The Tired Villainess

Han Suyin - 3.14

Bo Dong was bested by a man who was half his age. He gestured for Han Xiu to come back inside.

Han Xiu walked back into the hut with Bo Dong following after him. Biyu, who was roughly pushed out of the hut, could only gape with her mouth open as she saw Han Xiu gain the upper-hand in a matter of minutes.

She ran inside the hut, staying close to Han Xiu. When Han Xiu saw the girl right beside him, he laughed.

"Doesn't seem so fun now, right Biyu?" He bent down to her height and whispered.

Biyu shook her head aggressively, the blush made its way onto her cheeks. "I k-knew that you wouldn't fail."

"Oh?" Han Xiu raised his perfectly scarred eyebrow. "What if they killed you as a warning?"

"Y-you wouldn't let that happen." Biyu shakily said.

"Are you sure about that?"

Before Biyu could reply, Han Xiu started speaking to Bo Dong. "So, what kind of deal do you want to make?"

"We sign a treaty of alliance, but we're not going to be considered as Jiu and we're not taking orders from the Emperor and following him like a dog, like you."

"Hmm..." Han Xiu sat down and poured some tea for himself. "Who said that I'm following the Emperor's orders?"

Han Xiu had his ankle on his opposite knee, a sense of danger surrounded him. He casually sipped his tea and nodded. "This is some good tea."

"What do you mean?" Bo Dong said questioningly.

"I said, this is good tea. Do you want me to-" Han Xiu got cut off by Bo Dong. "No! Not the tea! What did you mean when you said that you're not following the Emperor's orders?"

"Oh, that." Han Xiu put down his teacup. "I'm not here on behalf of him. I have a bone to pick with the people who are going to try and start a war."

Bo Dong saw no change in Han Xiu's posture and his voice didn't fluctuate, he was telling the truth. "Now let's get down to business." Han Xiu pulled out a piece of paper.

"State your conditions and I'll see if I can make it work." He got his brush out and a soldier came from behind to prepare the ink.

"We're not going to be known as part of Jiu."

"Acceptable." Han Xiu wrote it down on the paper with strong and elegant strokes. "But I'm not telling the Emperor about it."

Bo Dong became relaxed since Han Xiu said he wasn't following the Emperor's orders, he was still a bit cautious around him, but, his attitude started to cool down. He sat down and ordered someone to pour tea for him. 

"Fine, let that old dog think that he rules my land." Bo Dong took a sip of his tea.

Han Xiu had his head down when he was writing. When he heard Bo Dong, he looked up but his head was still facing down. At that moment, even an experienced man like Bo Dong, couldn't help but feel scared. The way the young man's eyes assessed him and narrowed, Bo Dong subconsciously sat up straighter. 

"Alright then, what else do you want?" Han Xiu put his head back up and looked at Bo Dong. 

"I want 5 crates of gold and 2 crates full of money." Bo Dong said. Han Xiu raised a brow. 

Why do you need money and gold?

 "1 crate of gold and 1 crate of money." Han Xiu counter-offered.

"4 crates of gold and 1 crate of money." Bo Dong didn't back down. "1 crate of gold, 1 crate of money and you get our protection when the army comes." Han Xiu offered a proposition.