The Story of Dusk 303 THE CALM BEFORE STORM

They were tracing their way back to Qianru and the others in silence. Only when the dusk was falling rapidly, Senja and Ye Xiu finally reached their location.

"Senja, what happened? Why did you run away like that?" Qianru looked so worry. "Senja… what happened?" Qianru repeated her question when Senja only stared at her with defeated face, it made her anxious. Something must have went wrong if Senja acted like that

"I am fine, don't worry. I just feel a bit overwhelmed." Senja said, blurted a lie like it was her second nature.

"So, why were you running like that?" Qianru still didn't buy her reason.

In the other hand Senja shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, trying to make an impression that it was a trivial matter that didn't worth to mention. "Like I said, I feel overwhelmed. I thought Master Ye Xiu was an enemy, thus I was very alert when I saw him, but then you said that he is Xiao Jun's master." Senja blinked her eyes to emphasize her innocence. "The relief that I feel was a bit too much for me to handle. I think I stressed out myself." Senja mumbled her last sentence.

Ye Xiu knew those were lies, but wisely let her be and took her moment with the other person. He knew, it could be the last moment that she had with them.

It wasn't convincing excuses and Senja could feel it, her own words didn't hold the water if Qianru decided to find out the truth and urged her to elaborate further, fortunately she didn't.

"I am glad you are fine." She just murmured these words and looked back Ye Xiu at the same time he did the same.

"Qianru, I want to talk to you about something." Ye Xiu started and Senja knew what the following conversation would be as she walked away from both of them and approached Yu Long and his wife who was holding Xiao Mugi's small hand.

After it was only the two of them, Ye Xiu talked. "I will take Senja with me."

"No, but why? Where you will take her?" Qianru immediately disagree, they should be together.

"I will take her to the capital city." Ye Xiu said in matter of fact tone.

"Master Ye Xiu, don't you know that the capital city is a battlefield right now?" Qianru gasped and her voice slightly trembling because of her nervousness.

"I know. But this is important." Ye Xiu was adamant with his decision. "We can't bring you with us, please look after Xiao Mugi." He said with finality and made Qianru couldn't say anything except agreed with that.

From afar, Senja looked at Qianru lowered her head, defeated while Ye Xiu squeezed her shoulder to give her some strength.

As Ye Xiu looked over at Senja, he nodded to indicate that it was their time to leave. Senja reciprocated it with gave him a faint smile.

"Alright, I think it is time for me to leave." Senja said to Xiao Mugi as she walked over to Qianru and both of them started to hug each other.

"Please, be safe…" Qianru whispered into Senja's ears, pleading sincerely for her safety.

Qianru was the closes figure of a big sister for Senja, since she never had one and both of them had been inseparable in these past months since Xiao Tianyao and Xiao Jun left to the battlefield.

As the sadness threatened to make an outburst if she talked, Senja nodded. Senja nodded once again before she released her.

Both women stared into each other eyes and smiled in understanding.

"We have to leave." Ye Xiu said as he approached Senja and Qianru.

Xiao Mugi, Qianru, the coachman and his wife were on the background when Ye Xiu and Senja waved them goodbye. But, when Senja was about to turn around and followed Ye Xiu into the dense of the forest, Xiao Mugi ran after her and hugged her leg.

Feeling the something bumped on her, Senja lowered her head and looked at Xiao Mugi.

The boy stared back at her with Xiao Tianyao's eyes, he looked expectant when he talked. "I know my father is busy. But, at least you can come back for my birthday right?"

Ye Xiu was surprised with Xiao Mugi's question, apparently the little boy was close to her.

"Alright."

Ye Xiu knew that answer was a lie.

***

It took five days and half to reach L city.

Ye Xiu chose to use water transportation to enter the city and as soon as they arrived at L city district 9.

Next to Ye Xiu, Senja was staring at the place far away. She missed her family as well, but she missed being here…

"We are here."

Ye Xiu's voice forced Senja's focus back to the matter at hand. She looked at the man secured their small boat as Ye Xiu stood up and reached out his hand to help Senja got off.

However, the scene in front of them wasn't like their expectation.

There are many soldiers stood on guard, Azura's soldier.

"Put it on." Ye Xiu gave her the straw hat.

Senja had worn her turban, but to make sure her hair didn't gave them unnecessary trouble, Ye Xiu insisted to make her used it. She complied without a word.

"Why they are here?" Senja hinted to those Azura's soldier, it supposed they were not here.

The last news they received mentioned Xiao Tianyao and Xiao Jun had taken over L city, but lost Q city. They were surrounded.

However, the situation that Senja watched now almost like Xiao Tianyao and Xiao Jun had lost L city as well.

Ye Xiu shook his head and replied in low voice. "I don't know, we will find out." He was at lost too as he didn't keep in tab with the news in the battlefield.

In front of them, before they entered the district, they needed to pass the post guards. It was the unexpected thing for them, Ye Xiu didn't calculate this and Senja didn't have any expectation about the situation. But, they clearly knew, something was wrong.

And this didn't sit well with her to think it was her farewell. Saying goodbye and left him when everything was going south for Xiao Tianyao, it felt cruel. She wanted to stand and fight beside him at this point and made sure everything would be alright for him.

She didn't want to leave him in this kind of situation.

How she could leave him in this kind of situation? How she could leave him when his plan didn't work and his live was in danger?

"Ye Xiu, what we should do?" Senja asked when the post guard only a few meter away from them and all the soldiers' eyes were on them.

"We need to pass them to be able enter the city." That was the only fact that he knew was right.

"They will check our identity…" Senja said in a matter of fact tone.

"I am aware of that." Ye Xiu nodded, he still remembered how it worked.

"And?" Senja glanced over at him and saw Ye Xiu was concentrated to assess his surroundings.

In an instant, she knew what was in his mind as his feeling cemented her guess. It was calm before storm.

Chapter end

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