A Visit

Autumn belonged to metal and brought slaughter. The fighting in Xiapi City lasted all night.

By dawn, Xu Shuang ordered the camp to prepare breakfast.

Lu Bu had been sitting in the Xianzhen Battalion all night. He had just been served a bowl of food when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the tent.

Lu Lingqi went out to look. Gao Shun stood there, his face smeared with blood, and beside him was Cao Xing, one of Hao Meng's subordinates, carrying a severed head.

Gao Shun had put down the rebellion overnight. After Hao Meng was defeated, Cao Xing had beheaded him.

Lu Bu was delighted to see them. After encouraging the two men, he ordered Gao Shun to take the Xianzhen Battalion and guard Xiapi City, then had Cao Xing temporarily take over Hao Meng's troops.

Back at the city office, Lu Bu suddenly realized that Lu Lingqi was nowhere to be seen.

"Madam, where did Lingqi go?" Lu Bu asked.

"She was here just a moment ago. Perhaps she was exhausted from last night and went to sleep," Lady Yan said.

"Mm. Let's get some more rest, too." Lu Bu nodded.

With Gan Family Village plundered, how could Lu Lingqi possibly think of sleeping? After escorting her parents back to the government office, she hurried to Gao Shun's quarters in the inner city. Since the Xianzhen Battalion had taken over Xiapi's defenses, Gao Shun's troops had moved from the outer city to the inner city as well.

"What happened to Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian's men? How is Gan Family Village now? Is Lan Ziyu still alive?" As soon as she saw him, Lu Lingqi fired off questions like a string of pearls.

Gao Shun said, "Before attacking Xiaopei, the lord promised to use Liu Bei's wealth and grain to fund the army. That was why the soldiers fought so fiercely. Unfortunately, after Xiaopei fell, there wasn't a single grain of millet in the storehouses. With no other choice, the troops plundered some property. According to the message sent back by Cheng Lian's men, there shouldn't have been many casualties in Gan Family Village."

"Everyone in Gan Family Village is a farmer, and Cheng Lian's men aren't as well disciplined as yours. What if something happened to Ziyu? No, I have to hurry to Xiaopei." Lu Lingqi said anxiously.

"The lord was frightened last night and just instructed me to strengthen the city defenses. If you sneak out at a time like this, won't you put me in a difficult position?" Gao Shun said helplessly.

"You're in charge of the city defenses, which is exactly why I came to you. Why didn't you go with Father to attack Xiaopei? He'll probably sleep all day today. I'll ride hard and be back by tomorrow at the latest," Lu Lingqi said.

Gao Shun was speechless. Soldiers obeyed orders; if the lord hadn't called on him, how could he have insisted on going along?

"But you didn't get any rest last night, either..."

"It's fine. Find me two good horses from your camp."

Gao Shun knew he couldn't stop the girl. To keep Lu Lingqi from falling off her horse from exhaustion along the way, he assigned two of his personal guards to accompany her.

Lu Lingqi rode at full speed and reached the entrance to Gan Family Village just before dusk.

Lan Tian was in the fields by the roadside, directing the villagers as they cleared the millet seedlings that had been trampled.

The sound of hoofbeats was like a death knell. The villager heard it and couldn't help but start in alarm.

Lan Tian looked up and saw three riders galloping beneath the setting sun.

"What brings you here?" Lan Tian asked in surprise.

That dashing figure on horseback was so familiar. Who else could it be but Lu Lingqi?

Seeing that Lan Tian looked just as spirited as before, Lu Lingqi's anxious heart settled at once. She swung down from her horse. "I was delivering a message to General Zhang and passed by, so I came to see you."

"You came at just the right time. My sister's making dinner at home. You're in for a treat." Lan Tian sprang onto the field ridge. After so long practicing martial arts, his physical condition had improved tremendously.

Lu Lingqi looked him over. She hadn't seen the fellow for a while, and somehow he'd grown even more handsome.

"That was a good move just now. Looks like you've kept up your martial arts training," Lu Lingqi said approvingly.

"Of course. I couldn't let all your effort go to waste," Lan Tian said with a grin.

Lu Lingqi was delighted, but then she remembered the soldiers' plundering and asked anxiously, "Is everyone in your family all right?"

"We're all fine. Let's go home and eat." Lan Tian suddenly took Lu Lingqi's hand, and the girl instantly felt a little shy.

Lu Lingqi turned her head and said bashfully to the two soldiers accompanying her, "Go deliver the message to General Zhang first. I'll come find you later."

"Yes!" they replied in unison.

Gao Shun was a very cautious man. There was nothing wrong with Lu Lingqi visiting a friend in Gan Family Village, but as the commander responsible for Xiapi's defenses, he couldn't afford to neglect his duty. So he had made the excuse that the men were going to report the military situation to Zhang Liao.

News of a military matter like Hao Meng's rebellion—especially one that had already been put down—would normally be carried by relay-station sentries. There was no need for Lu Lingqi to deliver it in person.

Lan Tian and Lu Lingqi walked side by side through the countryside. Being together felt as natural as the moon shining over a great river. They were both fond of each other, yet neither had said so aloud. All they needed now was someone to give their relationship a push.

They spotted smoke rising from Gan Ji's home in the distance. Blushing, Lu Lingqi asked, "Is your sister's cooking as good as yours?"

"Not quite, but it's better than most people's. You've been riding all this way. You must be hungry, right?"

"Mm."

Lan Tian led the way, guiding Lu Lingqi into the little courtyard as he called out, "Sister, come see who's here!"

Lu Lingqi looked at everything around her. It seemed as though nothing had changed, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that it all seemed unfamiliar.

Hearing the voice, Gan Qian thought Liu Bei had returned. She wiped her hands on her apron and hurried out, only to discover that it was the young lady of the Lu Clan.

"Miss Lu is here. Come in and sit down," Gan Qian said, feeling a little disappointed.

After they went inside, Gan Qian returned to the kitchen while Lan Tian chatted with Lu Lingqi in the main room.

"Little brother, go to the Sanctuary and call Father home for dinner," Gan Qian called from the kitchen.

Lan Tian stood up. "Wait here a little while. I'll go get my adoptive father."

"Oh."

After Lan Tian left, Lu Lingqi sat there with nothing to do, so she went into the kitchen to help Gan Qian.

Seeing her, Gan Qian smiled. "Miss Lu, you've come all this way as our guest. The kitchen isn't a place for you. Go outside and rest."

"It's no trouble. I used to help Ziyu light the fire, too," Lu Lingqi said, blushing.

Gan Qian was already a married woman, so she understood Lu Lingqi's feelings perfectly well. So this girl likes my little brother, too.

"About what happened in Xiaopei... I'm sorry." As soon as Lu Lingqi sat down by the stove, she couldn't help saying what was on her mind.

Gan Qian paused, then shook her head with a sigh. "What does that have to do with you? Let the men settle things between men. If you and General Gao hadn't protected me back then, I'm afraid... There's no need for you to apologize to me today."

"Still, I can't help feeling a little guilty."

"Miss Lu, you really... I wonder how Mi's younger sister is doing in Xiaopei."

"There shouldn't be any trouble. General Zhang Liao can keep his men in line, and my father has already spoken to him, telling him to treat Liu Bei's family well."

"That puts my mind at ease."

As the two women talked in the kitchen, Lan Tian returned from outside with his adoptive father. Gan Ji went to the Sanctuary every day to replenish supplies, bringing home the dried rations stored there to steam and eat the next day.

Now Gan Family Village was short of grain again. As the village head, Gan Ji had lent plenty of grain to the villagers, so even his own family couldn't afford to eat without restraint.

Lu Lingqi had been living in Xiapi and hadn't tasted the delights of farmhouse cooking, especially the distinctive flavors of Lan Tian's home. Tasting them again, she found them even more delicious, and she ate far less daintily than Gan Qian.

After the meal, a villager came to ask Lan Tian for help. Lu Lingqi was about to help Gan Qian wash the dishes, but Gan Qian and her father stopped her.

Gan Ji said to Lu Lingqi, "Lady Lu, let's take a walk in the courtyard. This old man has a few things he'd like to say to you."

"Oh."

Lu Lingqi felt a little nervous, then silently followed behind Gan Ji.