Rising Phoenix

"The White Head Mountain trail is almost cleared." Feng Zhiwei began as she convened with her subordinates in a secret staging ground under a short hill. "The last parts are cliff ground, but the way is not too steep, though it will still be difficult to travel quietly. We'll bring only the most elite in our sneak attack; I will lead our attack on Jin Siyu's tent. The others will follow Chunyu and Yangyu to White Spirit Lake, five miles from their camp. Wrap your horse's hoofs with grass and shut their mouths with wooden sticks. Your signal will be a red flare, and once we've secured the main tent, you will storm the camp."

"I will follow you!" Yao Yangyu called out loyally.

"No." Feng Zhiwei refused cleanly, "Your Kungfu is not good enough."

The various young masters stiffened with offended pride and glared like so many roosters, but Feng Zhiwei ignored them all. Meanwhile, Chunyu Meng was taking pleasure in their shared misfortune, gleeful that everyone else were also being left behind.

"We will be very careful!" Yao Yangyu promised eagerly, but as he looked up at White Head Mountain some anxiety filled his heart.

"You will only be burdens." Feng Zhiwei replied, sparing no feelings, "Do you think storming the camp will be easy? They have a hundred thousand soldiers!"

"Then why are you bringing her?" Yu Liang nodded unhappily at Hua Qiong.

The young woman unsheathed her twin blades and displayed them for Yu Liang: "Why? Unsheathe your blade and see!"

Yu Liang eyed Hua Xiong silently; though they had both began practicing Kung Fu after leaving their childhood homes, she was still his superior.

Black Widow!"

"Boy toy!"

And so they fought like angry chickens, bristling and showing off their flashy feathers as Feng Zhiwei continued the meeting.

"Mister Zong will accompany your team." Feng Zhiwei said calmly, pointing at a map, "The terrain has been studied. There is a hidden hole by this cliff, and if anything happens we can always retreat here; we will be safe. Your team will be outnumbered ten to one as you fight your way forward, and your task is much more difficult. You need not worry for me, Brother Gu will be by my side."

Yao Yangyu was about to speak again, but Feng Zhiwei had already stood, ending the conversation. They all turned as a human shadow flew through the air and thudded on the ground beside them.

A miserable man was stuck face down in the mud.

Some distance away, Young Master Gu clapped his hands clean and said: "Eavesdropping," before leisurely strolling off.

The man struggling to pry his face from the ground was Ning Yi's man, Field Officer Wei Yu. Under no circumstance would Feng Zhiwei have ever allowed him to join their top secret military meeting.

"General…" Wei Yu croaked, climbing to his feet and meeting Feng Zhiwei's half-smiling eyes. A shiver ran down his spine as he hurriedly continued: "Your plan is too risky…"

"Are you going to report this to Prince Chu?" Feng Zhiwei asked, ignoring his warning.

Wei Yu nodded honestly, his eyes sincere as he stared at her and said: "General, His Highness has personally asked me to say: no matter what the plan, you must listen to the message Field Officer Yao passed to you. He also said that every matter must be relayed to him no matter what. This is an Imperial Order, I… cannot disobey."

"Then go report." Feng Zhiwei replied to general surprise. She clapped her hand, and Young Master Gu appeared beside her with a crippled donkey.

The donkey was extremely old, extremely ugly, and extremely weak, with gunk-filled lifeless eyes.

Feng Zhiwei eyed Young Master Gu with admiration; she had only said to find a donkey, and he had actually found such an unbelievably terrible specimen.

Wei Yu stared askance at the donkey's skinny back, his face twisted with bitter suspicion.

Riding this donkey over a hundred miles? When he made it to the main camp, the war would have long since ended.

"Go." Feng Zhiwei urged kindly, personally helping the man mount the donkey. Once he was secured, she patted the donkey's ass and the old animal began swaying forward. "Send my regards to His Highness, and don't bother returning the donkey. Just say that it's my gift for His Highness health — fresh flowers for beauties, and treasure donkeys for virtuous princes. Wei Zhi's kindness, please urge His Highness to accept."

And so Wei Yu went in sad dismay, riding off to "report" to the prince. Feng Zhiwei turned her eyes to the heavens and continued: "Helian Zheng's military provisions will be here soon. Let us eat and then depart. Success or failure will be known tonight at second watch!

…

Autumn wind swept waves through tall grass, brushing through again and again, carrying off little dying sparks from a camp fire.

Beside the fire stood a carriage, and inside lay a woman weeping.

Big Roc sighed as he carried a piece of roasted lamb leg over to the carriage, his voice gently as he said: "Aunt Medora, you should eat."

His only reply was a louder, more miserable cry.

"The King is too cruel!" A guard sitting by the fire complained, "Why does he refuse to take Aunt Medora along? She cannot even move right now, so what is the King afraid of?"

"Truthfully I believe Aunt Medora is correct; she cannot be sent back to King's Court." Another guard added, furrowing his brow. "The Queen, you all know, is very formidable; if Aunt returns like this, I'm afraid the the Queen may immediately send her back to De Zhou."

"How could she return to that place!" Another man yelled angrily, "Look what they did to her!"

"Central Plain's women truly have scheming minds, easily keeping the King's favor!"

"Too true!"

"Stop gossiping about royals!" Big Roc strode over and yelled at them. The guards all shut up, but after a moment one of them could not resist saying: "Master Big Roc, just look at Auntie's state. If she does not eat or drink and just cries, I'm afraid that before we reach King's Court, she'll…"

Big Roc's face fell. The guard's words were deeply concerning; the King had entrusted him with Medora; if anything happened, how could he face the King?

"I'll convince her." Big Roc returned to the carriage side.

"Aunt, you must eat. For better or worse, you must hold on until the King returns." Big Roc urged honestly as he squatted by the carriage door.

"Will I live to see his return?" Medora stilled her weeping to quietly whisper.

She finally spoke! Big Roc continued delightedly, saying: "You must hang on. The King will return soon, it will only be half a days journey…"

Medora was silent, and after a moment she quietly whispered: "I don't want to go to King's Court."

Big Roc rubbed his hands together helplessly, but Medora was already continuing: "Can we just wait here for him?"

Big Roc hesitated, his voice stretching: "This…"

Medora could sense his hesitation so she immediately added: "We are on the road back to King's Court, and you can just say that we were delayed. The King forbid me from following him, but he never said I could not wait for him. I… I don't dare return to King's Court…"

At that, she began weeping once more, her pitiful cries cutting deep into Big Roc's heart. As he breathed in the herbal medicine and faint sense of rot, Big Roc's felt a sour weight on his chest.

Several eavesdropping guards approached Big Roc and lent their words to support Medora, and finally the Valiant nodded.

Medora's weeping slowly faded and Big Roc sighed in relief. He strode off to find a good place to wait and quickly investigated a small, nearby stone mountain, and he had the guards drive the carriage to a cove at the foot of the mountain.

Medora's mood seemed to improve, and she even left the carriage to sit by the fire. She talked a little with the guards, helping to cook the lamb meat and handing it out to the men. When the guards saw her sincere eyes and weary face, their hearts grew tender and pitying, and none of them refused her cooking.