The carriage shook violently as it navigated through the rough, uneven road but that didn't stop Jiang Yunlan from taking a nap. He sat calmly inside the carriage,his head resting lazily on the back of his hand,his eyes closed,a serene expression on his handsome face with his body jerking every time the carriage hit a pothole.
Seated across from him was a beautiful maiden in a pink dress,a sheathed sword resting on her lap. Jiang Xiaoyan was Yunlan's maid,a fierce beauty with exceptional fighting skills and an extremely loyal companion.
"Young Master according to the map Second Young Master gave us, there must be a small lake ahead. Should we make a stop there?" Jiang Xiaoyan asked, reading a book as she took advantage of the moonlight seeping through the carriage curtains to get a clear view of the details.
"Mm,"Jiang Yunlan hummed in agreement, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Should we spend the night there?" Jiang Xiaoyan asked again.
"Sure."
A group of men on horseback followed closely behind,their stances alert their swords ready. Jiang Yunlan as the third son of Prime Minister Jiang and his father's most cherished son had been personally tasked by his father to deliver something important on his behalf therefore he had a troop of well trained soldiers tag along to provide extra security.
"Young Master have you read Scholar Shi's novel' Love in the Future?" The girl asked enthusiastically, flipping a page , leaning forward to read the content.
"That ridiculous novel that talks about the future?" Jiang Yunlan asked in a monotonous tone.
"Yes. He said that people will be able to fly in the future."
Jiang Yunlan snorted,"Ridiculous."
"I wish I could see the how the future looks like,"she said and suddenly became quiet , shifting her attention back to the novel.
All of a sudden, whooshing sounds of arrows being shot were discerned,the horses neighed in distress and the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Sounds of swords slashing in the air filled the atmosphere, Jiang Xiaoyan cautiously lifted the curtain and peeked outside.
Some horses and some of the soldiers had been shot and were lying on the ground,the rest fighting back against the mass of arrows being shot at them. Jiang Xiaoyan dropped the curtain and turned to face her master. Jiang Yunlan was now fully awake with an alarmed expression on his face.
"Young Master it's an ambush,"the maidservant stated the obvious.
"The Dragon Seal is very important of course many people must be after it," Jiang Yunlan pointed out.
Their journey had been suspiciously smooth and now it turned out it was actually the calm before the storm. They had anticipated attacks earlier but since they diverted to a secret route,astray from the normal one they kind of believed they were safe.
"Not many people know about this route. The one who set the ambush is not an ordinary person,"Jiang Xiaoyan pointed out.
An arrow suddenly flew directly through the window to the inside but Yunlan was quick enough to dodge it.
"Young Master,let me check it out,"the maidservant informed before getting off the carriage. Immediately she stepped down,she was shocked to see most of their men lying lifelessly on the ground. The scene twisted something inside her and she instantly saw red. She unsheathed her sword stepping into the temporary battlefield .
"WHAT KIND OF FACELESS COWARD DARES TO ATTACK US ? IF YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO FIGHT US WHY DON'T YOU SHOW YOURSELF YOU SPINELESS COWARD!"She yelled provokingly, slashing the arrows with agile movements while flying back and forth.
"Even when you're about to die you still have a sharp tongue,"a gentle yet sarcastic voice slashed through air amidst the chaos. A man dressed in blue robes and a black fur cloaked flew down landing gently in front of her followed by his little army of masked men with bows and arrows.
"Second Young Master!" Jiang Yunlan yelped in surprise,her lips parting in shock, stumbling a few steps backwards.
"What? Are you that surprised to see me?" the man mocked,his thin lips twisting into a smirk.
"Jiang Lei what do you want?" the girl asked with rage,her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword.
Jiang Lei chuckled mockingly as if she had just asked a foolish question,"What do I want? Why don't you ask your Young Master?"
"My young master has always cherished you . Why are you doing this?" She questioned still in confusion yet with rage because it made no sense that the one who had betrayed them was actually the one they trusted the most. If it were Yunlan's other brothers, everything would have made sense.
"I have no time to argue with a lowly servant like you.Brother Yunlan why don't you hand over the Dragon Seal to your dear brother?"
He asked with a gentle voice akin to that of someone making a request but the meaning behind his words was completely different. It wasn't a request it was a threat disguised as one.
"I won't let you harm my Young Master!" Jiang Xiaoyan declared gritting her teeth angrily,her beautiful almond shaped eyes held a murderous glint in them. Without wasting time,she lurched forward with her sword,her intentions evident through her deadly moves. Jiang Lei stepped back , letting his army fight on his behalf. His combat skills were less proficient so he was sure he wouldn't tackle a trained fighter like her.
Jiang Xiaoyan took down several men on her own before she was interrupted by her young master who had decided to reveal himself.
Jiang Yunlan stepped out of the carriage calmly with an unreadable expression on his face. Even in the face of danger he didn't seem tense at all.
"My good brother you're so good at pretending. Disguising as a carefree and wandering painter and musician to hide your true intentions. You won't get the Dragon Seal,"Jiang Yunlan stated with a smirk.
Jiang Lei's fingers clenched into fists, his nails digging deeper into the flesh on his palms,his jaw tightened feeling humiliated as he watched his younger brother treat him indifferently. That was he loathed the most. Jiang Yunlan was born lucky,he had everything; looks, talent,love from parents,a good reputation and everything else a young man needed in order to thrive well in this mundane world. While he on the other lacked strength,was deprived of his parents' love so he naturally felt inferior to Yunlan and he couldn't help but envy him.
"I'll kill you here today to remove a thorn on father's side," Jiang Yunlan asserted pulling a long, narrow sword that had been cinching his thin waist like a belt. A fight broke out and despite being outnumbered Jiang Yunlan and Xiaoyan had the upper hand. They slit their enemies' throats mercilessly,blood splashing on their faces ,some staining their attires. Jiang Lei cowered in fear seeing how his men had been taken down in a jiffy,he stumbled backwards, shaking like a leaf on a windy day.
"JIANG YUNLAN!"Jiang Lei cursed,each syllable dripping with a mixture of rage and abhorrence towards his brother and the fact that his plan had become unsuccessful.
"Young Master,be careful!" Jiang Xiaoyan shouted in a panicked voice,her eyes widening when she saw an arrow propelling rapidly towards Jiang Yunlan. Yunlan was caught off guard and froze, unable to dodge and out of instinct, Jiang Xiaoyan stepped in front of him acting as a shield and the arrow pierced right through her chest,a few inches away of her heart.
"Xiaoyan!"Jiang Yunlan moved forward, catching her body before she could land on the ground.
"Young Master,why do you look so worried?" Jiang Xiaoyan asked in a weak voice,her breath weakening,an impact of the deadly weapon stuck inside her flesh.
"How can I not worry?" Jiang Yunlan questioned back getting emotional. It was one of the rare instances that he would reveal his emotional side. Xiaoyan had followed him for years. Though Yunlan wasn't an expressive man he evidently treasured her so much that he let her have the same surname as him.
"Young Master, don't let him escape. You have to deliver the Dragon Seal."
"I'll definitely avenge you,"Jiang Yunlan promised looking into her teary eyes that usually held galaxies whenever she was happy. For a moment they got lost in each other's eyes but Jiang Xiaoyan could no longer hold the stare as she could feel her body weakening,her eyelids becoming heavy and she then collapsed.
"Xiaoyan! XIAOYAN!" he cried out shaking her motionless body.
In one swift motion,he lifted her body and took her to the carriage and ordered his remaining men to ride away and seek a doctor to treat her while he remained behind to avenge her.
******
~Modern era ~
"Sir, tomorrow is Second Young Master's art gallery event. Will you be attending?" Jiang Yunlan's secretary Rui Cheng asked trailing behind his boss.
"I'll see,"Jiang Yunlan said subtly checking the time on his wrist watch. It was half past nine. He had been quite busy at the company that he would work overtime in order to complete pending tasks. They walked towards the parking lot and immediately his sleek black car came into view,he pressed the key fob and unlocked the car. While Rui Cheng slid into the driver's seat, Jiang Yunlan reached for the door to the back seat and yanked it open only meet the shock of his life- a young woman in a pink hanfu dress was lying on the back seat .
For the first time in his life,Jiang Yunlan lost his composure and screamed in shock waking up the young woman from her slumber.
"How did you get in?" Jiang Yunlan chocked out in a shocked voice,his hand pressed firmly against his chest to pacify his racing heart.