The sounds of blade clashing against blade, the screams of soldiers, orders being shouted, battle cries being yelled into the air; the smell of smoke, blood and death; the sight of men cutting each other to pieces, cavalry charges smashing into rows of awaiting infantry, arrows  flying through the sky and piercing into the unfortunate bastards who stood below. Those were the things Yanyi remembered most about that day; the day her people faded into history; the day the Wu fell. To the present day, she'd still never learned just how many soldiers the enemy brought against them that day, but it was larger than any army she'd ever seen before. The enemy knew their back was against a wall, and they aimed to make that battle into a decisive finishing blow. All the same, the Wu had mustered up the greatest defense they could manage. They held nothing back, as they knew as much as the enemy, that this was a fight for the very survival of their clan.<br/><br/>A man charged into the field of battle, decorated in the most exquisite armor the Wu had available to them, and followed by a small contingent of bodyguards. Between the quality and the cosmetic adornments, it was obvious he was someone very important. He looked to be about 30 years of age, with only a small amount of facial hair, styled rather fashionably; and a fiery passion in his eyes. The Zhou troops saw quickly how important this man was and rushed to attack him. He swung his qiang around, deflecting their swords and delivering several swift killing blows to one after another, thrusting the spear into one, and pulling it out just in time to slash the tip through another as he rushed forward to avenge his comrade. As several more rushed him, he continued holding his own, until a few managed to slip around his bodyguards and attempted to attack him from behind.<br/><br/>They fell before they could strike, as another qiang was suddenly thrust into one's back; and before his body could even hit the ground, the others joined him. The wielder of this spear bore a striking resemblance to the important young man, though distinctly more feminine. She scowled at the young man as she charged forward, joining the battle, and swiftly dispatching each enemy soldier one-by-one, thrusting her spear into one's chest, tossing his body into his allies and rushing forward to finish them while they were toppled over. The blade of her spear ripped through the few foolish enough to charge her with a single swing. The rest decided to retreat, but were struck down before they could run.<br/><br/>With the last of this batch of enemies fallen, the woman stormed over to the young man and practically shouted at him, "Yanyu, what the hell are you doing out here!? I told you to stay behind the wall!" From the quality of her own gear, as well as the way she felt so comfortable yelling at the man, it was obvious she was fairly close to him; in both status and trust. She even waved her spear in his direction in an almost threatening manner, before gesturing to the gate behind them, "Now get back there before some enemy archers decide to fill that empty skull of yours with arrows!"<br/><br/>"I can't just stand back there while our people are being killed by these animals! Besides, what better way to boost their morale than to see their lord fighting proudly besides them!" the man retorted, thrusting his spear into the air, and looking adamant about his decision. Despite this, the woman seemed hardly impressed and simply slammed the blunt end of her own spear into the ground and let out a frustrated sigh.<br/><br/>"And what quicker way to kill their morale than to let yourself get killed? We need you alive, brother, I can coordinate the defense from here; you need to get behind the gate where it's safe. Our troops need to know you're still alive to fight for, more than they need to see you fighting with them," she replied flatly, and the man's expression faltered.<br/><br/>"I... alright... but if the enemy breaches the walls, I'll fight just like everyone else... until then I'll just... be conserving my strength!" he declared with a bit of a forced laugh, though it was clear he didn't want to go; but he knew his sister was right, and he signaled his guards to follow him back inside the walls. He gave Yanyi a look before he did, and a slight nod, simply adding, "Stay safe, Yanyi..." As he turned to leave, Yanyi's soldiers formed up around her, preparing for the enemy.<br/><br/>As the gates closed behind her brother, she looked forward and saw the enemy charging forward. She called out, giving orders to the various officers about her before charging forward towards the enemy. She spun her spear through the air in a flourish, before slamming the blunt end down into the ground with enough force to create a small shock wave around her. The enemy stopped in their tracks and looked forward with fear clear in their eyes as the identity of this spear-wielding woman became quickly apparent to them. It was only with a barked order from an officer, and with great hesitation that they charged forward. Yanyi charged to meet them, and with a single great swing of her spear, sent nearly the whole front row of soldiers to their deaths. They did not relent, however, and continued to assault her, and she continued to stand her ground.<br/><br/>Their weapons collided with her spear as she held her guard and with a mighty push, she sent them all flying back, rushing forward to finish off as many as she could before they could stand and regain their composure. Even with her fellow soldiers fighting alongside her, they were vastly outnumbered, and even a woman of her might couldn't prevent their position from quickly becoming surrounded. Before she could worry too much, however, a loud roar of a battle cry sounded, and another unit of allied infantry came crashing into the enemy, lead by a towering man armed with a massive guandao. His mighty glaive cut through the enemy as the headed the charge on horseback. This disrupted the enemy just enough for Yanyi to go on the offensive, and together they tore through the enemy.<br/><br/>When all was said and done, the enemy was fallen, and their losses acceptable. Yanyi looked up at the large man, who was now on foot after being dismounted during the fighting; yet still he stood tall as an ogre amongst the other soldiers. "Thank you, Li Shen," Yanyi said, bowing her head just slightly in thanks.<br/><br/>"Oh, don't worry about it, sister, I couldn't leave all the fun to you, after all," the big man replied in a booming voice. While they weren't related by blood, they may as well have been, and as he spoke they shared a good laugh. With that said, the man turned to see more of the enemy amassing in front of them. Their numbers seemed endless, but the man just laughed again before commenting, "I don't think they brought enough men."<br/><br/>With that, the woman flourished her spear again, and called for her men to form up, as Li Shen did the same. "Jingfei is safe?" she asked, as she stared at the oncoming enemy.<br/><br/>"Of course, though it took me forever to convince her we needed someone guarding the rear in case the enemy tried anything funny," he replied.<br/><br/>"Good... Well then, shall we make them regret sending such a paltry force against the likes of us?" she said with a chuckle.<br/><br/>He simply nodded, and the two of them charged, roaring their battle cries as their men charged with them, into what seemed to be an endless sea of enemy soldiers.<br/><br/>Suddenly, Yanyi awoke with a gasp, a cold sweat covering her body, as the air seemed to chill her to the bone. She was dreaming about the past again. A long time had past since then, she looked older now... not too much older, but age was beginning to make its presence known. She looked around the quiet, and dark home she had made for herself. All things considered, it was fairly comfortable. It was abandoned and derelict when she claimed the building as her home, but she'd built it up into not only a comfortable home to live in, but a respectable school for the fighting arts. It wasn't the largest home in the world, but it was a step above the hovels most people in this area called home, if only a small step, and only due to the hard work of herself and the young students she had taken in from the orphaned and the homeless, who were currently asleep in their communal sleeping quarters. She afforded herself very few luxuries that she couldn't spare others', but being the owner and instructor, she did allow herself a comfortable bedroom of her own to sleep in, and to store what little possessions she'd kept from her old life, and now had hidden away so as not to arouse suspicion.<br/><br/>Of course, the local villagers had no idea who she had been before the mysterious spear-fighter arrived at their doorstep, calling herself Li Yanyi, and making a name for herself as both a wise and charitable teacher of the martial arts. They only knew she had brought them only kindness and good will, and in exchange for the many ways she tried to help, they knew not to ask too many questions about her past. With that mutual understanding in place, she had found herself a very welcome member of this community.<br/><br/>Still, as the snow continued to pile around her home, she could only take note that nature could sometimes be far less welcoming than people. She knew that come morning, her pupils and herself would have their work cut out for them trying to clear enough of the snow to get about... however, she could think of that when the time came... for now, she had to try relaxing and getting back to sleep. Of course, when morning did finally come around again, with what little sleep she eventually managed to get, she was proven quite right. She could only try to get them to consider the manual labor to be part of their training, and not just an impossible chore.