A symphony of sounds emerged from within the city walls, harmonizing with soft melodies sung by people gathered outside the towering white fortifications. The blend of voices resonated in Chinua's ears. Standing before the imposing city wall, she felt incredibly small, like a single star lost in the vast, empty sky. She looked up, observing the soldiers atop the ramparts; their faces, though blank, should have been filled with fear. Anyone contemplating an invasion of this land ought to reconsider. Yet, as Chinua stood tall, staring at the formidable structure, her heart began to race. Adrenaline surged, rushing to her head. The mere thought of shattering these solid white walls sent delightful shivers down her spine, igniting the nerves beneath her skin with a thrilling itch.
"Move," Hye urged, gently tugging Chinua's right arm.
Chinua quickly fell in line behind Jeet, Naksh, and Khawn. At the city gate, a Tanggolian soldier approached, his gaze sharp as he inspected the baskets they carried on their backs.
"What are you five going to Tanggolia for?" the soldier inquired, his voice gruff.
"We are here to visit and do business," Hye replied, offering a polite smile.
The Tanggolian soldier pulled out a blank sheet of paper and picked up a brush. "Name," he commanded, waiting. When no immediate answer came, he looked up at Hye. "This is the pass you need to enter Tanggolia. If you don't have this paper, you will be arrested."
Hye nodded, feigning ignorance. "Oh, we're here for the first time, so we don't know. Please tell us what we need to do. We don't want to break any laws."
The soldier's expression softened slightly. "If any soldier asks you, you won't be arrested if you show them this."
"Do we all need one?" Hye asked.
"Well, it's up to you," the soldier replied. "But you need three coins for each piece of paper. If you're all sharing one, that means you can't wander off alone."
Hye straightened, a charming smile on his face. "My name is Hye Choi." He pulled Chinua to stand beside him. "Nabi Choi, my wife." He then pointed to Khawn. "My younger brother, Tao Choi," and gestured to Naksh and Jeet, "and these two are our minions."
"How long are you staying?" the soldier asked, jotting down the details.
"Seven days," Hye declared.
The soldier quickly wrote their names on the blank paper, then, with a flourish, wrote his own name and stamped the entry form. "Four coins," he stated, holding out his hand.
Hye blinked. "Four coins? I thought you said three?"
"Three coins for the entry letter," the soldier said, his voice flat. "A coin for wasting my time writing you this."
Hye smiled, reaching into his bag. He handed the money to the soldier. "You are absolutely right, sir. I totally agree. Thank you for wasting your time writing us this entry letter."
The soldier took the money, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Obey the law and don't make trouble," he advised, a hint of grudging respect in his tone.
"Thank you, sir, for your kind words," Hye replied, his smile unwavering.
As they began to pass through the city gate, Chinua looked at Hye, impressed. "You did well, talking with that soldier."
"Associate with the enemy to avoid disaster," Hye quoted dryly.
"It seems that you are very familiar with this kind of treatment," Chinua remarked, sensing a deeper history.
Hye scoffed lightly. "I would like to thank the Northern soldiers for this great ability."
Chinua looked at Hye, a serious expression on her face. "If one day you want to tell me, I'm all ears."
Hye turned to look at Chinua, his expression unreadable. "Tell you about what?"
"About Nabi?" Chinua prodded gently.
Hye sighed, a weary sound. "Don't meddle too much, Chinua... don't meddle in other people's business."
"I only meddle with people I care about," Chinua retorted, her gaze unwavering.
Hye sighed again, then quickly changed the subject. "Let's go ask someone for the market direction." He began walking ahead of Chinua and the other three.
"He doesn't seem to like talking to you," Jeet observed to Chinua.
"You think so?" Chinua asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
Naksh gave Chinua a blank look. "We can see that. He doesn't want to talk to you."
"He likes talking to me," Chinua corrected them, "he just doesn't like me talking about his past."
"Everyone has a past, and some people's pasts are worse than others," Naksh mused, his voice serious. "Some pasts are better left alone."
Chinua turned to look at Naksh and Jeet, a sly grin on her face. "You don't need to talk too early. I also want to know about the two of you when the time comes." She pointed to the two brothers, challenging them.
Hye walked back towards the four people who were still talking in the middle of the road. "I got the direction to the trade market," he said, waving at them.
"Lead the way," Chinua commanded.
"They told me that the trading market is only open in the morning," Hye informed them, a touch of disappointment in his voice. "We must wait until tomorrow morning."
"Let's find a place to rest for the night," Chinua decided.
Suddenly, shouts cut through the city's hum. "Move out of the way!" soldiers began to shout.
"Step aside!" another soldier bellowed.
Tanggolian soldiers pushed the people aside, clearing a path. Through the parting crowd rode a young man on a magnificent white horse, clad in shining red armor trimmed with silver. He looked at the people around him with an air of profound arrogance.
Chinua subtly attracted the attention of the man standing beside her. "Who is that person?" she whispered.
The man replied quietly, "That's Captain Xin Xiyan, the eldest son of Princes Xin Jianping. He just came back from battle with the Musian soldiers. With that attitude, I guess he has a victory."
Chinua observed the seriously wounded soldiers following Xin Xiyan; she saw their sad, weary faces. Looking at their expressions, she thought, although they might have won, it came with a heavy price.
"Where are the dead?" Chinua asked the man.
"He usually doesn't retreat dead soldiers," the man replied, his voice flat.
Chinua looked at the pristine armor on Xin Xiyan's body, as if it hadn't been stained with a speck of dirt. She wasn't impressed by this grand entrance performance. She turned and began to walk away from the gathered crowd. The four men quickly followed her.
"Don't you like it?" Naksh asked.
"I wasn't really impressed by the grand entrance," Chinua stated simply.
Jeet asked, "Why not? He made such a big entrance. Did you see the cheering of those women on the sidelines?"
"I'm more interested in the men walking behind him than he is," Chinua replied, her voice firm.
Khawn looked at Chinua, confused. "Chinua, why is everyone else looking at the captain, but you are looking at the soldiers?"
"Because those soldiers stand out more than the man in the shining armor," Chinua said, a dry laugh escaping her lips. "What a joke." She continued walking away, leaving Khawn scratching his head, dumbfounded.
Khawn looked at Chinua's retreating back. "I don't understand," he muttered.
Hye smiled and patted Khawn lightly on the back. "If you insist on following her, then you have to be smarter," he advised with a knowing smile.
"Do you understand her?" Khawn asked Hye.
"Yes," Hye confirmed.
"Can you explain to me?" Khawn pleaded.
Hye smiled. "Let's find a place to sit down, and I'll explain to you while eating."
In the noisy tavern, Chinua sat quietly, staring at the four plates and five bowls of rice on the table. She wasn't familiar with Tanggolian food. She stared at the green vegetables stir-fried with a small amount of meat, while the remaining four men happily devoured their meals.
"Don't you like it?" Jeet asked Chinua, noticing her hesitation.
"I'm not used to eating these," Chinua said, picking up a piece of what looked like arracacha and bringing it to her mouth. She took a bite, chewed strangely, then suddenly spit it out. "It smells weird." She looked at the men. "Do you four think it smells weird?"
The men shook their heads in unison.
"Here's your chicken," the waiter announced, placing a whole roasted chicken on the table. "Do you need more tea?"
"Do you have goat's milk?" Chinua asked.
The waiter thought he misheard her. "What?" He turned to look at Chinua, bewildered.
"Do you know where goats are sold?" Hye clarified for Chinua.
"Oh, you want to buy goats? You have to go to the trading market tomorrow morning," the waiter said with a smile before he left the table.
Hye looked at Chinua. "Tanggolians don't drink milk." He pushed a cup of hot tea towards Chinua. "They drink this. Drink it, it's refreshing."
Chinua took a small sip of the tea and immediately shook her head. "Ugh… a bit bitter," she said, pushing the teacup back to Hye.
Hye smiled, taking the tea from Chinua. "Then you drink water," he said, pouring Chinua a cup of water. "This chicken is yours."
Chinua tore off a drumstick and began to eat with relish. "Hey, how do you know so much about Tanggolian tradition?" she asked, her mouth full.
"I read about it," Hye replied. "That's how I learned to grow peanuts."
Chinua raised an eyebrow. "By reading it, you can grow peanuts?"
Hye nodded.
Khawn then asked, his curiosity still piqued, "Just now, why did Chinua only praise the soldiers and not the captain?"
Jeet looked at Khawn and laughed. "How old are you, kid?"
"Nineteen," Khawn replied, defensively.
Naksh chuckled. "No wonder you don't understand." He looked at Chinua. "Heh… When it comes to age, Chinua is much younger than you. She understands, why don't you understand?"
Hye began to explain, his voice thoughtful. "Chinua praised the soldiers because, just by looking at them, you could see that they fought so hard to bring the victory home. Their clothes were torn, and their armor was stained with the blood of the enemy. Their spears were cracked, and their bodies were wounded."
Naksh then turned to Khawn. "Do you know why men are willing to die to protect their captain's orders?"
Chinua put down the half-eaten chicken and wiped her mouth, ready to answer. "Because the captain fights with his soldiers. If his soldiers' armor is stained with the blood of the enemy, then his armor should also be stained with the blood of the enemy."
Khawn looked at Chinua, a light dawning in his eyes. "That's why Chinua said, 'through Death Valley, we march. Follow each other, every step of the way. Even if we don't know if we will emerge on the other side. But we will continue to march forward faithfully for our brothers, living and dead'?"
Chinua smiled and nodded. "Hmm… so, don't underestimate me. I will fight side by side with you in every battle you encounter in the future."
Jeet and Naksh turned to look at Chinua, then at each other, stunned. "You said that?" the brothers asked in unison.
Chinua looked at the two brothers. "Mmm…" She then calmly continued to eat her chicken.
Hye observed the two brothers. Just by looking at their faces, he could tell that they had slowly, irrevocably, surrendered to Chinua's influence. He felt a slight tightness in his chest—he too had fallen for the bait Chinua had so cleverly set.