Li Tai could feel her stomach turn as she rode up to the castle with the others the next night. Just like Cheng had said in his letter, a large number of soldiers were waiting to greet them when they neared the borders the next day. The large group, anxious to make it to their destination in order to save Lord Sun Jian, had marched at a much quicker pace than normal. The Wei army seemed shocked at their early arrival, but had said nothing as they led the enemy to the camp. Li had ridden at the head of the Wu army, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cheng or, better still, their captives. But she saw only soldiers as she entered their makeshift camp and set up. Now that night had fallen, it was time once again for her to come face to face with her nightmare, Cheng.
Cao Cao had done everything he could to make his camp look twice as large as that of Wu. The wall he had built around it seemed to go on forever, and inside the camp were erected some of the biggest tents Li had ever seen. She refused, however, to be intimidated by size. So she held her head up high as they passed the gate and rode towards the biggest tent of them all. The soldiers inside all seemed to stop what they were doing to come and see this tiny group. Many pointed and jeered at them, but Wu would not be taken down so easily. They continued towards the center until they came across three figures standing in front of the meeting tent. Cao Cao, Sima Yi, and Cheng were all waiting with rueful grins, ready for the challenge that the four riders would present them with.
The riders dismounted and Cao Cao motioned for them to follow him inside. Sima Yi and Cheng stood at opposite ends of the tent entrance as they followed the Wei leader inside. Li could feel Cheng's eyes follow her every move, but refused to look him in the eye as she passed him. Once inside, she took a seat next to Lu Xun on the right side of Cao Cao, with Sun Ce and Zhou Yu directly across from them. Sima Yi took the empty chair on Cao Cao's right, next to Lu Xun. Cheng took the other seat between Cao Cao and Sun Ce.
"My friends, I bid you welcome," Cao Cao greeted them. "I know that time is short and precious, so we will excuse the formalities and get right down to business. As I am sure Cheng told you in his letter, we have in our presence two of your officers and your leader. We are willing to return them to you unharmed. In exchange, we want a part of your land and Master Cheng here has made a special request." Cheng turned his head and gave Li Tai a very smug and toothy grin. It made her feel nauseous.
"We know what your offer is, Lord Cao Cao," Sun Ce answered. "But see, there's one slight problem with this. We really don't feel like giving you any of our land, and Li is already married and situated back in Wu. It would hardly be fair to force her to divorce her husband, whom she loves, to come and live with some stalker."
Cheng turned to the Little Conqueror. "My Lord, you really have no choice in the matter. If you refuse to give into our demands, then the prisoners will be executed and I am under the impression that you need Lord Sun Jian to lead your own kingdom."
Sun Ce made to say something, but Zhou Yu put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Is there any possibility of a compromise, Lord Cao Cao. As I'm sure you yourself know, it is very hard to part with one's land and officers. If there is some other way that we could come to a conclusion on this matter, then I would greatly like to hear it."
"I believe I have made my demands very clear," Cao Cao answered. "I also believe that I am being very lenient here. There will be no compromise. Either Wu gives up a part of their lands and hands over Lady Li Tai, or the prisoners will be dead by morning."
There was silence in the room for a moment when Lu Xun spoke up. "I must admit that we had hoped for some kind of compromise on this matter, my Lord Cao Cao. We will have to return to our camp and discuss things among ourselves. We shall return here in the morning to further discuss this matter when we have heard everyone's opinions and thoughts on this. May we have the night to think it over? We can dispatch our army so as to prove to you that we have no intentions of fighting you."
Sima Yi leaned over and whispered something into Cao Cao's ear, who nodded in response. Cheng looked at the strategist, who gave him a nod. Cao Cao stood. "Very well. Dispatch your army and return in the morning. I will have everything drawn up so we can make this quick and painless. Are there any other orders of business to tend to before we all depart?" The group shook their heads and everyone got up to leave. Li noticed Cheng staring at her once again as she made to leave, and fearing that he might catch her alone again, planted herself next to Lu Xun and left the tent with the others.
Cheng watched Li Tai leave with Lords Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, and Lu Xun with a smile plastered on his face. Compromise? Master Cheng did not compromise. If people did not give into his demands, he simply took what he wanted. There was nothing more to it. And if this pathetic group of warriors did not hand over the Lady Tai, he would take her. He cared not if she was married and situated. It would just make his victory that much sweeter. Plus, killing her husband would just cement his triumph, the end of the journey he had started when he was eight. The thought of watching Lu Meng bleed to death at his feet made his smile grow wider.
He looked around and noticed that Cao Cao and Sima Yi were gone. Seeing no need to remain inside the tent, he left and walked out into the warm night air. There was no trace of the Wu officers anywhere. In fact the only people that were nearby were a handful of soldiers chatting by a fire. Most of the others had either retired or were on guard duty. Cheng silently cursed Cao Cao for sending a fourth of his army north on campaigns. There was no need to worry about the northern borders at the moment. Right now, almost all of the Wu army was outside their camp, itching for a fight.
"I am surprised that you said nothing to your spoils of this war, Cheng." He did not need to turn around to find Sima Yi standing there. He scowled a bit as his old acquaintance moved to stand next to him. "I would think that, with all the work you've done, you would have at least made the attempt."
Cheng smirked. "I do not need to worry about such minor details right now," he answered. "I was actually just thinking about how foolish it was to not have the entire army with us for this. We cannot afford to be cocky at this point in time."
Sima Yi let out a laugh. "This coming from you, the Lord of Cockiness. Did you not read your own letters to Wu?"
"I think I am the only one here who can afford to be cocky, Yi. You know very well that as soon as I have Lady Li Tai within my grasp, I will have no reason to stay with Wei. Should trouble come, I will leave you and your master to fight your own battles."
Sima Yi sighed. "Yes, I do know that. A pity , too. You are a fine warrior and strategist, my friend. You would make a valuable addition to Lord Cao Cao's court." He waved his fan in front of his face to clear the bugs flying about. "But you align yourself with no man, save for the pathetic group of mercenaries you call friends. And even then, you will drop them like rocks should anything happen. You are a liar and a cheater, my friend. That is the only reason I will not try and convince you to stay."
"A wise choice, Sima Yi." The two looked at each other and grinned. Each one knew that, despite all their differences, they were very similar people. Had their roles been reversed, they each would have made the same decisions. The feelings were mutual.
The two made to go their separate ways when an explosion erupted at the other end of the camp. Their supply unit was suddenly engulfed in flames, with people screaming from every direction. Before the two could react, another explosion took place to the north, then again to the south and the east. The entire perimeter of their camp had become a ring of fire, and no one knew what to do first. The camp became a den of chaos. The only problem was that no one knew what had started it. With a quick glance at each other, the two men set off in opposite directions: Sima Yi to find Cao Cao, and Cheng to secure the prisoners.
Despite the screaming of the Wei officers and soldiers around them, the Wu army entered silently and swiftly. Each soldier wore a combination of red and purple so that they would be recognized by their own, but among the chaos would remain undetected by the enemy. With motions from the officers, the soldiers began their hunt for the prisoners and anything else of value that they could find. Tent after tent was searched, but nothing could be found except for soldiers trying to douse the flames and save what they could. The Wei army didn't realize that their attempts to quench the flames were futile, as the Wu army was doing their utmost to feed the fire.
Li and Zhou Tai made sure that they stuck together. It would be way too easy to get lost here. They searched tent after tent, but weren't having much luck. So far, they hadn't had to kill any soldiers. No one seemed to notice that the famed warriors of Wu were among them. It was good for them, but each of them had the urge to grab the nearest Wei soldier and demand to know where the prisoners were. But that might set off as alarm of some kind, and all this planning and strategy would be for nothing. So the twins kept up the search, hoping for a break soon.
They reached a clearing a short ways into the camp where a large tent had been erected. Li knew that it was not the same one she was in before, and a wave of hope and excitement swept through her. She tugged her brother towards the tent, grabbing a handful of their own soldiers to help them. Without checking to see what might be greeting them, the siblings threw open the tent. Tied up in a heap of the floor were their prisoners, blindfolds preventing them from seeing the chaos around them. The group hurried over and began to untie their leader and officers, letting out cheers that they had been found. Once the three captives had been freed of their binds, the soldiers hurried them out of the tent before they could say a word.
As they left the tent, Li Tai pulled out her bow and a single arrow and motioned towards her brother, who was helping Sun Jian to safety. He nodded and was soon out of sight. Li lit the head of her arrow on a nearby tent that had caught fire and began to set in in her bow. But before she could raise it, something struck her hard on the back of her head and forced her to the ground. Before her assailant could get in another blow, she rolled around and jumped to her feet. But nothing could have prepared her for the person she saw standing there, a staff in hand.
"Going somewhere, Lady Li Tai?" It was impossible. And yet, there was no mistaking that sneer. She had changed since the last time Li had seen her. But the malice in her eyes was unmistakable. It was the same woman, all right. But yet, there was no way…….
"Let me pass, Hua Ling. I have had my quarrel with you. There is nothing between us anymore."
"Oh, but there is, my Lady," Hua yelled over the roar of the flames and the soldiers. "You see, you have just invaded the camp of my new master, Lord Cao Cao. For that, I must kill you. A fitting revenge, don't you think? After all, you got me driven out of Wu, the only place I ever called home. You made my life a living hell. I swore revenge, and by the gods I will have it."
Li drew her sword, hoping that she would not have to use it. "I did nothing to you that was not coming to you, Hua. You did everything that you could to bring me down, and all it did was hurt you more. Believe me, if I could have, I would have pleaded with Sun Jian to spare you and let you stay. But he was set in his ways and would not have listened."
"You liar!" Hua Ling spat. "You cared only about yourself and raising your status. You know very well that it should have been me, rising above all the rest. You knew it!"
"Hua, listen to me. As I said before, maybe you were destined for bigger and better things. I don't have that answer. But I can say in all honesty that if I could have, I would have tried to prevent this from happening. We could have been great friends, Hua. But you were so bent on my destruction that you brought about your own. Please, let me pass, and I will say nothing to anyone about this encounter."
Hua Ling let out a laugh. "You think you can push me over that easily? Try again, my lady." Suddenly, another explosion set off near the two women. Li ducked as a piece of wood came flying her way. A scream brought her head up immediately, and she looked across the clearing to see where it had come from. She bit back a gasp of shock as she got to her feet. Hua Ling was in a heap on the ground, a large chunk of wood sticking out of her right leg. Her old enemy was sobbing and growing pale as the blood began to soak the ground beneath her. Without a second thought, Li Tai ran over to her and checked her leg. A very skilled surgeon was going to need to take that out.
Seeing her bow nearby, Li took another arrow from her pack and lit the head. She took her bow and shot the arrow into air, then threw it to the ground and eased Hua into a standing position. A moment later, three more fire arrows flew through the sky in response to her own. Knowing that the others knew, she picked up Hua with minor difficulty and hurried away from the camp, still unnoticed by the Wei soldiers around her.
Zhou Tai was waiting for Li at the entrance of their camp. "Li, what happened? You were right behind me, and I…." his voice trailed off as he looked from his sister to Hua Ling in her arms. "What the hell is she doing here? And what the hell are you doing bringing her back into camp?"
Li pushed him aside as she headed towards the infirmary tent. "She is badly injured, Zhou, and I wasn't going to just leave her there."
"But she is an enemy of Wu."
"And she used to be a friend of Wu. Fate brought us together again, brother, and I am going to do what I can for her." Leaving her confused brother behind, she hurried into the tent and deposited Hua on an empty cot. The doctor immediately rushed over and began to pull the wood out. Hua was beginning to shake, and her face was slowly turning pale. The blankets were soon soaked with blood.
"I don't think she's going to make it," the doctor said frantically, trying to stop the bleeding in her leg. "She's lost a lot of blood already, and the flow isn't stopping."
"Keep trying," Li said, trying to sound calmer than she really was. She put a hand on Hua's forehead. It was cold as ice. Hua weakly held out her hand towards he enemy, and Li quickly grasped it. Tears were flowing from the eyes of both women now. Hua tried to say something, but the energy was draining as quickly as her blood. Li Tai continued to wipe her forehead and try to sooth her enemy. "Its okay, Hua. Let go. Go on to a better place, where there is no pain and suffering. It's okay." Hua let out a gasp of pain as the doctor made another go at her leg. A few seconds later, Hua's head fell to the side, and she closed her eyes. Soon after, the blood flow from her leg stopped, and Li knew the woman had passed on. The doctor shook his head and got up to tend to another soldier, who had a minor burn on his arm but was clearly going to live.
Li just sat there, staring at the empty shell of Hua Ling. She let the memories of what had happened in the last few minutes soak in. She had met a woman with an intent to kill her, a woman full of hatred and malice. Something had made Li pull her from the flaming inferno of the Wei camp. She didn't know what it was, even now that her enemy was dead. But at least she was in a better place. She hoped Hua Ling did not hate her anymore in the spirit world. After saying a silent prayer, Li got up and left the tent.
Zhou Tai, Lu Xun, Zhou Yu, and Sun Ce were all standing outside the tent. Li didn't care that she had tear stains in her eyes or that she was covered in sweat, grime, and Hua's blood. She felt empty for some reason. Zhou Yu cleared his throat. "Li, your brother just told us what you did. I am assuming that Hua Ling has moved on." Li nodded, and he took a step forward and put his hand on her shoulder. "What you did was very admirable. I am sure Hua Ling has forgiven you in the spirit world. But we must move on, for there are others still among the living who wish to see you."
Li just nodded as the group moved towards the meeting tent. She felt her brother's strong hands on her shoulders as he guided her inside. She was immediately enveloped in the strong arms of Lu Meng, who had apparently been waiting at the entrance. Li immediately felt better as she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. No words needed to be said. Both had been waiting for this for a long time. Li did not want to let go, but Lu Meng released her so that the others could see her. Sun Jian and Huang Gai were standing before her, grinning from ear to ear.
"My Lady, I cannot thank you enough for saving our lives," Sun Jian said, still a little winded from the whole experience. "We are all forever in your debt."
Li bowed low. "My Lord, you make it sound as if I was the only one who helped. I was but one part of it."
"But I have already thanked the others. You were the last to return, and so you are the last to receive my thanks." Sun Jian made to say more, but a messenger came running into the tent. He barely stopped to bow before stopping in front of the crowd.
"My lords, the Wei army is outside our camp. They are ready to attack at any moment. Lord Cao Cao is demanding to see you all, or else he'll attack full force and destroy us all."