𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 | 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓

Sheng waited patiently for Mulan, immediately rushing to her side as she entered the tent, a confused expression upon her face.

"Are you alright? What happened?" he asked in concern. 

She laughed lightly, seeing his worried expression. "Don't worry, Sheng. I haven't been kicked out yet."

Sheng let out a sigh of relief, dramatically gasping and placing a hand over his heart. "You had me worried sick! I thought I was going to have to get myself kicked out."

She scoffed and playfully shoved him. "We all know that you would be the first one to get kicked out. I would be the last person that would be kicked out if . . ."

Sheng interrupted her, changing the subject, knowing where the conversation was leading too. "How was the talk with Commander Tung"

"Good" she responded. 

For the rest of the night, they talked and chatted about Mulan's conversation with Commander Tung, both of them interested in his words.

'Time Skip' 

"The chi pervades the universe and all living things."

The morning after Mulan's conversation with Commander Tung,  they were called out to the parade grounds. Arranging them in a circle around him, he moved in a series of slow, intricate motions. 

As he moved, he spoke. The conscripts watched, mesmerized by the way the commander's body seemed to be one with his weapon. His sword became an extension of his arm; his legs, like roots of a tree, were firmly planted on the ground until they lifted and appeared to become light as feathers. He signaled to them, and Sheng, Mulan and the others began to mirror his moves. 

"We are all born with it," Commander Tung continued. "But only the most dedicated will connect deeply to his chi and become a great warrior."

Sheng focused, his body moving on it's own accord, the commander's voice rolling over him like the water of the lake, each bringing a calmness upon him. 

"Tranquil as a forest," he said. "But on fire within."

Swinging his arm through the air, Sheng practiced the movements over and over again. He trained with Mulan throughout the afternoon and then later besides the Magnolia Tree, patiently waiting for Mulan. Mulan joined him silently, both of them practicing under the light of the moon. With every swish of their sword, their chi grew stronger. It blossomed, like the leaves on the magnolia tree by the lake's shore. The sensation was empowering and strange, like something wholly new but also strangely familiar.