𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 | 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗

𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗴 was tired. After their morning announcement, they had been sent out into the middle of the parade grounds to begin their basic. For hours, Sheng, Mulan and the other men, if you could call them that, had been practicing the same basic martial arts maneuvers, over and over again. Using only their arms, legs and body, they were supposed to defend themselves with minimal effort. Sheng's arms ached from swinging through the air, and he was sure he heard his shoulder pop out of place as he threw a strong punch. But Sheng didn't let the pain get to him. As other soldiers fell to the ground in exhaustion. Sheng and Mulan kept going, a friendly competitive aura surrounding them. Sheng felt Commander Tung's eyes on him and Mulan and it fueled his determination. At one point, Sheng's body had gone numb, and his limbs moved as if they were pulled by strings. It reminded Sheng of being in the village, watching Xiu and Mulan practice weaving on the loom, the actions of theirs becoming so routine that their minds could wander.

Now, Sheng couldn't afford to let his thoughts drift and distract him from the task presented to him. He soon heard Sergeant Qiang's booming voice fill the grounds, yelling at Mulan to redo the move, causing a smile to bloom on his face. Satisfied, Sheng watched as the Sergeant moved on to torment another conscript. Honghui.

Honghui's moves were fresh, his face still focused. Cricket and Longwei were not faring well. Both were panting, their faces red and sweat pouring from their brows. Another competitive wave washed over and he felt fresh energy infuse his aching body. He wasn't going to let Mulan or Honghui beat him. Physically for Mulan, but, he sure as hell wasn't going to let Honghui beat him mentally or physically.

As the day progressed, the conscripts were moved from one part of the camp to another. They spent time in the archery range, shooting arrows at the line of wicker targets set up on the hill. At the sergeant's order, the soldiers would notch their arrows and raise their bows. Then, they would release the arrows, sending it towards the target. Sheng focused, his eyes steady on the target. But it didn't seem to matter. Each time his arrow was sent flying, it missed the target only by a bit. Luckily, the others were having seemed to be having trouble too. Mulan's came up short. Honghui's arrows flew wide while Po kept breaking the bowstring. Only Cricket, ironically, had enough luck. Pulling back his arrow, he held his bow awkwardly in front of him. Sheng and Mulan could see his hand shaking from the effort of keeping the bow steady. Then he closed his eyes and let the arrow fly. It zipped across the field and with a loud THWAP! struck the target right in the center. Sheng looked over at Mulan, seeing her eyes meet Honghui's. They shared an astonished look, one that made Sheng chuckle.

Their grueling training continued into that night and the days that followed. Mulan had still avoided showers with the other soldiers, volunteering for night watch. Sheng noticed that she was exhausted and he felt pity for the girl. But there was no time to relax. As soon as they learned how to move their limbs in the series of martial art maneuvers, they were given their swords and required to learn the moves all over again. They continued to work on the archery field, the sun beating down on their backs as arrows flew left, right and occasionally straight. But that was not the worst of it.

The worst was the shrine. Day after day, when the sun was highest in the sky and hottest on their shoulders, the conscripts were given two buckets of water. Lifting the heavy, awkward vessel out until their arms were level with their shoulders, they were told to climb. The shrine, a huge structure situated on top of a rocky cliff was only accessible by hundreds of narrow stone steps.

Closing his eyes and inhaling through his nose, Sheng began the climb. The first few steps were manageable. But as he continued upward, his arms started to shake and tremble. Besides him and in front of him, the strongest of men began to stumble, failing the challenge. Water sloshed over the edges of his bucket and he felt his arms growing weaker until he dropped his arms, his buckets crashing to the ground, water spilling on the steps. He looked back, seeing Mulan was only a few steps behind him, she was seated on the ground, her buckets to the side of her. Up ahead of Sheng and Mulan, Honghui, who had made it farther than anyone, gave up too. Sheng laid on the grass, trying to catch his breath, furious at himself and his weakness. He shared a look with Mulan, confirming that she indeed thought the same.

Hearing a shout from Sergeant Qiang, Sheng saw that the others had dumped their buckets and were making their way back down the few steps that they had climbed. As they arrived at the base of the steps, the soldiers rushed towards a large trough of water. They pushed each other out of the way, thirsty and impatient. Sheng and Mulan approached slowly. Waiting until the others had finished, they stepped forward. Mulan took the ladle and began to drink water. Sheng snorted, sending her a playful glare before cupping his hands and scooping water into his mouth.

As the water hit his lips, Sheng and Mulan bit back a groan. Their eyes closed, they didn't notice Commander Tung watching them.

In the middle of chaos, they were composed. His eyes narrowed, Hua Jun and Hua Sheng were a surprise. The Commander nodded to himself. Hua Jun and Hua Sheng were people to keep an eye on. He continued to stare at them, his eyes boring into the side of their heads, pleasantly intrigued.