Turning point of zee story!

Haha, the name Ying Chuan ... Can ducks really fly? I don't know ... Have you read fire and water? What Zhuge does here ain't from the book, but it sounds like it O.o

Some 200 words shorter. Sorry! T.T

Enjoy!

Birth Throes – Chapter 5 – Complications of the Divine

Raising another arrow to fit to the bow, Yue Ying pulled the bowstring back. The target ahead of her was a simple straw dummy, a target painted over its chest twice, one left one right, as if representing the areas where a woman's breasts would be. "Sexists," she muttered after the servants set up her target.

Her eyes narrowed and then the bow was pulled closer, carefully gripping the handle. By the handle of the bow was a gold plate, with the characters "Flying Dragon" imprinted on it. When her husband first laid eyes on this bow, he had said, "This bow is bad luck. No one should wield it."

He must have picked this bow quickly for him not to notice, thought Yue Ying. She didn't bother going back inside and retrieving another bow; even though she hated training with a bow because of her low accuracy ... nonetheless this is still training.

She pointed her finger in the same direction the arrow was pointing. Looking with both eyes, she directed her target at the dummy's head, not the two large, very visible targets. The male servants who brought it out began laughing at the side, breaking Yue Ying's concentration. With one glare they all fell silent.

"Very wise," she commented. "One more noise out of you can you'll be drinking after Zhang Fei's ... wine accidents."

They ran away in fright.

Yue Ying was alone in the garden.

She lifted the bow once again. Archery was, surprisingly, a sign of either success or failure on her father's side of the family.

She recalled a moment in her adolescent years when her father explained the death of her mother. "You see, I was outside shooting random flying targets when I heard your mother's scream. One of the bandits already killed her. Furious, I took a poisoned arrow and without even the slightest effort or concentration, I felled him in one shot."

And her grandfather was there too to witness the story. He said, "Don't listen to your father, young child, that's not true! Your great, great, great, great, great grandmother Ying Chuan was walking by the market one day when she was shot by an amateur archer!"

"Come on," she said to herself, "What are the chances that'll happen?"

Never play a game that the Heavens will always win!

Yue Ying made sure the bow and arrow set and the target at ease when she was close to releasing. Right before she did, she saw a duck flying in the sky.

"Can ducks fly?" she exclaimed, redirecting her target. She did what her father did: Release an arrow without effort or concentration. As soon as the bowstring sang, the duck fell.

"W00t!" she exclaimed.

But she had spoken too soon.

As the duck fell closer to the earth, it began to grow ... longer, larger ... scalier?

A scream escaped.

---

Passing Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang asked, "Have you captured the bandits who robbed the houses' store signs with 'good'?"

"It took a while, but yes, brother Zhang and I have finished," Guan Yu replied.

"So where are you headed now?" Being a tall person all his life, Zhuge Liang felt intimidated talking to Guan Yu.

"I heard a scream outside," he replied. "Don't you want to check up on Lady Huang?"

"I did too, but I'm sure she's fine," answered Zhuge Liang. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"I would just check anyway if I were you, Prime Minister." Guan Yu grabbed his collar. "Come."

"Well, I ... ok." What else could you say to a nine-span-tall warrior?

Guan Yu, with one hand, pushed the garden doors open and then the garden gates. There he saw Yue Ying filling up a hole, rather quickly, talking to herself.

Zhuge Liang, upon the sight, released himself from Guan Yu's grip and ran to her. "Are you alright?"

Yue Ying turned around and sat on an area she couldn't cover of the hole. Shakily, she answered, "Of course I am. W-Why wouldn't I be?"

"What's under there?" asked Zhuge Liang, trying to move his wife out of the way.

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

"Then you won't mind moving aside!"

Guan Yu, feeling slightly afraid of the couple, ran back inside the castle.

It took most of Zhuge Liang's effort to try to move Yue Ying, but once he did, he felt his soul leave his body. "A DRAGON?" he exclaimed. He noticed by its eye was an arrow. He gnashed his teeth and then exclaimed, "YOU KILLED A DRAGON?"

"Shh, shh! They'll hear you!" Yue Ying exclaimed.

"You killed a dragon?" he half whispered half screamed, pulling his face down. "Why did you do this? You know how angry the Heavens will be at you?"

"They won't know," she whispered.

"They'll know!" exclaimed Zhuge Liang in a whisper. "The only way not is to destroy it from this world!" He ran back.

"Where are you going?" cried Yue Ying. "I need you here!"

"I'll be right back," he continued in that tone. When he came back, he had a jar of Chengdu's wine on him, probably stolen from Zhang Fei.

"For god's sakes, Liang!" she exclaimed. "You remember what Zhang Fei said in the last chapter? The sun's up! Not only that, I'm pregnant already! What do you want to do?"

"No, that's not what the wine is for," he soothed. Zhuge Liang ran over to the dragon in the hole and soaked it.

"What are you doing?" Yue Ying asked.

"After reading Fire and Water, I know how to light fires in an instant, but this dragon is too large for that. I need alcohol to enhance the flames."

"Wait! I heard dragon's blood can reverse the Heavens' wishes!" She took the empty jug Zhuge Liang held and then filled it with the watery mixture on the dragon's face, a mixture of wine and blood.

Then after that was done, with a deep breath, Zhuge Liang lifted his arms to the side of him then cried out. With the cry came a crackle of thunder, which immediately made the dead dragon burst in flames.

With a sigh of relief and the jug of blood wine in her hands, Yue Ying said, "Lets hope they never learn of this. Remember when Sun Ce killed an immortal? What'll they do to me?"

---

It was time for dinner. With an individual plate on each officer's little table accompanied with a small cup of wine, the dinner today was more merry than it was on other days. With the bandits captured, it seemed the Kingdom of Shu was at ease. Everyone was, except Yue Ying.

Completly drunk, the ladies Mi and Gan wobbled over to Yue Ying.

"Laaaaady," Lady Mi said, hiccupping. "Wuz wrong? Y'ain't drinkin'!"

"One day and I don't feel like it," she replied, folding her arms and looking away. "Is it that necessary for me to?"

"Take a drink a'eady," Lady Gan held out a cup of wine to the Prime Minister's wife. "Take a drink!"

"I said I don't feel like doing that!" Yue Ying exclaimed.

"One drink, and I'll embarrass myself in front of Zhang Fei," bribed Lady Gan.

"Make me!" Yue Ying childishly retorted.

Lady Mi hiccupped again. "I wuz hopin' you'd say that!"

"O dear," Yue Ying whispered. "I better get out of here while I have the chance!"

"Joo can try," Lady Gan said, looking wobbly. "There's no way joo can try gettin' away! This ain't the last of Lady Gan!"

Yue Ying slowly stood up and ran away from the scary empresses. Once she was outside, she breathed a sigh of relief and happiness.

"No Lady Mi, No Lady Gan, no problems!" she whispered. "I can't take much more of those two."

She stayed outside for too long, for Zhuge Liang came looking for her.

"Ah, I thought I would find you out here."

"Lady Mi and Lady Gan are too much of the common woman," Yue Ying replied. "Naturally, common women are scary." She turned her head. "Liang, you've been drinking!"

"Just a cup," he said, his face reddening from the wine. "Not enough to retract my senses."

And a voice came: "Wonderful!"

The two disappeared.