Chapter 14

In a split of moment shifu made a slight turn. The sword landed on his left shoulder. Blood flowed out. Shifu didn’t seem to feel the slightest pain. His body sank. I do not know what force he used. He flew past the men and gently stroked them. They shuddered, instantly collapsed, blood flowed out of their mouths and they fainted.

Zihui, who was leaning on me, went stiff. I didn’t care if he went stiff or not, pushed him aside and ran to shifu. Seeing shifu’s wound on his shoulder, I didn’t know what to do or what to say.

“Scared?”

Although shifu was pale, his voice was no different from usual.

“Next time, if you dare to run around.”

He turned and left. He must have some anger he hasn’t vent yet.

I grabbed his right hand and asked in fear: “Shifu…wound, does it hurts…”

“I would not die,”he coldly said. “Hmpf, now you see me as your shifu? I didn’t let you eat ginseng chicken soup. You ran away to search for mushroom to stew with chicken. Did you find any?”

I obediently admit my fault: “Shifu, I was wrong. I’ll never run away again.”

I was scared. My voice couldn’t help but shake. “Don’t be angry…Do not not want me.”

Hearing this, shifu turned around to look at me. His voice sounded a little strange: “Oh, who was the one who shouted she doesn’t want shifu anymore.”

“I was wrong.”

“Well, since shifu is a narrow minded person, I’ll not accept your apology.”

“I was wrong…”

This is the only sentence that kept repeating in my heart, like a cold wind whistling in my heart. I thought that this time shifu really doesn’t want me anymore. I lifted my head and coldly looked at him. Shifu also looked at me. After a while he blinked, looking somewhat startled and agitated, he said: “Hey!”

He turned and said a little dumbfounding: “Stupid Xiang Zi, I was playing with you. There’s nothing to cry about.”

Big tears kept rolling out of my eyes uncontrollably. Shifu’s figure in my eyes turned blurry. I grabbed his hand tightly. Afraid that when I let it go, he’ll run away and leave me.

“Don’t…don’t not want me…”

Shifu sighed loudly: “You’re really stupid.”

“You can’t dislike me.”

I couldn’t stop sobbing.

“I don’t dislike you!”

He impatiently said those words and was silent for a long time. I only kept sobbing. Suddenly shifu pulled out his right hand. My heart was empty. But in the next instant, suddenly my palm felt warm. Shifu was holding my hand like he used to when we were kids and was climbing the mountain.

He wiped my tears and bent his lips in frustration: “Forget it, let’s go back to Fengxueshan manor.”

Obviously his tone was that of disdain, but to me shifu’s voice felt warm like his palm.

“Shifu…wound, hurt.”

“Wound of the flesh. It just looks scary.”

Shifu, holding my hand and walked two steps. I stopped and pointed at Zihui, who was sitting on the side and said: “Shifu…there’s one more.”

Shifu’s body stiffened. He turned and looked at Zihui from head to toe. He wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at me.

“Oh, you really did find chicken mushroom stew. Is he a chicken essence or a mushroom essence?”

I grabbed shifu’s hand really hard and swore: “I don’t want any essence! I only want shifu!”

Seeing me with this expression on my face, shifu hesitated and looked away. He grunted softly: “It’s good that you know.”

At that moment, silent Zihui suddenly said: “Little… a Xiang lady, go back with your shifu. I’m not really hurt.”

I blinked and looked at him. I felt that he says those words with his pale face, really have no persuasive power.

Leaving such a weak person alone in the woods. Besides, we can say that we depended on each other…

I was still not finished thinking, when shifu mercilessly pulled me and walked away.

“Stone essence of ten thousand years, this brat cultivation is much higher than yours. There’s no need for you to worry about her.”

“Is it higher than shifu’s?”

Shifu was silent for a while. Suddenly he squeezed my face really hard.

“If it wasn’t for you, would I be in this state now?!”

Shifu’s squeeze was really painful. I blinked to let my tears not fall out. Otherwise, if shifu can’t vent his anger, he’ll abandon me again…

The hand that was squeezing me slowly released. Shifu sighed: “Forget it…you don’t know anything.”

I went back with shifu to Fengxueshan manor.

For several months, shifu used the excuse that his shoulder was injured, to order me to do all sort of things. Even turning the page of his books is my job now. Almost all my time I was under shifu’s eyelids (she was always in his sight).

But shifu looked really comfortable. I take it as my atonement and really seriously took care of him.

On a day in the afternoon, shifu was taking a nap. I was sitting on a stool beside the bed, fanning him. While I was fanning, something fell on the floor with a “dongdong'sound.

I blinked and hazily looked. It’s a thumb-sized crystal clear stone. I picked it up. I looked at it through the sunlight. I saw a speckled purple light around it. It’s really beautiful.

“Another day when we go down the mountain, I’ll let the craftsmen make a ring out of it. It’ll certainly look beautiful on shifu.”

After I said those words, I don’t know why my hand shook. The stone fell on the ground and rolled over to I don’t know where. I bent down to look for it, when shifu dissatisfied hummed twice: “Xiao Xiang Zi! Fan, don’t be lazy.”

I was busy fanning shifu. I thought that I’ll come back when it’s empty here. But no matter how I searched I couldn’t find the stone. Over time I’ve forgotten about it.

It’s another winter. Fenxueshan’s snow is now knee deep. Shifu seems  to hate the snow since the day he was born. Once it’s windy and snowy outside, no matter what important things he has to do, he’ll sit by the fire in the house and read books all day.

Charcoal, incense and meals. All of these I need to prepare for him.

This day after I had a meal with shifu, I did the dishes and went to clean the yard. I took the broom, swept a few times, sat on the snow and then dozed off.

Yesterday shifu taught me a new formula. I didn’t memorize it. He trained me for most of the night. Today I needed to wake up early. I’m really sleepy. Drowsily lying on the snow, I fell asleep.

In my dreams a man in purple called my name: “A Xiang lady, a Xiang lady.”

I resent him for breaking my beautiful dream. I muttered a few words and didn’t want to bother with him. But he called and called. At last he said with a smile in his voice: “If a Xiang lady still don’t wake up, you’re shifu will beat your butt.”

The word 'shifu” stung my nerves. I opened my eyes just in time to see shifu standing in front of me, holding a large banner with bamboo printing on it. He frowned and looked at me with tension: “Get up, you’re not allowed to sleep on the snow.”

Shifu rarely spoke with me with such a serious tone. I was scared and surprised for a moment, forgetting to react. Shifu was too lazy to say it for a second time. He pulled me up from the snow.

“If you’re tired, go sleep in your room.”

After he finished talking, he walked away. With the wind blowing, I wasn’t sure if it was an illusion or that he really said these words: “Someone closed her eyes in the snow. It never opened again.”

I couldn’t understand this sentence. Just as I couldn’t understand why shifu occasionally looked at me in trance. He seemed to be looking at me, but he also seemed to be looking at another person. Sometime he’ll even whisper: “Fucking hell… the more she grows, the more she looks like her!”

From when I was little, shifu always said some sentences I don’t understand. I don’t even bother to care about it anymore. Actually, since then, I often saw a man in purple in my dreams. He always stood in the darkness, looking at me and calling me…a Xiang lady.

In the beginning I didn’t dare to speak to him. After seeing him for a few times, I picked up my courage and asked him: “Who are you?”

He answered lightly: “The person of your dreams.”

The next day I woke up and run to ask shifu: “What is the person of your dreams?”

Shifu yawned on his bed. He lazily answered me: “Ghost, demons. Monsters that don’t even live in this world. The demons that make your mind a mess, causing you to think about the times you were together. Well…which do you think fit? Which is the person of your dreams?”

I scratched my head. I felt that none fitted.

After some days, I took advantage of when we went to Shengling sect to gather food. I asked the people of Shengling sect the same question. They all gave me strange answers. None was same.

Hujiao uncle patted my head, looked at me comfortingly and said: “Xiao Xiang Zi has grown up.”

Tangzhu sister stared at me like a scholar and told me: “Heart and soul requested for a beautiful dream of the other half.”

The butcher told me: “Ah, you’re already old enough to have spring dreams! Well, when you search for a husband, find someone who looks like the person of your dreams.”

After saying that the butcher touched his chin, thought for a moment and whispered to himself: “Shiiiii….it won’t be good if shaozhu heard my words…”

I blinked for a moment and then asked: “What is a husband good for?”

“What is a husband good for….,”the butcher laughed. “Earning money for the family let the wife live a good life!”

My heart was happy, my eyes glinted. I asked: “Then can I find a husband and be his wife?”

This way, I can let husband do all the work shifu ordered me to do: Doing the laundries, making shifu’s bed and massaging shifu. I finally can enjoy a better life!

I don’t know why after I asked that question, the butcher looked really awkward. He scratched his hear and said: “It’s not that you can’t…but…you have to ask your shifu first.”

One more person to serve shifu. Shifu will certainly be happy. There’s nothing bad about it. Shifu will surely agree.

I happily carried the food back to Fengxueshan manor. After we finished dinner, seeing that shifu was in a good mood today, I excitedly asked: “Shifu, do you want one more person to serve you?”

Shifu drank a gulp of tea, turned and looked at me for a moment.

“One stupid disciple is enough. I don’t want one more to cause me more headache.”

“It’s not a disciple,”I said. “I’ll find a husband for myself. Then bring him back. Together we’ll serve shifu. What do you think?”

I counted on my fingers. One, two, three, four, five; I counted the benefits of a husband.

“When I do the dishes, he’ll sweep the floor. When I make the fire, he’ll cut the firewood. When I do the laundry…well, he’ll do the laundry with me. The work will be certainly done faster and better.”

I turned and looked at shifu with a face full of hope.

“Shifu, isn’t that really beautiful?”

Shifu turned the cup quietly, without speaking a word.

He must not have heard me. So I asked in a louder voice: “Shifu, what do you say about me looking for a husband?”

With a “pa'sound, the cup in shifu hand broke. The tea dropped on his body. I was shocked and heard shifu laughed out loud.

“Good, this is excellent. One more person coming to serve me. How is that not good?!”

As he was saying that, his expression was somewhat insane. I wanted to say 'shifu, your expression doesn’t match your words.” But before I could say something, shifu stood in front of me and fiercely pinched my face again and again.

“Really great courage, huh? Ah, Xiao Xiang Zi, already thinking to look for help, together dealing with me.”

“Serving you,” I corrected him. But apparently shifu didn’t listen.

“Good, mortal women will get married after they get the hairpin. There’s still one more year. If you find the right person after a year, then you go and marry him.”

Shifu almost stared at me with his nostrils.

“If that time comes and no one wants to marry you, you can’t come crying to me and complain.”

I scratched my head and said very puzzled: “Shifu, you don’t want me to look for a husband, I won’t look for one. Don’t be angry.”

I don’t know how these words poked at shifu’s nerves. His body went stiff. He loosened his hand, turned and said: “Hmpf, who cares if you look or not, it’s just…it’s just that you’re my disciple. If at that time no one marries you, I’ll lose face!”

Shifu is really someone who cares about face. I sighed and said: “Shifu, you don’t need to worry. I already have a target. I’ll do my best.”

I picked up the dishes and went out of the room. Shifu was frozen in the room. Until when I was going to go around the corner, did shifu’s dark voice come from behind: “Hey.”

His shout made me stop. It took a moment before he continued: “Who is it that you fancy?”

I looked at the sky and thought for a moment before I replied: “The person of my dreams.”

After I turned around the corner, I heard the sound of the table being kicked.

Shifu began practicing after a meal…really hard working, ah.

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I also have to work hard on finding a husband. Then I can help shifu and cause him less trouble.

Since then shifu ordered me to do more and more things. Even while sleeping, I need to sleep next to his bed on the floor.

Every time, we went to Shengling sect to gather food, shifu will walk behind me leisurely. Initially, everyone treated me as they do usually, but gradually the males don’t speak to me anymore. Not long after, even the butcher doesn’t speak to me anymore. So after some time, I was a little unhappy. I felt that they probably dislike me because I did something wrong. Whenever shifu saw me unhappy, his face will turn darker. Occasionally I could hear him say to himself: “Damn it, he really is someone from Shengling sect…”

Comments:

I really like Chu Kong. I think that he hates the snow because of what happened to Yun Xiang. It really affected him. He’s so cute when he’s jealous and so considerate even when he’s bullying her. Chu Kong is the person of my dreams