In Northern China, the Hun clan awaited news on Shan Yu's campaign. They have waited for centuries to see China as theirs, but only recently has it been so tangible, especially with Shan Yu to lead them. Shan Yu was indestructible, and with the shrewd Cheng as his right-hand man, they were an invincible force.
The clansmen were gathered around the fire when Cheng had returned. He had escaped, but Shan Yu had not. The clansmen were stunned. Shan Yu had seemed so strong and unbeatable.
Of course, Cheng embellished the tale of Shan Yu's destruction. He told them that the Chinese mercilessly tortured Shan Yu, and that he had been savagely killed by a woman warrior. Everything went as he had hoped—the Huns were even more riled up than before, and they had more desire to fight the Chinese.
Se Won, the son of Shan Yu, had hoped that once he obtained rule, he would restore peace among the Huns. Some of the clansmen were supportive of Se Won, while others showed their support for Cheng. The two groups immediately got into disagreement as to who should lead.
There was a sorceress who lived among the Huns. She was shocked upon hearing of Shan Yu's death, although she did not quite believe Cheng's story. She went to her tent and fell asleep, dreaming of the days that she was still Shan Yu's wife.

"Mommy! Wake up! Look what Daddy got me!"the little girl said in a sing-song voice. She was dressed in fox pelts and leather sandals, with her long hair tied in a knot.
"Don't bother your mother, darling. She is tired. Let's play some more with your new bow and arrow set."
"You got her what?!" the young woman exclaimed, rising immediately to see her 4-year old daughter holding the bow. "Shan Yu! Explain this to me!"
"Oh, I got Cheng to make this for her," he simply explained. "She saw all the other children playing with their own bow and arrow set, and she got jealous. So, I got her one too. Don't be angry, my love." He said, kneeling beside her. He then held her head and gently kissed her on the cheek.
"Well, all the other children she plays with are boys!" said the young woman, brushing off her husband. "I have a right to be angry, seeing my little girl holding a weapon. Don't encourage her!" She then said to the child, "Jian, wouldn't you rather play with your doll, like the other girls? Or maybe strengthen your magic skills so you can be just like mommy?"
"No," the girl answered. "I want to be just like Daddy!"
"Now, Jian. Show your mother your powers to make her happy again," Shan Yu said, smiling proudly at his daughter.
"Oh, alright" and with that, the little girl lifted her hand, and the flowers which were once firmly planted on the ground were now hovering towards the young woman. "There!" the little girl said with a smile.
"Thank you" the young woman said. She then laughed and joined her husband and daughter in their game.

A small, old woman entered the room, sunlight peering through the tent opening. The woman walked to the bedside and awakened the sorceress. "Are you okay? It is already past dawn."
"Shan Yu's dead," she replied coldly while looking at a miniature bow and arrow set on the floor.
"I know. Killed by a young woman" the old woman said. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
The sorceress chuckled dryly. "About what? The girl? Nothing. If Shan Yu should die at the hand of a young maiden, he deserved it. What can I do anyway? I'm too weak to use my powers."
The old woman shrugged. "Well, I will just leave you alone now. There is a meal waiting for you outside if you are hungry."
"Wait!" the sorceress said. "Is there any news now on who our leader will be?"

The old woman turned around. "No, not yet. There is an argument among the men on who should lead. Cheng said he was the closest to Shan Yu, so he should lead. Se won says that he should lead since he is the natural heir. I'm not going to be surprised if a civil war erupts." Then, the old woman left the sorceress alone again.
She walked over to her table with a box in her hand. She sat herself on the ground and placed her box on the table. For a while, she just stared at this box. An intricately designed box made of pine, painted green with gold tints. Outside, she could hear the arguments among the men of the camp; the children were playing as if nothing had happened. She could smell the cooking of the women. She gently lifted the lid to view its contents: some oils, elixirs, potions, a bunch of dried flowers, and a dagger. Just as she was about to reach in, the same woman who came by earlier opened the door.
"What do you want?" she said angrily as she lowered the lid to the box.
"I wanted to see how you were. I brought you soup" The old woman replied, and she placed the bowl on the table, next to the box. "What were you about to do?"
The sourceress glared at her. "Nothing. Go away." But, before she could reach for her box, the old woman grabbed it from the table and opened it. She then looked back at her. "Were you reaching for this?" the old woman pulled out the dagger.
She scoffed. "No. I am not suicidal, if that's what you are thinking. I was merely looking at my possessions. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"I fear for you" the old woman said. "You have gone through many terrible experiences in your life. And-"
"Save it, old hag." she said. "I already told you, I am not going to kill myself."
"I will leave you alone now. Promise me you will come out of here by dinner time."
The sourceress, not realizing how hungry she was, immediately took up the soup. She looked back at the box. The flowers brought back stinging memories of her daughter. The potions and elixirs have been handed down from her mother, who was also a sourceress. The dagger was fashioned by Shan Yu especially for her, in case there was any trouble. Engraved on the hilt, "for my darling." The sorceress put her belongings back in the wooden box once she heard a stirring outside her tent. She walked outside to see a whole congregation gathered there.
"The decision to choose a leader is yours," Cheng said. "We cannot make this decision ourselves. We will agree with whomever you choose."
The sorceress replied sourly, "Can't you fools do anything without my help? It will take me a while to think about it." She returned to her tent and lied down on her cot.
Cheng entered the tent and stood at the entrance, staring back at her.
"What do you want?" the sorceress asked, annoyed at his barging in.
"I want you to choose me," he replied, walking closer to her.
"Why should I?" she asked. She stared him in the eye as he daringly bent down over her.
"Because, I know where your daughter is," Cheng replied.
She looked back at him, stunned. "She disappeared a long time ago. Everyone else thinks she's dead."
"But you can sense her, right? I know you have not given up hope that she could still be alive," Cheng said. "And she is alive. I saw her." He moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, "It would be impossible for me to get to her if Se Won were leading."
"Leave me alone," the sorceress said. "I'll think it over." She pushed Cheng away. She collapsed on the bed, crying hysterically.

"Jian! come here!! please come!!" the young woman cried. She scanned her surroundings: the river, the trees, the rocks. her daughter was nowhere to be seen. "Where are you?"
"I think she's gone," Shan Yu said, trying to catch up with his wife.
"She can't just disappear into thin air like this! She's here somewhere. We just have to find her…" she cried while circling the tree, hoping her daughter would reveal her hiding spot.
"She has been gone for three days now!" Shan yu cooly said. "She could have been eaten by wolves or fallen into a hole. Either way, she is—"
"Don't you dare say it!" she snapped. "I know you could care less. You have your other wives and children, and I have her. Without her, I have nothing. You had something to do with this, didn't you? I know it! " She then averted her attention to beyond the hill. "My darling! Mother's here! Come here!!!"
Shan Yu then grabbed her shoulders. "Look at me! She's gone! I wish she were here, but she's not. Accept that."

The sorceress went outside, after getting properly dressed, and announced Cheng as the leader. Se Won had agreed in a very dignified manner. The men did start talking again about advances on the Imperial City. Cheng told her that her daughter was in the Imperial City, so she would accompany him and the rest of the army on their travel. So she went inside my tent and began packing up.
She could hardly believe that she was going to see her daughter. She wonder if Jian remembered her. Where was she living? What was she doing? She would be a young woman now.
The old lady hollered from outside the tent. "Cheng has gathered his things and says you both will leave in the morning. Are you ready?"
"If I hadn't had so many interruptions, maybe I would be done already!" the sorceress snapped.
"You know," the old lady began, "maybe you should give this up. Your daughter is living among them. She is not the same little girl; she's all grown up now. What if she doesn't want to be with you?"
She looked coldly at the woman. Those words stung true at her breast, but she did not accept it. "I will need my rest, if I'm going to travel tomorrow."
"Fine then," and with that the old woman exited the tent.
"May I enter?" Cheng asked.
"Yes," the sorceress replied. "I've been meaning to ask you—how did you know where she was?"
"I really don't want to have to tell you this," Cheng said. "Shan Yu went into the Imperial City with your daughter and sold her to a brothel." Cheng went on to explain to her how Shan Yu wanted money for more liquor. She didn't understand why Shan Yu would want anything Chinese, but she was too angry to think it all through clearly.
Cheng and the sorceress exited the tent with her belongings. All the men were assembled that morning on their horses.
"Cheng," the man asked cautiously, "are you sure it is wise for a woman to accompany us?"
"It's okay," Cheng muttered. "She'll be gone soon enough."
Cheng looked around, at the soldiers behind him, and the sorceress to his left, then turned to the man on his right. "Is everyone ready to go?" The man nodded, and after a quick prayer to Shan Yu, Cheng led the Huns eastward.
The day was tiresome. They traveled a long way before stopping at the sight of the Great Wall. By then it was sunset, and Cheng ordered everyone to rest before the ambush at midnight.

Cheng entered his tent, starting to take off his pants. The sorceress followed. "Let's make this quick," he said to her. She submitted to him, and lifted up her long dress and laid down on the floor. He took his place over her and began pushing himself into her. She allowed her mind to drift from her current setting and to hers and her daughter's reunion. After a short while, he pulled out, and started putting his pants back on.
"Cheng," she asked. "Are you sure that she's there?"
"Yes," he replied as he tied the belt around his waist to hold his pants in place. "I was there when she was sold."
"You were?!" the sorceress asked, stunned. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"Why would I? He was only doing what he thought was best for his daughter," Cheng said ominously. He picked up his dagger and started towards her. "Besides, he was mad at me for having raped her earlier that day." He leaned over, pressed his lips violently on hers, and jutted the dagger into her stomach.
Outside of the tent, a deafening cry could be heard throughout the whole surrounding area. The Hun soldiers accompanying him ignored it and went on eating their meal. The soldiers who heard it at the Great Wall mistook it to be an animal and went on about their duties.
A soldier came into Cheng's tent later and informed him that many soldiers were at the Great Wall already—more than we had expected. Despite our strength, Cheng knew they couldn't possibly win against them.
"Tell the men to stay tented a few days longer, then attack at Xu's word," Cheng commanded the soldier. "Now send Xu in here." The soldier nodded. He couldn't help but stare at the woman's dead body with a dagger protruding from her stomach "She fell on it," Cheng explained. He nodded again before exiting the tent.
The man who rode to the right of Cheng earlier entered the room. "What is it?" he asked.
"I'm going to leave you in charge. I'm going to give myself up and tell them that I want to strike a treaty with the Emperor. They will take me to the Imperial City. Once you see the guard on the Great Wall decreasing, you attack and lead the men towards the Imperial City."
Xu, seeing many flaws in this plan, only nodded. "What are you going to do with her?" he pointed at the body.
"She's coming with me," Cheng replied.
Later, Cheng came out of his tent, carrying the sorceress. He first got on his horse, then had Xu help him position the body so that she was riding in front of him. Cheng said goodbye and rode away from the camp, heading towards the Great Wall.
Soldiers on the Great Wall saw the figure on horseback and immediately started shooting arrows at it. Cheng used the sorceress's body to shield him from the arrows, and took out a white cloth and started waving it. Once the soldiers saw the figure wave a white cloth, they stopped. A soldier at the foot of the Wall went to investigate it.
"My wife! My wife!" Cheng screamed, clinging to the body. "You killed my wife."
"I'm sorry, sir, but you shouldn't be travelling so late at night," the soldier said.
"We wanted to get to the Imperial City as fast as we could," Cheng said.
"Who are you?" the soldier asked.
Cheng replied, "I am the leader of the Huns. I wanted to make peace with the Emperor. I want the fighting to stop."
Feeling guilty for having killed his wife, they promised escort him to the palace right away.