His Lady, Han Ruo

Qiu Ming (1)

Qiu Ming felt like his head could fall off his neck. He groaned, eyes very much refusing to open and body reluctant to obey. He tried to move but felt his nape burst with pain.

The first thought that came to mind shocked him.

Was he dead?

He tried to remember, despite an aching body and head, what he did last night.

Oh right. He tried to kill Han Yu Yan.

Qiu Ming groaned as he felt his body, blindly trying to move. Since he still could feel pain then maybe he was not dead but going there. With the thought in mind, he didn't want to bother waking up. Knowing Liang Zemin's partiality, his own beheading would come real soon. Might as well catch some shut eye.

Qiu Ming was very much happier dozing off until he heard the sobbing.

Well, he wasn't dead yet.

Opening his eyes, he adjusted and realized he was in a vague yet familiar dark room. It was damp and smelled like garbage but he nonetheless looked around despite wanting to gag. Did Liang Zemin throw him in prison?

His eyes adjusted but the sight that met him made him taste blood.

All around him were children of different ages huddling together with pitiful appearances. The worst off only had rags on while others had clothes ranging from commoners to the elite. A lot were sobbing in corners while others stared dazedly at fixed points, seemingly unable to comprehend their current predicament.

This horror was very familiar to Qiu Ming. In fact, he had once lived to tell the tale about it.

The sobbing continued, but Qiu Ming laughed suddenly, attracting attention.

"What are you laughing about, big brother?" A raspy voice said beside him.

Qiu Ming looked at him and smiled.

"I was thinking of a way out of here."

16 years ago was probably the most horrific experience Qiu Ming ever had in his life. Since he had lived near the borders, naturally calamity was bound to happen. If he remembered correctly, his parents had died in an ambush and he was kidnapped by bandits. They meant to turn him into a child prostitute.

Coincidentally, he had also met Han Ruo 16 years ago.

The smile on Qiu Ming's face widened so much that the other children thought he had gone crazy. However, at the mention of the word escape, many looked to him with hopeful eyes.

"R-really?" The hoarse boy squeaked. "You can get us out of here?"

"Aye."

"Don't be stupid!" Another voice shouted. "Unless your parents can pay for us none of us can escape!"

Qiu Ming turned to look at the child who just spoke and saw a little girl huddled in the corner. Judging by her clothing she must be from an aristocrat's family.

The sight of her fine clothes alarmed Qiu Ming to an even more important priority of the day.

That is, he had to find Ah Ruo first.

Qiu Ming did not understand why he had been reincarnated to his 10-year old self. However, he did know that in this lifetime, he was going to make things right for his friend.

Closing his eyes, he remembered how Ah Ruo had stabbed herself in the heart and clenched his fists. Never again would he let her feel loss. Never again would he allow her to be abused. He would never allow her to die infront of him again.

He was going to protect his bestfriend, just as she protected him.

Qiu Ming opened his eyes, his gaze tinting with a hint of malice.

"Don't worry." He said in a light voice. "I promise I won't be stupid this time."

《●●》

The sound of heavy footsteps caused the children to quiver in fear. Several gruff looking individuals suddenly dropped down from an open hatchet in the ceiling, smiling with yellow teeth and coarse laughter. At the sight of the vulgar men, children started to cry.

"Shaddup!" A burly bandit barked. He brandished sickle and threatened to kill them all. A lankier bandit stooped down to survey the kids more closely, his lecherous eyes staying a few seconds longer on the young girls. As he roamed around the room, his eyes caught sight of a pretty young boy in a corner. The crook's smile widened and approached his partner.

"This one's quite the catch." He remarked. He turned to look at the boy again but found him glaring back at him coldly. This enraged the bandit who sauntered forward and kicked at the child viciously.

"You runt! Who are you looking at?" He kicked a few more times before he was satisfied. When he was done, the burly bandit went over and dragged the boy with him.

"You piece of shit, let's see your smug look once we're done with you." Both thugs cackled at this boy's trembling body, unaware that as they ascended, the child's eyes were crystal clear.

When he was 12, Qiu Ming had joined the army. Due to circumstances, he had been dismissed three years later and was made to serve Han Ruo as she married into the Yuan family. But despite his dismissal, his body and mind retained the experience and skill he had gained through ruthless training.

He had killed people before, naturally he wouldn't be scared of dying as well.

He now thought of his current situation as child's play.

Qiu Ming let himself be dragged to the upper floor, his bum immediately contacting cold wood. Though the place was still dark, one could see light streaming out from the cracks of a door at the end of the hall. Seeing this, Qiu Ming could barely contain his loathing.

In his first life he had been dragged in the exact same style and was presently going to go into the exact same room. What awaited in that room had changed his life forever. He couldnt help but smile coldly.

The bandits dragged him and opened the door. They stepped into an illuminated hallway, the wood flooring polished this time. They then proceeded and stepped into another room.

Qiu Ming was thrown into a tub of water and had both his hands pinned to his sides. The men left him with a coarse-looking woman who then proceeded to scrub him clean. His clothes were torn off and he was fitted into a flimsy robe.

Seeing the indignant look on his face, the woman spat then dunked his head into the tub forcefully.

"Don't bother drying off!" She barked. "Where you're going, you don't need to be dry." At this she cackled and forced him outside. The two bandits caught him and rushed him into a nearby room.

Upon entering, Qiu Ming inhaled a heavy scent. His eyes flashed and his nails dug into his skin.

And so it has begun.