Chapter 21

Zhao Gui shifted his view from the Prince to Liang Jiao. He didn't know when the Prince would decide they had ridden long enough and wasn't sure how long she could last. If she had to get whipped again….. when he glanced back this time, he noticed her wipe her eye. His hands gripped the reins of his horse. His master was too cruel.

When Prince Yi Feng finally stopped, they were at an inn. There were several horses outside of it tied to a grazing post. He pulled his horse towards the back of the inn, the others followed. He assumed he would have to wait for Lia Jiao to get here and wanted to get something to eat before then. If she didn't take too long, he might even spare her the whippings. If she made him wait for more then an hour, though….

When he finished tying up his horse, he turned around and stared with disbelief. Liang Lia Jiao was standing there panting. Her entire body was covered in sweat. Her face looked red and puffy, and her whole body was covered in dust and filth. His robe looked like it had been used to dig with. But she was there. She had actually followed the entire way. He knew he sped up several times over the last couple of hours, had she really kept up?

The other men were equally as surprised as the Second Prince. Zhao Gui was staring at the young girl with worried eyes, and a desire to comfort her.

She was oblivious to their staring. She fanned herself with her hand a few times, then crouched down, holding her knees to catch her breath. She gave up and laid down right there on the ground. Even though her entire body was worn out, her heart ramming in her chest, she felt a strange giddiness inside. She turned her dirty red face towards the Prince and gave him a cocky smile.

"There are a few horses in the front. Pick one out, then bring it back here into the stable, that's your reward," he said with the tiniest hint of praise.

She stared at him with excitement and jumped up. She instantly began to sway from the lightheadedness and fatigue. Zhao Gui reached a hand out to steady her. She put her hand on her head, trying to settle herself down. When she felt stable enough, she turned back to Prince Yi Feng and bowed to him with palpable joy then bounced off towards the front of the building even though every fiber of her being was calling for her to rest.

Prince Yi Feng watched her bounce off and had to laugh a little. She was like a stupid kid.

Qin Weimin, Zhao Gui, and Mao Guanglie looked at him in surprise. He never laughed. Even though it was just a little chuckle, it was so rare it made them all feel awkward for a moment. He ignored their weird expressions and told Qin Weimin to get a few rooms and some dinner. Qin Weimin headed off to do what he was told, but Prince Yi Feng didn't follow him inside. He walked quietly to the front of the inn and secretly, along with his other two guards, watched her pick out a horse.

Liang Lei Jiao was so excited to pick a horse out that she didn't worry about running to look, but now she could barely focus; she was so tired. She had her head rested against a white horse with a black tail, main and nose. His hair matted, and he was thin and unhealthy looking. She looked up into his eyes and fell in love at first sight. Next to this ratty horse were several fine-looking war horses, each trained and well bread.

The horse breeder stared at Lia Jiao in wide-eyed wonder. This horse wasn't even one of the ones he brought. Who would want this horse?

"Can I really have him?" She asked. No one knew when she noticed him, she might have known all along.

Prince Yi Feng looked at the nervous horse dealer, trying to figure out why he brought this horse. Not only that, he was trying to figure out why she wanted this horse.

Before he could mention his uncertainty to the horse dealer, a drunk man walked out and staggered towards the horse Lia Jiao was leaning against. He was oblivious to the onlookers, including the resting Liang Lia Jiao, who had her face pressed against his horse. When he got to the horse, he yanked on its hair using it to pull himself up.

Liang Lia Jiao stared up at him with shock.

"You! What are you doing? This is my horse!" She barked. "You stop pulling his hair."

The drunkard finally noticed he wasn't alone and turned his eyes towards Liang Lia Jiao, seeing she was a pretty young lady he felt inclined to move closer to her. "Come with me, and I'll let you ride together with this Gege. This is my horse, but I will share it with you." He messily gestured for her to come closer to him. He didn't seem like a bad person, he was just really drunk.

Liang Lia Jiao seemed to realize that this horse was not one of the one's she could pick from. Her eyes darted towards the other three strapping horses. Each of them well-groomed and beautiful. It was apparent they were worth much more than this scraggly horse, but her heart was set on him. It was just set. This was already her horse.

"That's your horse right there," she said, pointing to the first one.

The drunkard turned his eyes towards the horse she pointed to, confusion making him squinch his face in an attempt to concentrate. "I'm on the wrong horse?" He looked at the horse beneath him then back to the one she pointed at.