Disorder in the Palace, Love Blossoms

Chapter 5

"Do either of you have any ideas on how to stop them?" Cao Cao inquired.

"We could try cutting them. Ghosts are weakened by iron, and our people use iron weapons, right? We shouldn't have too much trouble then." Guo Jia stated.

"I would suggest using salt, but it has the same effect as iron and only dissipates them for a few moments. I do know of a way to permanently dispel them, but I would rather not use it." Xun Yu said as he remembered something that happened in his past, and a cold shiver ran up his spine.

"How do you know so much about ghosts, Xun Yu? You always seem so scared of them and try to avoid the topic. Is there something you haven't told us?" Guo Jia asked, curious as to why his friend never bothered mentioning his knowledge about ghosts before.

Cao Cao also seemed interested in what Xun Yu's answer to Guo Jia's question would be, especially after seeing how he acted during their encounter with Zhang Jiao's ghost.

"I-I'd rather not say." Xun Yu replied, fidgeting with his thumbs as he stared at the floor.

Cao Cao said that they both offered good suggestions and dismissed them. Guo Jia and Xun Yu walked out of the room, and Guo Jia apologized to Xun Yu for putting him in such an uncomfortable position. Xun Yu accepted his apology, and Guo Jia pondered the idea of telling Xun Yu that their Lord had a crush on him; however, he decided that now wasn't a good time to bring it up. Instead, he decided to ask the man if he wanted to get something to eat, and when the man nodded his head yes, the two walked in the direction of the cafeteria. In the cafeteria, a funny sight greeted their eyes.

"Xun You get back here! You can't resist my love forever!" Jia Xu exclaimed as he chased Xun You around the cafeteria.

"Please stop!" Xun You yelled as he continued to try and outrun Jia Xu.

Xun Yu, Guo Jia, and everyone else in the room burst out laughing at the humorous scene before going back to their conversations. Eventually, it became night time, and the two strategists parted ways. Xun Yu was excited to finally lay down and go to sleep. He was exhausted and desperately fought to keep his eyes open during the last half of the day, but now that night was here, he could finally close his eyes and sleep. When he finally made it to his room and laid down on the bed, his heavy eyes closed and he drifted into a peaceful slumber. The next morning, Xun Yu and Guo Jia decided to eat breakfast together in the cafeteria, and it was then that Guo Jia decided to tell the man about their Lord's unspoken feelings for him.

"Xun Yu, I can guess how you're going to react, but I have to tell you something about our Lord." Guo Jia said, noticing as Xun Yu curiously arched his brow before his calm face became one of worry.

"Is he okay? Is something wrong with him? I should go see him now." Xun Yu stated, his voice full of concern as he got up to try and go see their ruler. Guo Jia gently grabbed the man's wrist and pulled him back down to his seat.

"Our Lord is fine. I just wanted to tell you something, and you're probably going to be confused by it, but... our Lord has a crush on you." Guo Jia gushed, forcing the words to quickly leave his lips before someone took the chance to interrupt him, as usual.

Xun Yu immediately stopped eating and turned to look at the man with a bewildered expression, and Guo Jia couldn't tell what he was thinking. A smile slowly formed on Xun Yu's lip, and Guo Jia didn't know why he was smiling but he decided to awkwardly smile with him.

"You have to be joking. It wouldn't be proper for me to have a relationship with our Lord, much less think about it, but here you are saying that he has a crush on me. I know that I should be opposed to it, but, if what you said is true, then I feel strangely happy. Is that normal?" Xun Yu asked, trying to come to terms with what he was feeling.

"Yes, that's normal," Guo Jia said excitedly. "If you didn't feel anything at all, not even anger, then I would have been worried about you. What I said was completely true, but he didn't want me to tell you about it." Guo Jia looked up and his face paled with fear. "Oops."

"Oops?" The familiar voice repeated questioningly. Xun Yu's heart began to beat vigorously against his chest. Not this again.

Xun Yu sat frozen in place. He felt his cheeks start to simmer, and Guo Jia nervously laughed as the Lord gave him a questioning look.

"Uh, it was nothing Lord Cao Cao. I accidentally..." Guo Jia looked around for an excuse, and the first thing his eyes landed on was Xun Yu. "Yes, I accidentally touched Xun Yu's butt."

Xun Yu's face turned a shade of vermillion as he gave Guo Jia a death glare. Now he was never going to look up from his lap. How embarrassing the entire situation was, and Guo Jia glaring at their Lord, who glared back in response, didn't help things at all. Xun Yu awkwardly sat there, wishing that he was anywhere but there. Guo Jia, why did you have to say that? This is so awkward. They aren't looking over here, maybe I can use this chance to escape. Xun Yu quietly got up and Guo Jia and Cao Cao continued to glare daggers at each other, and when he was finally close to escaping, a hand gently grabbed his wrist. Oh no! It's him, isn't it? Xun Yu thought, bracing himself before turning and confirming his suspicions. He desperately wanted to disappear or hit his head on the nearby wall until he passed out, both of those looked like good options at the moment. Please don't say anything about it. Xun Yu quietly pleaded in his head.

"There is no use in trying to sneak off. I need to speak with you about our plan for Bixie." Cao Cao said, his eyes never leaving Xun Yu's face.

Guo Jia frowned and shook his head. He all ready knew what their Lord was going to say to him. The two quietly exited the room and walked to Cao Cao's quarters. The two sat down inside, and, from the way their Lord was acting, Xun Yu could tell that something was bothering him. The Lord looked at Xun Yu and did his best to speak in a calm voice, one that didn't reveal any of the emotions that he was feeling. He told Xun Yu that he was taking Guo Jia, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan with him to Luoyang in the morning so that they could stop the ghosts and Bixie from terrorizing the city. This revelation caused Xun Yu to look at Cao Cao in shock, he couldn't believe what he was hearing because their Lord usually took him everywhere. Why was this time different? Cao Cao then went on to say that he had decided to leave Xun Yu in charge of Xuchang while he was absent, and he cited Xun Yu's discomfort with performing the banishing ability he had as the reason for his decision. Xun Yu stared at him in shock, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Has he gone crazy? I can't let them go on their own. Not when they could get seriously hurt or worse. I can't just sit here in silence, I have to say something.

"But, my Lord, I think it would be best if you left Xiahou Dun or Xiahou Yuan in charge of things here and, instead, allowed me to accompany you. It is true that I am uncomfortable with using that skill, but I am more than willing to use it considering the circumstances. It would be foolish to leave me here. You could get hurt or worse, and I couldn't bear knowing that I wasn't there to help. So please, let me go with you." Xun Yu pleaded, desperately hoping that Cao Cao would change his mind.

Cao Cao could hear the sincerity in Xun Yu's voice, the desperate desire to help, and, for a moment, he reconsidered his decision. But then the lifeless image of Xun Yu drifted into his mind again, bringing with it emotions that he had hoped to never feel again, and he had to adamantly refuse the strategist's request. He just couldn't risk losing Xun Yu. Losing him was not a risk that he was willing to take, and, while he knew that the reasoning behind it was selfish, he just couldn't bear the thought of Xun Yu dying. And so, he looked at the man in front of him, the one whom he held in his arms countless nights as he died, and he buried the feelings that threatened to spill from his eyes before speaking and causing pain to the one that he was forced to love in silence.