The sunset cast a hue of orange and pink from over the horizon as a young man, clad in a red-accented black robe, wet with sweat, rushed along the dirt path, one hand flinging along a bag of ointment while the other grasped a mundane-looking token of stone.
De Ming breathes heavily as he tries to keep running, but his stamina is limited since he'd never been trained formally in martial arts due to Zhu Feng's constant obstruction. De Ming's physical strength is above average at best for all of the chores he handles.
Now his mind was all over the place, torn between worrying about being late to deliver this bag of ointment and pondering the authenticity of the mysterious elder's words
" I see potential in you De Ming, you're not talentless" rings repeatedly in De Ming's head.
Although significantly bastardized by De Ming's perception at the time, it was enough to send off the simple mind of this insecure servant spinning
His eyes flash hints of hope and worry as the sun begins to disappear under the horizon and the Crimson Cloud manor draws near.
Just about when the two gate guards were about to close up the manor De Ming rushed through and stumbled through, falling to the ground as he raised the ointment bag, not letting it be damaged.
" The lady is already done bathing De Ming, young master Feng had been counting the seconds until you came back" One of the guards spoke up and then sighed
" You're in for another earful kid" he said sympathetically as De Ming stood up and brushed off the dust before making sure the bag is pristine
" MING! DO YOU KNOW HOW LATE YOU ARE" a shout rang out behind the manor door before Zhu Feng kicked the door open. His long auburn hair flicked behind him as he strode forward in a gold-accented red robe, his face all wrinkled up and haunty as he stood in front of Ming
Ming intuitively bowed timidly " Young master"
" Don't give me that polite crap, you know what you did!" he said, almost roaring as he pointed his finger at De Ming's face, clearly just to bully and show dominance over De Ming
"I'll punish you, or my name isn't Zhu Feng!" he said as if he needed a reason to bully De Ming.
Great, looks like a beating is back on the menu, Ming thought sarcastically as he prepared to endure Zhu Feng's punches
Zhu Feng threw a palm forward, striking Ming straight in his chest as a burst of white and red flames sprung forth, throwing Ming back, and hitting the wall behind him. Zhu Feng actually dares use martial arts against him, which is forbidden by the Crimson Cloud's Patriarch. And it was the Crimson Flame Palm no less, the Crimson Cloud's signature technique, a technique Ming has seen him practice time and time again.
De Ming grabbed his chest in pain as he stood up, his legs weak from the fall, his back aching from the impact, and his robe charred from the front. Anyone could tell that this was too much.
Just as Zhu Feng is winding back for another blow, his momentum is cut short by a hand grabbing his wrist. He looked back and saw Elder Hu, the family's steward and the trusted right-hand man of patriarch Zhu Zhang looking at him with a somewhat disappointed expression
" Zhu Feng! Stop bullying Ming, You've gone too far" an frustrated yet very feminine voice called out at Zhu Feng.
It was Zhu Lian, a beautiful girl with fiery ruby eyes, rosy skin, her auburn hair tied up into two buns, leaving a short-length curtain of hair, framing her face and its childish features. Her face now mirroring the anger Zhu Feng directed at De Ming earlier.
Noticing De Ming's condition, Lian quickly rushed over and supported him, looking him from head to toe to find his chest and back battered, his robes burnt in front while still trying to display an awkward yet reassuring smile for her
" It's fine Lady Lian, the young master…was just giving out my punishment " De Ming said weakly with a fake smile.
"Why didn't you call for me" She said in a desperate plea before continuing " Am I not reliable to you, Ming?" she said disheartened and laced with subte hints of a growing frustration
Before De Ming could muster up a response, she turned to Feng, whose wrist was still restrained, and shouted
" He was carrying out the errand for me! So if he's late, he doesn't deserve such a punishment! You even struck him with the Crimson Flame Palm!" She said furiously as she helped De Ming move to the manor's infirmary
Zhu Feng, who saw no wrong in what he did, shrugged his shoulders and sneered" So what, it's his fault that he's such a pushover" before being dragged away by Elder Hu
In the infirmary, De Ming lay in a simple bamboo bed, groaning as Zhu Lian treated his wounds with some salve and herbal remedies
" De Ming, next time he bullies you, call for me okay? Don't just endure it" Lian said warmly as she applied the medicine
" It's not like I have a choice, young lady, he'll hold a grudge and come at me another time, possibly even angrier" De Ming said in a defeatist manner before continuing " If only I could do more than endure"
" Endure… you always endure, everytime" Suddenly, Lian's voice shifts from her usual warmth to something unfamiliar, grudging? Resentment? De Ming wonders, shocked at the abrupt change-up
"What if…" Lian paused as if the words struggled to leave her mouth
"What if he goes too far one day, worse than this?… And something happens to you" the latter part she muttered quietly but enough for Ming to hear.
He looked up in haste and met with Lian's face, pale, staring at him were her two delicate eyes, now the start of two subtle streams running down her cheeks
" Zhu Lian, I-" De Ming pauses, now addressing her name directly
" I'm sorry, sorry that I've made you worry" De Ming said nervously, he smiled weakly as he tried to reassure her, but his eyes. They were too telling, She knows those eyes, that look that he shows her every time he tries to shoulder things along, leaving her out of trouble and in turn out of his life.
Lian sniffled as stood up, wiping her tears, breaking eye contact and she let out a barely audible "That look again, I guess you never change after all, Zhu Feng was right about you"
It was hurtful, she was fully aware but she couldn't keep it in anymore, seeing him abused over and over had angered her but the fact that he was willingly enduring it hurt her deeply. Even though she didn't mean it, the remark came out of her lips anyway. By the time she had realized what she said, it was too late.
De Ming was frozen in shock, he couldn't believe that even Zhu Lian, the only person who would show his genuine warmth would think that about him. His weak smile fades, replaced by a pained expression that could only be described as betrayed.
"De Ming I-I didn't mean I in that wa-" Lian tried to save the situation but quickly gave up seeing De Ming's expression
"I'm sorry" Zhu Lian said as she turned away and left, making a break for her room and started crying
De Ming, now hurt both physically and mentally, lay back down on the infirmary bed and stared at the moon outside the window, pondering
Maybe I was in the wrong, He thought to himself but couldn't shake away Lian's words " Zhu Feng was right about you" and how pathetically he acted everytime Zhu Feng picked on him.
His fist tightened around the token he received earlier, as he thought back upon how he's been so far, his nails dug into the token until they bled as only one thought played in repeat " I want to change"