Beware Of Chicken-Novel

Xianghua felt hollow.

She always did after a fight. Like her insides had been scooped out and her emotions were more muted than normal. This time, she couldn’t even muster the energy for her act. She hadn’t raised her voice once, since Master Rou had arrived.

So, she worked.

Xiulan had been in poor condition when Tigu’s Master had brought her back. She’d had a horrible fever, her body was littered with angry burns, and a thousand other, smaller wounds.

She looked like she was about to die.

Xianghua had been frozen in place, staring at the enormity of the damage… until the little Doctor Ri Zu began squeaking angry orders that had them all racing off the street and into the Verdant Blade Sect’s manor. Ri Zu had recruited both herself and An Ran to assist her, while Gou Ren and his brother aided Tie Delun. They both swung into action at Ri Zu’s squeak, immediately cataloging wounds—but they had been taught differently than Xianghua had. They focused on more minor injuries cultivators were largely taught to ignore, as their bodies could handle the strain.

Xiulan, at Ri Zu’s command, was placed into a water bath, so as to begin cooling some of the heat raging in her body. The water had immediately warmed to the temperature of a hot bath and so An Ran, her arm in a sling, was sent to fetch more.

Poultices of herbs were produced from the bag that Tigu’s Master Rou had given to Ri Zu. Four of them, which revealed the extent of the damage. Xianghua had used only one and it had fully healed her after the bout with Tigu.

Ri Zu delegated this task to Xianghua, her larger hands able to spread the mashed spiritual herbs more easily, while the rat brought out a piece of chalk, and referenced a tiny notebook.

Xianghua nodded. It was only right. So her hands were placed on Xiulan’s stomach and little Ri Zu guided her Qi while An Ran hovered nervously nearby, her eyes upon her Young Mistress.

It was rather amazing how swiftly Xiulan’s face went from an angry red colour to its normal one. Really, this rat was better at medicine than every spiritual doctor Xianghua had paid for! What sort of master was powerful enough to teach a rat such powerful formations and healing techniques?! “Senior Sister Meiling” was truly a woman worthy of awe and fear.

Xianghua imagined two of those mountains, and shuddered. Her lips quirked in pleasure as she imagined what was happening to the Shrouded Mountain Sect right now.

Xianghua and An Ran waited in silence while Ri Zu worked. The occasional groan drifted into the room from one of the other men as they too were administered to. There was a knock on the door. A female sect servant entered with a basket, and gasped upon seeing the Young Mistress. Xianghua took the towels and bandages from the woman.

“Get some bedding ready for the wounded. They will need space to recover. Inform any messengers that the sect is closed for the evening. I want no rumours, understand? Have the uninjured disciples take command of the watch. The elders will sort it out when they return ” She commanded. Orders she had no authority to give, but the shaken woman bowed her head and departed immediately.

It was around an hour, when Ri Zu paused and placed her fingers on Xiulan’s pulse. She was standing on the edge of the tub, her fur wet from when she dove into the tub to check on the other wounds.

An Ran’s face fell and tears gathered in the corners of the young woman’s eyes. Indeed, the ignition of a member of the Verdant Blade Sect’s cultivation was the thing they feared the most. A normal cultivator in the Azure Hills had no real hope of accomplishing the feat. But one from the Shrouded Mountain, in the higher ranks of the Profound Realm, could manage it.

Xainghua grimaced.

Little paws clapped together, and An Ran jolted as if she had been slapped. Her eyes refocused on Ri Zu who was at her feet.

“Ah.. um.. Yes.” An Ran said, placing a hand on her chest to calm her racing heart. Her snarl was gone and replaced with something small and lost, as she stared at her teacher. She hesitated for a moment, then started to carefully tend to Xiulan.

Her arm was still in a sling though, so her ability to assist the rat was limited.

Xianghua sighed and picked up the slack. She never thought in her life she would have to help Cai Xiulan into her robes.

They carried her up the stairs into the room that had been set aside for her. Xianghua looked around it, curious, after they pulled the covers over the woman. She was fast asleep. Her pained grimace had smoothed out to gentle breaths.

The room was largely empty. A bed, and a pack in the corner of the room. But one thing stood out. One of Yun Ren’s images, cast onto a piece of rock. Xiulan smiling with Gou Ren, Yun Ren, Master Rou, and a woman Xianghua didn’t recognise. All of them making stupid, childish faces.

She looked so blindingly happy and unguarded. Xianghua smiled at the image, and after An Ran finished brushing a few errant strands of hair out of Xiulan’s face, Ri Zu spoke.

An Ran looked like she was about to protest and just stay. She glanced at the floor, as if considering sleeping at the foot of her Young Mistress’ bed.

Xianghua rolled her eyes, and caught An Ran’s arm, pulling the girl out of the room. They marched back down the stairs. The sky was slowly lightening, dispelling the darkness. It would be dawn soon, and Xianghua needed at least some sleep.

They entered the main room of the manor. The servants had done her bidding, getting in blankets and bedding for them to rest on. It was a large room, and could easily accommodate them all… but instead, everybody seemed to collect into little piles, cramming themselves together. Tie Delun, Rags, and Loud Boy, the most injured of them, were in a neat row off to the side.

Tigu had slumped over in between Gou Ren and Yun Ren, clinging to the rabbit and snake that had arrived with her.

It looked like quite a comfortable position.

An Ran stared at Gou Ren, flushed slightly, and went instead to rest with her fellow disciples.

Xainghua felt no such hesitation. The Heavens gave to the bold. It was foolish to give up an opportunity such as this. She marched over to where her Gou Ren was laying down, and gently pulled his bandaged arm up and away, careful not to aggravate any wounds, and planted herself beside him.

An eye cracked open and she smirked at him. He snorted and put an arm around her back, pulling her closer. Her eyes soon drifted shut.

She slept contentedly, waking only once in the night when the door opened and a servant came in to check on them. They paused in the doorway, and remained as quiet as they could so as not to disturb them unduly.

A warm summer breeze came in from the open door.

There was no feeling of threat. Only... she felt oddly safe.

=============

Xianghua awoke to Gou Ren shuffling around and the sounds of chopping from outside the room.

She cracked open an eye. She was laying on Gou Ren’s chest. He had shifted to lay on his back during the night. He looked peaceful while he slept, his features calm, instead of twisted with anger.

Xianghua sat up. The room was bright, the sun long since risen. She directed a bit of Qi flowed around her hair, taking hold of the moisture in the air and giving her frizzed out hair a bit of dampness. She ran her fingers through it, flattening it back out. She glanced down at Gou Ren. His eyes were screwed up and he was stirring. His brother was awake and leaning against the wall with a cup of tea in his hands, his eyes closed tight and a sword in his lap, clearly meditating early in the morning as all cultivators should. Tigu was gone and she could hear the sound of someone moving outside the room. The scent of some kind of unfamiliar tea in the air.

Gou Ren shuffled slightly, turning again, and buried his face in her thigh. He groaned and pulled at the bandages on his arm, revealing unblemished flesh. The angry red lines and scars from last night were gone.

She returned to her study of his face.

Xianghua absently reached out and brushed a finger through his hair. Only roused to violence and anger when those he loved were in danger. He was, like she had said in the beginning, such a fool.

And her heart was beating faster again. His eyes cracked open and he leaned into her touch. They stared at each other smiling in the morning light. The moment was broken when the door opened again to admit someone, she heard soft shuffling footsteps.

There was a hoot from beside her. Xianghua turned her head to the servant interrupting, and paused.

It was a short, toddler sized creature. Its face was bright, pale blue, and its fur was muted gold. It had a necklace with a crystal on a string around its neck and a cup of tea in each hand.

A monkey.

Xianghua closed her eyes, rubbed them, and opened them again.

The monkey was still there. It hooted again, cocking its head to the side.

Gou reached around from behind her and took one of the cups.

The creature nodded its head and chattered.

“Nice to meetcha, Huo Ten. Thanks for the tea.” He said with a smile, raising his cup to the monkey. The monkey bowed and retreated.

Xianghua stared after it.

She heard Gou take a drink from behind her and make an appreciative noise.

She absently raised her cup and took a sip.

It was like nothing she had ever tasted before. Oddly earthy, with the undercurrent of lemongrass. It wasn’t bad, but she was more used to finer teas. It was delicious though.

Xinghua took another sip. She turned to Gou Ren.

“You understood that?” She asked curiously.

Gou Ren nodded. “He's got a bit of a strange accent, but yeah. You didn’t?”

She shook her head.

“Wonder why…” he muttered, trailing off.

“It's just cause they're both monkeys.” Yun Ren croaked out from beside them, cracking open his eyes to smirk at them.

Gou rolled his eyes, while Xianghua’s face went blank at the insult. She couldn’t measure the severity of the words yet, and the brothers seemed to like each other…. But she hadn’t figured out the fox-faced boy well enough to tell yet.

“Said he would need to rest and recover his strength,” Yun Ren replied. His sword rattled. Yun Ren glared at it and grumbled. “Shaddup. It still makes no sense when you explain it. I’ll have to go out and practise.”

“You speak sword now too?” Gou Ren asked. Yun Ren shrugged and drew the sword. The pale grey of iron turned to purest white, the sword vibrating with Qi.

“It followed me home.” he snarked. The sword rattled a second time.

Gou Ren stared at the sword, then turned to his own hands. He sighed and leaned back.

“....you holding up okay?” He asked, his voice full of concern for his brother. Yun Ren sheathed the sword, and considered the question. Xianghua kept silent. A moment between siblings was to be respected. So instead she just closed her eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of Gou Ren’s arm around her waist.

They lapsed into silence at his declaration.

“Not everything about cultivation is bad.” Gou Ren muttered. Xianghua opened her eyes, to catch Gou Ren staring at her.

Goiu Ren’s eyes went from lidded to panicked—before he realised she was teasing him. He pulled her closer to him, and turned her so that she was leaning against him. She allowed it, for she was a kind and generous Young Mistress—and his blush was quite fetching.

“Where is Tigu?” Gou Ren asked, searching the room for the orange haired young woman.

“Outside with Jin, Miantiao, and Yin. Dunno where Bi De is, though.”

Gou Ren nodded. They all lapsed into silence, simply sitting together in the stillness of the late morning.

Some of the hollowness in Xainghua’s chest faded as she sipped her tea.

Slowly, the room roused to wakefulness. Xiulan’s students stirred one at a time, with An Ran in the lead. The smaller woman pulled off her sling and flexed her arm. Satisfied the break was healed she immediately stood, marching up the stairs to check on Xiulan. The rest of the Petals followed one at a time. They nodded to herself and the brothers, but their distraction was clear, as they rid themselves of bandages and slings, and in the green haired one’s case, an eyepatch.

Loud Boy woke soon after, grumbling and groaning before suddenly shooting bolt upright and clutching at his stomach.

His face fell and his eyes teared up—but he shook it away and went to check on Rags and Tie Delun.

For a brief moment, her brother’s face etched itself over the young, crippled cultivator’s. Xianghua closed her eyes. If Master Rou did not take him, Xianghua would offer the child a place in the Misty Lake Sect. Such loyalty and dedication should always be rewarded.

But there was still one problem. Just where were all the Elders? They had all, according to the snippets Xianghua had heard last night, departed for the Dueling Peaks and stayed inside the entire time. Had something gone wrong? Was the Earthly Arena rising into the air the omen of something worse?

Xianghua kept her thoughts to herself and finished her tea. The servants came in and cleared most of the bedding. The wounded were checked over, at the edge of the room. They put in a large table and set down plates and chopsticks. The Petals soon returned with Ri Zu to report on Xiulan.

The smell of food from outside got stronger. It would probably be ready soon.

They seated themselves around the table. The Petals sat together, while Gou Ren sat with Loud boy, clapping him on the shoulder. Xianghua set herself beside him, while Yun Ren put away his sword. The monkey, Huo Ten, handed out more tea.

The back door opened and the smell of herbs, eggs, and meat intensified. Xianghua turned her head, her stomach rumbling, and froze.

His face was calm. His terrifying Qi was absent, and such was his power that she could not feel a scrap of his strength. His control had to be something extraordinary to manage such a thing. He held a large wok, full to the brim in one hand, and a pot of rice in the other.

Completing the image was an orange mop of hair resting on his shoulder. Tigu was riding upon her Master’s back, her arms and legs locked to keep her in place. Her eyes were closed in contentment.

“Good morning, everybody.” He said as he strode over to the table and set down the food. There was… Realization? On An Ran’s face, while Loud Boy just stared, his jaw open.

Xianghua breathed in and put the absurdity of such a powerful expert cooking them food out of her mind to observe the proper protocols.

Xianghua’s hands came together in a salute, as she rose bowing her head. “This Xianghua pays her respects to Master Rou.” She declared as gracefully as she could. Her Gou’s Master raised an eyebrow, as the others chimed in after her, scrambling up to greet the man. He shuffled in place.

“Oh, right. Sorry for not introducing myself properly last night, but you needed your rest.” He cleared his throat and returned their respect. “This one is Rou Jin. It is a pleasure to meet you all. Just.call me Jin, okay?”

She raised an eyebrow at ‘Miantiao’, the snake bowing politely. Xianghua returned it, of course. While the rabbit burned, the snake was reflective. She had a hard time feeling it, but it was weaker than the rabbit, of that she was sure.

The table was silent after the introductions finished. Master Jin took a seat at the head of the table, which had remained vacant.

“Jin… uh, what's going on, with… everything?” Gou Ren ended lamely, breaking the silence.

The rest of the table agreed with the Master’s proclamation.

It was surreal. A tiger had tucked in his claws, and was pretending to be a house-cat. A tiger that was serving them all food and pouring their drinks like he was their junior.

He was an excellent cook, though. She supposed every old monster had to have some passtime.

“Are you the one from whom the Young Mistress learned to cook?” one of the Petals, Huyi, asked.

“Lanlan? Yeah. She got good fast. The only thing she could make when she first joined us was trail rations.” Master Jin chuckled. The diminutive nickname rolling off the man’s tongue. An Ran mouthed it in shock. Tigu was leaning into his side after she had served Loud Boy. The girl had fussed over him, and served him food, prodding at Ri Zu to examine him again. The rat had sighed and obliged. Xianghua could definitely see the resemblance between Tigu and MAster Jin.. The skin tone, a bit of the eye shape, and the bridge of her nose. Tucked in beside the powerful expert she looked more like a farmer’s daughter. Tigu looked hopefully at Ri Zu, but the rat just shook her head. Master Jin put an arm around her and pulled her into his chest, smiling fondly at her, though it was tinged with something Xianghua guessed was sadness and regret.

“Did the city hold you up?” Yun Ren asked as he shoved food into his mouth.

“A bit of the city, a bit of a miscalculation, we’ll say. You know that crystal Bi De had?” Yun Ren nodded. “Well, we were doing stuff with it and the crystal master said it would take three days, but it took longer because something about miscalculating energy density? Wiped me the hell out. And there was some stuff inside it, apparently.”

The table went quiet again.

“I’ll explain it later.” Master Jin said, shaking his head and turning to look at the wok. “I was right, you guys were starving. The clay pot rice is almost done, I’ll—”

“I’ll get it.” Tigu said, looking up at him. The man nodded and ruffled her hair. Tigu hopped to her feet and skipped out of the room, the rabbit following after her.

An Ran seemed to be ready to ask a question when there was a long groan from a bedroll tucked in the corner of the room. The occupant was awake.

“Rags!” Loud Boy shouted with glee, scrambling to his feet to check on the man.

Rags pushed himself up, squinting at the source of the noise, before his own face lit up. “Loud Boy! You little bastard!”

They clasped arms and Rags grinned brightly. “You little shit, I knew you would survive!” he said gleefully. He pulled the smaller boy into his arms, and thumped him on the back. After they parted, he looked down at his chest, and peeled back his bandages. His grin got brighter at the scarring.

“Paise Ri Zu! Ah, I feel good as new! Even the Shrouded Mountain Sect couldn't keep the Heavens Defying Rags down! HAHAHA!” He boomed with laughter, his hands on his hips. Yun Ren let out a cheerful whistle, and Gou Ren nodded at the man.

“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Master Jin said, smiling at Rags. The man jumped and squinted at Master Rou.

“Whoa, you’re a big fucker, aintcha?” Rags said, looking Master Rou up and down.

An Ran choked on her drink. Huyi slipped off the arm he was leaning on, bashing his chin on the table. Xianghua made a sign of prayer. Really, saying that to a man that powerful straight to his face—

Master Rou laughed at Rag’s words. “Yeah, I’m pretty tall, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, you are. As big as this bastard.” He gestured to Tie Delun, who groaned and also began stirring. Rags ruffled Loud Boy’s hair and looked at the rest of them, still staring with shock. His body tensed. “We won, right?” he demanded, “Where's Tigu?”

“Out back, getting the last of the rice.” Master Rou said, smiling at his question.

Rags burst into more laughter, wading over to the table, as Tie Delun glared at him.

“Ha, of course we won! And all thanks to the overwhelming tenacity of this “Rags” Dong Chou! I got a good hit in on one of those Shrouded Mountain bastards. Pop! Right to the gut, he flinched, that's right, he did!” Rags slammed himself down and immediately helped himself to some of the food, stuffing some of the vegetables into his mouth and hummed happily. “This is the good stuff! What about you, you manage to lay the hurt on those assholes? You look pretty good in a scrap. Whaddaya say about joining my crew? You get to join forces with the man who defied the Shrouded Mountain Sect!”

Rags didn’t see Loud Boy rapidly shaking his head, nor any of the Petals making “stop” motions. Tie Delun grunted, looking a bit confused by the reactions.

Master Rou just looked incredibly amused.

“Sorry. Don’t have time to join a gang. The Missus would have my head.” He said with a smile. “Thanks for the offer though.”

Rags sighed dramatically. “A shame, a shame. Ah, I guess it's fine. You’re missin’ out, but a man gotta provide, or he ain’t no man, huh?”

Master Rou nodded sagely.

Master Jin opened his mouth to speak, when the door opened and Tigu came in carrying an enormous pot of rice.

“That's the last of it— Rags! Handsome Man!” she shouted. She slammed the rice into the table and launched herself over it, tackling Rags, who laughed and ruffled her hair. Her hands ghosted over his chest where the bandages were, but the man didn’t wince. Satisfied, she switched targets, ramming into Tie Delun and holding him tight.

“Handsome man?” Master Jin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tigu turned from where she was rubbing her cheek against Tie Delun’s.

“Yes, Master! Look, he is very pleasing!” She said, pulling up one of Delun’s sleeves and pointing to his face.

Rags choked on the food he had put in his mouth. Tie Delun’s face, once happy, transitioned to pale, as he turned to look at Master Rou.

Tie Delun suddenly looked as if he was about to head into battle unarmed and unarmoured.

Tigu rubbed her cheek against his again.

The Master just laughed, and shook his head.

==================================

Eventually the food was finished. Rags was not stuck down for his disrespect, and went the longest without swearing Xianghua had ever heard him go—and she barely knew the man.

The table was cleared away and they all seated themselves before Master Rou. He should have looked comical. Tigu was in his lap. Maintiao had curled around his arm. Yin the rabbit was down Tigu’s shirt. And Huo Ten was sitting beside them, on his knees with his hands placed upon them, like a retainer.

Master Jin took a deep breath. He looked at them all. His face serious. The sunny demeanor gone.

“Please. Tell me what happened that night.” he asked gently.

Loud Boy was first.

The churning, oppressive power that had shrouded Master Jin at night, like a mountain rising up and going to war, did not flare up again.

But it was still there, lurking beneath the surface, but instead of glaring down at them, it felt… warm. Like laying on a grassy hill in the middle of the summer.

Xianghua was next. She told her story with the minimum of embellishment. There was no need to boast to a man who eclipsed her like a mountain eclipsed an ant. It was certainly an amusing and good thing to imagine. Her father, staring up at a giant and weeping blood.

Too bad he wasn’t here so she could actually see the expression of despair on his face as he beheld Master Jin, lowering himself to make them a meal and attending to them. Offering his lessers face and clasping Loud Boy on his shoulder to comfort him, his eyes full of compassion.

Oh yes. She would like this man and her father to meet.

It was in the back of her mind, as she recounted her tale. Her story was not as brutal as Loud Boy’s had been.

Master Rou had even let out a huff of amusement.

“Indeed. The Heavens will never forgive Zhou Yingwen for interrupting a maiden so crassly.” She stated seriously.

“....you approve?” she ventured.

“It’s not my place to approve.” the man said with a shrug. “But you fought for him, that’s enough.”

He was a strange Master. But… well. Her recounting got a bit more boisterous after that. It cut some of the tension. She noticed there were little smiles on people’s faces.

Then it was Ri Zu and Tigu’s turn, and the mood blackened as they told their tale. Tigu rose from her place in his lap, sat in front of Master Jin to recount her part. Ri Zu interjected,a nd told her tale as well. Her voice strong, and largely devoid of emotion. And then it was done.

Master Rou’s eyes closed. He took a breath.

When he opened his eyes, they had a hint of sadness in their depths.

He rose from his seated position, onto his knees—

The powerful expert pressed his head to the floor, kowtowing before them all.

Xianghua took in a sharp breath. Loud Boy gaped.

This kind of event only happened in stories. A powerful Master thanking those who he was so above. In tales where foolish heroes bested the odds, and managed to win, simply because of their virtue.

He raised his head, conviction burning in his eyes.

“I swear, I’ll do my best to make all this right.” He declared. “I owe you, all of you, a debt for this.”

Xainghua couldn’t find it in herself to doubt his words.

The man returned to his seat, allowing them a moment. None of them knew what to do. None of them knew what to say to such an oath.

And yet Master Jin continued on.

“Now… the Shrouded Mountain Sect… well. They have a lot to deal with right now. They shouldn’t have any grounds for retaliation at the moment… but that's something your Elders also need a say in.”

“Where are all the old bastards anyway?” Rags asked.

“The Mountain is shut. I checked it last night, but the whole place was crawling with officials and the inner vaults are completely sealed,” Master Rou stated. “Bi De is keeping an eye on things for me.”

Xianghua nodded, and saw a pensive expression on Tie Delun;s face. Something truly must be urgent for the mountain to still be closed off, and it confirmed the rumours. Both would have to return to their sects soon.

“Um… Master Jin? What should we do?” An Ran asked.

Master Jin considered for a moment before he shrugged. “That's for you to decide. Until more stuff happens, I have to go to the Azure Jade Trading Company.”

“Are they holding some manner of treasure for you?” Loud Boy asked, looking interested.

Beside her Gou tensed up.

“Uh… Jin? You wanna add some paving stones and stuff to that? I’ll pay you back, but I kinda… smashed a couple walls and stuff…” he trailed off.

Master Jin nodded. “Yeah, let's go assess the damage and wait for the old men to come out from their secret vault.”