Ami's face reddened. "Who are you calling a silly lamb?" she angrily retorted. The sight of the man standing beneath her tree strangely made her angry for some reason, even if she knew she had only seen this man today. "Get lost if you're just going to insult everyone you meet."
The man blinked at Ami's harsh tone. The dogs looked up at the sound of her voice, and peered curiously at her. "The lamb bites," the man said, smiling slightly. He heaved the deer more securely on his shoulders and whistled to the dogs, who ran ahead. He was about to walk away from her, when Ami called him back.
"Aren't you going to ask if I need help?" Ami said. The man turned back and looked at her again.
"I didn't think you needed any," the man replied nonchalantly.
Ami's eyes narrowed. "Are mortals usually this inhospitable?"
"Depends on how the mortal asks for help," the man shrugged. "Besides, you told me to get lost, so I'm going." He turned away again, and started to walk away.
Watching him go, Ami bit her lip. "Please help me," she muttered pitifully. Escaping from the kidnappers made her forget for a while that she had nowhere to stay, but now that the danger had passed, she realized her situation once again. She couldn't stay in the tree forever, and she feared sleeping out in the cold again. "I don't have anywhere to go."
The man stopped, then slowly turned back. Ami watched as the man's face displayed several emotions before settling on a hard, determined look. He walked back at the base of the tree right beneath Ami. He put down on the ground the dead deer on his shoulders, and stretched his arms out towards Ami.
"Jump. I'll catch you," the man said, his eyes willing her to trust him.
At the sight of the man with his outstretched arms towards her, Ami felt strangely warm, nearly to the point of tears. What's wrong with me? Ami thought, shaking her head to rid her mind and heart of the strange feeling. She did feel that she could trust him, despite the way he annoyed her at the beginning.
Ami jumped, and the man unerringly caught her in his arms. "You're light -," the man started to say, but immediately groaned as the full weight of an eight-year-old crashed down on him when Ami cast off the spell that slowed her fall a bit.
"I'm sorry," she said, seeing the man have trouble carrying her. He did hold her a little tight, and a little longer than he should, so she squirmed. The man shook his head and properly set her down on the ground. She patted down her skirt self-consciously, while he picked up the deer again and heaved it on his shoulders.
"You can stay with me," the man said and gestured for her to follow him.
"Thank you," Ami said gratefully, and followed him with light steps, happy to be staying indoors for once. "My name is Tantai Zimi. What's yours?"
The man stilled, and Ami almost walked into him. He looked down at her, his face hidden by the shadows. "My name is Bai Zi Qian."
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Bai Zi Qian lived in a small hut deep in the woods, just enough for a grown man to live in. Ami looked around at the house. It had two bedrooms, a small space for eating and resting, and a clean kitchen. A separate shed stood outside, where he must be preparing the animals he hunted, seeing as he dumped the deer on the table there. The two dogs who had chased away the villains stood guard outside, though every now and then she'd catch them looking longingly at the house. Ami shook her head. That can't be right, can it? The two dogs seemed to understand that their master had a guest in their house, so they were staying away.
"Make yourself at home," Bai Zi Qian said, gesturing at a wooden bench. "Let me wash off this blood first, and then I'll prepare something for you to eat."
Ami nodded, and sat on the bench. Admittedly, this was the first mortal house she had ever been in, but it looked simpler than the demons' houses. It was almost bare, but it was well-kept and clean, and it had everything one person could ever need. Ami thought she could live quite contentedly in this house.
With him?
Ami shook her head vigorously. No, not with him, she thought as she watched Bai Zi Qian enter the house and walk straight to the kitchen. Maybe Mother would like a house like this, something so different from the Demon Palace. She did tell me she liked Sang Jiu's hut in the bamboo forest. This must be something similar.
She looked over at her savior. Now that she could see him properly in the lamplight, Ami thought the man looked rather pretty despite the ragged hunter's clothes he was wearing. He had a slim figure, but his shoulders were just as wide as Jing Mie's. His complexion was quite fair, despite him being a hunter (Hunters go out in the sunlight, don't they? Ami wondered, having so little knowledge about what mortal hunters are supposed to be. But if a hunter is anything like Jing Mie, he should be quite tanned from exposure to the sun, and not this… porcelain-like skin). His face was narrow, with a tall nose and rather thin lips. His angled eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he cooked, and his phoenix eyes were hooded with such long thick eyelashes that made his face altogether beautiful.
Ami smiled slightly. This man may be pretty to look at, but my mother is much more beautiful. She had to admit, though, for a mortal, Bai Zi Qian has a somewhat divine appearance.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bai Zi Qian's voice cut through Ami's thoughts. Even his voice sounds pretty, Ami thought, her smile widening. I'm so glad I got lucky he found me, and not some ugly fat mortal like those thugs.
"Nothing," Ami said. "I was just wondering if you're alone, like me."
Bai Zi Qian frowned. "It's okay for an adult like me to be alone," he replied, "but a child like you shouldn't. Where are your parents?"
Ami looked down. "I… ran away from home," she whispered. "Mother went away, and Father…" The word felt heavy on her tongue, but she felt she could tell Bai Zi Qian the truth. "…I'm looking for my father."
Bai Zi Qian looked at her strangely, but before Ami could understand his look, he turned away. "What made you think you'd find him in this town?" he asked, his tone quite thick, but maybe because he suddenly opened the lid of the pot where the soup was boiling in.
Ami shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest," she said, crossing her arms atop the table in front of her and leaning her head on them. "I don't even know where I'm supposed to be looking in, never mind who I'm looking for." She sighed as she looked at the bare wall in front of her. "I don't even know what my father looks like, so I've been asking random people around town if they've seen my father."
A bowl suddenly clattered in front of Ami's face. Startled, she took her arms off the table and glared at Bai Zi Qian, who was looking down at her. "Eat," he said, gesturing to the bowl of rice he put in front of her. "Then sleep. I'll take you to the magistrate's office tomorrow."
"What for?" Ami asked, straightening in her seat.
"The magistrate could help you look for whoever you're looking for," Bai Zi Qian answered, putting down a bowl of soup, some greens, and utensils, "or at the very least, take you in and keep you safe in town."
Ami bit back her retort. No country official could help me find the Devil God, she thought, picking up the spoon and gripping it tightly. She felt disappointed that Bai Zi Qian wasn't going to help her more, or at least allow her to stay with him longer as she scoured the town for any sign of her father. He's going to abandon me too, and leave me alone. She blinked at the sudden tears that sprang in her eyes, and roughly brushed them away.
"What's wrong?" Ami heard Bai Zi Qian ask, but she kept her head down and scooped up some rice with the spoon.
"Nothing," she muttered, shoving the rice in her mouth and avoided looking at him. She didn't really need to eat, but she was pretending to be a mortal child, so she forced herself to eat the food Bai Zi Qian had prepared. She turned to the soup, but as soon as the first drop touched her tongue, she forgot she was supposed to be upset with Bai Zi Qian. Her eyes widened as she looked at him.
"This soup is amazing!" she blurted out, eating another spoonful of the soup. "I've never eaten something so delicious in my life!"
Bai Zi Qian's cheeks reddened. "That just has a few meat pieces, some potatoes, and some onions," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck self-consciously. "It's nothing special."
Ami smiled. "My mother couldn't cook anything like this," she said, chuckling softly and continuing to eat. "She tries, but she simply couldn't get the seasoning right."
"You don't look unhealthy, so your mother must still be doing something right," Bai Zi Qian said.
Ami glanced at Bai Zi Qian. "She is," she answered. "Anyway, it was the servants who cooked me meals, so I never had anything as simple but as delicious as this soup."
Bai Zi Qian frowned. "Servants?" he said, then looked up and down at Ami's silken clothes. "So you are a rich kid after all, and your mother must be worried sick for you right now."
Ami scoffed. "Do you see any money with me?" she said, stretching her arms mockingly. "I swear, the obsession you mortals have with money is just…" She frowned at Bai Zi Qian, suddenly realizing an ugly truth. "Did you take me in just for a reward of money from my… rich mother?" Before she could hear Bai Zi Qian explain, she put down the spoon. "I'm tired," she announced, pushing the bench back and standing up, her food half finished. "You said you'll let me sleep here. Where is the bed?"
Bai Zi Qian was taken aback by the little girl's authoritative tone. "In there," he said, pointing at one of the bedrooms. Without another backward glance at him, Ami marched right inside the room, and before Bai Zi Qian could even stand to follow her in, she had already slammed the door shut.
I thought he was different, but he's just like the mortals who took the children… He's not really kind to me, he's expecting a reward of money from my mother after all of this… He's not going to stay with me at all.
I don't know why, but I hoped he would.
In the darkness of the room, Ami finally let her tears of disappointment flow out of her eyes.
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Bai Zi Qian stared at the closed door.
The two dogs who had stayed out finally came in, and went directly towards him. Tiger put his head on his lap, while Devil laid down at his feet.
Tearing his eyes away from the closed door, Bai Zi Qian patted Tiger's head absentmindedly. "I've messed up, haven't I?" he whispered sadly, glancing at the half-finished food on the table.
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