NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: chapter 3: you see I was originally from a village…
(If you haven't noticed by now,the story is mostly in third person)
4,729 word chapter
(And I know that some of this isn't proper etiquette , like patting the back, but i thought it was appropriate for that situation, I will try to keep at least a general sense of etiquette, but i won't be to fixated on it.)
( I mean I spent 3 and a half hours searching Chinese etiquette for this novel,so I deserve some leniency )
(POV third)
Kai lei slowly ate a little of each dish,he did it almost subconsciously as the noble etiquette was like a reflex to him by now.
The beautiful woman did the same albeit with more graceful movements, she had been curious about this child for a number of reasons but hearing that he had no family name she was very interested, how can a child who acts like a noble have no family name,this small child was younger than her daughters age.
She knew that this child was very intelligent, just like her daughter, the woman put her hand on her chin and looking at the child drinking a sip of tea she spoke in a soft tone.
"Child, do you have an engagement?" She asked curiously, she knew the child would soon talk about how he got here, but decided to ask anyway.
Kai lei heard this and spit out his tea,luckily he was looking away from all the food,the tea sprayed on the ground as Kai lei coughed continuously.
The woman saw his actions and smiled, not disgusted or anything, her eyes had smiles inside them as she patted the child on the back comforting him.
Kai lei felt the woman comforting him and wiping his mouth with a handkerchief he glanced at his appearance for anything unsightly as a reflex then looked at her.
"Thank you, I have yet to know your name?" Kai lei spoke in his usal voice.
Smiling the woman slowly spoke, " my name is Han Daiyu, you can call me lady Daiyu " .
Hearing her name Kai lei was stunned for a second, 'good name, I think it means black jade, and Han? Hmmm ,probably just overthinking it ' he thought then spoke.
"It is a beautiful name, lady Daiyu" he smiled then answered her question she asked earlier.
" Lady Daiyu, I am not engaged" he said looking at her.
Lady Daiyu smiled and then went back to eating,the two of them had some small talk as the meal came to an end, though there were many dishes left with things on them both Kai lei and lady Daiyu saw nothing wrong with that..
Lady Daiyu got up and gestured for the little guy to follow, she liked this child and decided after hearing his story she would introduce her daughter to him, but that depends upon what the child says.
Kai lei followed her and going on her left side he followed her with his head slightly lowered ,keeping a step behind her he politely spoke.
"Lady Daiyu, may I ask where we are going?" He said after walking for a while, small sounds of metal clanking can be heard from behind him but he didn't look back.
"You said you would tell me the truth, now's your chance" she said as she continued to walk forward
"Oh i understand , well you see lady Daiyu I was originally from a village, it's nearby here actually the trail to the village,It's down there somewhere" he slowly spoke and gestured with an open palm towards the villages general direction.
She followed his gesture an raised an eyebrow but continued to listen.
" I think I was originally from that village but then it got raided by bandits or possibly the nearby dynasty's not to sure" he spoke frankly then continued.
" all I know is that when I woke up I had a sword through my chest, it was a bloody scene, I had a pouch full of gold and silver along with some other things scattered around , there was a object clenched in my hand some sort of pill with a yellow hue, on instinct I ate that pill and the wound on my chest healed ,well i removed the sword before that though" he said and fearing that she wouldn't believe him he pulled his robe down slightly showing a deep scar .
Daiyu listened to his story and saw the scar, contemplating she spoke, "you lost your memory?, hmm" her voice was very clear with a hint of disbelief.
" i am not sure, i know i have a name called Kyler(kai lei) but that's all" Kai lei said dejectedly trying to act confused and confused..
Lady Daiyu saw this and almost giggled as she saw through his ruse ,but she decided to check out this village for clues, she saw the scar and knew something happened but was unsure as to what for the moment..
"Oh and what did you do after you healed yourself ?" She asked him as she stopped walking, this entire time she unknowingly lead Kai lei into a trap, if he said the wrong thing then no matter how intriguing this child is, for her daughter's safety she would not hesitate to have his head…
Many men lay silently in the surrounding forest their bows on standby, waiting for orders.
Kai lei didn't realize any of this as he told the truth to the lady ,well most of the truth.
" after healing I buried the many body's in a mass grave I dug, except for one of the village girls I gave her a separate burial, it was the least i could do as she was…Rxxxxx ..by those people who attacked the village, though there were a few other girls like her in the village I had to atleast bury the girl separately as I used the hut she was found in to sleep for the night" as he spoke his childlike voice sounded very,very pissed, Kai lei wanted to find those bandits a try something called torture..
It was true he buried the girl but not for that reason, the truth was Kai lei didn't have a reason he just thought it was right..
Lady Daiyu saw this and thought about the truth of his words for a long while before she did a hand gesture in the air, Kai lei saw this and was confused, but he wasn't for long as in all directions metal clanking can be heard.
Kai lei looked in shock as he saw the many soldiers wearing armor surround him, instinctively he grabbed lady Daiyu and said
" lady Daiyu run and get help I'll hold them off" but before he could say anything else he was patted on the head.
Holding his head he looked confused and stared at lady Daiyu, as if to ask why aren't you running.
"Child ," she spoke softly as she patted him she was growing increasingly fond of this child by the second .
"these are my soldiers, no need to fear" she smiled and after patting him a few more times, began to walk back towards the camp.
Kai lei muttered under his breath
"good I don't need to use my soldiers then"
Though he said it extremely softly,lady Daiyu heard it clearly, her eyes twitched but she continued forward as if she didn't hear it, Kai lei was oblivious to this as he followed behind her.
—
Kai lei glanced at the flames of the campfire as he absentmindedly looked around, he felt he was forgetting something important,feeling a tap on his shoulder he looked over and was stunned.
He saw a girl around the same age as him possibly older in a beautiful green brocade dress, Kai lei had to admit that she looked adorable, snapping out of his thoughts he smiled.
"What can I do for you?,pretty girl ? " he said jokingly , but the girl was shy and blushed not getting the joke …
(Stop , hold it right there, now that I got your attention for a moment let me tell yah something , this girl is the mc's future wife , so flirting and some physical affection is allowed, but she will officially marry him in 231-232 bce, so just saying i ain't gonna lie I felt super weird doing the part ,sorry for ruining the immersion please continue reading…)
Seeing that she was shy Kai lei was stunned but quickly thought of a solution to curb the awkward moment, pulling out a apple Candy gourd from his "sleeve" he presented it to the girl saying jokingly
" for you ,my dear" she absentmindedly took the gourd and looked at him confused.
"It's candy you can eat it, it's very sweet" he said taking another one out from his "sleeve", and taking a bite.
Seeing that he ate, she decided to try it, taking a nibble her eyes glowed brightly as she ate the candy in small bits.
Kai lei patted the log beside him while saying
"You can sit down it's better to eat it slowly" he said, she smiled and sat down next to him,the two children sat in silence while snacking on their candies.
"What's your name?" Asked the girl with an enchanting voice after finishing a bite.
"Ah ,my name is Kai lei" he said as he finished his candy and threw the stick into the fire.
As the two children happily talked, behind the trees in the distance hundreds of figures in black outfits and masks can be found sneakily moving towards the children's location.
"Kei lai?" The girl spoke tilting her head.
"Well almost, it's Kai lei" Kai lei said as he smiled at the girls cute expression as she tried to say his name right.
She smiled and nodded trying to get the words right in her head, she sat there pondering ,mumbling under her breath
"Kui lai, kei lai, Kai lei" she smiled as if to show that she achieved victory.
"Kai lei!" She said excitedly and smiled looking over to the boy in white robes.
"Yep what's your name?, or should I call you my wife?" He smiled and said in a completely joking manner but he noticed that she blushed and started squirming , Kai lei was confused.
Kai lei pondered on what he did and he realized he was being very mean and rude so he was about to apologize when she spoke.
" I-I am not your wife , mother says that when I become a woman I can marry and that my future husband must be powerfull " she said as if it was common knowledge, she quickly added.
" my name is Mei Hong" she spoke shyly and softly, looking at Kai lei she blushed and lowered her head she spoke softly as she tried to get her act together.
"Do you have more candy?" She asked Kai lei with a little smile, Kai lei subconsciously took out another candy gourd from his "sleeve" and handed it to her this time the fruit was seedless grapes, her eyes lit up as she ate the candy.
Kai lei saw her cheeks like a chipmunks and was about to laugh when he heard a couple of twigs snap in the distance, instantly he became alert.
Quickly glancing at the caravan a little ways away, he noticed that the caravan soldiers were almost half asleep, pinpointing the location with his memory he realized it was behind him in the trees a little way's away.
Looking at Mei Hong he calmly spoke to the girl
" can you go tell your mother something for me please, I'll give you more candy" he said and pulled out another few pieces of candied fruit.
Mei hong saw this and her eyes lit up
"Uh-huh yeah what do you want me to tell her?" She asked happily as she grabbed the candy
"Tell her ,all the soldiers are lazy and need to wake up, go now and I'll give you all my candy's " he said tricking her to go to safety and she nodded and quickly and happily ran towards the caravan.
With his enhanced vision he saw her entering the main area of the camp heading for a carriage after passing the few guards that were on duty, he looked away as the guards saluted the little girl, not seeing the salute,he breathed a sigh of relief as he knew the girl was safe from whatever is about to happen.
He slowly got up and pulled out another dagger he got from the sign in a while back, he unsheathed the dagger and dropped the scabbard , holding the knife in a reverse grip he quickly felt stupid and changed it back to holding it normally, in the darkness the many black clothed men saw him get up and started moving quicker as they thought the child would go back to the caravan and warn them.
Kai lei heard twigs snapping more frequently as they came closer , he slowly lifted his head upward.
"Come out,come out wherever you are, I'm not going to hurt you" he spoke loud and clear in a teasing tone.
The many men in black looked at each other and one whispered.
"Is this kid stupid or what" the man presumably the leader cupped his fist and said.
"Enough let's go quickly, you all know the plan, remember to look for a carriage with many bright colors that's our target" he said shutting down the conversation.
The many men nodded and began to move.
*snap*
*crack*
The sounds of movement in the forest grew louder as hundreds of people in black clothing began to rush out with swords in hand.
Kai lei saw this and he would be lying if he said he wasn't scared shitless, but remembering the healing pill in the system he quickly found his ancestral rage and began to charge at the nearest man in black.
"INTRUDERS!!!!!,ALL MEN TO YOUR STATIONS!!!!" A childish voice yelled out at the top of his lungs.
The soldiers guarding in the distance heard the cry of alarm and were alert,one of the soldiers narrowed their eyes and saw many shadowy figures heading this way with his good eyesight , the soldier next to him saw this as well and started banging his sword against his shield as loudly as possible.
*bang*
*bang*
The obnoxious noise was heard by the soldiers who were sleeping,due to years of war most of the soldiers were light sleepers and were veterans, instinctively the soldiers grabbed their weapons and started to gather quickly.
"INTRUDERS!!!!" The guard next to the soldier banging the shield shouted out as he finally reacted, in a matter of ten to twenty seconds everything happened quickly.
The guards then started charging the enemy to buy time for their comrades to gather.
Meanwhile with Kai lei…
"Aaahh!!" Kai lei shouted out as he stabbed the knee of one of the men in black charging towards the caravan, the man didn't notice the child and that would be his death as in the next second before the man could scream Kai lei pulled the blade out of the man's knees and jumped up aiming towards his throat.
The surrounding enemies looked over to see a scene that would be forever be etched in their memories, Kai lei can be seen a few feet in the air as blood sprayed on his face, as the enemy fell he stabbed him again for good measure then like a rabbit he jumped towards the next person.
The enemies were shocked but they were dead soldiers and quickly went back to being emotionless as they have been trained for situations like this, they looked at each other and several men in black headed towards the child while the rest charged to do their mission..
*dry heave*
Kai lei started dry heaving as he killed one of the enemies but he quickly suppressed the urge to violently vomit his guts out, and with a will to survive he charged forward at one of the men coming towards him, Kai lei had wanted to spawn his soldiers but realized that he didn't have the time as enemy's came straight at him.
A sword Slashed Kai lei in the neck while he was distracted fighting another enemy , clutching his throat he quickly felt multiple impacts on his body before he felt extremely weak and cold, Kai lei landed on the ground as blood poured out from his wounds he watched as the men in black stared coldly at him before turning around and rushing towards the fight in the distance.
Kai lei felt his life slowly ending but he didn't panic, he couldn't panic even if he wants to as he knew that it would be worthless in the end.
'Use the healing pill!!!!' he thought as he felt something inside his mouth he bit down,instantaneously he felt a warm sensation spread through his body, and felt his lost strength start to come back,his wounds healing quickly,he right away said to the system in his mind.
'Spawn the soldiers, all of them' he said with a vengeance.
[ understandable host spawning them now, you can command the soldiers mentally(within a certain distance), go get those fuckers!!!]
The system cheered and said , right away he got up, his original dustless white robes were now covered in his blood, as he stood up he felt connected to 10 people, he assumed they were his soldiers, instinctively he knew how to control the soldiers.
'Half of you with me the other half kill all men in black' he commanded mentally.
Slowly he picked up an enemy's sword, the sword was bigger than Kai lei but somehow he carried it as if it was a feather ,he then started to slowly walk forward, as he walked sounds of battle grew louder, his soldiers clad in red robes and leather armor came rushing past him with swords and shields in hand.
Seeing five of his men rushing towards the enemy he slowly started to move faster and faster.
Behind him Kai lei's soldiers followed their little leader closely, Kai lei was sprinting at this point and jumped up as his soldiers clashed with the enemy, slashing an enemy he quickly took the lead and charged with his soldiers yelling.
"FOR THE HAN DYNASTY!!!!!" He shouted out at the top of his lungs.
"FOR THE HAN DYNASTY!!!!!" His soldiers echoed.
Many enemies and soldiers of the caravan were momentarily distracted by Kai lei's shout but quickly started attacking each other again as the men in black saw soldiers in red uniforms and leather armor slaying their comrades.
Kai lēi slashed and slashed constantly charging the enemy, his soldiers were half a heartbeat behind him supporting their little leader.
One of the men in black saw the little child charging full of blood and some minor wounds due to his reckless behavior and widened their eyes, their jaw dropped so much you could fit an egg in it, the black clad dead soldier was having a midlife crisis as he blinked his eyes.
"No wa-!!" He shouted out in surprise but before he could finish his life was reaped by a passing officer soldier of the caravan .
This shout of surprise caused momentary confusion and panic in the ranks of the dead soldiers as they looked over, many dead soldiers merely glanced that way but that was all it took for a caravan soldier to take their life.
"CHARGE!!!!!!" Kai lei shouted in excitement as he killed another enemy by jumping up and un-sealing his throat.
Kai lei's soldiers were only 4 leftover but that didn't dampen their enthusiasm and loyalty.
"CHARGE!!!!" They echoed with excitement killing as many enemies as they could.
Kai lei was extremely exhausted from the intense fighting and mental energy he was really weary but he didn't dare be slow by a heartbeat as his near death experience was still fresh in his mind.
As a little figure charged the swarm of dead soldiers with a sword held high dodging and slashing when he can, a pair of green eyes watched the little figure with stars in her eyes.
"Don't look" Daiyu said as she covered her daughters eyes, looking at the many men in black indiscriminately killing servants and soldiers alike, she grew increasingly angry, she knew who had done this but she didn't know if she could make it out alive to seek revenge..
"Aaaaaugh!!" Kai lēi exhaustedly struck an enemy in the back, wounding the man if there were surgeons and doctors from the 21st century maybe they could save him unfortunately the man lives in the wrong era..
Kai lei tiredly looked around seeing that all the men in black were killed or captured he very tiredly raised the barley intact sword to the sky and shouted
" VICTORY!!!!!" Then very exhausted went and sat down.
The remaining survivors of the caravan shouted out in victory as he looked up at the horizon a new day came with the rising of the sun.
Mentally exhausted he quickly said to the system
'Sign-in'
[host go rest first]
The system spoke worriedly.
"Just do it" he said under his breath.
A moment of silence followed then the system spoke.
[ congratulations you have gained: Han dynasty soldiers x200 (leather armor,red robes), salt purification technique x1, healing pill x3, 1000 pounds of potato's]
[todays sign-in complete,objects stored in system space, host go to sleep you need rest…]
Kai lei nodded looking around for his soldiers he found that they were all dead, he knew they were dead by the disconnected feeling he had but he just wanted to look around to see if maybe he was wrong.
Sighing with mixed emotions,he walked to a tree and sat down, he had long since discarded the sword and eating a healing pill he leaned his head back and fell asleep, tears streaming down his face as he cried for the souls lost on both side he knew war was harsh and the world cruel yet he still cried…
—-
When he woke up he saw several soldiers of the caravan looking at him , one of the soldiers he recognized, the soldier had given him porridge, the soldier smiled and turned around, Kai lei didn't move as he was too sore anyway, he had realized that they were ready to point their weapons at him if he moved to quickly anyway .
A wry smile came to his lips as he looked up at the clouds.
After waiting for a long time Kai lei heard footsteps approaching him, he turned his head and saw lady Daiyu walking towards him, she wore a yellow Brocade Dress with a white veil a contrast to her surroundings full of red,smiling he greeted her politely with his childish tone
"Hello lady Daiyu glad to see you survived, did you see a girl in a green brocade dress her name is Mei hong, I sent her towards the caravan I hope she's doing well I owe her a lot of candy" Kai lei tried to lighten the mood and ask about the girl he saw last night.
Lady Daiyu thought for a moment and said
"Why do you owe her candy?, and how'd you meet her?" She asked questioning him her voice raised slightly but Kai lēi didn't notice, she knew how her daughter met him but decided to hear it from him.
"Well it's a relatively short story so I don't mind telling you" he said he hadn't noticed the guards were moments away from drawing their weapons.
Kai lei then started explaining how he met her and how he owes her candy for tricking her,The crowd noticeably relaxed as they heard Kai lei explain.
"And so I owe her candy, for helping me alert the guards, do you know her mother?, cause I should scold her for letting her child run around without supervision" Kai lei said and the crowd looked at him with strange expressions, lady Daiyu narrowed her eyes and playfully smiled.
"What?" Kai lei said as he noticed the crowd's expressions.
"Nothing" lady Daiyu said very clearly, the guards gulped down the air as they slowly backed away.
"So little child, Kai lei was it? , you lied to me?" She said anger laced in her voice.
"I didn't lie" Kai lei said with a straight face, this child's poker skills are definitely the best in this era.
"Hmm, for the han dynasty was it?" She said with a smile
Kai lei looked her straight in the eye and said
"Well I had soldiers of the Han dynasty under my command, what you want me to shout The Azure Sky is already dead the Yellow Sky will soon rise. When the year is jiǎzǐ, there will be prosperity under Heaven, " Kai lei said almost bursting with laughter inside as he said a slogan of a rebellion he heard about.
"Hmm and why would you say that?" Lady Daiyu was stunned by the child's slogan but quickly became interested in what he might say.
"Well it's a slogan for a rebellion, but that's for another future dynasty to worry about" Kai lei said truthfully and shrugged his shoulders, though when he said the word future he unknowingly switched to English.
"Future?" She mumbled under her breath in extremely broken English then said, "tell me child where are you actually from" she said and poked his cheeks.
Kai lei couldn't move as his body was sore so he let her do as she pleased
"I'm from the village I told you" he said
"Yeah?" She said poking his cheeks,
"Why don't i believe you then?" Her eyes were full of smiles but they weren't filled with warmth.
" Well believe what you want I told you the truth" he said with a straight face , she smiled this time the warmth was there, and touching his neck she said.
"What happened here?" She smiled softly and slowly grabbed his neck clenching it tighter though Kai lei didn't notice..
"Obviously it's the blood of the enemy's" Kai lei said though his eyes darted slightly before returning his gaze back to lady Daiyu.
Seeing this she smiled, scratching his nose she spoke.
"The enemy's blood huh, where are your wounds then?, hmm?" she said and started moving his clothes around to check for injuries, his clothes were torn so it was quite easy to check for wounds,
Kai lei couldn't do anything about it and he was moved like a ragdoll by lady Daiyu.
" no wounds?" She said with a raised eyebrow.
Leaning him back against the tree , she tapped his forehead and gently spoke, not noticing the child's strength.
"You saved my daughter so I shall let your transgressions go for now, under one condition" her voice was clear and mesmerizing.
Kai lēi widened his eyes as he connected the dots, almost wanting to slap that fat mouth of his, Kai lei said with a pout
" why didn't you tell me Mei hong was your daughter, if I knew I wouldn't had said that" Kai lei spoke with a little bit of shame but not much as he couldn't change, the ,past….wait…shaking his head mentally of the thoughts he stared at her…
"Yes she's my daughter and the only reason you're alive and not 3 feet under, now like I said I let you live under one condition" she said frankly and stared at the child.
Kai lei was nervous but tried to stay calm as panicking would be useless.
"What is the condition?" Kai lei said waving the flag in defeat.
Lady Daiyu smiled wider and said
" marry my daughter, and I'll let your transgressions go" Kai lei didn't hear it , so he spoke
"Huh?, I didn't hear you say that again" Kai lei was confused cursing his ears for popping as she spoke
Lady Daiyu saw that he really didn't hear her so she said a little bit louder.
"Marry my daughter and I'll forgive you" she kept her smile but it loosened a few points.
Kai lei was silent for a good 20 seconds before he sighed.
"I greet you mother-in-law" he spoke very softly,
She smiled and spoke ,
" I didn't hear you, say that again" her voice was clearly filled with playfulness.
" I-I ,I Greet you mother-in-law!!" He said with a clear and loud voice, though if one were to listen closely they would hear his tone full of embarrassment .
Smiling lady Daiyu nodded…..
(Gosh darn is this chapter long, hope you enjoyed it)