A/N: Sorry this one is later than usual. My computer died and I had nothing to use for the majority of the month :(.
Xun Yu - Wénruò
Guan Yu - Yúncháng
Zhang Fei - Yìdé
Xun You - Gōngdá
Guo Jia - Fèngxiào
Cao Pi - Zǐhuán
Xiahou Yuan – Miàocái
Liu Bei – Xuándé
Zhao Yun – Zǐlóng
Li Dian – Mànchéng
Xiahou Dun – Yuánràng
Yue Jin – Wenqian
Cao Cao – Mèngdé
Zhu Ling - Wénbó
*Mao is a stiff cap that males tied their hair up into in ancient china.
"He's been gone for much too long. It shouldn't take this long to get water," Guan Yu said with a frown.
He looked over to Xun Yu, but it was clear the man was lost in his own thoughts. His heart has been in turmoil since he left his home, his wealth, and his children behind. The only solace he had was that he would meet his wife again, but would she forgive him for abandoning their children? He hoped the message he had sent to Xun You reached him and that he would take care of them in his stead.
"Wénruò!" Xun Yu looked up upon hearing his style name filtered in through his clustered thoughts. He jumped back upon seeing how close Guan Yu was to him.
"I've been calling you for awhile now. You seem to have much on your mind. Are you okay?"
"Ah, Yúncháng...I'm sorry. I was just...thinking," Xun Yu replied sadly.
"About your family?" Guan Yu asked as he turned to look in the direction his sworn brother had left earlier once more.
"Yes. I believe my cousin will do what he can to protect my children, but that didn't make leaving any easier."
"I understand. I believe your family will be okay and after we gain Yuan Shao's support, we will save them. I know these words seem hollow now, but please take comfort in them."
Xun Yu forced a smile and nodded to Guan Yu. He was right, those words did seem hollow, but he wanted to believe them. If he kept fretting over his family, he would not be able to accomplish anything. With newfound determination, Xun Yu pushed the lingering thoughts of his family from his mind. He would see them again. Until then, he would do all he can to help Liu Bei.
"Yìdé hasn't returned yet?"
"No," Guan Yu said with a frown "And I am beginning to get worried. I'm going to go lo-"
The sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs cut Guan Yu off in mid sentence. Both men tensed and readied their weapons. Zhang Fei emerged from a nearby brush, his cheek and side slick with blood and Xiahouji slung over his shoulder.
"Brother...what happened? Who is that?"
"That is Xiahouji, niece of Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun," Xun Yu answered in place of Fei. "The better question is why is she here?"
"Xiahouji? So that's her name," Fei murmured as he looked at the unconscious girl flopped over his shoulder. He began to caress her back with the hand that held her.
"Brother," Guan Yu repeated, disturbed by the grin Fei wore as he stroked the girl's back, "what happened? Why is she here?"
Fei turned his attention from Xiahouji to Guan Yu. There was a glint in his eye that Guan Yu didn't like at all. It seemed so unlike the man he knew, the man he called brother. Something was very wrong here.
"This girl...I came across her by chance when going to get water. She ah...she was being attacked. I saved her."
Xun Yu's eyes narrowed as he watched Fei. Avoiding eye contact, pauses in speech, vague answers; Fei was lying. No doubt about it. The question was whether Guan Yu realized this or not. Yu's eyes shifted to the man in question to see a frown on his face as he studied his brother.
"We need to hurry to catch up to brother, right?" Fei asked as he tried to hurry past Guan Yu.
Fei didn't like his brother's eyes on him. It felt as if his gaze could pierce through his the veil of his lies. Guan Yu watched as his brother brushed past him. He had questions, but Fei was right. They had to leave.
"Fine. Leave the girl and let's be on our way."
Fei stopped in his tracks. The grip he had on the girl became crushing. If she were awake, she surely would have been in pain.
"No," he said in a colder voice than his brother had ever heard him speak.
"Bringing her along will only bring us trouble," said Xun Yu in place of Guan Yu's stunned silence.
"She's coming," Fei said angrily. "We leave her here and she'll be in danger."
"And I'm saying brining her along-"
"Enough," Guan Yu said, cutting Xun Yu off.
" Yìdé is right. We need to leave." He eyed Fei as he spoke his next words. "But this is something that will be addressed later."
Fei said nothing as he turned his back to his brother and continued on his way.
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"What did you need to see me so urgently for, Gōngdá?"
"Sorry to disturb you my lord," Xun You began as he tapped the scroll he held in his hand against his leg, "but I am afraid my cousin might have done something incredibly foolish."
"What do you mean?" Cao Cao asked as he rested his head on the fist he had propped up on the table before him.
You opened his mouth to explain when the door to Cao's office opened. Cao frowned at the sudden intrusion. Not many would dare to enter his office unannounced so he knew it had to be someone from his inner circle.
"You better have a good reason for this interruption."
"I do, father," Cao Pi replied calmly. "Apologies, Gōngdá, but this cannot wait."
You bowed his head in understanding.
"What is it?" Cao asked with a frown.
"It would be best if you heard it directly from the source," Pi replied.
Xun You saluted both father and son and prepared to leave when he was blocked by Pi.
"I think you should stay, Gōngdá. You may find this interesting."
There was something in Pi's voice that made You wary. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew he didn't like the tone he used with him.
Pi left the room and returned with a woman who prostrated the minute she saw who she was standing before. It was clear to see that she was a commoner based on her appearance. Her hair was tied up but no real effort was put into it, evident from the strands that hung carelessly outside of its binding. She wore plain wool pants and an equally plain wool shirt which was patched at the right elbow.
"Rise," Cao commanded and the woman did so.
Her eyes darted between the three men in the room nervously. She rubbed her calloused hands together, silently praying she doesn't make a fool out of herself in front of such powerful men.
"What is the meaning of this?" Cao asked his son.
"She has a story to tell," Pi reply. "Tell it," he instructed the woman.
She licked her chapped lips and nodded her head quickly. "Y-yes um I-I-"
"My lord, we have a problem," Guo Jia interrupted, entering Cao's office with Jia Xu on his heels. "Oh, you have a full house it seems."
"This is getting ridiculous," said Cao with an annoyed sigh.
"Why are you here, Fèngxiào?" Pi asked with a frown.
"You were here first, lord Zǐhuán. It wouldn't be right of me to step over you. Please, continue. We will wait."
"Actually, I was here first," You mumbled.
"Someone get to the point as to why you have all barged into my office," said Cao. The tinge of annoyance in his voice could clearly be heard.
"Speak woman," Pi commanded.
"I-I," she stuttered helplessly.
"Well? Spit it out!" Pi demanded as he gave her a shove towards his father.
She stumbled forward and had it not been for Jia's quick reflexes, she would have fallen flat on her face. The woman was shaking like a leaf. She felt like a fish out of water amongst these lords. She was beginning to think coming here was a bad idea.
"Lord Zǐhuán, shame on you. You are scaring the poor woman," Jia said as he helped the woman regain her footing. She mumbled a thank you to him and he flashed his most charming smile.
"Do not fret, my dear," Jia said softly. He ran a finger down her check and felt her tremble beneath his touch. He hooked that same finger beneath her chin and lifted it up it up to him. He leaned close to her; she could feel his breath tickle her skin as he spoke.
"Now, tell us everything. No one is going to bite you...unless you want us to," Jia said with a wink.
She was hooked. She couldn't believe such a handsome man would talk to someone like her and he was so close! She could feel his warmth against her. He smelled divine as well. She never smelled a man that smelled as good as he did. Most of the men she worked with smelled like sweat, not very appealing at all. He made her feel beautiful, wanted. She wanted to tell him anything he wanted.
"I work for Dong Cheng," she began, her eyes transfixed on his. "He and his daughter treat us terribly. We no longer want to put up with their cruelty so the other servants and I decided to tell Lord Cheng's darkest secret. He is planning a rebellion against Lord Cao."
"Good girl," Jia said as he pat her head. She sighed like a content kitten at the affection.
Pi snorted in disgust at the display. What a foolish woman to be manipulated so easily.
"You have proof of this?" Cao asked. Outwardly, he looked calm but internally, he was seething. He knew Cheng was up to something, but he could never figure out exactly what. The question was who was in this rebellion and was this plan born from his mind or from someone else's?
"Y-yes, my lord," the servant replied.
She reached into the folds of her shirt and produced a scroll that contained the emperor's seal. It was the very same that Liu Bei had used to sway Xun Yu to his side months ago. Perhaps if Dong Cheng hadn't demanded its return from Liu Bei, the servant standing before Cao Cao now wouldn't have seen him hide it and the situation currently taking place would have been avoided.
Pi snatched the scroll from her hands. She hadn't mentioned this when she first brought Cheng's betrayal to his attention. He began to unfurl the scroll when Jia stopped him.
"That should go to our lord first, don't you agree?"
Pi glared daggers into Jia who only smiled in reply.
"Of course," Pi finally said as he handed the scroll to his father.
Cao accepted the scroll and read the content within. Once done, he rolled it back up and eyed the servant.
"You did well to bring this to my attention. I will see that you are rewarded for your loyalty."
"I-it's not just me, my lord. All of us servants that work under lord Cheng are loyal to you."
"I see. And you say he treats all of you poorly?"
"Yes, my lord. He and that daughter of his treat us all terribly."
"I cannot leave those who are loyal to me live in such despicable circumstances. I vow that Dong Cheng and his daughter will pay for mistreating you and your fellow people."
"Oh t-thank you, my lord! Thank you so much!"
"Tell me something, Dong Cheng isn't smart enough to carry out a rebellion on his own. Do you know of any who work with him?"
"N-no, my lord," the woman replied sadly.
"We don't need her," said Pi. "I already have an idea of someone who may be involved."
Cao regarded his son in silence. He had such a harsh way of speaking to others. He still failed to realize that being cordial with others had its uses.
"It is fine that you know nothing more. I trust that when the time comes, you and the other servants will assist us?"
The servant nodded quickly.
"Excellent. As I said before, you will be rewarded. For now, please leave us and return to Dong Cheng. If he does anything suspicious, tell me immediately."
"Y-yes, my lord, "The woman said with a bow before hurrying out of the room.
"So our dear Emperor fanned the flames of this rebellion?" Jia Xu asked once the woman was gone.
Cao looked at him in surprise.
"The seal," Xu replied to Cao's unspoken question.
"Good eye. Yes, it seems that he fears for his life under my thumb and asked Dong Cheng to whisk him away to safety," Cao replied, the last part of his statement dripped with sarcasm.
"So what is next father? Will you finally be rid of that useless fool?"
"The emperor still has his uses," Cao replied. "We only need to remind him of his place."
"Father, if you just got rid of him and named yourself king-"
"I would be looked upon with scorn and attacked like Dong Zhuo," Cao said finishing his son's statement. "We are not yet strong enough to handle a unified threat. The emperor still serves a purpose for now. We just need to remind him who is truly in charge."
Pi tsked. He disagreed strongly with his father in regards to emperor. In his eyes, they would be able to do so much more if they didn't have to pretend to work under such a useless man. If he were in charge, disposing of that fool of an emperor would be the first thing he would do. But he was not in charge and while he didn't like, Pi knew his place.
"As you say, father."
"Regarding who may be involved in this rebellion, I may have some idea. It is the reason why I am here actually," said Jia.
"Enlighten me," said Cao.
"Liu Bei and Xun Yu," Jia replied.
Cao's eye twitched at the mention of Liu Bei's name. He hoped that Jia was wrong but in the years he had known that man, he knew that was not likely. That little bastard Bei came to him so humbly, begging to be sent out to fight Yuan Shu on his behalf. He knew something was fishy about the whole thing but against his better judgment, he followed Dong Zhao's counsel. Dong Zhao...why did he push for Liu Bei to be sent to fight Yuan Shu? Was he a part of this?
You's eyes widened at the mention of cousin's name. He felt his hand grip the scroll he had been holding tightly. So he was right. His cousin really had done something stupid, though even he didn't expect it to be quite this bad.
"Surely you aren't surprised by this, Gōngdá," said Pi. There was that tone again, but now You could identify it. It was suspicion. Pi thought he had something to do with this.
"I must say, I do not appreciate the implication you are making, lord Zǐhuán. Wénruò and I are related by blood but it ends there."
"You expect us to believe that you knew nothing of your cousin's plans?"
"That is exactly what I expect you to believe. One of Wénruò's servants brought this message to me this morning," You said as he held up the scroll he had been holding, "I brought it to master Cao as soon as I read it."
"Give it to me," Cao commanded. You abided his master's wish and handed him the scroll. Cao opened the scroll and read the words within.
"When you first came here, you said you believed your cousin had done something foolish. Why would this make you think that?" Cao asked after he finished reading Xun Yu's message to his cousin.
"It is no secret that my cousin and I are not particularly close-"
"Wasn't he the one who recommended you to father? Why would he do such a thing if you aren't close?" Pi argued.
"He recognized my talent and thought I could be of use lord Cao. There were no alternative motives there."
"I don't believe you," Pi said bluntly.
"Tch, why not give the man the benefit of the doubt? You won't keep allies accusing them like that," said Xu.
"Like I would take the advice of a former enemy."
"Enough!" Cao said in a booming voice. Pi lowered remained silent but he kept his narrowed eyes focused on Xu.
Cao glared at his son with a mixture of anger and disappointment. He still had so much farther to go before he could succeed him. Pi still thought he was above everyone and that he knew it all. He needed to learn that he needed the support of those under him to succeed.
"Gōngdá, proceed with your explanation."
"Yes, my lord," You replied with a quick salute, "to make a long story short, this morning I received a message from Wénruò. He asked that I remember those that share my name and I protect that which cannot protect themselves. He surely wasn't speaking of himself as he can adequately protect himself, so I surmised that he was referring to his children. The only way he would ask me to protect his children is if he could not protect them himself. There are very few reasons why he wouldn't be able to do so. Process of elimination led me to believe he did something incredibly stupid."
"Did you attempt to speak with him regarding this?" Jia asked.
"No," You replied. "Once I had reached my conclusion, I thought it best to bring it to lord Cao's attention."
"Hmm, that's unfortunate. We do not know if Bei's sworn brothers are still within Wénruò's home."
"What are you talking about? I had guards posted in front of Wénruò's residence the moment Bei volunteered to fight Yuan Shu on my behalf. No one has reported either of them leaving since they returned last night from their hunting trip," said Cao.
"And someone actually saw them return from the hunting trip?" Xu asked.
"Yes, Qin Zan and Zhang Min. They reported to me directly."
"Just to satisfy my curiosity, could I speak to them?" Jia asked.
"Hmph, fine. I'll have them brought here," Cao replied.
He summoned a servant and sent him on the task to retrieve the men in question.
"Lord Zǐhuán," Jia began, "you said you had your own ideas about who may be involved in this rebellion. Would you mind sharing that information with us?"
"You reached the same conclusion as I, though I am curious as to how you got to your answer," Pi replied.
"Ah...after hearing about Liu Bei's request, I thought something was suspicious. I was just going on a hunch which seems to get proven correct as time passes by."
"So your accusation is based on mere speculation? Hmph, I think father gives you too much credit."
Jia smiled. "You'd be surprised how many battles are won on mere hunches. I suppose you reached your answer in a more enlightened way."
"I see no reason to explain it to you."
"Then explain it to me," said Cao in a tone that brokered no argument.
"Of course father. I heard a rumor that several men of note had been visiting a tea house; one that those of the lower class usually frequent. I thought it strange so I went to investigate. While there, Cangshu and I ran into Wénruò. He looked terrified to see us. Right after speaking with him, we ran into that servant of Dong Cheng that I brought here. She was brining a package on behalf of her master to the tea house owner. It was payment."
"Hmm, that was most likely their meeting place," said You. "Odd that they would consistently use the same one. Someone was bound to catch on. I am surprised that Wénruò did not think of that."
"Well let's be happy they didn't think of it. It surely would have made the deception much harder to sniff out," said Jia.
"I gotta say," Xu began as he threw an arm around You's shoulder, "It is pretty cold of you to speak with lord Cao before talking to your cousin."
"Why? Because he is my cousin? Because of the blood that links us I should follow him down the path of stupidity?"
"Haha, no need to get so defensive, Gōngdá. I'm only saying I didn't think you would turn your back on him so quickly. I thought a guy like you would have tried to talk him out of it or something first."
"No. Wénruò does not make rash decisions. If he chose this path, it was because he carefully thought it out. If he was willing to leave his children behind, there is no way I could sway him with my words."
Cao ignored the chatter of his subordinates. His mind was focused solely on the shit storm that he was currently in the eye of. He had threats to deal with from the outside and from within. He had to deal with them swiftly and efficiently, or else he would lose everything he had built thus far.
Time seemed to be passing much too slowly for Cao. He tried to be patient, but as the minutes ticked by, Cao found that could no longer wait for the servant he sent out. There was a constant gnawing sensation in the back of his mind that his enemies were moving against him in the shadows as he sat on his hands waiting.
He stood. The idle chatter in the room died down immediately as they awaited word from their leader.
"We-"
"Master!" The servant cried as he burst through the door, effectively cutting his lord off just after he managed to utter one word.
"I...I have...returned..." He wheezed out as he fell to his knees in part bow and in part to catch his breath.
" Qin Zan...and... Zhang Min," he said between heavy pants, his chest heaving as he tried to suck in quick breaths so he can speak clearly.
"They...they are gone!" he finally managed to get out.
Cao clenched his fist.
"What do you mean gone?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"I...I-" The servant wheezed out. Pi sucked his teeth in annoyance.
"Catch your breath before trying to give a report, fool," he hissed. The servant bowed his head shamefully and tried his best to quickly steady his breathing. After a few moments, he was able to speak clearly.
"I went to retrieve them from their homes, but they did not return after their meeting with you yesterday."
Cao frowned. He needed to take quick and decisive action, now.
"Understood. Find Dian Wei and bring him to me."
The servant bowed to Cao before hurrying out of the room once more. Cao looked to his son.
"Go to Wénruò's home. Let him know I wish to see him and Liu Bei's sworn brothers immediately"
"May I go with him?" You asked.
"Why?" Pi asked in place of his father. He gave You a scrutinizing glare as he waited for his answer.
"My hope is that my presence will make this smoother. If I am there, we may be able to get access easily."
"I won't have a problem getting access," Pi countered.
"I mean access without harm to Wénruò's children. While I do believe my cousin may have done something foolish, his children are innocent. They won't understand you barging into their home and will try to defend it. I wish to avoid any unnecessary harm to them."
"Go," said Cao. "But you will bring them here to be question. I want to ascertain their innocence for myself."
You nodded in understanding. It wasn't an ideal situation but he knew he wasn't likely to get any better. He could only hope that Yu wasn't stupid enough to involve any of his children in his schemes. He knew he would have no chance in protecting them against Cao's wrath if they even had an inkling of what their father was planning. He and Pi saluted Cao and headed out of the room, passing by Dian Wei as they went.
Wei gave a short nod of his head to both before entering the room and saluting Cao. Wei then looked around the room, frowning at Xu's presence. He ignored him and nodded his head to Jia who responded in kind.
"You called for me, m'lord?" Wei asked as he returned his attention to him.
"Yes," Cao began. He looked at Jia and Xu. "Leave us and say nothing about what transpired here. I will call you again when needed."
Both men saluted Cao and left as instructed. Once they were left alone, Cao spoke once more.
"Dian Wei, I have a task that I can only entrust you with."
"You only need to tell me what to do, m'lord," Wei replied.
Cao nodded, pleased. He knew that he could trust Wei to carry out his will, no matter what it may be.
"Dong Cheng has betrayed me. I know this, but I need him to admit it from his own mouth. Bring him to me."
"Just him?"
"No. Capture all of his family. The servants are not to be harmed. Let them know you come under my orders. They should assist you with your task."
"You got it, m'lord," he said with a grin, eager to get back into action. It was an easy task, but that didn't matter to him. He was happy to finally be doing something. He gave Cao a salute and turned to leave.
"One more thing," Cao said, stopping Wei in his tracks.
"This needs to be done quickly and quietly. Let no one see you when you take them. Be sure to take them to the place we have set up outside of the city gates."
So it was one of those. Cao only used that location when he didn't want anyone to see what was going to go down. That poor sap Cheng was in for a world of hurt.
"Heh, you got it m'lord. You can count on me," Wei said saluting once more.
Cao nodded and watched as Wei left the room to carry out his will. He stood from his seat and left the room. He could not remain idle. There were things he needed to get ready on his end as well.
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Xiahou Chong giggled happily as Zhuyue revealed her face after hiding it behind her hands. She hid her face once more and repeated the action eliciting another round of giggles.
"Stop that."
"Stop what?" Zhuyue asked, turning her attention from her son to her husband.
"That stupid game," Xiahou Dun replied.
"And why should I?" she asked, purposely doing it again and stirring up another fit of giggles within their son.
"Because, you are making him soft," Dun argued.
"He's a baby you moron. He's nothing but fat and cuteness. Yes you are, yes you are!" She said as she tickled his stomach.
Dun frowned at his wife. "My son is not just fat and cuteness. What does that even mean? Look, I'm just saying, you shouldn't spoil him."
"Your father is an idiot. Yes he is, yes he is," Zhuyue said to her son as she tickled him, causing him to laugh once more.
Dun walked over to the pair and picked his son up.
"Hey!" Zhuyue protested as she reached for her son, but Dun kept her back with an outstretched hand.
"My mother did the exact same shit to Ling and you see how that idiot turned out. My kid isn't going to be some useless pampered brat."
Zhuyue sighed. "Do you truly think I would raise him like that? Do you truly not trust me to give you a proper heir? Once he gets to be the proper age, of course I won't spoil him...but he's a baby now. He needs love."
Dun eyed his wife who was growing more impatient by the minute. He sighed, realized he was overreacting about the whole thing. Of course Zhuyue wouldn't raise Chong to be a spoiled brat like Ling. She was not his mother. She wasn't anything like his mother, precisely why he married her. He finally relented and handed the baby back to Zhuyue.
Zhuyue took him with a smile and continued playing her games with him.
"It wouldn't kill you to play with your son once in a while too," Zhuyue said as she looked over her shoulder to Dun.
"Don't push it," Dun replied.
"My lord," a servant said from outside of their room.
"What is it?" Dun called out in reply. The servant opened the door but did not cross the threshold. Instead, she bowed low from where she stood.
"Your lord brother has come," she replied.
"Oh! Uncle Miàocái is here. Let's go see uncle Miàocái," Zhuyue said in a singsong voice that made Dun roll his eyes. Zhuyue picked up her son and headed out of the room with Dun, following the servant to an awaiting Yuan.
"Hey hey! There's my nephew!" Yuan exclaimed happily upon seeing Chong. He cheerfully plucked Chong out of Zhuyue's arms and proceeded to make silly faces, making the child laugh.
"Tch, you too with this shit?" Dun asked grumpily.
"Oh! Big brother is in a bad mood. Have you not been taking care of him Zhuyue? You know...sexually?" He nudged her with her elbow to emphasize the point.
Dun smacked his brother in the back of his head.
"Stop saying stupid shit and give me back my kid," Dun said as he took Chong out of his arms.
Yuan let out a laugh. Teasing his brother never got old. "Fine, take your kid. I only came here to get mine, anyway."
"Your sons aren't here," Zhuyue said as she watched amused as despite his words, Yuan tried to reach for Chong only to get smacked in the back of the head by Dun once more.
"Ho ho, I don't mean my sons, little sister," Yuan said as he abandoned his efforts in getting Chong to place his hands at his side and pose. "I mean my daughter. I made it official today, Xiahouji is mine!" he finished with a wide grin.
"Oh, Miàocái! Congratulations! I'm sure Xiahouji will be so happy to hear that!" Zhuyue said as she gave her brother a hug.
"Happy for you, but what makes you think she is here?" Dun asked as he pushed his son's hand down when he reached for his eye patch.
"Xiahouji doesn't leave the house unless it is with one of us or if she is going to visit Xiaolian. She wasn't with one of us so-"
"So she is most likely with Xiaolian," Zhuyue finished. "I sent her on an errand to Fèngxiào, Xiahouji must have gone with her."
"She should have been back by now though, shouldn't she?" Dun asked as he looked down to his son who was now pawing at his nose.
"It has been a while...she should have been back," Zhuyue replied with a frown as an uneasy feeling crept up her spine. She tried to shake the sensation away but it wouldn't leave. Something was off. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but something was definitely off.
"We'll go look for her," Dun replied as he handed Chong back to his mother.
"Wait, I'll come with yo-"
"No," Dun said, cutting her off. "You should stay here in case they return. Don't want them running off again to look for us."
Zhuyue nodded. She understood his logic but she wasn't happy with it. That sensation continued to creep up her spine and she knew it wouldn't go away until she laid eyes on Xiaolian and Xiahouji.
Dun could sense her unease and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry," he said with a crooked smile. Zhuyue nodded, grateful for the reassurance.
"Look after your mother for me," Dun said as he rubbed his son's head. Chong reached up for his father who took his tiny hand in his large one. Chong tried to maneuver to his father's thumb to get a firm grasp but Dun pulled away and left with Yuan.
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"Lord Xun You," the servant said as he bowed his head to You. He glanced at the ornery man standing beside him briefly before returning his eyes to You.
You nodded his head to the servant. "I have come to see my cousin, is he in?"
"Y-yes, but he isn't well," the servant replied.
"Isn't well? Ah, well then I should check on him," You replied. He tried to walk past the servant, but he found himself blocked by the servant.
"Um...I am sorry, my lord, but lord Yu requested that he not be bothered. I hope you understand."
Pi sighed, getting bored of the scene playing out before him. "I'm losing my patience, Gōngdá."
You knew he could no longer afford to take this slowly. Pi told him on the way there that he had a limited amount of time to gain access to the home. If he failed to do so, he would storm in with their guards. You wanted to avoid that at all costs.
"He's not here, is he," You stated.
"O-of co-"
"Don't lie to me. There are guards waiting not far from here. If you do not let me gain access, they will force their way in and it will not be pleasant. I am trying to avoid that so please...do not lie to me."
The servant looked at Pi once more and the scowl on his face told him immediately that You was telling the truth.
He frowned and lowered his head unsure of what to do. Yu was a good master. He treated him and the other servants well. He hated the thought of betraying his confidence but he was afraid to lose his life over something like this.
"Wénruò would not approve of you throwing your life away to protect him. Any wrong doing he has committed, he would rather take the blame upon himself rather than lay it at another's feet," said You. He could read the distress on the servants face and took the opportunity to nudge him in the right direction.
You's words resonated within the servant. What he said was true. Yu wouldn't want them to die for his crimes. He always looked out for them. The servant nodded in understanding to You and Pi.
"He...he is not here."
"And Liu Bei's sworn brothers?"
"No...They are not here either."
"When was the last time any of them were seen?"
"Yesterday...when they went hunting," the servant replied.
"So they never returned from that hunting trip?" You asked.
"No. The three of them left and lord Yu instructed us to hide their absence for as long as we could."
Pi let out a bored sigh. He already knew the outcome of this trip before they made it. He signaled to a guard.
"Arrest everyone."
The guard saluted and signaled the rest of the troops.
"My lord! Wait! That isn't necessary! They told us what we wanted to know! "You cried out as he tried to block the soldier's path.
"I believe my father said he wanted to question them himself. He isn't very well going to come here to do it. Be happy they aren't being killed on the spot for even aiding their traitorous master in this scheme."
"They probably didn't even know what was truly going on! They were only following orders!" You argued.
"We'll see just how much they did or did not know soon, now won't we? Move or be taken along with the rest of them."
You glared into Pi's piercing eyes. He meant it. It wasn't an idle threat; he would have him arrested in a heartbeat. You stepped aside and watched as the soldiers filed into Yu's home. He could hear shouts from within as they began to round up the servants and Yu's children. He could only hope that Cao would be more reasonable than his son and spare Yu's children.
=#=
"They're late," Liu Bei said with a hint of worry in his voice as he gazed at the line of trees that marked the edge of the forest.
"Yes. They are," Zhao Yun said with a frown.
"Do you think something happened to them?" Bei asked as he shifted his gaze to his companion.
"It was a risky plan. There is a chance that Cao Cao caught wind of it."
Bei frowned. He was afraid that might be the case as well. Hearing Yun mimic his concerns made him feel even more uneasy.
"My lord, it is dangerous for you to remain here any longer. If Cao Cao has caught wind of our plan, there is a chance that they are on the way to this spot. You must leave."
"I cannot," Bei replied with a shake of his head. "I cannot leave my brothers behind."
"Of course not. I know that as a man of honor I could never expect you to do such a thing. I will venture into the forest and search for any signs of master Fei and master Yu."
"Alone? I cannot allow you to possibly walk into the jaws of the enemy without any back up."
"My lord, it is you that is important, not me. Please leave-"
"We finally made it," interrupted a relieved Xun Yu as he emerged from the forest. He was followed by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who had Xiahouji still draped over his shoulder.
"Ah my lord! I see you made it here without issue," Yu said as soon as he laid eyes on Bei.
Bei dismounted and grasped Yu's hand in greeting. "You three had us worried!" He exclaimed happily as he moved on to greet Guan Yu.
"Sorry brother, we ran into...unforeseen circumstances," Guan Yu replied as he looked at Fei over his shoulder.
Bei followed his line of sight to Fei, noticing the girl draped over his shoulder for the first time.
"Brother, you are injured. What happened? Who is she?" Bei asked as he stepped around Guan Yu and walked over to Fei.
Fei stiffened under the scrutinizing eyes of his brother. His hand tightened around Xiahouji protectively. He licked his lips and hoped his brother didn't see them tremble as he let the lies slip past.
"This girl, I found her in the woods. I saved her from being attacked."
"Attacked?" Bei said curiously.
"My lord," Xun Yu interjected. He glared at Fei as he spoke. "You should know that this girl is Xiahouji, niece of Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun."
Fei glared back at Xun Yu. He wanted to rip that his smug head right off his shoulders.
Bei's eyes widened. "And you say she was being attacked? What exactly happened, brother?"
"Yes...you have yet to tell us the tale of how you encountered this girl," said Guan Yu as he turned to face his brother.
Now all eyes were on Fei and he felt like a cornered animal. He knew if he told his brothers the truth, they would not be pleased with him. They would make him give up his prize and he wasn't ready to do that just yet. Fei opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He found it difficult to continue lying to his sworn brothers. He was torn between his guilt and his desires. Luckily for him, he received a reprieve from their scrutiny in the form of Zhao Yun.
"My lord," Yun interjected as his eyes scanned the landscape for any possible threats. "We should not tarry here. We are already delayed and we don't want Cao Cao to catch up to us."
Bei looked to Yun and nodded. "You are right. I suppose we will have to talk about this later. Come, we secured mounts for all of you."
Bei gestured to the three horses he and Yun had brought with them and Fei gratefully hurried towards them. Once again he managed to avoid the judgment of his brothers, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would have to answer them.
Xun Yu watched in disdain as Fei placed the girl on the mount and climbed up after her. He knew her very presence would bring them unnecessary grief and he refused to see Bei's ambition stopped before it could truly began due to his brother's perverse nature.
"My lord," Xun Yu called out, making Bei freeze in his steps. "I must insist that we leave this girl behind. Taking her along will only bring unnecessary trouble."
Fei glared at him from atop his horse. He could feel his hand itching to grab hold of double bladed spear and sever his head from his body.
"I understand your concern, Wénruò, but I do not feel comfortable just leaving her on the side of the road and hoping someone will find her," Bei replied.
"Then leave her in a town. We will be passing by several. Please, my lord. I implore you. Do not take her with us."
"I agree with Wénruò," said Guan Yu as he looked at Fei and could see the anger rolling off of him in waves. He didn't like the way his brother had change. He didn't like the hungry look he got in his eye whenever he stared at her. He could tell that this girl wouldn't be good for him and just like he did with Diaochan, Guan Yu was resolved to save his brother from himself.
"That sounds like a good idea," Bei said with a nod of his head. "We can—"
"No," Fei growled out. Bei looked to his sworn brother in surprise.
"She is mine. We take her with us."
"Brother…" Bei murmured, shocked by Fei's reaction.
"She is not yours! She isn't even of age yet!" Xun Yu shouted.
Now that Fei had shown his true colors, he was disgusted by him. Not only did he have designs on an underage girl, he would throw his brother's plans in disarray for his greed.
Fei unsheathed his weapon and spurred his horse on. With a roar he charged at Xun Yu. He quickly raised his spear over head and brought it down. Instead of meeting Yu's skull, his spear clashed against Yun's Qiang causing a loud clang to ring out as steel greeted steel. Fei's eyes shifted quickly to Yun who was staring back at him with his face set in grim determination.
"Master Yìdé, please lower your weapon."
"Brother? What are you doing?" Bei asked in alarm.
"You would attack one of our own for this girl?" Guan Yu asked as he glared at his brother in disappointment.
"He's not one of ours!" Fei argued as his weapon scraped against Yun's when he tried to push towards Yu once more. "He belongs to Cao!"
"I belong to Cao? I left my family, my wealth, everything that was dear to me; I left it all behind to serve lord Xuándé! Don't you dare say I belong to Cao!"
"Both of you stop it! Please!" Bei pleaded as moved himself in front of Xun Yu as a shield.
"Master Yìdé, please lower your weapon," Yun repeated, his tone with a bit more force in it than normal.
Fei looked between Yun and Bei, his teeth gnashing together in frustration. Sucking his teeth, Fei finally relented and withdrew his weapon from the deadlock he had with Yun. Bei let out a breath of relief seeing that the conflict had finally died down.
"Brother, you must explain to us what happened with this girl, but for now we must flee. I fear we have tarried for far too long and Cao's forces will be catching up to us soon."
Fei let out a grunt and turned his head to avoid the eyes of his brothers.
"What about the girl? What do we do with her?" asked Xun Yu.
"We will keep her with us," Yu opened his mouth to protest but Bei raised a hand to silence him.
"We will keep her with us until we get to hear her side of the story. Then we will decide what to do with her."
Xun Yu was not happy with this development, but he decided to defer to his lord's judgment. He saluted Bei and mounted his horse. Bei turned his full attention to Fei.
"Brother, the girl will ride with Zǐlóng."
"What?! No! She can ride with me!" Fei protested.
"It is exactly because of that attitude that I don't want her to," Bei replied with a frown. "You are acting strange brother. Until we get this matter sorted out, I think it is best if she rids with Zǐlóng."
"Zǐlóng, you have no problem with letting her ride with you, do you?" Bei asked as he glanced over to the man.
"If my lord wishes it, it shall be," he replied.
Bei turned his attention back to Fei expectantly. When he didn't move, Guan Yu decided to do it for him. He went over to Fei's horse and moved to lift her off of it. Fei seized his sworn brother's arm to still his movements. The two men glared at each other, both unwavering.
It was Bei that broke the stalemate by placing a hand on Fei's own. Fei looked down to his brother and the look in his eye shook him. It wasn't anger in his eyes, it was disappointment. Through all the things that Fei had done, Bei had never looked at him in that way. It made him feel miserable and even though he still wanted Xiahouji for himself, he relinquished his hold on Guan Yu's arm, allowing him to remove her from his horse and pass her over to Zhao Yun. With an irrigated suck of his teeth, Fei took off, leading the way with the others following after him.
=#=
Yue Jin's hook swords caught hold of the shaft of Li Dian's wheeled halberd. With a hard yank, Jin wrenched Dian's weapon out of his hand and sent it flying behind him leaving Dian in a comical pose as his hands were still formed in the grip he used to hold his weapon, though now it only grasped air.
Dian's weapon slammed against the ground with a dull thud making him wince. He dropped his hands and sighed heavily as Jin gave him a disapproving look.
"That's the second time today. If you didn't feel like training—"
"No, it's not that," Dian said, cutting his friend off. "I'm sorry, really, I just can't concentrate. I keep having this feeling that there is somewhere else that I need to be."
"Where?" Jin asked as he watched his friend go to retrieve his weapon.
Dian hefted the weapon over his shoulder and looked towards the forest. With his free hand, he pointed in its direction.
"The forest?"
"Yeah," Dian confirmed. "It doesn't make any sense so I tried to ignore it, but I just got this nagging feeling that I gotta go there."
"So let's go," Jin said as he turned and begin to walk in the direction of the forest.
"Wait, what?" Dian asked with a mixture of surprise and confusion as he jogged to catch up to Jin.
"Well we aren't going to get any training done until you get rid of that feeling right?"
"Ahh, how pragmatic of you. For a second there I thought you might have been curious to see what was making me feel this way."
Jin gave his friend a guilty smile. "Well…there's that too."
Dian laughed as he clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I knew it!"
Jin brushed his hand off of his shoulder. "It's mostly for the training," he muttered.
"Yes, yes, I know," Dian said with a grin, not believing Jin in the slightest. "Still, thanks for coming with me. This has been bugging me all morning."
The two men entered the forest. Dian looked around as he rubbed the back of his neck, the feeling of worry he had only intensified the moment they stepped foot inside.
"Well? What do we do now?" Jin asked as he looked around. Part of him hoped he would spot a hare that he could take home for dinner.
"I dunno…let's go in a bit further."
Jin shrugged and followed Dian as he moved deeper into the woods. It wasn't long before they came upon the unconscious form of Xiaolian. Dian felt his blood run cold as his eyes fell on her.
"X-Xiaolian?" he said in a wavering voice.
When she didn't respond, he ran over and knelt down beside her. Gingerly, he lifted her up so that he could rest her head in his lap. Jin was at his side a few seconds later. He looked down to Xiaolian with a frown.
"Is she-, "he paused, unwilling to finish his sentence.
With a shaking hand, Dian placed a finger under her nose. He let out a breath of relief when he felt heat as a puff of air exited her nose.
"Xiaolian? Xiaolian!" Dian said as he shook her.
Xiaolian's eyes fluttered open. She winced as her bruises throbbed reminding her of the beating she received earlier. With blurry vision, she looked up to see a man holding her. The voice sounded familiar, but with her muddled mind she was having trouble placing it. Panic rose up within her and she began to thrash to escape his grip.
"Xiaolian, it's me Mànchéng. Calm down!"
"M- Mànchéng?" She repeated, unsure.
"Yeah, Mànchéng. You remember me, right?"
Xiaolian nodded and much to Dian's surprise, she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug, happy to see him and not that bearded monster who beat her and kidnapped Xiahouji. Xiahouji! The memory of her friend came to the forefront of her mind. She pushed Dian away, shocking him for the second time in the span of thirty seconds. She tried to force herself to her feet, but her knees refused to support her. She could feel herself falling but instead of falling to the ground, she was once again in the strong arms of Li Dian. Resigning herself to not being able to stand, Xiaolian tried look for signs of her friend from her current position.
"Wh-"
"Xiahouji," Xiaolian replied, cutting off the question she knew Dian was going to ask. "He took her."
"He? He who?" Jin asked as he looked around as well. Since they came in here, they had seen no evidence of anyone other than her.
"The bearded fat man that stinks like wine," she replied.
"Bearded fat man?" Jin repeated in confusion.
"That stinks like wine?" Dian added, equally confused.
Xiaolian gave a frustrated sigh. "Green armor," she added, hoping that would help clear it up.
"Zhang Fei," they said in unison.
Li Dian felt a flash of anger fill him as he pictured the drunken sworn brother of Liu Bei in his mind. Dian wasn't a man that usually got angry. He knew how to avoid letting things get to him and was very good at letting things that others would kill over, go. This…this wasn't something Dian was willing to let go. He wanted to kill that man, though he imagined he would have to wait in line once Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun heard about this.
"Zang Fei did this to you?" asked Dian.
She nodded. "And he took Xiahouji."
"Shit…" Jin breathed out. "What are we going to do, Mànchéng?"
"Something isn't right here…Why would Fei risk taking Xiahouji when he knows there is no way master Miàocái and master Yuánràng would let him get away with it. For him to do something so bold…they can't be planning to stay in Xuchang for much longer."
"I heard that lord Cao gave Liu Bei leave to fight Yuan Shu on his behalf but his sworn brothers were supposed to stay behind."
"If Xiaolian saw Zhang Fei here and he kidnapped Xiahouji, it's safe to say they aren't keeping that promise."
"We have to let lord Cao know," said Jin.
Dian nodded in agreement.
"No! What about Xiahouji?!" Xiaolian protested. "We have to find her."
"They aren't here anymore, Xiaolian," said Dian with a frown.
"But—"she looked up to Dian with sadness in her eyes.
"There is no way they would still be here," Jin explained. "Searching would be pointless."
"Please!" she pleaded. "Please."
Dian sighed. He knew the search would be pointless. He knew he should take her back to the city to get her wounds taken care of, but he couldn't resist her plea. He found himself weak in the face of it.
"Wenqian, take Xiaolian back to the city. Get her wounds looked at, then tell lord Cao what's going on."
"Mànchéng, you can't go off searching by yourself. If you find Zhang Fei, you'll likely run into Guan Yu as well. There is no way you can take the two of them on by yourself."
Dian sighed. He knew that Yue Jin was one hundred percent right, but he planned on going anyway.
"Take care of her for me, okay?"
"No," Jin replied. "If you insist on being so stupid, then I'm going with you."
"What?" Dian asked in surprised as he looked at his friend.
"You'll have a better chance with me there. What are we going to do about her?" he asked as he gestured to Xiaolian who was still in Dian's arms.
"Xiaolian, do you think you can make it back to the city by yourself?"
"I-I want to go with you."
"That's not a good idea. You are already injured. If something else happened to you, your parents would kill me."
"Please. I want to find Xiahouji. Please, take me with you."
Again, Dian knew this was a terrible idea, but Xiaolian was so sincere in her pleas, he couldn't bring himself to say no. With a heavy sigh, he nodded. Jin shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe how much of a push over he was being for that girl. He knelt down to the ground to see if he could find some sort of trail to follow. It was just his luck that he found some leaves splattered with blood, though he couldn't tell if it was Xiaolian's or Zhang Fei's.
"Mànchéng, come here. I found something."
Dian put Xiaolian gently down onto the ground and went over to Jin. He knelt down and examined the blood and saw that there was a trail leading further into the woods.
"Could this be his blood?" Dian asked as he rubbed the sticky substance between his thumb and forefinger.
Not far from where they crouched, Dian spied a dagger with its blade wet with blood, though some spots had already began to dry. Dian picked it up and looked it over. He remembered it to be the dagger Xiaolian carried with her. Dian stood and walked back over to Xiaolian.
"Looks like you got him good. Thanks to that, we have a trail to follow," he said with a smile. He wiped the blade off and handed it back to her.
Xiaolian took it gratefully and Dian helped her up. "Do you think you can keep up with us?" he asked.
Xiaolian nodded. Her body ached all over but she was determined to find Xiahouji.
With that, the three ventured deeper into the woods in search of Zhang Fei and his captive.
=#=
"I am certainly popular with the Xiahou family today," Jia remarked as he arrived to greet his guests.
"Don't get full of yourself. I personally can barely stand you," said Dun with a smirk.
"What a terrible liar you are. You love me."
"Get it straight, I tolerate you," Dun quipped.
Jia waved a dismissive hand. "I don't need you anyway, I prefer the admiration of beautiful ladies."
"Tch, well don't get too close to our ladies you philanderer," said Yuan with a grin. "We've come to pick them up."
"Them? Them who?" Jia asked, genuinely confused.
"Xiahouji and Xiaolian," Yuan replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why would they be here?"
"Didn't Xiaolian drop something off to you for Zhuyue?" Dun asked.
"Yes, but that was earlier and she wouldn't even step past the entrance," he replied with a pout.
"Huh," Dun said as he rubbed his chin.
"Once her business here was done, she ran off. I haven't seen her since."
Dun nodded. "Okay…thanks, Fèngxiào. They are probably screwing around at the market or something."
"That's probably what it is," Yuan agreed.
"Hmm, that sounds plausible," said Jia as he folded his arms across his chest. He certainly hoped that was all it was.
With a new destination in mind, Yuan and Dun headed off on a renewed search to find their daughters.
=#=
Pi and You had returned to Cao. He listened in silence as they relayed all they had learned regarding Xun Yu and Liu Bei's sworn brothers. When they finished, Cao remained quiet. His hands were clenched together so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.
"Your orders, father?" Pi asked.
Cao stood from his seat and looked at his son.
"You will assist me in questioning the family, see how much they know about this revolt and who else is involved."
Cao Pi saluted his father. "As you wish."
"Wait! My lord, forgive me but please, his children…they re innocent in this."
"And how do you know that?" Cao asked Xun You. "You trust your cousin's words? You expect me to do the same? Believe the word of a man that has betrayed me? No. I will not leave anything up to chance. Everyone in his household will be questioned and if I find out they had even an inkling about this rebellion, but said nothing to me, I will make sure they regret it."
You wanted to protest, but what could he say? What defense could he use in light of the recent information? Cao Cao truly would be a fool to not thoroughly investigate to see how deep this rebellion went. If Yu had indeed sowed the seeds within his children, Cao would have yet another threat from within. He knew this logically, but his logic warred with his heart. They were family. They were not particularly close, but they were family none the less. He felt so pathetic knowing there was nothing more he could do to help them.
Xun Yu saluted. "I understand, my lord. Forgive my insolence. If…If they are found to be innocent, could they be turned over to my custody? I wish to watch over them in my cousin's stead."
"If they are found innocent, you can do what you want with them," Cao replied.
Yu saluted Cao again. "Thank you, my lord."
Yu turned his attention to Pi. "My lord, I hope you will be fair in your assessment of them."
Pi let out a derisive laugh. "You act as if I specifically have something against you and your family. Let me make this clear, I don't care about them. If they are innocent, they are innocent, but if they are guilty, they will pay. It is as simple as that."
"If you speak true, then I guess I have nothing to worry about. Please let me know your findings as soon as you can."
He saluted Pi and left that room.
Pi shook his head. "Do you think it is wise to trust him father?"
"He has done nothing to earn my suspicion," Cao replied.
"But-"
"You are not yet in charge. This army is mine and I will rule it as I see fit. Contrary to what you believe, you still have much to learn. It would behoove you to take this time to learn."
Pi frowned. So that is where he stood with his father? He still did not think him worthy. The words stung, but he didn't get angry by them. He knew his father was an amazing man and he respected him greatly, even if they had a difference of opinions on a few things. He would heed his father's advice. He would sit back and listen.
"Of course, father. I will do as you say. If you do not mind, I will go ahead and wait with the prisoners for you."
Cao gave a wave of his hand, dismissing his son. Pi saluted and left the room. He needed to get some air and needed to reflect on what his father had told him.
Cao closed his eyes and rubbed his head in an effort to stave off the oncoming headache. He hoped the countermeasure he had in place would prevent him from having to mobilize his main army for war.
Earlier, he had prepared a message to be sent out to Zhu Ling, the general Liu Bei was suppose to assist in attacking Yuan Shu. He gave the messenger specific instructions to avoid the main roads in order to avoid Liu Bei's forces. The message explained Liu Bei's treachery and instructed Ling to attack Bei's forces and if possible, capture the generals. Killing them would have been easier, but Cao wanted to personally make Liu Bei pay for his deceit.
If Zhu Ling could accomplish this task, Cao would be saved in marching against Liu Bei. He would not have to waste resources and push his timetable for the invasion of Ji Province back. Ling should be able to accomplish the task; he had the advantage of troops on his side. Still, Cao was worried. Bei had the fierce Guan Yu on his side as well as Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei. Those three men had the ability to turn the tide of a battle. There was also Xun Yu. His strategies could prove to be problematic. Cao could only hope that they maintained the element of surprise and overwhelmed his enemies.
With a heavy sigh, Cao headed out of his office. Speaking of Xun Yu, he had to go interrogate his family. He needed to know exactly how much they knew. For Xun You's sake, they better not know anything at all because Cao was not in a forgiving mood.
=#=
"I don't get it. Where could they be?" Yuan asked in frustration that mirrored Dun's own.
"I don't know and Xiaolian knows better than to disappear like this. Something's not right."
"Fuck, please don't tell me that. Don't tell me that! One day into having her as my daughter and I somehow manage to lose my fucking kid. FUCK!" Yuan exclaimed loudly as he ran a hand through his hair knocking the mao he wore askew.
His outburst drew the attention of others in the market but that was the least of his concern at the moment. Dun understood his brother's feelings. He felt the same way, but he knew that despairing now would help nothing.
"We need to head back home," Dun begin.
"What? No! We need to find-"
"Miàocái, take a deep breath and think," Dun said as patiently as he could. "We need more people. The two of us searching alone isn't going to cover much ground. It is getting dark and we need to act fast. We get our servants and we have more people to search for them."
Yuan nodded. "Yeah…yeah, okay." He sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. I'm okay."
Dun returned the nod, happy to see that his brother was of a level head again. "We meet back here," Dun said referencing to the market. "It's the most central area so it is the best place to spread out and search for them."
"Yeah, that's a good idea…" Yuan said as he sucked in another deep breath. "Yuánràng, they are okay, right? I mean…we are going to find them safe and sound…right?"
"Yeah…They are okay. Xiaolian is young, but she is a strong fighter. It would have to be a skilled person who would be able to do harm to her. Xiaolian would definitely look out for Xiahouji, so they are just fine. Probably just screwing around somewhere and loss track of the time."
"Yeah…you are right. Maybe when we find them, I should get Xiahouji to learn some self defense. The girl is so fragile, you know? It worries me. I'm pretty sure she would hate it though," Yuan finished with a laugh.
"Xiahouji is a gentle soul. You should keep her that way, it fits her. Not every woman is cut out to learn how to fight."
"Wow…who knew you were so mushy," said Yuan.
Dun swiped at him but Yuan deftly dodged the blow.
"You are so sensitive lately. Zhuyue really needs to give you some."
Dun flipped his brother off and Yuan gave him a small smile. His mood was lighted a bit, but he still worried for Xiahouji. He wouldn't truly be okay until he saw her again with his own eyes flashing him that shy smile of hers.
"Okay, we're wasting time. Let's get to it."
"Right, meet you back here and fix that," Dun said as he plucked Yuan's mao. "You look stupid."
Yuan reached to the top of his head and groped around till his fingers felt the lopsided mao. He removed the pin that held it in place and pulled the mao off, letting his hair escape its confines and flow loose. It was a rare sight to see Yuan with his hair not tied up.
"I'll do it later," he said as he ran a hand through his hair. He had more important things to worry about than the state of his hair.
Dun nodded. "See you in a bit."
Yuan nodded and the two brothers went their separate ways.
Dun returned home and found Zhuyue waiting out front with him. Her eyes looked frantically around him and frowned when she didn't see Xiaolian.
"Where is she?" Zhuyue asked as she rushed over to him.
"We haven't found them yet," Dun replied.
Zhuyue could feel her hands trembling. There were dozens of questions she wanted to ask, but she didn't know where to start. Zhuyue took a deep breath. The old her would have flown off the handle by now. She would have dashed out to search for Xiaolian and Xiahouji without any idea of where to start. Zhuyue was proud that she had grown enough to think before acting. She would have probably given herself a little pat on the back if she wasn't so freaked out that her daughter was missing.
"What's the plan," she asked as calmly as she could. Dun studied her for a few minutes. He could see she was struggling with the urge to freak out. He was proud that she was surpressing it because he certainly didn't have the energy to deal with another one.
"Miàocái and I are gathering servants to search for them. I'm also going to send out a few to some of the guys to have them help us search."
He put his hands on her shoulders. He could feel her trembling beneath them. She was really struggling to keep her cool. "We're going to find them, Zhuyue."
"I'm coming too," she said. Her tone told him that there was no way he was going to be able to talk her out of it, not that he intended to. They needed all the eyes they could get.
"I know. Let's round up the servants—"
"Mànchéng?" Zhuyue muttered as her eyes wandered past Dun to the person approaching their home. Her eye widened when she realized that Dian was carrying a seemingly unconscious Xiaolian.
"Oh no…Xiaolian!"
Zhuyue pushed past Dun and ran towards Li Dian. Dun spun around to see what Zhuyue was talking about.
"What the fuck…" Dun uttered upon seeing the scene.
He felt equal parts rage and confusion at seeing his unconscious daughter being carried by his subordinate. Li Dian better have a good explanation for this. Dun made his way over to them. Dian held Xiaolian out for Dun to take but Dun didn't move. He felt his anger override his confusion upon seeing the bruises that decorated her skin.
"What happened?" he asked, barely able to control his anger.
"Zhang Fei happened," Dian replied as he looked down to Xiaolian. He had to push down his own anger knowing that nothing would come from unleashing it now.
"He ambushed Xiaolian and Xiahouji in the woods near town," Dian continued. "Xiaolian managed to wound him but he got away with Xiahouji."
"Fuck!" Dun exclaimed upon hearing the news. He knew that Yuan wasn't going to take this news well.
"I'm…I'm sorry, master Yuánràng. We tried looking for them, but Xiaolian passed out—"
"What?" Dun asked, his glare hardening as he looked at Dian.
"I know I should have brought Xiaolian back. but we thought there might be a chance to find—"
"You're saying you chased after Zhang Fei with Xiaolian with you? And she was injured?"
"I…yeah," Dian said with a frown.
There was no way to sugar coat it. He screwed up and he knew it. This point was punctuated by Dun's fist colliding with Dian's face. Dian stumbled back a few feet but he managed to maintain his footing and keep a strong hold on Xiaolian.
"I'm sorry…" Dian muttered, feeling a throbbing pain where Dun's fist collided with his jaw.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times to ensure that his jaw wasn't broken. Relieved that it wasn't, he offered the unconscious Xiaolian to Dun once more. This time, Dun took her from him. He avoided looking Dian in the eye because he knew that hitting him was wrong. Sure he had a right to be mad that he put Xiaolian in danger, but there was also the fact that he saved her as well. He was wrong and he would apologize to him later, but this wasn't the time. He was pissed; pissed that a bastard like Zhang Fei dared to lay a hand on his daughter; pissed that he kidnapped his niece, Yuan's daughter. Shit, Yuan. Dun had to tell Yuan. That wasn't an encounter he was looking forward to.
Dian saluted Zhuyue and Dun, his face solemn and aching. He cast one final glance at Xiaolian before turning to walk away. He had promised Jin that he would meet him later to see how the report to Cao went.
"Where do you think you are going?" Dun asked in a gruff tone.
Dian halted his steps.
"To report to lord Cao," he replied as he looked over his shoulder to Dun.
"You'll do that after you tell Miàocái what happened to his daughter."
'Daughter? Isn't Xiahouji his niece?' Dian thought as he rubbed the side of his face in an effort to make his cheek stop throbbing so damn much.
Dun summoned a few servants to take Xiaolian into their home. They did so carefully, making sure they didn't add to her current injuries. Dun turned his attention to Zhuyue.
"Get someone here to look after her," he turned to walk away but Zhuyue grabbed his wrist.
She moved closer to him and whispered so only he could hear her next words.
"You were wrong for hitting Mànchéng."
Dun did not respond. He tried to pull his arm away from her but she maintained a firm grip.
"You need to apologize."
Dun yanked his arm away harder causing her grip to fail. Free from her grasp, he left her behind with Dian tagging along behind him. Zhuyue tsked. Here she was being the reasonable one and he was the one who lost his cool. She wouldn't let him live this way down. No way in hell. Pushing the though aside for the moment, she looked to the task of taking care of Xiaolian.
=#=
Yuan was just setting out from his home when he spied Dun and heading in his direction. The first thing he noticed was the lack of servants Dun had with him. An indescribable queasy feeling took hold of his stomach.
"Thought we were meeting at the market," Yuan said as he cast a glance at Dian who was rubbing the side of his face.
"Miàocái, we know what happened to the girls."
There was no relief in his brother's voice; his voice told Yuan that terrible news was about to be laid at his feet.
"That bastard Zhang Fei attacked the girls while they were in the woods near the city."
Yuan remained quiet Dun spoke.
"We found Xiaolian, but…he made off with Xiahouji."
"I'm sorry, master Miàocái. Wenqian and I tried to chase after him but he was gone long before we got there," said Dian.
Yuan remained quiet as he digested the information. Dun was about to ask him if he was okay when he finally spoke up.
"You said you found Xiaolian…she alright?"
"She got a bit beat up, but she's alive."
"That's good…that's good…"
Yuan turned to head back into his home.
"Miàocái, where are you going?" asked Dun.
"To change into my armor and then I'm going to storm Xun Yu's home and get my daughter back," Yuan replied calmly.
"That won't work," said Dian.
"And why the fuck not?" Yuan spat out angrily.
"Because Fei isn't in Xuchang anymore. He's a stupid guy, but not stupid enough to stay in the city after doing what he did," Dian replied.
"Then I'll hunt that bastard down in the forest," said Yuan.
"Brother, I know how you feel, but you can't expect to ride off on your own," Dun said carefully. His brother was running on pure emotion right now. The normally composed Yuan was lost in the face of losing something precious to him. What father wouldn't be?
"What do you expect me to do?" he was shouting now having lost all sense of his composure. "You expect me to sit here and wait? Would you? Huh? If Xiaolian didn't come home safely would you just sit back and wait?"
"No," Dun admitted. "I'm not asking you to just sit here and wait. I'm asking you to be smart about this. You can't go after Zhang Fei on your own. It won't just be him you are taking on; it would be Guan Yu as well. You're good brother, but you're not that damn good."
"So what am I suppose to do?" Yuan asked. The frustration and anger could be heard clearly in his voice. Dun's heart ached for his brother. He knew how he felt, he understood it completely.
"We go to Mèngdé. We tell him what Liu Bei's cowardly brother did. He'll give us the troops we need to search the forest and surrounding area. We'll make that bastard pay."
Yuan balled his hands into fist. He knew his brother's plan made sense and it was the right thing to do, but he couldn't help but feel like he needed to do more. With a sigh, Yuan relaxed his hands.
"Let's go then. We're wasting time. I don't want them to get too far ahead."
"Wenqian went ahead to let lord Cao know about what Fei did. I'm sure lord Cao is getting forces ready to mount a rescue as we speak," Dian added hoping to ease some of Yuan's worry. He knew that Xiahouji's capture was not his fault, but he still felt guilty for being able to save Xiaolian and not her as well.
"He damn well better be," said Yuan.
He dismissed the servants he had gathered and the three of them headed to see Cao Cao.
=#=
Yuan, Dun and Dian arrived at the palace and found Yue Jin waiting outside in front of it. He saluted Dun and Yuan, but neither returned it, their bad mood permeated through their usual manners.
"What happened to your face?" Jin asked, noticing the purplish bruise that had blossomed on Dian's cheek.
"Don't worry about it. What did lord Cao say?"
Jin frowned and Dian immediately knew that it was bad news.
"I didn't get to speak with him for long. He was busy with something important."
"Wait, what? He just dismissed you? Did you get to tell him about Xiahouji?" Asked Yuan rushed over to Jin and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"I did, yeah," Jin replied, ignoring the vice grip Yuan currently had on his shoulders.
"He didn't know about Fei beating up Xiaolian and kidnapping Xiahouji, but he seemed to know about Fei leaving."
"Wait, what are you two talking about? What's this about Fei leaving?" Dun asked.
"You didn't tell them?" Jin asked as he looked past Yuan to Dian.
"Someone tell me something!" Yuan said angrily.
"Well, it was just a theory at the time, but when we found Xiaolian, we didn't think Fei would be stupid enough to stay in Xuchang. When I told this to lord Cao, he didn't even seem surprised. He said he knew and was already handling it."
"So you are saying they aren't just hiding out in the forest?" Yuan asked.
Jin shook his head. "My guess is that they passed through the forest to catch up to Liu Bei."
"We can still catch them. That forest is large and they don't know it like we do. Did Mèngdé already send forces into the forest?" Dun asked.
"I don't know…we didn't see anyone when we were there nor did we pass by anyone heading there. I'm sorry, he didn't tell me much more," Jin replied apologetically.
Yuan tsked and released his hold on Jin. He stepped around Jin and took a few steps forward.
"I'll get answers from Mèngdé myself," he declared to the group behind him before storming off leaving the other three men no choice but to follow after.
=#=
Cao re-entered his office to see an irate Yuan waiting for him in it. He could understand Yuan's anger, but he was dealing with problems of his own and had no time to console his cousin. After the first servant arrived to inform him of his presence, Cao sent him away and told him to inform Yuan that he was busy. Ten servants later, Cao got the hint that Yuan wasn't taking no for an answer. So here he was, face to face with his cousin who looked more distressed than he had ever seen him in all his years knowing him.
"Miàocái—"
"What the fuck, Mèngdé? I told you I need to speak to you and that's its important and you just brush me off?"
Cao frowned. "I did not brush you off. I told them to tell you I was busy, which is the truth."
"Doesn't matter. If I came to you with an urgent issue, I would expect to not just be brushed off. Come on, have I ever bugged you like this about anything before in the years that we have known each other?"
"Yes," Cao replied simply.
"Bullshit," Yuan retorted.
Cao held up a hand and begin to count off on his fingers.
"When I took Bianshi as my concubine, you bugged me to introduce you to her sister. Whenever there is a battle, you bug me to be apart of it—"
"Okay, fine. Point is, this is really important and I need your help."
Cao looked to Jin who had been lurking not far from them with Dun and Dian.
"Did you not tell him that I was handling it?"
"How are you handling it? I haven't seen anyone marching after them!"
Cao sighed once more. "It's not that simple."
Cao proceeded to tell them everything that had happened up until that point.
"I was in the process of questioning Xun Yu's family when you interrupted," Cao said ending his explanation.
"So your idea of handling it is leaving everything up to Wénbó? You don't even like him!" Yuan argued.
Cao folded his arms in front of his chest. "How I personally feel about the man is irrelevant. He is a competent general and will be able carry out the task assigned to him."
"And you expect me to trust this guy with Xiahouji's life?"
Cao pinched the bridge of his nose. He was beginning to get tired of Yuan's outburst.
"So what is your suggestion? We mobilize our army to chase Zhang Fei down? I should cast aside my ambition to save one girl?"
"One girl?" Yuan shouted as he took a threatening step towards Cao. If not for the quick intervention of Dian and Jin, Yuan might have done something he certainly would have regretted.
"She's my daughter! She's your blood! How can you just dismiss her like that?" Yuan shouted as he struggled against Dian and Dun's grip.
"Daughter?" Cao asked, seemingly unfazed by the positively murderous glare Yuan was giving him.
"That's right! I made it official today. She's mine and there's no way I'm going to just sit back and leave her fate in the hands of someone else! If you won't send troops with me, fine! I'll go by myself!"
Cao frowned. He didn't know that Yuan adopted Xiahouji nor did he know he had plans to do so at all. It seems he has been out of touch with his family. In fact, he had only seen Chong once since he had been born.
"I did not know that you adopted her," Cao admitted. He closed his eyes and sighed, preparing himself for what he was about to say.
"I am sorry, Miàocái, I didn't know. I understand your anger and I do not begrudge you for it. That said; let me make something very clear: My ambition is too important to be stopped for any individual. I don't care who it is be it my children or yours."
Yuan was seething, but Cao wasn't done.
"You are my cousin," Cao begin, his eyes shifting to Dun as he spoke for a few seconds before moving back to Yuan. "And the closeness of our relationship gives you certain allowances that I would afford no other man, but make no mistake, I am your lord. My word is law and I am telling you that you will follow my plan. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yeah…we're clear," Yuan spat as he finally shook Dian and Jin off. He gave Cao one last look before storming out of the office.
Dun looked at Cao and he found that he did not recognize the man standing before him. This man wasn't the cousin he remembered. He was a man who was willing to sacrifice anything and everything to achieve his goals. He was the cold bastard that his enemies made him out to be.
"Do you have something to say?" Cao asked noticing Dun's glare.
"Nothing at all, my lord," he replied. Had Zhuyue been here, she would have been proud of the contempt in Dun's voice when he said my lord. It was just as sarcastic and disrespectful as something she could muster.
Dun turned to head out of the office. He stopped beside Dian and whispered.
"Come with me."
With that, he headed out of the room.
"Is there anything you need from us, my lord?" Jin asked.
"No, leave me," Cao replied.
Jin and Dian saluted and exited the office.
"So, what did you think of all that?" Dian asked Jin as they headed out of the palace.
Jin shrugged. "It was a bit surprising, but I understand. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, right?"
"I guess, but it was a bit cold, ya know? To tell a man that his daughter isn't important?" Dian let out a sigh. "I didn't even know she was his daughter."
"Yeah…it was a bit rough," Jin agreed.
They exited the palace and found Dun waiting at the bottom of its stairs.
"Master Yuánràng, is master Miàocái okay?" Jin asked.
"Not really, but there isn't shit he can do about it right now," Dun replied.
"I see," Jin looked between Dian and Dun. He could read the atmosphere and decided it would be best to make himself scarce.
"I know I can't do much…but if there is anything I can do, please let me know."
Dun nodded his head in thanks and Jin gave his Dian's shoulder a pat before heading off.
"Something you need, master Yuánràng?"
Dun begin to walk away, fully expecting Dian to follow. Just as Dun expected, Dian did follow. The men walked together in a comfortable silence. They were more than halfway to Dun's home when he finally spoke.
"You saved my daughter. I should have thanked you for that."
"All I did was find her," Dian replied with a frown. "I wasn't able to stop her from being hurt so I don't deserve any thanks."
"What do you think would have happened if you didn't find her in the woods? Do you think she would be safe and sound at home? I do owe you thanks so just take it."
Dian gave Dun a wiry smile.
"Happy to help, master Yuánràng."
"How did you find her anyway? What were you even doing in the woods?"
Dian scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh. He always felt a bit uncomfortable when talking about his intuition. Most people viewed him as an odd ball because of it. He knew Dun wasn't one of those people, but old habits die hard.
"I had a feeling," Dian replied.
"Hmm, what kind of feeling exactly."
"It wasn't anything specific…just I knew I had to go to the woods."
"That intuition of yours…I don't get it…"
Dian sighed. He thought Dun wasn't one of those people, but here he was, repeating the same thing he has heard most of his life.
"I don't get it, but I respect it."
Dian smiled. It meant a lot to him to hear that from someone he admired so. Turns out he was right about Dun all along.
"So…does your intuition work on even people you don't know? Like random people in the street?"
Dian scratched his head again as he thought about Dun's question.
"No…only when it involves myself or someone I am close to; also it's not like I get it all the time. It happens randomly. I can't control it or anything, I don't know the future. I just know to not ignore it when it happens."
"I see…" Dun said as he slowed to a stop. He turned around to look at Dian who had stopped as well.
"I shouldn't have hit you. You did nothing to deserve it."
"Don't worry about it," Dian replied with a small smile.
Dun looked as if he wanted to say something more, but he turned around and continued walking instead. Dian followed behind, quickly catching up to him.
"Do you think I could come with you to see Xiaolian?"
Dun glanced at Dian for a few moments before returning his gaze ahead.
"Why?"
"I just want to make sure she is okay," Dian replied. Dun could hear the genuine sincerity in Dian's voice. Perhaps it was the father in him, but he had the sudden urge to hit him again. It was an irrational thought, he knew that but he couldn't help himself.
"Fine," Dun grumbled as the two continued on their way to Dun's home.
=#=
Night had fallen. Bei had commanded his brother Fei to go collect firewood to keep him away while they spoke to Xiahouji. The girl sat opposite of the men, her knees drawn up to her chest as she glanced at them with fear in her eyes.
"You do not need to be afraid," Bei said with a smile. His effort at being reassuring fell flat as Xiahouji only hugged her knees tighter.
Bei sighed. They needed to get to the bottom of this, but the girl wasn't speaking and his brother wouldn't be gone for much longer.
"I know you are afraid Xiahouji but please…tell us what happened? How did you meet my brother?"
Xiahouji remained silent. She folded her arms on top of her knees and buried her face in it.
"Xun Yu, perhaps you should try. You at least know her, right?" Bei asked as he turned to the man in question.
"I only know her in passing. I have attended a few banquets in which she was present but I am as much of a stranger to her as you are, my lord."
Bei looked at Xiahouji in dismay. He had no idea on how to get this girl to talk.
"My lord, if I may?" Yun asked.
Bei looked at Zhao Yun in surprise.
"By all means," he replied.
Yun stood and walked over to the girl. He knelt down in front of her and put a hand atop her head. There was such warmth and comfort in that hand that she looked up and found herself face to face with the man she had been riding on horseback with.
When Xiahouji came to, in addition to being in more pain than she ever had been in her peaceful life, she was surprised to see that she was no longer with that foul smelling bearded man that beat Xiaolian and hit her. So much of a surprise that she nearly fell off of the horse only to be rescued by the quick reflexes of Zhao Yun. The girl was shaking like a leaf in his arms. Yun spent the rest of their ride reassuring and calming her. While she was still wary, she did eventually become more relaxed around him.
"Xiahouji…the last thing you remember was being in the forest, right?"
Xiahouji gave him a small nod.
"What were you doing there?"
Xiahouji remained quiet for a few moments before mumbling something so soft that even Zhao Yun had a hard time hearing it despite being relatively close to her.
"I'm sorry, I could not hear you. Do you mind repeating that?"
"Meeting my friend," she said only loud enough for Yun to hear.
"Meeting your friend," Bei repeated aloud for the benefit of the others.
"And something attacked you while you were waiting for your friend?"
She shook her head no.
"No?" Yun repeated. That was odd. Was her friend already there? If so, why did Fei only rescue her? What happened to the friend? Or was she attacked by the friend? There was no point in speculating. He might as well get the answers directly from the source.
"Something attacked you while you were with your friend?" Yun asked.
She nodded her head yes as a tear streaked down her cheek. After the beating she received, she swore that Xiaolian was surely dead and it was all because she risked her life to protect her. Why did she have to protect her? She should have just left her alone.
Yun frown. This was clearly a painful memory for the girl. He felt a sense of guilt at prodding her about this issue, but they had to know the truth.
"What attacked you?"
Xiahouji mumbled a reply that Yun once again could not hear.
"What attacked you?" Yun repeated, urging her to speak louder.
"The bearded man," she repeated.
Yun's eyes widened. He could not believe his ears.
"What did she say, Zǐlóng?" Bei asked. He and the others were waiting with bated breath to hear the answer.
"She said…the bearded man," Yun replied.
As if being summoned, Fei returned from gathering firewood. He dumped his load on the ground next to the area they had cleared for the camp fire and let his eyes fall on Yun and Xiahouji. They were entirely to close for his liking and he aimed to change that immediately. He took a few steps towards them but felt a strong grip on his arm. It was Guan Yu. His brother was frowning at him and it was at that time he noticed that the others were as well.
"T-that can't be right," Bei said as he looked from Xiahouji and Yun to Fei.
"Ask her if she is mistaken," he urged.
"There is no need," Yun replied as he stood and stepped aside so they could get a good look at Xiahouji. The girl had clammed up completely, burying her head back down into her arms and sobbing softly.
"The moment she laid eyes on him, I saw pure fear in her eyes. It was him," Yun continued with a frown.
"Brother…what have you done?" Bei asked as he looked at Fei.
Fei turned to look at his brother.
"What have I done? I'll tell you what I did. I have followed you brother. I have served you faithfully. I have put my own needs and wants aside so you could fulfill your ambition. One time…ONE TIME I decide to put my own wants first and you all look at me with such judgmental eyes."
The more Fei spoke, the louder he got. His gestures became more impassioned as he pled his case to his sworn brother.
"Yes, I took her and yes I hit her, but it was only so she wouldn't scream. I will not hit her again I swear and I did not take her just so I can have my fun with her and throw her away. I love her. I loved her since the moment I laid eyes on her. I wish to marry her and make her my wife. I will treat her well, I swear this. I have given everything to you brother, EVERYTHING! I only ask for this one thing for myself!"
Bei looked from his brother to Xiahouji who was still balled up. What was he to do? He could understand his brother's feelings and it was true, he had followed him faithfully. Yes, he had made mistakes along the way, many of which had landed them in heaps of trouble, but he was one of the most loyal people he had. His brother had indeed put his life aside to help him. Would it truly be so bad to give him what he wants? What he did was wrong, there is no doubt about it, but if he planned on marrying her, then he intended on doing the right thing with her and maybe in time, she would come to love him.
"You can't seriously be considering this," Xun Yu said, noticing the extreme look of concentration Bei currently wore.
Fei snarled and took a threatening step towards Xun Yu but Guan Yu's grip was strong.
"Yìdé has made a mistake," Bei began. "I know that…I acknowledge that…but he wishes to marry her. He wouldn't do that if he had no intention of treating her well. I know my brother. He is a good man at heart. What would be the harm in letting him have her?"
"I—I can't believe what I am hearing," Xun Yu stammered. "Is this the kind of man you are? You claim to be of righteousness and virtue but the moment it comes time to show your valor, you balk because it is your brother?"
"Watch your tongue," said Guan Yu. He understood Yu's feelings, but he would not have his brother spoken to in such a way.
"Peace," Bei said. He did not need a fight breaking out. "No decision will be made today. We are all weary from travel. Let us rest and discuss this topic tomorrow. Zǐlóng, she seems to be most comfortable around you. I hate to ask this, but could you continue to watch over her?"
Zhao Yun saluted his lord and nodded. Fei was upset to hear this, but he decided to let it go. He could tell his words had taken hold in his brother's heart. He was confident that Bei would see things his way.
"I'll take the first watch," Fei offered. He wanted to endear himself to his brother as much as he can.
Bei nodded and the others began to disperse. Yun helped Xiahouji up and led her to the tent she would be sleeping in. Fei watched her hungrily as they passed by. Soon, she will be his.
=#=
"Time to get to work boys," Dian Wei said with a wicked smile as he hefted his axe over his shoulder.
The moon that hung in the night sky shone a light down on the axe's blade making it particularly menacing.
His group of trusted warriors let out mummers of approval, happy that the long wait had finally been over. They were itching for action.
"The servants loyal to our lord are gonna let us in then leave. Everyone else left in there is considered to be traitors and deserve to be cut down like the traitorous dogs that they are—"
"Yeah! Bastards! Gonna gut em good!" Were the cries heard from Wei's men.
"Just remember, leave Dong Cheng and his daughter live. If they got even a scratch on em, you'll have to deal with me."
They all agreed. None were foolish enough to cross their master.
"Alright then boys, let's get to it!"
Wei led the way to the house and as per the agreement he made with the servants earlier, they allowed him entrance. They looked like frightened rabbits as they when confronted with the murderous intent rolling off in waves from Wei and his men.
"Better get outta here while you can," Wei instructed.
They did not need to be told twice. They hurried away from the house which would very soon be the site of unspeakable horror.
Wei gave them time to leave. Once he was certain they had gone, he closed the gate behind them. There would be no escaping the bloody party he had planned.
"Have at it boys."
On Wei's command, they rushed forward. The first step was to take out the guards on duty. Thanks to the servants, they knew their rotation and where each one would be at the time. They attacked at once. The guards, were taken by surprise, some didn't even have their weapons in their hands before they were struck down. The ones that did manage to pull out their swords were easily overwhelmed.
Blood splattered the ground with each stroke of the sword; one by one, Cheng's guards fell, only managing to let out a cry of surprise before their lives were stolen from them. The noise outside soon stirred the people within the house. Servants still loyal to Cheng came out to investigate and met an unfortunate end at the tip of Wei's axe.
They moved inside, going from room to room slaughtering its inhabitants. Bloodcurdling screams from men, women and children alike could be heard pouring out into the halls. Wei left these people to his men. He had a bigger fish to catch. At the end of the hall, a door blocked the final room. It had to be Cheng's. He threw the door opened and defended just in time to block a blow from a sword.
Wei gave a grin as he kicked the midsection of the sword's owner, sending him flying.
"Nice move kid," he remarked to Cheng's son, ignoring the chorus of screams in the halls behind him. "Very good sneak attack. Unfortunately for you, there are two things that weren't in your favor. One, I can tell you don't have enough experience with that blade for the attack to be truly effective and two, you had me as an opponent."
Cheng's son struggled to his feet. His abdomen ached but he had to fight to protect his father and sister.
"Good…good. Don't go down with just one hit. Die like a warrior."
With a cry, Cheng's son rushed at Wei again. He had to know it was hopeless but he went anyway, unwaveringly towards his demise. Whether such an action could be called bravery or stupidity, Wei felt respect for the boy and as he parried his attack and brought his axe down on top of his head, he felt a pang of regret.
"Tch, poor bastard," Wei remarked as he pulled his axe from the boy's skull; his axe made a wet slurping like sound as it was pull free. No longer supported by Wei's weapon, the body crumpled to the ground, blood and bits of brain matter spilling out from his head, which was nearly split entirely in two, onto the floor, staining it crimson. The boy had to be in his early teens. Not old enough to enjoy a woman's touch just yet. Life had just begun for him.
"He deserved a better father than you," Wei remarked as he cast his gaze on Cheng.
"Why didn't you attack me with him? You could have stood a better chance," Wei asked as he pointed his axe at the sword Cheng held in a shaking hand.
"Instead you let him rush forward knowing he had no chance in hell, but hoping he could do something, anything, to save your worthless ass. I swear, if Lord Cao didn't want you alive I would take my time in making you suffer.
Cheng seemed to come alive at the mention of Cao's name.
"Cao Cao? So this is his doing? He will pay for this! The emperor will not let this att—"
"Shut up," Wei snarled as he rushed at the man and hit him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Before Cheng could fall to his knees Wei threw another meaty fist at Cheng's head, leaving him sprawled on the floor at his feet, unconscious.
"Now, do I have to knock you out too or will you come quietly?" Wei asked as he looked to Cheng's daughter who had been sobbing the entire time.
Her response was louder sobs.
"Guess that answers that," Wei said with a grunt as he punched her with enough force to knock her unconscious.
Wei found himself joined by his men; their weapons slick with blood and the house now eerily silent.
"Take this piece of shit," Wei commanded as he kicked Cheng's body with the tip of his boot. "I got the girl," he continued as he threw her over his shoulder, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that she was with child.
As Wei commanded, they picked Cheng up and as quietly as they had come, they left his home; a bloody massacre in their wake.
=#=
It had been a long day for Cao Cao and unfortunately for him, his day was not over. He had gotten word from Wei that the bloody task he assigned to him was completed and he now had to find out just how far this rebellion had spread from Cheng himself.
Luckily for Xun You, Yu's children seemed to be ignorant of their father's plans. He would release them into You's custody after one more round of question…just to be sure. The servants? The servants were a different matter entirely. While most of them had no idea what Yu was planning, a few of them heard whispers between their master and Liu Bei. They knew what they were planning and a few even offered to help. They would be dealt with accordingly. Cao would see to that.
Pi followed his father in silence. He was surprised when his father had asked him to accompany him since he seemed so disappointed in him earlier. He had no idea why he was leading him, without the company of guards, to a small abandoned temple on the outskirts of town that the locals swore was haunted.
When they arrived at the temple, they saw Dian Wei standing outside waiting for them. He dutifully saluted them and led them inside. The temple was run down and the interior was a dusty mess, but the building itself seemed to still be cared for enough that it wouldn't be falling down anytime soon. He found that odd, considering no one came here any longer.
Wei led them to a hidden door at the back of the temple. They entered and at once it was made clear to Pi as to why they were there. He had heard rumors that his father had places like this but he had never actually laid eyes on it himself, until now.
Cheng was tied up against the back wall. His pregnant daughter beside him.
"Hello Cheng," Cao said smugly.
"Cao, you bastard! You will not get away with-"
He was shut off as Wei's fist collided with his cheek. Wei made sure to pull back enough in the hit to not knock him unconscious.
"Spare me the idle threats, Cheng, I've had a long day. You will tell me everything about this rebellion. Who else is involved and how far you have gotten."
Cheng spat blood from his mouth. While Wei had pulled back the strength in his punch, he still managed to split his lip. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Cao removed the secret missive he had gotten from the servant and threw it at Cheng. It hit his face, bounced off it and fell to the ground before him. He didn't need to open it to know what it was.
"Who is involved?" Cao asked.
"No one," Cheng replied. There was no point in saying that he didn't know what it was about. That missive that lay before him showed that he clearly did. He looked hatefully down at it. He should have destroyed it when he had the chance, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Having that given to him from the emperor himself filled him with a smug sense of pride and importance. Now? Now it was as good as a blade at his throat. He knew very well that his vanity was going to be the death of him. The best he could do was to protect his allies as best as he could.
"Take a finger," said Cao.
Obediently, Wei untied Cheng and tried to pull one of his hands forward. Cheng struggled against him and Wei head butt him making the man see stars dance around before his eyes. No longer able to resist, Wei was able to seize his hand and lay it down flat and stepped on it to keep it in place. He lifted his axe and expertly brought just the tip down on his pinky, severing it from the rest of his hand. The pain brought Cheng back to reality. He screamed in pain at the loss of his finger, immediately clutching his hand to stem the bleeding.
"Who is involved?" Cao asked again.
"M-me and only me," Cheng said defiantly.
"Two fingers," Cao said in a bored tone.
Pi had never seen this side of his father. He always thought him entirely too soft. This changed his mind as well as opened his eyes. Perhaps that is why his father had brought him. He wanted Pi to see just how far he would go to fulfill his ambition. Pi had never respected his father as much as he did in that moment.
Wei reached for Cheng's hand again. Cheng tried to fight him off, but it was futile. Still reeling in pain from the loss of the last finger, he couldn't put up a meaningful fight. Wei brought his axe down once more and severed the next to fingers, leaving the index and thumb the only digits left on his hand.
Cheng cried out loudly, begging for help. Cao let him scream until he went hoarse from the effort. There was no reason to fear. He knew his cries would fall on the ears of the men here only. It was precisely why he had him brought here.
"Who is involved?" Cao asked once more when Cheng's shouts devolved into pitiful whimpers.
"J-j-just m-me."
"I see. Dian Wei…tak one of his daughter's fingers."
His daughter, who Wei had gagged because he was tired of hearing her cries screamed loudly against the cloth in her mouth. She was tried to say something against the cloth in her mouth but only garbled noises could be heard.
"N-no!" Cheng cried out as he tried to crawl toward Wei to stop him.
Cao lifted a hand and Wei stopped.
"Will you tell me who is involved?"
"Y-yes…I will tell you everything…Just…please just don't hurt her."
