Interlude: The Father’s Tale Part V

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The Punishment Hall was a medium-sized, one-story building with a single basement level.

In spite of the name, nothing particularly terrible happened there. It was just a building with dozens of holding cells where disciples who had broken the rules of the Xiao Sect were sent to. As far as punishments went, it was a light one. The punished disciple just had to stay in a cell for a day or more depending on the offense.

Those who were wise used the time to focus on their cultivation.

Of course, that was not an option available to Liu Jianguo.

He and Li had been locked up in two small, adjacent cells located in the basement. Each only had a pile of hay with a blanket on top where one could sleep on. There were no windows of any kind, so the only light came from the dim candles outside the cells.

By Liu Jianguo’s estimate, over half a day had passed since they were brought in.

Naturally, rather than being worried about himself, Liu Jianguo was worried about his son who he had left with Old Man Gao. Since he had first held Liu Jin in his arms, this was the longest Liu Jianguo had ever been away from him. It was a situation the doctor was not accustomed to, and it was not one he liked one bit.

Certainly, he had left the old couple with strict instructions on what to do, but still!

What would happen if his son woke up crying in the middle of the night and he wasn’t there!

What if his son got sick? Old Man Gao lacked knowledge of the healing arts. Liu Jianguo frowned as dozens of different scenarios flashed through his mind, ranging from somewhat possible to profoundly unlikely, yet his mind took each of those scenarios with utmost seriousness.

“I wish to apologize.”

The doctor blinked as Li’s voice drew him out of his increasingly fantastical worries. He looked to his side, which was a useless gesture as the walls of his cell blocked his view of Li.

“I do not recall you having done anything that requires an apology.”

Li’s laughter filled the empty place. It was tinged with bitterness.

“Doctor Liu, I see your sense of humor is as good as always, but please, now is not the time for it. There is no denying it was this stupid disciple who pleaded for you to come here. If it weren’t for me, you’d be with your son. I… I knew there was always a possibility of things ending this way, but I truly believed everything would work out.”

The regret in his voice was easy to hear, and from one point of view, it was almost easy to agree with him. However…

“Contrary to what you may think, I do not make it a habit of joking,” Liu Jianguo replied, sitting on the pile of hay and leaning against the wall. “You are young, and that you think you can claim responsibility for my actions shows it all too clearly. I am here because I chose to be here. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“But I insisted so many times!”

“You did,” Liu Jianguo agreed without a trace of heat or an ounce of bitterness in his voice. “You constantly pestered me about it. It was quite annoying.”

“Then you can see-”

“But,” the doctor said, softly but firmly, “I did not choose to go with you so that you may stop pestering me. You explained your reasoning to me, and I agreed with it. That is all there is to it. You didn’t force me to come. I am here of my own free will. There is no need for you to feel guilty about the choices I made.”

It was almost funny. If someone had talked to him like this in the past, then maybe things wouldn’t have gone the way they did.

However, Liu Jianguo had no time to entertain what-ifs. Not anymore.

“As expected, Doctor Liu is truly an amazing man,” Li said after a while. “No wonder the Heavens made Doctor Liu unable to use Qi. It’d be the height of unfairness for a man to have both power and wisdom in such measures.”

Liu Jianguo laughed.

He couldn’t help it. He laughed long and hard. The sound echoed across the empty cells.

“Doctor Liu?”

“Forgive me,” he said, still laughing and wiping a tear from his eye. “It’s just… I wasn’t expecting you to say something like that. Power in exchange for wisdom? Is that how you see it?”

Li might be more right than he’d ever know.

“Amusing,” the doctor said. “Life truly is amusing.”

“Well, well,” someone said. “I see you two are having fun. Don’t you know this is supposed to be a place of punishment? At the very least, you’re supposed to pretend to be penitent. The Elders do so love that.”

“Young Master Xiao Nan!”

Liu Jianguo’s eyebrows rose as he saw the young boy walk in front of his cell. He was carrying a tray of food.

“Greetings,” Liu Jianguo said, inclining his head. “I must admit my surprise. I did not think we were worthy of being visited by a person of your esteem.”

“You aren’t,” Xiao Nan replied without hesitation. “However, like you, I am being punished.”

As he spoke, he set the tray down and opened the lock. The plate with food was pushed in a second later.

“As I’m sure you know, even weak cultivators can go a day or two without food just fine,” Xiao Nan explained, making no effort to close the gate. He didn’t need to. There was nothing Liu Jianguo could do to escape with Xiao Nan in the way. “Except in the cases of disciples who have misbehaved enough to be here for weeks or months, there is really no need to bring food here. However, you’re a cripple, and thus, need food to survive.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Usually, we’d have a servant bring you food, but Uncle and the Elders are angry with me,” Xiao Nan said, shrugging as if the matter didn’t concern him. “Hence, your meal is now being served by this Xiao Nan. Please, do enjoy the absurdity of our positions.”

“You have this one’s deepest thanks,” Liu Jianguo said, bowing as he picked up his plate and started eating. Rice and meat with some spices. Probably nothing fancy by the standards of the Xiao Sect, but a good meal was a good meal.

Rather than leaving now that his task was done, Xiao Nan stayed there with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. The weight of his presence was enough to silence Li, but Liu Jianguo just ate in tranquility.

Minutes passed by in silence. Still, Xiao Nan did not move from his place. After a while, he spoke.

“Were you telling the truth?”

Liu Jianguo paused mid-bite and looked at the child. “If the Young Master of the Xiao Sect is asking me if I told the truth about Patriarch Zheng’s condition, the answer is yes. If he asks me if I was telling the truth about the way to cure him, then the answer is also yes.”

Xiao Nan’s eyes narrowed. “And how do I know you aren’t lying?”

“Doctor Liu would never-”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Quiet!” A single hissed word was enough to stop Li from talking. Xiao Nan’s eyes never strayed from Liu Jianguo. “I’ll ask again. How do I know you aren’t lying?”

“You don’t,” Liu Jianguo replied.

“Huh?”

“Short of allowing me to heal your uncle, I do not think there is a simple way for me to convince you,” Liu Jianguo explained. “It is not wrong for you to be suspicious of me. I am, after all, a cripple. For me to have knowledge beyond the greatest doctors of this city is a laughable thought. It should be far easier for you to believe that I’m merely a charlatan that wishes to avoid death.”

“You know,” Xiao Nan said, his left eye twitching. “You aren’t supposed to just admit something like that. You’re supposed to grovel and beg for the opportunity to prove yourself to me.”

“If I begged and groveled, you’d see me as too desperate to be trusted,” the doctor pointed out calmly. “Make no mistake. I do not wish to die, and I believe earning your trust would help me stay alive. However, I don’t think there is a simple way for you to suddenly trust me. I can heal your uncle. That much is true, but to you, I might as well be saying I am the general of a great army or the prince of a foreign country.”

Xiao Nan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t have time for this. I really don’t have time for this.” The child paced around the cell, but still, he made no move to leave it. He thinned his lips and clenched his fists. “None of this would be happening if Uncle just asked help from the other Sects! He and the Elders are just being obtuse!”

The child breathed heavily after the shout left his lips. Liu Jianguo observed his angry face carefully.

“I cannot claim to know everything,” he said, “but I believe Patriarch Xiao Zheng made the right choice in that matter.”

Xiao Nan stilled. Slowly, his head turned towards Liu Jianguo.

“Oh? Is there something you wish to say?”