Three days later…
"Resting time!" Aladdin's voice resonated across the training ground. He held a large sack beside him, watching as the soldiers slumped to the ground one by one.
"After witnessing your hard work, I've decided to help you all out. In here is an extraordinary elixir that I brewed myself. It's capable of helping you unlock the limits placed upon your body, allowing you to surpass them and wield the strength of three men alongside incredible stamina.
Share that with three of your comrades. Consume it sparingly because it won't be replenished."
He walked around the gathering, passing out the elixir to all of them.
"You two don't need to share." Aladdin handed two small wooden bottles to Mulan and Li Shang.
They both nodded, too tired to speak.
"How about mine?" Chi Fu asked.
"You already had yours three days ago. You only get one," Aladdin replied.
"But... but..." Chi Fu wanted to respond, but Aladdin had already walked away to another soldier.
Once he was done, he stored the sack inside his robe and stealthily made it vanish into his storage ring. Then, he observed the soldiers.
The soldiers uncorked the wooden bottles and shared the elixir among themselves. Instantly, a refreshing sensation surged from their bellies and flowed through every fibre of their being.
Burp!!
"Sorry," Chien Po said, elegantly covering his mouth with his hand.
"No problem. I can feel it too," Yao responded. "It'll be out any moment now... here it is!"
Burp!!
"You guys will never get a wife if you continue with this attitude," Ling said, waving his hand in front of his face in irritation.
"Oh brother, women love a real man who tells them and shows them who he is. After we're done with this war, I'll take you back to my village and show you a thing or two about getting a wife," Yao replied.
"You talk as though we've already won," Ling snorted.
"Of course we have. Have you seen anyone capable of training for three days and three nights while getting only two hours of sleep? I'm certain that even the Huns' army can't train for that long. Besides, I feel stronger than I was before. If we met the Huns right now, I believe I could take down Shan Yu myself."
He flexed his muscles, revealing his muscular, sculpted physique.
"Oh yeah? Why don't I speak with Instructor Aladdin so he can pair you up with Soldier Yun?" Ling replied.
"Don't you dare!" Yao quickly pressed his hand against Ling's face.
Ling struggled, but Yao's strength was too great for him. He could only press against Yao's face and try to push him backwards.
"Come on... no fighting," Chien Po said as he walked over and wrapped both of them in a tight hug until they withdrew their hands.
"Ahem!!" The sound of someone clearing their throat echoed behind them.
Chien Po and the others turned around and spotted Aladdin standing behind them with a stern expression.
They immediately snapped their heads forward, pretending as though they had seen nothing. As though reaching a silent agreement, the three men separated and quietly returned to their positions.
"Since you all seem eager to cause a ruckus, I'll have you three demonstrate today's training. Follow me," Aladdin said, gesturing for them to follow him as he returned to the front of the line.
Chien Po, Yao, and Ling's shoulders slumped in defeat.
They didn't hesitate for a moment, following behind Aladdin.
"See what you caused?" Ling chided.
Yao didn't respond this time. Instead, he snorted loudly.
Chien Po gently smacked both of them on the back, gesturing for them to stop bickering with each other.
At the front, Li Shang and Mulan had already gulped down their elixirs.
Sensing an incredible feeling of refreshment flowing through his body, easing both his muscles and mind, Li Shang couldn't help but stand up and stretch.
"This is incredible!" he exclaimed.
"I agree. I still can't get enough of it, no matter how many times I drink it," Mulan nodded.
"This isn't your first time drinking this? How many did he give you?" Li Shang asked curiously.
"One every day for three days," Mulan replied, not hiding the truth. Since Aladdin had already revealed the elixir, she realised it would be wrong to lie to her captain.
"Do you possess the strength of three men as he had said?" Li Shang asked, his gaze glistening with curiosity.
"I've grown far stronger than I ever imagined, but I'm not certain I have the strength of three men. However, I think I might even be able to beat you in a fight, Captain," Mulan replied with a confident smile.
"Are you sure?" Li Shang asked.
He was very confident in his own strength, and he had every right to be. Even if Mulan had become as strong as he was, he was confident he could overpower her with his techniques.
"I'm certain. Even if I lose, it won't be an easy victory for you," Mulan nodded.
"Then we'll fight later, perhaps after the war. We should avoid doing anything that might cause unnecessary injuries until we've defeated the Huns' army," Li Shang replied, tactfully accepting her challenge.
Mulan nodded in agreement.
"Instructor Aladdin seems to have a good impression of you. Can you persuade him to form a trade with us? If we can obtain this elixir for the Imperial Army, then we'll no longer have to fear any potential invasion," Li Shang changed the subject.
After spending three days with Aladdin, Li Shang was disappointed that he had been unable to form a close relationship with him. Though their relationship had improved compared to before, it still wasn't as close as Mulan's.
"You heard what he said to Advisor Chi Fu. It's not for sale. I can try to speak with him, but if he insists, I can't force Instructor Aladdin to change his mind, since he's doing all of this out of the goodness of his heart," Mulan replied.
Considering that Aladdin had refused to join their war, explaining that he was only a traveller and didn't wish to fight someone he didn't even know, they realised it was already a miracle that they had received so much help from him.
"Still, it's not a bad thing to hope for good news," Li Shang replied.
"I'll try my best then," Mulan said.
Li Shang found himself slowly depending on Ping, and he didn't dislike it in the slightest because he was far more competent than he had imagined. If Ping's previous lack of strength and timidity had once been an issue, they were no longer.
Suddenly, they saw Aladdin step forward with three individuals following behind him.
"Aren't they your friends?" Li Shang leaned toward Mulan and whispered.
He had gotten acquainted with Chien Po, Ling, and Yao over the past three days, and while they were fun to hang out with, they weren't people he would keep as close companions because of their chaotic nature.
Mulan covered her face with her palms in embarrassment. She peeked through the gaps between her fingers to witness the unfolding scene.
Li Shang chuckled, focusing his gaze forward as well.
"These three, Soldiers Chien Po, Ling, and Yao, will be leading today's training," Aladdin announced.
He turned to them and said, "Go ahead."
Then, he walked to the side.
"You may begin," Aladdin's voice echoed from the front of the training ground.
The three men instantly snapped out of their thoughts and began their demonstration.
***
Within a certain region,
A village lay scattered across a vast grassy plain, surrounded by thick forests and snowy mountains in the distance.
A fortified military encampment stood a short distance away.
Soldiers patrolled in and out of the encampment.
Flying above each tent was the banner bearing the insignia of the Imperial Army of China.
Within the centre of the camp,
A plump, wheat-skinned man with his hair tied in a bun and sideburns stared at a letter in his grasp. The more he read, the darker his expression became, while fear slowly gripped him.
As he reached the final sentence, General Li slammed the letter onto the table.
"Have we received any response from the other camps yet?" he asked, holding back the anger in his voice.
"No. We should have received a response five days ago, but even the messenger bird we sent hasn't returned," Captain Fan, seated across the table, shook his head.
"If what the letter says is true, then it's safe to presume they're all dead."
BANGG!!
General Li slammed his fist against the table.
"How dare he attack my son? Didn't he say he was prepared to face us head-on? Shan Yu has no code of honour," he growled, tightening his fist in anger.
"What should we do, General?" Captain Fan quickly asked.
Hearing the question, General Li gradually calmed himself. He massaged his temples before speaking.
"How quickly can we meet up with them?"
"If we send men to escort them, they should return within a week. But that's only if they aren't intercepted by the Huns' army. Even if they encounter no obstacles along the way, who's to say Shan Yu won't seize the opportunity to finish us off one group at a time once he uncovers our forces have separated?" Captain Fan responded.
"He has already resorted to underhanded tactics, which, although not forbidden in war, are surprising coming from a man like him. What if he uses another tactic we aren't expecting?
I propose we send a response to the Captain and instruct him to meet us at the Mountain Pass. It's safer that way. However, there's also the possibility that we'll encounter Shan Yu there. Whether Captain Shang and his unit can make it through the Mountain Pass will depend on their own capabilities."
"Shan Yu has shown us how despicable he can be. If he has no scruples and will do anything to achieve his goal, then we have to be even more cautious. Your idea is good. Write it down immediately. However, inform them that we'll be sending fifty men to escort them to the meeting point," General Li said with a nod.
"Although we should conserve our forces, we shouldn't do so to the extent of abandoning our own men. These are new recruits, and if news of that spreads to the public, it would be catastrophic for both the army and the Emperor.
He didn't know who the mysterious stranger that had helped his son and his unit was, but he was glad they had crossed paths. For him to have rescued his men from Shan Yu's grasp meant that he was a formidable individual.
General Li couldn't help but look forward to meeting him.
He was also grateful that Advisor Chi Fu was still alive and with them, or else he didn't know how he would have faced the Emperor.
Captain Fan nodded, sighing inwardly. He knew the General wasn't willing to risk his son's safety. At this moment, he knew any advice he offered would fall on deaf ears. Besides, he didn't see anything wrong with the General's plan.
Captain Fan prepared a fresh scroll, picked up an ink brush, and began to write.
After finishing the letter, he allowed the ink to dry before handing it to General Li.
General Li read through it and nodded.
"It's good."
He rolled up the scroll and placed it inside the container that the previous letter had arrived in.
Then, he stood up and walked out of the tent.
Captain Fan followed behind him.
As they stepped outside, they looked up at the sky and noticed a large falcon circling above the camp.
General Li stretched out his arm and whistled.
Instantly, the falcon dived toward them.
It landed on his outstretched arm.
General Li couldn't help but feel how familiar the falcon was to Shan Yu's own bird. Still, he tied the straps on the container around the falcon's leg.
"Deliver this to Captain Li and his men," he said.
To his surprise, the falcon responded with a sharp screech. It took flight, soaring high into the sky until it vanished into the distance.