The river wound its way through the mountains, and the trees parted to let it pass. In some places, it would be barely a steady stream, yet it would persist. Xinyue admired how it forged its way through the earth as she bent down beside it to gaze at her reflection.
“How much farther?” Hongyi’s voice cut through the peaceful requiem.
“Not much farther than you had asked the last time.” Bowen responded. “Quit whining.”
“This is also our first time in these mountains.” Haoran nodded at Bowen. They were all along the riverbed, taking a small break before continuing up the mountain.
Xinyue had to staunch her laughter. They had been traveling together already for a day following the river through the mountains. The first waterfall was easy to get to, and barely took any time at all, but the other was further up the mountain and took more perseverance to get to. A quality that Hongyi didn’t seem to possess.
“You can’t just tell me a guess to make me feel better?” Hongyi asked. He threw his hands up in the air.
“No.” Bowen and Haoran answered together.
Zixin watched the pair from the side, his eyes betraying his discontent with their new friendship. Xinyue knew that Zixin was close friends with Haoran, but lately there seemed to be something more to it. Zixin made eye contact with Xinyue and fought to school his expression until it was once again pleasant. A small smile graced his lips.
“Let’s continue on and not stress about it. There’s nothing we can do about it.” Zixin said, his words placating as if he were talking to a cat with their fur on edge.
“Condescending. Condescending is what you are.” Hongyi turned to glare at him. “Can you believe the disrespect of these soldiers, General Yichen?”
Yichen had been lounging at the side of the river near Xinyue. “I don’t disagree with him.”
“Thank you General Yichen. I appreciate your reasonable outlook.” Zixin saluted, his bow deep. It would have been serious, except for the goofy grin on his face.
Hongyi gasped and took out his fan looking like he might throw it at someone. Who at was anyone’s guess.
General Yichen threw his head back and laughed. His face softened considerable and Xinyue could not believe she was sitting next to the same man who wielded the spear with such accuracy. She rubbed at her shoulder and Yichen noticed.
“Ah, is there a scar?” He nodded at the spot. In the background, Hongyi argued with the others, still angry.
“Yes, but I should be thankful I still have use of my arm.” Xinyue smiled. “The King of Wu sent cultivators to assist and to help heal me. Without their assistance I don’t know if I would be able to use it.”
“Do you not normally have these healers?” Yichen cocked his head to the side in question.
Xinyue nodded. “No. It’s rare.”
“But you’re the best General in the State of Wu.” Yichen said it as if the statement was more than enough qualification to have healers.
“I am also illegitimate and have not been given the Grand Guardian position.” Xinyue was used to such things. “I am not a member of the royal family where they need to spend such extravagances on me.”
“But you are their representative. After all, someone from the royal family with cultivation needs to serve in the military.” It was tradition for the Crown Prince specifically to go into the military, but, at times, another family member could be chosen. Usually, the next male with ties to the royal bloodline. In the Mu Kingdom, Daijian, son of the Grand Mentor and possible heir to the throne, was sent to the military even though he wasn’t Crown Prince. Xinyue had heard rumors that his cultivation was low and he could barely rise through the ranks, but the Grand Mentor had volunteered him since there was no other option. It wasn’t unheard of for a representative to be sent in the stead of a royal.
Xinyue didn’t respond so the Crown Prince continued. “Trust goes both ways. The royals need to trust the military. The military needs to trust the royal family. This tradition began with the Spirits as they fought along side their military.” Xinyue knew all of this, and knew how important her role was.
“I will fulfill my obligations to the State of Wu to the best of my ability.” Xinyue thought of the people who lived and died by her order. Of course she understood the weight of her position.
“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.” Yichen ran his fingers through his hair, pulling some of the pieces from the topknot. The pieces hung at the side of his face. It almost made him look softer and less intimidating. “I’m trying to tell you that you deserve the healers. You don’t have to be grateful. Without you, the Wu State would fall. You’ve done more as their representative than others before you. As a General, I admit that I’m aware of your contributions.”
Xinyue turned to him in confusion, her next words came out almost angry. “I won to survive. Any loss we had would fall on my head. Any success we had was another day of survival, that I could count as a blessing.”
“Now I don’t understand.” Yichen said. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Xinyue took a calming breath. Yichen let her take a moment of silence and she reflected. “I know you didn’t mean to offend me. You didn’t know beforehand.” Xinyue sighed. For someone who took great caution in reigning in her emotions, of not reacting, Xinyue felt embarassed by her outburst. “I apologize to General Yichen.”
“There is no need.” Yichen waved off her apology. “Will you explain it to me?”
“Hm?” Xinyue was confused by this man. He frustrated her and made her experience buried and hidden emotions. Emotions that were unfit for a person in her position.
“Explain what I don’t know. What I don’t understand.” He treated her the same. There was no coaxing or syrupy words. It was as an equal that he spoke to her, as if he truly was curious about the situation, like he was asking her to brief him on battle plans or tactics.
This was the first time someone had asked Xinyue to explain her own situation. Everything was public knowledge and the gossip columns already had a field day reporting it all. No one asked Xinyue about it, and normally whispered in what they hoped were hushed tones as she walked by in fear of angering her. Xinyue figured it wouldn’t hurt anything to explain it.
“As I said the other day, I was raised in the temple when I was eight. Neither my maternal or paternal lines claimed me as a member of their family. Due to that, I needed to find a way to survive on my own. The easiest way was through battle.” It was a short explanation. The next part was more complicated. “I assume you know of my mother?”
The flower of the Wu Capital, Xinyue’s mother was a great beauty and the daughter of the Grand Guardian. She had the social connections to allow her husband unlimited influence, and she would have been a pretty ornament in any household. Many prestigious men had flocked to her when she had come of age, begging her father for his permission to wed her. That was before she had Xinyue.
“I have heard some things.” Yichen paused, unsure of what to say. There had been many rumors about Xinyue’s mother. “The King fell deeply in love with her.”
Xinyue nodded. “They were childhood friends, when he was the Crown Prince. Along with the Queen of Wu.”
Xinyue’s mother had told her the story at bedtime when she was a child. In the cold house that her grandfather moved them to, her mother would hold her close before they went to bed. Each night she would tell Xinyue about her father, about her life and the outside world away from those barren walls.
“I see. The King couldn’t let her go.”
The Grand Preceptor had a heavy influence on the previous King of Wu. The previous King lacked power, teeth, and was reliant on the Court for almost all his decisions. The Grand Guardian, Xinyue’s grandfather, was rarely at Court due to battles and obligations away from the Capital. The Grand Preceptor slithered his way to the previous King of Wu’s right hand and had maintained an almost invincible position in the Court. When the marriage talks came up during Court, it was obvious who the primary candidate would be. When the marriage between the two was decided, the Crown Prince had fallen into despair. He was away at war, serving in the military, and only was allowed back for his wedding night. After one night together, the Crown Prince left again for another battlefield; he avoided the Capital as much as he could until finally he was summoned by his father. Upon his return, a year after the marriage, he ran away from the Capital along with Xinyue’s mother.
News had run rampant through the land that the Queen of Wu was pregnant. To make matters worse, the previous King of Wu became sick. The soldiers of Wu found and dragged the Crown Prince and Xinyue’s mother back to the Capital. The Crown Prince hardly had any punishment, he was confined to the palace, but the punishment barely happened. Less than a month later the previous King would die, and he would take his place. He never was to see Xinyue’s mother again. But, Xinyue’s mother was an unmarried woman, who ran away with a married man and she came back pregnant.
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“I suppose he couldn’t.” Xinyue thought of her mother. Her pale face and bright eyes. Even after all the ridicule, her confinement to the cold house in her grandfather’s estate, and the lack of companionship she suffered from, she still remained a hopeful person. “She was lovely.”
“Was? I thought she was still alive?”
“She is. But I haven’t seen her since I went to the temple.”
Yichen paused. Everything they were talking about was delicate. These were all State matters and needed to be handled as such. “I have heard of the Crown Prince of Wu’s affliction.”
“It is the reason I was chosen to go into the military.” Xinyue motioned to her eyes. “Not to mention my cultivation.”
Xinyue’s eyes were just like her father’s.
“Are there no other royal family members?”
“There are, but none who were expendable.” Xinyue sighed. “Not to mention none that the Queen didn’t like as much as me.”
This was a nice way to say it. The Queen had hated Xinyue’s mother, even as children. When the previous Crown Prince had gone away to serve in the military, Xinyue’s mother was with him as the Grand Guardian’s daughter. Xinyue’s mother was well-educated, fearless, and beautiful, all things that the Queen hated.
“There it is. The reason for your suffering.”
Xinyue let out a sardonic chuckle. “I can’t always blame the Queen. After all, she ironically did me a favor.”
“Oh?”
“She gave me power. A chance for survival. If I stayed in the Capital, I don’t know if I would have survived or died by some other means. At war, fighting for myself, I have a chance.” Xinyue had grown in power. She now was the greatest General of Wu with troops under her command. The Queen and Court of Wu decided where Xinyue could go and what battles would be fought, but she decided her own success. Her power came from her accompaniments alone.
Yichen stared at Xinyue. “It has become more difficult to imagine fighting you in the future.”
“Why?”
“I acknowledge you. You are truly worthy of respect.” Yichen said this so solemnly that it made Xinyue almost uncomfortable. She had a feeling that he didn’t say these words often.
Xinyue raised an eyebrow. She didn’t want to stay longer on this topic. “Then you should fear me more if we are to fight again in the future, General Yichen.”
Yichen laughed, his whole body shaking with the strength of his laughter. “Okay, then shall we see?” Yichen stood up from the riverbank and Xinyue joined him. He constantly moved from subject to subject. One minute emotional, the next challenging her to a fight. She never understood quite what would happen next.
“Should we make a bet?” Xinyue asked.
“I think I’ve been a terrible influence.”
“You could always blame Hongyi.” Xinyue shrugged, her face purposefully blank.
Yichen threw his head back and laughed again, this time louder and more boisterous. It caused the others to come over to see what all the fuss was about.
“General, is everything okay?” Bowen glanced between the two.
“Lend me your sword, Bowen.” Yichen took off his spear that he had strapped to his back and set it off to the side. He reached a hand out to the man who stared at it blankly.
“General, If I may-“ Zixin looked at Xinyue with wide eyes. His tone calming as he began to do what he did best; weave words and influence others.
“It’s okay, Zixin.” Xinyue cut him off. “We are going to spar.
Bowen had given Yichen his sword and he unsheathed it. The sheathe in his left and the sword in his right. He gave the sword a few swings as he adjusted to its weight.
“To spar?” Hongyi’s voice came out in a squeak.
“We’ve had the opportunity to test ourselves with the spear and the bow. Now it’s time for the sword.” Yichen made it sound so reasonable. Like this match was a forgone conclusion.
“Suddenly? In the woods?” Haoran tried to be the voice of reason.
“It’s a good a place as any.” Yichen smirked at the soldier. “I suggest you guys take a few steps back.”
The other soldiers moved to the side and Xinyue unsheathed her sword. Ancicipatoin hummed through the air and the other soldiers moved restlessly from foot to foot. The blade in her right hand the sheath in the left; she mirrored Yichen.
“I expect you to give it your all, General Xinyue.” Arrogance dripped from his words as Yichen swung his sword back into position.
“As I of you.” Xinyue was used to his arrogance now. Instead of making her feel nervous or angry, it almost gave her comfort. “I thank you for this opportunity.”
Yichen nodded. Then moved.
Like the Spirit creature of his ancestor, Yichen was quick and fluid in his movements. Like a serpent he manipulated his sword with grace and struck out at Xinyue.
Xinyue answered in kind. With a downward cut she parried his thrust. Stepped forward and slashed.
Yichen blocked and slid under their swords. Xinyue didn’t give him time to reset, immediately following with another thrust at his chest with the sheathe.
It hit Yichen in the chest causing him to grunt and step back a bit. He smiled then and with a downward swing hit Xinyue’s sheathe with his own almost causing her to drop it. He then swung his sword at her head.
Xinyue stepped back, the sword narrowly missing her head, but it did cut her veil in half.
Xinyue spun out and removed the rest of her veil from her face. Yichen paused, his eyes widened as he stared at her.
The two generals stood on opposing sides facing each other, for the first time face to face without anything between them.
Yichen didn’t pause for long and stepped into to Xinyue, his sword swung at her head again.
This time Xinyue ducked. She kicked out with her leg and spun while crouched.
Yichen jumped over her leg and landed softly on the dirt.
Xinyue rose from her crouch and thrust at Yichen’s right side. He parried and twisted his sword. He tried to disarm her. To dislodge the grip she had.
Xinyue let go of the sword, and in the next second reached down to grasp it before it fell to the ground. It was now untangled from his sword.
They continued. His serpentine movements contrasting with her feline ones.
There was a brief pause and they faced each other. Hongyi and the rest hadn’t dared to make a single sound during the whole interaction. It wasn’t every day they saw their supeior officers go all out in a spar. Most of the time Xinyue and Yichen had to pull themselves back while fighting their soldiers, and during war they were more focused on survival than on sword skills or artistry.
But here, with each other, they could let themselves play. Let themselves be free with the sword.
It was this acknowledgment that had Xinyue reaching for her cultivation for the flow of magic deep within her stomach. She felt Yichen’s match hers. The air was thick with it as it crashed into both of the generals and their subordinates.
With a nod at Yichen, Xinyue pounced.
No longer did either general hold anything back. Reinforcing their blades with cultivation they swung at each other. Their movements and martial arts enhanced by their cultivation, they moved with a newfound energy.
A dance: parry, thrust, block.
Xinyue had never felt such adrenaline. Excitement to match her sword with his.
Spinning out from Yichen’s sword, Xinyue swung hers. His sheathed stopped it just before it sliced through his neck. Her sheathe had stopped his sword from cutting through her left side.
They stayed like that for a second.
“Thank you for this opportunity.” Yichen bowed his head to Xinyue. “It’s been enlightening to say the least.”
“And I thank you for this as well.” Xinyue also bowed her head. She knew neither of them would best each other today.
It was a draw. Neither had won the spar.
Their subordinates on the side were quiet. Not quite sure what had just occurred. Neither of the generals had ever lost in a sparring match, and yet here they were at a draw with each other.
“We’ll set camp here for the night, and move to the waterfall in the morning.” Yichen suggested, sheathing his sword.
“Hm. I think that would be beneficial.” Xinyue sheathed her own sword. Her hands shook and she was grateful for Yichen’s suggestion. She could already feel her muscles screaming and the strain on her joints from their sparring match. Although she would never show it, the spar took more out of her than she wanted to admit.
“We’ll be at the top of the waterfall tomorrow. Get some rest.” With those orders from yichen, the soldiers moved into action to set up their camp.
