Light and Shadow

Chapter 14 - The Stone's Power

As he exited the front door of his home and closed it behind him, a gust of cold night air blew, causing Xun Yu to chill. He made sure that his front door was secured and turned to begin walking to the market; however, he stumbled backwards as he collided with what felt like someone's chest or a metal wall. The person that he collided with quickly grabbed his arms and helped him to regain his balance. Xun Yu looked up and found himself staring face to face with Xiahou Dun, who then released his grip on him.

"My apologies for startling you, Minister," Xiahou Dun stated. He was clad in armor, a sign that he was on guard duty for the night. "I was just on my way over to visit you. Are you heading into town? It can be dangerous at night. Please, allow me to accompany you."

Xun Yu looked over the man's shoulder and noticed that a man, cloaked in black, was watching them from amidst a nearby thicket of trees. Xun Yu quickly took a step back and increased the distance between them. He didn't know why someone would spy on him, and he wanted to avoid giving them any form of ammunition to blackmail him with.

"General, I am honored by your visit, but I promise that I will be fine. Please don't inconvenience yourself." Xun Yu stated.

"Nonsense. I will accompany you, and that is final." Xiahou Dun replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Okay, as you wish." Xun Yu said.

The two then began walking toward the market together, and the cold wind blew once again. Xun Yu shivered and glanced to his left. Looking past Xiahou Dun, he saw that the spy was following them. He frowned and did his best to hide the disappointment that he felt for having his plan interrupted by Xiahou Dun. I guess I won't be able to go through with my plan for tonight, but I should warn Xiahou Dun that someone is following us.

"General," Xun Yu whispered as he moved closer to the man. "Someone is following us."

"I am aware of that," Xiahou Dun replied quietly. "Cousin suspected that our enemy would be up to something tonight and asked me to check on you. Just stay close to me."

Xun Yu nodded and walked with Xiahou Dun in silence. Maybe it is a good thing that he disrupted my plans for this evening. Xiahou Dun looked over at the shivering man and smiled. He reached behind the chest piece of his armor and produced a familiar long sleeve black shirt. He passed it to Xun Yu, who held it in his hands with a surprised expression.

"I was thinking, and you need that shirt more than I do. You can keep it." Xiahou Dun stated.

"General, I can't accept this." Xun Yu said.

He felt as though it would be rude to accept Xiahou Dun's gift without having anything to gift him in return.

"I insist. Besides, I think you will be needing that," Xiahou Dun replied as he leaned in closer to him. "Two more are following us now. Put it on quickly. You're clearly freezing, and things might get ugly soon."

Xun Yu nodded and did as the man said. Xiahou Dun looked over at him and chuckled, as he wore the severely oversized shirt overtop of his paofu. The shirt stopped just above his knees and the sleeves dangled loosely at his sides. Xun Yu thanked him for the shirt, and the two continued forward. They passed the stalls and neared a restaurant. Xiahou Dun grabbed Xun Yu's arm and pulled him down a nearby alley where no one could see them. Two large boxes were stacked on top of each other against the back wall of the narrow alley.

"Here they come. Stay behind me." Xiahou Dun said as he grabbed the hilt of his sword and moved to stand in front of Xun Yu.

Three figures, cloaked in black, dropped down into the alley from the roof tops above. They stood in front of Xiahou Dun and Xun Yu, blocking the only entrance to the alley. They were cornered, but neither of them displayed an ounce of fear. The three figures varied in size, with the one that stood in the middle of the group being the tallest, while the one standing to the left was the shortest, and the one standing on the right was slightly shorter than the man standing in the middle of the group.