Xuelei, Tears of Blood

Chapter 24 - Lady Ching

Lady Ching was a well- travelled person. However, not many knew her travels were because she was searching desperately for someone, a child, a child with something precious.

She walked towards the pavilion where the group was waiting for her. She had deliberately walked slowly, taking her time so that she could observe the two young guests.

Lady Ching had seen many things and had met many people. The pretty girl sitting in the pavilion with her handsome brother, Lady Lay and Lay Ting Ting was perfect, too perfect. Something was off.

The girl had the features of her former Master and Mistress, the face that she had been searching for all over the country for the past thirteen years. XueHua had the Master's beautiful dark eyes and long lustrous silky black hair, the Mistress' flawless pale skin and soft rosy lips. The young woman moved with a subtle yet lethal precision, Lady Ching recognised the controlled grace of someone who practiced martial arts, she was sure this girl could handle herself. She was also the correct age.

Lady Ching had only one problem with the girl, well, technically two.

One, she had a brother. The person she was looking for was an only child. The second problem was that she was looking for a male child, the firstborn son, heir to the Zhen family.

Lady Ching was in a dilemma. XueHua was the closet she had come to the lost heir of the Zhen family. The girl was perfect but was the wrong sex. She grinded her teeth in frustration.

She had come to the Lay mansion with such high hopes. She had inspected Jin first because he was male. He was gorgeous and charismatic but she dismissed him almost immediately, he did not have the traits of either the Master or Mistress.

The girl however, had both. She was calm and reserved, quietly observing everyone. She was almost the embodiment of Lady Ching's lost Master and Mistress merged into one body. Maybe, she should test the girl after all.

Lady Ching smiled as she entered the pavilion. She sat down opposite XueHua and without warning threw three naked blades at the girl's face. XueHua's eyes widened alertly but she did not panic or scream. She moved her head only slightly, to the left, then right, then leaned backwards, neatly avoiding the flying missiles. She stayed seated the whole time.

Jin was tensed, ready for action but stayed calm. He knew Xuelei could handle himself.

The next volley of blades came almost immediately. Xuehua turned a full circle in her seat, her long black hair flinging out as the little knives missed her face. She smiled sweetly as she deftly caught the last one between her index and middle finger, flicked her wrist and sent it flying back at her attacker.

Lady Ching gasped as she dodged her own blade. It thudded behind her, burying itself deeply into the support pillar. Xuelei had used the momentum of the blade, redirecting it back to its source. Her precision was amazing. Lady Ching was impressed. The girl was fast, alert and had used minimal energy to deflect her attack.

Lady Ching 's smile widened and she bowed slightly acknowledging XueHua's skills. A skilled assassin indeed. She had not believed Ting Ting's wild tales of the girl's actions in captivity, especially when her physical description contrasted so much with her supposed deliberate actions of taunting the kidnappers. No sweet young girl would deliberately put herself in danger to save strangers especially if it meant a brutal beating unless ... she was highly skilled and trained to do so safely.

Xuelei returned Lady Ching's smile. Jin relaxed.

Lady Lay and Lay Ting Ting stared open mouthed.

"What are you doing? That's my friend! You could have killed her!" Ting Ting gasped in horror.

"Ching! What was that? These are my daughter's guests!" Lady Lay cried in alarm. "I'm so sorry XueHua, Jin."