"But before we leave, aren't we forgetting something?" Yu-ji questioned while looking at Qing Feng.

"Let's go." Qing Feng kept his sword and take a step towards his horse.

"Hey you! Stop right there!" Yu-ji angrily point at him.

Stopping his track, Qing Feng turn back to see this petite cute looking lady that he almost injured.

"Aren't you supposed to apologise to me for your rash actions earlier on? Not to mention that you impulsively attacked me and even if you had no intention to injure me, you are in the wrong for misunderstanding me." Yu-ji corrected Qing Feng.

Qing Feng remain silent while staring dead at her. Knowing that the atmosphere is getting heavier, Qi Yuan stood in.

"Now now, Yu-ji Gu Niang? I am the master of Qing Feng, you can call me Qi Yuan. As his master, I would like to sincerely apologise to you for causing unintended trauma. Qing Feng is my personal knight that safeguard and ensure my safety, so actually he is just doing his job to keep me safe. I hope you can forgive his actions as it is unintentional."

Since Yu-ji received the apology that she wanted, even though it is not from the person she aimed at, holding onto the grudge will make her look like a narrow-minded person. Awkwardly, Yu-ji bow in front of Qi Yuan.

"Yu-ji shall accept Qi Yuan Gong Zi's apology."

[Gong Zi: 公子 A polite form of addressing a male]

With the purpose of the meetup being accomplished, the group of three evolved into a group of four, continued on their journey to Kai Kingdom. Qi Yuan, being the leader of the group, lead them through the smooth journey to his birth country.

Yu-ji, who had a bad first impression on Qing Feng, ignored his existence throughout and did not want to associate with him at all. And to return the favor, Qing Feng also give her a cold shoulder with a questioning glare on every stupid things she did.

In fact, only Jae-in and Qi Yuan got along quite well with one another. As they start to converse more, she realised that he is someone who possess broad knowledge and talent, which he seems to be hiding desperately under the mask of being a never-growing-up young master.

Both of them got even closer as they realised they are of the same age, 20, this year. With this, they started addressing one another by name and not with suffix to their status. Qi Yuan also begin to have a pleasant feeling towards this beautiful lady that he accidentally stumbled upon, which is rare for those who actually knows him well.

After getting along for the past one month, he knew that she is someone of a very high status, or even a noble with authority based on the way she carried herself, the speech of tone, and the broad knowledge that a mere noble lady who is bound in the courtyard of her rich household could never possibly possess.

Qi Yuan recalled the expensive Ke Zhan that he accidentally fell into, it is not a place a normal noble lady could afford. However, seeing that she is doing her best to escape from something to live a life of her own, being a friend of hers, he will definitely support her in any ways he could.

"Jae-in! What do you want to eat tonight? I am thinking of catching some fishes along the streams and get Qing Feng to hunt from rabbit meat. I am sorry that tonight we will need to camp outside in the forest as it's too late to head to the next resting inn." Qi Yuan said.

"No worries, all shall be accordance to your words." Jae-in smiled.

This is the life she have yet to experience and everything seems so fresh and interesting.

As the group settled down to the spot that they will spend the night, every individual start to carry out their own task. Qi Yuan heading to the lake for the fishes, Qing Feng entering further into the forest for the hunt, Yu-ji scout nearby for any edible fruits to store for the trip while Jae-in stayed behind to guard the fire.

A sudden scream from Yu-ji broke Jae-in's attention from the fire and head immediately towards her voice. Once she reached, a group of bandits came to sight, with one of them holding Yu-ji in his arm and fingers firmly planted on her throat.

"Yo, look what we have here? Just when I thought we are lucky to have such a cute looking lady, now here we are having a good looking man. Hey young man, how much do you think you are worth if I sell you to a brothel?" The leader of the bandit shameless scan Jae-in's body, despite her being in a male outfit.

"Let go of her." Jae-in deepen her voice.

"No can do. Brothers! Capture him alive and head back to the mountains." He laughed as though he is in victory.

Jae-in reach out to the sword behind her and is prepared to attack any men who approach her, but in a single attack, the 4 guys who were the lackeys fell straight to the ground. In a blink of an eye, Yu-ji escaped from that filthy man and transferred into the arms of the very arrogant yet handsome knight who saved her life.

Still in tears of fear, Yu-ji stared at Qing Feng while he also looked at her to make sure she is not injured. With a single blow, he killed the leader of the small bandit group and release Yu-ji.

Wiping her tears away and calmly compose herself from the ordeal, she shyly look at Qing Feng with the intention of wanting to thank him for saving her life. But what comes out from Qing Feng mouth strikes a lightning to Yu-ji's heart.

"Don't be a burden."

With this single sentence, the smile that Yu-ji is making cracked and she see him turn away heading to the side of the tree to pick up the rabbits he hunted, proceed back to the campsite.

'I absolutely hate this man. I hate him! How can he say such things to someone like me who did not ask for this treatment!' Yu-ji fumed in angry with tears flooding her face as she is also helpless to in be such vulnerable state.

Knowing that Yu-ji is hurt, Jae-in went over to hug her into her arms.

"It's not your fault. Do not ever blame yourself. You did well by shouting to gather my attention so I can save you."

"But.. *Sniff* I am sorry... I ... I am so weak that I even involved Missy and threaten your safety..." Yu-ji cried out loud.

"WAHHH... *Sniff* I hate Qing Feng!! I ABSOLUTELY HATE HIM!"

Ever since that incident happened, Yu-ji become awfully quiet and stay a distance away from Qing Feng. She stick closely to Jae-in and also learnt to be more alert towards her surrounding. In her heart, she secretly vow to find a master to learn fighting skills to protect herself and also her own master.

After 2 months of travelling, in between the trips, the group faced countless of bandit attacks who bravely stopped their tracks. In return, all of them are either heavily injured or killed off. With constant battles, Jae-in also improved in her sword skills and heightened her senses for upcoming danger.

Often, Jae-in and Qi Yuan will train their sword arts together, not bothered by the difference in gender, both of them enjoyed each other's company as a friend and both became one another's Hong Yan Zhi Ji.

(Hong Yan Zhi Ji: 紅顏知己 A kind of friendship that is purely platonic, who shares the same interest and ideology that allows them to connect in a deeper level.)

Stepping into the ground of Kai Kingdom, Jae-in and Yu-ji awed at the impressive sight of the city.

"Welcome to the bustling and lively streets of the Kai Kingdom!" Qi Yuan excitedly welcome his foreign friend into his country.

With a common looking face, no one around him reacted to his loud voice and just ignored his actions. Jae-in smile at this childish acts that Qi Yuan often carry out in front of her, like a younger brother that she never had.

Bringing them into the most famous restaurant with recognized food standards, Qi Yuan ordered the local dishes for Jae-in to try them. Watching the two of them feeding on the dishes with a great smile and continuous praises, a building happiness exploded within him.

He continued to stare at Jae-in, admiring her goddess beauty that she is not aware of. As they check in to a middle ranked room to stay overnight, the group split into 2, Jae-in and Yu-ji one room while Qi Yuan and Qing Feng in another.

Of course, being a humble subject, there is no way Qing Feng will sleep with his master, instead he often stay up the night to protect his safety.

Glancing over a nearby mirror, the common looking face shocked Qi Yuan a little. For a moment, he did not realised that he is wearing a face mask and the ugliness of his current face made him frown. He totally forget that he is using this ugly common looking face to look at Jae-in, staring into her eyes with the intention to bewitch her each time she smile at him.

Recalling those moment, Qi Yuan cringed and attempt to forget those embarrassing memories. But a new found liking towards Jae-in has been created as Jae-in is treating him as to how he is as a person and not by the way he look.

The both of them evolved their friendship purely based on compatibility in characters and interest, not by the exterior looks and beauty that most surface judgemental people focus on.

Smiling widely, Qi Yuan look up into the moon through the open window.

'I wonder how she will react if she knows my true identity.'