The falcon screeched, then flew into the air.
"Hey, wait for me! Don't you know it's rude to leave at a moment like that? I was opening my heart to you," Mushu said, taking off into the air and chasing after Mirage.
Minutes later, they arrived at an area with several tree stumps.
The area was sandy and filled with numerous footprints, as though a fierce battle had taken place there.
"Well, look at that, we found something," Mushu whistled softly.
Mirage shot him a glare.
Mushu covered his mouth and nodded. He stretched a finger across his lips, making a gesture of zipping them shut.
They continued to monitor the surroundings, hoping to uncover something.
They found a trail of tracks and followed it until it ended at a river.
"What do we do? We have lost track of them," Mushu asked. "I don't mind taking a dive if you agree to pull me out the moment you see danger."
Mirage screeched and soared into the air.
Mushu quickly followed after him.
They circled above the river, trying to find any clues about the disappearance of the footprints, but found nothing.
"Where are you going? Don't tell me that you are giving up so soon?" Mushu said, seeing that Mirage was about to fly away from the river.
Mirage halted mid-air and screeched at him.
"Uh!! Uh!! UH!! We can't return to Mr Aladdin empty-handed. We need to find something helpful at least. Let's continue searching for one more hour. We might get lucky," Mushu replied, waving a finger at Mirage.
After hearing another screech, Mushu added, "You go left, and I'll go right. That way we can cover more ground quickly. We'll meet back here in an hour, regardless of whether we find anything or not. That way I can make sure you are not in danger."
Mirage looked at the sky, then shook its head with a screech.
"I can take care of my own skin. My scales are tough. You should be the one worrying about danger plucking your feathers," Mushu scoffed, folding his arms.
Mirage screeched at him. Then, it flew forward above the river current.
Mushu snorted.
"Don't be laaatteee!! I don't want to come looking for you myself!" he added with a smirk as he flew in the opposite direction.
"Sorry, Mirage… It's my time to shine."
Mushu rubbed his paws together as he flew forward.
"Now let's get this show started...!! I can't wait to show my amazing tracking skills to Mulan and Aladdin!! You better be hiding well, Shan Yu, because the great Mushu is coming."
The Imperial Chinese soldiers made camp in an open field once night fell.
Although they could keep going for several more hours due to their improved physiques, their horses couldn't. So they had no choice but to wait until the horses were well-rested before continuing their journey.
Aladdin pitched his tent outside the camp, and Mulan did the same. The farther she slept from the others, the less likely anyone would be to question her identity.
Aladdin had provided her with the best opportunity to do so.
They both stood outside behind their tent.
A falcon flew overhead with a small dragon stealthily following behind, using the night as its cover.
The falcon landed on Aladdin's outstretched arm.
The dragon landed in Mulan's cupped, outstretched hands.
"We are back," Mushu announced, wiping the imaginary sweat from his brow.
Abu brought out a handkerchief from his pocket and tossed it to him.
"Thank you, monkey." Mushu caught it and used it to wipe his chest.
"How did it go? Did you find the location of the Huns?" Aladdin asked.
Mirage shook his head at Aladdin with a screech.
"Are you sure?" Aladdin furrowed his brows.
Mirage nodded.
"He is right. We turned over every rock, nook, and crook, but found nothing except for footsteps that led to the river. It's either the Huns have gone into hiding after their defeat and are planning something dangerous, or they have decided to give up on the war and turn into fish," Mushu chimed in.
"Either way, someone is getting terrorised. Now, does anyone have a fish? I'm suddenly hungry for one after following the river all day."
Abu brought out a large fried fish on a stick from his pocket and tossed it to Mushu.
Mushu caught the fish and stared at it in disbelief before refocusing on Abu's tiny pockets. He rubbed his eyes, then turned to Mulan. "You're seeing this as well, aren't you?"
Mulan nodded. She stared at the fish in surprise, wondering where it had come from.
"I'm beginning to wonder if there's anything else you can pull out of that pocket of yours, monkey," Mushu said with an inquisitive gaze.
"Why don't you come find out? It doesn't bite," Abu replied, opening one of his pockets with a smile.
"Forget it. It's not worth it." Remembering the kind of person he was dealing with, Mushu refocused his attention on the fish and dug in.
At that moment, Aladdin looked into Mirage's memories.
It was just as they had explained. Except for several footprints, they had found neither the Huns nor anything that could explain their disappearance. It was as though they had all vanished into thin air.
But that should be impossible. There was no way Shan Yu and his men could escape the senses of his familiar.
Something had gone wrong.
Rather than brushing it off, Aladdin's mind instantly began searching for an explanation.
"Is everything okay?" Mulan asked worriedly as she noticed the deep frown on Aladdin's face. She rarely saw such a serious expression from him.
"You said the last time that you had found a way to lead them away from our camp. The Huns couldn't have possibly reached the General before us, and neither could they have followed us, or else we should have spotted them by now. Doesn't this mean Shan Yu is plotting something elsewhere?" she added.
"Isn't this good news? We can now rejoin the escort force safely, regroup with the Imperial Army, and launch a counterattack the moment he attempts to pass through the Mountain Pass."
She was certain that the Huns would try to pass through the Mountain Pass because it was the only route which a massive army could use to enter the Capital City. The other passes were either too narrow or heavily guarded, and anyone attempting to cross them would be easily spotted and eliminated.
"That's exactly why I'm worried." Aladdin ran a hand through his hair.
"I will be leaving tonight to investigate the Huns' whereabouts. If anyone asks for me, tell them that 'I have gone to sleep.' Abu will stay here to protect you in case you encounter any unexpected situation." Aladdin placed Abu down from his shoulders.
Before Mulan could utter another word, Aladdin and Mirage vanished into thin air.
Mulan flinched. She stared at where Aladdin had been standing, shocked and filled with uncertainty.
Mushu forgot to close his mouth as the fish nearly slipped from his lips.
"I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw that. You saw that too, kid, didn't you?" Mushu climbed onto Mulan's shoulder and pointed at the spot where Aladdin had been standing moments ago.
Mulan closed her eyes, breathed in, then exhaled deeply.
"Take it in slowly, then release it," Mushu said, using the handkerchief Abu had given him to fan her.
After seeing that she was done, Mushu asked, "Are you okay?"
Mulan nodded.
She turned to Abu and asked, "Where did he go?"
"You heard him. Investigate," Abu replied. He turned and stepped away. "I will be sleeping in the tent. Inform me if anyone tries to attack you, or if you get yourself into trouble. Bye-bye."
Just as he was about to take another step, Mulan grabbed him by the collar from behind and lifted him into the air.
"Don't leave just yet. I have some questions that I would like to ask you."
Abu turned to face her, his arms folded with a scowl on his face.
"Like what?" He narrowed his gaze at Mulan, then shifted his attention to Mushu, alternating between them.
Mushu trembled, instantly reading the atmosphere.
"Mulan, I think we should take it easy and wait until Aladdin comes back to ask him those questions."
"No. I need answers right now. I doubt that he would even answer them. Besides, it's been on my mind for some time now," Mulan replied, shaking her head stubbornly.
'I didn't say anything. Believe me,' Mushu silently mouthed to Abu with a dreadful expression.
Before Mushu could interrupt her again, Mulan pressed her fingers against his mouth. "Mushu, shhh!!"
Mushu pushed her hand away and covered his own mouth with a paw, the other still holding his half-eaten fish.
"I want to know if Aladdin is like Mushu, you, and Mirage. Is he a magical being or beast?" Mulan asked as she set Abu back on the ground.
Abu straightened his attire as he stole a glance at Mushu. He had thought the cowardly dragon had spilt their secrets.
He had thought wrong.
With a deep sigh of relief, Mushu placed a hand on his chest. He had almost seen his life flash before his eyes. He wiped away the imaginary beads of sweat from his forehead before returning to his fish, all while continuing to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"What do you think he is?" Abu asked, focusing on Mulan.
"I think he's a magical being... and at least part human," Mulan replied thoughtfully.
"You are wrong. He is neither a magical being nor part human." Abu shook his head. "He is fully human... and he is a magician."
"A magician..." Mulan repeated. The words rolled slowly off her lips. She doubted her ears but quickly realised she had heard correctly.
Even Mushu stopped eating.
"Yes. If you want to find out more, then wait until he returns and ask him yourself. If you excuse me, I need to sleep." Abu turned and walked toward the tent.
Mulan remained rooted where she stood.
Slowly regaining her composure, she looked toward the horizon where Aladdin had vanished.
"A magician..." she muttered, various emotions flashing in her eyes.
Withdrawing her gaze, she walked back to her tent to await his return.
***
It would have been too conspicuous to fly, so Aladdin continued to teleport, vanishing and reappearing across the landscape until he reached his destination.
He appeared above the raging river and looked down at the faint tracks that had vanished into its waters.
Aladdin followed the tracks back into the forest until he arrived at the area of the fallen tree stumps.
He teleported across the region, hoping to find some clue.
He found nothing.
If there had been magic, it had already faded, and if anyone had been present, they were long gone.
He reappeared beside one of the fallen tree stumps.
Aladdin had one rule when dealing with people who were out to kill him or anyone around him.
Ensure that they didn't live to see the next day.
He hated having to look over his shoulder every second, expecting his enemies to return.
If the Huns had truly fallen back to restrategize their plans, then it wouldn't be as simple as merely attacking the capital.
For the sake of the villages that had yet to be attacked, Aladdin knew that they would have to restrategize as well.
In that case-
Aladdin stretched forth his right hand.
A rock rose from the earth and flew into his grasp.
Mirage flew into the sky and hovered around the area.
Yellow-gold flames erupted from Aladdin's hand, bathing the rock in their fiery heat.
The rock melted into molten lava and slowly expanded. Then it began to take shape.
An indescribable form took shape within the blazing flames. An elastic molten surface spread across its body before hardening into stone.
It shifted slightly within the fiery inferno.
As it did, Aladdin's mana rapidly depleted.