The military quarters of Jinping province were hazy with smoke and heavy with the smell of roasted meat and wine. Its gray stone walls were draped with banners of the army's legendary silver wolf. Music played in the background – a flute.
It was hard to hear above the clangor of plates and cups, and the low mutter of a hundred drunken conversations and laughs among soldiers.
In the far corner of the room, sitting at a table was the lone figure of a young man. His broad shoulders hunched as he twirled the cup of wine in front of him. Dark gray eyes stared at the red beverage with mystery.
It had been three months since he experienced training under the Jinping army. As of now, he had made it through three courses and was now amongst many of the men who persevered. The rest had long died or dropped out from unmerciful training.
A few soldiers while drinking passed along a smoking pipe and let out a few puffs of smoke – some choked in the process.
His eyes stung. An Sun rubbed at them, cursing the smoke. He swallowed another gulp of wine and stood up from the table.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Maybe he had too much to drink and doesn't want to look like a fool."
Behind him, An Sun heard snickers, but he continued to walk out the door. The yard was quiet and empty. His lone figure stood in the dark, his robe tight around him against the cool, summer night. An Sun heard the sounds of music and men's laughter spill through the open windows behind him.
From his pocket, he pulled out a small gourd and took a sip.
Drinking alone was much better.
The moonlight shone on his body like a layer of frost. A pure and clean aura slowly spread throughout his exquisite and handsome face.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out celebrating with the rest of the men?" A voice behind him said.
An Sun swallowed the wine in his mouth and turned. Perceiving the figure before, he lowered his head.
"There's nothing in particular to celebrate at the moment." An Sun responded in a flat tone.
A blunt, broad-shouldered man stood before the yard entrance. His chin was shaved but thick, black side-whiskers framed his strong face. The man's name was Bo Guozhi, commander of the Northern Province Jinping.
When he heard An Sun's words, he cocked his head to one side and looked the young man over with his keen eyes.
"Oh? Did you not succeed well in the hunts today? I would say that's a victory."
Currently, the troops were partaking in three hunts. They were on the first hunt, and it had been a success – the reason for the celebration. However, An Sun knew it would only get harder from here.
The purpose of hunting was to train men to cooperate under tense conditions. This was to ensure they would support one another smoothly during battles.
"There's more to come." An Sun simply answered.
"I see…" Bo Guozhi said. He walked over and lifted a bottle of wine that had been by his side. "I was going to drink this in my room alone, but I wouldn't mind sharing with you."
An Sun's eyes seemed to shine upon seeing the bottle of wine. From just a whiff, he knew it was a good quality wine.
"If the commander doesn't mind." An Sun gulped the last drop of wine in his small gourd and passed it to the commander.
Bo Guozhi chuckled and took the small gourd to fill it up with wine.
"Tell me, is there a reason you decided to recruit here? I couldn't help but notice you seem a little experienced than the rest of the men here."
An Sun didn't reveal any particular reaction to his words and took a sip of his wine. It tasted just as good as it smelled.
"Just wanted to grow stronger, that's all."
Bo Guozhi seemed intrigued. He studied An Sun's face and grinned. "For a woman back home perhaps?"
After speaking those words, An Sun choked and wiped the spilling wine from his mouth. There was a faint redness in his cheeks. This reaction amused Bo Guozhi greatly.
"I take it I was correct."
Clearing his throat, An Sun shifted his gaze.
"That part's still up for debate." He admitted stiffly.
"I see, I see." Bo Guozhi laughed and took a sip of his wine from the bottle before setting it on the ground beside An Sun.
He patted the young man on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Take this wine as a celebratory gift. Don't drink too much, and make sure to be up early for tomorrow's training. Though…I don't think I need to remind you of that, do I?"
An Sun hid a grin and shook his head. "No, sir."
Bo Guozhi laughed and patted him on the shoulder again. "Good. Then I hope you train well enough to make it back to court your lady of interest before it's too late."
Hearing those words, An Sun felt an uncomfortable sensation grow within his heart. He pressed his lips together and said nothing, cheeks slightly warm. Laughing once more, Bo Guozhi turned and left the yard.
An Sun watched him leave silently before turning back to the night sky. He snatched the bottle of wine left for him and took a sip. Compared to before, there was a warm sensation welling up in his chest.
The wine…it tasted even sweeter than before.