“So, Lord Liu Bei is here to attack Yuan Shu as well? — Ah, thanks.”

We extinguished the flames and explained our purpose for coming here in the dark to Tais.h.i.+ Ci who nodded from time to time as she listened. As she listened, she received the twin short spears from Yun Chang, and sheathed them on her back, not forgetting to place her hands at their base so they wouldn’t move about.

“That’s right, but this army belongs to Meng De, and the idea of attacking Yuan Shu is also hers.” I said as I sat on a tree stump. Everyone else was also sitting or standing about. “It’s been a while but I didn’t think that you’d gone and joined Sun Ce already.”

“Maa maa, it’s something fairly recent.” Tais.h.i.+ Ci rubbed her head shyly, seems like she’s thinking back to when she first met Sun Ce.

“But why did you come to spy on us?”

“It’s a misunderstanding! Really, just a misunderstanding!” Tais.h.i.+ Ci exclaimed as she frantically shook her head.” “My lord detected some movements over on this side and thought that it was reinforcements from Liu Biao at the behest of Yuan Shu. As time was of the essence, my lord decided not to send ordinary acouts, and sent me and Lu Meng over instead. Thereafter, I met with Yun Chang and the rest.”

“Hai, if only we’d reported our names to each other at the beginning.” Yun Chang said regretfully as she shook her head, seems like she feels that it has been a waste of time.

But Lu Meng is here too huh?

I looked about but did not see Lu Meng’s figure.

“That’s strange, where did Lu Meng run to?” It wasn’t just me, Tais.h.i.+ Ci herself did not know where Lu Meng went and was looking about as well.

“Did Lu Meng get lost?” I said as I looked about again… Un? “Yun Chang, where did Yi De go?”

“That’s right, I was thinking about that as well.” Yun Chang said as she brought her to her chest and stared into the forest as she stroked her hair. “I asked her to cut off Tais.h.i.+ Ci earlier but the light from the torch should have drawn her over by now right?”

It’s already very late, and anyone could get lost in these woods… Could Yi De have gotten so tired while in the forest that she just gave up and fell asleep somewhere? Children’s bodies can’t stand late nights after all…

— *Dong*~~~~ Along with the ooming sound, a gust of wind which carried soil and the scent of leaves came billowing over.

“What was that?” I asked as I stood up and faced the direction of the air current, and stared unblinkingly into the darkness.

The others had drawn their weapons and readied their stances, while listening closely for more sounds.

“From what we heard, seems like a big tree fell.”

“Could this be Yuan Shu’s night raid?!”

“No, Yuan Shu cannot possibly launch a night raid from the opposite direction of the city, and there were no horses to be heard.”

— *Dong*~~~~~ Along with the air current, another tree came cras.h.i.+ng down.

“That’s amazing, to think someone could fell a tree just like that…”

“Lord Tais.h.i.+ Ci, now is not the time to be impressed.”

“My lord, please stand back.”

“The sound this time is much closer.” Yun Chang said as she quickly walked over to where I was and stood in front of me with her broadsword, and listened closely for more sounds to discern the source.

— “Stop running you idiot!”

Th, this voice is…

“Yi, Yi De’s voice?!” Yun Chang cried out in surprise.

— “You’re the idiot~~”

Another tender voice, much like Yi De’s, could be heard, but I don’t recall ever hearing it before.

“Eh? This voice… Isn’t it Lu Meng?” Tais.h.i.+ Ci said as she tilted her head in typical air-headed fas.h.i.+on and then dropped her guard as she sheathed her weapons again.

“Lu Meng?!” Though Tais.h.i.+ Ci was very calm saying this, I was very surprised to hear the name. “Then that means–”

Yi De is fighting with Lu Meng?

— “You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Is running away all you know!”

— “This is called battle tactics, not that a crazy flatchested woman like you would know!”

Another tree fell.

— “Wh, what! Aren’t you flatchested as well huh?!”

“…” It’s about time these 2 stopped their fight. “Yun Chang, Feng Xian.”

“Understood.”

“Un.”

Yun Chang and Feng Xian acknowledged my order without my needing to say it and advanced towards the sounds with their weapons raised.

“Huh, so they aren’t enemies to begin with~~ Really, you should have told me big sister.”

“How could I have told you…”

Yi De complained to Yun Chang unhappily but because Yun Chang did feel partially responsible, she could only weakly retort while smiling helplessly.

At least Yi De wasn’t injured, though her clothes were slices up quite a bit and were rife with holes. From the holes, one could see Yi De’s delicate and smooth skin. Under the weak moonlight, this young lady appeared deliciously seductive in my eyes.

De, delicious, what am I thinking…

“Lord Tais.h.i.+ Ci, if you could have known earlier that this was a misunderstanding, then there wouldn’t be so much trouble.”

“Lu Meng, don’t demand so much from someone with nightblindness.”

“Hmph! Really, look at how I am now.”

On the other side, Lu Meng was frowning and pouting with her thin lips as she walked towards Tais.h.i.+ Ci. Because of the fight with Yi De just now, she was covered in soil and leaves and looked terrible.

But just as I expected, Lu Meng is a girl too. Her age seems to be about the same as Yi De, probably about 13 or 14. Her beautiful brown hair was tied back in a ponytail with 2 tails at the side, making her look even more like a kid. A pair of deep obsidian eyes were set in her slightly round face, and gave the impression that she was a naive little girl who had not yet gone through any hards.h.i.+p. But this impression changes immediately to one of caution when one sees the hook swords in her hands. Though her clothes were sky blue in colour, she wore a red cloth around her right hand which stood out against the rest of her clothes.

(TL: In case you forgot, Yi De is 16.)

“Stop complaining about this and that, where were you when I got discovered?”

“I, I saw that the situation wasn’t favourable and decided to follow in secret and wait for an opportunity.” After getting retorted and questioned by Tais.h.i.+ Ci, Lu Meng struggled to find a reply as she stammered. “… But I didn’t know they would divide their forces.”

“What!! You still have the cheek to say that?!” Yi De couldn’t listen any further jumped over to where Lu Meng was, “Our operations were going well but then you suddenly jumped down from the trees and even injured my subordinate.”

“You talk too much, muscle woman! I was actually planning to pin you down but even so, there wasn’t the need to chop down the tree I landed on right!”

“How was I to know who you were then! And didn’t you slice my clothing as well? How are you going to compensate me huh!”

Hai, no matter how strong their skills are at martial arts, no matter how fierce their personalities are, a kids’ fight is a kids’ fight huh…

“Stop arguing, or do you still want a taste of what I and Yun Chang can do?”

“Hii!” “Eep!”

Just as the 2 were about to come to blows once more, Feng Xian uttered that line in a low voice and made the 2 who were arguing cry out in weird voices. They turned to look at Feng Xian, and then shook hands and wore smiles on their faces.

I don’t know if it’s my misconception but I could see much fear in the smiles of those 2.

We followed behind Tais.h.i.+ Ci, as we headed to Sun Ce’s encampment.

We were planning on returning to our respective camps after this but Tais.h.i.+ Ci suddenly proposed a meeting between me and Sun Ce. “I speak of you often with my lord, and she has also expressed an interest in meeting you.”

Maa, I’m not too tired so might as well.

I let Zhang Liao bring back the soldiers while Feng Xian and my 2 little sisters went along with me to Sun Ce’s camp on the other side of the forest.

“But is visiting General Sun Ce at such a late time alright?”

“Ah, it’s fine it’s fine. My lord is a night owl and won’t sleep until the time when people usually wake up.”

… Looks like she’s another weirdo.

It was way past the middle of the night but we were still travelling in the forest. The cries of insects were slowly fading away and the forest became deeper and quieter.

In the midst of primal nature is when one can feel how small and helpless one truly is.

Every time, I have such feelings, I will always try to apply stuff I learnt from G.o.d knows where, and try to be one with nature. Whenever I do so, I always feel great relief from letting go of pessimistic thoughts and derive new insights to unresolved problems.

And so every time I am met with such scenes, I will feel a p.r.i.c.kling, comfortable warmth in my heart.

As we walked, Yun Chang and Yi De were explaining to Feng Xian what happened just now in the forest in detail; and soon, we saw the light from fires between the trees.