CROWN PRINCE'S CONCUBINE

Luo Xing and his horse took cover behind a small alcove by the path trying to warm themselves with a makeshift fireplace. He had stayed there for two days but the clue to the entrance to the White Fox valley was still nowhere to be seen. According to Shin Ya, before he left, the White Fox was famous for being mischievous, playing games, and testing people’s patience, even though Luo Xiang had neither, especially when it came to Bai Ying, he still had to force himself to be patient. But, what if he was wrong, and Bai Ying was not there after all? didn’t he waste his time again from being so stupid?

Luo Xiang looked up at the sky above, where the falling snowflakes never stopped. He tightened his cold coat, it was so cold, can he stay there indefinitely? What if he’s been waiting where he shouldn’t be? This is really very disturbing.

Luo Xiang took a deep breath. The hot air from his body was blown out through his heavy breathing. Seeing the snowflakes that Bai Ying loved so much, however, all of this started to become a nightmare for him because the image of Bai Ying’s face seemed to be disappearing more and more. He was afraid of losing that smile, it had been several months since he had seen him and he realized that Bai Ying’s face was only in his memory. Next time, if they met again, Luo Xiang would ask the most skilled painters in Yue Yang or even in Li to capture Hua Bai Ying’s dazzling face in a beautiful painting.

Luo Xiang smiled looking at the snowflakes.

“Come on Your Highness, look at this, it’s Ying er’s first snow in Xian Yang, it’s so pretty”

Seeing the boy spinning under the falling snow spread his arms wide while closing his eyes. Smiling very broadly.

“Hemmh, the smell of fresh snow is very good”

Luo Xiang smiled. He took a deep breath trying to smell the snow which Bai Ying said smelled really good.

.....

“Hey, brat, where are you now?”

Luo Xiang was just about to absorb all of Bai Ying’s feelings of snow when he heard a slightly loud sound from the direction of the road.

“Ah, Grandpa! Be careful”

Luo Xiang turned his head. Looking down at the path where it looked like a little girl, helping a hunchbacked old man pull his old wooden carriage until he fell.

“Alas, the road is slippery, our carriage is too heavy” the grandfather was so old that his whole body bent down like his granddaughter’s height. Even so, he was still trying to get into the little cart filled with dry wood and fresh leaves for fodder on top.

“Here grandpa, let Lu er just pull it, Lu er is strong too,” said a girl who probably wasn’t more than ten years old.

The grandfather chuckled, showing his teeth which were starting to fall out and some were blackened with age. His wrinkled hand touched the hand of the little girl holding the carriage belt that was wrapped around his hunchback body.

“Silly child, grandpa is still strong, only just now the road was a bit slippery, Lu er, just walk beside grandpa, don’t go far so you can stay warm. Let’s walk again”

The girl looked at her grandfather with a pair of worried eyes, so she nodded.

“Yes gramps

The two of them were wearing ordinary clothes that were not too thick but covered themselves with piles of straw pinned to the inside of their outer layers to keep themselves warmer. But it seems that wasn’t enough because the girl looked so shivering that her lips turned blue.

Luo Xiang put on his hood and rushed out to approach the two people who were probably villagers from around the forest. The big man looked like a giant in front of the two residents.

“Eh, pardon me old man, but, what are you guys doing in the middle of the forest during a storm like this? You shouldn’t have left the house at this time” Luo Xiang said.

The two residents seemed surprised to see that Luo Xiang was already there.

“Eh, young master”

The little girl who saw Luo Xiang immediately approached and lowered her body.

“Young master, please help us, it’s been two days Grandfather and I have been circling in the forest and can’t find a way out. Grandfather’s feet are sore and injured, we haven’t eaten since yesterday, huks, and we are cold, please help us” the girl cried until her body shook, and she tried to wipe away her tears. While the grandfather looked a bit reluctant to look at him.

Luo Xiang stuttered, he was used to people kneeling in front of him, but it wasn’t a child that even her knees were shaking from the cold snow beneath. Slowly he stretched out his hand to help the girl to get up.

“Hey sweetie, where’s your house? Why can’t find a way? Have you never been here before?” he asked.

The girl wiped her tears. Her cheeks and face were red from the cold air that was too heavy for such a small body. Luo Xiang looked at him with pity, until he approached Xiao Bai on his horse, and took something from the cloth bag hanging on his horse’s saddle. The quilted fabric was quite thick, the high-quality velvet material from Chang San that he brought for the bedding. The size is not so big that it will not be difficult for both to wear it.

“Here, wear this to cover your bodies, at least it’s warm enough,” said Luo Xiang thrusting the red cloth in front of the child. The girl stuttered. She looked at the cloth and turned to his grandfather. The two of them were obviously very reluctant to accept cloth that even in their dreams would be hard to touch because it was like a luxury item to them.

“Young Master

Luo Xiang pulled his lips, getting impatient with the little girl who was so slow to take the coat so he had to grab the little girl’s hand and give it to her.

“What else do you think, quickly use this”

The girl finally took the coat, and with hands shaking from the cold she and his grandfather put it on together. The blanket was wide enough for both of them.

“Thank you, Young Master,” said grandfather and grandchild at once.

Luo Xiang looked at the carriage whose wheels were still intact. Using human power and not a donkey or even a horse to pull it. The man pinned a belt across his shoulder to pull the carriage, it was inconceivable how the man whose body was old and maybe only left with a body of flesh and bones was pulling the carriage with his strength.

“Where are your houses?” asked Luo Xiang.

The little girl looked at Luo Xiang with her big round eyes.

“Em, it’s at the foot of the White Fox forest, in the small village of Mi Pa, about a day’s journey from here. Actually, Servant and grandfather can usually go back by ourselves, but because the snow covered the road made we lose our way so we were stuck here, we have never passed this place before, so we got lost, “replied the little girl.

Luo Xiang took a deep breath. The small village of Mi Pa is not only a day’s journey from here, but it can take two days. That’s quite a distance.

Luo Xiang took a deep breath.

“You guys just follow this road, go straight, don’t turn, follow the direction of the sun, and soon you will arrive at the underpass of the White Fox forest, when you get there you must already know the next way, right?” he asked.

Grandfather and the girl nodded.

“Yes, Young Master

Luo Xiang looked at the two of them, looking hesitant to take a step. The grandfather and grandchild stood close together trying to warm their bodies.

“Eh, but Young Master, we, have seen tigers and wolves recently, at this time of year are they also looking for prey? We could die eaten by them. If there was just me it would not be a problem, but my granddaughter, she is a poor child, she is still very young” now it was the grandfather’s turn to cry.

Luo Xiang held his breath. He had expected that those two people would make trouble for him. It couldn’t be helped, after all the gate leading to the White Fox valley hadn’t appeared either. There’s nothing wrong with taking the grandfather and grandchild out of the forest for now.

“Heh”