My Beloved Enemy

5. Chun Hua

The convoy was moving with a steady pace through an arid valley. As usual, Yu Qiao Bai was sitting next to Fu Jian who was leading the carriage and watching Chun Hua practising martial arts.

Although Du YuShi pretended not to look at her, he watched her moves and realized that she was actually pretty good. He wondered who taught her that style of fighting as he was sure that he didn't see familiar moves in the battle with Yu.

Not only Du ShiYu but also the other soldiers were watching the unaware Chun Hua. Fu Jian, Wu Bo and Dong Feng just appreciated her gentle yet precise moves, but the other two were thinking something completely different.

"So, she is not only his maid and mistress, but also his guard?" Ren Jing whispered to Hua Suo.

"Three in one, such a smart bastard." Hua Suo clicked his tongue, annoyed. Yu Qiao Bai was nothing more than a prisoner at the time being until he married Du YuShi, so letting him enjoy his time frustrated him.

The jealous soldier spurred his horse and moved next to the first carriage. Looking at Yu Qiao Bai, he asked "for the next stop, can you take us to a brothel?"

Dong Feng and Fu Jian froze while Du YuShi's hands around the reins were tightened. Only Ren Jing was having fun.

Similar to others, Yu Qiao Bai was also shocked. Clearing his throat, he said "many apologies, Hua Suo but I have no knowledge about the Yu brothels."

Hua Suo snorted, "really?" he asked mockingly, "please, have a bit of understanding. How many days we are on the road and before we were in the battle, so we are deprived of earthly pleasures."

"I really don't know, I am sorry," Yu Qiao Bai said again, fanning himself.

"You are too cruel brother, just because you have your mistress, you don't care about us."

"Me?" Yu Qiao Bai pointed at himself with his fan.

"Isn't Chun Hua your mistress?" Hua Suo asked directly. As Du YuShi announced before that he hated the prince, he saw no reason to be polite or oblique.

Unlike what others expected, Yu Qiao Bai started to laugh while Chun Hua was red like a tomato.

"A'Hua is not my mistress!" the prince declared, fanning himself. He couldn't blame them for thinking like that as Chun Hua was sharing his room, but it was for a reason completely different from their fantasies.

All soldiers were shocked, and Du YuShi couldn't decide to laugh or cry.

On the other hand, Hua Suo had no intention to drop the topic. "Look how red she became, just because she misses two fingers, you shouldn-"

Hua Suo couldn't finish his words as in a blink of an eye, Yu Qiao Bai jumped on him and knocked him to the ground. Stepping on his chest, the prince threatened him.

"If you dare to say something like this again, I will kill you," his tone was murderous and his eyes were cold. Then he pulled his foot back and went inside the carriage, dragging the frozen Chun Hua with him.

Although Hua Suo was a soldier and Yu Qiao Bai looked like a skeleton, the force he applied was huge. So huge that Hua Suo couldn't stand up on his own. He lay there, holding his chest with a painful expression.

"General, won't you do anything?" Ren Jing asked with widened eyes as he helped Hua Suo to his feet with Wu Bo.

"He completely deserved it," Dong Feng said coldly and Fu Jian nodded.

"General?" Ren Jing pressed again.

"Well," Du YuShi heaved a sigh, "if any of you repeat something similar, I will beat you myself. But, it doesn't mean that I won't talk to him," he said and dismounted his horse. He walked to the carriage with lazy steps and opened the curtain. Inside, Chun Hua was fanning Yu Qiao Bai who still looked quite angry.

"Come, we need to talk," he said aloofly.

Chun Hua wanted to argue, but Yu Qiao Bai patted her head and went after the general as he also wanted to talk with him.

"If I hear one more rude word about A'Hua, I will kill that person, I am warning you!" Yu Qiao Bai declared as soon as they were far from the others.

Du YuShi chuckled, admiring his protectiveness for his maid. Who could guess an evil Yu royalty to be this nice towards a maid? But there he was, yelling at a general for a maid. Although Yu Qiao Bai was highly agitated and serious, Du YuShi couldn't take him too seriously as the prince looked like a fiery cat.

"IS IT FUNNY?!"

The general shrugged, "it won't happen again, I assure you."

"It better not be," Yu Qiao Bai stared at Du YuShi intently. Although he was half a size of the general, the prince was as tall as him, so the eye contact was straight.

"The same goes for you too," Du YuShi said threateningly, "you won't touch my soldiers, never again."

"As long as they keep their tongues and paws to themselves" was the prince's reply.

"Don't test me! You are not more than a prisoner!"

"Well, don't forget that this 'prisoner' is a willing one! If I want to leave, I can leave easily!"

"You dare?" Du YuShi asked with a dangerous glint in his amber eyes.

Yu Qiao Bai lost his spirit all of a sudden. "I can't," he whispered with desperation, shocking the prince of Du. How could he risk the mission and let his people die?

"If we are on the same page, let's go back," Du YuShi uttered, trying to hide his shock.

"That girl..." Yu Qiao Bai whispered to the general's back and the latter halted his steps.

"Hmm?" he turned around to look at the prince whose eyes were brimming with sadness.

"That silly girl lost her last two fingers while protecting me from an assassin," Yu Qiao Bai explained, "so she is my responsibility, I can risk almost everything for her."

The sadness in his eyes and the pain in his voice affected Du YuShi's cold heart. There was a sudden urge in his heart that wanted to hug the sad man in front him.

What the hell are you thinking?! Du YuShi reprimanded himself inwardly as soon as his brain noticed what his heart wanted to do.

"There will be no need for this, I promise." It was a rare caring moment as Du YuShi was known for his harsh words even when he meant well.

"Thank you," Yu Qiao Bai said with a slight smile, shocking Du YuShi again for the third time in the same day.

After the two princes returned, they continued to move, but this time Yu Qiao Bai kept Chun Hua inside the carriage for the remaining of the day.