The Dagger

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Soon after.

The carriage finally stopped. Hong managed to grip the horse leash and pull them to stop. He hurt his palm from pulling the reins too tight. The wound that was still bleeding a little made him moan. But he thought in such a state of panic situation he was doing great. He managed to pull himself up and took over the reins.

But, where is this?

It was dark, there was only a small house at the end of the road. His brother's entourage didn't catch up with him. Did the carriage run that far?

Hong poked his head out of the carriage. He was so scared but he had to see where he was. He pulled out a small dagger from his sleeves, which his Father gave him for his protection. Pulled it out of its sheath, ready to protect himself while he got off the carriage. Slowly, he steps his foot outside. Carefully with his eyes wide open at the surroundings.

Hong almost jumped in surprise when he saw something moving in the bushes not far ahead. Were the bad guys chasing him all the way there? Not having his brother or Da Huang with him right now, Hong gulped. What should he do if he found bad guys there?

"Hello, w-who is there?" He exclaimed as he drew his dagger. It's too quiet. But he was so sure he heard something earlier. The kid drew closer, slowly. Step by step. Until suddenly something lunged at him from the bushes.

"Ah!"

It pushed Hong to the ground. Something so big and heavy pinning him down.

"Akh let me go"

Hong's eyes widened. It's a man, too heavy for Hong's thin body. From the dim light looked like a man who may be older, and he didn't move while holding something in his chest,

"Please Sir, ouch you're so heavy" Hong tried to get up. He fell and his dagger was nowhere to be seen. Hong feels a bit wet from the man's clothes, and it is red. Looks like blood.

Blood? Really? The man was covered in blood and his eyes shut tightly, he was already lifeless. Hong didn't hear the slightest sound of his breath.

"Ooh, please spare my life" he is scared of dead people who will revive as a ghost. This is horrible.

With all his might, Hong shifted the man away from him, trying to get up. While he tried, the object in the man's arms fell. A medium-sized box rolled to the ground and cracked open when it stopped.

"Brukk"

Hong managed to push the body off him. He tried to take a peek at what was scattered out of the box, which caught his attention. Something glittering at the corner of his eyes. He was just about to take it when he heard the sound of wind like a sword slashing past him. His eyes were big from the flashlight behind him.

"Shett!!"

He dodged quickly, and pulled his body away from someone in black clothes and the veil attacked him. The figure drew his long sword at the top of him.

"Akhhh!"

Hong rolled to cover behind the dead man's body. But the black figure again swung his sword aggressively. The young man rolled next to the wide-open box, took out the contents, and used it to block the sword which was now directly above his head

"Brother!" Hong shouted spontaneously.

This is crazy, Hong can't defend himself. The item, fortunately, resembles a small dagger, with a golden handle and sheath. But, even though it manages to block the sword that man's sword manages to scratch his hand. The fresh blood drips onto the dagger.

"Brother!" Hong couldn't hold it any longer.

He tried hard to hold him. There was a chance to fight back when the figure raised his sword to the air, ready to attack him again. Hong held the dagger, pulled it out of the sheath, and stabbed it at the figure's thigh.

"Akkh" The scream fills the night.

While the man fell from the wound, Hong had a chance to crawl to run. But that person didn't plan on letting him go. While holding his wound, with eyes wide he limped to charge at Hong. Hong had nowhere to go, he crawled backward.

"Don't come near me! I will do it again!" said Hong pointing the dagger with both hands on the hilt.

The man charged towards him, with his hand high to the sky. Hong's eyes find an open position when the figure does that. In such a short time Hong thought fast, he held the dagger and stabbed it again at the man's stomach. This time he stabbed it quite deep.

"Ahhh!"

Both froze. Hong gasped for breath, and he gave in as the person fell right on top of him, pinning him down with his eyes wide open.

"Akh"

Footsteps in rush approaching.

"Hong!" Fei's voice. He and others were fast approaching. Da Huang pulled the man who look like dead away from Hong.

"Hong!" Fei checked on his brother who had fallen with blood soaking his front clothes. The young man looks shocked with his eyes wide open while holding a bloodied dagger in both hands, shaking hard.

"B-Brother"

Fei checks on his brother's body to see if he is hurt or not, fortunately, the blood is not his.

"Hoh Hong" Fei pulled the young man at him and hugged him.

"I...I killed him, brother" Hong's voice trembled with shock.

Fei grabbed the dagger from Hong's hand. He turned to Da Huang who was checking the man.

"He's not dead yet," said Da Huang.

Hong hugged Fei Er tightly.

"Brother, I didn't mean to stab him, He attacked me", his hand and body still shaking.

Fei stroked Hong's back. Hold the young man's hand.

"It's fine, Hong, it's not your fault. You have to protect yourself. I'm so proud of you. You can do that by yourself. Good boy"

Lu Yan comes over and looks at some bodies lying in the streets.

Fei looks at him.

"Just give them to the local's security, tell them anything you have to, brother Yan," said Fei.

Lu Yan nodded.

"Yes, Young Master"

After that, the young man waved his hand and asked his men to secure the bodies.

"Come on, take them away"

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Soon the group headed to the inn.

After everything that happened everyone needed a comfortable rest.

Fei had just finished bandaging the wound on Hong Er's palm when Da Huang came in with his medicine bowl.

"Young Master, the medicine is ready"

Hong and Fei sat in front of the table. The dagger with the handle and the golden sheath with the unique shape and carvings were placed not far from them.

"Aww, it hurts brother"

Fei held Hong's hand from moving.

"It's a pretty deep wound, just hold it"

Da Huang looked at the dagger that had been cleaned of blood earlier.

The shape of the carving is very beautiful, the detail is perfect. There are several small stones resembling emeralds on the sheath. Red and purple, with details carvings resemble a bird's head on the hilt, and the gold color reflects a dazzling light.

"This is very good stuff, where did you get it, Young Master?" Da Huang asked he asked Hong's permission to pick him up for a closer look.

"Go ahead, Brother"

"Wow, this is not just a random dagger, it's very good," said Da Huang. The dagger is not so heavy, consider the gold and all the stones.

"Where did you get it from?" Fei asked.

"Well, the dead man hugged the box which turned out to be the dagger. I didn't intend to take it but I had no choice back then"

Da Huang tried to pull the dagger from the sheath, but it didn't budge one bit.

"Emm, it looks like it's stuck, Young Master. I can't get it out"

He tried several times, but the dagger didn't move. Look like it presses so tight to the sheath. Fei frowned, it was he, the one who put the dagger into the scabbard after being cleaned up. It hardly stuck. He stood up from his place.

"Really? Maybe you pulled it wrong."

Fei tried to pull out the dagger, yeah, but it didn't budge at all.

"This is so weird"

Fei was curious, the daggers looked in such good condition, can they only be used once?

"Hong, how did you pull it out?"

Fei handed the dagger to Hong. The kid didn't use much effort because of his injury, he pulled the dagger so easily from the sheath.

"Like this?"

Fei and Da Huang were stunned in their place. Both couldn't believe it, what's Hong's technique to pull that dagger and they couldn't?

Hong put the dagger back into its sheath and handed it to Fei.

"Here brother, try it"

Fei tried to pull it again, and he still couldn't and neither did Da Huang, he tried again but it failed.

Da Huang handed the dagger back to Hong.

"Young Master, how can you do that?"

Hong, who now doubted them. His two older brothers seemed to be testing him.

"It's so easy brother, just pull it" Once again he so easily pulled the dagger out.

"This is so weird, Young Master, how come only Young Master Hong can pull it out?"

Hong puffed his mouth out. These two might deliberately teasing him. How could, the number-one warrior and the talented swordsman not be able to pull out a small dagger from the sheath? They must be joking, he thought.

"You guys must be kidding, right?"

Fei took the dagger from Hong's hand.

"Give it to me, let's see if Brother Lu Yan can take it out or not"

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