Three ex-husbands and a marriage

Retreival mission

Each day I wrote a letter to the crazy man to return my pendant and break off the engagement. The initial letters were polite and persuasive, almost pleading. But the more he brushed me off, the more edgy my letters became. Soft methods didn't work so I turned to bluntness and hostility, threatening him with our clan's deflection and other meaningless threats.

All I got it return was the same two words. Be patient.

How can I be patient? Everyday my body recovers its mobility is a day closer to my escape and the biggest barrier to its success is the jade pendant in his hands. I was shocked to learn that it is tradition in this country to imbue the betrothal pendants with a small part of the owner's spiritual essence. The white jade in the shape of a half crescent moon contains Muon Rui An's spiritual essence. It acts like a GPS that can track its owner's location and mood.

Just like that, the golden eagle pendant also tracks Man Chiu's whereabouts. I shook my head in disgust. In this world, marriage is taken too seriously that it's people make a new meaning to being joined together, for better or for worse. No wonder Man Chiu had a dog like adoration towards the female lead once she won over his heart.

This means that I cannot afford to leave without retrieving the pendant from his hands otherwise I will be forever be within his grasp. If one day he decides that he needs my heart, he can easily track me down to the ends of the earth.

Living while always looking backwards for danger is worst than death, so I decided that I should live up to this character's setup and become as demanding, unreasonable and obnoxious as possible.

If I cannot make him return it willingly by pleads and words, then I must try to steal it back action. I am determined to escape by nook or by crook. The jade in his hand is like a sword dangling over my head and something I cannot accept.

As soon as I could walk around the small inner courtyard without any pain, I knew that the time is near. These next few days is crucial to my escape as it was reported that the body's mother is returning with her army in a week's time. If I cannot escape now with the reduced security then it would be impossible to escape then.

"Xu Mi, let us prepare to go to Man Chiu's palace now. Arrange for one hundred soldiers to accompany us. Bring your hidden sword and attack at my command," I said.

Xu Mi's jaws dropped and she stuttered, "Miss...are we picking a fight with the Man clan?"

"No, just with that lunatic, Man Chiu. Come on, I want to wear the fiery red hunting dress and bring out my favourite whip. Hurry, we must seize the day!"

Xu Mi put aside her own reservations and ordered the servants to hastily fulfil my orders while I dressed up in the stunning dress.

The combo of blood red silk dress with black leather belt and black riding boots anointed me with the confidence that I lacked. In the mirror I could see that I stood up taller and straighter than before. The round fur hat with lovely black pom-poms dangling from strings attached to the back two thirds of the hat just touches my shoulders. It is a truly beautiful outfit but the softness of the fur made me look too feminine and soft. For the fight, I need a tougher exterior so I drew darker eyeliners and sharp cat eye edges to create a more dramatic and cold look. I looked at the mirror in stunned satisfaction. This female fatale look tinged with overwhelming privilege and arrogance is simply perfecto!

Unfortunately I am still too weak to ride a horse and need to settle for a carriage instead. I hope to increase the threatening vibe with the two rows of armed guards. As I walked towards the carriage my eyesight became instantly drawn to the soldier on horseback. Cold, aloof and with an oppressive killing intent. He looked like the leader of the troops, so he must be a capable fighter.