The markets of Han are bustling as usual, children running around and women gossiping. The sun shone bright, and the blue skies reflected porcelain bottles. Most of the Chinese states broke away from the Qin regime, and now it had only the Han under its control. Every corner of the former capital was not prosperous. People were still slaves to the Qin army and the people. The ministers often take the people of Han for slavery and dirty work. However, some people did the dirty work for the regime. It was not their wish; they never had a guiding force. Despite having patriotism, their minds were reduced to that of cattle.
However, on the outskirts of the capital, another battle was drawing on. The battle of bounty hunters, the people whom the regime employs to get their dirty work done. Two people came on their horses to the village. The villagers and the chieftain came running to collect the supplies. They had smiles on their faces, the symbol of happiness. The woman and man smiled, and the children came running to them.
"Sister Lei and brother Wei!"
Both of them got off their horses. The children hugged them. Lei grabbed the smaller one and gave him a piggyback ride. Wei also held the children's hands and took them on the horses.
"Sister Lei, where is your leader?"
"He is on another duty, Miwa"
"How can you be so powerful despite being 16 years old?"
The child asked her, his eyes shone, and he smiled. The child was puzzled, and it was a question out of admiration.
"It's all because of our leader; the three of us are the strongest"
"Yeah, our leader is the strongest"
Wei joined the conversation and declared that their leader was the strongest.
"Lei, come here!"
Lei had some friends of her same age in the village. The girls called her to their hut. She went running to meet and talk with them.
"Where were you these days?"
"Ah...we had several missions, including the ones to procure supplies"
She smiled and replied. Her eyes glittered, and her pale white skin radiated. Her long and silly hair made them all captivated.
"Lei, tell me, how is it going with Wei?"
One of the girls asked her this question to know about their relationship. Lei blushed instantly after hearing that. Her face was downcast, and it was evident that she was embarrassed.
"We...we haven't done much"
"Haven't done much!?"
"What are you telling Lei? This is your time. You two will be alone, just kiss him!"
Lei's face turned red, and she turned away instantly after hearing the word 'kiss'. She was too shy to even talk to Wei about the missions.
"See if you don't do anything, I will take him"
One of the girls declared that she was interested in Wei. However, the rest of the girls were having another thought in their minds. The thought about him.
"Lei, where is Wan?"
"Yeah, where is he? Why didn't he come with you?"
"The leader is away on another mission"
"Lei, he is the same age as us, right?"
Another girl blushed and asked Lei. They were all embarrassed to ask about Wan.
"Wait, do you all like him?!"
Lei was surprised after hearing that they all liked him. She thought about Wan Heian, and she also found him pretty handsome. His masculine look, those sharp eyes and pale white, and the aura he gives off. As a strategist and dangerous warrior, he was black listed, and his physique is on a whole other level.
"No wonder you all like him"
"Lei, is he with a woman?"
"No, he is not, I don't know about. We are only comrades and friends."
"So you are not our enemy"
They had subconsciously decided on Lei as their enemy in terms of getting Wan Heian. They were all fantasising about their lives with him.
"Anyone help us!!"
Someone shouted, and Lei ran to check it out. Wei also reached there to do the same. 20 rogue warriors were attacking the villagers. Wei, without any hesitation, ran to slash their heads. Lei also took her daggers and headed to do the same.
"Take it!"
She leapt onto one of them and slashed his throat. Wei was also doing the same to all of them. One of them grabbed Wei by his neck and punched him on the head. Wei fell, but he was on his feet. He punched that man again, this time he kicked him while he was on the horse and hit him with a stone.
"Wei!"
Lei shouted to and ran to him. Another man caught her by her hair and started to pull it. He extended his head to do something inappropriate. All the others stared at her lustfully, and the interest of pleasure shone in their eyes.
"Wei...no"
SFX: HORSE
Someone came there on his horse. The man was wearing body armour and had two swords on his back. He had a headband that read 'thousand victories'. His golden body armour shone in that sun, and the end of his headband levitated in the air. He had pale white skin and sharp eyes. Spiky hair and the physique of a warrior. The man rode towards the warrior who stood there, grabbing Lei's hair.
"Who are...."
SFX: STAMP
He directly stamped on his face while getting off the horse and kicked him down. The others instantly recognised that symbol of the headband, and one of them called out his name due to fear.
"It's him!! That headband! It's Wan Heian! Bounty king Wan Heian!"
Thus appeared Wan Heian; he stood there with those terrifyingly sharp eyes. Lei was truly shocked seeing her leader here.
"Leader...?"
"Everything will be okay now. Lei, look after Wei"
Lei quickly ran to Wei and checked him. He had injuries on his forehead and arms. He was bleeding from his leg, also.
"Most likely you all were hired by Li Quin, eh?"
They were surprised after hearing the name of their leader from Wan's mouth. They couldn't figure it out.
"Ah...that man died, or rather, I killed him"
Now, most of Wan's sentence was becoming unbelievable for them. They attacked him together to kill him.
"What the hell are you telling you, little!"
"So it is like that, eh?"
Wan quickly focused and drew out that violet aura. His eyes glowed, and he started to radiate violet sparks.
"Sakuramistuki"
He drew out the sword 'Ao' and headed straight for the man who stood in front of him. It felt like just a wind, like wind stabbing him, and something flowing out. He fell, and blood pooled on the ground.
Wan changed his direction and leapt to the top of his horse. From there, with a frontflip, he leapt again and landed on the horse of another man.
SFX: SLASH
He slashed off his head and landed on the ground. He dashed and slid under the legs of the horse. The moment he reached the other side, he did a back flip and slashed off the head of another man from that position. He kept Ao back and ran towards another guy. He also ran, but there was no other way. A fist appeared behind him, like a mentor, and it hit his head and broke his skull.
SFX: SMASH
The villagers also arrived in that spot with their hoes and ploughs. All of them started to clash with them. Some of them beat them and made them run out of the village. Wan Heian was still on the action.
Without wasting any time, he headed straight for another man. Three men headed towards Wan to slash him. The sound of the horses reverberated in his ears. The smell of the soaked grass relaxed him. The next moment, his veins and muscles became like iron bars. He held one of the horses by the leg, which made it gallop. The man fell from the horse.
"Ao"
He threw his sword, Ao, and it pierced through the man's chest and exited from the other side. One of the horsemen died, and now two are left.
"Hekireki"
Wan Heian's speed increased, and now he dashed to them. From the back, he slashed one of their heads and stabbed the other. Both of them lay there as if thunder had struck them. Wan Heian stood amid all those dead bodies; he sheathed his swords. The violet aura erupted from his body, and his eye glowed, like a demon who had finished his hunt.
Inside a hut, Wei was being treated, and near him stood Lei. Her distraught eyes and her shivering hands made the woman realise her love for that man. Tears rolled down her face as she saw blood all over Wei.
"Women should be more resilient"
The old lady looked at Lei's eyes and told her. That is when Lei thought about their job; they were always being protected by Wan, who did all of the fighting while keeping them as helpers. They had never seen who he fought, how big an enemy he had to encounter every day.
Her face was downcast, and she was silent. However, her eyes reflected the oath she had made. That oath echoed in her head.
"I will get strong enough to fight alongside Wan"
Wei's eyes moved, with reluctance, he opened his eyes to see the ceiling. In front of him stood a crying Lei. Who couldn't forgive herself. Despite being the vice leader of their unit, she was just useless. At the same time, her eyes shone with determination. Wei smiled after seeing that look in her eyes.
"You are truly beautiful"
"Eh?"
Before her lay Wei, who had already opened his eyes. Her happiness reflected in his eyes, and she shouted and hugged him.
"Wei...!"
Wan Heian stood outside the cottage listening to them. He was also overjoyed after knowing that they had finally understood each other. A small memory flashed inside his head, the moments he shared with the merchant group. Their laughs and their final moments. He looked at that clear sky and clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"I am on my way to becoming the Great General, everyone"
Wan Heian informed others about the next mission. The mission is to kill all the Xiongnu assassins in the Ni Rong village. Lei and Wei decided to stay in the village until Wei's injuries heal. Along the descending sun, Wan Heian headed to the west, on his white horse.