YuQiao turned away and stared ahead, now is not the time to be worrying about this.

Everyone there was someone she knew. Following behind her brother, YuQiao had the chance to look around and she caught sight of familiar faces, the one who was killed in her seat was her mother’s aunt. The plump woman used to bring over a lot of dessert whenever she came to visit.

There was a friend whom she used to play with when they were children. And the small cousins who she was playing with just a few days ago. She still remembered how they were playing eagle catching little chicks as she pretended to be the mother hen and was protecting her cousins from the evil eagle played by Xiao Hua.

“Xiao Hua died as well. Everybody had died,” thought YuQiao as she looked at the bodies of people who had slashed wounds all over. There were some who were even beheaded, and but they were still some who had survived, but they would not be living any longer thought YuQiao as she looked away from the scene. The enemies are ruthless, they neither spared the children, nor the woman, and they killed everyone who stood in their way.

If it was not for her brother, she would have died, for she could not move her legs at the horrible sight in front of her, sounds that she could not block out but most importantly the smell of it.

The smell of burning furniture and the charred bodies was choking her. It nauseated her; she had to use her sleeve to cover her face to filter off some of the dreadful smell, but it only provided a little help, as the smell was too strong.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father and the others fighting furiously to protect the city lord. For a moment, YuQiao and General Sun caught each other’s eyes. Her father’s face turned soft and relieved was washed over it.

He looked at her intently and it seemed to tell her, “Take care”, before he turned his sight back to the enemy in front of him and with a ferocious face, he landed a large wound on his opponent rendering him to the ground.

It scares the others off, but there was one attacker who did not care, and he charged forward, and the general was able to land a wound on her father. It was not deep, but it made the others braver.

She stopped in her tracks, pulling her brother along.

“YuQiao, hurry. We need to get to the study and meet with mother and the others,” cried her brother as he stood facing the girl.

“But father,” said YuQiao as she pointed towards the direction of her father. “We have to help him.”

“I know, he is there, but our priority is not to help him, but to take care of the family. It was a command, no, a request, he asked of me,” said YuWei sadly.

“Brother,” said YuQiao and she too followed her brother’s example and looked away from her father, biting her lips as she went along on their way. “I will take care, father. I will take care of mother and the children as well. I will take care of everyone.”

They passed the courtyard; another few corridors and they will be able to reach the study.

Wisps of hair had started to fall out of her hair as they ran. In her mind, all her thoughts were preoccupied with prayers about her family. “Please be fine,” she begged to the heavens. But back of her mind, there was a question that was nagging at her immensely and that which she wanted to be answered the most, “Where are you, YongSan?”