The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

Mafan's face grew red. He thought he was finally safe.

"Shit, when does it stop!" He got irritated that he had celebrated too soon. He inspected the pathway in front of him and looked back to where he came from where Ming and the others were. He had nowhere to run this time, going forward would mean more people and facing General Lofey. And going back would mean facing those four again. 

He sighed in defeat, but at the time of desperation an idea popped into his head. He mysteriously moved forward, smiling even.

He raised his hands in surrender and went right up to where the soldiers and Tyriece were, as he neared the surface he could see people's faces shook as they saw him. Not only were they shaking, but they had also raised their swords in defense. 

It shocked Tyriece, as if he saw a ghost when Mafan appeared. Mafan was so dirty to where he seemed unrecognizable but his outfit and his peculiar way of putting his hair in a bun with a clip gave his identity away. He also never expected to see him that soon though he had hoped for it all to end but the way he saw him smiling like nothing was wrong, as though the man was willing to hand over himself to them. 

What is he up to, he's a proud man surely he wouldn't give himself away that easily? Tyriece thought things over in his mind, but he also inspected behind Mafan, thinking maybe he had some comrades waiting in the pathway to ambush them. 

"General?" a soldier called out for Lofey. The huge general came into view and walked confidently in front of Mafan.

"Finally, you'll regret running into me" he smirked but angrily and without warning he knocked Mafan right there and then. He carried the man's frail body onto his shoulder and commanded everyone else to resume what they were doing. 

Right on time Ming and Xinyi caught up to the group, both were exhausted but seeing Mafan unconscious on General Lofey's hands made them glad.

"Big brother, you got him" He smiled in victory, finally it was over Ming patted Xinyi's head. Tyriece nodded in Ming's way the knight continued opening the small pathway for Nianshi and Balin while doing so he kept thinking why Mafan would surrender so easily. 

He is an ambitious man surely he wouldn't have given himself up too easily. But then he shrugged it off and was ashamed thinking of those things when he should even be happy that their problems were over.

A few minutes later Nianshi had caught up with all of them with Balin on his shoulder.

"Alright men, it's time for us to head out. No reason for us to stay here." General Lofey gathered the men so they could finally rest and so he could also have a one-on-one interrogation with Mafan who he'd been so long dying to get his hands on. 

When they had reached the outside camp, the army had cheered for their arrival and they also felt victorious. Lofey hurried Mafan to his tent so he could beat him up and to ask him questions before he would turn him over to Ming. 

---- o ----

Xinyi could finally sit down after so many happenings, Nianshi walked over to her and provided her a blanket to warm herself.

"Thank you Nianshi, if it weren't for you back then we'd be done for" She smiled sweetly to her faithful warrior and as Ming saw this, he felt something twisted in his heart. Why is she so sweet towards him? She didn't even thank me for helping her in there. 

Just then he was shaken on how ill his reaction was towards Nianshi. He had felt nothing like this before. Although he hadn't been the best towards Xinyi in the past, but he had learned to care for her since he understood she was not at fault in this marriage. He stared towards her secretly in the dark as he sipped his tea, Xinyi was laughing with Nianshi and he felt terrible.

I should be the one you should laugh with, not him. He shook his head in disagreement. He knew that Nianshi was her mount and he should be glad she had one like him given that he had saved him a lot of times. But he still felt uncomfortable with the way she was happy with her guard and not with him. 

"Jealous?" 

Ming turned his head abruptly as he saw Balin smirking and staring towards Nianshi as he sat down on the huge rocks. 

"How long have you been stalking me?" Ming calmed himself down although he was a bit embarrassed since he didn't know what he looked like just earlier. Balin just shrugged and put down his crutches.

"Heh, long enough to feel all giddy on how you want to punch Sir Nianshi. I mean I understand she is beautiful and also your wife. Who wouldn't be protective over her?"

He didn't like the part where Balin had complimented her but the way he was reminded that they were married made him feel high and mighty again.

"Yeah she is beautiful isn't she?" Ming said those words without even thinking he then covered his mouth and blushed as he did so. He wondered to himself why would he feel shy since she was his? But then again he had felt something for Xinyi, and it wasn't because she was really gorgeous but there was something about her that made him feel so vulnerable. 

If beauty was the only thing he looked for in a woman, there were thousands of them in the city and hundreds who had admired him back in his clan. But Xinyi was different. She was not only for looks; she was radiating with kindness and the way she cared for the people she treasured made him long for her. 

Despite him being so ill to her at first, she had been submissive, though most of the time headstrong, but she was sweet and respectful towards him, aside from the painting and the demands. Also, he dared not think anyone would even care for him after so many hardsh.i.p.s he had put her through.  

As he was thinking on how lovely his wife was, Balin was next to him staring at Nianshi. He was curious on how he was so powerful and how he defeated those statues when he was badly injured at the point of death before they left him. 

Surely he wasn't normal. Even throughout an exhausting battle with those monsters, he still carried me until we got out. He looked up to Ming who seemed to smile gently he then silently walked out and went back to his tent to rest leaving the others to do what they were supposed to do.