Ch.19 Qi, The Dauntless Subordinate

The Southern General turned his head slowly towards the direction of the forest. A giant sword was lodged firmly in his abdomen, pinning him to the ground. However, towards the very end, the forest remained ever so still and quiet. His eyes slowly dulled and then, even the last shred of light left as well. The Southern General has fallen.

Wu Zhe Yan followed his dying gaze towards the forest as well. Golden eyes lingered a little longer and brows furrowed as though he has reached a split road.

Finally, having made a decision, he turned to the teenager by his side, “The city gates will fall soon. I’ll take care of everything here so go bring her back.”

“Her?” Qi already knew the ‘her’ in question, but this command deviated far from what his lord was saying last night.

__

[The Previous Night]

“My Lord, this…” Qi looked at the two words, ‘Permission Granted’, Wu Zhe Yan was writing on the slip of paper. He did stand in awe of his master’s ability and hold him in the highest esteem. But he also knew that there were times when his master gets a little… unpredictable, to put it nicely. “If the enemy decides to ambush us from the forest, we won’t survive the pincer attack. Our situation is already disadvantageous enough and you’re really going to give such an important task to a strategist?”

“Which part of her looks like a mere strategist to you?” Wu Zhe Yan finished the last stroke.

Qi resisted the urge to say, ‘Every part’.

“I don’t think she’s an official of the Imperial court.” Wu Zhe Yan said suddenly. “The fools there like to incessantly fuss over etiquette and what’s not.”

My lord, you’re also an Imperial official… Qi was about to say when he caught on.

“My Lord, you suspect that… she’s from the Jianghu?”

*Jianghu = The Pugilistic World

The Jianghu is the hidden world, a world of martial artists who have left the political circle. The people of the Jianghu loved freedom and while some of them ended up making their own sects and clans, there was another group who roamed the world alone.

And Wu Zhe Yan, used to be the latter.

Those who walk the world of Jianghu comes from all the 4 kingdoms. Neither wars nor politics could tie them down and if there was one thing they enjoyed more than freedom itself, it would be a journey to improve their own martial arts and experience others’.

So, for Wu Zhe Yan whose name once held unimaginable influence to suddenly disappear from the Jianghu one day, the news had come like an unforeseen storm.

The unconventional weapon in Luo Yue’s hands, her martial arts, and her character- Everything about her had caught his eyes that afternoon. Each one of them adding more fuel to his suspicions. There was just one thing that didn’t quite fit into the puzzle.

“I’ve wandered in the Jianghu for the most part of my life and yet, I still don’t remember hearing about someone like her.” Wu Zhe Yan had experienced a small taste of her martial arts himself and that was perhaps the main reason for his growing curiosity. “A lot of things about her scream the Jianghu and even if that isn’t the case, I can still say for sure that she isn’t just an ordinary strategist.”

“But Lord, doesn’t that make her all the more suspicious? She has disappeared twice in just one day and knew of a fake wall that even we didn't. There’s a high possibility that she’s colluding with the South.”

“She’s not an enemy. At least, for now.”

“How do you know, Lord?”

“I don’t.” Wu Zhe Yan shrugged.

“…” Qi sighed just hearing those familiar words. Every time those words come out, it means that his dear lord would be betting on his instincts with his life as the stake again. He has never seen someone as fearless and careless with death as his master. 'Oh, dear God, please shine a light on my lord. I don’t think he understands the concept of life and death.'

“Well, if I’ve guessed wrong, then there’s nothing I can do. All of you will just have to die together with me.”

Qi gave his master a deep bow, saying with a straight face, “Worry not, Lord. Since you’ve tasked me with your funeral, I will stay alive even if I have to abandon you.”

Wu Zhe Yan’s eyes twitched, “getting bolder now, are you?”

Qi straightened his back and poured his master a cup of tea, swiftly changing the topic as he did, “But Lord, let’s say they’re really not working with the enemy. Then, what if they fail to stop the assassins? No matter Lady She Li's mastery of martial arts, we are still at war.”

“Then, they’ll die. Why should that matter to me as long as they’ve stalled the enemy? I’ll leave their fate to their own hands.”

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“Lord, last night you clearly said that you wouldn’t interfere in their fate.” Qi looked mildly surprised.

“Can I not have times where I change my mind?” Wu Zhe Yan easily pulled out his giant sword from the General’s body.

“You do that once every 2 years. And with her, you’ve already used up 4 years,” Qi mumbled under his breath.

A look from his master made him cup his hands and bow with a poker face.

“I’m going.” Qi couldn’t help turning back when he has reached a safe distance. “And Lord, if you get killed before I return, remember to die standing up so that it’s easier for me to find your body!”

He very agilely dodged a spear.

~~

Qi skilfully made his way into the forest. A part of his mind still went back to his lord’s words.

It was very strange. Unless they were his men, very rarely did Wu Zhe Yan even spare a glance at anyone else. This time, however, he had even personally sent Qi to aid her. Assuming that she was still alive, of course. If the brothers back at the Imperial Hounds were to hear about this rare interest in others -especially in a lady-…

Qi came to a sudden halt.

“Heavens…”

He took in the sight in front of him. If he had held doubts about her fighting skills just seconds ago, they were all gone like the wind now. He knelt beside the body nearest to him and his eyes darted meticulously as he inspected it. Then, he looked up at the other bodies lying on the ground. As he thought, they had all been cut cleanly through the neck. Their attacker must have been swift, accurate and merciless to kill them in one strike.

Qi caught sight of one dead body; the only one who was sitting with his back to a tree, a sword stuck in his chest.

‘The commander?’ Qi recognised the dead man. ‘If even the commander is dead then…’

Still, since his lord had ordered that they be brought back, Qi began looking around for them. However, after having searched for half the day, not even a hint of their shadows could be found. Giving up, Qi shrugged, ‘well, at least I can report that they’re still alive.’

~~

While most of the citizens have long fled TianAn City, there were still some obstinate ones who had refused and stayed behind like a stubborn rock in the middle of a tornadic waterspout. And to pay the price for that, they had had to surrender most of their food to the Southern Army. The days under the enemies were filled with threats and beatings and every one of them had already accumulated enough resentment.

So, when news of the broken wall had stormed in, those who could still fight had promptly picked up a weapon and joined the army that had broken in.

A pair of legs walked past the crumbled houses and the chaos. As though its owner already had a destination clearly mapped out in mind, the steps taken were quick and firm.

“Are we rushing somewhere, Lady?” Xiao Liu called out.

“No,” the lady in front answered, “why do you ask?”

“Because you’re walking too fast.”

His words made her pause. Had she really been walking that fast?

Shen Tian Ping looked at her back. At times when even Luo Yue cannot fathom her own behaviour, it was always Shen Tian Ping who could read her like a book. He opened his mouth, “don’t worry. That is the only place that can oversee the entire city. They won’t easily destroy the teahouse.”

Luo Yue thought it over for a while before her legs continued moving. Considerably slower this time. “Mn.”

“We were rushing to a teahouse? Why? What’s the Lady looking for in a place like that?” Xiao Liu lowered his voice and asked.

Shen Tian Ping had been sent to Luo Yue’s side for as long as he could remember. There was one thing he had found out a long time ago. It was not that the God of War was cold or emotionless. It was merely that the way she had used to live had rendered her unable to comprehend others or her own emotions. And even if she was slowly learning, there were still times when she did not know how to express herself. ‘That person’ had done a remarkable job healing her soul, but his death had also pushed her back into that abyss.

“Memories,” there was a hint of wistfulness when he answered Xiao Liu. “She’s looking for her memories.”

The two followed behind their master and as Shen Tian Ping had said, arrived before a teahouse. This was the place Luo Yue and the Late Emperor had stayed in for a few days after successfully defending TianAn city a few years ago. Because of its strategically advantageous position, this teahouse had remained intact. It was also from this place that the Northern Army’s infiltration through the fake wall was first noticed and quickly reported. Now, with the Southern soldiers out fighting, this place was as empty as an abandoned temple.

Or so it seemed.

“Drop your weapons!” a teen sprang out from behind a table, a kitchen knife grasped tightly in his hands. Behind him, Luo Yue saw more fearful faces. The teen saw that the children and elderly had been exposed and quickly raised a hand to block out her line of sight.

Luo Yue felt a sudden throb in her head, the tears and dirt-stained faces dragging her back to that familiar past.

“Stand back!” the teen’s growl made her regain her composure.

She looked up, finally meeting his eyes. And heartfelt words left her mouth, “you’ve done well protecting them. You will all be safe now.”

It had been eight years and he had already been promoted to this teahouse’s waiter and manager from his initial position as the servant boy. Yet, with just one look, recognition settled in his face and tears welled up in his eyes. The teen threw down his knife and quickly took a few strides forward. “You-… you are-!”

Luo Yue also recall this servant boy; the one that had helped her snuck in wines under the eyes of the late Emperor. Because she usually takes off her mask in the company of the late Emperor, he too, had one day accidentally caught sight of the God of War’s real face. She raised a finger to her lips, knowing that she had been specially ordered not to disclose her identity. The teen was also as tactful as he had been in the past, easily catching onto her unspoken words.

Her appearance alone had put down all his guards. He couldn’t help his lips stretching into a smile, gratitude and a bit of embarrassment laced in that one question. “Are you here to save us again?”