Flowers Bloom from Battlefield

Fan Lanying didn't continue to bother her brother anymore. She readied her stance with a grin. "Since Big Brother has returned, let's spar."

Fan Ying chuckled while shaking his head. "You haven't change at all."

The two of them moved forward and started attacking each other. Looking at their mock fight reminded Jun Hua of her battle against Soujin which she had a hard time winning until now. After fighting for some time, Fan Lanying was defeated.

"You have grown stronger now, Big Brother," Fan Lanying grinned. "Just last year, I was still able to win against you."

Fan Ying smiled. "Experiences in the battlefield helped me and that include the hellish training from Young General Jun."

"What kind of training?"

"You wouldn't want to know…"

Jun Hua tilted her head in wonder. Was that considered hellish training? The training she told them to give their soldiers was only half of what she had been trained with. If she provided them her whole set of training, she doubted that they could survive it.

Fan Lanying nodded. "Come on Jun Hua, you will be staying here tonight. I will show you your room first."

When did she agree to stay here for the night? Seeing the eager Fan Lanying, Jun Hua felt defeated. That little girl didn't tell her anything about it. She must have planned this beforehand to let her stay the night. Well, since she has time, why not?

Her room that Fan Lanying prepared was not really big, but it was beautifully decorated. She prepared for everything Jun Hua may need. She also made sure that the room was enough for her.

After she settled in the room, Fan Lanying invited her to eat with them. The dishes they prepared were many and Jun Hua was feeling a bit overwhelmed by their kindness.

"This is too much, Madam Fan," Jun Hua said.

Madam Fan just laughed. "Just eat to your fill. Don't be shy."

"Yeah, you need to eat a lot. Your body is still so thin Jun Hua," Fan Lanying teased.

Jun Hua's face grew a bit dark. She was aware that she was shorter and a lot slimmer than Fan Lanying but it must be because of her genes. She had eaten a lot! It's not her fault that she was only 1.5 meters tall added with a few centimeters high.

"There are a lot of dishes, which one do you like?"

Jun Hua pointed to a few. Fan Lanying clapped her hands at Jun Hua's choices. "Your taste is similar to mine! Next time, we can share our food."

"Sure."

Dinner was full of noise, but Jun Hua liked it. She felt warmth with their laughter and chatting while eating. Normally, nobles refrain from talking during meals since it was considered impolite but here, Fan Lanying loved to eat while talking. Jun Hua wasn't fond of the silence too. After all, she used to eat while talking and making fun with her soldiers. Now that she hadn't been to the battlefield for quite a while, she somehow missed them.

After their dinner, Jun Hua went back to her room to take some rest. She called Yamin.

"Is there any new captain named Fan Ying in our ranks?"

"Yes, he is under Yabei. He joined around 5 months ago, not long after you won the battle and they opened slots for soldiers from the other squads. He turned up then and after the assessment, he officially joined three months ago."

Jun Hua remembered that her people have been recruiting soldiers again from various places. At that time, they were targeting talented people who were being suppressed by their superiors and where their advancements were being blocked.

"Which squad was Fan Ying from?"

"He was from Fei Yu's squad. Fei Yu is one of the 1000-men squad captains under Lan Ping. When Fan Ying joined them, he was merely a 10-men squad captain."

Jun Hua nodded. She paused for a moment then asked, "Why did he not stay under his father?"

"He used to. However, there was an incident which caused him to be transferred and stay under Fei Yu. This one doesn't know the details and it needs more investigation."

"There's no need for further investigation. Yamin, you should switch place with me tomorrow."

"Yes Miss."

Jun Hua laid on her bed as she thought about what Yamin had told her. She recalled that there were some disputes between the Lan and the Fan families. Her lips curled up, she would never expect that their dispute would turn out to be this fierce. It seems like their enemy was the same.

The next morning, Fan Lanying just asked 'Jun Hua' to accompany her in her training. That morning Jun Hua arrived at the Fan family's residence as Jun Min.

"Young General Jun is here?" Fan Lanying almost dropped her dagger. Every time that man comes, she would be shocked, especially at the academy where the girls love to flock around him. She had to admit though, that person was really handsome.

Fan Ying put his sword down. He stared outside and headed towards the living room. He never got the chance to meet the boy because of his low rank. Now that the chance had come, he won't waste it.

Jun Hua smiled at the warm welcome from Madam Fan. She noticed that Fan Ying had also stepped forward. The man was looking impatient. Fan Ying stared at Jun Hua feeling highly surprised. Jun Min was shorter than his sister and she didn't look strong from her slender body. Whenever Jun Hua conceals her aura, she didn't look any different from ordinary people.

"Fan Ying greets Young General Jun."

Jun Hua nodded. "I'm here to pick up my sister. That is if she has finished playing."

Fan Lanying and 'Jun Hua' appeared. Fan Lanying pouted. "Before you leave, can you have a spar with me? I want to know your skills."

"Lanying!" Madam Fan was surprised by her daughter's boldness.

Jun Hua laughed. "I better not. I don't want to bully girls."

Fan Lanying pouted, but she could not possibly force Jun Hua to fight with her. On her side, Fan Ying was looking at Jun Hua and straightened his resolve.

"Then how about me? May I be as bold to ask for a spar?"

Madam Fan felt like knocking both of her children's heads. How come they became really bold in such a short time? To actually challenge a general for sparring, how brave they are!

Jun Hua stared deeply at Fan Ying. She had indeed hoped for this development.

"Don't say that I bullied you."

"Thank you."

With that, the four of them headed towards the training room once more. Jun Hua picked up one of the wooden swords and stood before Fan Ying. In that instant, Fan Ying felt like he was facing a big mountain. The boy in front of him seemed so big and unapproachable. He inhaled deeply and started to attack.

Jun Hua didn't face his attack head on and easily escaped from his range even without moving the sword in her hand. After dodging twice, she twisted her body and thrust forward, her sword stopped right in front of Fan Ying's throat. The man didn't dare to move, more so breathe, as he stared at the wooden sword that pointed at his neck.

Jun Hua put the sword down. "Had it been a real fight, you will be dead."

At that moment, the two people realized how huge the gap in their skills was.