The Past- 3 Years Ago
The portal of the Long Kingdom opened to the cliffs above the sea. It was the first time Xinyue had seen the ocean, and the expansive amount of water made Xinyue feel simultaneously small and huge. Haoran sat next to her on his horse, his eyes wide as he took in all of his surroundings.
“Greetings and welcome to the Long Kingdom.” A cultivator in sky blue robes stood in front of her, bowing at the waist. Looking to her left and right, Xinyue saw cultivators surrounding their small army. The portal took them near to the Long Capital, closer to where the bandits were located than the Wu Capital. The plan that was laid out by His Majesty was to meet the Crown Prince of Long on the road to the border between the two kingdoms, before carrying on to the bandit invested mountains.
“I am here to remind the soldiers of the Wu Kingdom that while they are welcome in the Long Kingdom, if they disobey the laws or step out of line there will be consequences.” Almost in one smooth motion, the cultivators reached up to the sky, and cultivation crashed into Xinyue. The cliff in front of them began to fall away, rapidly eroding before their eyes, the ground beneath their feet shook. Only the ground beneath the cultivators in front of them remained stable. If, by magic, the cliff fell into the sea, the cultivators would survive as the army fell to their deaths. As suddenly as it began, the magic faded away, slipping back into the cultivators present.
“Understood.” Xinyue nodded her assent to the Long Kingdom’s representative. There wasn’t much of a choice, Xinyue had received the orders from the Wu Court that together she would work with the Long army to suppress the bandits that were on the border between the two kingdoms. The orders came suddenly through an urgent courier, causing Xinyue to leave from where she was posted almost immediately after she received them. “We will work for the mutual trust and standing between our nations to remain firm and unyielding.”
“Then I sincerely welcome you.” The cultivator motioned for Xinyue to follow him away from the clearing on the cliff where to portal was held. “His Highness has been sent word of your coming. You are to meet him, then move on to the Long Military Camp in the Northern mountains.”
Xinyue nodded in assent and followed the cultivator down the beaten path to meet with His Highness, the Crown Prince of Long. The reeds reached up and scraped past Xinyue’s horses’ legs as the Wu army passed.
“I will leave you here. If you follow the path, you will reach your meeting point.” The cultivator bowed and left the group to struggle on to find His Highness.
Xinyue sighed. Orders were orders.
“General, it doesn’t seem as if they’re very welcoming.” Haoran watched as the cultivator trudged forward. They had just finished with a skirmish with some soldiers from the Feng Kingdom before they were sent to the Long Kingdom. All of the soldiers were travel-weary and tired from their long trip across Wu to get to the portal site; their request to stay in the Capital denied, they had to stay outside all night and make camp.
“But they are polite.” Xinyue didn’t need a warm welcome, it was rarely welcoming whenever she came to another location to fight. From one area to the next, most people were not supportive of the General, especially after her fight with the Crown Prince of Long two years ago. The gossip columns had been excited to report on the battle between the God of War and the God of Death; they embellished the story, so it became more like a fairytale than anything else. Now, here Xinyue was, in the same kingdom as General Yichen, and working together with him. Fate was twisted and cruel.
“I guess.” Haoran shrugged.
“Come on now, Haoran. Polite is good enough for our General, are you saying it’s not good enough for you?” Zixin rode next to the General and Haoran, his face full of good humor, and he even had the audacity to wink at the Second-in-Command, laughing when Haoran’s face turned an unflattering shade of pink.
“I said, I guess.”
“That’s not a clear answer. You still sound dissatisfied.” Zixin smirked, clearly enjoying Haoran’s discomfort. “You should apologize to General Xinyue for going against what she said.”
“I didn’t say anything. There is no need to apologize for not saying anything.”
“Yes, but it was the tone. The tone, Haoran.”
“I am the Second-in-Command to you.”
“Really? Pulling rank?” Zixin pulled a wounded face and put a hand to his heart as if he had been injured. “What a low blow.”
“Enough. We have a longer journey ahead to the site where the bandits were last seen. We’re supposed to meet with His Highness, and continue together to the camp they’ve set up.” General Xinyue had to be the voice of reason between the two men, a role she was awfully familiar with. At times, the two would be unnaturally close, and at different times, they argued like cats and dogs. If they had not been friends since they were children, Xinyue would think they were mortal enemies.
“Yes, General.” Haoran answered his face once again a stone mask.
Zixin’s playful tone remained as he answered, “Yes, General.”
“Let’s keep in mind why we have come to the Long Kingdom.” Xinyue didn’t mean for the exhaustion to seep into her voice, but it had been exhausting moving from place to place, to lead the troops in and out of battle.
The troops trudged ahead through the paths of the Long Kingdom. They were quick to set up camp and quick to pack up and leave the next day. Xinyue felt a particular anxiety while being in the Long Kingdom, one she normally didn’t feel in the Wu Kingdom. Something kept telling her to rush to the meeting spot with the Crown Prince, she just wasn’t sure what it was that made her want to increase the soldiers’ pace.
“General, one of the scouts hasn’t made it back to camp yet.” Zixin came to Xinyue as they packed up the camp to move out to their next location. They were set to meet with the Crown Prince that night if they maintained the pace they were at now.
“When did they set out?”
“Early this morning, about an hour ago.”
Xinyue did some quick calculations, there was something off about the situation. All of the scouts who set out should have made it back by now, unless something had happened.
“Zixin, what do you think?” Haoran was busy talking to the troops and helping them pack everything up. Zixin’s normal demeanor had changed from happy and talkative to serious.
“I believe they’ve encountered something.” Zixin had faith in the scouts they sent out that morning, and he knew they wouldn’t have been as foolish as to not come back by the set time.
“I believe the same.” Xinyue sighed. “But we have no choice but to continue. Talk to the troops and have them be extra vigilant moving forward. Don’t spook anyone, but prepare them for the worst.”
“Understood, General.” Zixin started on his mission.
They were far from where the bandits were last spotted, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. If they decided to move to where they were, it wouldn’t be unheard of. They may have seen the scouts' lone riders and decided they would be ideal victims for them to rob and take their goods. It was more worrisome that a group of bandits could handle trained soldiers than anything else.
The issue was still fresh in Xinyue’s mind as they set off to the meeting point. All the soldiers walked in line, fully dressed in their armor with their swords at their sides. Zixin had filled in Haoran on the current situation, and the Second-in-Command sat stoically on his horse, anticipating an attack. He was already determined that an attack would happen, he just didn’t know when.
“General, there appears to be an unmanned cart ahead.” Haoran had seen the covered cart with only three out of four wheels before everyone else. It was unstable without all of its wheels, covered in dusty gray rags that hid the contents on it.
“This is a perfect spot for an ambush, General.” Zixin said this under his breath. He looked at the bushes that lined the path and the trees whose branches stretched far above their heads. It would be easy to hide and difficult for people to escape. There was only one path in and out of the area, and it wouldn’t be easy for all of the army to back out of the area if they were attacked. They would definitely lose some men if they were attacked; not everyone could leave unscathed.
“Remain vigilant.” There was nothing more to say or do. Either they would be attacked or they wouldn’t. “Continue, pass the cart.”
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The horses neighed and moved restlessly. The forest had gone far too quiet for anyone’s liking. The men were silent as they continued forward as if they too could sense their general’s anticipation.
As they approached the cart, Xinyue watched as the blankets on the back moved and rustled. Up and down the blanket rose.
“Someone’s in the cart.” Xinyue was able to get out before the blankets were thrown off the person they were covering.
On the cart bed were two people, one dressed in the armor of Wu, the missing scout. The other was dressed with a face covering and all black, he yelled as he charged at them.
From behind, Xinyue heard more cries as the bandits descended onto the awaiting Wu Army. They moved spectacularly well through the forest, and attacked before the army had a chance to respond.
“Engage in battle!” Xinyue gave the order, swinging off her horse.
The fight was rough and far more dangerous than Xinyue had thought. More bandits were hiding in the trees and bushes, as soon as one fell, another would take their place. Arrows from archers shot through the air, deadly and true to their mark. Due to the narrow roads, a lot of the Wu soldiers lacked mobility and were picked off from the sides closest to the trees one by one.
Xinyue’s sword swung and cut down the man in front of her, but another took his place. Almost instantly, the bandits were able to work together and replace each other.
Sliding and twisting, an arrow just barely missed Xinyue and hit the dirt.
Another slice hit its mark and another man went down.
“General!” Haoran’s cry was piercing in the chaos.
Unsheathing a throwing knife at her waist with her left hand, Xinyue threw it. It hit the man in the throat who was about to stab Haoran in the stomach.
Xinyue continued. Relentlessly, she protected her troops amongst the undying deluge of bandits.
“General, I don’t know how many more are coming.” Zixin, coated in sweat and dirt, held his side where there was a slight cut.
“We need to get their archers.” Xinyue watched as another arrow found its mark into one of the Wu soldier’s shoulders, incapacitating him.
“But how? There’s too many trees, and our troops are too occupied defending to get to their bows.” Haoran looked worse than Zixin. He looked as if he had been rolling on the ground, his whole body covered in grime and blood.
“The ones facing the trees on the edge of the path will protect the ones in the path's center area; they will be the ones to shoot.” Xinyue pulled at her cultivation, letting the magic flow so the orders could be heard throughout the Wu Army. The orders were simple but direct.
The orders given, the soldiers moved to activate her command. They moved according to their training, shifting and taking position, not flinching even as more were cut down or shot by a string of arrows. As one arrow zoomed from a tree, another was shot by a soldier, pinpointing the enemy’s location. The ones on the outskirts, closest to the tree line, protected the ones closer to the middle of the road who were shooting arrows and any carts or supplies that they had.
The archers were taken care of for now, but there was still the issue of the men on the ground.
“Haoran, what are the options that you can think of?”Xinyue twisted and swung her sword in her right hand, almost like a dance, she moved over the blood-stained dirt.
“There aren’t many, General,” Haoran grunted as he swung out with his sword, catching his opponent off guard. “Pretty much all deal with some form of retreat, but our numbers will suffer.”
“That’s the same conclusion I’ve come to.” Xinyue looked back at the horses and carts. Her troops falling as they tried to protect them. There weren’t many choices left.
With a thud, the enemy in front of Xinyue hit the ground. A bright blue plummage of feathers sticking out from the arrow that had shot him.
More, blue streaks that shot through the air, hit their desired targets.
“The Long Army has arrived.” Xinyue internally sent a prayer of thanks to the Gods. They would not finish this battle alone.
Riding ahead of the troops was a man in gold armor, the same gold armor that had haunted Xinyue’s dreams for the past two years. General Yichen, the Crown Prince of Long, was their rescuer. Xinyue also took a moment to curse at the Gods that their savior would be that man, before plunging her sword into another bandit.
As more and more of the Long troops cam in, and more bandits were slayed or wounded, the tides of the battle had turned.
With his spear twisting and spinning in his hands, the Crown Prince easily dispatched with all of the bandits around him. It was remarkable, his lack of hesitation and his accuracy. Xinyue could see why the gossip columns had given his the name the God of Death, almost every time he struck out with his spear the enemy would fall. It was both violent and elegant, a strange juxtaposition.
Not soon after the Long Army arrived, the bandits hurried back and disappeared into the forest.
“General!” Haoran, who had ran after one, came to Xinyue with a confused look on his face. “They disappeared. There’s no sign of them.”
“That can’t be.” Zixin said it under his breath but Xinyue heard him.
“Not even a small trace.” Haoran shook his head. “This should be impossible.”
Xinyue cocked her head to the side, her mind racing with possibilities. It was strange to think such a number of people could disappear without a trace, especially with such dense foliage around them. There should be some sign of where they went or where they had planned to go. It felt as if they had been battling a platoon of ghosts, as quickly as the bandits had come they were gone.
Something was definitely strange about these bandits. Not only did they appear to be well-organized and many in number, like their own army, they also could disappear without a trace.
Xinyue was still deep in thought about the situation when the flashy gold armor of the Crown Prince she wanted to forget interrupted her thinking.
“General Xinyue,” General Yichen seemed to delight in the predicament that Xinyue had found herself in, his voice bright and had a distinct sound of a smile in it. He swung down from his horse to meet her on the ground. That damn spear swinging and spinning in his hands. “What a coincidence.”
Xinyue bowed with both hands clasped together and then straightened back up. “Not much of a coincidence, your kingdom and mine are under treaty, Your Highness.” Xinyue dryly shot back. She kept her words polite and her words well executed.
“Ah, so fate, then.” The Crown Prince placed the end of his spear in the ground and chuckled. He seemed to be in a good mood. Even with his helmet on, Xinyue could tell that he was happy. “How blessed by the Gods I am.”
Xinyue sheathed her sword. “And how cursed by the Gods I am.” She didn’t mean for the words to slip out, but upon hearing them, the Crown Prince threw his head back and laughed. It felt wrong for such a laugh and feeling of amusement to be taking place after such an intense skirmish with the bandits, but, at the same time, Xinyue was grateful. She was thankful that she would not have to sit in the despair of the wounded and dead. That at least someone could keep their good humor and personality even in this situation.
“Will you follow me as we lead you to camp?”
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.” Xinyue saluted and got back on her horse that Haoran had led back over to where the two generals were standing.
“Of course. After all you are a guest under the kingdom’s treaty.” Xinyue had a distinct feeling that she was being teased, but didn’t know how to respond, at least not politely and in a way fit for His Highness, the Crown Prince to hear.
“We shall follow your lead, Your Highness.” Xinyue motioned for the Crown Prince to lead them. One of his men had brought his horse to him. Xinyue suddenly felt impatient to bathe and to wipe the blood off her hands. The feeling of disgust with the battle started to overwhelm her again as she thought of all the lives that were taken today and the loss of her soldiers weighed on her mind. She wanted to go to the camp as soon as possible, and leave this battle behind her.
The Crown Prince nodded to acknowledge her. Through the helmet, his eyes shined a bright white. Barely any of the blue or green could be seen, making him look like a ghost, otherworldly and unnerving. The Crown Prince swung back onto his horse and turned from the remnants of the battle, the Crown Prince with the rest of the Army of Long led Xinyue and her troops to the camp they would be staying at for the next following weeks.
