Chapter 11: Water Woes
"Lord Lu Xun!" a messenger ran unannounced into the strategist's tent and bowed low.
Lu Xun glanced up from his books and frowned at the intrusion. "What is..." he asked in a tired voice lined with slight irritation. The strategist had not slept a wink for two days and there were dark circles under his eyes; the wellbeing of his two friends was constantly on his mind.
"Lord Ling Tong and Lady Ning Xue had returned." the messenger seemed to sense the good news he brought would pleased his lord, and blurted out the message without waiting for the strategist to finish his question.
Lu Xun's tired eyes lit up and he jumped up from his seat, hitting his knee against the low table. "Where are they?" he asked, running over to the messenger and held him up by his collar.
"Milord, have mercy." the frightened soldier pleaded, thinking that the strategist was going to punish him for dashing into his tent. Lu Xun checked himself, and dropped the messenger quickly, slightly embarrassed at his excitement. "They are in Lord Sun Quan's tent. Lord Ling Tong is injured." the messenger answered quickly, fearful he might earn his lord's wrath for any delay.
The strategist winced when he heard about his friend's injuries. With a quick wave of his hand, he dismissed the soldier and went towards the king's tent. The messenger scrambled away quickly, glad to escape unharmed.
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"My respects to you, milord." Lu Xun stepped into Sun Quan's tent and greeted him.
The king smiled at him. "Ah, you came to see your friends, didn't you?" he said in a slightly teasing tone.
The strategist colored slightly and he smiled nervously at his lord. "I'm sorry to disturb you, milord."
"Well, Ling Tong is injured; I have sent him back to his tent to rest. As for the girl, you'll be pleased to know that she's not wounded."
Lu Xun's heart felt lighter as he took in the good news from his lord. He could not quite hide his grin and when he met Sun Quan's eyes, the king smiled knowingly.
"They have both been rewarded handsomely. Ling Tong had earned merit for his bravery and for protecting me. Ning Xue had been promoted to Major for saving her commander and for her bravery. I believe you can find them in their tents."
The Wu officer beamed; he quickly bowed and excused himself, eager to see his friends again. He made his way to Ling Tong's tent.
"Hey, Boyan." the martial artist sat up on his bed when he saw the strategist entered.
Lu Xun took in the sight of his friend and winced; his naked torso was wrapped in bandages and a dressing was pasted on one cheek. His arms were decorated with scratches and bruises that were starting to fade. "You look terrible." he commented, frowning slightly.
Ling Tong chuckled. "I know, do you have to rub it in?" he winked at his friend.
The strategist smiled. He placed a stool next to the martial artist and sat down. "How are you feeling?" he asked in a concern tone.
"Been better." the martial artist rolled his eyes playfully and laughed.
Lu Xun chuckled as well. "You seemed to be in good spirits." he observed.
Ling Tong nodded. "Yeah, glad to be back. Too bad we lost the war." he said with a sigh.
The strategist nodded. "We've underestimated Cao Cao."
"So, have you seen Pastry Girl yet?" Ling Tong asked slyly, wondering if his friend had visited the girl before him.
The strategist laughed knowingly. "No, I came to see you first."
"Oh..." the martial artist sounded disappointed before he started laughing again. "Well, I thought I might be able to chastise you a little, if you go see a girl first before your best friend."
Lu Xun shook his head and grinned. "Well... you should get some rest. I'm going to see Xue-er now." He got up and walked towards the exit. Just before he left the tent, he turned around and said. "We are marching back tomorrow. You better get as much rest as you can tonight."
Ling Tong just grinned at him.
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Ning Xue sat besides a small stream, picked up some nearby pebbles and threw them one by one into the water, watching the ripples appeared and faded away. She thought about the man she had killed in the war and sighed. The image of her victim gurgling in his own blood was still clear in her mind; she could almost smell his blood and see the desperation and shock in his eyes. She frowned and winced as she wondered if she had killed someone's husband or a child's father or perhaps some elderly folks' only child. War had brought nothing but death, leaving the widows and children to survive without their breadwinner.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not hear Lu Xun approached from behind.
"Xue-er."
The girl jumped up at his voice, startled. One foot landed on a loose rock and she slipped, falling in the stream. As soon as she landed into the water, the girl started to struggle frantically even though the stream was a shallow one. "Save me, Xun. I'm drowning..." she screamed in fright.
Lu Xun thought the girl was playing a joke on him and rolled his eyes. The water level was only up to his knees, there was no way the girl could drown. So the strategist grinned at the struggling girl instead, not lifting a hand to pull her up. "I'm not falling for that." he said jokingly.
"What are you doing? Xun, save me... Help... I can't swim..." she flapped her arms wildly; her eyes went wide with fear and struggled more vigorously. "Help, Xun. I'm scared of water, please..."
The Wu officer tilted his head in confusion but seeing how distressed the girl was, he reached forward and pulled her up, preparing himself in case she was playing a trick on him and pulled him down into the water instead. But the girl did not; she clinched onto his arm tightly and climbed onto him. Her legs wrapped around him, refusing to touch the water below.
"Ouch, Xue-er..." Lu Xun cringed as he felt her nails dug into his flesh. Not knowing what to do, he retreated back a few steps, away from the stream. It was only then; the girl seemed to relax her grip slightly, though her eyes were still wild.
"Xue-er? There is no water here." he coaxed, feeling his neck straining as the girl clung onto him with her weight.
The girl glanced down and let go of the man, standing unsteadily besides him. Lu Xun held her as she regained her balance. When she did, she looked at the strategist and slapped him hard across his face.
Lu Xun's hand went to his sore cheek instantly and his ears ringing from the assault. He stared in shock at the girl and she glared back at him angrily. "I was drowning, why did you just watch?" her furious words came out barely audible but the strategist understood her all the same.
He shook his head and said with a hint of exasperation in his voice. "I thought you were playing a joke on me."
She continued to stare daggers at him. "Look at the water depth. It is only up to your knees. All you have to do is to stand up. There is no way you can drown there." he pointed at the shallow stream.
The girl took a quick look at the water and realized he was right. Her expression softened and she winced. "Sorry, Xun. I... I'm really scared of water."
The strategist sighed in frustration and scowled at her. "This is the second time you slap me." he complained, rubbing at his sore cheek slightly to sooth away the sting.
"I'm truly sorry." Ning Xue removed his hand on his face and caressed his cheek gently. She felt the strategist tensed at her touch but he did not flinch. She gazed into his dark eyes and saw her reflection in his shiny orbs. The girl leaned forward and planted a small kiss on the strategist's bruised cheek.
As she withdrew, she noticed his face turned crimson; she thought he looked so adorable and found herself looking intensely at him. Her unblinking eyes found their way down to his lips and saw it moved. She felt an overwhelming desire to kiss him and she moved nearer to him; his eyes still held her gaze. She felt her lips brushed lightly against his; it was soft and warm and he parted his lips slightly, surprised at the touch. She closed the distance between them and felt her lips connected with his, feeling the warmth and desire. She felt him respond, kissing her back gently at first, gaining momentum as he began to kiss her fervently with his eyes closed. She closed her eyes as well, letting her sense of touch savored the moment.
The girl felt the strategist's hand reached up to the back of her neck and pulled her closer towards him, his lips pressed firmly against hers; the other hand surrounded her waist and slid up her back. Ning Xue moaned at the strange sensation she was experiencing. She felt his tongue teasing her lips and she opened her mouth only to let his tongue entered and touched hers.
She was out of breath, panting slightly and broke the kiss. Lu Xun was breathless as well as she watched him inhaled deeply and met her gaze, his cheeks flushing. Ning Xue saw him leaned towards her for another kiss and she could hear her heart beating wildly in anticipation.
She sensed his hot breath on her as he kissed her ardently on her cheek down to her neck and nuzzled at it, holding her close to him at the same time. Ning Xue arched her head backwards in response, to let him gain more access to her neck. She had never felt this way before and the sensation mesmerized her. She felt his fingers in her hair, entwined in her locks and she touched his jade smooth face with her fingers, letting one finger ran down one side of his face. He let out a soft moan at her touch.
Suddenly he stopped and removed his hands from her. Ning Xue opened her eyes to protest but caught the look of surprise in his eyes. He stared behind her, shock evident on his reddening face. She turned back and found Ling Tong staring at them from a distance with a horrified expression visibly on his face. She did not know why but her cheeks felt hot and flustered, like a child caught stealing candy. Lu Xun let go of her abruptly and took a few steps away from her, his eyes focused on the martial artist with a guilty expression. She glanced back at Ling Tong and saw him grimaced when he met her eyes. He blinked hard and his eyes became slightly red before he turned around and limped away, as quickly as his injured thigh allowed him to.
When she turned her attention back to the strategist, he could not meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, Xue-er. I don't know what came over me." he shook his head and stared at the ground. "I think..." he paused and bit his lips. "I think I've hurt Gongji."
Ning Xue felt her jaw dropped. "What? You... you mean don't like... it?" she stammered, feeling embarrassed for the first time in her life.
Lu Xun shook his head, not looking at her or giving any indication he had heard her. Ning Xue felt a sharp pain in her heart at his response. Then he glanced up and met her eyes for a brief moment before turning away, shaking his head again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. You... You are only a young girl, you don't know what you're doing." he struggled with his words. "I... I should go and talk to Gongji." He retreated a few more steps from the girl, gave her an apologetic look and ran after the martial artist.
Ning Xue felt her eyes stinging with unshed tears; she watched his retreating back until he disappeared from her sight completely. She was unwilling to believe what she had just heard. She desperately told herself, he was just kidding and they had joked a lot in the past. But a voice in her head reminded her that this was the cruelest joke anyone had played on her. She found herself agreeing and fresh pain stabbed at her heart. She inhaled deeply to calm herself but her breathing refused to be regulated and she started to pant instead, taking in quick gulps of air but she was still struggling to breathe. Her legs refused to support her weight and the girl sank down on the ground, allowing the tears that she could not contained, to course down her cheeks. She refused to cry, knowing that she would find no relief in wailing.