Luna returned to the city and reported to Zhang Yan and Jinzha of the failed ambush to them. There was only silence in main hall. Jinzha didn't seem to be phased but Zhang Yan was clearly annoyed. She lost more troops needlessly and this was her idea in the first place! Now he's down even more troops than he lost in the initial siege. He growled quietly at this news, this serpent of theirs is proving a lot more troublesome than he thought. And now she's on her way here to slay him…HIM!? The black mountain bandit king!? He seriously doubts the ability of his so-called allies. Though if what she says is true then the enemy won't be in that great of a number. Yes…at the siege they had the defendable position. Now that the positions are reversed, even if he didn't have that many troops comparatively speaking, they should still be enough to hold off this rather small force. Though this serpent is still an unknown variable. Reports say she is a very capable fighter but he's yet to lay eyes on her. If she's fearsome in battle as he fears, it may be wise to not allow his ally to take the frontline role of the defender. Just in case she managed to slither past his defences.

A week later Mitsuko arrived outside of the city with her army. They saw a great wall, even greater than Zheng Jiangs. Penetrating it won't be easy however that is why they brought catapults. Gyuki also would be able to penetrate the gates if need be. As the camp was setup outside of the city Mitsuko communed with her officers in her tent with Gyuki poking his head in the entrance. They're all huddled around a table with a map of the city in the middle along the outside plains. The rest of the officers were sitting down on stools.

'Alright, so we're finally here. I hoped we would have more troops but…it seems that's no longer an option. Thoughts on how we proceed from here?' Mitsuko asked. Her voice carried a trace of sadness due to the absence of Zheng Jiang but what else can she do?

'We should attack as soon as possible and give them no chance to prepare their defences.' Diamondback suggested as he hissed. He slammed his fist on the table. Dodomeki shook his head.

'Disagree, it's probably best not to act at least until we have an idea of how much their garrison is.'

'He is right my lady, plus the men have been constant marching for a while. They will need a rest first before they're able to be in fighting shape.' Pang Tong chimed in.

'Hmm, quite. We can't be too aggressive. We only have so little troops.' Mitsuko nodded.

'But does the fact we have so little troops mean we could be susceptible to a counterattack by the enemy if they sallied forth?' Gyuki questioned. It was a valid concern to have.

'Quite true my friend, however you forget something, I suspect Zhang Yan to have his forces depleted. He put all his troops on the offense on the failed siege. Even though he may have more than us I believe it may not be enough to risk a full-frontal assault.' Pang Tong reminded him.

'Plus not to mention the morale of the enemy must be low after consecutive by our smaller force.' LingQi mentioned.

'However, we do not know about how many mystics are inside the settlement. I do not believe they may be as foolish as Zhang Yan's men in throwing their lives away.'

'Maybe, maybe not. Though I think its fair to say we may need more information before our minds seem to be put to rest it seems, I suggest we deploy scouts in the city to analyse their defences. My Phoenix guards would be up for the task.'

'That may be strategist but those warriors at their present level cannot stand to a mystic, particularly one like the one we faced. Not to mention their speed. I on the other hand would be able to stick to the shadows and escape with ease.' Dodomeki nominated himself.

'That may not be the wisest suggestion. Last time you were at deaths door when you went out on your own.'

'She caught me off guard and there was two of them!' Dodomeki slammed his fist onto the table, feeling infuriated at being reminded of his failures. Silence filled the tent before he sighed and continued.

'My apologies, however she caught me off guard and now I know what she is capable off I will not be in the same state again.'

'That maybe so but from my phoenix guard I am able to view what they see as it is happening.'

'Maybe so but your warriors are also clumsy and heavy and won't be able to get further into the settlement without being spotted.' Dodomeki retorted. While the two seem to argue about who should be deployed Mitsuko thought about who should be deployed. She did have faith in Dodomeki's ability, although she would be lying if she said she didn't have any fears about Dodomeki ending up in the same situation except this time she would not be able to retrieve him. However, the phoenix guard may not be able to delve too far in the settlement before they're eliminated by Luna or another mystic. Her left serpent retracted their fangs as it stroked her chin in a thinking motion as she wondered what the best choice is.

'Lady Mitsuko what do you think?' LingQi questioned as the officers look to Mitsuko.

'Hmm Dodomeki.'

'Yes?'

'Are you sure you're able to infiltrate that deep in the settlement without getting caught?'

'I am sure my lady.' Mitsuko looked at Dodomeki with a determined look in his eye and sighed.

'Alright, Dodomeki you'll be our scout, but I want a few phoenix guard scouting the outskirts and one keeping an eye on you at all time. Is that possible Pang Tong?' Mitsuko glanced towards Pang Tong who nodded.

'It is my lady.'

'Good. Dodomeki do not engage with any of the enemy. Especially any mystics, retreat if you are detected, we cannot get your information if you are dead, do I make myself clear?' Mitsuko asked. Dodomeki bowed his head immediately respectfully.

'As you command my lady.'

'Excellent. For now, Gyuki try to find ammunition for the catapults if you can, I'd prefer you not to be riddled with arrows on your way to bash the gates down as we don't know how many are stationed here.'

'Understood my lady.'

'Diamondback, LingQi make sure the soldiers while rested are still prepared for any sort of strike by Zhang Yan if they sally forth. Send a couple of scouts out, see if there's any supply caravans or reinforcements heading this way and eliminate them and gain their supplies.'

'It will be done.' Diamondback responded gruffly while LingQi nodded in agreement with Diamondback.

'Good. You're all dismissed' Mitsuko stated. All the officers left the tent leaving Mitsuko alone. As they all left, she waited for a few moments before sighing and letting herself slump on the table and relaxed her serpent arms. She was here outside the city walls on the other side. Even though this was what she thought was the best course of action, with or without Zheng Jiang. Though obviously it would be better if she was here but alas, she made her decision. However now that she's here, even though she guesses she's done quite a bit of damage to Zhang Yan's forces. Its only when she looked outside the tent to see the seemingly massive wall is when she is taking in the weight of what she's doing.

She's going to be leading a small but effective force to try and take a city to put under her name and her banner. She would have land under her name. She chuckled at how she remembered people whispering about selling their soul just to meet rent back in her time. Doubt began to creep into her mind, saying its not too late to go back. She wondered if the warlords like Lu Bu or Cao Cao had any thoughts like that before. She quickly expelled such thoughts from her mind, now was not the time for doubts. She's the leader of an army, no matter how large or capable she's still responsible for them. She can't afford to doubt herself now. How could she expect her officers and soldiers to follow her command and fight for her dreams of a better future if she doesn't have total faith in herself. Besides if it was a bad idea Pang Tong would've said something. She smiled quietly to herself as she thought about her adventures so far. Not everything has been smooth, though she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy her time here. Despite not having a land to call her own, it felt like she was at home with her officers and friends. It was…a pleasant feeling.

A few minutes later she walked out of the tent and looked upon the stone wall she was going to attack break through soon. She then looked towards her main camp as the soldiers were setting the supplies and tents up. She saw her officers give orders to the soldiers, carrying out her orders to the letter. There was a rather alien feeling to her as she looked upon them as she found herself smiling at the sight as her thoughts dwelled on those that have pledged support to her cause. Even if most see them as abominations or monsters to her, she found them very capable and loyal warriors and were grateful for their support as without them she may not have been here. She recognises that she could not have come this far alone, after all she was only just one woman no matter how hard she fought. She chuckled at herself as she realised what kind of thoughts she was thinking of. Of course, she had to think about such things before a siege. Well at the very least she could laugh at about it she thought to herself.

However, they were cut short as she heard a sharp whooshing sound in the air coming towards her. She quickly snapped her head upwards and grabbed the arrow with one of her snake heads in time before the arrow pierced her eye. She didn't even blink despite the arrowhead was only millimetres away from her right eye. She looked up on the wall to see who fired it. She saw JInzha be the one to fire the arrow after holding a bow. He lowered the bow and looked down at Mitsuko both physically and metaphorically. She saw the arrogance and hatred in his eyes, though she also saw the fire and determination to kill her. Mitsuko didn't know who he was and, in all honesty, she didn't really care much, she was going to kill him regardless although she knew this was a mystic. Judging by his bloodless teal robed attire with gold accents and his neat appearance with his snowy white hair tied back in a ponytail she seemed to find a mystic who at the very least doesn't engage in battle.

Although Mitsuko had to admit that was not the worst shot she ever saw. It could be an officer or the one in charge of the mystics here in the mountains. If that is the case, he must be quite the warrior to go up against. Thinking this Mitsuko started to feel adrenaline coursing through her veins as the thought of having a fight with this one seemed tantalising as she thought he could provide a satisfying fight. And with his hatred of her evident, it made her more excited to see what he could do. She smiled demonically at him as she protruded a sword from her left serpent arm and hovered it in front of her neck and quickly swiped to the left horizontally, threatening him with death. He seemed to not take any action as he didn't do react much, though Mitsuko could see the disgust in his eyes which was sufficient for the moment. She smirked as she started to walk away which angered Jinzha, how dare she walk away from him as if he was not a threat. She would learn the errors of her way shortly. He frowned before walking away from the wall.

That night Dodomeki successfully infiltrated the settlement despite the patrols by Zhang Yans men. Dodomeki watched as the patrols passed them with lanterns attached to planks of wood looking around. He carefully scouted the area making sure to be extra quiet. He snuck around, examining the settlement layout and studying the number of troops he spotted. He skulked further and further into the settlement. Suddenly as he turns a corner, he spotted Luna with her blade that shone brightly as any lantern. Dodomeki's muscles tensed as soon as their eyes crossed each other. He was mentally preparing for her to come at him. This time he will not be defeated he swore to himself as he started to put his right foot back and got into a battle stance. To his surprise though Luna just smirked and lowered her blade. He was certain this was some sort of trick, he quickly looked around to see if this was just a clone of hers. He couldn't find any. He looked back to find Luna just walking away. Dodomeki thought this was a perfect time to strike if she's willing to be this foolish. He took a step before Mitsuko's orders echo in his mind.

'Do not engage the enemy'

He immediately stopped in his tracks and despite him wanting to tear Luna apart the wishes and orders of lady Mitsuko was too important for him to casually toss them aside. Dodomeki took a couple of steps back while keeping his eye on her before fully turning around and fleeing the settlement. Pang Tong meanwhile was watching as he has one of his guards tailed Dodomeki and keep an eye on him. He saw all this on his scroll as it showed him in real time what was transpiring and he became curious about this Luna. Supposedly these mystics were angry and hateful towards demons, yet here she is just letting Dodomeki run free. He chuckled to himself as he begins to wonder more about her and wondered how useful she could be to lady Mitsuko.