Right before her eyes, Lian Hua witnessed Shen Yandao being beaten and whipped by two grown men. The little boy curled up to protect his head, groaning and whimpering repeatedly, but the men who beat him didn't stop.
Lian Hua, running towards Shen Yandao, ignored the incoming blows, and hugged her younger brother. "What are you doing?!" Lian Hua shouted, her eyes red with anger as she glared at the people around.
Even though the beatings had stopped, they still surrounded her, looking at her with judgmental eyes. "Who are you? Don't interfere!" shouted one of them. Judging by their attire, it was the attire of the Yishu royal guard. Furious, Lian Hua didn't answer the question, instead she shouted again.
"What are you doing beating a child like this? You are a guard who should be protecting the people of Yishu! If the king finds out you will—"
"Tch, king? King you say? You think the king cares about what happens anywhere other than his palace? Especially this is the Borders!" the guard laughed, including the two men with him. "Don't mention the king if he doesn't care about you anymore! This is the Borders, there are no rules here, as long as you can survive, that's enough!"
It's not just the criminals sentenced to exile on the Borders; it's also a punishment for the guards assigned to the Borders areas. They must remain there for years, disguised as border guards, yet they cannot return to the capital to see their families within the allotted time.
Some are still waiting and holding onto hope, while others have given up until they finally vent their anger and frustration on the outcasts on the Borders. Because it's not just the criminals who are punished; the forgotten guards are also outcasts.
Realizing that the blow he had been given was no longer felt, little Shen Yandao raised his head, her little brother's face looked even more heartbreaking than the last time they met, Lian Hua's chest felt so tight. "Sis…" the boy whispered, hugging Lian Hua's body, which he didn't think they would still have a chance to meet again. After Lian Hua left, he thought he would really be alone, his sister had been taken away, while his mother was who knows where.
"Sis? So this brat is your younger brother?" The guard asked in realization. "It seems like 'brazen' runs smoothly in your family's blood. No wonder your younger brother is like this, look at how you look at people who are higher than you." The man hit Lian Hua's shoulder. "Lower your eyes! If I wanted to, I would also hit you!" Receiving such a hit, Lian Hua almost fell over.
"You! How could you hit me like that?!" In her entire life, Lian Hua had never knelt to anyone, not even the king and queen. They had never asked her to kneel before them. Not wanting her dignity to be further trampled upon, Lian Hua stood up, taking her younger brother with her.
"I'll take him with me!" Lian Hua shouted loudly.
"You can't take him. This boy is still young and has just arrived. He must stay here for a few months!" It was the rule, every child under the age of eleven must stay in this shelter. It was the king's decree so as not to appear too cruel to the little children. Moreover, this boy had just arrived, he didn't know what kind of place the Borders was. If he let this woman take him away, then his chance to return to the capital would be lost! He had to do his job well here if he wanted to go back, that's what his superior had told him.
"I don't care about you! He is my brother, and I will take him with me!" Lian Hua pulled Shen Yandao's hand, intending to leave, but unfortunately, she was immediately held back by two other people.
"Hey, I don't want to cause trouble with you. I admire your skill in surviving in the Borders immediately, but taking your brother away? I can't allow it. You can return to the master you serve, but he can't. Where will your brother live?" All the guard's words bothered Lian Hua a little, but she ignored them because she only wanted to leave with Shen Yandao.
"We can live on the streets, at least it's better than living here!" The stubborn Lian Hua seemed to be testing the patience of the guard, whose emotions had become extremely unstable during his time on the Borders. The guard snatched the whip from his subordinate's hand and struck Lian Hua's wrist, causing her grip on her younger brother to loosen.
"You won't be able to leave!" He said sharply, with a glance in his eyes, he ordered his subordinates to take Shen Yandao with them.
"Sister!"
"What are you doing? I'm going to take my brother away!" The flash returned to her as she intended to approach Shen Yandao.
"If you dare to take one step closer, I will not hesitate to give you a harder beating. I don't care who your master is, if you interfere with my work, I will not hesitate to get rid of you from here! When a scar appears on your face, your master will throw you away and replace you with another. At that time, you can experience the true border life." For some reason, Lian Hua's body shivered hearing every sentence spoken by the guard. This man had a terrifying aura, Lian Hua who had never been afraid of any guard, could clearly feel that the person was truly serious with his words.
However, he wanted to take Shen Yandao with him. She didn't want to be alone. Clenching her fists at her sides, Lian Hua said, "I don't care. I want my brother right now!"
The guard's eyes darkened, and he grinned. "Fine, if that's what you want."
Lian Hua was already prepared to dodge. If she gave up now, she would no longer have any confidence in herself. Pain and all, she had already experienced a lot in the past few months; a whipping wouldn't be a problem.
Fortunately, the tragedy didn't happen because someone interrupted them. "Mr. Song, I don't think there's a need for violence. We can discuss this amicably." Everyone turned around, including Lian Hua. She saw a woman wearing a thick, light orange fur coat walking towards them. The woman stopped in front of Lian Hua, smiled, and gave a brief salute to Guard Song.
"Lady Su, what are you doing here?" Guard Song lowered his whip, looking at lady Su who did not remove her smile at the guard.
"This morning I had to go out to do something, when I came back, I didn't find the girl I just found. This woman is new from our place. She just came and made a mess. I haven't had a chance to teach her a lesson, so I beg Mr. Song Zai to forgive her." Lady Su bowed her body and head briefly. Lian Hua was confused.
Song Zai glanced at lady Su and the girl behind her in turn. "She's so beautiful. I thought she already had an owner, but it turns out she's a girl from Lady Su's place." He then looked at Lian Hua. "You're lucky to have met Lady Su when you just arrived." He said to Lian Hua.
Lian Hua, clueless, remained silent. She still couldn't see the woman's face, but she did know that the clothes she was wearing were no ordinary garments. Look at the coat she was wearing, the jewelry she wore, and the fragrance emanating from her body—everything she wore was luxurious. How long had he known this woman?
"Then, may I take this girl away right now, Mr. Song?" Lady Su touched Lian Hua's shoulder, which was still being held by Song Zai's subordinate.
"Alright." The man finally gave in and gestured to his subordinate to let Lian Hua go. "If it weren't for Lady Su, I wouldn't have let you go so easily." The guard continued. Lian Hua wanted to argue and comment, but before she could say anything, Lady Su squeezed her shoulder hard, stopping whatever she wanted to say.
"Okay, thank you, I will be happy to welcome you if you visit." Lady Su turned around and took Lian Hua's hand.
"Hey, I don't want to—"
"If you want your brother to be safe, then come with me. You know this isn't about you. Mr. Song wouldn't do anything to hurt your brother." There was something different about the way the woman spoke, so much so that Lian Hua, who was usually very stubborn, immediately fell silent and could only nod in understanding.
Before leaving with the woman, Lian Hua looked back again, looking at her brother who looked gloomy. "I will come back to visit you!" She said before walking away.
.....