A/N: I redid chapter one to try to fix some of the errors. I also added a little bit of text to make it flow a little better. I would like to fix all of the old chapters eventually but my focus will be on finishing the story first, so it might be a while before I can do an update like this again.
"You are Yue Jin right?" Yue Jin's head snapped up at the mention of his name, instantly pulled out of his ruminations. He looked to the man who had spoke to him curiously. He was taller than him. Jin had to crane his neck up slightly to look at him. After a few moments, realization dawned on him that he was asked a question. Jin quickly stammered out a yes in response. The man gave him a big smile and nodded.
"I'm Li Dian," he replied, looking away from Jin to the villagers, watching them go about their day.
"The closer we get to Hu Lao, the more you can see the effects of Dong Zhuo's tyranny," Dian continued. The smile he wore had shifted into a deep frown.
Jin followed Dian's gaze to the villagers. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed the desolate state the village was in. There were no merchants peddling their wares in the streets. The villagers that were around wore ill fitting rags for clothing. The children did not play. They sat listlessly off to the side, huddled together. Their sunken bodies served as evidence that they were starving.
"That's why we are doing this right? Joining forces to take down that swine and bring peace back to the land," Dian said, returning his gaze to Jin. Jin nodded as his eyes remained glued to the bleak scene laid out before him.
"So," Dian said in a cheerful tone, wanting to shift the topic from the depressing scene around them. There was nothing to be gained by lamenting on something that you could not change at the moment. When they went to Hu Lao to join with the rest of the allied forces, he would keep this vision in mind and make sure that Dong Zhuo and his forces paid in full for such atrocities.
"You must be pretty good to be personally picked by, Master Xiahou Dun."
Jin turned to look at Li Dian. Once again, he was forced to tilt his head upwards to properly look at him. Jin suddenly began to feel very self conscious about his height. What if everyone in the coalition was taller than him? Would he be the shortest person there? He was shorter than most of the men he trained with and it always made him feel inferior. To compensate for his short stature, he would train harder than everyone else. He wanted to prove to himself and others that he was as worthy a warrior as anyone else. Even though he has become an skilled warrior, his concerns about his height would rear its ugly head and gnaw away at his confidence. Did he truly deserve to be here? Was he really good enough to be here? What if he was the shortest warrior under Lord Cao Cao's command? Would anyone take him seriously? These doubts flooded his mind. His anxiety became clearly visible on his face. Li Dian frowned, noticing the change in expression.
"Something wrong, Yue Jin?" Jin quickly shook his head no, not wanting to share his fear with a man he barely knew. Dian studied his face for a few moments before looking away, returning his eyes back to the villagers.
"Do you know anything about Lord Cao Cao? Or Master Xiahou Dun?" he asked.
"I have heard a few stories," Jin replied. "Lord Cao Cao is a Chancellor of the Han. They gained fame for their efforts in the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Word has it that even though this alliance is being led by Lord Yuan Shao, the plan to get everyone together like this came from Lord Cao Cao."
"Yeah I heard that too, but that isn't exactly what I meant. I mean do you know anything about them? As people?"
Yue Jin thought for a few moments. The only thing he had heard about either of them were their military accomplishments.
"No," he replied.
"Well, I've done some digging and found out that Lord Cao Cao is always searching for talented people. He only employs the best of the best. If Master Xiahou Dun took the time to track us down, that means they see something in us. We are meant to be here, Yue Jin. Don't ever doubt that."
Jin's eyes widened, stunned by his words. How could he have known the doubts he held in his heart?
"How can you possibly be so sure of that?" He asked, not able to just accept these words as fact.
"You know...," Dian began, his voice soft. "I have...well, I guess you can call them instincts. So far, they haven't been wrong." Dian let out a soft chuckle. "A few people have teased me about it. They say I am full of it. That I am an odd ball and a fraud. None of that matters to me though. I always follow my instincts. They have never steered me wrong."
Jin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, unsure where he was going with all of this.
"My instincts are telling me...," he continued. "That this battle to take out Dong Zhuo is the right thing to do and by doing so, it is going to change our lives." Dian turned to face Jin once more, a bright smile on his face. "I know we just met and this might sound weird, but I have a feeling we are going to be close friends."
"Your instincts are telling you this?" Jin asked, still skeptical. Dian laughed.
"Yeah...yeah they are. So let's make a pact right now. You watch my back and I'll watch yours. Let's make a name for ourselves and rise together!" Jin stared at Dian for a few minutes in awe at how confident he was. He didn't even know Jin, yet he seemed to have complete faith in his abilities. How could this be possible? Did he really place so much faith in his instincts? It was odd to Jin, but seeing his confidence made him want to believe. He finally let a small smile emerge onto his face, feeling a little more confident thanks to Dian's words.
"Okay, Li Dian, I'll watch your back and you watch mine."
"Hey, we are friends now. No need to be so formal." Li Dian folding his hand over his fist and bowed to Yue Jin. Call me Mànchéng okay?" Yue Jin nodded and returned the gesture.
"And you can call me Wenqian."
Li Dian grinned in response and opened his mouth to say speak further when the thundering sound of a horses in full gallop heading towards the village. Both men heads turned in the direction of the sound and could see two men approaching. The man in the lead looked extremely agitated and it looked as if he was saying something, but thundering of the horse's hooves and the distance made it hard to hear. The men were almost upon the village now, the villagers scattered out of the way just in time to avoid being trampled.
One little girl, however, had been abandoned by the rest of the villagers and she was directly in the path of the oncoming riders. Jin and Dian tensed instantly. They weren't close enough. They wouldn't reach the girl before she got trampled. They watched in horror as the fast approaching horses encroached on the little girl. She stood there, staring at the rapidly approaching horses, transfixed as if she had accepted her impending doom. Just before the horse was upon the girl, something struck the side of its face. The lead horse let out a neigh and reared back, knocking its rider off before crashing into the other approaching horse. The second rider was flung from his steed upon impact. Both horse's fell to the ground in a heap, narrowly missing landing on the lead rider. The horses kicked wildly as they struggled to get to their feet. Once they managed to do so, they gallop off quickly to avoid further injury, leaving their riders behind.
Dian looked to the spot where the girl stood only to find her no longer there. He searched around for her frantically and finally found her clutching tightly to the neck of a man clad in dark blue and black armor. He couldn't see his face but he didn't need to. From the broad shoulders and the wild hair, he knew that it was Xiahou Dun. He breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the girl safe. Dun whispered something to the child and she reluctantly removed her grip from around his neck, allowing him to set her down.
Dun turned to face the riders. His eyes narrowed, teeth and fist clenched as he watched the riders slowly get up from their previous fall. The man who was in the lead screamed at the horses yelling at them to return; a request they ignored. He then let out a frustrated yell and spat on the ground, attempting to rid his mouth of the blood and dust that had gotten in there as a result of the fall.
"THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF THAT WHORE! HOW DARE SHE INSULT ME..ME! DOES SHE NOT KNOW WHO I AM? I SWEAR I WILL K-" He was cut off by Dun's fist crashing into his chin. Once again, he was laid out on the floor, the force of the hit knocking him unconscious.
"Tch, one hit? Fucking lightweight." Dun grumbled looking down to the unconscious man.
"Do you know what you have done?! Who you hit?!" Dun looked up to the other man who was currently jabbing his pointer finger in Dun's direction. "This man is Lord Lao Chenglei! He is a noble who's bloodline can be traced back to the aaaaaaargh!"
Dun grabbed the finger the man had been pointing at him and bent it back, just a few inches before breaking point. The man dropped to his knees wailing in pain.
"Ask me if I give a shit who this guy is."
"Please! Please I'm sorry I'll do anything!" The man cried, trying to pull his finger away. Dun only titled it back further until the man stopped all attempts to get away, whimpering pitifully in pain. Once he stopped squirming, Dun relieved some of the pressure slightly.
"Who is this woman he was screaming about?"
"Woman? What womaAAARRAAGH" Dun bent the finger once more threatening to break it.
"Okay okay! Her name is Lady Zhuyue. Her father is of ailing health. M-my Lord heard about the sizable fortune he has. W-whoever marries her will inherit the fortune. The problem is, she won't marry anyone who she deems unworthy. Please let go of my finger!"
"No. What do you mean she won't marry anyone she deems unworthy? It's not like she has a choice in the matter. She marries whoever her father tells her to. That's the way of the world."
"Her father is too ill to properly pick a suitor so she has to pick her own. Please, p-please! Let my finger go!"
"No, now keep talking."
"S-she gives challenges to all men who wish to marry her. The challenges aren't the same either. It could be a duel, archery whatever she thinks up. My Lord asked for her hand in marriage and she challenged him to a duel. He lost."
Dun grunted looking at the man still unconscious on the floor. "That's not saying much. He's pathetic."
"He isn't the only one who has challenged her and lost. Over fifty two men have tried to win her hand and has failed."
"Hmm..." Dun stroked his chin. "Where does she live?"
"Not far from here. I'll take you. Just please let go of my finger!" Dun released his finger and the man instantly backed away, cradling the injured digit.
"Your master nearly killed that girl over there with his recklessness." He looked to the girl and motioned for her to come closer. She hesitantly did so, grabbing Dun's hand as soon as she was by his side. With his free hand, he drew his blade and pressed the massive sword to the Chenglei's throat drawing blood. He looked down to the girl.
"You were the one he almost killed, his life is in your hands. Do you wish him dead?" The girl looked to Dun then looked to the unconscious man on the floor. After a few moments, she looked to Dun again and shook her head no.
"Hmph. As you wish." He moved the blade from Chenglei's throat and stabbed his sword into the ground. He pulled his hand from the girl and crouched down. He searched the man's body. Finding his coin pouch, he stood again and held it out to the girl.
"I'd say he owes you for sparing his life." The girl looked to the coin pouch then to Dun, unsure if she should take it or not. Dun placed the pouch in her tiny hands. Chenglei's servant eyes widened as he had an idea of exactly how much was in that coin pouch.
"It's yours. Take it." He ruffled the girl's hair earning him a smile as she wrapped her small hands around the large pouch, holding it against her chest tightly. He returned his gaze to the servant who was sitting not far from the pair, still cradling his finger.
"Get up maggot. Lead us to this Lady Zhuyue." Dun retrieved his blade and sheathed it as Dian and Jin joined him.
"That was pretty intense," Dian said. He looked down to the unconscious man then to the servant who had just gotten to his feet. Jin picked up the rock Dun had used to hit the horse and hefted it in his hands. It was fairly heavy. He was amazed that Dun was able to throw it with enough speed and power to knock the horse off balance.
"I thought that kid was a goner for sure," Dian continued. Dun only grunted in response, shoving the servant in the direction which he and his master had originally came from. Jin and Dian fell into step behind him.
"Can we afford this detour?" Jin asked dropping the rock back onto the ground.
"We have time." Dun responded, not looking back to Jin. "We were a bit early getting back anyway. We can afford a side trip."
"Do you plan on asking Lady Zhuyue for her hand?"Dun scoffed at the comment.
"I plan on seeing just how good she is for myself."
"And if she is as good as she sounds, you'll ask her to join us...right?" Dian concluded.
"That's right," Dun confirmed. "Though I have to say if the only challenge she has had are these entitled nobles, this might be a waste of our time."
"Only one way to find out!" Dian said with a grin as he and the others mounted their horses. "I gotta admit, I am kind of curious about her myself."
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Chenglei awoke with a pounding headache and an aching jaw. The sun hung low in the sky, night was approaching. How long had he been out? He sat up and looked around, he was alone. His servant Ming had abandoned him. He would find him later and make him pay along with that whore who disgraced him. He groaned in pain from his aching head and jaw. He had the taste of copper in his mouth. He ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth to see where it was cut only to discover a loose tooth. He reached it and with a whimper he pulled it out. He stared at the bloody tooth in his hand in disbelief. What hit him? He couldn't remember. Perhaps he passed out from falling off the horse? No, he remembered something hitting him after he fell off the horse, but it happened so quickly he couldn't remember.
He stood and fixed his disheveled robe which had gotten filthy as he laid upon the dust laden ground. After vainly attempting to brush the dust off of his robes, he looked around again. What a pathetic village. It was filled with run down shacks and poorly managed fields that were mostly barren. The villagers in their rags stared at him with their dirtied faces. He felt nauseous just being around them. He spotted an old man sitting not too far away from him that didn't look as dirty as the rest of the heathens and decided he would get answers from him. He walked over to the man.
"You, peasant. I demand you tell me what happened to me." The old man studied him for a few moments then shrugged. "You fell off your horse," he replied.
"Yes I know that. I mean after." The old man shrugged. Chenglei growled.
"Where is the man who was with me?"
The man shrugged again. "I don't know."
Chenglei went to draw his sword only to find that it was missing. Alarmed, he searched for his coin pouch only to find that missing as well. Chenglei grabbed the man by his shirt and hoisted him to his feet.
"Who robbed me! I demand to know peasant." A younger man rushed over to the two men and pulled them apart, pushing Chenglei away.
"Father are you okay?" The old man nodded. The young man then looked to Chenglei.
"We don't know what happened to you. We just came home from our work in the fields. We were just told that two guys came riding in and fell off their horse, nothing more. We know nothing so please leave us be."
Chenglei spat on the ground in front of the two men then turned away. His misfortune was all the fault of that whore Zhuyue. He had lost his money, his horse and his servant. He vowed to make her pay him for the misfortune she had caused him.