Shang was glad he had taken all those shortcuts. The two days he spent with the Fa family had been a refreshing change of pace from his life back in the Imperial City. He found himself taking the time to actually enjoy things again, instead of having to hurry through one task so that he could have time to complete another. On top of that, not many of the villagers knew who he was, leaving him feeling pleasantly unnoticed when Mulan took him to visit the market.

When the third day came and, with it, the time for him and Mulan to leave, he found himself feeling a bit sad. Of course, he kept quiet about his sadness; as a general, he had to be strong. He did allow himself to gush his appreciations to Li, however, when she gifted him with an entire basket of bean curd buns for the trip back.

The next two days were spent mostly on horseback and were, thankfully, uneventful. Shang and Mulan spoke quite a bit, further catching up with one another. Shang, Mulan learned, was the youngest general China had had in nearly three hundred years. As such, he was under constant scrutiny by both his superiors and his subordinates. It didn't help that his father had been well-loved by all; he was left with a constant feeling of needing to prove himself worthy of his rank. A silly thing, Mulan had told him, since no other general could train such a fearless army in so little time.

Mulan, on the other hand, spoke of how the village guard had come to her for help at times. Her life, for the most part, had remained the same—she had no reputation to uphold or superiors to criticize her. She did, however, have a small band of young girls coming to her to learn martial arts.

"Oh, I bet their parents are thrilled about that," Shang joked.

"They don't mind too much," she smiled. "So long as I keep it to the basics and don't keep them from their chores."

"If you're the one training them, I can imagine your village's guard will be expecting some new recruits in a few years."

She laughed, her cheeks turning a bit pink. "I can only hope. Now, if only the guards could keep the would-be suitors away…" Scrunching up her nose slightly, she frowned. "It'd be a lot easier for my father, that's for certain."

Shang frowned as well, his brows furrowing. "Suitors…?" He didn't like the sound of that—not at all.

Mulan nodded, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Mostly rich, middle-aged men wanting to marry me simply because I saved China." Her tone more than betrayed her disgust. "And if they're not old enough to be my father, they've the temperment of a child. A spoiled child."

A wave of relief washed over him. "I'm sorry to hear that," he told her. "It certainly sounds annoying."

"It is," she sighed. "Every few weeks, a new one seems to arrive. And every time, my father refuses them. Some have tried to bargain with him, even going so far as to offer him his weight in gold." She shook her head.

"What do you do when a suitor arrives?" he asked, his brow rising ever so slightly. "Or does your father handle them?"

"I mostly stay hidden from them," she admitted. "The first few times, I went out with my father only to have the men scoff at me. Apparently, I look far too plain to be the savior of China." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "They weren't very impressed when I told them I was dressed as a man, either."

Shang still wore a frown. "What?! You're anything but plain!" he argued. He then mentally kicked himself. "B-because, like you said: You were dressed as a man!" he quickly added, looking at the road ahead. "Very convincingly, mind you. Turn left up here, by the way."

Mulan slouched somewhat, not sure whether she should feel complimented or insulted by what he had said. "Left?" she instead questioned. "But that's not the way to Baoji. That's the way to Moo-Shung." Looking at Shang, she saw him wearing a somewhat mischievous smile.

"When did I ever say we were going to Baoji?"

Her brow rose. "You told me we were going to get Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po who live in Baoji."

He feigned a look of confusion. "Oh? You haven't heard?" He did his best to resist laughing as an angry pout came to Mulan's lips. "They found themselves steady employment at the camp. They've been there for nearly a year."

Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "How did they do that?!"

"I may have pulled a few strings here and there," he replied, tone innocent. "Not to mention, the Emperor was extremely impressed by their bravery when Shan Yu and his men invaded the palace. I think he even offered to let them keep the dresses they wore as gifts of gratitude." He grinned as Mulan started laughing.

"Now that I doubt," she giggled. "I'm sure he gave them items more befitting of their deeds. They weren't the…the most feminine of concubines, after all." She paused as she recalled the sight of the three men dressed in silk dresses and makeup. "Well, except Ling. Ling's performance was terrifyingly perfect."

Shang let out a hearty laugh, taking Mulan by surprise. "You thought so, too?" he laughed. "He even had the hip sway down!"

"And he doesn't even have hips!" she cracked up. "My gods, he even put me to shame, and I was the only woman there!" Her laughter suddenly faded and, as Shang looked at her, he could see that she now wore a sad smile. "At least, I was the only woman in a dress …"

He raised his hand, making to reach over and set it on her arm as a sympathetic gesture, but he hesitated, unsure whether or not it would be welcomed. Swallowing hard, he glanced at her before looking at the horizon. They were coming up on the bamboo forest that would take them to Moo-Shung.

"We're almost to the forest," he said, his hand lowering back to his side. He offered her a small smile. "How about a race? First one out of the forest doesn't have to set up the tents tonight?"

The challenge seemed to perk her spirits. "A race sounds fun," she replied, joy returning to her features. "The wager sounds good, too. I'd love to not have to spend half an hour fighting my tent."

Shang grinned. "Depending on who wins, you could end up spending an hour fighting both our tents," he joked.

Her brow rose and she now wore a challenging smile. "We'll see about that." Flicking the reins, she spurred Khan forward. "See you on the other side of the forest!"

As he took off, Shang let out a surprise cry. "Cheater!" he laughed, urging his own horse forward.

"You never specified a starting point!" Mulan called from over her shoulder, laughing.

It didn't take the pair too long to cross the forest. Rather than exhaust their horses by having them go at a full gallop, they went between a trot and a canter. At times, though, they did risk going at gallop—but only when the other was drawing too close. As such, a normally two-hour ride was reduced down to little under an hour.

"And that is a victory for me!" Shang grinned, bringing his horse to a halt when they were clear of the forest. He looked over at Mulan as she and Khan came to a stop beside them. Khan, he saw, was breathing heavily, but still looked lively.

"Looks like I'm going to be fighting the tents tonight," she replied, her tone theatrically defeated. Leaning over, she rubbed the side of Khan's neck. "You put up a good fight though, boy," she told him, smiling as she patted him. "We'll get him next time."

Khan snorted in agreement.

Also giving his horse a pat, Shang chuckled. "He really did. I'm actually surprised he was able to keep up with Jiang as well as he did."

"He may be a farm horse, but he can be pretty fast when he wants to," she smiled. She then looked out over the camp. A wistful sigh left her mouth. "It's really strange, looking down on the camp again after two years. The first time I stood in this spot, I was a nervous wreck because I didn't know how to act like a man."

Shang nodded in agreement, chuckling. "And just a little while later, you had managed to cause a camp-wide fight." He brow was cocked as he remembered their first meeting. "I had been so certain you weren't going to make it through training."

"Truthfully, I didn't think I'd make it, either," she confessed. "You were so hard on us. But you had to be—you couldn't go easy on us." She closed her eyes and shook her head, a quiet laugh leaving her mouth. "It was hard. Extremely hard. There were so many times I wished I could just go home…"

With her eyes closed, Mulan didn't see the adoration that filled Shang's face as he stared at it. "But you didn't," he said, "even when I told you to go home. But I'm glad you didn't. I'm glad you defied me—twice, might I add."

Mulan's cheeks turned pink and there was shyness in her smile as she finally looked at him. "How else was I supposed to become your star pupil?" she teased. "I couldn't let Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po have all the glory."

He laughed. "I'll tell them you said that," he told her, brow rising. He then nodded towards the camp. "We should probably head there now if we want to make it in time for lunch."

"True," she agreed. After she gave the reins a gentle flick, Khan started to walk down the hill. "So what kind of jobs do those three have here? I can't really think of anything for them to do besides cooking, but that's more Chien-Po's specialty than Yao or Ling's."

"You'll see," he assured her.

She cocked her brow, a wry smile on her lips. She said nothing, however. 'Let Shang keep his secrets,' she jokingly told herself. 'I'll find out soon enough.'

Approaching the gate, she could see that it had been reinforced with a pair of sturdy wood doors. There were two gatekeepers now, both looking wide awake and alert; she remembered how, when she first came to the camp, there had been no gatekeeper present for her arrival.

They brought their horses to a stop as the two men stepped into their path.

"State your name and your business," the shorter of the two ordered.

"General Li Shang and Fa Mulan. We're here on the Emperor's orders," Shang answered.

Mulan did her best to hold back a giggle as the two men gawked up at them. "May we pass?" she asked, her voice pleasantly polite.

"Y-Yes! Of course!" they stammered, practically throwing themselves to either side of the path. "Forgive us for not recognizing you!"

"It's no trouble," Shang told them as he rode past.

"You're doing an excellent job, by the way," Mulan complimented, also riding past them.

As they entered the camp, she could tell right away that major changes had taken place. Not only were there vastly more recruits this time, but there were also more officers. With more superiors around, the recruits were dived into different groups; each group had two officers instructing them. These men also seemed more disciplined than the men she had trained with.

'They've probably been here longer,' she thought, her eyes widening somewhat. Unlike before, most of these recruits were all around the same age: Late teens to early twenties. From what she could see, only a handful of them were older than twenty-five. 'And this isn't a ragtag, thrown-together-at-the-last-minute regiment like we were, either. These men are starting young so come the next war, they'll be hardened soldiers.'

Reaching the captain's tent, the two dismounted. While Mulan tethered their horses to the post, Shang spoke with the guards outside the tent. One nodded before ducking inside while the other hurried off.

"Is it strange being back here for you, too?" Mulan asked, coming to stand beside him.

"Not too much," he admitted, rubbing the side of his neck. "I've been to so many different camps over the last two years, they all start to blend into one another."

"Makes sense."

The first guard came back from inside the tent. "The captain will see you both," he told them.

Shang and Mulan nodded their thanks as they walked past him, ducking into the tent. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light. When they had adjusted, though, she blinked in surprise at who she saw in front of her.

"Qiqang?" she grinned. "You're a captain now!?"

He smiled, his brow rising. "Hello to you, too, Mulan," he replied with a chuckle. "Or should I call you 'Ping' again like old times?"

"Ha, ha," she said, voice sarcastic. Her cheeks suddenly grew dark and her eyes widened with realization. She quickly bowed before him. "Forgive my rudeness, captain. I was surprised to see you again."

Qiqang laughed heartily, also bowing. "You have no need to bow, Mulan. I'm the one who bows to you." As they both straightened up, he smiled up at Shang. "General. A pleasure to see you again—though, I hear you're here to steal a few of my men." His brow rose somewhat as he spoke, but his smile remained in place. "Please, sit." He motioned to the cushions laid out before his own seat.

"Just three of them," Shang replied, lowering himself to the floor. "I hope you don't mind too much." He glanced over a Mulan, watching as she tucked her tunic under her legs as she sat.

"I don't think I have a choice in the matter!" he laughed. "If the Emperor requires their help, then so be it." He scratched the side of his neck. "What sort of task are they being given?"

At that, Mulan feigned a sigh. "It's apparently top-secret," she told him. "Shang won't even tell me what it is just yet."

She had expected Qiqang to laugh, but he instead frowned. "Is that so? It must be extremely important, then, if that much secrecy is needed. Then again, with the current state of affairs…" He trailed off, a look of contemplation coming to his features.

Her brow rising, she looked at Shang. "Current state of affairs?" she repeated. "What does he mean?"

Shang opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, there was a rustle behind them and Qiqang looked up. "Ah, there you are, lieutenants!" he said, his smile returning.

Twisting around, Mulan found Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po entering the tent. All of them were covered in a fine sheen of sweat and were breathing a bit hard. Despite this, they were in good spirits that were only made better when they saw their friends.

"Mulan! Shang!" the three of them cried in unison.

Yao grinned and stepped forward to give Mulan a hug, but hesitated. "Er…we'd hug ya, but I don't think you'd want t' get our sweat all over your clothes."

"We'll hug later," she chuckled. She didn't want to admit it, but they did smell rather ripe. It was a smell she didn't miss from her recruit days. "But did I hear Qiqang right? You three are lieutenants now?"

Ling puffed out his chest and took on a proud stance. "You heard right!" he told her. "We've been helping Qiqang here whip some new recruits into shape!" He frowned ever so slightly, blowing a stray lock of hair out of his face as it tickled his forehead.

"It is a lot of work," Chien-Po said, wiping off the top of his head with a kerchief, "and slow-going at times, but it can be very rewarding."

"That is can be," Shang agreed, his brow rising in amusement. "Now you three know what I went through when I was training all of you."

Yao lightly punched his shoulder. "An' we turned out alright in the end thanks t' you," he smirked. "So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?"

"The Emperor needs our help," Mulan answered. She couldn't help but giggle as they looked at one another in great confusion. "Shang knows why, but he won't tell us."

Ling frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well that's no fun. How are we supposed to come up with ideas on how to save China if we don't know what we're going to be going up against?"

"Maybe we're not saving China?" Chien-Po suggested. "Perhaps he simply wishes to see us again?"

"The Emperor wouldn't call us all the way back t' the Imperial City just t' visit," Yao countered. "Yeah, we're heroes, but we're not Mulan-level heroes."

"I wouldn't say that," Qiqang laughed. "You three played a huge part in keeping the Emperor safe. But, I digress." He then looked at Shang. "Will you and Mulan be staying the rest of the day here…? Or would you prefer to leave as soon as possible?"

Shang looked at Mulan. "What do you feel like? We've got plenty of time before we have to be back at the Imperial City."

"Let's rest a day," she said. "Give our horses a break after that race we had."

"A race?" Yao grinned. "Who won?"

"Shang," Mulan answered, "but only just. Khan couldn't quite keep up with Jiang."

He nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. Jiang's meant for runnin' and fightin'." Then, sniffing the air, he frowned. Lifting his arm, he sniffed his arm pit only to make a disgusted face.

"We…should probably go bathe," Ling winced, also smelling himself.

"That is an excellent idea," Qiqang laughed, rising to his feet. "The five of you can catch up afterwards." He looked down at Shang and Mulan. "Feel free to stay in here or wander about for the time being while I arrange some sleeping quarters for the two of you."

"We have our own tents," Shang told him. "You don't need to go to the trouble."

His brow rose. "It's no trouble," he assured him. "Plus, I'm sure the two of you would much rather sleep on a cot instead of the ground."

Mulan nodded in acquiesce. "That does sound nice. Especially since it's still only spring, the ground is still mushy in places…"

"Ugh, mushy ground," Chien-Po cringed. "Nearly as bad as uncooked mushrooms…"

When night fell, it found the friends gathered around a campfire as they ate dinner. Mulan wasn't at all surprised to find that the food was better than when they were recruits. With Chien-Po being an officer, he had made it one of his duties to ensure that the new recruits were well fed with delicious food.

"It gives them less incentive to try to run away," he said, smiling. "Especially those who are poorer. Not only are they getting three meals a day, but they're meals that taste delightful as opposed to the stale or bland food they're used to."

"And so far, this has been the only camp without deserters," Yao grinned, "so we know it's workin'."

Mulan lowered her bowl to her lap and wiped her mouth. "Well, it was a good idea," she complimented. "I'm glad to hear it's working so well. Do you do any of the cooking, Chien-Po, or do you just make sure there are quality ingredients?"

It took Chien-Po a moment to reply; he had just taken a bite from a wonton. "A bit of both," he answered. "I've given the cooks some recipes I came up with before we were promoted and I showed them how to be more efficient with certain tasks." He shrugged before pouring himself some more tea. "I would like to do more cooking, but most of my day is spent with the recruits."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "I teach them how to meditate and how to focus their energy into keeping themselves calm on the battlefield."

Mulan smiled, her brow rising as she glanced at Shang. "That would have been useful for us."

Shang's brow rose in return as he chuckled. "If I knew how to properly meditate, I would have taught you all," he said. "As it turns out, though, I'm not the best at meditating."

Yao feigned a shocked gasp. "General Pretty Boy has a fault!? An' here all this time we thought you were perfect at everythin'!"

Nearly choking on her rice, Mulan burst out laughing. She wasn't the only one; Shang and Ling were also laughing heartily and Chien-Po was chuckling. Yao wore a proud grin as took a large bite of rice.

"That's certainly not a promotion I was expecting to get," Shang joked. "'General Pretty Boy', hm? Doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

Snickering, Yao dug around in his bowl of rice with his chopsticks. "Well, if you want, I can always demote ya back down. You just need to take that shirt of yours off and walk 'round camp, showin' off a bit."

"If I do that, it'd only work to demoralize the troops," Shang retorted. "Do you really want that to happen after all the hard work you've been making them do?"

"Nah. Now if I was t' walk around shirtless, then they'd get demoralized. They'd just look at you an' go, 'Huh. Lieutenant Yao was right. General Shang is a pretty boy'."

Mulan was laughing so hard, she nearly dropped her bowl. "Alright—alright!" she wheezed, fanning herself with her hand. "That's enough! I'm almost ready to pass out, you've got me laughing so hard."

"Yeah!" agreed Ling. "Anyway, we all know it's my job to tell the jokes." He shoved some food into his mouth. "Speaking of which, I learned a real good one a few months back! Wanna hear it?"

"After dinner," Mulan giggled, finally calming down enough to eat some of her food again. "I'd like to actually eat some of this food, you know."

He shrugged, but smiled. "Fair enough. Don't want to accidentally kill you, after all."

A few minutes of quiet passed as the five went back to eating. Mulan glanced around at the group of men; she was glad to be back with her friends. When they had come to visit her the previous year, it hadn't been long enough for her liking. They had stayed just long enough to grab a meal with her and then head back out.

'Made some lovely rumors start going around about me,' she thought, chewing on a piece of carrot. It wasn't quite fully cooked, though she found its crunch rather pleasant. 'Thankfully, those were quickly extinguished by grandmama.'

"So, how have you been, Mulan?" Ling asked.

"Well," she replied, smiling. "Helping the village guard out and teaching some of the children the basics of martial arts. Other than that, my life has pretty much returned to normal."

"And are you enjoying it?" Chien-Po questioned.

She blinked, a bit taken aback. "Pardon?"

"Are you enjoying it? Your normal life, I mean." He set aside his now-empty bowl and grabbed his tea cup instead. "I recall you saying that it's all you had wanted after everything we went through."

As she chewed another bite of food, she thought over his question. She had been enjoying the peacefulness her everyday life brought. At times, though, she had found herself missing Moo-Shung and the other recruits; the only other people who seemed to get her jokes nowadays were the guards and her father. What surprised her the most, however, was how she had longed to go back to training. Once she had become accustomed to the pain and weariness it brought, she had actually started to enjoy it.

"For the most part, yes," she finally answered. "It can be boring at times and I do sometimes miss training, but…well, wouldn't you rather have a quiet life than a chaotic one?"

"It depends," said Ling. "Sometimes, a little chaos can be a good thing." There was a look of mischievous in his eye as he glanced at Mulan. "It can keep things from being too boring." He then nodded at Yao and Chien-Po. "Why do you think I've stuck around these two for so long?"

She chuckled. "Good point." She then looked at Shang. "By the way, Shang, what was Qiqang talking about earlier when he mentioned 'the current state of affairs'? Is there trouble brewing again?" From the corner of her eye, she saw the other three glance at one another in confusion.

Shang let out a heavy sigh. "Yes and no. It's…rather complicated and actually part of the task you'll be given."

"Which means you can't tell us," she half-pouted. She looked at the others. "I suppose you three don't know anything, do you?"

They shook their heads. "We've been out here in the middle o' nowhere for nearly a year," Yao told her. "Qiqang's the one who gets all the official notices an' whatnot."

"We figure if anything important is going on, he'll let us know," Ling added. "But since we're his underlings, we don't really question him."

"Unless it's about mundane things, like who should be in what practice field that day," Chien-Po said. "Or if we will be one of the camps getting horses for cavalry training."

Mulan's brow rose. "Cavalry training? So it's not going to be just the general's army with horses now?"

Shang shook his head. "No. The Emperor saw his folly in that arrangement and requested all battalions have at least one company of horses. It'll be slow going, incorporating that many horses, but it can't be helped." He shifted his position so that he sat cross-legged instead of on his knees. "Many of the horses lost at the Tung Shao pass had come from long lines of warhorses; they were expected back for the breeding season. With them gone, stablemasters all over China have been trying to bring about new lines that will hopefully be just as good."

"Sounds overly complicated," Yao grumbled. "I'm sure any ol' horse would do. Just make sure t' put it through the ropes when you're trainin' it so it doesn't get skittish on the battlefield."

Shaking her head, Mulan also changed her sitting position. "It's not that easy. Different horse breeds have different qualities that make them better suited for some tasks than others. Take Khan, for example. He's large and sturdy with thick legs; he's also not the fastest of horses because he's built for endurance rather than speed. Hook him to a cart laden with goods—or cannons—and he can haul it for miles."

"Jiang, on the other hand," Shang continued, "is built for speed. He's leaner with longer legs because he was bred to weave in and out of enemy lines. Now, that's not to say Khan wouldn't be a good warhorse—he was a wonderful warhorse. Horses his size are an excellent intimidation tactic. If an army sees an entire battalion of horses like him, they're going to get scared and at least some of them will scatter. Those who don't have a strong possibility of being crushed under those huge hooves."

Ling nodded, showing that he was paying attention. "But the last cavalry was made up of horses more Jiang's size. I would imagine they still scare people, but not nearly as much, so what is their job?"

"Horses like Jiang move lots of soldiers fast. Warhorses like him are bred to get soldiers behind the enemy lines as fast as possible, giving the enemy less chance to shoot them with an arrow or hit them with a sword. It also gives us the advantage, since being on a horse gives us the high ground."

"You certainly know quite a bit about cavalry tactics," Chien-Po smiled.

His cheeks turning a bit pink, Shang half-heartedly smiled. "My father loved horses. Riding with the cavalry and leading them into battle was one of his most favorite things." Rubbing the side of his neck, he looked down at the ground. "I…don't share his talent for cavalry charges, though. I can ride a horse well enough, but fighting on one? I'd rather be on the ground."

"That makes two things General Pretty Boy isn't good at," Yao chuckled. "Keep this up an' you may have us convinced you're a normal person like the rest o' us."

Rolling his eyes, he smiled and shook his head. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

A mischievous grin came to Yao's lips. "Eh, I don't know. Maybe when we're old an' grey." He frowned somewhat as Ling nudged him.

"Maybe you should try strutting around shirtless in front of the troops," he joked. "See how it feels to be a pretty boy."

He dismissively waved his hand. "Nah, thanks. They've seen me buck-ass naked enough times to know I pack a mean set'a muscles. Nothin' pretty about them, but damn if they're not impressive."

Mulan snorted. Though it was something she had tried to forget many times, she couldn't help but think back to the night when she and Zhu had nearly been caught by the three while bathing. "And I suppose you've also made sure to inform them that you are the one and only King of the Rock?" she questioned.

At that, Yao turned a bit pink. "You remember that, huh?"

"Sadly." Her cheeks darkened as she laughed. "How can I not? Seeing that many filthy, naked men was more frightening than being chased by Shan Yu!"