362 QI XUNYI's PLACE

Senja and Sheng ended up walked toward Qi Xunyi's place. After they asked around and no one knew or saw Uncle Su or Xun, Sheng concluded for them to visit Qi Xunyi instead because he was rarely going outside if it wasn't concern his presence.

The houses in Greenhill Mountain were almost like the same with one and another, although Qi Xunyi was literary has higher rank in this place, but even his place wasn't different from the rest.

"Sheng, I wonder." Senja started her question when Sheng had pointed Qi Xunyi house at the end of the road.

"What is it?" He looked down at Senja. No. To be exact he was looking Senja's hair again and again. Still curious to touch it because Senja didn't allow him to do so and he was, for Senja surprised, not touch her hair and keep his hand off.

"Are you sure that the Emperor wouldn't be able to find this place?" Senja a little bit confused, why up until now no one from the Azura's Kingdom came looking for her.

With the fact that Wang Yu's troops had fought Qi Xunyi and the rest of the Shadow Guard, they must be had some idea that Greenhill people involvement. But, why the Emperor didn't send his troops to take down this place?

"Of course the Emperor knew very well about this place." Sheng said in the matter of fact tone.

Senja cocked her brows. "And why they didn't come to get me? You know right, that I have a bounty over my head." She pointed her head sarcastically that made Sheng laughed.

"Knowing this place and capable to enter, that are two different things." He started to explain once he had got over his laugh.

"Mind to explain it?"

"The Greenhill Mountain is surrounded by poisonous plants. People couldn't enter our area arbitrarily without being poisoned." He explained with proudness etched on his face.

"If that was the case, then how are you people could come and go as you please without being poisoned?"

"We have antidote of course." Sheng looking at Senja incredulously, as though he was saying 'is that even a question?'

"I should know that you have…" Senja mumbled.

"Beside The Kingdom of Rockstone, we are Greenhill People actually quite prominent in acknowledgement of the poison plant." He remarked.

When he said this they were standing in front of Qi Xunyi's place, however instead of knocking the door, Sheng was walking inside the house without permission.

Senja followed behind him as she was listening to Sheng explanation. "You think you will be standing here if we don't?" He asked rhetorically. "Wolf Bane is a rare poison plan and it goes with the antidote. If don't have the acknowledgement about this type of poison than you will have been gone by now."

Senja grinned. "So, without the antidote people from outside couldn't enter this place right?"

"Definitely."

Senja and Sheng were walking down the hall when their conversation about the Greenhill Mountain was done and found Qi Xunyi was sitting on the bench with woman beside him.

Sheng was leaning on Senja when he whispered something. "She is his mother."

"Oh," Senja only gave him a brief replied when she looked over.

The woman was wearing a yellow dress and her hair was tight in a big bun which rest on the back of her nape. She must be very beautiful when she was young, even now she still looked stunning in her ages, only the lack of liveliness on her eyes made her looked like someone who had gone through all the bitterness for years. She looked gloomy and torpid.

Senja and Sheng approached Qi Xunyi and his mother.

When both of them stepped closer, Qi Xunyi noticed them and raised his head. The smile that he gave off was the same like last time he visited Senja. He was a warmth person, as though nothing in this world could bother him.

Senja reciprocated his smile and sat on the bench across him with Sheng sat beside her.

"Is there anything that I can help you with?" Qi Xunyi asked Senja after there was silent between them.

However, Senja was staring at the woman beside Qi Xunyi without averted her eyes, it could be counted as a rude attitude.

Feeling a poked on her upper arms Senja looked at Sheng slowly. "What?"

"What do you meant with 'what'?" Sheng grumbled. "You wanted to talk about something with Qi Xunyi right?" He reminded her.

In an instant Senja snapped her head toward Qi Xunyi direction and felt her face redden. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to staring at your mother like that. I know that was rude." Senja apologized. But, she still stole a glance toward her, there was something on this woman that made Senja couldn't tear her eyes out of her and she didn't know why.

"It's fine. Relax," Qi Xunyi said while stroking the back of his mother. "My mother had been sick for long time."

Senja could feel the genuine in his voice when he explained, but there was bitterness as well. For the moment, Senja forgot her purposed to come to meet Qi Xunyi as she eagerly took the opportunity to find more about his mother.

The woman was fiddling with her finger absentmindedly, even though she didn't do anything, but something drew Senja to pay more attention toward her.

"I don't know… " He said hesitated. There was something that he hid.

"I am sorry if my question is rude, but how long your mother has been like this?" Senja asked him carefully, it was indeed rude. At least Sheng thought it was, because he attempted to elbow her again, but Senja moved aside and glared at him.

Qi Xunyi grimaced upon hearing Senja's question. In fact she didn't really care about his reaction. She wanted to know it badly.

Qi Xunyi and Sheng exchanging silence question about Senja odd behavior, but no one could answer it.

"I am sorry, all of sudden I feel very curious about your mother. If you are not comfortable to answer it, please forget my question." Senja backed away when she had noticed Qi Xunyi didn't answer her immediately.

Being polite and buoyant as always he smiled at Senja, answered her question with half true half left unspoken, "My mother has been like this since the war that had taken down the Kingdom of Xinghe. I think she has been shocked and couldn't accept the reality that she wasn't a concubine anymore."

**But, this is not depression though.** Senja thought about it, her feeling said otherwise. But, she can't point her finger on it. The familiar feeling, yet at the same time she didn't know what was it.

"Is your mother always this calm?" She asked while observing the taciturn woman. The true question that she wanted to ask was if Qi Xunyi mother had an outburst if something triggered her.

However, whether Qi Xunyi didn't want to answer her question or he really didn't pick the meaning behind Senja's word, he actually answered her lightly with a farce. "She is the calmer person that I had ever seen."

Senja could his reluctance, so she didn't pry further about it and instead asked some question that had concerned her for long time.

"But, Qi Xunyi…" Senja recalled something. "If Tianyao was someone who led the army to vanquish the Kingdom of Xinghe, why did you say that Tianyao had saved your live?"

This time Qi Xunyi scratched the back of his head unconsciously, "Well…" He trailed off. "I don't have right to talk about this… maybe you can ask Prince Xiao Tianyao…" He suggested.

"You knew it as well that Tianyao even couldn't remember you."

"Yes, strange…" He stroked his finger on his chin while thinking. "Xiao Jun didn't tell me either why his brother forget about me."

With that remarked Senja got the understanding that Qi Xunyi was in the mist with what was going on between Xiao Tianyao and Luna, also about Luna identity. Else, he would have made a conclusion easily about Xiao Tianyao's condition.

"Well, actually I came here to look for Uncle Su, do you know where is he?" Senja looked at him expectantly.

"I don't know where he is, but I do know that he was with Xun."

"With my brother? Where are they going to?" Sheng grew anxious all of sudden.

"Relax, Uncle Su is in good mood the last time I saw him."

"You don't know that for sure…" Sheng grumbled as he walked away, leaving Senja like he had forgotten about her.

Senja looked at Sheng who was walking away and disappeared from their sight. "So, what is that?" She asked bewildered.

Qi Xunyi neaten strands of her from his mother forehead as the woman gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes at her son. "Uncle Su sometime is not in his right state of mind." He said without averted his gaze from his mother. "Originally Sheng and Xun were there to watch after him, just in case something happened to him."

"I saw it." Senja recalled the event long time ago when she was still in the Roccaleaf Tea House and the Black Sword Clan's mansion, if one was counted, it has been twice Senja saw Uncle Su was triggered and all of that was about his family.

"Hmm?" Qi Xunyi cocked his head questioningly. "What did you see?"

"I saw it when he was triggered." Senja informed him.

"You did?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, I did. I feel sorry for what had happened to his family."

"Yes, I feel the same…" Qi Xunyi said in low voice.