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Dynasty Warriors: More Then Meets The Eye (Yajirobe and FemShep)

FemShep

FemShep

Supernova
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
Location
The Normandy SR-2
A young warrior riding a brown horse traveled through Wu territory, in hopes of finding Lu Meng. The rider was a young man whose long black hair tied up into a short pony tail. His facial features were softer then most men were, but still quite handsome to look at. His eyes were emerald green and had a sparkle of life in them, strangely beautiful to look into. His skin was lightly tanned from the sun, but showed that he wasn't outside too often. His body looked thin with little muscle and even had more curve around his waist then most men were seen having. His social status was easily noticed given that his clothes looked like one of a middle class working man would wear, but there was more to him then what could be seen. He had a dreadful secret. This man was really a woman.

Her real name was Lu Shan, but the name she went by was her male persona's Fai Fang. The story behind this woman's strange appearance was one that happened many years ago. Lu Shan was the first born of her sisters and was well loved by everyone in her small village when she was a little girl, but her parents tried desperately to have a son. Each time her mother gave birth it was always a girl, never a boy. In this time of ancient China at least one son was needed in every household. The first son born would be given everything: the land, leadership of the family, the duty to go to war if necessary, but again and again, her mother could never bare any sons. After having five daughters, her parents decided to stop trying. As the eldest Lu Shan was the one who held the fate of her family. Without a son, Lu Shan would have been given everything that he should have, but as a woman she wasn't allowed these gifts. She had no choice, the only way she could keep the land was to get married, but she refused to. Every suitor she was given had nothing but greed and lust in their hearts. So she turned down each suitor and came up with another idea.

Lu Shan decided to become a man, that way she could keep the land her family lived on and wouldn't have to worry about finding a new home for her and her four sisters once their parents pass away. So she had to tape down her breast to look more like a man's chest and tape her curvy waist to have less of a feminine figure. She cut her hair shorter and kept the rest in a short pony tail. Surprisingly her plan worked! Everyone believed she was a man! So reluctantly and without any other choice, Lu Shan had to pretend to be a man, but when war came around to the peaceful land one man of each family had to fight. It was either her or her elder father, Lu Shan decided to go.

Under the name of Fei Fang, she traveled to Wu in search of Lu Meng, he was a excellent warrior and very intelligent in warfare. She was told her training could be done there. Disguised as a man, Lu Shan shall get the more ruthless training then female warriors did. In rare cases, women could join the fight if they were trained and taught to become a warrior, Lu Shan wasn't that case. She never even held a sword, but with Lu Meng's help, she could become a fierce warrior. With that in mind, Lu Shan approached the Wu main camp
 
The camp was rather well organized, it was large too, it was along the banks of the yellow river in the northern section of the kingdom. It was well shaded with small and large tress which were scattered around as if they were seeds tossed randomly by the hand of a higher power. There was much movement in the camp as people went and people arrived all in some form of order as they were up to all sorts of different jobs and measures working hard to do whatever their job was or whatever their work for that day happened to be. It was easy to see that they were very busy when one would ride into the camp itself.

The camp was laid out in the shape of a basic hexagon with tents all on the southern and southeastern part of the camp. There was a large amount of training grounds in the western part of the camp as it was easy to see the large numbers of targets for arrows, logs for praticing swordsmanship, dummies for praticing hand to hand and other various things for a person to use to be training with. The northern section of the camp was filled with supplies where they were held and protected, arms, goods, food, and anything else an warrior might need were kept here. On the eastern side were the stables and the headquarters, the place that anyone who was going to visit the camp would arrive at first when they came to check in. The HQ wasn't the largest building but it was close to it, a temperary building that was slowly turning into a more perminate building as the training went on. It had a large enterance room which to everyside were other smaller rooms were officers of the army were doing their work at most any moment in the day.

Lu Meng, had no clue who was coming or that they were not male, he honestly was focused on the bigger picture of things. He was focused on what would be needed to make his kingdom the best and greatest of all the kingdoms int he whole world. He was focused on making sure that no problem rose up from his men, and that they were prepared, which meant they were wll trained in the art of war and the art of peace. It was also his job to make sure that each of his men got the best training, and thus assigned them to different officers who had been given to him as subordianates. Men like Ling Tong who was currently out teaching horsemenship to new recruits out on the plains to the south of where they were or Lu Xun who was going though training of seamanship with men out on the yellow river most likely a day away from where he was at that moment.

At the moment though Lu Meng was sitting at his desk a small wooden one in a light brown wood chair his feet up on the desk as his fingers paged though reports from all of his officers the important ones and the less important ones. The reports told him how various men were coming along, they were scouting reports on what was on the otherside of the river, they were reports on amounts of supplies in camp and so forth. It was boring stuff to read, but it had to be known for Lu Men knew that to be prepared one first must had to know oneself. He looked around the modest office nothing standing out much as he kept thing rather spartan in nature, with no real reason to fancy it up, he choose not to at all.
 
As she approached the camp, Lu Shan took a deep breath. No one in her village noticed her change when she dressed up as a man, but these were warriors. They could find her out just by looking at her if she did one thing wrong. This would prove to be challenging for her especially since she's never fought or killed anyone before, she was raised to be a housewife not a warrior. Lu Shan couldn't give up, she had a family to protect, if she failed, they would be the ones that suffer. As she entered the camp, she saw everyone working and each person looked busy. The camp itself looked well organized, nothing she didn't expect from a military camp. Some people stared at her unimpressed. Her lack of armor, weapons, and muscles made her look like the one who would be the first to die in battle. At this point, she knew her time here would be difficult.

She didn't know anything or anyone in this place, so she had to ask around to find out where Lu Meng's tent was after putting her horse away in the stables. Luckily she found a few soldiers willing to help her. So far everyone seemed convinced that she was a man. No one seemed to question her, directly at least and thanks to her years doing this Lu Shan was able to make herself sound like a man, but at a pitch that sounded a bit feminine still. She had to admit, there was a lot of handsome men around in this camp and there didn't seem to be a single woman in sight. Maybe she could do this for now, but she worried about being caught. There were several unpleasant ways these men could find out about her secret. So she had to be extremely careful about herself and concealing her secret.

Lu Shan was told all new troops needed to report to Lu Meng once they arrived so he can count them there. Walking to his tent, she took a deep breath. There had to be a way to have him teach her personally without having to reveal herself. When she felt ready she stepped inside. "Lord Lu Meng, I'm Fai Fang. I came to report my arrival and ask you something if you'll allow me too." She reported taking a deep bow and showing her respect to him. When she saw him, she couldn't believe how handsome this man was, but she had to focus, her life depended on it.
 
Lu Meng looked like a gruff old commander, but thruth be told he was only 28 at that moment. He saw the man report to him and got to his own feet, as he looked at he man, he was pretty short compared to most others who joined. He was small too, far smaller then a number of men, but there were many who were the same size or a bit bigger or smaller, so it wasn't so surprising, but as he looked at her he walked around her for a moment as his eyes focused upon the woman. He said nothing as he walked, taking in his frame as he figured that he needed to figure out if he could use the young man at all.

"Experience, I am guessing you have zero, Fai Feng isn't a uncommon name either and has no connection to any of the great houses of the kingdom," he mused around as he stopped in a spot that was behind her at a angle looking at the back of the young man. He paused again as he walked over and got a book and put it down upon the table. Lu Meng wasn't sure how he was going to use this man at all. He wasn't sure what skill they had or what abilities that they would be able to pick up on. He put the book down and opened it as he looked at the man right in the eyes now.

"Well, Fai Feng, do you know how to read, do you have any education at all," he asked as he looked carefully at the figure, this was a key question that would tell him so much. "Also if you are to join my force you are going to have to have a lot of work to do, are you willing to work hard, or are you going to be a troublesome slacker who I have to keep in line," he said as he looked at her and narrowed his eyes, to stress the seriousness of the moment and his questions. He had ideas what the man could do, but he had to know more about said person before he made up his mind.
 
To Lu Shan, Lu Meng looked like a older man then he really was, but nonetheless a handsome man. This camp was full of them, how was she going to be okay around so many of them. Hopefully none of them would see any flaws in her disguise or anything that could lead them to believe that she wasn't a man. He wasn't much taller then her, he was just above her head when he stood up to his feet. Her feelings only got worse when she saw him circling around her like a vulture and she was his dying prey. The silence as he circled her making her more tense. Lu Shan prayed he didn't find anything about her secret or find anything suspicious about her. For now Lu Shan stood up straight and tried to look calm and had control of herself.

She listened to him speak, luckily he didn't mention anything that truly concerned her, but she had to admit he was a smart man. Then again her given appearance and name said it all. Still she didn't like the fact of him standing right behind her. "You're correct, my lord." She replied. This was looking bad for her, but all she needed was a chance and she could prove to him that she can fight! Lu Shan knew she could, she had to. Seeing him place a book on his table she looked at him curiously, his eyes starting directly into hers.

"Yes, I was given a good education." She answered simply. He didn't ask about her life story so she was just going to answer his questions as they came along. Back home to prove that she was indeed a man, she was given the best education her family could get for her. Even though these days, women weren't very well educated. His words about what will happen here made her determined. "My Lord, I won't be a troublemaker or a slacker I can assure you of that. I might not look like much, but I promise to train and fight as hard as I can. I'll do whatever you command me to do my Lord." With that she made another respectful bow trying to ignore the intensity of his stare.
 
Lu Meng kept his eyes on her as she answered the question, his focus was pretty much absolute on him to test him. He wanted to know what type of person he was he wanted to know if he had any resolve inside of his mind and willingness to stand up. He looked and listened, educated that was a good sign, he knew that if this person was educated they could learn tactis and skills. That was important in a leader, and if he had his way all his men would be natural leaders, if that happened with her time would only tell. He saw some potential within the man as he looked at him. He liked the spirit she showed by his declaration as well. He was someone who in the right spot could achieve pershaps a bit of note if he were to live up to his words that he just said.

He sat back down on the table for a moment thinking before he got off it again and walked over to a wall. The wall had a number of weapons on it, he picked out a long bow a bow that was as tall as she was in height. He walked over and handed it to her, "you will have to show me that your not just words, but you shall have your chance. This is a longbow, it is something that we need people skilled in. You shall learn the art of the bow and join the 3rd archery unit, other than that I can't yet tell you much due to the fact I want to see how you develop in your skills before we figure out where in that unit you will fit in best. You shall train with Ling Tong, and you shall be under overall command of Lu Xun. Neither one of them is here at the moment."

Lu Meng got a book and pulled it out from behind his desk, "This is a book on tactics, I suggest you read it when you are not praticing with your bow. If your smart, you shall learn these things as fast as possible. Then perhaps I can find a leadership role an officer's command. That would mean a officer's pay rate which I am sure your mother and father could use as well as any siblings," he said looking at Feng for a moment. "Now, your new home is out this building to the right, head down the street till you see a large wooden building with a arrow above the door, this is your new place to live, find a open bed and relax and I suggest read. Ling Tong shall be back tomorrow to work on your training with your new weapn, Welcome to the 1st Corps and good luck."
 
She could feel his eyes piercing through her like he was trying to stare into her soul. She knew he was testing her, but the stare almost made her break her composure, but luckily she managed to stick it out long enough for her to pass. Her intelligence was one thing she had the upper hand with, at least this way she could learn strategies and tactics as well as fighting abilities much faster. She doubted she could be anything more then a private, but if luck was in her favor then perhaps she could be more. Lu Shan didn't see the potential she had, but in reality, she would accomplish much more then she realized.

Lu Shan watched as Lu Meng stared at his wall of weapons and picked a long bow out. It was just as big as her, but at least it was something she could hold without having to have years of physical training. Once he handed it to her, Lu Shan took the long bow in her hand. It would take some time to get use to how the bow worked and her accuracy, but with the hard work she promised Lu Meng, she was more then willing to do her very best. For now she focused on Lu Meng's instructions and information.

Ling Tong and Lu Xun, two more names she needed to remember. It was unfortunate that she couldn't meet them yet, but at least she knew who to go to. Hopefully she could figure out who is who is this camp filled with men. Lu Meng mentioning the role of an officer, Lu Shan knew she had to make it good enough to be one. Her family needed the money more then she did and with a higher pay there's a better chance for a brighter future for them. But was she really someone to be put in charge of other people's lives? She couldn't worry about that now, Lu Shan had to focus on what was happening right now. Once she learned where exactly she was suppose to go, Lu Shan gave a nod and a bow. "Thank you sir. For the weapon and the book. I promise I won't let my words go unfulfilled. Is there anything else I should know or am I free to go, my Lord?" She asked just in case she wasn't done quite yet.
 
Lu Meng looked at the young man for a moment or two, and took a deep breath, he hoped he was making the right choose by allowing the young man into the army. He could see oh so many ways that this could go south and quickly. His eyes looked at the young man, small no experience, so many tell tell signs of someone who would cost other people their lives. Yet, he had a good feeling in his gut about him, one that canceled out many other thoughts that were going though the mind of the man. He looked at the man for a extra moment and nodded his head looking at him, "Yeah, you may take your leave, you shall find that it is to late in the afternoon to begin your training and your trainers are no where near here so you may relax in your barracks or get your barrings, keep the bow, it is yours now," he said motioning her out of his office.

Fai Feng would notice that people around the came were very busy when she walked out of the tent, she would head down any direction and find people doing their work, their business working on improving and preparing for the life or death situations that would happen when out in the world. She would see people moving supplies moving in small units together many other things as well. She would see that the direction towards the Barracks was far quieter and not that far. Her barracks on the far end of the group of them, standing alone at a angle facing the road.

When Feng walked into the barracks she would find it empty, with the beds made, but with a half dozen or so empty places for her to pick to sleep on, no place would look any different from the others, a simple mat laid out on the ground with simple blankets over it and a simple type of pillow nothing fact, nothing out of the ordanarty, she would have a small area in which to put her thing behind the mat too, so that she might put what she would need in that area.
 
As soon as Lu Meng gave her the say so to leave, Fai Feng smiled at Lu Meng saying "Thank you sir, especially for the bow. Good afternoon." She bowed in respect then turned to leave with her new long bow in one hand and her new book in the other. Once outside Lu Shan took a breath of relief. It was a miracle that she managed to get out of there without a single suspicion from her new Lord; finally her heart could stop racing. Soon enough Lu Shan regathered herself and continued onward to the barracks. Now she just had to keep her real gender hidden. That meant having to act like a man, no crying or whining, different bathing times, and so forth. This was going to be the toughest years of Lu Shan's life, but at least all she had to do today was read.

While she walked, Lu Shan took mental photographs of where everything was so she wouldn't get lost and have to ask for directions again. One of the many things she noticed was the busy people all around camp. Everywhere she looked someone was working hard on whatever job they were responsible for. It almost upset her since she basically got a free day while everyone else had to work, but there was nothing more she could do. Everything she saw lead her to believe the Wu camp was ready for anything. All the supplies came in and everything was set up in case of an emergency. Maybe that's one of the reasons she decided to fight for Wu, their ability to be ready for anything and including tons of skilled warriors and leaders. Perfect for someone like her to learn everything she needed to know.

Once she finally reached the barracks, Lu Shan was relieved to see she was the only one inside. There were at least a dozen beds that were available to her and looked so professionally made. What else could she expect from a military group? After standing for a minute, Lu Shan decided to pick the bed farthest away from the others that were already taken to avoid anyone catching anything. Her biggest fear was sharing the barracks with all these men and discovering all the things she used to hide her sex. The worse part being at night, she had to take her wrappings off. Her body would get too sore and stiff not to mention they were uncomfortable to sleep in. For now she just placed her things down in the area open to her and sat down on her new bed. She placed her long bow by her bag and opened the book to start studying military tactics and strategies.
 
The day was drawing to a close before anyone woudl walk in, and this time it was someone very different from Lu Meng, it was young man full of life and energy his hair held back in a long poney tail as he walked i nto the room, his walk showing confidence but showing a bit of a laziness that most likely was natural to the person. He saw the new recruit and noticed that she was reading at the moment. Ling Tong, had been told that the new guy was educated which was something that was a great sign. Seeing the guy read only confirmed that fact to him, as he raised a bit of an eye brow as he walked over quietly and stood in front of the man.

"Well, now what do we have here, you look like the runt of the litter, but I am guessing your smart and you must have some skills or Lu Meng woudln't of allowed you even to join the army," Ling Tong said himself standing just a foot front him as he looked him over for a good moment before turning and looking at the bow, "I see, we are down a squad leader, I see what he has envisioned for you," he mused outloud as much to himself as it was for her benefit. He had been told that already, but he wasn't sure why till he saw her reading already.

"Now, you are going to train with me, tomorrow and every day after that, you shall be at the archery fields tomorrow at sunrise, each moment late will end up with more running and work, ontime is late, early is ontime," he explained as he stepped back, 'Well, I am Ling Tong, the commander of the unit that you are now a member of and your boss, so I suggest you keep reading, get some sleep, maybe get some food if you need it and be ready the morning it will be a very long day if your late or if your not ready understood?"
 
At first Lu Shan didn't even notice the man that entered the room. Her eyes were focused on the book and her mind was trying to take in all the information the book had to offer her. Luckily thanks to her education she was able to read each word with ease. The book offered her plenty of military strategies and terms that would help her in the near future. Without this book, Lu Shan would be the first of any one to die in the army. Her worries remaining to be her secret and her abilities to use the bow in battle. Hopefully with the intense training she'll get, Lu Shan's accuracy and skill will improve more and more each day.

Only until she heard a manly voice did Lu Shan know a man was in the room with her. Hearing his voice she jumped a little from being brought back into reality and seeing a man just appear in front of her. She looked up at the man from her bed closing the book for a moment using her thumb as a bookmark. She didn't say anything about his first comment since she had nothing to say about it that would be smart to say, but she did notice his handsome features. Damn it, was there one unattractive guy here!? With all these handsome men around it'll be even harder to hide her girlish behavior and secret. One slip up could get them to realize what she really was since they all had probably been with plenty of women before. The next thing he said caught her attention. Lu Meng must have told this man his intentions of making her a squad leader. If Lu Meng saw it in her then maybe it was possible.

She looked down for a moment and tried to speak. "I-" The moment she tried to speak, her girl voice slipped out since she was quiet and didn't try to change her voice by accident. She cleared her throat and spoke again in her manly voice saying. "I'll do what I can to make that vision a reality. If he sees a leader in me then I need to make that vision a reality." Though honestly, Lu Shan didn't like the idea of these lives being under her control. Finally after hearing his order about their training she learned his name; so this was Ling Tong. She wasn't surprised or disappointed she just felt indifferent about meeting him since Lu Shan didn't know what to expect. As soon as he was finished, Lu Shan answered with a simple "Yes sir!"
 
The next morning Ling Tong was out working and training as any other day, he figured that Lu Shan, or whatever his name was. He had to be working on something important and getting to know his fellow bunkmates. Ling Tong figured he would get to see what type of person he was when he came down to start train. He knew that the tent he had been put into was one filled with ambitious people who were all in officer training. It most likely he figured was done that way on purpose, Lu Meng pushing him quietly down the path of becoming a officer if she knew it or not.

Tong looked around himself, he stood in a shaded part, around him were trees a number of them as well as a number of targets spread out between the trees, each set at a different distance from a line from where the archer would fire their bow. Tong knew that he had to oversee this, and make sure that the soldiers did everything that was needed for this type of training. He knew that most didn't use the bow, but those who did make up their own unit meaning most likely Lu Shan would be there with maybe one other future officer. He leaned back and waited knowing it would be a bit before they showed.

Tong could smell the food from the mess tent for some this was a step up it was real food, but for those who came from elite families it was a step down a big one as it wasn't the fancy food they were used to. It was always interesting to see reactions to the food by various new troops from time to time, how would the small man see the food, he hadn't placed if Shan was from a elite family or a simple one yet, but he hadn't spend much time around him either and he figured in time he would know one way or another what the case happened to be.
 
While Ling Tong was up training thinking Lu Shan was busy, in fact it was quite the opposite. Lu Shan wasn't use to waking up at the crack of dawn and no one had waken her up. Only just now, Lu Shan started to open her eyes, but noticing the other beds were empty Lu Shan shot up from her bed. She overslept on her first day! Lu Shan had to switch from her sleeping clothes and tape her breast down and switched into her armor in a panic. Hopefully she wouldn't forget anything that could expose her secret. She grabbed her bow and ran out trying to find the training field she was suppose to already be at.

The good news was last night went without a hitch. The soldiers she shared the barracks with introduced themselves to her without any suspicion. Luckily they didn't bother her assuming she was tired and saw she wanted to read the book Lu Meng gave her. In that night she was able to finish it so everything she needed to know was known now, but it didn't help her wake up any quicker. Though what she saw so fair it looked like everyone in the camp was friendly and the smell of food made her hungry, but she didn't have time to eat now.

The bad news was that she was late on her first day of training, if she was lucky Ling Tong wouldn't notice it. She spotted the man sitting in the shade by what she believed was the training grounds. Lu Shan took a breath then walked over to him and respectfully bowed. "I'm sorry-" Realizing she still had her feminine natural voice and cleared her throat to change into her manlier voice. "Sorry sir, I over slept. I hope I'm not too late for training."
 
Ling Tong found that most of his men were on time and he got started, he wasn't happy about the man that Lu Meng seemed to have a good feeling about. The solider had made a bad spot on Ling Tong as she was late and he wasn't that big on being late for training, other things yes, but training hell no. He saw that he was walking up and looked at Shan and pointed her in a different direction. He figured she would need to work with someone else this day to work on his body and strength.

Lu Xun was waiting for the woman catching sight of Tong. The charming young man looked at Shan and raised his eyebrow, the genius was able to pick up on something was off abut the man. He looked at her and motioned her over to where he was standing at the moment. "come here, Shan, we have plenty of work for you to do today," he said calmly as he looked at the person closer, yeah, it was easy to pick up on when he knew what to look at. He motioned her to follow him as he ran laps around the camp, moving at a steady pace, endurance would be something that Shan would have to build up.

After a while Xun stopped Shan in an area it would be just the two of them, so no one would overhear them. "So, Lady Shan, if that is your real name, why are you here," he asked, he would keep her secret, but Xun was a genius and able to see though her ploy, he had to make sure she wasn't an enemy spy first and foremost, but after that he would help her if she had a good reason to be there.
 
It was obvious that Ling Tong wasn't pleased with her and honestly she didn't blame him. Her fist day here and already she seemed like a disappointment, but she couldn't let old habits stop her from becoming the greatest she could be. She won't let Lu Meng's judgment turn into a false assumption. Lu Shan looked in the direction Ling Tong pointed her at and realized he didn't want to work with her today. So much for archery training, but it would be best to start with building her body up.

She sighed softly and turned towards the training field only to see a face she could recognize as Lu Xun. He wasn't big in size, but he sure was an intelligent and handsome man. Hopefully she would be able to keep her secret from him. Out of anyone here that could find out it would be Lu Xun that could figure it out first. Seeing him motion her over, Lu Shan hesitated for a moment thinking he was referring to someone else thought she realized he was referring to her. She walked over to him trying to look calm and felt some relief when all he wanted was to give her some work to do.

Lu Shan couldn't help, but smile as she ran with him around the camp. It was the most she's ran in a long time and although she was losing breath often and felt her throat burning Lu Shan did all she could to keep up. This was her first step to becoming a warrior there's no way in hell she was going to let something simple as running hold her down. After what felt like hours they finally came to a stop Lu Shan put her hands on her knees and panted in exhaustion, but Lu Xun's words caught her off guard. She gasped softly in her feminine voice. They were alone so she wasn't afraid of her real voice being heard. Her fears came true, Lu Xun knew for long long she didn't know. She stood up straight and looked at him directly. "So you know?" She sighed softly and said "My real name is Lu Shan...I did this for my family. There were no sons in my family and my father didn't have someone to take over the family. So...I disguised myself as a man so our family would have someone...and I came to fight for them...as a man I won't get any pity so my training would be tough and ruthless...making me stronger..." She explained in her normal voice speaking in truth.
 
Lu Xun stood there calmly as he looked at the woman for a moment, she pulled off the attempt rather well, if he didn't have a trained eye, most likely he wouldn't of ever seen it at all. He smiled as he looked at her knowing that it was indeed very impressive. He could tell too that she had a noble reason for doing what she did, she did so for her family and so she would have the best chance to be a good solider as well.

"First of all, I will keep your secret, I promise I will, as long as you work hard and do your best," Xun commented as he looked at the woman, "Secondly, Wu men tend to like strong women, so if this does get out, most likely you will have a lot of suitors, from here, and other kingdoms," he said with a soft laugh, he knew that his sister in law had been a tomboy who married a emperor and he had married into that family to a strong woman as well. "Now, I will have your barracks changed though to share mine, don't worry I am a loyal married man, surprisingly and you won't be harmed," he said as he looked at her. "You will be my student for tactics and to gain experience in the battlefield and I will make you stronger."

Xun looked at her as he gave her the offer, he knew that he would keep the information from Meng, and Tong, as both didn't need to know and she had a good reason. Plus, he knew it would be funny as all heck when they found out that she was a female. He looked over at the camp, "come on, we should be getting back make sure your ready, and we will head back, I shall get the change in your home done in the morning."
 
Lu Shan stood herself up straight looking at the wise young man before her. For someone so young to be so intelligent she couldn't help, but wonder how he was so quick to discover her secret. Was there a flaw in her disguise or was it in her attitude? Now she couldn't help but worry there was something she was doing wrong that exposed her secrets. After all he couldn't just look at her and just know unless there was a flaw right? Though while she was worrying and still should be worrying even more now that someone knows now the smile he gave her made her less nervous around him; hopefully he believed her story.

The moment Lu Xun started speaking Lu Shan's eyes and ear were on him. She looked both surprised and happy to hear what he had to say. The fact that he'll keep her secret was a blessing, but the next thing he said really got her thinking for a moment. While for the most part it would be nice to find a suitor and marry, but she knows love was a thing she gave up long ago. It was one of the many things she had to give up so finding love wasn't a goal or priority to her. The idea itself just kinda faded away and she even forgot such a thing existed. She blushed softly for a moment, but it quickly faded away. "Thank you for keeping my secret you don't know how much I'll owe you...and finding a suitor would be nice, but it's not my goal and it's one of the things I learned to give up with my ruse so I doubt I'll ever marry even if everyone knew I was a girl." She spoke softly even with sadness in her voice as she stared down in the ground.

For a moment she looked at him surprised hearing he was wanting to change her home to share with his. Lu Shan was almost frozen after all why would he want that especially now after learning her secret. Though her nerves calmed down hearing he was already married and being a loyal husband he wouldn't try anything on her. "Well...thank you. I trust you're loyalty to your wife and I must say she's lucky to have a husband like yourself. I want to repay you for your kindness one day." She looked at him with kind eyes and a friendly smile. Hearing it was time to head back, Lu Shan gathered her things and readied to leave with him. "Yes sir and again Lu Xun...thank you."
 
Lu Xun wondered for a moment if it was the wisest thing he could do. He knew that he was leaving his own mentor out in the dark about the situation, but he figured that it wouldn't ultimately hurt anything and that Lu Shan seemed like a nice enough young woman. He figured that she had good reasons as well to work and want to help her family too. Xun walked away from the spot quietly, he wondered how Lu Meng was going to react when he figure this out, or how Ling Tong would react. It was going to be a interesting time during the training of this group of new troops.

The small home of Lu Xun had two rooms one that the young woman would stay in and his own, as well as the other basic rooms one might find in any home. He would claim her as his student of tactics, he had been asked for a while to take up teaching tactics to a young solider to be his assistant should he ever need to take charge of the army someday. He walked into his home and pulled down several books about tactics and strategy about knowledge and he knew they would greatly help the young woman learn, and were not overly complex either.

Lu Xun put them on the table as he knew that the young woman was most likely going to arrive sooner or later, that she would most likely feel as if she were in over her head, but he figured in time she would pick up on the needed abilities and skills to achieve something of herself in the Wu forces.
 
Lu Shan knew it must be difficult for Lu Xun to hide such a big secret especially from Lu Meng. She prayed nothing bad would come of this. What would happen to Lu Xun if he found out that Lu Xun has been keeping this secret from him? Lu Shan feared something would happen to Lu Xun because of her. He didn't deserve a punishment if it came to it, Lu Shan won't allow Lu Xun to be the one in trouble. All she wanted was to make sure her family was safe and taken care of, but she didn't know what would happen if the truth was discovered. Because of that lack of knowledge Lu Shan would have to work even harder to hide the truth as long as possible. For now Lu Shan had to ready herself for the change in her living arrangements at least now she had a friend by her side.

It wasn't too long after that she was told of the change. Lu Shan didn't pack before hand to avoid looking suspicious that she already knew about it. Naturally the men that heard of it thought of Lu Xun's kindness of taking her in was odd at least until he explained the Lu Shan was his student. Living with Lu Xun would benefit Lu Shan in many ways: Lu Xun was wise and could help her learn more about battle tactics and strategies while at the same time her secret could be easily kept. She would get her knowledge from Lu Xun while Ling Tong taught her strength and combat. Lu Shan hoped that tomorrow would be a better day for her regarding her training with Ling Tong. Tomorrow she was going to wake up on time and begin her life as a warrior correctly this time; no mistakes.

Lu Shan took her belongings to Lu Xun's home, tying her horse to the nearest stable. Hopefully rumors or such wouldn't spread the last thing Lu Shan needed was the army spreading rumors about her. Soon enough Lu Shan had taken all her things inside and placed them in the room Lu Xun generously gave her. It didn't take her long to get set up and comfort, but of course this changed nothing for Lu Shan regarding the work she'll be doing. "Thank you for lending me a room to stay in and the books will help me greatly too. You're very kind Lord Lu Xun. If there's any chores or work to be done don't be afraid to ask me to help after all I have to help you for letting me stay..." She smiled softly and bowed deeply in respect.
 
Lu Xun nodded his head as he heard the words of the young woman who stood in front of himself. He knew that this woman was at least a decent person, he figured that she would have many suitors if she was to announce that she was a female. Still the reaction when they found out was going to be rather priceless and funny all at the same time. He figured there would be shock, but people would get over it, cause they would know that Shan would be a good officer hopefully before they figured it out, and then it would matter far less that she was a female then it would at this point in time.

"You will have plenty of choirs to do, trust me, cleaning keeping your bed clean and orderly. You will have to do other work around here with the purpose of building strength and helping your training as well as your reading which should help you understand tactics, you will be very busy person trust me," Lu Xun said as he looked at her getting up from his chair as he stood there for a moment, "actually in a lot of ways, this training will be far more challenging then it would of been had you stayed where you are, as people will have higher expectations of you then before."

Lu Xun showed Lu Shan around the area, where her bath would be, where she could keep her stuff, as well as her bed, which was in the other room which was a former storage room, not the nicest but it was a room and the odds with staying here went down a great deal in comparison to before. Lu Xun motioned her into the room and looked at her, "read a bit, then sleep, you will need the sleep for tomorrow, we will start the morning running around the camp then you will have your breakfast, then you will practice your tactics with a game with me, then in the afternoon you will work on your bow skills, in three of four weeks you will be given back to Ling Tong for approval as well as my mentor so they can see how good you have done."
 
One of Lu Shan's many worries was when Ling Tong and Lu Meng would find out about her secret. Here in Lu Xun's home she could be safer then before and even stronger with having such a intelligent mentor watching over her. If Lu Xun could figure it out just by looking at her then she had to worry if Lu Meng would figure it out the same way eventually. Ling Tong she wouldn't bet too much coin on figuring it out on his own, but then again Lu Shun could be mistaken. The thing she was scared about was how they would react. Would they be furious or just surprised? Something inside her was too afraid to find out, but she knew that sooner or later her secret will be exposed Lu Shan just prayed it would be after her training was complete.

Listening to Lu Xun explain that being under his wing for now would be more of a challenge then her original training would be, but as he went on Lu Shan began to smile with pride. She stood straight and strong filled with a inspired feeling coursing through her body. "I understand sir and I'm excited that my training with you will be even tougher on me. I wanted to appear as a man to become stronger then I would as a woman, but now hearing this I understand you could make me even stronger and smarter and for that I thank you and look forward to whatever challenge you throw at me!" She smiled brightly and gave one more deep respectful bow then returning to stand straight and proud.

After seeing all the rooms and places that was of her concern Lu Shan felt more at peace then she was at her previous living quarters. Here she had privacy and could let herself be a girl when she was here, but it'll be a very long time before she could do the things normal girls did. It's been years since she's even worn a kimono, but at least it'll all be worth it in the end. When Lu Xun motioned her to her new room Lu Shan walked inside, but her attention remained on her new temporary mentor. After hearing her new schedule and how things were going to be after today Lu Shan gave a understanding nod. "Yes sir, I understand. I promise I won't let you or Lord Lu Meng down. But I suppose I should begin reading right away so I can go to bed sooner. Good night Lord Lu Xun." She smiled sweetly at him wishing him good dreams.
 
Time past as time always does pass bye without warning, and things did change a bit for some and a lot for others, a month had gone by since Lu Xun had taken in Lu Shan and let her stay at his home. It was a month where he had worked the young woman harder then most likely she had ever expected to be worked. Yet, she hadn't complained, and she worked as hard as she could. It was a great thing to see, and she was living up to his expectations, and he though her own as well. He had promised her that after a month he would let her have a test to show the others her skills, and he had set that just up for her, to show the other commanders of the outpost, Lu Meng and Ling Tong the skills she developed.

Lu Xun looked over as he saw the other gathering around, this was a gauntlet, a challenge course that would take speed, agility and intelligence. It was filled with rope swings and pits and all sorts of objects that were put in place to be obstacles for anyone so their time would be bad. He knew that Lu Shan had been looking forward to this for the past bit to prove herself worthy to being a officer and a leader. It was good to see her go for this, and he knew that it was a big day for him, cause if he could prove that he could teach someone, then his own status went up a bit. Still he was mostly focus on Lu Shan cause this would be a huge moment for her, and he felt confident she would put up a good time.

Lu Xun saw Ling Tong looking at him giving him a curious look to some degree, he could tell Ling Tong had low expectations as did Lu Meng. Seeing those looks cause Lu Xun to want to have Lu Shan to show the two of them up as much as possible and do as best as possible. He heard the signal of the race, then he would see Lu Shan moving though the course soon moving to try to impress and give the best possible time to her name, which would tell the others just how talented she was and how much she learned too.
 
It's been a month since Lu Shan has started her training. Every day and night she worked to the point she couldn't stand anymore. There were countless times she's fallen asleep in bed or at the table with a workspace of open books as her pillow. Her body was sore for a good amount of her training, but it didn't stop her. Each day she grew faster, stronger, and smarter. Lu Shan's even shown a great some of talent using her bow and arrows. Her eyes were sharp and already had a excellent aim, but it did take awhile before she could start hitting bull eyes. She wanted to make Lu Xun proud, she wanted to prove she could be an officer maybe even one of their best. After the big first impression she left Ling Tong with Lu Shan could only expect they saw little in her, but today Lu Shan was going to prove them all wrong.

Everything Lu Shan's been training for has led up to this moment. The looks on Ling Tong's and Lu Meng's faces as they saw her only made her more determined to show them what kind of a warrior she's become. No longer will she be a embarrassment. Wu was going to be grateful to have her on their side. As she readied for her test Lu Shan felt a bit of nervous tension. What if she failed? She'll embarrass Lu Xun and prove that everyone who doubted her was right. Lu Shan shook her head to chase those thoughts away. Now was not the time to be a coward, she just had to remember what she was taught and then let fate what will become of her.

As soon as Lu Shan heard the signal she dashed off to begin her test. Truly if she didn't have Lu Xun train her there was no chance of her passing this test. She ignored the eyes staring at her and focused on what was ahead of her. Using everything she's learned Lu Shan was clearing every obstacle with little to no problems. Her strength, speed, and intelligence completely different then how she first arrived. With her bow on her back there was a single arrow tied to her belt. There was something not included on the test she wanted to add to prove her skills even further. When Lu Shan reached the end she jumped and rolled to the finish line, but after the quick roll her bow was pulled from her back and the arrow was in place. With one foot on the ground and her knee on her other leg touching the ground Lu Shan pulled back the arrow and shot it without a moment wasted. The arrow flew not hitting a single person then stabbing into a target for archery a few yards away right in the center; a bull eyes. With that Lu Shan panted softly as she stood and looked over to her mentors and lords to see what they had to say.
 
The group of people there were focused on Lu Shan, most of them didn't know that she was a female, actually all but one of them thought she was a male. As such Lu Shan was being rated on a scale that would be common for a male and not that of a female. The one person who knew she was a female wasn't worried about that small fact. Lu Xun had seen just how hard that Lu Shan had been working and honestly, he knew that she would do well, she would show her stuff. He smiled as he looked at the young woman work, she did just as he thought. He had a good feeling about the strong woman, and her potential for being a force to be dealt with. He knew the strength of women from Da Qiao, his mother in law and Lianshi, the bodyguard, and lover of his lord Sun Quan.

The others who didn't know this were not less unimpressed at all, they were all impressed from her performance, most of all, Ling Tong. Ling Tong was amazed at the skill of the would be archer he had seen before, Lu Shan looked like a trained fighter and leader. Lu Meng noticed this too, in her choose of movements, he knew that if she was working equally on her tactics as he figured she was, she was a great future officer. The pair of them went over and talked to Lu Xun for a moment as they talked to him just about Lu Shan, about the abilities of Lu Shan, and her future place in the camp. It was a enlightening conversation on their opinion of the young woman, and caused him to smile a bit.

"Lu Shan, you shall continue your training with Lu Xun, but you will be given other responsibilities, you are going to learn training tactics and skills from Ling Tong, you will serve as a squad commander as well given a group of a few other troops to command and work with to form one of our many squads of archers, is this understood," Lu Meng said looking at her, as he figured that the young woman would be rather excited at this revelation that was being revealed to her, and it would also give her a clue about how she did, "your pay and your rank will be increased to reflect these new responsibilities."
 
As the three Lords turned to each other in discussion of her performance Lu Shan turned to face them, but didn't move from her spot. Her breath soon returned and her pants ceased, but still it was difficult to hear what they were saying from the distance she was at from them. Lu Shan prayed they accepted her, that her training didn't go to waste. Knowing the fact that she appeared as a man that her grading would be much stricter then it would be if she remained a girl. That was one of the benefits to being a man Lu Shan could get tested harder as well as trained harder. Her body was becoming strong and it seemed the performance impressed those who came to watch, but it all came down to Lu Meng to decide her fate. Shall she remain a private or become an officer? Her heart pounded not from the test she just placed her body into, but from the anticipation of hearing their answer.

Lu Shan tensed up and straightened up once she saw that Lu Meng looked ready to speak to her. She gulped fearing the moment she would hear bad news, but as Lu Meng spoke Lu Shan looked surprised. Her heart was ready to explode when she heard the increased rank and pay she'll receive. More pay meant more money she could send home to her family waiting for her return. The rank increase proved to Lu Shan that she had what it took to be a warrior. The downside was that now she was responsible for the lives of those under her command. If she failed then they will die, but with Lu Xun and now Ling Tong teaching her Lu Shan was sure that they will be a excellent leader out of her. Lu Shan couldn't be more happy, she wanted to jump up and down and hug Lu Xun for taking her under his wing, but she had to remain under control otherwise it'll not look too good on her.

A excited smile grew across her lips and finally she took a deep bow to the three leaders in thanks and in respect for them. Keeping her head low, but her voice loud enough for them to hear Lu Shan began to speak. "Thank you my Lord. I won't take these responsibilities lightly. I will become the best I can be and with Lord Lu Xun and Lord Ling Tong training me I don't have a single doubt in my mind that they can train me to be the warrior I need to be. I know it'll only become more difficult for me now, but it won't stop me. For that I thank you all a million times over."
 
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