Disclaimer : I do not own Dynasty Warriors nor in the near future. Original fic is written by EkayDhajikelis and Last Edited by Sistha, I only do the translation.
Author's note : I wanna say thanks to the author for giving me permission to translate this fic, and just hoping that the readers would like it as much as I do. Since, there's not much a fic about Guan Ping & Xing Cai so I feel the urge to translate this, well enough with the unnecessary words, enjoy reading this fic.
Guan Ping 'The Untold Story'
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AD 218
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Scared...
Scared of the battlefield and the inability to return
Recently that poem always ring into my mind in an unsequantial way. Even though I already tried to interpret it. Ah shit, how long has it been since I didn't recall that poem.
The next clan is Light.
Little bit...just a little bit. I began to understand the meaning of each verses. But, all of it wasn't enough.
Oceans with fresh fish arriving and welcomed today's and tomorrow.
I've given up thinking about it. Without noticing, my tea is getting colder and now the sunlight already shine to greet the day. It's been too long since I sat here thinking about that poem. I spoke each verse among the crowds of people.
The return of peace in which farmers live in sound.
Suddenly, the morning tea shifted my view, the one that I should drink is the bitter one not the sweet one. Heck no...it's still bitter like yesterday and I still sat on the same chair with the exact straight view as yesterday. Is it just me thinking that this morning aren't like the usual? Then what is it has to do with my tea turned sweet? Is it merely an expression of my heart as an alibi in the morning, for the first time that I felt an unusual thing when looking at the crowds? Nah...that's not it. Was it because I accidentally gazed at a girl? Nah...I don't think that's it, she's just an ordinary girl. There's nothing special about her. Then what's wrong with me?
Hope...
Hope will never be empty as long as we believe.
Just taking a long gaze at a girl who was talking with her friend was already bad what's more eavesdropping their chat. But the temptation to look frequently came and didn't knows any boredom until I do it everyday. Accidentally I hear a soldier called out for that. girl "Lady Xing Cai, the General called you to hurriedly return home."
"So the beautiful girl who've taught me love named Xing Cai," I mumbled following her departs away from my view.
The light of leadership was already at hand.
I, Guan Ping, the foster son of a general from the Shu nation known for his greatness, Lord Guan Yu. I was taught by my father to be a man who was standby and ready for battle on the battlefield. Father never taught me to be a coward and a weak man. Father gave them all so that when I grew up I could take his place on the battlefield as the general that lead the front row. But what was going through my mind at this time was the truth that father has never taught me about love. I realized it because for the first time I've felt it. I tried to refuse and convince myself that I'm not a man that was supposed to be taught that, but the temptation was too heavy. Can I shift my gaze to her? Or, will father failed to create a son who was brave and tough in the end? Then what's so wrong about me knowing love for just once?
"Hey, Ping! What's wrong? Don't just stand there, take up your sword and prepare your guts to take the area this time!" Father's voice from afar that was heard very clearly in my ear has awoken me from my daydream. I already get used to hear loud voice like that and I could understand father that always using his stomach voice to called me with a reason 'already used to battlefield'. To me battlefield is a scary place, a place where we didn't know which is the bad guys or the good guys, everyone has the same reason, that is to killed. And so I went to father's place.
As I reach there, father gave me a pion that was used to drew my position on the battlefield. "Go to where brother Bei was. He was with Zhuge Liang talking about this time's battle strategy. Listen carefully and don't let me down," father said firmly.
"Yes father, I will always obey your words. I will never do anything that disobey a respectful father such as you," I said while bowing my head.
"You're a good son, Ping. Your father in the village would be so proud of y-Ah, sorry...I've spoke of nonsense. Well of you go, I wanted to see you return here with a news of victory from brother Bei with you on his side." Father pat my shoulder. Yes, my father always try to hide the truth that I was only his foster son. Without thinking any longer, I headed to the tent where Lord Bei was. There, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang already prepared a place for my pion. Didn't take long to let out my gaze until I met that girl again. Hey, weren't she suppose to be in her house now? What is she doing here?
"Hey, Xing Cai! I've already told you many times until this arrack was empty that we weren't playing around with the thing called 'battle'. You could've die been shot with an arrow from a 100 meters away by a soldier of. Liu Zhang! Do ya hear me?" Said the charismatic middle-aged man, that was scolding the girl.
But eventually, the girl keep stood on her believes and said, "I'm ready to go down to battlefield, father! A daughter from a great general known for his ruthlessness, Lord Zhang Fei, shouldn't just sit around in a castle like other princesses would do!"
"Ah damn, you're so troublesome. Fine then, listen carefully to what Prime Minister Zhuge Liang said!"
I laugh a little looking at a father and daughter argument in front of me in a close range with only table in front of us.
At last I knew that the girl who's keep shifting my view was a daughter from my own uncle, Lord Zhang Fei. The youngest brother from the three foster brothers with Lord Liu Bei as the oldest, my father Lord Guan Yu, then Lord Zhang Fei. The Three Heroics with a great and noble goal, that is to spread peace around the land of China. As I the son of one of the three brothers am feeling proud of it, not just as followers but also act to achieve their goal.
"Hey, Ping...see there how troublesome my only daughter is?" Suddenly my uncle talk to me.
I grinned and answer, "Yes, uncle, I saw you both."
"Take her with you on the battlefield will ya, and tell her how scary it is. I don't wanna be bothered by her," he asked.
Reality that I couldn't believe, though just now I gazed at her with a cup of bitter tea that somehow turned to sweet and now she's right by my side. I'm nervous. When she sees me it's as if many questions popped into my head that could get on my nerves. "Y-Yes uncle."
"Hey, Guan Ping! That's your name right? Do you understand what Prime Minister Zhuge Liang just said?" That girl called my name at a close distant.
"R-Right that's my name. Yeah, sure...but honestly I didn't quite understand them myself. His words are too adult like while I'm still young though," I answered nervously.
"Hahaha...I think so too. At least can't he see among all of the generals in this tent, that there are two young people?" She said agreeing my statement.
"Yeah, right." As I think that I was able to talk with her casually.
"Then how do you understand each of every words Prime Minister Zhuge Liang just said?" She asked with curiosity.
I think for a while. "Instinct and knowledge, maybe?"
"What? Then how is your instinct and knowledge understand them?"
"Watch carefully and try to observe every word that was coming out of his mouth" I said while pointing at Prime Minister Zhuge Liang.
The girl followed what I just said. "Alright, your words are kind of helped and we-entertaining."
"Hahaha..."
She turned to looked at me curiously. "Hey, what are you laughing at?"
"To be honest I tried to make you couldn't understand, so that you go back home and convince yourself that making a welcoming party for your father are more exciting than going down to a battlefield." My tone teased her a bit.
"Ah, so that's how it is? Tch! Let me tell you something. If I returned without a single red spot on my clothes, there'll be a sword in my hand with you training me every morning."
"Heh...I take that as a challenge. If not, go back to your father and said that Ping son of Lord Guan Yu have successfully made the daughter of Lord Zhang Fei return to his grasp."
"I take that challenge!" She answered.
The meeting has ended. The talk just now have trapped me to teach her the art of battle so that she could survive on the battlefield. Just a second, I was reminded by the poem that I was just remembered, this morning.
Stupid...
Stupid if we cared but could not give
One week have passed and I have taught her the art of battle that I know. We've already feeling comfortable with each other now. Sometimes we even train in the backyard of her house. There, grew a tall cherry blossom tree. It's told, that this is the place where my father, Lord Liu Bei, and Lord Zhang Fei made their promise. A promise that if they died they'll die together. That's what I heard from the villagers around, even though father didn't told me much about it but I still think it was true.
The next day I came back to train her. But unlike usual. I saw that girl like she have some question that was ready to given out to me when I came. In my heart, I tell to myself that when I came I will be ready to answer it.
"Hey," I greeted her warmly.
"Hey, Ping. How do you do? I already tried to train by myself," she answered while smiling.
"I'm fine. Well...that's good. Keep it up," I answered, then both of us fell to silence.
"...hey, can I ask you something?"
Right, as I guessed.
"Sure."
"Alright..." She turned her body towards me. "I feel that we've already known each other for a long time but still I haven't known you any closer than this, Ping. That thing..." She lift her words and won't looked at me.
"If it's a burden, let it out and just ask," I said convincing her.
She turned back to me and ask, "You know, I haven't really known you, who are you, or where do you come from. I only known you as the foster son of a general known for his greatness, Lord Guan Yu. But that's not enough to me."
"Fine then, I'm gonna tell you a bit about myself," I took a long deep breathe and letting them out, "I came from a small village. There's where my biological father are. It's been 18 years now since I left the village, I haven't seen him ever since. It was sad...to accept the faith that sometimes I forget about him..." I fell to silence as I remembering the old days with my old man.
Realizing my silence, the girl talk. "What happen? You haven't finished your story, Ping."
"Ah...sorry, alright. I'll continue. My father was a farmer, his a diligent person and never easily complain. While me I 'm just a weeping nosy kid. I always remembered when he tries to cheer me up. One thing I always look forward was when he read me a folks poem."
"You're father is really great. Then, what about the poem?"
I looked up at the sky, "In a glance there's nothing special about it. But actually, the meaning of the poem tells about this age."
"Could you read the poem for me?" Ask the girl to me. I turned to her, and found her looking deeply right at me.
"Bu-But-"
"Aw...c'mon, Ping!"
"Hhh...Fine then," I answered surrenderly, and starts reading the poem that my biological father used to read for me.
Scared...
Scared of the battlefield and the inability to return.
Sad..
Sad to leave the beloved ones with only reason to defend the nation.
Stupid...
Stupid if we cared but could not give.
Hope...
Hope will never be empty as long as we believe.
The return of peace in which farmers live in sound.
Oceans with fresh fish arriving and welcomed today's and tomorrow.
The old generation was only a provisioner.
The next clan is light.
Cherish tomorrow if we are still given the chance to live by the creator.
After I read the poem, she fell to silence. Then, she straighten up her body and grinned. "Nice poem, Ping. Not just good at teasing me, but you also good at reading poem."
"Nah, no one's better than my father when it comes to reading that poem. It's just...there's something troubling about that poem," I said as I looked up at the sky. But this time I gazed at it with a feeling I couldn't understand. It's...weird.
"Tell me, maybe I could help you as much as I could," said the girl.
I shook weakly, "No...no one could ever answer it except they have felt it."
"So what? Did Guan Ping a person who like to tease a girl is a afraid of a poem?" This time she teased me.
"Ah...damn you, Xing Cai. If you know, it wouldn't be so easy to answer," I said, avoiding the question.
"Then, what question is it?" Suddenly the girl's eyes shine bright in front of me. As if she was trying to convince me nothing could go wrong. I know, this question would be too early, to be given to someone who've just learned how to wield a sword. No, I convince myself that she wasn't just an ordinary girl. She's the daughter of the fierce Lord Zhang Fei.
"...what happen if they didn't had the chance to live?"
Without noticing I spoke those words. Stupid, of course. I'm deciding it too fast, without thinking any longer. But wait...can she answer that question?
"If didn't had the chance to live for tomorrow, of course the people whom we loved will cry. But did you know?"
"What?" I looked at her. As she looked at the tree in front of us.
"The tree in front of us couldn't hide its sadness. It always tries to stay strong but couldn't."
"What happens, then?"
"So, try not to get killed it says and stood back in front of it with your honor as a general," she continued. She looked back at me with the sweetest smile I ever saw, and so I smiled back a little.
"Hey, Xing Cain," I called.
"Yeah?"
In a second I put my lips upon her forehead. A warm kiss in her forehead to convince her that I will always return, always.
A split silence fell on her after I let go of that kiss. "Is this a promise?" She finally asked.
"Yeah, I'm gonna make a promise. If we die we'll die together," I said firmly with a definite promise.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Without noticing, we made an exact promise just like the three brothers. Yeah, the exact same only in different generation.
Hey...I began to understand the meaning of that poem.
Even not fully did...
AD 219
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The beginning of this year aren't the same as I usually had last year. Lord Liu Bei declared himself as the King of Hanzhong and declared my father, Lord Guan Yu, as Qian Jiangjun (General of the front row). At the same year, me and my father are going to lead an army to attack Cao Ren at the Fan Fortress. His a general and also the cousin of the king from the Wei nation, Cao cao. At first I refuse because of one reason, Xing Cai. Yeah, that girl starts to blinded my view and everything father has taught me. Because now I know her not just as a mandate that Lord Zhang Fei gave me to protect her, but as someone who've already known each other closely. She have proved everything. For one example, at the battle to take over the Jing Province. There's not even a single red spot left in her clothes. I have come to acknowledge her.
That day...
The rain starts to fell heavily. Sign of winter is about to came. I already prepared some cloaks to warm me up on the way.
"Must be cold," I said while tying some stuff onto the side of my horse. Suddenly, I heard some footsteps coming towards. Me whose already set to go have to stay put for a while.
"Leaving already, Ping?"
It's Xing Cai's voice. Wait. What is she standing behind the wall that was separating both of us for?
"Hey, why don't you come here? Here, with me?" I asked.
"No, I only want to say a view words. So, it's better if I just stayed here," she refused softly. Unlike usual. Something isn't right, I thought. Fine then, I won't pushed her.
"Fine, I'll wait for your words," I heard her while leaning against the wall that separates us. I wait for her, even if I kept hearing her unsure voice in saying whatever she wants to say.
"I...I want us to be together. No matter what will happen then, please come back to me even how painful it'll be."
I grinned and answered, "Yeah, I'll be back. Don't forget everything I've taught you. You always forget them."
"Hahaha..." In a glance, the smile just now turned, "Hey, I want you to know something," and became serious.
"What?"
"Nah, I didn't want you to know now. I'm gonna sent you letter once you were there," she answered.
"Okay." I return to my horse and mount it to take off. In a glance my heart felt odd. I left after me and Xing Cai had a serious conversation. I know it was for the best of Shu.
Sad...
Sad to leave the beloved ones with only reason to defend the nation.
I've arrived on the camping ground that wasn't too far from the tomorrow's invasion location. I entered a tent where my father and the other generals was sitting and watching. Father gave me a pion and an important instruction.
"Ping, you see the Han River is overflowing a dam. Destroy that dam and the Fan Fortress would be flooded swiftly by the waters," Father instructed.
"Alright, father. I'll obey your command."
The night has come. I stood while warming up myself with the cloak I've prepared this morning. Then, came a soldier bringing a letter. I said thank's to him and opened it and as guessed it was from Xing Cai.
I start to read the letter carefully.
I was scared to say this in front of you. But I also felt stupid if I didn't tell you directly. So, I'll tell you by this letter. I'm about to be engaged with prince Liu Shan son of Lord Liu Bei. You're the person I loved, Ping. That's why I want you to be there when I and Liu Shan spoke our vow to be together for eternity. Even though how painful it'll be. But, we've promised right?
With Love,
Xing Cai
In the morning we were already getting ready for the battle. I already tried to forget about the news. I didn't even know whether it's a bad news or a good news. I don't care about anything else except for the battle. I went to the dam with some explosives at hand. Behind me there's a view troops that are going to helped me. We've arrived at the dam, we prepared the explosives exactly as father instructed.
When we left, the dam has destroyed and the water flooded the Fan Fortress.
"Take that..." I looked cynically at the flooded Fan Fortress.
Actually the way I felt and the way I act, right after I read the letter was all overcomes by jealousy. Everything I thought about is to wreak all my anger onto the soldiers of Wei. Of course father didn't know about my anger. Without thinking any longer, father ordered us to attack the flooded Fan Fortress right away.
I began to wield my sword and slash them onto the soldiers of Wei relentlessly. One by one those soldiers fell. Riding his horse, father busying himself fighting those Wei soldiers. Without mercy, father was already on his way to General Cao Ren who was trapped inside the Fan Fortress. Great, father jumped on his red horse onto the archers tower of Fan Fortress. No one is able to do that except for him. Yeah, his the most fearsome general of the front row. So it wasn't surprising that he got a great general nickname.
I thought victory was already at hand. But I spoke to soon, I heard there's a rebellion from the back. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren came. Both of them was a general from a view generals of Shu. Mi Fang was Governor of Nanjun from the city of Jianglin dan General Fu Shiren who was on duty at Gong An. Weren't they suppose to helped us? Then what's that? There's a battle ship with a Wu nation flag on it. They starts shooting canons that was directed towards us. Father realized that we have been surrounded and plus the betrayal of Mi Fang and Fu Shiren.
"Fall back! There's no way we'll won against them!" Shout my father while moving his hand as a sign for us to return.
Me who was quite busy with the Wei troops, want it or not have to return. Our condition aren't sustainable with this small number of troops. But, the ship keeps firing those cannons. Hit and hit again. Every generals starts to collapsed. All that's left was me and father. He doesn't want his only foster son died like the other generals. But it was all too late. This area was already surrounded by the soldiers of Wu. There are no slit for escaping. Then, it's starts on raining arrows, but father eliminated them using his staff wrapped with blade on top of it.
The old generation was only a provisioner.
No matter how strong my father are, those arrows keeps on coming without knowing any mercy. One by one those arrows starts to stab his body.
"What should I do?!" I mumbled in panic and confusion seeing father couldn't control his body any longer.
Father keeps on telling me to go. But...it'll be to painful to leave him. I became selfish and for the first time I disobeyed my father's order.
The next clan is light.
Without thinking any longer, I got up from the ground where my horse is running away an I turned back towards the archers.
The light of leadership was already at hand.
I cuts down those troops one by one without noticing that father already collapsed behind me by a general of Wu. He pulled back his sword from father's body and run towards me. I already saw him...father collapsed and now that general was already in front of me.
Cherish tomorrow if we are still given the chance to live by the creator.
Now I understand the meaning of that poem. Yeah, I began to understand the last verse that asked to Xing Cai. Maybe, not everybody could be happy. Only a view people could and I'm one of them. Because the tip of this sword was too painful for me to stay alive.
My eyelids starts to closed.
My breathing stopped.
In this darkness shown.
Still...
Still shown Xing Cai who was sitting under that cherry blossom tree with me on her side.
It's painful...remembering that letter.
And...
And I still wanna live.
-End-
I've been through a lot of Spell Check, though still nervous about it, tell me what you guys think, but save all the credits for the real author and whomever involved kay!