I hate you

Chapter 4

It took them a total of three and a half days walk to reach the capital.
Even though they took the shortcut and barely rested in between and all three of them were exhausted to the point of just dropping on the ground and passing out they couldn't because it was too dangerous to delay for even a moment.

To avoid any trouble at the hands of righteous 'patriots' eager to please the emperor they were forced to disguise themselves with veils over their faces. They decided to rent a room at a shady inn away from the bustle of the center of the city.

The inn keeper, a ratty man in his mid thirties barely even paid them any attention as he greedily accepted the money.

The room was barely passable for living with worn down walls and as big as a small bathroom but it was the best they could do right now. Xei Ming didn't care...as soon as he fell on top of a makeshift futon he quickly fell into an exhausted sleep, as did Han Ren and Meilin.

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The next morning, unsurprisingly Xei Ming's body ached all over, especially his feet. they were killing him.

Blisters were starting to form on them but weren't anywhere bursting yet. Funny because it felt like they had.

They headed for the palace as soon as the sun began to rise, Han Ren and Meilin looking increasingly pale and jittery as they got closer to the palace.

Now that his eyes weren't drooping from exhaustion Xei Ming took the time to look around. The setting was of ancient China, from the houses to the clothing to the language the people were speaking. What he saw fascinated and intimidated him at the same time.

Especially that ginormous palace they were approaching. Big? More like gigantic, so beautiful it was intimidating. It stood there in the middle of the city, proudly as if looking down on the puny mortals below. It irked him to no end and even as he felt his hands grow clammy and his heart become uneasy.

He barely realized when they reached the front gates of the palace. A ridiculously large iron gate painted gold (or it may have been pure gold, but he refused to believe they could afford to be so lavish) with an eerily life like dragon coiling around the lock.

Two guards were standing in front of the gate looking increasingly menacing as they neared. They moved to pointed their spears at them.

"Halt! This is no place for peasants. If you have no urgent business then scram!" The guard who looked younger shouted.

Xei Ming perked up. Maybe they didn't have to go afterall? It was not their fault that two knuckle heads stopped them at the front gates before they could carry out the command of the emperor. Xei MIng thought hopefully.

His illusions were broken when Han Ren and Meilin took off their veil. Xei Ming gloomily followed their lead and took off his veil too.

There was a pause before one of the guards nodded. "You may enter" The older guard spoke in a neutral voice, it didn't match the look on his or his partner's which had grown even more fierce.

The younger spat as they passed by. Clearly an insult. Xei Ming snapped. He was not one to let unfounded insults pass. He was going to teach them a lesson, if it was the last thing he did.

Meilin looked behind right in time to catch her son's murderous look right before he turned with clenched fists. Terrified she hurriedly ran forward and dragged him away from the guards thanking the Gods they hadn't seen him trying to fight or they would surely have killed him.

She was more worried about him now more than ever. Ever since waking up his temper had been unpredictable. He had been so pliable before but then he hadn't known about their situation at that time. Thinking that they were simply poor and dreaming of one day going to the capital city and making money.

Now he was going to suffer like sister. Maybe even more.

Her heart clenched painfully and it was as if the weight of the entire world was on her shoulders.