she was wearing a peach turtle necked qipao with white pants.
"Yes, sir." Anna answered, her head was still lowered. She didn't have a good feeling about this.
"Hmm." The man stroked his beard and walked away.
Only after some time had passed did Anna lift her head, Ting Yue who had been side-eyeing her did the same.
Anna sighed.
Why did she have a feeling, she failed her task?
The main goal of taking the children to play here, and they ended up being seen anyway.
When she blinked her knees left the ground, she lifted her head to see Ting Yue lifting her up by the arm.
"Stand! Stand! Are you in love with the ground or something?! Can't bear to part with it? Stand up!"
"I was just thinking," Anna said as the child furiously dusted off the dirt on the knees of her skirt.
Ting Yue put his hands akimbo hearing this. "About what?!"
Anna sighed. "Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing."
"What is?"
Anna walked towards the kids completely ignoring him.
"Hey!"