Chapter 20: Mountain
Lu Xun patted his mare gently; his eyes took in his surroundings. He had made his way to Poyong and stopped at the top of the cliff where he had fallen not many months ago. The strategist took one step closer to the edge and peeked below; his foot loosened some pebbles and the strategist watched them rolled off the edge, tumbling down the cliff. The cold winter winds blew past him, sending a chill down the officer's spine. Lu Xun could not help but shivered at the thought of him dying not too long ago. The horse snorted impatiently behind the strategist and caught his attention. Lu Xun smiled to himself and mounted the horse. "Even you are keen to meet Xue-er?" he mumbled and stroked the mare's hair.
An hour later, the strategist got off his horse and frowned at the sight of the terrain; the vegetation had thickened as he ascended up the mountain. The path had disappeared beneath the entwingling branches and dense bushes. He would have to make the rest of the way by foot. The officer removed his bundles from the horse and turned it towards the way they had come from, with a light slap on the mare's back, Lu Xun sent his ride away.
Turning back to the path, the strategist wrapped his bundle over his back and unsheathed his sabers and started hacking at the branches to open a pathway. It was hard work and it took the strategist a few hours to find a path again.
It had been a few months since the girl had led him down the winding mountain path. The strategist sighed as he gazed around for any familiar landmarks but found none to his dismay. The terrain looked unfamiliar and as the officer wandered around, he found himself facing the same spot where he had begun - Lu Xun was hopelessly lost. The strategist wiped his wet brow and rested his tired feet on a boulder. He gazed upwards at the orange sky and saw the sun setting; it would be dark soon and he would need to find shelter. The air in the mountain was cold and the strategist knew that the temperature would dip further without the sun's warmth.
His stomach growled, reminding him that it had been several hours since his last meal. Lu Xun frowned at his predicament and searched his supplies bag for some dry provisions. He was sick of eating the stale bread but that was better than starving. The officer broke a piece of the dry bread and stuffed it into his mouth and washed it down with a gulp from his water bottle. When he had finished the bread, Lu Xun got up and dusted the crumbs off his robe. Looking around, he picked a small path to the east and hoped that it would lead him somewhere familiar.
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The sun had set a few hours ago and the moon provided some solace for the tired officer as he gazed at the laminating crescent in the dark sky. The sky was clear tonight and the strategist was grateful that it was not raining as he sat out in the open with a small campfire burning. He had not been able to find shelter in the mountains, not that he had expected to. If only he could find Ning Xue; all that effort to tame the mountains would be worth it.
The strategist felt a tiny sting on one arm and the other hand was quick to slap the mosquito that was feeding on his blood. "So, it's a battle up here too." he mused aloud to himself, referring to his struggles against the blood-sucking insects that had tried to feast on him.
The tired officer stifled a yawn and spread a blanket on a patch of dry grass near the campfire. He laid on the blanket, still mesmerized at the beautiful moon and slowly his eyes faltered and he fell asleep finally from the sheer exhaustion.
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Lu Xun woke up to the sweet aroma of hot food; he rubbed the weariness off his eyes and glanced around, blinking several times to take in the simple and familiar decoration in the room. He looked down and saw himself wearing a light sleeping robe, a thick cotton blanket wrapped around his feet and a small flickering fire still burning in the fireplace, providing the room warmth. Slowly, realization dawned on him; he was in Ning Xue's hut, lying on the same couch he had when he was injured several months ago. He was going to see the girl at last.
The strategist scrambled to his feet, snatched his clothes from a nearby pile and quickly got dressed. He was out of the door in a few moments, searching the small hut for another sign of the girl. Simmering hot food was placed neatly on the table, a bowl of steaming hot rice and chopsticks were arranged neatly. Lu Xun opened the teapot and found it contained fragrant tea. His stomach growled at the sight of the inviting food. The strategist ignored his rumbling stomach, a slight frown appearing on his smooth face as he took in the sight - there was only one single rice bowl and a pair of chopsticks. The food was meant for him alone and he found himself sighing in slight frustration. The girl was avoiding him but the officer did not understand why.
He dashed out of the hut and searched the small garden and backyard. There was no sign of the girl anyway. He chastised himself for falling asleep and not waking up when someone moved him from his camp.
Lu Xun's sudden actions startled a fox nearby; it stopped digging at the earth and glanced up at the human. The strategist caught sight of the fox and tilted his head curiously. A fox in Ning Xue's garden? I didn't know she has a pet.
As the animal did not scramble away at the sight of him; the Wu officer approached the vixen gently, taking care not to startle it. It seemed tame and allowed the strategist to stretch one hand and gently pet her. There was something about the way the animal looked at him that seemed familiar, but Lu Xun could not quite place the feeling. Realizing that the fox was very tame and not likely to attack the officer, Lu Xun let his eyes wandered around the surroundings, stroking the fox white fur absentmindedly.
The fox nuzzled at the strategist lovingly and settled besides the man. Lu Xun glanced down at the animal with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You're not afraid of me? You must be Ning Xue's pet... Strange, I didn't see you when I was here a few months ago."
The fox's reply was to stick its tongue and licked its paw. Lu Xun smiled at the sight.