Jipu rolled a dusty coin across the wooden plank. The reports from his spies were not what he had expected. Lianghu had been injured as planned, yet they had killed the soldiers he sent. Bai Jian's father was known for having mercy on prisoners, but obviously his son had different ideas. Judging by the young leader's actions, he should have been within just a few miles of the gypsy's camp by now, yet he kept his butt parked in his tidy palace. The tiger frowned and once again looked over the message he had received, making the golden hoop pierced through his ear dangle. Something wasn't right here.

"Jin," He called out.

Hey guys!:P so sorry for the terribly long updates, I've been super busy with school and everything else:) anyways, here you go!

The soldier quickly came running in, bowing down on one knee, "Yes, my lord?"

Jipu stroked the stubble scattered across his face, "I have a…personal mission for you."

Jin's face broke out into a sinister smile, this was going to be good.

Lianghu bite her lip as a coyote quickly sewed up her shoulder in stitches. The cut was deep, but it could've been worse. The doctor shook his head as his paws quickly flew over the wound.

"You're a lucky little lady, the blade didn't even cut entirely through the muscle."

The tigress just kept her eyes closed and nodded, her jaw clenched.

Bai Jian shifted his feet and kept his green eyes on the coyote's paws, watching them work their well-trained magic. Had he been concerned about Lianghu? Not really. Yes, he was worried about what had HAPPENED to her, but not the actual tigress. The leader was more interested in how the Rom Bora would react to his own daughter being stabbed by a group of bandits while in his custody. Bai Jian's eyes shifted back to Lianghu. Her eyes were tightly shut, holding back the apparent pain she was in. He glanced over her qipao. It was icy white with a brilliant pop of royal blue decorating the trim and hemline. Around the chest and neck swirled dainty little accents, resembling icicles. He smiled a bit. No doubt this was a dress that Li Ai had picked out for her. The tiger had to admit, Lianghu looked exceptional in the dress. The gold in her fur seemed to dance with the sunlight coming through the window.

Doctor Lang stepped away. "Alright, there's nothing more I can do here." He turned to Bai Jian, "She needs a few days of rest. Clean the wound every morning with this." The coyote place a jar of salve paste in his hand, "The girl should be fine. I wish the best to you, your majesty." He lowered his body into a graceful bow.

Bai Jian frowned. "Rise up, there's no need to bow. Personally, I find it insulting for someone to show me their backside. It shows weakness, and my people are NOT weak, are they, Doctor Lang?"

The coyote straighten, his cheeks stained red from his embarrassment. His lips fumbled for words. "W-why of course not! I-I just thought that-"

The leader raised his hand for silence and turned back to Lianghu. "I'll have her come back in a week for a checkup. Thank you for your services."

Doctor Lang nodded as Lianghu groaned and sat up. She rubbed her bright blue eyes, trying to gain control of the pain shooting through her delicate shoulder. The coyote had given her pain medicine a few minutes ago, but it was taking a while to kick in. Bai Jian looked down at her, glancing over the bandaged wound.

"Can you walk?" He softly asked.

She nodded and did her best to stand up, but it was to no avail. The ground underneath seemed to swirl, affected by the medicine. Lang caught her just before the tigress's delicate head hit the ground.

"Careful," The doctor warned. "You might still be a bit weak. It would be best for my lord to carry you."

Bai Jian rolled his eyes as he knelt down to scoop up the small tigress. Lianghu's eyes widen as he swept her off of the hospital mat. Heads turned as he carried her out of the hospital and onto the busy street once again. Not wanting to attract much attention, the tiger took a less traveled back road. It was here that he hoped to ask a few questions concerning Lianghu's father. He walked in silence for a minute, then opened his mouth and spoke.

"I've received a message from the Rom Bora today. He moved his troops west of our villages. Tell me where he is located."

Lianghu looked at him, still a bit loopy. "Um….the Rom Bora you say?"

Bai Jian nodded, "Yes, tell me where he is."

"Well…" She tugged on one of her ears. "I'm not that sure. Oh, I know!" Before Bai Jian could do anything, the tigress pried opened his mouth and examined the inside. "Hmm…Well, I don't see him in there." With that, she pushed his jaws back together.

The leader gave her a bewildered look, "What are you doing woman?"

Lianghu didn't bother to answer, too engaged in chewing on her tail. The tiger inwardly sighed and kept walking. This was perhaps the strangest girl he had met, medicine or no medicine. The girl crunched down on her tail, unaware that she was perhaps the first prisoner of the tiger clan to turn cannibal.

Li Ai glared at her brother as he locked the door to the room that Lianghu was staying in. It had taken all the pestering she could muster just to convince him to let the gypsy girl stay in the servants' quarters.

"She can't go very far with an injured shoulder, you know that, right?"

Bai Jian ignored the comment as he slipped the key into his pocket. "I'm not taking any chances. We don't know what she's capable off."

The tiger princess crossed her arms, her eyes burning with determination. "And you're definitely not going to get any useful information or whatever out of her if you keep treating the poor girl like this!"

"FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME SHE'S OUR PRISONER, NOT A GUEST!"

Da was watching the scene with a smirk on his face. The two had been arguing about Lianghu's sleeping arrangements for the past hour. He personally couldn't care less, an injured tigress couldn't do much. The soldier fiddled with a small dagger as he tried to think of a solution that would end the bickering. That's when he got an idea.

"…Invite her to dinner."

Bai Jian and Li Ai looked at him, one face delighted and the other disgusted.

"What?"

Da shrugged. "Just invite her to dinner. You guys obviously won't stopped fighting about this."

Li Ai smiled, "I vote for this!"

"I do NOT." Was Bai Jian's reply.

"Oh come on," the soldier smirked. "It's about time that you guys had some company. She won't speak until she feels at home. This way she'll still be under close watch, but will still be comfortable."

Bai Jian sighed and rubbed his face. "…FINE. But you will join us also. I need backup in case something happens."

Da nodded. "As you wish."

Li Ai was smiling as she turned to her brother. "Thank you! Now go on and invite her to dinner."

The leader raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know, like mother taught us. The male gives a cordial greeting and then politely asks for the female to accompany him during the meal."

He inwardly groaned, muttering a 'I hate you' that received a glare from his sister and knocked on the door. "May I come in?"

A soft "Yes." Was his answer.

Bai Jian quietly unlocked the door and stepped in, what he saw next made his heart skip a beat. Lianghu was standing in front of the small in a corner, trying to straighten out the soft creamy white dress that fit her body perfectly. The sleeves went down to her elbows, covering the tightly wrapped bandage around her shoulder. Delicate cherry blossoms splashed against the fabric. The tigress was adjust her collar with one paw, unable to lift the other due to her injury. Seeing the leader's image in the mirror, she quickly turned around.

"Y-yes?" Lianghu's bright blue eyes were filled with obvious fear.

The tiger quickly averted his eyes away from her dress, not wanting to be caught staring like a geek. Instead, he fixed his gaze on her face, but that little good. Her fur now shone clear and bright, a beautiful golden color. The stripes across her face seemed to flow with a natural grace, making her soft eyes stand out even more.

"Um…."

She slightly raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

He snapped back to reality. "huh? Oh right. Li Ai wants to invite you to dinner. So you're coming."

Li Ai facepalmed. What a dork, she thought. Seeing that her brother was getting nowhere with being civil, the tigress stepped forward. "What my brother means is that he kindly asks you to accompany him to dinner. Da and I will be joining you as well."

The gypsy girl gave a simple smile and nodded. "I would love to." She turned to Bai Jian. "Thank you for your kind invitation.

He didn't bother to answer and quickly left. Li Ai bowed, telling her that dinner would be in a few hours and followed her brother out. Da was still standing outside, twirling his small dagger between his claws.

Li Ai shook her head as she walked over to him. "Honestly. Bai Jian needs to grow up and be a gentleman."

The soldier slightly chuckled. "Li, he's a leader of perhaps one of the strongest clans in China. Give him some slack, he's just stressed right now. Besides, it was probably refreshing to see a pretty girl not drenched in perfume and sticking like glue at his side, every woman in the land is already clawing for him."

She put a hand on her hip. "What exactly do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I'm just saying that most girls are out to get husbands and they're so simple minded that they have no-"

Da wasn't able to finish his sentence. Quick as a flash, Li Ai had pulled the knife out of his hand and now had him pinned against the wall with his own weapon. Clearly he had said something wrong.

"LISTEN HERE." The tigress's eyes were blazing with fury. "Any woman is just as smart as a man. We are NOT simple minded, and we have every right to pursue our happiness as much as the male race does! I NEVER want to hear you say something like that again, GOT IT?"

He nodded as he gulped. "Understood, princess."

Li Ai studied his eyes for a second longer than released him. "Good." She flipped the sharp dagger into the air, caught it by the handle and slid it back into his sheath. "Be ready for dinner at eight."

With that, the strong headed tigress left the hallway, leaving a dazed Da standing alone.

It was five minutes until eight when another knock came at Lianghu's door. She quietly opened it to find a very unhappy looking yet very well dressed Bai Jian. The plain white shirt had been replaced by a red silk shirt decorated with the symbols of the tiger clan in black stitching. The coarse black pants were now soft and smooth, giving the resemblance of royal clothing.

He cleared his throat. "You ready? Li Ai is making me escort you there."

She nodded. "Yes, Zhǔrénwēng." The tigress held out her delicate arm for him to wrap his own arm around. Bai Jian simply stared at the extended limb, clueless of what he was supposed to do.

"Yes, well…let's get going." With that, he turned and began to walk up the stone stairs. Lianghu inwardly sighed and followed him. The two entered the dining room, making the female's eyes bulge. On the mahogany table laid more food than she had ever set her blue eyes on. Plates, bowls, chopsticks and spoons were lace with gold and silver. Bai Jian cleared his throat, snapping Lianghu out of her daydream and walked over to one of the high backed chairs. Da entered with Li Ai on her arm, both of them smiling and chatting with each other.

The leader rolled his eyes at the sight of them and turned to Lianghu. "Welcome to dinner. I hope you have a pleasant meal." He then leaned in and whispered in her ear, the words barely audible. "Try anything and your head will be served as my breakfast."

The tigress shuddered. Welcome to dinner, Lianghu. Let's hope I can survive this, she inwardly thought.

I know, it's a bit of a slow chapter:\ But don't worry, the next one is super awesome!:D Thanks for reviewing and liking.