(Qing's POV)
Dark came.
Our contingent continued to walk the road to Hubei with torches lighting our way. With the Master General, General Liuwie and two coronels, Jiang and I together with our second in commands are riding horses as our troops walk behind us, banners in their hands.
We will not stop for camp for another two hours. We made a short stop during mid afternoon to clear a way when we encounter a fallen tree.
Before we left the base I told Jiang and Mei to be alert, not giving any particular reason why.
Jiang looked insulted, "Have I ever been not alert when we are on guard duty?" He asked, annoyed. "Mei, talk to your Captain, he is irritating me and we are about to get our swords, I might accidentally cut him," he added before leaving to check on his troop.
Mei sighed while watching Jiang walk away, "Captain, I think Captain Jiang is irritated at you,"
I winced and just nodded at my second in command. Mei gave me a faint smile, "I will be alert today Captain. Count on me,"
I pat his shoulder, my ever reliable second in command.
Now as darkness blind our way and shadows play around us, I stayed extra alert. I silently pat the neck of my horse, it too felt the tension on it's rider and I am making it feel agitated as me.
We are turning on a bent road when I heard the first swish of a metal slicing the air.
Then a black figure appear on the road before us.
My breath hitch, "The Shadow," I said as the figure raise a hand and another swish whistle as he threw something in the air. General Liuwie, sitting on his horse behind me got hit with something and fell down on his horse.
That signal for more figures in black to come out of the shadow and attack us.
I leap from my horse, shouting to my troops to form a defensive line. Jiang not far behind me.
"Protect the generals!" I shouted as I unsheath my sword and engage a figure dressed entirely in black with only his eyes exposed.
Assasins.
A battle commence. Metals clashes, blades glittering in the dark. I kick my opponent and ran to General Liuwei fallen figure. I took off his helmet to make sure if he is dead when light shone on his face.
This is not General Liuwie, but a common soldier. Someone rode his horse in stead of him and got killed.
"General Liuwie!" I shouted and I saw General Zong and a soldier with the coronels huddled close to a tree being protected by at least ten soldiers, protected.
I fisted my hands, General Liuwie, paranoid that he is, decided to wore a soldier's uniform and put someone else on his horse.
I stood up and swung my sword to someone coming at me, that black figure drop on the ground, dead.
Jiang, his second in command and Mei are also engaged in fighting. We are being attacked by at least a hundred shrouded figures.
I look around, then my eyes saw him. The first figure that blocked our path. I am sure, I feel it deep inside me, all my senses are screaming at me, I am finally seeing the infamous assasin they all call "The Shadow".
He did something I anticipated that he will do. He attacked us together with his cohorts, paid assasins like him.
He is fighting soldiers and trying to come closer to the protected generals. Mei, coming out of nowhere to stand on his path started fighting him.
But Mei is no match to him. In just a few moves he swung, twirl and pivoted around to play with Mei's training, making my second in command graceful moves looks clumsy. The assasin bypassed Mei, pounding him on the back and hitting Mei's nape with the hilt of his sword, Mei swayed on his feet.
Then Jiang tried his luck but he too didn't get any swipe at "The Shadow". With a move as quick as lightning, he caught both Jiang's arms, Jiang who is bigger and taller than him, under his pit, made Jiang lose his sword then hit Jiang's face with the hilt of his sword on the captain's face.
Jiang staggered, taking the blows on his head. "The Shadow" abandoned him and continued his way to the generals.
I frown as the assasin bypassed more soldiers, fighting them but...
He is not killing them. He has a clear target, General Liuwie.
I ran to him, shoving and kicking and slashing black figures who stood on my way.
Before "The Shadow" reach the generals, I stood in front of him. A little breathless but I still raise my sword in front of me.
Our eyes meet. My heart jolted. Those eyes. They look and feel...familiar.
"The Shadow" raise his sword swung it to me. Our two blades meet and that started a fight between us.
He is strong. His swings are forceful and precise. His moves fast and sure. Clearly someone who trained for a long time to be the best assasin alive today.
But I am the defense specialist. I think it is time to let him have a taste on how to fight someone like me.
I called a little of my strength and started blocking his attacks. My sword swung to block and counter his slashes. I put a hand behind my back and steady my stance, like how Master Gao taught me.
"Steady feet, plant them on the ground Young Master Qing. Then eyes on the weapon and the hand handling it. Start blocking,"
And that's what I do. I started blocking his attacks. Without any thoughts of counter attacking. Just depending.
That's what differs a defense specialist to other fighters. We just defend, we don't counter attack. Conserving our energy that way. Expanding just enough and wait for our opponent to get tired.
Well this one is not getting tired. With a surprising move, the assasin jump and roll in the air to get behind me and slash my back, but I turn fast and block his blade.
He turn his head to look at me, his chest heaving, he looked at me from head to toe then his eyes came back to my face. I frown when I saw surprise there.
Then with a move I never expected from an infamous assasin known to kill all his target. He turn around and ran into the forest.
It took me a moment to recover from the shock of finding "The Shadow" running, when I got back from my surprise, I ran after him.
(Mei's POV)
When Captain Wang ran after Dayu I knew that it is my cue to start my mission.
Inside my uniform is a note a soldier passed to me. A soldier that is in our alliance.
He is not originally a part of the scouting team, but I noticed him discreetly joining our rank when we stopped to clear the road blocked by a fallen tree.
Somewhere in the forest, a soldier originally part of the scouting team is either unconcious or dead so this soldier who is an ally of ours can join us.
He discreetly pass a small parchment to me and I hide for a bit to read the note in Dayu's handwriting.
Change of plan. You will kill General Liuwie. I will provide the distraction. When you are ready to kill him, shout "protect the generals".
Then when the soldier came to me again, he slip a short thin bamboo stick on my uniform.
Just the right size to conceal a poisoned dart.
I watch as the spies of Governor Feng engaged soldier. Then more emerged from the shadow. They are not killing soldiers, they just keep them busy.
These spies move quickly, avoiding the attacks of the soldiers.
I walked backwards until I got close to where the generals and the coronels are. My jaw ticked when I saw General Liuwie wearing a common soldier's uniform. He had put someone on his horse and decided to blend in with our soldiers.
Cowardly bastard.
I will kill him.
"Protect the generals!" I shouted as I stood beside General Liuwie. That is the code phrase.
All black figures stopped fighting, they retreated and form a line. Jiang and his second in command as well as our still standing soldiers walked backwards to shield us.
I took out the bamboo stick from my uniform, slide the posioned dart from there. Carefully avoiding to prick myself.
That would be embarassing, if I kill myself with poisoned dart meant for an enemy. When I have handled poisoned darts almost as many times as Dayu.
The black figured raised there hands and in a blink of an eye, shower our contigent with darts.
"Take cover!" Jiang shouted as he turn his back from the black figures raining us with darts.
Meanwhile, I put an arm on General Liuwie, trying to shield him, I look into his eyes and nodded.
Then I slowly stick the poisoned dart into his side.