AN: I finally decided to update, yay.

Disclaimer: Doesn't apply, Luo Guanzhong's been dead for over 500 years. May his poor soul rest in peace after knowing what deranged fans (like me) have been doing to his masterpiece.

Chapter 4

Had we known where we should be heading, the trip would have been far less extensive and tedious. The constant search for my father and keeping a sharp lookout for any enemy troops had left everyone exhausted. The noon sun beamed down upon us no longer as a friend, but wearing down our fatigued bodies.

"My Lady," spoke one man, sweat drenching his weary body, "we have been wandering for some time now yet we have found no sign of the Lord. I fear we are lost. What shall we do?"

Similar worried glances turned to me. Not knowing what to do, I gazed up upon the blazing sun and then at the ground. The noon sun casted no shadow and we were unable to use that to determine our position.

"My Lady," spoke up another man, "perhaps we should rest. Then after our strength returns, the sun would've moved to a position that can determine the direction from."

Murmurs of agreement erupted among them. I would've very much liked to rest myself, but it cannot be done.

"No," I replied sternly, "time mustn't be wasted. If we stop now, we are in danger of being exposed to the Wei army. We must keep traveling now and quickly."

As I spoke, an old man, supporting himself with a staff, moved away from our line and towards the shady grove of large trees not far off from our position. I turned to watch him walk away at a snail's pace, wondering if the heat of the sun had somehow caused his mind to become unable to function correctly for I had specifically given the order that no one shall stray off from our course.

"What is that man doing?" My tone, showing annoyance somewhat startled them. They looked at one another, their eyes wondering who could answer my question.

"M-M-My Lady, h-h-he is my grandfather. H-H-He must be very tired and w-w-wants to r-r-rest in the shade of those t-t-trees."

I looked down to him, seeing his intimidated face. He was no older than I was, a simple farm boy. His eyes showed fear to me when I was not the one to be feared, but the fierce Wei army.

"I-I-I'm very sorry for this, My Lady, he's very o-o-old and his b-b-body can-"

"Would you stop blubbering like a fool and go retrieve him already?!" I snapped impatiently, the small fire of my annoyance now rising due to his moronic speech failure.

Dumbstruck, he nodded and ran for the old man. I shook my head, seeing how the old man had practically made to a 50 feet range of the grove and how his grandson had apparently inherited his turtle-like speed. Finally, when he seemed to have caught up, he was somehow unable to restrain the old man and bring him back. Instead, the old man had now inched his way to the trees and had taken to watching them.

If the times were not so desperate, I really might've killed that man for his uselessness. Seeing how matters had to be done by myself, I rode my horse down into the wooded area. Trying to suppress my anger, I spoke calmly to him, persuading him to come back with us. The old man made no response but continued to stare attentively at the tree, muttering to himself. It was at this point, I had lost all patience for this seemingly delirious old man. Dismounting my horse, I drew the sword which had so recently caused blood to flow. I pointed it at him, hoping the alarm would finally draw his attention. Unfortunately, all I received was an over-dramatic gasp from his idiot grandson while the old man continued to touch the tree and mutter to himself.

Unable to take anymore of his nonsense, I made my threat. "Sir, if you do not go back with me right now, you are endangering the life of yourself, your grandson and everyone here to be exposed to the Wei. If you do not return to the line as of right now, I will be forced to leave you here to Wei's disposal."

It was finally at that moment, I received his attention. Satisfied with myself, I asked if we could please proceed with our travel. He agreed, under the condition that I should examine the tree.

"What for?"

"Please, My Lady, I am an old man whose eyesight fails him terribly. Please just examine it and tell me what you see."

I gave in. His request was simple enough, though absurd. Leaning in, I touched the tree bark with my fingers. Oddly, it was moist and soft…?

"It… its moss…" I managed to make out.

"Ah, yes, I'm glad you approve. And now if my memory serves me correctly, moss grows on the Northern side of the trees, no?" he replied wryly.

I stood there dumbfounded, unable to reply. Perhaps it was because I was too angry with myself. Angry that I had not noticed.

"Now that we know this much, I would say we should travel in that direction," he continued, pointing his staff from which the direction we came. "I guess we were on the right path all along," he chuckled to himself, "but still, it is always better to make sure, especially in our situation, wouldn't you agree Lady Yulan?"

We soon departed, returning to our original route. I could still feel the sun's burning blazes beat upon my head. But this time, it came to me much as a relief for it showed that what seemed like an eternity spent "persuading" the old man had actually been barely enough time for one stick of incense to burn out.

For the most time we traveled towards our destination, I spent the time sulking, a bit annoyed with both myself and that pompous old man. I suppose I had wanted to play hero for the people in their time of need. But as I can see now, I lacked much of the ability and wit to do so.

Lost in my own sea of thoughts, I had failed to realize that we were approaching a large wooded area. Before it, stood a lonesome, small bridge, seemingly on the verge of breaking. As we drew closer, our ears were filled with the sound of gallops and the sight of clouds of dust rising from within the trees.

"What is that?" they murmured to each other.

Truthfully, I too had not the slightest idea of what the ruckus could be. The only thing I could presume was that of there being a large army, hidden within the shadows of the forest, ready to attack at any given moment. Was it the Wei army or perhaps my father's troops, again I will say I did not know.

And again, I was blessed with the chance for another act of heroism for the people. I ordered them to stand back while I alone would cross the bridge and investigate. Some begged me not to attempt such a risk while others stayed quiet, not sure what to say. Nevertheless, my mind, unclear from dehydration and anger, was made up. I ordered them to retreat several hundred feet and to blend themselves within the nearby bushes. If anything were to happen to me, I gave them the permission of fleeing for their lives. I suppose that order was extremely useless. If I would really fall into enemy hands, none of them would be able to save me anyways.

Seeing that they had carefully concealed themselves, I pulled the rein and approached the bridge hesitantly. To be honest, I was terribly frightened. My heart seemed to pound not on my chest, my inside my head, causing me to feel dizzy and light-headed. I was not sure whether it was truly happening or an illusion played by my mind but all noises and movements seemed to have died down. Soon, all that could be heard was the solid 'clops' of my horse as it treaded its way uncertainly across the wooden bridge.

Then suddenly, the loud sound of gallops could be heard. It grew louder and louder as if at any given moment, I would be face to face with its rider. And then, just as suddenly as it had risen, the sound died down. I could hear the loud thumps of my heart beating inside my head in the now eerie silence. The suspense seemed horrifying as I waited to see the rider come into view.

With that split second of silence, was followed by a loud thump that shook the bridge and a loud roar. My horse, frightened by the surprise, neighed in terror and began to thrash wildly. My hands burned as I grabbed desperately onto the rein, trying to control the alarmed animal. My attempts were futile for I lacked the energy to compete with the creature in a contest of brutal strength.

My hands were slipping, I couldn't control it. If I were to fall, death could come in two ways. One, being knocked unconscious and then trampled to death under the horse. And two, being seized by the attacker and die in a who-knows-what way. I couldn't hold on anymore, I was letting go… I was falling…

I awoke with a small gasp as I found myself on the floor. The soft voices from the next room were still continuing clearly as I found myself not on the slopes of Chang Ban but in the safety outside of my father's study quarters.

I could come to no explanation on how I was placed in such a vivid dream of memories. These incidents on which my mind would wander so had happened quite frequently for the past few months. I suppose it was such the shock that had imprinted the traumatic events into my mind.

The soft voices paused momentarily and then continued. Like before, I pressed my heard against the wooden framed, paper paned door and listened.

"But-"

"Do not worry so much, My Lord."

"I try not to," followed by a soft sigh, "but how can I not worry about something so great in importance?"

"There is no need to worry, I predict that soon, our worries will be over." He replied calmly.

"Really? Please do explain."

"Well you see, to my understanding at least, we will soon be receiving a visitor."

"A visitor? Of what sorts?"

"He will be a man, a man from the South."

"South? You mean the Wu of Jiangling?"

"Yes indeed, that is exactly what I'm referring to."

"But why? The Sun family has long held a deep hatred for Liu Biao after the death of Sun Jian. Why now would they come to associate with their enemy's kin?"

"My Lord, the wise can put aside emotions easily when their safety is in danger."

"But I heard Cao Cao had proposed to them an alliance. An alliance to eliminate us!"

"My Lord, if you were the young Sun Quan, would you so easily form an alliance with a man such as Cao Cao?"

"Hm, I suppose not. Cao Cao's reputation as a traitor and tyrant is known by all."

"Exactly. If we were to be destroyed by their combined forces, who then would stand up to Cao Cao's tyranny? Cao Cao is crafty and unreliable, their once alliance will soon turn into a raging war. Cao Cao's goal is to unify China under his own grasp, he does not share power.

"You're explanation is truly marvelous Kongming!"

"It is not much. Anyone could've foreseen it with the given knowledge on such situations." He replied modestly.

"But back to the man you were speaking of, how does his arrival pertain to our situation?"

A small chuckle and movement across the room could be heard. "Well My Lord, as I see it, an alliance shall be made, but not by Cao Cao, but by us. And how do you suppose he shall respond to this?"

"Hm, surely he will try to eliminate both forces that now stand in his way?"

"There is no doubt that Cao Cao will try to do exactly that. But once he brings his Grand Army down here, it is our territory. With our knowledge of the terrain and our troops being accustomed to the weather, we will have the definite advantage over his Northern troops. In the heart of the South, Cao Cao will suffer his greatest defeat yet."

I only came to a mild understanding of the situation after their intense conversation. Some of Master Kongming's words confused me, but the very mentioning of Cao Cao's defeat brought a decent dose of comfort to my troubled heart. Deciding that it was enough eavesdropping for the day (more like an eternity), I tip-toed out of the room and quietly entered the halls.

Arriving back in my own quarters, I found that neither Nurse nor the handmaidens were present. Grateful that I could have a moment of solitude from Nurse's usual grumbles, I took the precious moment to collect my thoughts. Taking down the sword from its usual hanging position on the wall, I withdrew it from its sheath. Finding its usual shine to be quite dull, I began to polish it and at the same time, losing myself within my thoughts.

I had indeed fallen from the horse on that small bridge which would later be known as the infamous Chang Ban Bridge. As I expected, the fall had indeed knocked me unconscious. Therefore, all my understanding of the events that followed was heard from others.

The "thing" that had frightened my horse so had ironically been General Zhang Fei. After I had lost consciousness, I was brought into the backwoods where my father had been staying. The dust and gallops had turned out to be a strategy to scare off the enemy army by creating the illusion that a large army was approaching from within the forest. I must admit, it was quite the ingenious idea, especially to be thought up by such a rash, hot-headed man such as Lord Zhang. I was not sure what I found to be more unbelievable, Lord Zhang actually using his head or the feat that followed. With a loud roar, Lord Zhang supposedly stood against the entire Wei army at Chang Ban Bridge. It was said that he seemed so fierce, a Wei general died instantly from fright! Seeing this, Cao Cao was forced to retreat! Not that I doubted General Zhang's abilities for I knew he was a talented general, but both stories seemed so farfetched that it was hard for me to take them as entirely true.

Impressive as Lord Zhang's accomplishments may have been, I found myself much more eager to hear General Zhao's instead. Equal in skill with General Zhang, General Zhao Yun was much more calm and reserved compared to the bad-tempered Lord Zhang. Besides having a much more agreeable character, the young General Zhao Yun was far more handsome. Mounted on his white steed, clad in an outfit of shiny armor and weapon in hand, he looked more than dashing. Though I was not there to see him myself, I'm more than positive he looked ever so handsome while charging through the thousands of Wei troops, saving the young Liu Shan.

I truly wish I could've been there, been there to see both General Zhang and General Zhao in their day of fine glory. But with the small glory we gained, we have also paid the price in losing someone dear to our hearts. I really could not believe the news when it was told to me. Was she really gone…? She had been in our lives for as long as my memory would take me. How could she be gone just like that? I could still remember the child's laugh as she bounced him in her arms. Her happiness and his giggles seemed to be a part of everyday life. Was it really gone now…?

"Yulan dear, would you hold him for me while I work on my embroidering?"

"You're hair's such a mess," she used to tease, "Let me fix it for you."

That voice… would I really never hear it again?

The cloth dropped to the floor as my hand clenched tightly, forming a tight fist. She was gone, she really was! Whether I wanted to believe it or not, she would never be in her room or in the garden or anywhere! She sacrificed herself… for Liu Shan… for General Zhao… for us all…

My eyes burned with rage and tears as I brought the polished sword to my face, glancing at my reflection. My face seemed surprisingly pale compared to my natural complexion. All blood seemed to have been flushed from my face. My eyes, normally shining optimistically seemed to have darkened with hatred.

"Cao Cao, haven't you done enough by murdering my father? Your evil deeds just do not cease, do they? Now look what you've done. LOOK! Father's dead and now even Madam Mi's dead. They tell me she jumped into that well but I know it was you who killed her. You pursued us after countless days. You trapped her, leaving her no choice. She was always so kind and generous. She knew General Zhao could not possibly save both her and the baby. She chose to sacrifice herself. When she jumped, it was just as if you pushed her yourself! Your hands are stained with guilt, you evil filth. But no matter, I won't let Madam Mi's sacrifice be in vain. I won't let my father's death be for nothing. They died to protect us, and now it is time we honored them.

Bring forth the sword to my arm, I made a gash across my arm and watched as blood trickled down to my hand. "With this very blood, I shall make a vow. The time has come for their selflessness to be repaid. Come and attack Cao Cao. No matter what I must do, your life will be taken, and their deaths shall be avenged."

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AN: I apologize for the delay in updating but I really did have a lot of work to do. Now that the two SAT II's are behind me, I think I will have much more time to devote to writing this. I hope this chapter was worth your wait and I have made it especially long just to make it up to you guys.

My birthday was this Monday, woo-hoo! *throws confetti* I am now 15 but still too young to drive. Damn.

The flashback's over and the vow has been made. In the next chapter we shall meet the mysterious visitor Kongming speaks of. For those who are familiar with the novel, yes it is him.