Defeating the Warrior Prince

➳𝕺𝖓𝖊

The idiosyncrasy of the field is the beating of the drums. The sound of men applauding and bellowing "Hurrah!" fills the once serene atmosphere. The mere mortals watch the view in awe as two figures advance their feet alternately, with one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion.

The tribesman with rosy red cheeks stands out from the crowd, his eyes fix onto the Warrior Prince in front of him. They maintain a tranquil gaze; time freezes for a second.

Suddenly, the Warrior Prince clasps the double-edged Damascus steel spear, thrusting it towards his opponent. As if a feather floating in the air, the tribal warrior swings his body upwards, perched atop of the spear.

The audience watches from their seats; their nose crinkles and their skin crawls in surprise. The Warrior Prince disengages his weapon, causing the young tribal warrior to gravitate downwards. Like a thunderbolt, the tribesman lands on the ground with his feet. When the Warrior Prince fiercely propels the spear forward again, his rival dodges every strike with ease.

Blank face. The tribesman paces backwards at a consistent speed, taking a mental picture of the Warrior Prince's movements and tactics. They have a rather relaxed manner, suggesting men in which casualness runs deep. In contrast, the audience is breathing in a haphazard manner, expressing rumpled looks.

The tribesman ensures the safety of his defense by holding positions that cannot be attacked. It is apparent that the Warrior Prince is skillful in attack, whereas the tribesman is skillful in defense.

The Warrior Prince plunges the spear at his opponent's anatomical regions. Just then, the tribesman halts and bends backwards, lowering his head to the ground and taking his forearms to both sides of his head. When the tribesman stabilizes the upward facing two foot staff pose, his right foot kicks the spear.

Up goes the spear, into the air.

Bare-handed, the two figures engage in hand-to-hand combat. They exchange one strike. When the Warrior Prince throws a rear-hand punch, the tribesman targets his opponent's throat. Noticing the potential attack, the Warrior Prince quickly dodges and smashes his fist into his rival's chest. His rival grunts in pain.

Something soft?

While the Warrior Prince reminisces back to the soft touch, the tribesman yields the strength to jump up. The tribesman's dexterity and speed triumph that of the Warrior Prince, thus he ends up clutching the descending spear. Upon landing on his feet, the tribesman executes a headlong rush forward.

Swinging the spear with speed and precision, the tribesman puzzles the Warrior Prince with his strange and unusual dispositions. Suddenly, the tribesman identifies and strikes the Warrior Prince's weak points, sweeping him onto the ground.

The audience gasps with bewilderment.

With a spear pointing at him, the Warrior Prince has no choice but to call the match off. One by one, the audience begins to clap. Some of the men begins chanting the tribesman's name: "Yangyue Qin Feng! Yangyue Qin Feng!"

The Qin Empire's Generals are truly dumbfounded, for no one in the Empire has defeated the Warrior Prince before. "Heavens, the Warrior Prince is defeated! And by a tribesman too.."

The Yangyue Tribal Chief Commander laughs heartily, "As expected from a Yangyue soldier."

The Princesses squawks cheerfully to each other, "He wields such power despite his size!"

The young man known as Yangyue Qin Feng offers his hand to lift up the Warrior Prince, who is lying on the ground. "The match did not last ten strikes. I suggest you focus on your opponents during a match next time."

The Warrior Prince raises his brows, smirking. "There is always a time when it is good to lose," he remarks before taking Yangyue Qin Feng's hand and rising up.

His statement causes the tribesman to indulge in a long chain of thought. "What's his matter?"

Stepping off the field, the Warrior Prince kneels before the stairway where the Emperor and Empress are seated. "Your Majesty, this warrior has lost the match. Such loss is dishonoring; it has embarrassed the Empire in a considerable degree. I will gladly accept any punishment to redeem myself."

Rubbing his beard, the Emperor chuckles amusedly, "Warrior Prince, you are being too harsh on yourself."

He continues, "Bai Xuan Ye, despite being a mere commoner, you have risen and earned the honorable title of the Qin Empire's 'Warrior Prince' through your own prowess. So don't let such defeat discourage you. Since we are celebrating the Yangyue Tribe's decision to trade with us, let us rejoice over the gains and not the losses today."

Bai Xuan Ye, the Warrior Prince, nods. Before he returns to his seat, he exchanges a glance with Yangyue Qin Feng. A faint smirk plays around the Warrior Prince's lips.

The Emperor lifts up his bronze wine vessel, "Cheers, everyone!" Everyone else proceeds to lift up their cup. When the Emperor drinks his share, the rest of the people did too.

"Yangyue Chief Commander," the Emperor announces, "Your warriors are very well-trained and skilled. With consideration that you are open to opportunities, I would like to invite two of your top warriors to our elite military academy. It is where the Empire's top thirty young soldiers congregate and become trained for military operations."

The Yangyue Chief Commander considers the offer. With an abundance of resources, the Yangyue is a valuable tribe to the Qin Empire.

Such sinicization tactic is used by the Qin to patronize the local rulers and draw the tribes into personal relations of loyalty to the Emperor.

Manifesting a firm nod, the Yangyue Chief Commander says, "With high respect and pleasure, this Chief Commander will send my top soldiers to represent our tribe. As these matches come to an end, it seems the tribesmen who did extraordinarily well were my third son, Yangyue Qin Feng and unexpectedly.. his bodyguard, Yu Mu Rong. It is unfortunate that I didn't see my other sons come out on top.."

The man sends a sharp gaze back to his other sons, who all laugh nervously and try to divert their attention away from him. "The Yangyue tribe plays fair and square. For those who didn't succeed, so be it."

The Emperor claps in joy, "That is settled then. Now, Yangyue Chief Commander, I thank you for taking a visit to the Qin Empire. Your stay is truly appreciated and we welcome you and your tribe with immense pleasure. May our collaboration blossom into success."