'A Danger' (II)

As Zhang kept pondering over a strategic approach to deal with the Mongols, the Sun slowly dug deep into the Mountains; causing the darkness to start engulfing the Qing County with it.

For many years, this small hillside town had seen no invasions or bloodshed- not to mention it's position was too much deep inside Jin territory; which made it difficult for any army to reach this town.

Due to this, the Qing county had no actual defenses than it's particularly strange terrain covered with hills and plateau, which formed a valley inside it, with a stream of water flowing through it.

It indeed seemed not to be a crucial town, but it had some secrets hidden beneath it,-

if not, then just think why a Royal Prince is living in this countryside- while others are living at the capital?

But, no one knows what these secrets are or where they are.

.

.

Knock! Knock!

-A sound took out Zhang from his deep thoughts.

"Who?"

"..."

"Who?- who is that?", Zhang asked again.

"Me-", a small voice flickered out from the direction of the door-" me- Dai Fu!"

"Come in.", Zhang replied with a similar tone.

It was already night, and the dusty room was lit with flickering candles- Dai Fu came in, his hands having a bottle of *Jiu* clasped in it. Telling Daifu to sit down, Zhang got some cups from somewhere.

"Don't bother..", Dai fu stopped Zhang as he brought some wooden cups, "I am here to discuss something-", saying so; he took out another bottle, giving his one to Zhang.

"So, what happened?", Zhang exclaimed sitting next to Dai Fu.

"I heard a news just a while ago-", Dai Fu paused for a while to drink- "I heard a Raiding army is camped in the foothill of Qing, Is it true?", he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I am afraid what you heard is unfortunately true, It's a Mongol Raiding Army detachment from the north."- Zhang staring at his face for while, replied.

"What?", Dai fu frowned- "How can they reach this much inside our territories, aren't they stopped by the Xijin Army?"

"Yes they were, but being a large part of the raiders pinning the Xijin Army fixed there, made this detachment to breach inside our lines.", Zhang explained- "From what I know, They have scouraged Pingyang city recently and are at the border of Bianjing province- about 82 'Li*' far from here right now."

"So close?", Zhang warded off a tense look-"But, what are these Khitan's raiders doing so close to the Capital?"

"Well that's a question indeed, but it's a bit confusing why they want something which they can't even use-"

"What do they want?", Dai fu didn't let him complete.

"-Aiyo Shen, you aren't drinking. Drink more, Drink more!", Zhang forcedly made Dai Fu to drink an extra gulp of his liquor.

"Okay-Okay!", Dai fu smiled, " I understand your problem; I won't ask then."

"Hehe! That's my brother!"

Well, Dai Fu and Zhang were of seemingly different and unequal status, but many few knew that These two were 'blood-brothers'; Both of them were brought up by the Royal household when their parents died in the Defense of Zhongjing, while Dai Fu was taken in by Yun's Master in Xijin- Zhang was sent South to the Fujia Family, which was very close to Royal family then.

But, this unique Brotherhood was very much unknown for the most of the world; So, when being in public they kept this secret to keep a honored relationship between them.

Sometimes the society is a place where we all hide and bluff- just because we want peace from the Chaotic world around us, which never lets us humans to stay without a mistreatment.

But, speaking of mistreatments- It can cause mishaps, sometimes very terrible ones. These Mishaps, are perhaps the best called as, 'Conflicts'. But, as long there are humans- this would remain universal. Peace and Chaos depend on these, not on our destiny and fate.

But, for now-

The destiny and fate has thrown RSK into a place, in which he thinks he can only do harm.

"RSK!", a sound rustled into RSK's ears again.

It was the same sound which he had heard in the morning- The same one; which stopped him from commiting a deadly escape from this reality.

"Who are you?", RSK asked in the darkness of the situation.

There was again-

No Reply!

RSK limped out in the darkness, his hands scanning the surroundings in their reach; trying to recognize any object they touch-

*Crackling noise*

"A-Ahhhh!", something heavy fell on his feet.

Bending down to recon the object, he did a vain attempt to recognize the heavy thing which was too much foreign for his hands to concede it as recognizable.

But, then-

Suddenly a flicker of intensifying light seemed to move past his back.

RSK immediately turned his face, just to see a person holding a Latern in hand. His blood immediately froze to it's brim in fear-

'W-who?', RSK muttered to himself.

A hand came out of the darkness behind the Latern-

"It's me, Zhang.", the person replied.

Zhang came out of the darkness, placing the Lantern on the table. His face was now visible. Sitting down, RSK took a breath of relief, calming down his nerves-

"You scared me.", RSK spoke out- "You are really very fast."

"Heh...I heard your voice from my room, so I rushed stubbornly here.", Zhang asked- "What really happened here?"

"Oh! I just tripped over the big porcelain pot in the darkness-", Yun answered observing the fallen object in the dim light.

"What time it is now?", Yun asked- unable to judge the time between his peculiarly obliterated day-night schedule, which was messed up in the result of the recent past situations.

"Midnight maybe.", Zhang answered ignorantly, lighting up the candles on the table.

'So, I just disturbed him-', RSK thought in disappointment to himself. "Sorry! I didn't intended to wake you all up-"

"Heh...No problem, I was coming here anyways.", Zhang replied- "A trouble has came upon us."