Oh, My Emperor! (Zhanyi Fanfic) - PART 1

Cha. 011

THE night was cold against his fully clothed body and it brushed through his short hair.

He darted deeper into the bamboo forest far away from the forest, walking in light steps not making any sounds till he reached his destination.

Daiyu and Huasiang stood there waiting, covered in black cloaks that allowed them to blend perfectly with the night.

“You are here,” Daiyu said, already holding her hand out and Yibo placed a paper in her hand.

“The Emperor is sending more supplies to the troops in the North and has given General Jin Guangyao two weeks to win or lose the battle,” Yibo revealed.

Daiyu snorted as she unwrapped the paper, discovering a detailed map. “General Jin Guangyao has no chance of winning that battle. The soldiers of the Xiao empire have a well-trained Commander at their disposal and he's my friend. He's doomed. With this map, we can ambush them and get more supplies for ourselves. We don't have to starve,”

Yibo nodded. “That's the route they will follow, tomorrow sundown.”

Daiyu folded the paper and secured it in her robes. “What have you found out about vampires? We can't afford to delay any longer. The poison is spreading fast without an antidote, I can feel it in my throat,”

“There has only been one report about Vampires but the emperor doesn't seem to believe they still exist and has ordered further investigation,” Yibo responded, then his eyes went over to Huasiang who hadn't uttered a word.

“We don't have that much time,” Daiyu was persistent.

“There isn't much Yibo could do at this moment. This is sudden, of course, the Emperor won't believe so easily about their still existence. And we aren't sure a vampire’s blood could cure the poison. I suggest we look for other alternatives than having a blind hunt,” Huasiang finally spoke and Yibo nodded in agreement. He had no idea where Daiyu got the idea that a vampire’s blood could cure the poison.

“There's no other alternatives and I know it's real.” She locked her emotionless eyes on Yibo. “Get as much information as you can. We are all relying on you for this, don't fail. As long as we can survive this, we can bring the emperor and his empire down with him. Every living soul in this damned kingdom is going to feel our wrath. I will make them feel what I felt,” with that, she turned and walked away with an echoing laugh trailing behind her, leaving Yibo and Huasiang behind.

Huasiang placed a hand on Yibo's shoulder. A glassy look in his eyes as he said. “Be careful. Victory can only be ours if we stay alive and fight till the end. We will burn the world at their feet,”

Again, Yibo nodded. They had come too far to fail now.

*~*

The next day, Yibo went to the training ground with his sword, finding General Xue Yang already there, waiting with a grin.

“I knew you would come. Can I see?” He motioned his chin towards Yibo's sword and he didn't hesitate to let the general have a feel as he handed over his sword.

“I fight better with a spear,” Yibo revealed.

Xue Yang nodded, taking the sword out of its sheath, and gave an aimless swing. “This is a nice sword you have here and it's sharp. I want to see you play with it, do I have the honor to watch?” He handed the sword back to the owner and pivoted back.

Again, Yibo demonstrated but it didn't take long for the General to appear at his back, holding his wrist. Yibo felt his breath hitch at the closeness, he could feel the warmth of his body and the tickling of his breath. Yibo paid no attention to it as the General showed him how to move his wrist better and more rigidly.

“Swords aren't just for practice. When you hold a sword, you must be ready to take a life,” Xue Yang whispered in his ear and he felt the general get even closer and that did it for Yibo as he quickly broke free and put a wide gap between them. “Was I too straightforward? I apologize, I get a little bit too excited when it comes to sword and a person that's genuinely interested like you,”

Yibo shook his head. After his crazy ordeal with the Emperor, which was more than one, he had been a little bit more than paranoid about the opposite sex, or perhaps, it was just the Emperor. “It's fine, just a little jumpy,”

“I'm going to stick around in the palace for a while. You can come join me in my training in the evenings. You can work more on your knacks whenever you aren't attending to the Emperor. I would like a partner. The others get a bit afraid when I wield my sword,” he wiggled his eyebrows at Yibo playfully. He picked up his own sword. “What do you say about a cordial duel?” he challenged with a gleam in his eyes and Yibo wasn't one to put down a challenge, especially friendly ones like this.

He got into a fighting stance. “Challenge accepted,” he declared with a tiny smirk.

*~*

The duel ended moments later and Yibo learned a thing or two before returning to the main palace, then he walked past two Ministers but their conversation had him pausing in the middle of the hallway.

“It's only a matter of time before General Jin Guangyao is defeated and when he does, the Xue family will gladly take their place in the court. Xue Yang is more proficient and accomplished than that weakling Jin Guangyao. I heard he was badly wounded and could barely hold a sword. With a General like that, we are doomed for defeat and we will become a laughingstock to our enemies,”

Yibo turned to look at them as they walked away and suddenly, Yibo knew why Xue Yang was a constant in the palace. Gain the favor of the emperor when Jin Guangyao gets defeated.

Seemed he had made a valuable friend after all.

Yibo turned and walked away.

*~*

Expect another update soon.

Thank you for being patient with me.

Happy reading!