Ma Chao waited until the camp had quieted before exiting his tent. As much as he enjoyed not having to rush into battle, he missed being atop his horse. Carefully, he crept to where the horses were being kept and untied his stallion, Storm Runner. The horse became excited as the saddle was slipped onto his back. Smiling, Ma Chao mounted and rode his horse into the black of night, unsure of where he was going and not really caring.
After he circled the camp a few times, he noticed a light in the distance. He slowly rode over until he came upon the rebel camp, almost as dead as his own camp. There were a few torches lit to provide some light, but not a single guard was out watching for intruders. Odd, thought Ma Chao. But they were a strong band of warriors and the likelihood of invasion was slim, so it didn't really matter. He decided to circle their camp once before returning to his tent.
He had almost made a complete circle when he came to where the rebel horses were tied. He watched them until a man came out from around them, startled to see a rider nearby. Curious, Ma Chao dismounted and walked Storm Runner over to him. He immediately recognized Ling Mao, who grinned as he came into the light.
"Ma Chao, how good it is to see you again."
"Likewise. I was just out riding and noticed the camp. I decided to take a look. I hope I'm not intruding on anything."
Mao laughed. "Believe me, the whole camp would have been on you if you had been." He moved to pet one of the horses, who whinnied at his touch. "I guess I'm not completely surprised that you were riding alone. But you're not the only one. Lady Yang does the same thing, and in fact just left a few minutes ago for her own night ride."
"I feel ashamed that I didn't recognize her until you both danced. It's been far too long since I returned to my real home."
"To be honest, I don't think she recognizes you either. She hasn't said anything. But I have no idea how close you two were, so I don't know if that really makes a difference or not."
Ma Chao shrugged. "We were friends, mostly because our fathers were friends. We didn't see much of each other except when our fathers visited each other. The last time I saw her, she was eight, and that was when Cao Cao sought an audience with Yang Shui. I'm guessing she's nearly twenty now."
"Yes, indeed. And she rules with an iron fist and a heart of gold. All the people adore her, and we leaders value everything she brings to the provinces."
"Well, I'm glad to see Jiang is being taken care of. I'm especially glad to see that Jiang Tong is still in capable hands. I did well in leaving it to you."
Ling Mao beamed. "I am glad that I lived up to your expectations." Ma Chao turned back to Storm Runner and mounted again, indicating that he needed to go back. "At any rate, I'm glad you came by, even if by accident. May you have an uneventful return to Shu and may the gods bring you back to Jiang for a visit." Both men smiled, and Ma Chao turned his horse and disappeared into the darkness.
Soon the camp was behind him, and the Allied camp was within sight. As he approached, however, he noticed another rider approaching from around the other side. He stopped and watched as the horse galloped near them. He grinned as he noticed Lady Yang sitting atop the steed as she slowed it to a walk. Strom Runner whinnied, and the horse and rider turned to see Ma Chao. He gave a wave, which Yang Xing returned with a smile before continuing her walk back to camp. Ma Chao suddenly had an urge to follow her, as she still didn't seem to remember him. But exhaustion was beginning to build, so he thought the better of it and began his own walk back to camp.
About one month later
Lord Liu Bei woke with a start as an explosion sounded in the distance. His heart racing, he jumped out of bed and to the window just in time to see fire beginning to spread in the distance. Cries came from below him as men began running towards the fire with confusion and worry. Before long, however, a new sound joined with the roaring of the flames. Fighting. The clang of metal and the screaming of women and children began to echo in the streets of Cheng Du. Fearing the worst, Liu Bei grabbed his sword from nearby and ran towards the door.
No sooner had he opened it than three men came running towards him from down the hall. Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were trying to throw off the remnants of sleep, but Zhuge Liang was wide awake with terror. "My lord, we have a serious problem."
"I can see that!" Liu Bei cried, motioning towards the window. "What is going on out there?"
"We're under attack! What else do you need to know?" Zhang Fei grumbled. "I say we go find out who they are and teach them not to wake me in the middle of a good dream!"
"My lord, you need to get out of the capital now," Zhuge Liang said. "Until we know who this foe is, I do not want you in any serious danger."
Before he could finish his thought, a distressed looking Jiang Wei came flying from around the corner. "My Lord! Prime Minister! You won't believe who is attacking! Apparently, we didn't succeed in getting rid of all the Yellow Turbans! They're here!"
"What?" cried Guan Yu. "Who is leading them?"
"It's not Zhang Jiao. He's already dead," Zhang Fei mumbled.
Jiang Wei shook his head. "I know not who leads them. But their warriors are unlike any man we've fought. Zhao Yun and I charged at them when we heard the first explosion. But our swords went right through them! They are like phantoms, but are very capable of causing harm to the rest of us. Zhao Yun is holding them back, but I doubt he will last very long."
"Where can we go?" Liu Bei asked. "If they mean us harm, they will surely follow us to wherever we retreat to."
"What about the Jiang Provinces?" Zhuge Liang suggested. The group stared at him for a moment. "If this is indeed a magical army, then we will have no chance against them. The province of Jiang Si is within a few days march of here, and I am sure that the eight leaders would help us out with this problem."
Zhang Fei let out a laugh. "What made you think of them?'
"After what you all told me upon returning from battle with Zhang Jiao, I will probably always connects the Yellow Turbans with the Rebels of Jiang. It seems to me that the best idea is to ride to them and ask for their assistance in this matter."
Liu Bei thought a moment and nodded. "Very well. Round up as many people as you can and sound a retreat from Cheng Du. We will march towards Jiang Si immediately. Have a number of soldiers stay behind to keep the Yellow Turbans occupied so we can reach the province safely." The others nodded and quickly ran in different directions. Zhuge Liang hurried off with Liu Bei close behind towards an exit near the back of the castle, each hoping to beat the Yellow Turbans and praying that the Rebels of Jiang would still welcome their untimely arrival.
Yang Xing sat up gasping, her sheets soaked with sweat. She put a hand over her heart to try and slow the beating and looked around. She was in her own room, back in Jiang Si. The only sounds that filled the night air were crickets and the occasional whinnying of horses. Taking a deep breath, she lay back down on her pillow and relaxed again.
She wasn't quite sure what had woken her. She had been dreaming when all of a sudden she was consumed by fire and felt a sharp pain ripple through her body. She couldn't tell if the pain had been real or a part of the dream. She rolled over to try and attempt sleep again, feeling herself drifting. But no sooner had she shut her eyes then the pain came again and forced her back into a sitting position.
It can't be, she told herself. We killed him a month ago. There's no way he can be back. But the dull throbbing on her back was getting sharper. Maybe if she walked around, the pain would go away.
Xing stood and began walking through the hallways. Well, what was left of them. When the rebel army had returned to Jiang Si, they had talked of uniting the provinces together and place the capital in Si. After the leaders and the people came into agreement, they began rebuilding right away. The leaders had insisted on helping their people first, which meant that the castle of Jiang Si remained, for the moment, in ruins. But no one seemed to mind the holes in the wall or the crumbling floors. It gave the place a more serene and spiritual quality.
But the peace was gone at the moment for Xing. She found herself down the hall where some of the other leaders were sleeping. The mark was getting worse, so she decided to see if Man Zhu was still slumbering and what he thought about it. She barely got to his doorway when the pain became sharp again and a small groan fell from her lips. There was movement behind the curtained doorway and Man Zhu appeared. He took one look at her and quickly helped her inside. Pang Qui, who had been asleep on the floor, was now up with a look of confusion and concern. "What's up?" he asked.
"I'm sorry to bother you two, but I have a problem," Yang Xing said.
"What's wrong?" Zhu asked. "You look pale. Are you feeling alright?"
She opened her mouth to answer when the pain seared and her back began to glow. She let out a cry and crumpled to the ground, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Pang Qui jumped to his feet in fear as Man Zhu caught her and helped her to his cot. As she let out another cry, the men watched in horror as her back started to glow brighter. When it stopped, her shirt began to turn red with blood.
Man Zhu tore the back of her shirt open and muttered a curse under his breath. The mark on her back was bleeding heavily. He knew that soon she would start shaking and if they didn't stop the blood soon, she would be in trouble again. He turned to Pang Qui, who was already gone. He hoped that there were enough herbs stored to help Xing this time. The last time this happened….. Zhu shut his eyes and concentrated on stopping her bleeding. He didn't want to remember last time.
Pang Qui returned within the span of a few minutes with several herbs and medicines. Zhu took one and began to sprinkle the crushed leaves onto her back. As soon as he did, Yang Xing cried out and began to shake. Within moments, the other leaders came running and immediately knew what was wrong. Deng Liao, Ling Mao, Huang Su, and Zhang Quan held her down as she tried to thrash about while Zhu, Qui, and Zhang Rui began the healing process. It was all confusion and chaos for several long minutes until, at last, the bleeding stopped and Xing quieted. The seven looked at each other with fear. They had killed Zhang Jiao and stopped the Yellow Turbans. So why was his magic still affecting Yang Xing?