FU JIN POV
"What a pain that Shi Ei is." Fu Jin muttered. He had lost sight of Sei Chou and Shi Ei after he was slammed into the old man's worn-down house. He heard the soldiers moving in the surrounding areas and could only see Wei flags.
"Tch." Fu Jin clicked his tongue, spotting another unit of Wei troops. He had run over to a nearby forest as soon as he managed to understand what had happened. There were three of them, all wearing dark green armour. He moved quickly, with a knife in his right hand and a small knife in the other.
His knife flew through the air and found purchase in the back of one of the three. Fu Jin knew he had to move. A quick sprint, his sword sang just as the second and third troop turned to look at their dead friend.
*SLASH* *SLASH* Two swings took two more lives.
Fu Jin inhaled deeply before exhaling. The wound on his side felt like it was nothing but a scratch, but the blood seeping through his clothes said otherwise.
"THERE'S AN AMBUSH!" He heard the shout from behind him and cursed, 'Dammit!' Fu Jin spun on his heels and saw the Wei soldier who had shouted, looking at him with wide, terrified eyes.
The sound of hooves reached his ears before a Wei scout shouted, "STAY CALM HE'S ONLY ONE MAN!" More and more footsteps started to rush in and converge on him, "HE'S DEAD MEAT! GO KILL HIM!"
Fu Jin felt his amusement rising, even in this disadvantaged situation. Because if there was one thing he liked other than being surrounded by his brothers in the Sei Chou army… "I like being alone!" The soldiers ran at him, choosing to swarm him rather than to come one at a time. Fu Jin's hand swung in a broad swipe, and three more Wei men were cut down.
"Come together, I want you to have company in death!" Fu Jin grinned as he ran towards the Wei soldiers, who hesitated and tried to take a step back; one slipped while the other stumbled.
Fu Jin's sword was covered in more blood. He cut diagonally, choosing the man who stumbled to die first before stabbing downwards into the one who had slipped and foolishly stayed on the ground staring up at him in terror.
A reprieve came, and finally, Fu Jin could try to find where his Lord had gone. He bent down and placed his ear on the wet earth, even as the rain pounded against it; his hearing was still enough.
"So, you're down there, my Lord. No worries, Fu Jin will be with you soon." He said, locating where Sei Chou currently was.
…
BACK TO SEI CHOU AND SHI EI
"Let's see if my previous words were true then, Jo Rin."
"Young master, I'm sure everything went according to your predictions." Jo Rin replied, as Sei Chou's horse galloped in front of him with urgency, though they had detailed a plan to bring the Wei armies away and attack their supplies, no word had reached them just yet.
Sei Chou looked at his system map and stopped as a lone figure was chasing after him, causing him to slow his horse down and look over his shoulder. "Wait." He said to Jo Rin.
"Stop fooling about. Everybody is waiting on you." Jo Rin shouted just ahead of him.
"Hold on for a second." Sei Chou continued to watch the horizon as a figure started to come into view; he knew who it was even without seeing the person's face. "What a starving man you are, Shi Ei?" Sei Chou said, watching Shi Ei who had been chasing after him.
"Very… Yet only your death… can stop my starvation!" Shi Ei hunted down Sei Chou, running through puddles, his once pristine armour and clothes soaked with muddy waters. "Hahaha, I give you this win, starving man." Sei Chou said, walking and trotting his horse closer to Shi Ei.
"What is the meaning of this?" Shi Ei replied, sensing that Sei Chou had no desire to fight any longer. Shi Ei had never felt so exhilarated in a fight before, and his blood thrummed with the desire to continue fighting Sei Chou.
"I have to take the northern region. There's no time for me to visit your grave." Sei Chou replied, the words stunned all who heard them, especially Jo Rin, who had never heard Sei Chou speak such words before. At any other time, he would've dropped to his knees and shouted to the heavens in praise for Sei Chou's ambition, but it was not the time.
*SPALSHHH!!!*
"To keep or not?" Fu Jin's voice sounded out from behind Shi Ei, who only spared the man a glance from over his shoulder.
"How easy it is to die, Shi Ei…."
"But it's difficult to live!" Shi Ei threw his spear behind him, and in the same motion, spun and punched out towards Fu Jin, who anticipated the strike by blocking the punch with his forearm. Shi Ei's fist impacted Fu Jin's vambrace, causing the man to stumble back.
"Till next time." Shi Ei said, turning away, smiling ever so slightly as he walked back over the horizon.
"Just to let him go like that?" A soldier of the Rai Un commented, watching Shi Ei's figure grow distant.
"Young masters, mind is his own. No one knows what goes on that head of his." Replied Jo Rin, managing to recover from the shock of hearing Sei Chou's ambition.
Sei Chou was also watching the horizon, "He's getting better, don't you think, Fu Jin?" Fu Jin clicked his tongue, "He's excellent. Someone who only keeps improving and at the speed that he is doing it at…" replied Fu Jin.
"Haha, I believe the next time we meet Shi Ei, it will go much differently from before." Sei Chou said.
"My Lord, what are you planning?" Asked Fu Jin, seeing the familiar glimmer in his Lord's eye. Which only meant Sei Chou was thinking up a reckless plan.
"I've always been a good judge of character." Was all Sei Chou said.
….
STATE OF WEI: DAIRYOU
257 BCE
In the capital of Wei, Crown Prince Kei Bin held a war council at the royal palace. A map was laid out on a table, displaying the border between Zhao and Wei and the current ongoing war. Though at the moment no one was looking at it, instead all heads had turned towards the entrance of the throne room.
Their eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. News of the recent victory that Sei Chou headed finally reached the court, and it thundered in the ears of nearly all who heard it. Some ministers stumbled, unable to catch themselves, falling to their backs with sweat pouring down their faces.
"A-a again?!" A minister whispered to himself, his mind reeling at the news.
"Dammit!" Another court member slammed his fist on the table, overwhelmed with anger and frustration.
The air in the royal court soon became stifling and suffocating. Silently, a lone man with a fan stepped forward. Shou Sen walked calmly as if the sombre mood did not affect his being. With narrowed eyes, he inclined his head, staring down at everyone.
"What are you all doing?" He asked.
"L-lord Shou Sen?" Someone rasped out.
"Men of Wei, we have just been dealt another successive defeat at the hands of the same boy who has been a thorn in our side. And now, instead of thinking of a solution, all I see are sad and downtrodden faces!" Shou Sen raised his voice.
His face became stern as if he were a teacher scolding his unruly class, "Now is not the time to be in fear, are we not the state of Wei?! Have we not survived through these tested times over and over!" His words were scolding, but to these men who held their pride above all else, these were just the right words they needed to hear.
As if one, their hearts and minds decided to shift, a fire was lit and burned hot. Shou Sen could see the looks of resignation and defeat begin to change; frowns were still seen, but now they were determined. The foundations of an unshakable resolve were slowly but surely being laid.
"Good, now let's find a solution to this problem." Shou Sen nodded, fanning himself as he did.
"YES, LORD SHOU SEN!" The court answered him back.
With that said, the Wei Fire Dragon started to take centre stage and delve into strategy and think of ways to stem the flow of the Zhao momentum carried by Sei Chou.
Even as his mind focused on the strategic deployments the Wei army would take on the new Zhao border, a question came to the mind of Shou Sen. 'Why has he not been killed yet?!'
….
STATE OF ZHAO: QIN
257 BCE
Ryofui, the number one merchant in the world, walked through the corridor of the palace. He had made an investment and backed a dark horse; some would've believed the investment a waste, but Ryou Fui's eyes saw the potential profit he could make from it.
His inner thoughts were interrupted by his newest pillar, Shou Hei Kun, a son of the current King of Chu, Kou Retsu. The reason behind the youth's change of home was due to his mother's relation with the current King of Qin, King Sho.
Ryou Fui had a smile on his face as he saw another one of his investments that he was starting to see a return from. "Shou Hei Kun, what do you think of the news coming from the east?"
Shou Hei Kun bowed and spoke, "It is disconcerting, a Wei army headed by two of the most famed Great Generals was beaten successively by Zhao General Sei Chou, and now the Zhao are taking over all of the territories surrounding Ye City. I believe that Qin should strike at Wei whilst they're in a state of shock."
Ryou Fui knew that recently King Shou had called off the invasion into Zhao, and decided to consolidate the ground they had earned in blood and soldiers. "Hmm, and why not strike at Zhao instead?" Ryou Fui asked.
"The current Zhao are strong, with Ren Pa on the border, no one but Great General Ou Ki will be able to combat him, and currently Lord Ou Ki is being stalemated. The Zhao king also understands this, and after Chou Hei, they would not commit the same mistake they did again." Shou Hei Kun gave sound advice.
Ryou Fui nodded. He had used some of the remaining influence he had in the state of Zhao to get Ren Pa removed from his position as Commander in Chief when Haku Ki and Ou Ki were invading. They had come close to bringing an end to Zhao, but now, years later, the Zhao seemed to have grown even stronger than ever.
"That's good advice. I will see what I can do. But only the King can act on the advice he is given, despite what some may say and others may believe, the King does not so readily listen to me. There are many sons of King Sho, and they're all jostling for position and an increase in influence." Ryou Fui replied, offering Shou Hei Kun a peek into the ongoing battle he was fighting in the court of Qin.
"I trust in my Lord Ryou Fui's abilities." Shou Hei Kun replied before walking away.
Ryou Fui chuckled, seeing that Shou Hei Kun had laid out this plan as a task for Ryou Fui to complete, 'So you will not fully follow me, if I can not show that my influence is not foolproof.' The merchant thought as Shou Hei Kun walked away.
STATE OF ZHAO: Chuuzan
257 BCE
???? POV
She awaited his return; the city had become boring without his presence, and although the clan had sent her here to kill him, for the first time, she felt hesitant to act on it. There were many times she could've taken his life and headed back without anyone suspecting her, but for some reason, she just could not do it.
It all started when she watched him on his usual weekly stroll through the city, the way he played with the children and smiled genuinely, the way the children smiled and laughed without a care in the world as they climbed and hung off his shoulders and arms.
The memory of the day brought a smile to her face, one that she quickly frowned at. Ever since that day, she decided that she would continue to look for a fault, a time he showed faux happiness, a hint of evil and tyranny. That would be the time she would strike, but still, at every turn, he would disappoint me. It was vexing, and soon she became exasperated.
Then he started to sing songs in a language she could not recognise, but the music was beautiful, and she would continue to want to hear more of it. Slowly, over time, she started to realise that she did not want him to die, but her clan's rules were absolute. She didn't understand why they wanted to kill him, but she knew she couldn't let him go. He was a good person in a sea of terrible people; her duty overruled her feelings.
Only the losers gave in to their feelings and emotions; she soon found her resolve. Pulled her white scarf over her mouth and nose, "I will kill him." She whispered to herself, the words coming out detached and cold.
"Then return to the clan." She had never failed and would not fail here. She will complete her assignment before returning to the clan.
CHAPTER: DONE