It was already morning and the noise of the busy preparing, street vendors was becoming unbearable to sleep with. Pamella's eyes fluttered open and lazily looked around her. Grunting with difficulty, she sat up, stretched her back and arms, and massaged her head temples. Her brain throbbed. It felt like an expanding balloon, ready to explode. She tried getting up, but she fell back again unto her head and closed her eyes. Maybe if she slept thirty minutes more the headache would go away.

Pamella couldn't believe she drank too much the day before. She liked alcohol; especially sweet ones, but yesterday she went overboard. Normally, she would drink until her body got relaxed and her eyesight fuzzy but the tension of the previous days events, even if a long time has passed with her in her present state, she still couldn't feel tranquil, or rest at peace.

- You shouldn't get too comfy. Once those two come back, they said we would continue to Jīnhuáng Kingdom.Your Xián Xián, really can get pesky sometimes... I correct myself, ALL of the time!

Pamela whined at the sudden outburst and kitted her eyebrows.

- Jiti don't talk too loud, my head feels like convulsing any moment now. AND from where did you hear such a ridiculous nickname? Since when is Xián Leng mine, and more importantly where are Hei Bao and him? You said they went out.

Jiti cawed.

- CAW! CAW! They went to fetch up food, water... You know. Things needed to not die along one's journey.

Suddenly a loud growl invaded their space.

Jiti's head sweated. He glanced at Pamella. She asked raising her head.

- What ae you looking at me for? That...

Another growl interrupted her.

- ... I'm hungry...

Jiti,

- Well I figured. You barely ate yesterday. You didn't even touch the sweet buns that old Weng made for you.

Pamella brightened up at the mention of the sweet buns. She had totally forgotten about them. She clumsily lifted herself from the futon and went to look for her bag. She opened it with shining eyes and almost drooling, only for her excited face to drop into a both confused and irritated state. She clenched the bag and with a twitching smile turned to Jiti.

- Jiti... Where are the buns? I was sure I had put them inside the bag before we left the capital.

Sensing a threat, Jiti prepared his wings for flight. Just in case.

- Don't ask me! Didn't you place them elsewhere? Stop looking at me as if I'm lying to save my feathers!

Pamella sulked while remembering she had asked Hei Bao to store them somewhere safe, since knowing herself, she would finish them in just a bite. Now, she didn't know where he put them in the rooml if they are in the room that is.

Maybe, he took them with him...

Another growl. She looked down at her stomach and then at the closed room door. She wondered.

- Hey, do you know if they ate before going out?

Jiti tilted his head as he thought about it.

- Oh! Yes, they did. The three young pretty misses and the old lady came to the door early this morning, offering breakfast. They took them downstairs and seeing you were asleep still, the women left you behind and dragged, I dare say anxiously harsh, them away. They even dare tell me to watch out for you and left, just like that! CAW!

He continued to ramble on while she opened the door and looked at both sides of the second floor's corridor. She walked down to the staircase and descended, until a familiar voice stopped her on her tracks.

- Lady, I don't know if you are your daughters are stupid or just playing dumb! I am looking for this individual! He looks like this, see!

Pamella poked part of her face to confirm her suspicions.

General Lu wore a face that showed extreme anger and his voice carried a displeased tone. He had four Imperial guards with him who, if Pamella's sleepy eyesight didn't play tricks on her, they looked far too sluggish and mangled built. Both the mother and daughters carried a nice smiling face but that obviously showed fear. The mother answered the general.

- Dear sir, I am sorry, but how can a human look like that? It is impossible to determine if my daughters and I have seen him. Maybe if you bring a better illustration, we could tell you what you wish for us to.

General Lu crunched the paper in his hand. Pamella smiled to herself.

At least, I 'm not the only one who thinks that illustration of me looks in so many ways wrong and unrealistic! But... Something with the tone of her voice tells me she recognized me but refuses to give myself up to these men.

The general let the crunched flyer fall unto the floor and his left hand grabbed the mother by the collar of her top garment. Her daughters screech made the spaced-out guards grab hold of their weapons in alert and Pamella cover her ears in pain. The old lady remained composed but Pamella could see her hands tremble slightly.

One of the daughters, the older one, tried to speak, but the general banged at the front desk and with amazing agility drew out his sword and pointed it at them.

- Now that your noisy mules are silent, why don't we start from the beginning? Where is...

- Pfft... keke... Mules... haha...

Pamella covered her mouth and caught her breath as soon as she realized her laugh could be heard clearly. She hid back behind the wall.

General Fei still looking at where the noise came from asked.

- What was that? You have guests?

The woman remained silent. The daughters, remembering what the two handsome men that went away for a while said to them about denying a Wu Chu Zhi's where abouts, spoke up for their mother.

- We... We have no guests. That was the wood! Now will you please let mother go!

He let go of the woman shoving her into her daughter's embrace and straightened up, head held high in authority. He asked, unbelieving the argument the young ladies were giving him.

- The wood...? Your wood laughs and likes to mock you?

Even if the three girls knew that was disrespectful of Pamella, they had still the presence of their promise to the young masters. Another of the daughters replied without any other choice.

- Yes... ! The wood used in this stay in is magical and thus carries a spirit full of life. A very mischievous and DISRISPECTFUL spirit...

Pamella picked up the emphasis to the second word.

I am sorry... But you got to admit. Mules?! That was priceless! HAHAHAHA!

The general chuckled at her ridiculous statement and turned towards the staircase. He started walking towards it.

Pamella listened as the footsteps became clearer and louder. She still held both her hands to her mouth and became anxious by the moment. Her heart rate dangerously elevated while sweat started to gather on her forehead.

Just as she decided to sprint up the staircase into her guest bedroom, a hand clenched her by the elbows harshly. General Fei wore a wicked smile almost psychotic.

- Here you are~ You sure are one lucky rascal! How long did you think you could hide from the authorities! I'll make sure to personally slice your skin bit by bit!

Pamella's Adam's apple bobbed and sunk as she gulped down in utter fright. She internally cried.

Well, this is it for me isn't it? Such a sad fate for me... I didn't even get to eat those sweet buns...

To her and everyone's surprise a black bird flew straight unto General Lu's face.

The general let go of Pamella and she took the opportunity to ran up the stairs and enter the guestroom and close the door behind her with a nearby chair.

She started to think about how to escape.

THE WINDOW! I'm not to high. I can easily jump out from it!

Her clothe were nowhere to be found. She readjusted the belt on her night robe, put her boots on and put her bag with the necklace around her. She ran towards the window but as shee looked down where three guards down waiting for her. A loud band and the noise of wood breaking made her look again towards the jabbed door.

An ax had penetrated through it and the familiar smile from the general came into sight.

OH, NOW YOU PEOPLE DECIDE TO STOP BEING LAZY?! GREAT!

With another blow, this time a Qi charged kick, the door broke into pieces, revealing the sadistic general and the two supposed to be dumbasses guards following.

WHERE THE HELL IS JITI?!

Pamella also wondered where Hei Bao and Xian Leng where, but a punch she luckily evaded broke her line of thoughts. A guard with a sword ran towards her and she jumped over him kicking him in the back. The guard almost fell on General Lu, but he evaded him pushing him unto the one with the axe.

General Lu charged at Pamella with his energized palm's, arduously intending to hit with a vital blow.

Pamella huffed as her agility started to give up on her. One palm of the general took the opportunity and slammed on her shoulder. She listened as her bones made a cracking noise and an unbelievable pain rushed all over her body and rose as blood in her throat. She clenched her teeth and held back tears. There was no time to cry about it so, she gulped the blood down. If only she had dedicated more time to make her Qi stronger for fighting and not for flimsy magic tricks there was high possibility, she wouldn't be getting beat up at the first round. The general went forth. He threw a punch which she blocked with her unharmed arm. He followed with an air kick, and just in time, and ignoring the sharp pain that followed, she flipped back to a bridge position, evading getting kicked at her thorax.

- YOU...

Trying to laugh and take her mind of her hurting arm, still in the same position she landed, Pamella commented,

- You know Mr. General, that was dangerous! You would have broken my chest!

General Lu exclaimed angrily, while he drew his sword out.

- I intended to!

Pamella saw the glowing sword raised high over her stomach.

HE IS PLANNING TO CUT ME IN HALF! AND I CAN'T PUT MYSELF STRAIGHT! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! OW! DOUBLE F*CK!

She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst, but as the sword started to descend, two men rushed into the room; the one dressed in purple slamming one of the guards head against the wall, and the other in black kicked in the face of General Lu, sending him flying towards the other side of the room. The general's sword was left in mid air and just by the force of gravity, it had continued to aim downwards; unto Pamella's abdomen.

Stop... Stop... STOP!

An agile hand grabbed the sword stopping it just in time it had sliced through her flesh. She could feel its blade just less than an inch from her stomach. Thanks to Xián Leng, she could see daylight that day and the next, but they weren't to call it a day just yet. The guards that were downstairs came rushing up the stairs. Xián Leng threw the general's sword to the opposite side where he landed, although it didn't matter; Xián Leng's blow knocked him unconscious. Xián Leng pulled and threw Pamella over his shoulder and signaled to Hei Bao.

- I can leave those two to you right?

Jiti hovered unto Hei Bao's shoulder. He answered.

- CAW! He won't take long.

Hei Bao,

- Since when you compliment other people?

Jiti rolled his eyes and ignored the rude remark. Xián Leng was already at the window.

- Then we do as we planned. Let us meet at the same place; in the forest, then we'll head off.

Hei Bao nodded.

The old landlord and her daughters were waiting outside the place and saw how one of the handsome men, carrying the pretty boy, quickly gave his respects to them from afar, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye. The four believed that he was no ordinary man, and that he must be out of their world.

Not long after the other one hovered down casually tidying up his slightly ragged robes and carrying an ugly stained bag over his shoulder. He glanced at them and bowed thanks to their hospitality and faithfulness. They four blushed in bashfulness. They only did what felt right.

He smiled and quickly but not as fast as the other, disappeared with a black bird screaming for him to slow down a little.

The group of men and bird looked odd. The women didn't know if they were good guys, or bad ones. All they knew was that the men didn't appear as heartless and evil as the people who were still unconscious in the second floor's guestroom.

The women smiled.

They had helped save a life.

That's a good thing, right?