Ch.15 Permission Granted
Night fell on the battlefield, bringing along a blanket of silence that only seemed to intensify the tension between the 2 countries. Both sides could not take it easy, each staying alert in case of a surprise night attack.
Alert as they were, however, the North did not realise that one of its people had already slipped out of camp and the South had no idea that an enemy had already entered the range of their territory.
Just outside the city’s northern wall, sheltering herself from the moonlight under the canopy of trees, Luo Yue made herself comfortable in the exact same spot she had sat at this morning. She was leaning against a tree, her eyes closed as she let herself be enveloped in the cool breeze.
“It is dangerous to stay here,” a voice sounded just before she was about to doze off.
“Why have you come?” The lady did not need to look up to recognise the shadow that had appeared beside her.
“It is my duty to stay by your side.” Shen Tian Ping’s answer was exactly as she has predicted.
‘What a boring man.’ She sighed to herself.
The clouds parted and the moon in its initial waxing gibbous stage peeked out from behind. All of a sudden, the city and the barren land in front was lit up. A ray of stray light also passed through a hole in the canopy of trees.
Shen Tian Ping swiftly stepped in to block its path.
Luo Yue did not glance up at him, only making a complaint under her breath, “I can still handle this much. Aren’t you fussing too much, Tian Ping?”
“The full moon will be here in a week or so.” He merely advised in his stoic manner, “please refrain from going out at night.”
The ‘boring man’ saw that his master make no move to return to camp and could only take off his outer clothes to cover her from the chilly night.
“They shouldn’t destroy too much of the city,” she suddenly said as she gazed at it, letting more wistfulness than she has expected to slip into her tone. “‘He’ had really put a lot of thoughts into rebuilding it.”
“Are you…” Shen Tian Ping had basically grown up together with her. He could easily see through her detachedness and catch the fleeting hint of nostalgia, “…missing him?”
“'Missing him'? Is this what it is?” small, rare laughter left her mouth. She pulled the clothes he had given closer to herself. Weird, why does her heart feel colder hearing his words? “And here I thought 5 years would have been enough for me to forget about him.”
Once in a blue moon, helplessness will engulf those usually confident eyes. Whenever that happened, she would seem less like the cold God of War, and more like the girl whose world had only revolved around one person. He urged her softly, “perhaps forgetting is not the right way.”
“Then, I’m afraid I’m in deep trouble.” She reached to her side, only realising that she had long downed that last urn of wine when her hand touched empty air. “Because I really do not know any other way to deal with this.”
He kept quiet this time, knowing the immense loss she had suffered was not something he could smoothen with just a few words. So, he stayed by her side as she reminisced about the past.
“Master,” he spoke after a while, “what do you think about the General?”
“What do you want to say?”
“After the way he attacked you, I have to agree with Xiao Liu. It is better to stay away from him.”
“That might not be possible now,” she sighed.
“Why is that so?”
“I saw his eyes this afternoon. I suspect he might have started doubting my identity the moment I pulled out my fan.”
“Just from your fan? But isn’t it common for ladies to carry around a fan? Besides, the public still thinks the God of War to be a man.”
“He could read my thought perfectly regarding the decoy plan. This person is not to be underestimated. Even if he doesn’t know who I am, he should have guessed who I am not.” She rubbed her temples with her eyes closed. “Xuan Zong has seen me as a thorn in his flesh for a long time. Sending me here might not only be for the war. I have a feeling this dear Emperor of ours will use him to keep me in check.”
“Should I get rid of him?”
“Forget it, that will be a great loss for our North.” She waved her hands. “Instead, do something for me.”
“Please speak, Master.”
“Go fetch Xiao Liu. It’s almost time for the attack.”
“Yes, Master.” He bowed, “then, please be careful.”
“Mn.”
He slipped away silently into the night.
Meanwhile, Wu Zhe Yan was still sitting alone in the assembly tent, his eyes darting across the sand table as he pondered over something. The small forest she had drawn on the northern side entered his sight and had kept him thinking for quite some time now.
“A precarious place…” he muttered as his eyebrows remained slanted in deep thoughts. The sound of his finger tapping against the table was all that could be heard in the tent. “If they attack while hiding in this forest… the decoy troop will be completely overwhelmed.”
“Perhaps…” his finger paused.‘She is already aware of this?’
He stood up suddenly, his footsteps unhesitating as he decisively made his way to a certain tent.
He pulled the curtains and strode in without so much as a greeting. Taking a good look around, his legs stopped. It had only been a suspicion at first, but now that he has seen her completely empty room, he let out a slightly astounded sound. “That kitty… is it really like I thought?”
He shook his head with a broad grin. Well, there was still a lot of chances for him to find out.
“Qi.”
“Yes, my Lord?” the young man who has been waiting outside popped his head in and answered.
“Bring me a brush and paper.”
~~
Shen Tian Ping slipped into the tent he and Xiao Liu were sharing and roused the sleeping boy.
“Hm? Ping-ge?” Still drowsy, he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“I’ve packed your stuff for you. It’s time to go.” He handed him a cup of water to wake him up.
“Go? Go… where?” Eyes still half-lidded, Xiao Liu half-consciously began to drink the water.
“To where the Lady is.” They weren’t really in any hurry anyway, so Shen Tian Ping let him take his own time.
“Oh...” The younger boy nodded, nodded some more, and then his head began to droop.
“…”
~~
Luo Yue watched on as Shen Tian Ping carried a soundly asleep Xiao Liu off from his back and leaned him against the stump of another tree. “You spoil him too much.”
“He’s still a child anyway.”
Luo Yue turned her head back and made herself comfortable again.
“Oh, and Master, I have something to report. We met the General on our way out.”
“That crazy dog?” she raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. Strangely, he didn’t say anything else but told me to pass this to you.” Shen Tian Ping searched around in his robes and took out a small slip of paper.
She unfolded the paper and only 2 words appeared.
‘Permission Granted.’
“How arrogant. Who’s asking for his permission?” Luo Yue scoffed as she crumpled up the paper.
“Master, this letter…?” no matter how Shen Tian Ping looked at it, he didn’t have his master’s wisdom to decipher the meaning behind just 2 words.
“He has figured out that the city gates and the fake wall are not the only places where the battlefield will be taking place.”
“Is that why you have decided to come here? The plan was for the decoy troop led by the General to deal with the city gates while the main troop destroys the fake wall. However, the battle in this forest will be the most crucial part of the plan.”
“At least you’re catching on quickly. That’s why he’s ‘granting me permission’ to take care of this place.”
“But how did he know that you were already here? And, even if he did, how does he know that you'll be able to complete this task?”
“He doesn't. It was nothing more than a guess.” Luo Yue went back to resting her eyes, unwilling to let any talks of him continue to disturb her rest. “To think that he would give such an important mission to someone whom he had only known to be a strategist... He’s taking this big of a risk just to sound me out. As I thought, he’s a lunatic.”
~~
{The next morning}
The night watchers of the southern troops let out a sigh of relief when they saw the disc of the morning sun starting to peek above the eastern horizon. The night of their duty has passed without any incidents.
However, just as they were about to change shift, the last soldier took a glance at the horizon and saw that the image of the peeking sun had become distorted due to a layer of dust. He squinted and dark images started to appear from within that dust. T-that was-…!
In the early morning of dawn, a yell sounded, followed by the vibrating beats of the warring drums that woke everyone up.
“An enemy attack!”
An arrow weaved through the crisp air and struck itself on the ground right beside Wu Zhe Yan. The black horse reared its front hooves and came to a stop, indignant smoke leaving its nostrils.
“General Wu! This is your final warning. Do not proceed any further!”