Only Manni remained in the tent, and she stood out of earshot at the entrance.
Meili sighed heavily, "once again, Bai Li, I must thank you for saving my life. I haven't seen you since that day on Purple Mountain, so please allow me to formally thank you for coming to my rescue, again. It's become such a habit that I could never repay you, even if we had three lifetimes together."
"I hope we'll have many more lifetimes than that together, Mei Meili," he couldn't resist replying. "And you can more than repay me in this lifetime," his eyes took on a devilish glint, and she ducked her head, not rising to the bait as she usually would.
"Mei Meili," he said softly, looking her directly in the eye, "has something happened at the palace? What aren't you telling me?"
