Dandere General and his Lord

4. Victory Banquet 

Men who had returned after straddling the boundary between life and death were more crude and unbridled than usual. 

At the present, the slave barracks was resounding with the screams of women who had been dragged into dark nooks and crannies. 

But it was not only the women. Even some young and weak men were unable to escape. 

The slaves who had survived the battlefield used such a method to assuage themselves from the hollowness that assaulted them after the brutal massacre and vent the remaining fear from having escaped death. 

Mo Qiao Sheng was no longer that weak and easily cowed little boy. The martial arts skill he had gained after his hellish training made the whole camp no longer dare to provoke him. 

Moreover, in the wake of his growing age, his facial features had also bloomed, becoming more and more three dimensional and cold. His figure was lanky, with muscular arms and back, his whole body toned and tight. Tempered from his battles, his skin was covered with crude scars. 

Apart from his slender waist, at this moment, he did not provoke a man’s desire which leaned towards the appearance of a tender youth. 

He felt that he had already broken away from the fate of being humiliated by a man. 

But he was still very nauseated by this conduct. He sped up his pace, wishing to quickly reach the resting area so he could get some sleep and recover his strength that was nearly depleted. 

“Sheng, this is your share.” The slave woman in charge of distributing the food lowered her head and knelt down in front of him. 

She had thick lips, with prominent cheekbones and small eyes. Not particularly attractive. 

But she was young, and a young woman at that, which was already hard to come by here. 

She was assigned to send food to slaves such as Mo Qiao Sheng. And in addition to the food, she was also tasked to send herself, in case they might need a woman.

Mo Qiao Sheng looked at her, and the little lass lowered her head, her cheeks flushing with the unique bashfulness belonging to a young lady. 

He reached over and took the pancake from the slave girl’s grasp. 

The brownish yellow pancake looked many times better than the stiff, black lumps of food that was given to ordinary slaves. 

Only those slaves with ranks centurion and above could enjoy this privilege. The coarse grain was mixed with buckwheat and wild vegetables. 

The slave girl did not dare to raise her head and her heart skipped a beat. 

Mo Qiao Sheng was not the most handsome of the centurions. The centurion, A’Feng, was the target of desire that many slave girls yearned for. 

However, the girl in charge of delivering the food knew that Qiao Sheng was the most gentle one among them. 

Although A’Feng was handsome, he was also ruthless. His face was always cold and he had a temper that was liable to burst at any time. As soon as one got close to him, it would make them tremble with fear.

Qiao Sheng still did not seem to have a woman so far, and the slave girl sincerely hoped that she could be his first woman. 

Her hand trembled as Mo Qiao Sheng tore off a chunk from the pancake and placed it in her hand. 

However, what she was expecting did not happen. 

The young centurion staggered away with the rest of the food, without so much as giving her a second glance. 

Left behind with the small chunk of food, she stood in place, feeling a sense of loss. 

Mo Qiao Sheng arrived at his own “territory”, where there was a row of small spaces separated by wood chips and bamboo poles, ventilated on all sides. There was a plank in each compartment, heaped with straw and a ragged quilt. 

Nevertheless, it was a relatively private and personal space. 

This was a “special honour” he had received after risking his life and killing countless barbarians on the battlefield. So that he does not have to live like an animal, squeezing in with numerous other slaves to sleep together in a muddy circle. 

Mo Qiao Sheng lay down on his stomach, spreading out on his “bed”. He broke off a small piece of the pancake and put it in his mouth, letting his saliva slowly soften it.

The wound on his body was still bleeding, and he could feel his strength slowly seeping away. 

It was too painful, too tiring. He wanted to sleep for a while and closed his eyes. 

He was in a trance for a while before he felt someone wake him up. 

“Qiao Sheng, Qiao Sheng.” 

Mo Qiao Sheng opened his eyes with difficulty, to see his neighbour, A’Yun calling him. 

“Qiao Sheng, the master has summoned us to bestow us with rewards at the victory celebration banquet.” A’Yun said excitedly. 

A’Yun was the youngest one within the centurions, and he still hadn’t gotten rid of his childishness, his character lively.

It was rare to see such a person who still loved to laugh after growing up in such harsh conditions. 

But as soon as he stepped on the battlefield, he would change into a particularly ferocious beast in the twinkling of an eye. Once the bugle call for battle rang, he would charge forward towards death. 

There was a savage scar that wound around the back of his hand. He had become the youngest centurion by virtue of this scar. 

Mo Qiao Sheng rose to his feet and silently followed him out of the barracks. 

He did not actually wish to join this banquet at all, however, he did not have the right to refuse. 

Walking forward, they ran into A’Feng. A’Feng’s face was considerably beautiful among men, with narrow eyes and a high bridged nose. However, in the case of a slave, whether man or woman, being beautiful didn’t bode anything good. 

Being beautiful and alive, yet having assumed the position of a centurion only showed that he had paid much more than others behind the scenes.

He was as calm as Mo Qiao Sheng, waking forward in silence. 

“I wonder what master is going to bestow on us. A’Jia, do you think it could be meat? I haven’t eaten meat in such a long time.” A’Yun licked his lips as he fantasized. 

“I want to eat meat too, it’s a dream of mine.” A’Jia, who looked strong and stalwart like a bear, gulped his saliva. 

“Stop dreaming. Tighten your skin before the master. Before thinking about eating meat, take care you don’t lose your lives.” The grizzly haired old man interrupted them coldly. 

This party of five people were the ones who scored the highest merit within the slaves. Either excited, or apprehensive, or serious, they followed the master’s attendant until they arrived at the camp where Weibei Marquis was. 

The attendant led them all to a water room where he gave each of them a big scoop and a brush. 

“Wash yourselves clean and change into fresh clothes. There are many nobles at the banquet so don’t lose the master’s face.” The attendant said in a shrill voice as he pointed at a pile of identical clothing. 

Mo Qiao Sheng squatted on the ground and filled his scoop with cold water before pouring it over his body with a loud crash. The fishy red filth and mud mixed with the water flowed down his body. The icy cold water stimulated his drowsy nerves. His heart felt a little heavy and he had a faint feeling that the upcoming events wouldn’t be good. 

For slaves like themselves, no matter how much merit they achieved, they could not compare with the real generals. If their luck was good, they might be able to receive a piece of meat, or armour or weapon as a merciful reward from their master. 

However, if their luck was bad and they behaved in an improper manner, it was possible that they might offend the Lord or some noble person, which would be a disaster ending with death. 

Moreover, their lord was Weibei Marquis…… 

Mo Qiao Sheng poured more water on himself, unwilling to recall the first time he had seen Weibei Marquis at Chuhuai Hall and witnessed his wretched behaviour. 

Maybe it was his fault, he shouldn’t have tried so hard. 

But at that time, if he hadn’t risked his life to climb up the city wall, it would have meant his death, and the death of the brothers behind him. 

Like him, A’Feng also had a grave expression. He gritted his teeth and forcefully poured more water on himself. Both of them shared an inadvertent glance seeing the same unease and fear in each other’s eyes. 

After washing themselves clean and making sure they didn’t carry any smell, they put on the black and red, knee length garments. In order to illustrate their soldierly characteristic, they were also ordered to wear a tight and lightweight sleeveless leather jacket. 

A’Yun stroked the smooth cotton on his body and clicked his tongue in exclamation, “These clothes are so soft and comfortable. It’s the first time I’m wearing something so nice.” 

A’Feng passed by him and snorted coldly, “Idiot!”

___________

At the celebration banquet organized by Weibei Marquis, Cheng Qianye tasted all kinds of delicious food as she watched the ancient song and dance performances with great interest, feeling the novelty. 

There were two youths with rosy lips and white teeth [efn_note]Idiom for describing handsome kids and youths.[/efn_note] serving her by her side. One of them was called Lu Yao, and the other was called Xiao Xiu. 

They were both Gong Ziyu’s personal attendants. They had a very intimate and unspeakable relationship with Gong Ziyu and he brought them both wherever he went. 

So, Cheng Qianye had no choice but to take them with her. 

They attentively surrounded her and gazed at her with watery eyes, filled with admiration and tender affection. 

In Cheng Qianye’s eyes, when Xiao Xiu looked at herself, he really emitted a rose red colour, which signified love and lust. 

On the other hand, Lu Yao was shrouded with a helpless dusty green. 

Therefore, Cheng Qianye realized that Xiao Xiu was wholeheartedly sincere towards her brother, while Lu Yao was compelled to submit himself. 

Sincere or not, I don’t need them. When can I get rid of these ancestors. Cheng Qianye cried tears in her heart. 

There were many young and beautiful maids and attendants shuffling through the banquet serving food and wine to the nobles. If the guests at the banquet took a fancy to them, they could beckon them to serve them, often waiting until the end of the banquet to take them back to their own tents. 

Weibei Marquis; Hua Yuzhi, governor of Hanzhong; Han Quanlin, and King of Yunnan; Yuan Yizhi, were each holding two beauties on either side. Birds of a feather mixing together, [efn_note]Idiom: 臭味相投 – (chòu wèi xiāng tóu) – similar in smell; meaning people with bad thoughts and bad styles have similar habits and interests and get along with each other.[/efn_note] they chatted passionately. 

They also classified Cheng Qianye as someone like themselves who shared the same passions as them and often shared some obscene jokes with her, making her feel very depressed. 

Just then, five warriors wearing black clothing came inside. They bent their bodies and kowtowed, placing their hands forward and knocking their heads on the floor, which was the kneeling etiquette of slaves. 

Hua Yuzhi smiled at everyone and said, “These are the slaves under my command who made outstanding achievements this time. The one at the edge is the first warrior to climb the city wall. He’s called Mo…… Ah, yes, Mo Qiao Sheng.” 

Mo Qiao Sheng lifted up his head and bowed again. 

Cheng Qianye sat at the table and looked at this humble man, feeling very surprised. In her eyes, this person was surrounded with a very bright and pure sapphire aura, clean as broad like the blue ocean. She had never seen such a fascinating colour before. 

The governor of Liangzhou and founder of the allied forces; Li Wenguang stood up and raised his cup of wine. “Although a slave, he has made great contributions for our allied forces in this first war. I should personally propose a toast to you.” 

Drinking the wine, everyone praised Li Wenguang for his virtuosity and followed his example by bestowing wine for several meritorious slaves.