Chapter 23

The sky was already dark when Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei went out of his tent. He dozed for several hours after drinking the broth that Tang Lao Fang brought to him. Amazingly, his body felt light and energized- ready to fight the Hsien enemies again.

As with the previous nights, the sky remained moonless and starless that you would lost your direction if you did not have a lantern or a lamp in your hand. He walked into the camp and saw his subordinates warming themselves by the fire. They greeted him as he passed which he too returned.

As he looked around the camp, his heart was filled with remorse and regret upon seeing the damage and loss his command had had after the encounter with Hsien Army Hong se unit. A lot of his men had died and their reinforcements were almost useless; the bodies were buried in a mass grave to prevent the smell of the decaying bodies from spreading any disease among the remaining men in the camp. How would they survive with their meager number and resources?

Some of his men even picked and piled all the weapons that were left after the skirmish, be it from theirs or that of the Hsein army Hong se unit.

He pondered deeply upon his and his men's situation. He needed more men. He badly needed them if he wished to survive the next encounter with the Hsien army. Although, he was a skilled warrior, he had doubts of surviving the campaign to the enemies base with just a few men.

He whistled through his fingers and, in a few seconds, a falcon swiftly appeared and landed on his outstretched arm.

"Shan de Tiangkong," he cooed to the bird. He tied a little parchment on its talon and whistled an odd tune before sending the bird drifting back to the wide dark sky. He greatly hoped that it would hastily send the message to the Imperial Palace.

Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei was staring at his falcon as it flew away when someone called him.

"Lu Wang Wei"

Lu Wang Wei stared to the direction of the voice and acknowledged the one who called him. "Lu Jinhai"

"I wish to speak to you-in private."

"About what?"

"I'll tell you but can we go to a more secluded place where no one from the camp can hear us?" Lu Jinhai suggested. There was something about the tone of his voice that indicated that they would be talking about a serious matter.

"Of course," Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei nodded and followed Lu Jinhai who led him outside of the camp to a secluded area in the forest.

When they were away from the camp, Lu Jinhai started to attack Wang Wei with questions and words, "Where had been during the start of the encounter with the Hsein Army? Why did you come in late? Did you see the damage those Hsien armies done to us? You are assigned as the Jinzhou of this campaign but it seems you are being lenient about it."

"I have to do something important." Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei merely replied in a voice devoid of emotion.

Lu Jinhai stared at Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei disbelievingly. "Important? You are not in the Imperial Palace; what other important thing should you attend than to lead us during the war? Instead of leading us to the war, you only came into action when a lot of our men had died. What kind of leader are you?"

"That is none of your business, Lu Jinhai," Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei said dismissively and started to walk away.

"None of my business," Lu Jinhai muttered with indignation. "How come it is none of my business when the success of this campaign means the safety the Empire and the people - including me? Do you think me a fool? Merely joining the war without any thoughts of our people's welfare? Oh, come on, Lu Wang Wei, admit it you are being lenient which resulted to the loss of our men and most of our resources. Who knows if we all died during the war while you are away. Stop being all superior and perfect. Admit your mistake."

Lu Jinhai's words hit a mark in Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei that his aloof features had finally showed the emotion that was brewing inside him. His eyes glittering with regret and suppressed tears. "You are right, Lu Jinhai. I became lenient and because of that i had placed our army in jeopardy. I admit my mistake. I swear to our ancestors that if I could bring back the time, this disaster that came upon us will never happen."

Lu Jinhai was taken aback by the placating attitude of the usually aloof Jinzhou. It took him a few moments to respond.

"Where had you been when the war started, Wang Wei?" Lu Jinhai asked in a calmer voice.

"I have to sort myself, Lu Jinhai," Jinzhou Lu Wang Wei said, still not wanting to disclose the reason. "I have my apprehensions. I promise you though that this will be last time that I will commit such grave mistake."

"You have always been a secretive person, Wang Wei; no one can really get information out of you unless you want to give it. No wonder you gained favor from the Son of Heaven," Lu Jinhai commented reflectively. "Anyway, I'll owe up to your promise, ."

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The sky looked like a wide canvas; it was as if a black ink was splashed onto it and, then created a flurry of dark colors in varying hues. Though several trees surrounded the camp, the air felt still - utterly still that it seemed that she had attended a wake of the dead with the absence of mourning ladies.

Yan Mei Ling opted to stay at a secluded part of the camp in solitude. She could not sleep. She had been thinking and reflecting the whole day.

She had this sense of foreboding that was nettling her ever since the encounter with the Hsien army - it was as if that something dark and dangerous was about to happen but whatever it was; it was unknown to her. She felt like a prey being pursued in a wide and thick forest that was full of predators hiding within, bidding their time until they could find the perfect moment to catch her unaware and, ultimately, go for the kill. She placed her hand on her chest and could feel the intense and nervous vibrations of her heart.

A momentary gust of the wind had landed on the place which made the trees swayed violently. But then just like a passing dark force or magic, it was gone.

She felt kind of hysterical about how the her thoughts go to or how her mind seemed to imagine bad events in comparison to what just happened to her just like the fleeting gust of the wind. In fact, she felt that the wind was an enemy and its suddeness seemed like that it had took someone or something important away from her life. She felt frightened and, fervently prayed that it was just her imagination that was running wild. She could not bear losing something or someone important right now. It was most unthinkable. Her heart could not handle it. She thought that her training with her master and joining the imperial tournament had made her tough and ready for the war but she was very wrong. She had overestimated herself and had impulsively followed her heart not caring for the consequences.

War was totally different story for it could break you in many ruthless ways. It could affect your thinking and emotion, and would warp your previous views about life. Somehow, she had regretted her decision for she missed her best friend, father and the villagers.

"Oh, baba," she mumbled in remorse as she understood the real reason behind her father's extreme objection of her joining the Imperial army.

It was not just because she was a female. He might have been very strict but he never clip her wings. She realized that her father was just protecting her from the terrible things that happened during the war.

For a war was no vacation. It was a very dangerous mission with only two outcomes: either you live victorious or die as an unnamed casualty.

Another wave of agony and fear hit her again, she would not want to think about any negative things but it seemed that they would not refrain from entering her mind. She was tempted to slam her head to the thick old tree where she was leaning her back on if that could only make her forget the things that had been bothering her.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

There went the nervous beat of her heart. Sleep was still evasive yet her thoughts were still scattered. She could not fathom what was happening to her or where the fear in her heart had taken its roots. She just felt utterly and unnaturally afraid. She took a deep breath to calm herself but, unfortunately, it did nothing. In the end, she went back to the camp and, desperately wished that she could sleep her fears and sadness away.

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Author's Notes:

Hello, guys, I will have to inform you that "Moonlight" is already nearing its end. 7 more chapters and I am done with it. I hope though that you will still support it and, of course, my new novel "Through Your Eyes". You can start reading it's synopsis on my list of works. The final cover will be uploaded (if ever I'll make another) as soon as I am done with "Moonlight". : )