Chapter 06: Dead Silence on Cloudy Hills

Still clenching the buttress to keep himself from collapsing, he inhaled a deep breath before he dared to speak again: "It doesn't matter to me if you believe in my words or not, Yang Hui-zhen. To me it will always do to know that I never lied to you."

He wanted to turn around to look at her, but he felt his strength decrease, and, unable to keep himself upright any longer, he gave in to his weakness and let it happen that he sank down to his knees when he got tossed by coughing. His eyes widened in pure horror, when he felt blood pouring over his lips, but he wiped it away, forcing his voice to sound steady while he added: "But equal what your decision will be, at the end of this day our paths will separate. You won't have to fear me anymore, I told you this already."

Yang Hui-zhen looked up, prepared to shoot him a glare, but when she found him crouched down on the floor, she crawled over to him instead, almost choking on the growing fear all her effort to keep him alive might have been in vain: "Nien!"

He lifted his gaze when she reached out to touch his cheek. That gentle contact felt strangely welcome within this moment and he enclosed her slender fingers with his hand, letting his gaze melt into hers: "Your father trusted me. Your brother trusted me. I wished you would have too."

She turned her head away: "It is too late now..."

"Too late?" Ouyang Nien shook his head: "No! It is not! It is true, I cannot bring your father back, but I can take you to Chien-cheng..."

He reached out for a strand of her hair that had escaped from her bun and blinked as he caressed it fondly between his fingers. "If I could wish for one thing", he whispered: "it would be wishing for another night within your father's garden..."

It was within this moment that the door got pushed open with such impact that it almost got ripped out of its hinges.

A shadowy figure emerged from the darkness of an almost pitch-black night and stepped closer.

A noble robe of the best fabric – torn into shreds and smirched with blood – waved down to the floor, while the low light of a few lit candles and some last coals still glowing in the fireplace highlighted a bloodstained sword.

Heavy steps accompanied the stranger when he entered the small hut and it got obvious that he had gotten wounded in battle.

Yang Hui-zhen frowned.

All of a sudden, she was wide awake and alert when she and Ouyang Nien exchanged a look.

No sound soaked in from the outside, it was all silent and quiet and they both knew what the meaning of this was – the battle was over. It was the dead silence of its aftermath, as dark and pitch-black as the night that had covered the haunted fortress, the set trap and the slaughter that had taken place in the shades of abandoned battlements and racked and ruined stonework.

Blood dripped down from the blade on the floor and there was still no word, no sign giving away who the intruder was until he burst out laughing, staring at Hui-zhen out of hate-filled eyes.

"Finally", he hissed: "finally, there will be an end to this story. What a whole army did not manage to do, no one will keep me now from doing it myself. And do not hope for the two traitors you set on me. They won't come. You may have been able to delude and befog the minds of those fools of whom I thought they would fight for me, but did you really think I would believe in ghosts?"

Yang Hui-zhen got up, slowly, her gaze fixed on the man all the time, knowing that underestimating him would only mean one thing – to die a quick death, merciless and cruel...

Her face did not show the slightest hint of emotion. She just looked at him, her eyes half closed, her lips slightly open, her body tense and prepared for even the smallest movement her opponent would possibly make to anticipate her.

She reached out for her blade and smiled when she finally replied: "We have always been aware that you would most probably be the only one who would not believe in ghosts, but as long as your men did, our plan served its purpose."

"It will be my pleasure to send your's and the generals' dead and cold bodies over to the Eastern Agency. The last proof my Lord Wei needs to convince the Emperor that your father was the traitor he always warned him of."

"As much as some blood soaked clothes, a stolen signet ring and a falsified letter convinced you of my death, General Mun Ta?"

Ouyang Nien leaned back against the buttress, staring at the ceiling as he waited for the general's answer.

The confident smile vanished from Mun Ta's face and gave way for something different: surprise and disbelief. "So, you are still alive", he asked.

"Barely, yes, but still alive!"

"Then you were aware of the plan and the trap?"

"No, I was not. In fact, I got used as a bait to lure you here. When I met your guards in the woods, it was meant to warn you, but as I see, I failed. If you would have received the letter I actually wrote to you, you would have known that I advised you to leave the hunt be. But your bigotry made it impossible to leave the prospect of success to Hsu Hsien-chen. Instead of smoking this nest of traitors out with combined forces, pleasing the High Eunuch together, you preferred making a try on your own. I am sorry to say this, General Mun Ta, but you won't leave this place alive."

"You think a little girl and a traitor could restrain me from doing so?"

"Maybe if they will get help from a general, you just declared dead", Shih Wen-chao's voice answered. He nodded at Hui-zhen and within a split second they got Mun Ta involved in a fight to death.


Strain got mirrored upon Yang Hui-zhen's face when she blocked another flourish of Mun Ta's masterly led blade. Several smaller cuts covered her shoulders, arms and back and she knew all too well, they served only one purpose – weaken her. The loss of blood, even though minor if compared to a single deadly blow, would tire her out soon and so would the slight pain every move began to cause her. Her opponent knew how to set his strikes and he would continue until either his rivals would fall or find a way to outsmart him.

Inhaling a deep breath, she used a second of relief, Shih Wen-chao provided her with to grasp her sword in a firm grip once again, but she got tossed through the whole room when Mun Ta's palm hit her shoulder blade with massive impact. A second push hit her back and she felt the air getting pressed out of her lungs. Everything around her turned black for a while, and if not the general would have kept their opponent at bay shielding her with his own life and body the next stroke would have wiped her out mercilessly.

Panting for air, Yang Hui-zhen stumbled back to her feet, letting out an angry cry when she lunged at Mun Ta, but lashing about he pushed her straight through the room again until her back hit the buttress.

She collapsed to her knees, staring at her splintered blade in disbelief and growing desperation as a gentle touch made her turn her head.

Ouyang Nien!

It was only the wink of an eye before she got dragged to her feet again just to find herself eye to eye with Mun Ta.

Exchanging a look with Shih Wen-chao, she made her decision. Slightly shaking her head, she signed him, not to give in, but the victorious smirk died upon Mun Ta's lips when got torn out of his movement by another voice.

"Hui-zhen! No!" Ouyang Nien stumbled to his feet. He shook his head and whispered: "No!" And his voice died away: "Please..."

Mun Ta let out a hiss when he turned away from Yang Hui-zhen and towards the young man who once had been the hunter and not the defender of the two treacherous generals and the daughter of the Emperor's confidant.

It took him just a split second to jump over to grab the former favourite of the High Eunuch with the collar of his shirt and to push him back against the buttress.

A painful scream left his lips when Ouyang Nien felt his back hitting the rough wood and when he felt the barely healed wounds break open again. His vision blurred, but he would not give in to the brute force Mun Ta held him with. As long as it would provide Hui-zhen and Shih Wen-chao that one last chance to end this, he would endure it.

He owed her a life...

A strong hand closed round his throat and he gasped for air. No, his wish to live did not die yet. Not yet...

"Nien!" Yang Hui-zhen screamed in despair.

She shook Shih Wen-chao's hands off when he wanted to drag her out and grabbed the two narrow daggers she still carried with her hidden amongst the plaits of her skirts.

Not thinking about anything anymore, she rushed over and threw herself between the general and his victim, smashing his blade with only one swift move.

Letting go of Ouyang Nien, Mun Ta turned round to slap her. She stumbled back, but the moment, when he raised his hands to choke her instead, she thrust the two daggers into his chest, one after the other.

His eyes widened in surprise, but his hatred was still strong enough not to let him give up.

It was then when Yang Hui-zhen used all the rest of her remaining strength for one last strike to finally end the life of that man who had been part of the conspiracy against her father and who had been the one who had tortured Yang Lin to death.

Blood poured over her hands and stained her face, but she wanted to see the life vanish out of his eyes, wanted to see how he stared at her in disbelief, he, the great General Mun Ta.

When a last breath escaped his pale lips, she pushed him aside, letting go of the daggers, and turned round to stumble over to Ouyang Nien. She kept silent when she wrapped her arms round him, getting tossed by sobbing when they both collapsed to the ground.