FicWad

Chapter 14

"General Huang."

Mulan looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Shang strode toward them quickly, an odd expression across his features as he stared down at her where she was crouched on the ground. The hooded figure of Li Meng-shi walked hurriedly a few steps behind him.

"General Li Shang," the officer remarked in surprise, his attention drawn away from Mulan momentarily. He laughed. "I see you brought the third party in your crowd along, too. I'm happy to see that the reports of your unfortunate demise were premature and greatly exaggerated. And won't Luo Di be surprised."

Shang slipped his cloak off, letting it fall to the ground, and he drew his sword, moving to stand between her and the officer, planting his feet firmly.

"Step aside, General Li. I am dispatching with this traitor."

"I'll take care of her. She's my prisoner and I will bring her to the Imperial City," Shang answered coolly.

She stared at Shang's back in shock, wondering if this was an act. What if he had just been going along with her father so he could get her away from him and then take her as a prisoner?

General Huang began to laugh again. "Somehow I doubt that given you didn't execute her the first time around, when you found out who and what she really was. I will take care of you first, then deal with her."

Several moments passed while the two men stood facing each other in silence, swords poised to fight. Mulan wriggled her wrists, with difficulty due to their position behind her back, attempting desperately to loosen the rope that bound them together.

The two soldiers lunged at one another finally and she watched the flashing metal of the two blades as they fought, continuing to try to ease her wrists out of the ropes. While Huang was busy fighting with Shang, Li Meng-shi took the opportunity to slip over to her. He knelt down and she felt him cut the ropes. Relieved to have the freedom of her hands again she brought them back to front and began to shake off the severed ropes, rubbing her wrists, which were now sore from her efforts.

"Come on," the priest murmured quietly, withdrawing his knife back within the confines of his cloak. "Let's get back to the inn so I can look at that wound."

"But, Shang..."

"He'll be fine. We must get to the inn so I can treat you, and then we need to pack up so we can leave this city as soon as possible. The general will meet us at the stable after he dispatches with this officer. He asked me to get you away from here."

Mulan snatched up her own sword which had been knocked out of her hand and stood up, glancing at Shang worriedly, not registering Li Meng-shi's statement and his certainty that Shang would defeat the other man. All she could think was that Shang was as good a fighter as Huang but he wore no armor which made him much more vulnerable. The two warriors matched each other's moves, each one parrying and deflecting the other's blows, each one dodging and avoiding injury.

The priest gripped her arm and drew her away quickly. "Hurry. We must get you to a safe place where I can treat your injury. You're at risk for infection and you may need stitches."

But Huang caught sight of Li Meng-shi leading Mulan away and he dodged Shang's blow and circumvented him, leaping toward them. She stepped in front of the priest, sword poised to defend him as well as herself. Still fatigued from the earlier struggle she just barely deflected his blow and when she went to raise the sword again she found to her dismay that she was having difficulty lifting it, as if she'd lost her strength.

Fortunately Shang had pursued Huang and he lunged toward him now, thrusting his sword at Huang's side while the man was distracted and wounding him. Cursing profusely, he ignored Shang and lunged at Mulan again, swiping his sword at the level of her neck, apparently determined to take her with him no matter what. Li Meng-shi yanked her away and she narrowly avoided getting her head cut off as she fell backward, pulled down to the ground by the priest and landing on top of him. She rolled off quickly and whirled around to see if Shang was alright.

Her eyes fell on her would-be assassin lying on the ground before her, the white snow stained red with his blood. Shang had cleanly sliced his neck. Her heart seemed to have stopped completely and her breath caught in her throat.

Shang knelt down in front of her, obstructing her view of the dead man, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. A lump began to form in her throat as she stared into his concerned face.

"Are you alright, Mulan?"

Her heart began to start again, thudding rapidly in her chest, and her breath came out quick and labored now. She trembled all over as she tried to catch her breath.

"I'm alright," she began hoarsely. "You?"

"Yes," he murmured, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"How did you both know to come here?"

"Li Meng-shi read your note and when I got back to the inn he met me at the door and told me we had to find you. He had a bad feeling, I guess."

"Even after practicing again, I've lost my touch," she muttered.

"Yes, I'll have to start drilling you again and whip you into shape," Shang remarked, smiling slightly.

She attempted a laugh but she was shaking all over and her voice broke, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Shang leaned in and put his arms around her, hugging her.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. That was Huang Kai-rong that you were fighting, Mulan."

Mulan looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. "That name means nothing to me. But you obviously knew him."

"Huang was one of the Emperor's most skilled and dangerous swordsmen."

"Oh." She extricated herself from his embrace, bringing a hand up to her eyes to wipe them. "He recognized me, even with the hood up. We must look suspicious. He said he saw us come into town and has been following us since then. Well, me."

"I'm sorry to interrupt and I know you're upset," Li Meng-shi interjected, scrambling to his feet, "but we should really get moving."

Shang stood up then and held out a hand to help her to her feet. He scooped up the cloak that General Huang had tossed aside and put it around her shoulders. She clutched her stomach with one hand as the two men walked on either side of her, escorting her down the street toward the inn. The vendors had all disappeared and the street, which had been filled with people minutes ago, had completely emptied.

"Odd," Shang remarked. "It looks like everyone went into hiding."

"Everyone's afraid of the Imperial army now. They flee even at the sight of just one soldier," Li Meng-shi replied. "I know we need supplies, but we've been seen now and I'm sure he isn't the only officer stationed here. We may have more company soon and there's a good chance they will be looking for you as well as Mulan now, General Li. We need to leave this city as soon as I've treated her wound. We should aim to get to Jiaozuo quickly. We'll be past Luoyang then and any supplies that we can't obtain in the smaller villages we should be able to get there."

xxxxxxx

They continued to travel north as soon as their things were packed. It would take several days to reach Jiaozuo and they were traveling more slowly than desired that afternoon due to Mulan being sore from her wound, the bitter cold and the thin layer of ice that had formed over the ground. They rode until late in the night that first day of travel though, wanting to get as far away from Zhengzhou as they could. Long after dark fell they finally stopped at an empty farm several miles northwest, taking shelter in the barn. Shang curried the horses and Li Meng-shi cooked rice over the open fire while Mulan lay down to rest at their insistence. She felt somewhat spoiled with them doing all of the chores while she lay around, but Shang refused to allow her to even assist with grooming her own horse, behaving as if he was still her commanding officer.

With an exasperated sigh she stretched out on her back, bringing her arms up and resting her head on folded hands. She must have been more tired than she thought because she was opening her eyes to the sound of Shang's voice before she even realized she had fallen asleep. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Mulan, the food is ready."

"Okay," she rasped sleepily, rolling onto her side and yawning.

Shaking off the haze of sleep she sat up slowly then helped herself to standing, wincing as a twinge of pain flashed through her wound with each movement, and went to join them by the fire, helping herself to a bowl of rice. As they ate Shang began to ask Li Meng-shi questions about where they were going.

"Have you been to Taiyuan? Are you familiar with the surrounding area at all?"

He shook his head. "I'm from the Henan Province. I studied with a master in Hua Shan, the sacred mountain in the west."

"What exactly did your studies entail?"

"Checking to see if I'm qualified for the mission, General Li?" the priest chuckled mirthfully.

"No, sir," Shang answered, but even in the dim light of the fire Mulan could see that his face had turned slightly pink. "I'm just curious. I don't know much about it..."

"It's alright, I don't mind telling you. My father lived by the philosophies of the Dao and I began to study when I was seven. Those studies lasted for several years. During the day I did chores for my master, like any other apprentice. I chopped wood for fire, made repairs to his home, cooked. It was only at night that I was able to learn the incantations and other arts that I was expected to become proficient at, as well as study the great books and classics that were required. The same classics that were required of you to memorize, General Li, when you had to prepare for your civil service exams. I even read and memorized The Art of War as well as the laws of governing a nation."

"And then you became spiritual advisor to Wu Di?"

Li Meng-shi frowned at that question. "Yes."

"My father said you were only eighteen then," Mulan interjected.

He nodded. "Yes, but I fear that it was a little soon."

She was surprised to hear the doubt in his voice. "He said you were unusually gifted."

"Still, spiritual advisors earn their posts at an older age. I'm afraid I hadn't really attained true enlightenment at that point. But Wu Di had heard of me and requested my services. I couldn't turn him down. And I did learn much on the job. After he was assassinated I left Chang'an and went back to Hua Shan to return to my studies. Luo Di wanted to bring in his own advisor and I had no desire to serve him. I knew what he was already."

"Assassinated?" Shang looked at Mulan stunned. "They said he died of old age."

She shook her head. "He died in bed, from what appeared to be heart failure and no one ever suggested anything else, for fear of losing their heads. But there were whisperings. Many of us on the council believed his son arranged to have him poisoned."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time that happened. And then he took the throne," he mused. "He was the rightful heir."

"No," Li Meng-shi interjected. "He wasn't. Luo Di was the Second Prince. The Crown Prince was killed also."

She glanced at Shang who stared into the fire now, brooding.

"There was so much going on that I didn't even know about. Am I the most clueless man alive?"

The priest rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No, not at all. You just weren't tangled up in the politics there. And even as a general stationed in the Imperial City you didn't have the same contact as the members of the Emperor's council did."

"Maybe I should have been more tangled up in the politics there." There was a slight tinge of bitterness in the laugh that he expelled. "I would have known that he was going to try to have me killed."

They fell silent for a few moments, their chopsticks clicking against the bowls the only sound.

"You said that Hua Shan is the point in the west?" Shang spoke up again.

"Yes. There are five sacred peaks, one in the center and one at each of the four directional points. Heng Shan, the northern peak, is in Shanxi, to the east of Taiyuan. Mulan, I believe that you will be safe in the city, but if necessary you can take shelter in the temple of Heng Shan."

"But you are certain that Taiyuan will be the center of the movement against Luo Di..." Shang began.

"Yes. It was prophesized long before even Wu Di came into power."

"Well, I can introduce you to Li Jing and Li Zhi-xu, but I'm wondering...what will happen exactly? I mean, will you tell them that you think one of them is destined to be the Emperor? I doubt that they have any idea..."

"So do I," the priest laughed. "But I will know from meeting them. Once I'm sure, it will be my job to act as an advisor. And I'm sure I won't be the only one involved. There is a priest at the temple of Heng Shan who I have no doubt is also looking for the Mandated Son of Heaven. He's extremely talented and he's rumored to be the reincarnation of Loek Yum Seen Si, the Immortal Teacher. His name is Li also."

xxxxxxx

Shang lay wide awake, thinking about the day's events, unable to sleep, General Huang's face in his mind. Somewhere he'd heard it said that the ultimate desire of a warrior was to lay down his sword. He understood that sentiment. Though he had been born to be a soldier and trained to kill, he had come to realize that he detested killing. It was his strong sense of his duty to his country, which had been drilled into him since he was a boy, and his instinct for survival that allowed him to continue to do so when the necessity arose; but he always felt disturbed afterward, even though he never killed without good reason. Today he'd had to protect Mulan; he wouldn't allow anything to happen to her. Closing his eyes, he allowed the image of her visage to fill his mind and replace the unpleasant sight of Huang's that loomed in his head.

Li Meng-shi had given her a medicinal tea to help her sleep. Fortunately the wound she'd received from Huang's sword wasn't very deep and she hadn't needed stitches, but he knew that it was painful. And their accommodation for the night was less luxurious than originally intended. Like him and Li Meng-shi, she lay on a dusty bale of hay in another abandoned barn where they'd stopped for the night, not the most comfortable sleeping arrangement even without a wound. Shang had packed their things at the inn while Li Meng-shi disinfected and bandaged her wound. In an hour they had been on horseback again riding north out of Zhengzhou.

Since General Huang had recognized Mulan despite their 'monk' clothing that hid their faces, she had decided to dispense with the disguises. She now traveled with her hair down, wearing the hood up to keep herself warm rather than hide her face.

"Well, if they're expecting me to be disguised as a man, maybe they won't look twice at a woman," she reasoned when he balked at the idea.

Either way she was at risk and the sooner they got to Taiyuan the better. Li Meng-shi was certain that the main movement against Luo Di would be centered in that city and that Mulan would be protected by the people there. Then there was that retreat in the mountains to the east of the city that he had mentioned, where she could hide out.

With a soft sigh he turned onto his side and stared in the direction of the other end of the barn where he knew that she lay, unseen in the dark. The vision of her crouched on the ground, hands tied behind her back and head bent over, came back to the forefront of his mind. When he'd approached them in the street and set eyes on her there he'd felt momentarily dizzy and sick as he was reminded of another time that he saw her crouched on the ground like that.

Thinking that he heard a soft whimper in the dark he rose up, supporting himself on one arm.

"Mulan?"

There was no answer right away but he could sense that she was awake.

"Are you okay, Mulan?"

"Yes," she half-whispered finally. "I'm just a little sore, that's all."

Rising to his feet he wrapped his cloak around himself and crossed over to where she lay. As he approached she helped herself up to sitting, another soft whimper escaping her from the movement, and pulled her blanket up, wrapping herself in it.

Taking a seat beside her, he removed his own cloak and put it around her shoulders.

"I think the effects of Li Meng-shi's nasty tea have worn off."

"Do you want me to wake him? Maybe he can give you some more."

"No, it's okay. I don't want to disturb him. Besides, where are we going to make tea now?"

"Maybe he has something else he can give you."

"No, I'll be alright."

She still shivered, even with his cloak around her, and without thinking he put an arm around her to warm her. He realized what he was doing the moment his arm went about her shoulders but she didn't seem to mind; in fact, she inched closer to him and leaned in, so he allowed it to remain where it was.

"That was a good act you put on before," she remarked, still in a half-whisper. "I wasn't sure if you meant it or not."

"Oh, you mean when I told Huang you were my prisoner?"

"Yes."

"I had to do what I could to prevent him from hurting you."

"Thank you for coming to my aid."

"Well, I did have help. But it was the least I could do. You saved my life more than once and so did your father. Besides, I promised him I would look after you."

"I can handle myself," she answered dejectedly. "Well, for the most part."

"I know that. And so does your father. But I promised. And I wanted to."

Even in the dark he could sense the smile on her face. He smiled too as he felt her leaning against him, his arm still around her. They sat huddled like that for a long time, wide awake and whispering together in the dark.

xxxxxxx

After her experience in Zhengzhou she became particularly wary and alert as they continued to travel north. Maybe it was due to her newly-acquired extreme sensitivity that she sensed they were being followed by someone as they left the area where they'd spent the night and traveled toward Jiaozuo. She didn't actually see anyone; but she could have sworn that she caught a figure darting out of sight every time she turned around. After mentioning it to her companions, Shang circled back quietly a few times to try to catch their shadow; but whoever it was hid before he reached their position and remained a shadow.

"You're sure you saw someone?" Shang asked quietly after checking for the fourth time.

"I'm not sure of anything," Mulan replied. "But I have a feeling there's someone following us."

"Well, whoever it is may realize that they've been seen. So they're being careful," Li Meng-shi offered.

"Yes," he agreed. "We'll have to draw whoever it is out somehow."

They continued on their way, but she noticed that Shang kept one hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.