ZuoMeng: To Dream

Attack

YuQiao lifted her head slowly to look up at the person, and thought, "If I am going to die, I am going to die staring straight at this person's face. I am a warrior's daughter. I have pride. I am no coward. I will stare death with my head held high."

But she was lucky; she doesn't have to die because as it turns out it was her brother, her parent's first child who recovered his health after she had been adopted into the family and her father's subordinates that she bumped into instead of enemies. "Elder Brother," she cried out when their eyes met.

When he saw that her sister was being pursued, her brother quickly ordered the soldiers to protect her.

The soldiers acted quickly as they were trained in combat and rushed towards the enemies and started to fend them off one by one as her brother took her hand and heaved her on her legs and started running towards father's study room.

"The enemy had taken advantage of the wedding to attack the city," explained her brother as they moved along. "They had dug a secret passageway under the ground, which connects to the house on the end of the street. They had set fire all over the city and with the wind blowing so strongly tonight. It has been spreading wildly."

"Wait," and they stopped midway. "But that is YongSan's house. The one on the end of the street," exclaimed the girl.

"Yes, but everything is still unclear because YongSan is still missing. Come on let's hurry to the study, that where mother and the others are," rushed her brother and they began running again.

"Missing?" asked the YuQiao in between breath.

"I last saw him, when he said to father that he was going to the privy, but he hadn't come back for a long time. We all thought he went to see you. I wanted to clear things up, so I came here first instead of running to help father. I do not want to accuse him but..."

YuWei and YuQiao both did not say anything as they both acknowledge the fact that with his disappearance, the greater the fact or the possibility that he was involved in this incident.

YuWei sense her sister's uneasiness and he tried to comfort her, "Maybe YongSan is fighting elsewhere that's why he did not rush to you first. Anyway, I was worried about you. Thank the heavens that you are unhurt," her brother said with a smile which cheered YuQiao a little.

To reach the study they had to pass through the courtyard.

As they were nearing the place, she could already hear the sound of swords and spears clashing against each other as it resounded deeply into YuQiao's ears. But the shout of warriors, the screams of dying, and the cry of help was even more clear and apparent even in the midst of the chaos, which pains her more so.

The moon had already risen and was shining brightly in the night sky, but it was not the moon that was lighting the place, but the fire, that was burning all around the courtyard and everywhere else. 

It was burning even brighter than a normal fire as the wind she forecasted made the fire turn into a sea of flames.

And as they ran along, YuQiao saw many soldiers still fighting desperately. They were outnumbered by at least three to one.

Bowls and plates were smashed, as they fell from the table where they were placed delicately before. And the fragments were further stepped upon causing the china to be unrecognizable from each other. Wine cups were not spared as well as they were thrown at the enemy by guests to protect themselves.

Some tables and chairs were overturned, but it was the corpses that were lying all over the courtyard, that terrified her the most. They were even some that was laid along the corridor connecting the courtyard. She tried her hardest to avoid stepping on them.