Hearing that she was the only one that had seen his face, Hua Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't picky with what he wore as long as they were white or anything close so he accepted them.
"Thank you very much." He paused then asked; "The village Chief survived?" He glanced at the golden ring on his ring finger, wondering what it was and if he'd be able to return it. He could remember the village Chief saying that the ring had accepted him but he didn't understand what it meant.
"Yes" Huifang affirmed. "He checks up on you five times a day. He should be here soon. Many of us survived the Berserker's attack and are grateful to you, General. You risked your life to save us."
"Is this how you express gratitude though? By imprisoning me here?" He asked, gazing at the room.
Huifang already understood what he meant. The room had no way of escape save for the door so it was normal to assume so. "Rest assured, General. You are not our prisoner. This village is very grateful to you. We only mean to keep you safe."
Hua Ren frowned. "Safe from what?" He was the Ivory General. He had even managed to kill the Berserker. What could they possibly keep him safe from?
A knock was heard on the door and a female voice called out; "Huifang! Open up, I've brought medicine!"
"One moment please!" Huifang said. She gestured at the clothes Hua Ren was holding then turned around so as to give him some privacy.
Hua Ren understood what she meant. He stood up and started changing his clothes. He removed the light robes on his body to find his skin clean and the flesh wounds stitched. He guessed it must have been the work of the old woman, taking care of him day and night. His fingers lightly grazed a cut, recalling everything that had happened that day.
He had already deduced everything but he couldn't come to terms with Liara's death. He still felt empty within but he took solace in knowing he had killed her murderer with his own hands. What he was most afraid of was facing her parents and Mei Lin, her co-captain.
What would he even tell them? That even as a General, he couldn't protect her?
Tears welled in his eyes but he sniffed, holding them back. It wasn't the time to cry. He swiftly changed into the new clothes. The village Chief did not forget to include his veil and it pleased Hua Ren as he put it on. He hated showing his face to people because he looked like an omega, soft and beautiful. People wouldn't take him seriously with such a face so he chose to cover it.
"Are you done, General?" Huifang asked.
"I am." Hua Ren confirmed then slipped back into bed, drawing the covers to his waist. He felt better and more confident now that his face was covered.
"Come in!" Huifang called out and the door swung open, entering a tall female and the village Chief with his walking stick.
Seeing Hua Ren had woken up, the village Chief was elated. He rushed over and took Hua Ren's hand, bursting into tears. "General, oh General thank you. Thank you so much. You saved us. You saved us all."
Hua Ren felt a little embarrassed being thanked like that. He withdrew his hand and patted the village Chief on the arm. "I was just doing my duty. No need to thank me."
"Here's your medicine, General." The female who entered first said, handing him a small bowl which contained dark liquid that smelled densely of herbs. Hua Ren could even identify some and he scrunched his nose, already imagining how bitter it would be.
He shook his head. "I'm not drinking that."
Huifang, who had tended to him day and night chuckled. She knew the General was afraid of bitter things so she pulled out a few milk sweets from her pouch and presented them to him. "If you drink it, General, I'll give you these sweets." She had done the same to him when he was unconscious and suffering from high fever.
Now presented with something he liked, Hua Ren fell into a dilemma, contemplating if he should take the medicine and the sweets or if he should just take the sweets and run away. He had already pretty much recovered anyway and could feel his body brimming with strength. Besides, there were just two old people and one female. He could tell that she was an omega. None of them could stop him.
He wanted to enact his plan when he caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the girl's shoulder. It was covered with a blue cloth but the cloth had slipped, revealing the tattoo which was the head of a roaring lion.
His face darkened. Rebels!
Without warning, he seized the opportunity to catch the unsuspecting girl off guard. With abrupt force, he splashed the contents of the medicine bowl onto her face, leaving her momentarily disoriented. Swiftly, he slammed her onto the bed, asserting control by holding her arm firmly behind her back.
Alarmed by the sudden altercation, the village chief urgently called out; "General, what are you doing? Release her!"
"General, stop." Huifang pleaded. "That woman is an omega. You'll hurt her."
Hua Ren was aware and that was why he wasn't using his full strngth. Still holding her down, he sternly declared; "What are you saying? Look," He yanked off the blue cloth and pointed at her tattoo. "She's a rebel!"
But his revelation was met with a knowing silence from the village Chief and Huifang.
Hua Ren was confused by their lack of response but he understood when his gaze landed on the village chief's walking stick, adorned with the unmistakable tattoo of a roaring lion. How could he have missed it before?
"Let go of me you bastard!" The female omega shouted. With a sudden twist of her body, she shifted her weight, leveraging her strength against his grip. As Hua Ren momentarily faltered, her instincts kicked in, and she seized the opportunity to break free. With a swift and calculated movement, she ducked under his arm, slipping out of his grasp like water through fingers but Hua Ren retaliated with a sudden, well-aimed punch to her midriff.
The impact sent a jolt of pain through her, causing her to wheeze as she bent over momentarily, clutching her stomach.
Despite the pain, she rose with determination as she retrieved a concealed dagger from her boot.
"Jade no!" The village Chief shouted. "Stop this right now!"
Ignoring the village chief's desperate shouts for her to cease, she charged towards Hua Ren with a fierce determination in her eyes.