Spiteful Nunchucks

The Story of Ling Tong

To All Reviewers: Thanks for your continued following of my story. And now, here's Chapter 8.

Chapter Eight: Now's the Time To Celebrate!

"Heroes of the Lands of Wu! Cao Cao has been defeated and has been sent back north with his tail between his legs! Soon, the day will come when we overrun the northland. But today, we celebrate our victory! Welcome to the Gathering of Heroes!"

Sun Quan's announcement sent cheers throughout the area. Today is a day of celebrating our great victory over Cao Cao. For now, all grudges, vendettas, and whathaveyou are left at home, and all inhibitions we put on ourselves are to be abandoned. In other words, It's party time!

I took a seat at a table, and watched the Qiao sisters entertain everyone with their dancing. Da Qiao was much more refined then her sister, but at least this time Xiao Qiao managed to hold her overabundance of energy together and stay in step with her sister. I smiled. This was another one of the things Xiao Qiao did well. I always enjoyed watching her and her sister dance.

I didn't even notice Zhou Yu sit down next to me. "So, I heard you and Xiao Qiao did a good job of protecting the altar."

I almost choked on my drink. "You knew?"

Zhou Yu put on a casual air. "That's the funny thing about sand next to a river: wet sand leaves footprints for a long time. And considering that Xiao was still in her bare feet when I told her to stay in her tent, it was easy to tell which ones were hers."

'"You're not accusing me of..."

"Relax, Ling Tong. My wife's told me all about her friendship with you. Personally, I find it nice, as it gives her an outlet for her unladylikeness so she doesn't have to share it with me." We both shared a laugh there. "Da always was the quieter one. How did she end up getting wedded to Sun Ce?"

I made a joking suggestion. "Well, remember that Da Qiao's a widow now. I'm sure Qiao Xuan would be willing to give her to you, and you could give Xiao to me."

Zhou Yu apparently saw I was joking, as he pretended to seriously ponder this. "Hmm...that may not be such a bad idea."

"You know I was joking, right?"

Zhou Yu just nodded. "Yes. So was I. But here's something I'd advise for you...I know you're still upset with Gan Ning, but I'd stay well clear of him today. He tends to get really..."

Whatever Zhou Yu was about to say was interrupted by a loud outburst from Gan Ning...in the form of a song. "OH...one hundred barrels of wine on the wall...one hundred barrels of wine...if I take a barrel and drink it all, ninety-nine barrels of wine on the wall!"

Taishi Ci joined in next. "Ninety-nine barrels of wine on the wall..." Soon the song devolved into a drinking contest once Huang Gai joined in. After it ended with Huang Gai the victor, the three were escorted off the premises by the soldiers for a much needed sleep-off. Hangover Central for them tomorrow.

"...Drunk." Zhou Yu finished.

By now, the Qiao sisters had finished their portion of the entertainment and Zhou Yu found himself in a vicegrip called Xiao Qiao's hug. "Yay, Zhouie! We're heroes!"

Zhou Yu managed a laugh among his coughing. "Yes, but I'm only going to be remembered posthumously if you don't lighten up a bit."

Xiao Qiao giggled and loosened her hug, but not letting go. For all the things I've heard about Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao being total opposites, it was all made evident right here. Regardless, they did look cute together. I laughed again.

My laughter quickly died, though, when I saw who came in. Doctor Killjoy himself, Lu Su. If you thought Zhou Yu was serious, then you've never met this guy. And judging by the look on his face, he had something to say.

Zhou Yu knew it too, and gently waved Xiao Qiao off, stood up, and walked over to Lu Su. They then began to whisper. I didn't know what it was, but Zhou Yu suddenly got a shocked expression on his face and ran outside with Lu Su. Lu Meng and Lu Xun soon took up the cue and followed. Gradually, the rest of the party dispersed.

The night was still young for me, though. I made my way down to the river and sat on the dock. It was the exact same place I and Xiao Qiao were when we saw Cao Cao's fleet. I can now say the river looks a lot nicer when it's not choked full of boats.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a long time to enjoy the view, as I suddenly felt two hands on my back, followed by a shove that sent me into the river. I surfaced, sputtering, looking around to find out who did that, but the familiar giggling gave it away before I saw her.

Of course, I barely had time to clear my wet hair away from my face before I was knocked back into the water by Xiao Qiao literally jumping in on top of me. Since it was party night, though, we just engaged in water play. For the moment, we let our responsibilities slip away, and we were just like kids playing in the water.

The next day, I headed over to see what Doctor Killjoy had shared with Zhou Yu. When I found him, he had "that look" that meant something was wrong. "So, what did Lu Su say?"

Zhou Yu responded, "It appears Liu Bei and his forces are in position to attack Jing Province."

Ladies and Gentlemen, business is about to pick up. Stay tuned to see what happens next! Sorry about the delay. The next chapter will be more timely. I swear!