Legacy of the Lunar Spear

Chapter 21

Accidents Will Happen

Li Dian grumbled obscenities as Xun Yu left him to fumble with all the newly acquired scrolls. As Xun Yu showered Cao Cao with compliments, Li Dian turned and found an empty table. He had been escorting the valued advisor to the Guan Du vicinity to provide a man to fill Guo Jia's position. There was something that could be said about Xun Yu, he definitely was good with words. Looking around the large tent he couldn't help but feel like there was something being celebrated. Perhaps if he could hear what young Cao Zhi was saying, he might have been able to decipher something from the poem. Instead, a familiar voice caught his attention and forced him to smile.

"So you still do work for us."

Dian's sharp eyes lifted to see the smiling face of one of his favorite comrades, Xiahou Dun. The able man always seemed to adapt to any circumstance and he was thrilled to see that now was no exception. He looked healthy and he appeared to be escorting his happy wife somewhere; things were going well indeed. "Not my fault your cousin sent me off on trivial matters after Xia Pi." He answered and watched the expression on Lu Ling Qi's face briefly show her discomfort. Poor girl, the wounds were still so raw.

"At least you left Xu Chang." Dun muttered bitterly. He was now chafing at the bit for battle, word had reached his ears of men calling him the "Blind General" and it grated on his every nerve.

"There is no dishonor in healing your body Dun." Li Dian handed him a scroll. "I thought you might like something to read tonight."

Ling snorted and both men looked at her. "I think I keep him entertained enough."

"I don't think he was implying that you didn't." Dun chuckled and nodded to his friend. "Ling this is an old friend Li Dian. Both of us have been with Mengde since the beginning. We share a passion for learning. Maybe with his help I could beat some strategy into your head."

Ling turned away and growled. Wasn't it bad enough that she couldn't learn how to be a good commander? Did he really have to advertise it now? "Maybe I just need a better teacher."

"We'll soon find out." Dun frowned. How anxious he was for battle and how uncertain of the outcome. He may have knocked Yuan on his ass, but he still had yet to best Ling. Her fighting style was unfamiliar and he knew that was a more realistic fight. No surprise that he could topple Yuan, he had been sparring with him since he was old enough to carry a weapon. Then there was the doubt that lingered on his wife's capabilities. At least she wouldn't be seeing action, only rearguard. "Why don't you take this back to the tent and get ready for bed. I want to train before breakfast tomorrow; we're getting up extra early."

"Alright." She flashed a fake smile and took the scroll. She hated waking up early.

Li Dian watched the pretty teenager wander off and disappear into the darkness beyond the edge of the tent. "How is your student coming along?"

"Horrible, Mancheng. She just doesn't get it. How could she fight as well as she does and not know how to use it for anything practical?"

Dian laughed. "You'll find out when you're a father. Come now Dun….do you not see it? Lu Bu taught her how to defend herself and that's it. He wanted his beloved daughter to be safe incase something went wrong…"

"Well at least he got something right."

"He probably only took her along to keep her safe. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first time she's been exposed to these tactics."

"Mmm." Dun adjusted his eye patch and thought it over. It made sense…so where did that leave her? She'd never be happy with normal life, that much was apparent, plus he enjoyed having her with him. He could see the envy in the other men's eyes when they saw her with him. How many times did he hear Yuan whine about missing his wife….or Cao get bitchy because he had been away from Lady Bian too long? Yes, he enjoyed her company, but he also liked knowing she was happy; it would crush her if she failed at military matters. The only Lu remaining and she wanted to honor her father; a man that had been executed for treason and mutilated afterwards. "Up for a challenge then?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Li Dian grinned. It would be like old times and hopefully with a bit more entertainment. He had wondered about Lu Bu. The man had killed his two fathers, betrayed countless others…..yet those close to him were so loyal. He watched Dun walk off and saw the man genuinely happy for the first time in ages. Dun was always capable of enjoying himself, but it wouldn't take much to get him back into a dark brooding mood. Now he seemed….at ease.

"General Li!" Cao Cao walked over to him rolling his eyes. Why did Xun Yu have to be so long-winded? Kissing his ass was one thing…but to launch into a whirlwind of comparison between him and Yuan Shao was something else. He just wasn't in the mood; thanks to Xun Yu's distraction Pi managed to sneak out of the tent. At least he still had Zhen Ji entertaining Xu Zhu with a folktale; he knew damned well the portly general would never let Pi snag his storyteller until she was done. "You almost missed the party. We're celebrating my son's marriage to the beautiful Lady Zhen…and tormenting him because he thought it wise to bother me with something so trivial."

"My lord, you're the one who chose to send Ang to Wan Castle…not me." Dian smirked as Xun Yu continued his speech on Yuan Shao's failings.

"Yuan Shao has never shown initiative while you sir are always firm and decisive with each action you make…"

"Worried?"

Wen Chuo laughed and the echos of his hearty outburst only made it sound more like thunder. "Of WHAT?"

Yan Liang closed his eyes as a handful of rice flew into his face. With a dramatic sigh he cleaned the sticky grains off his eyelids with his right hand. "You're so obnoxious."

"Worried. Sounds like you've been listening to that Lord Chen!"

Liang took his hand, now covered in rice particles and wiped it on Wen Chuo's beard. "You looked thoughtful. Never known you to be the thinking type."

"I want to make a name for myself here…and I was trying to figure out which officer I was going to kill first." Wen Chuo boasted. He was Yuan's Shao's best fighter. Men feared him….and he enjoyed that feeling.

"Well, my friend, I think you'll have your pick. Cao Cao brought the whole family along….there must be one of them worthy of dueling you."

"Nope." Wen Chuo declared. "Not a damned one. So let's drink to me…"

"You're such an ass." Yan Liang chuckled and toasted to the best warrior in Yuan Shao's army.

Dun sat down at his desk and jotted down a few notes in his journal. He was about ready to touch the brush to the paper once more, when he felt Ling's fingers running through his hair. For such a tom-boy she certainly did obsess way too much about hair, however he wouldn't complain since it felt so damned nice. She had found one of her brushes and began to run it through his hair and he closed his eyes. How bizarre that this was now a comforting practice of hers, two months ago he would have cracked her head open with the brush if she decided to fuss with his hair….now it relaxed him. Her touch was gentle recently, as if she had finally grown accustomed to the desire to touch him and then there was the way he looked forward to the night. Ling's routine had swiftly become law, but they were hardly in disagreement about it. No…..she did her part to take care of him and it was transforming the way he looked at her. His brush never made it back to the journal page and he put it down in order to give his wife some attention. She had earned it. "What would you like to try tonight?"

Lings let his hair cascade through her fingers and thought it over. Her husband was incredibly sexy when he was relaxed and it made her decision easier. "I want to play with you again."

He thought it over. Gods that would be nice. "Sure."

"Really?" Giving him an inviting smile she leapt upon the cot and waited.

"I don't make a habit of refusing a woman access to my body. Especially after she promises to molest me." Slipping out of his pants he knelt on the cot and crawled over her. They had come so far since their first night together and he was fully aware of how much he now had to lose. Drawn in by her playful smile he leaned down to kiss her.

His lips met hers and his mustache tickled her upper lip, all a part of his irresistible sexual appeal. Running her hands over his bare chest while his tongue danced in her mouth, Ling finally realized how damned happy she was with this arrangement. Knowing now who she could have married only brought her situation into a much clearer light. In their brief meeting, Ling had already determined that Ma Chao was a momma's boy. Sweet, innocent and adorable only meant she could walk all over him. Watching Diao Chan, she quickly learned how to use her charm, and cleavage, to her benefit and it worked wonders when she employed it. It irked her however, she didn't like resorting to feminine skills to win….a warrior didn't sink so low. There was no need for that with Dun; it would have never worked anyhow. As her hands drifted lower they paused to explore his abs causing his kiss became more intense. Yes this had worked out well. Suddenly life as Xiahou Dun's wife didn't seem so bad.

Pulling away from the kiss as her hands inched closer to his aching erection he had to ask, "What are you smiling about?"

"I thought you said you were going to let me play?"

He grunted and closed his eyes as her hands reached their destination to emphasize her statement. "Enjoy your conquest Lady Lu…."

She giggled as he rolled over and lay beside her. "That's more like it. Cook my meals, offer you body to me when I want it…..another month and I'll have you completely trained."

"Your family likes to set unobtainable goals don't they?" He scooted up to a sitting position and reached over for the candle. Trained? He was blowing out the light now, he never did that before. Well if it made her comfortable…

"Leave it." Ling readjusted and rested her head on the inside of his left thigh. Taking a deep breath she looked at his penis and thought about her next move. The bodyguards she worked with in the capital always said they enjoyed oral sex better than anything. There were mixed emotions here in camp. Cao Pi seemed to have a fixation with anal, Xiahou En would never keep quiet about having his shaft licked, Xiahou De refused to comment and Xiahou Mao was happy as long as he was in a woman. "I want to see what I'm doing."

Dun pulled his hand away from the candle and watched her concentrate as her fingers delicately traced his genitalia. While she held his hard shaft in her left hand her right toyed with his scrotum, tenderly rolling his testicles in her right hand. He knew what she was going to attempt and he wanted it more than he cared to admit to himself. To encourage her he ran his fingers through her soft sienna hair and asked, "And what might that be?"

Suddenly nerves began to get the best of her. What if she hurt him? What if she did it wrong and he no longer thought her worth bothering with? If she choked on it….would he make fun of her? "I…"

"Relax." He whispered. He could see her panicking and watched her hands stop their ministrations. He rocked himself into a better position and moved his right leg further away to give her better access. Unable to resist any longer, he reached out and fondled her breast. "Do what you think will feel good."

"Sounds like one of your lessons." Ling continued playing with him, his touch and voice worked wonders on her. She quickly forgot about her worries and began to stroke his shaft. "You'll tell me if I am doing something wrong….right?"

He tweaked her nipple and laughed when she yelped in surprise. "Yup."

"That was mean…"

"You liked it." His breath began to fluctuate as he saw her tongue reach out to take a taste of him. Cautiously the tip of her tongue rolled over his engorged head and pulled away the tiny bead of fluid that had seeped out. Gods, let her be one of those few women who actually liked the taste.

As the first sensation of the salty fluid hit her taste buds, Ling contemplated whether or not she was going to enjoy having a mouthful of the stuff. It wasn't bad….certainly wasn't enough to make her want to gag. Now she wanted to know what it would feel like. To the touch the skin seems so soft…wonder how it would feel to her tongue? Without any more hesitation she ran her tongue along the underside of his shaft following the path of the vein and swirled her tongue around the head, playing with the retracted foreskin.

Cao Pi snuck around the backside of a supply wagon and checked for any sign of relatives. His father was being such a vindictive prick! Of all the people in China, the one person that should have understood his need to slam his new damned wife should have been his father! Hell, at this point he and Ang were placing bets on how many new siblings would be born a year! It was only a matter of time before he would have his revenge….rumor was that Ling was going to fetch the Qiaos for him. How would Cao Cao like it if his night of squeaky Qiao pleasure was put on hold for hours? Dammit! He rubbed the bulge in his pants as he thought about the two little Qiaos watching him enter Zhen Ji. Why was life so cruel? Why did his father have to claim all the hot concubines as his own?

Seeing no one around he opted to take care of his need himself. Knowing the party wouldn't be over for another few hours he unbuttoned his pants and allowed his poor throbbing penis to pop out. All that work to get a beautiful woman and he was reduced to masturbating behind a wagon. As he spit on his hands and began to work his hands in the familiar rhythm he heard a moan. A deep throaty sexually gratified moan. He peered around a stack of crates and saw a tent and shadow of a man. Curious who would be all the way out here in a secluded then he crept closer to the flap. The candlelight flickered within, but there was no moon out tonight and it kept him perfectly hidden. He was more than ready to watch the show and provide him with more than just imagination to find his release.

Not quite prepared for who his eyes would fall upon first he cringed. Uncle Dun naked….ugh. Then he saw them….Ling Qi's oversized breasts in his Uncle's hand. Well that turned the situation into something salvageable. He really did appreciate his aunt's body before…but now she was naked. His hand returned to its previous activity as he realized what was making his Uncle moan. Ling's head rested upon his leg as her tongue and lips teased his penis…preparing to take him in her mouth. Fixated on her mouth Pi no longer was bothered with the image of his Uncle naked….instead he stroked himself in rhythm with Ling's bobbing head as she discovered how to give head.

Guan Ping opened his eyes slowly as the sun broke over the horizon and began to illuminate the former campsite. He shifted uncomfortably, not terribly excited about the morning coming so soon since he had stupidly had way too many drinks and now his head was protesting a bit. Why did he always let himself get lured into the pre-battle drinking binge? Never had that inclination until he met Zhang Bao. With a grunt he sat up.

"Mornin' son." Guan Yu held out a cup of tea and smiled. "Something wrong?"

"No sir." Ping mumbled and took the cup of tea. No, not going to bitch about the hangover. Not worth it. Smile and nod.

"Morning!" Ling trotted up, upon her faithful steed, and stopped her horse two inches from Xiahou Mao's head. "Your father would like to talk with you, dear."

"Ugh…I hate you." Mao moaned.

Ling giggled; one of her guilty pleasures was getting Mao in trouble. It wasn't difficult and he had a nasty habit of reporting what she'd say with the Cao boys back to his father. It was a game they played, mainly to agitate Dun, but it had its perks. "I can drag you back if you ask nice, Zilin."

"I'm up." Mao sat up and made a gurgling noise. "Oh…I'm never drinking again."

Guan Yu scratched Red Hare's chin as the stallion nickered at his progeny. "Easy boy, no use in starting a fight."

"He looks fat." Ling observed. "But happy. I'm glad you two get along. My father would have liked to know he was well taken care of."

Guan Yu gave her a warm smile. "Thank you. He's a good boy….knows how to hold his liquor better than that one there."

"Phst…I'm fine." Ping lied.

"What was that?" Ling screamed and watched both young men winced and cover their ears.

"Problems?" Ma Chao appeared out of nowhere and gave Ling a brilliant smile. He wasn't going to hit on her anymore for fear of irreversible brain damage from Pang De's abuse. However, she was still the only one he seemed to have anything in common with around here and hanging around Pang De was boring. The Cao and Xiahou children were too united, there was no room for an outsider, and he hadn't been around long enough to discover that there where other men his age here. Too bad they both had a hangover. Maybe she would be interested in a morning ride. Nothing like starting the morning with a horse race. He really wanted to see if her horse was as fast as he looked.

"None, isn't that right Ping?" Guan Yu crossed his arms and looked the newcomer over. Something told him that Xiahou Dun wasn't going to take kindly to Ling's new acquaintance. He gave Red Hare an apple to get the stud's mind off the white mare the new kid had.

"Perfect day…perfect." Ping stood and began to stumble away. "Perfect day for a jump in the river."

"Ma Chao this is Guan Yu." Ling pointed to the bearded man, noticing his curious glances. Why was everyone so suspicious of him? He seemed nice, perhaps a bit of a flirt, but not nearly as bad as Cao Pi.

"You know…dad's not going to like your new boyfriend." Mao struggled to his feet and moaned. "But I won't tell him if you forget about me vomiting behind that rock."

"How's your head?" Dun shouted as Mao staggered toward the boulder.

Guan Yu chuckled only getting tea up his nose. "You're horrible."

Mao blindly waved a fist at his father and growled, "Why are you in such a good mood?"

"That would be my doing." Ling said triumphantly and smacked Mao on the shoulder.

"You know…things like that could mentally damage your child. See…look what you did. My brain hurts now."

"You're lucky. My father talked to me about foreplay. Do you know how horrible that was young man?" Ling handed him a cup of tea.

"Are you serious?" Dun asked. He suddenly noticed the kid standing next to her. "What are you doing sniffing around my wife again?"

"I was unaware that this area was off limits to guest generals." Chao sneered, his anger getting the better of him.

"Didn't you learn your lesson yesterday, kid? Or are you waiting for me to beat it into you?" Dun snapped.

"He just got here and I was introducing him…" Ling watched him turn his angry eyes on her and it stopped her mid-sentence.

"I wasn't asking you."

She rubbed her hands over his chest and whispered, "This jealousy…is really quite arousing."

"Later." Dun looked at Ling who was oddly content with his reaction. He had anticipated her being furious about his protective outburst; instead she was back to being turned on. No wonder they got along so well. "Time for training. We move out within two hours, get in some practice while you can."

"Here."

Ling's eyes were immediately drawn to the fancy sword before her. "It's amazing."

"It's yours. I don't want you using that spear, you're better with a sword. It's called the Phoenix Blade; Mengde picked it up somewhere or was given it as a bribe…whatever. You're part of the family now; we can't have using that piece of shit." He took the spear and tossed it aside. Zhang Liao had caught up with him earlier and expressed his concern regarding her weapons. Liao respected her ability, but wanted to keep her as safe as possible. The man also brought up a good point when he said the Lunar Spear was only going to make her fall back into the state of mind she had been in originally, doing what her father would have done. Her personal weapon of choice was a sword, and he liked Ling Qi's personality much better when she was being herself. So sword is what she would have.

"It's so well balanced…" She smiled, but not because of the weapon. Her husband had just given her a present…in front of everyone on the practice field. Including Zhen Ji.

"Well it was mine." Cao Cao snorted as sipped his tea at the table behind them. "But as Dun said, we can't have you using an inferior weapon. Welcome to the family."

"Here's a lightweight piece of armor as well." Zhang Liao presented the item to her and stared her in the eye. "Which you will wear. Try it on."

"Liao…"

"He's right. Save you from getting injured by your tits too. Damned things bounce everywhere when you ride, I don't know how you even stay on your horse." Dun smirked as she reluctantly put the new piece on. Slowly he was going to redress her; he knew damned well why her training sessions drew such a crowd.

"Much better." Liao gave her a sympathetic kiss on the forehead. "Behave yourself. I need to go check on the men, I'll be checking up on you before we march. Don't you dare leave this armor behind, understood?"

"Yes." She muttered and watched him walk off. He was worse than her father, much worse. Whenever the subject of armor came up, Daddy always responded with "She's my daughter Liao, of course she'll be fine!" Peculiar from a man covered in shining gold armor, but he always gave her the benefit of the doubt. She'd never been injured before and no one came close in training. Why the worries now? At least she wasn't concerned anymore that her unit would see action. Would they take the sword back when she proved to be a failure?

"Let's train. Not much time before breakfast." Dun patted her shoulder and walked out onto the practice field noting that Cao Pi was dragging Zhen Ji behind him as he searched for an empty tent. Ling fidgeted with her armor and then practiced with her new sword a bit. If he could only beat her in a duel, perhaps he'd feel a bit better about the upcoming battle.

Ling held the Phoenix Blade in her right hand and waited for Dun to attack. He was finally beginning to cope with his vision impairment and he found that circling his opponent enabled him to view the battlefield better. It was progress and the Wei army was thrilled to see it. They had a small audience: Guan Yu was enjoying his breakfast and sat watching them with a smile, Cao Cao was chatting idly with his guest general and Xu Zhu looked lost now that Zhen Ji disappeared. At least he had twenty meat buns to help him cope with his loss. Ling decided to press him; Dun would circle her all day like a buzzard if she didn't do something.

Dun smiled, he knew she wouldn't be able to resist attacking him. She inherited a lot of things from her father and the ability to sense an opponent's determination was one of them. He met her downward slice and kicked her back with his left foot. Once she was on the defensive he chopped at her with a sideways motion. She countered with a dodge to his left side and he blocked her blow. It was the first time he was able to do that on his blind side and he smiled. She was caught off balance, not expecting him to be able to defend himself, so he spun and slashed at her torso. His blade made contact with her new armor and sent her flying across the dirt patch into a clump of crates.

Cao Cao clapped and shouted happily. Finally, on the day of battle, his cousin was showing his old form. Guan Yu smiled at him and raised his chopsticks in a salute while Xu Zhu whooped. Dun grinned and looked over to Ling, she was bound to be the happiest of them all, but his wife wasn't there. He turned and he saw she hadn't even gotten up yet. As the hairs on the back of neck went up, he watched her struggle to get herself out of the crates. Her face betrayed her pain and then he saw the blood across her side. Looking down at Kirin Fang, still firmly gasped in his hand, he saw the blood on the blade. "Ling?" Dun's voice shook, getting the attention of everyone within range.

Guan Yu looked over at the girl and dropped his plate. She was struggling to stand and clutched her side while using her new sword to lean against. With a grit of her teeth she stood briefly before collapsing into Dun's arms. He immediately ran over to help. "Where are you hit?"

"Oh gods." Dun held her, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize…." He looked at his hand covered in her blood and felt her clutch at his jacket and gasp. What happened?

Ling gasped and slumped against him. Suddenly breathing was such a labor. Why was that? Unable to take a good breath she quickly became fixated with breathing and blocked out her surroundings. Only thing she was aware of was Dun's arms and they felt so good….so safe.

"Where are you hit?" Guan Yu repeated and began to unfasten her armor.

"Ling, hang on." Dun helped pull away her armor as she let her hand slide down his chest streaking it with her blood as she gasped for air.

"Someone get a medic!" Cao Cao screamed and ripped off his cape, using it to stem the flow of blood. Suddenly the little bit of pressure gave her a chance to take a good long breath.

Guan Yu tore apart her tunic to allow a better view of her wound when the doctor reached them. The sword had cut her right where the lighter breastplate stopped, halfway up her ribcage. Thankfully the cape was doing a fine job of acting as bandage. "Easy kid, we can fix this."

Dun held her helplessly, "I'm so sorry…." He couldn't believe that now…now was the first time he allowed himself to show her he actually cared about her. But she wasn't even paying attention, she was about to pass out from lack of air. He looked at his cousin who could provide no comfort. His eyes betrayed the grave situation that was before them. She couldn't breathe….he had done some serious damage. "Hang on, okay?" Dun took her hand and kissed it.

"Still whining like a woman." She squeezed his hand lightly and closed her eyes. For the first time, she felt weak. How nice it was to have a strong man to protect her…

"What happened?" Hua Tuo was on the ground next to the patient instantly. Thankfully Cao Cao had sent for him two days ago to tend to his migraines, otherwise the famed physician would have been miles away in Chang An. He suspected the Wei ruler had intensions of keeping him as part of his army, but he knew better than to damage his practice by having only one paying client. An assistant came up behind him with his medical bag in one hand and he waved to the lad. "She's cyanotic….you must have punctured her thoracic cavity."

"You can…fix it right?" Dun asked cautiously as the surgeon pulled away Cao Cao's cape and inspected the wound. She gasped for air immediately and Xu Zhu came over to look, blocking out the light briefly.

"Dammit…" the surgeon looked around him for something useful. He needed anything that would temporarily cover the wound and return the chest cavity back into a functioning vacuum. Only then would the woman be able to breathe again. He looked up at Xu Zhu and snapped. "Unwrap the meat bun!"

"Huh?" Xu Zhu looked down at him in confusion.

"Hurry general, we're running out of time..." Hua Tuo looked up at the man as his plump fingers unwrapped the food item "Now give me the wrapper."

Dun ran his fingers across her blue tinted face. What had he done?

Hua Tuo grabbed the meat bun coating and quickly began to plaster it over the wound. "Now, hold that in place."

Dun obeyed and to his amazement his wife began to breathe heavy breaths only to wince and whimper. "You'll be okay…"

"Please, general, bring her inside. I have a lot of repairs to make."