3 Siege

[ Year 824AD, Weiyou Tribe, Northern border of Arghon ]

"Wei Cheng" A few 14 to 15-year-old kids run to their friend while shouting.

"Tss" her thorn brown robe and uneven-cut trousers are full of dirt. Her hair is tied in a half bun and a tribe headband is tied on her forehead. She looks so messy and her face is covered with little scratches from hunting.

While walking back from the mountain range, she tried hunting for wild to practice her aim. As she always says that hunting is her hobby she lived well, most of the time going to the forest.

She slightly smiled at them and gave them a few fruits which she gathered along the way home.

She fixed the cloth she tied on her right wrist a few months before, when she strained it due to her excessive training, her right wrist is always exposed to the armory and it is oftentimes strained in the process. She's used to it anyways.

She greeted the elderly she saw weaving as she was asked to help next time, which she always refuse. She's not into thread and seems.

She saw her friend lying on the trunk of an old oak tree, she shook her head and sighed.

"Mu Lin!" her best friend went down from the trunk as she approached the ladder.

"Master Cui has been looking for you," she said, which she just shrugged.

Mu Lin has been her friend since she arrived at the tribe camp. Mu Lin has been a tribe member since birth when she was saved by Master Cui, the tribe leader.

Not knowing her name and where she came from, she was named Cheng, the moment she passed a year of training and mastered several classes under him.

Wei Cheng is a battle word. It matters because Wei came from Weiyou which always holds a part of her being. She adopted the name since then.

Her life mostly involves struggling with her way to learn martial arts and sword fighting, and she even reads books and writes several articles which the tribe enjoys reading when they have free time.

She is a well-known storyteller of her tribe.

As for the geography and historical facts: The tribe of Weiyou is the middle ground between the Ruyu and Arghon. Which makes them independent from both empires. 12 years ago, the route was foreclosed due to some incidents which led them to stop trading and the tribe severs its tie from the Arghon. This story has been passed down for years. And they haven't gotten any support since then, for years their tribe strived by hunting and planting.

Since the route is blessed with trees, water streams, and mountain ranges that keep them safe, other than wild animals, the tribe does not have any more challenges.

She mastered all of the lessons as she is now one of the instructors together with her friend Mu Lin and Laohu.

She is best known for achieving the best archer of the tribe at the age of 9 so she was called Weicheng for her capabilities.

[Weicheng's POV]

Mu lin's voice has always been like that of a mother, such words and advice annoy her.

"I told you not to reach beyond the boundary" she's still at it.

She knew me too well, I went to North Arghon to see and hear stories, I'm not inside the forest.

to clear the reason why our tribe severed its tie from the empire. but then again clues are nowhere to be found. I have been looking for answers now.

"I know, I know" I walked together with Mu Lin while listening to the lessons of newly endorsed kids at the camp.

I gave her my latest manuscript about the history of the Yun Kingdom of North. She gave it a read which made her gasp.

I just shrugged as I explained what I'd heard at the market of North Kingdom.

"According to the letters and posts I heard, the King of the North by the Queen's request was the one who sent the empire a request to close the trading route and stop the support to Weiyou tribe"

"How despicable" she gasped, which I also nodded.

"Yun Clan is one of the most influential Clans of the Arghon, the two descendants of the Previous King of North both held the highest position to date. The Firstborn Yun Ni Xua as the Queen of the North and Empress Yun Li Xian as the Arghon Empress"

"Did the Previous King of the North save the world in his past life? He has the greatest children"

As Mu Lin stated, the two sisters, although have different attitudes came from one bloodline, Yun's. They are always called the sisters mandated by heaven.

"Hey!" we both looked at Lao Hu, who just arrived at the camp. We have always been a trio. Laohu has stayed here for a little 4 years already. He was a victim of abusive parents from the north Arghon as he said and then left their home as he was about to be sold to merchants.

Lao Hu is famous in our tribe, a lot of girls our age always gives him presents as he is good-looking.

"Where were you, Hu?" I asked him as soon as he reached our bench.

Several kids gathered around as soon as they saw Lao Hu. I shrugged.

"You're quite that popular, Hu" Lin smiled, they were adopted, siblings. Because Lin's father was the one who save Lao Hu, he promised to protect them at all costs. And now, they're siblings.

"My charisma is something, I know" he giggled.

He looks so neat, even though we wear the same clothes every day. He's also one of the top students of Master Cui. He has the agility of a tiger and a face of an innocent cat so we always call him Hu short for Laohu means tiger.

Master Cui is fond of nicknames so most of us have one. Including me who doesn't even have a name. Mu Lin is always called Linlin as she was one of the cutest when we were young with just a couple of daggers in her hands.

"Hu" I called him while walking back to our cottage, he followed right after and put his arms around me and Linlin. We walked back to help the elders prepare for dinner.

From giving soup, I saw Lin from the opposite side, giving a set of food. I sneaked out of the scene to find Laohu.

While stirring the soup, I saw Hu and directly asked him about his whereabouts and he just answered that he was wandering the forest.

I saw him earlier at the northern market, he's also wearing decent clothes to disguise. I often do that, I wear decent items of clothing and the headgear of a nobleman inside the Market to not be banned. As I always manage to escape the Northern gates, there's a huge chance someone could do that too.

I just shrugged and turned around, since he was not willing to say anything I will let him be. I took three steps when he asked me

"why were you at the market?"

I never wanted him to know I was there, but, I never expected him to say that he is sneaking too.

I dropped the bowl to his question and turn around. His eyes were serious. It's like he knew the reason, even if I don't talk. We've been around each other for years, he knew me too well, and to lie in front of him, will never be effective.

he nodded "alright, so did you find any answers?"

I sighed, defeated and seated in the nearest chair, shaking my head.

"what exactly are you looking for, Cheng?"

"Even I, I do not know, I was adopted here, and my last memory was being found by master cui."

he slowly nodded "here"

he pulled out a book inside his robe and I reached for it

"That's a detailed history of Arghon Empire 20 years" he left me inside the kitchen and went on and help the elders outside.

I have been in search of where I came from and why the tribe has been excluded from any empire. There's more to the surface than meets the eye, I know.

My stomach didn't feel any hunger as I've gone on my way to go to my tent. I'll be spending a whole night reading this more then.