v7c4: The Moon and the Earth

It was Fa Bi De’s fourth year upon this glorious earth.

Every experience, every precious moment that had thus far been his life had happened in but four years.

It was no time at all; and it was all the time he knew. He had had many adventures; he had experienced a thousand different things.

And yet, there was no place Bi De would rather be at this very moment.

It was the beginning of a new cycle. After the weddings of Bi De’s fellow disciples, and the settling of the fox tribes came the most important time of the year. It surpassed even the harvest, for without this step, there would be no harvest at all.

It was the time of spring planting.

Bi De lifted the hoe high above his head, his form that of a human, and brought it down into the soil. While in previous years he had assisted in his own way, gathering seeds and tending to the other chickens, this was the first year he could truly use the tools of his Great Master. In the Shrouded Mountain Sect, he had made a little garden, but it was nothing compared to this, toiling in the fields under the strengthening sun.

It gave him new respect for the mortals, for they had no Qi to help them. It gave him new respect for his Master, who had toiled alone the first year. The beginnings of their lives had been laid by his strong arms—and now Bi De was adding to this foundation. The bedrock of their lives.

Was there anything more important than this?

His Qi flowed from his body and into the earth with each strike, an offering to the world that he lived upon. It was a strain on the body, as well as the soul. But it was a good, honest strain, for in giving to the earth, so too would the earth give back; perhaps not to him, but to other members of his family.

He could feel the pulsing golden web beneath him reverberating with a constant influx of energy, for Bi De did not work alone.

All of Fa Ram was out in force.

Bi De took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow, and rose to his full height. He was tilling alongside his Master and Brother Chun Ke, the three of them working together on this particular field. They were both humming an old working song, their strikes in sync.

His brother disciple was also in human form, having desired to learn the secrets of the hoe, and of cultivating like a human. His giant of a brother moved with perfect peace, a small smile on his face. His titanic form shifted and bulged with muscle, his own shirt around his waist. The scar on his chest just under his ribs twisted, a mark gained from the battle on the solstice.

All of them had those marks. Just as the battle had left scars on the land, so too had it left scars on them. Bi De himself had a fading starburst of scar tissue that took up most of his chest, and his Great Master’s strong arms were littered with cracks, like an old and worn statue. Those cracks flexed and moved with the muscles of his forearms.

Still, they were healing, just like the earth was healing. Bi De’s eyes roved over the land. Bowu sat atop his Steam Furnace, ploughing a field beside Bei Be. Tigu was sowing alongside Xiulan—they had both delayed their departure back south by just one more day, as had all who had come for the wedding, so they could at least contribute. Gou Ren and Yun Ren were working together, creating new paddies for rice. A localised storm let out a soft drizzle of water, Wa Shi flying above the fields. The others were dispersed across the rest of the fields, or back at the house, tending to the herb and vegetable gardens.

Even Master Shen Yu was tending to a little garden outside his own house.

All of them worked together for this. It was a beautiful thing. The sounds of the steam furnace puffing, the hoes hitting the earth, shovels excavating new land… and of the bees buzzing through the air, taking advantage of the bounty of spring.

Or at least most of them were. Bi De, Chun Ke, and their Master seem to have picked up an honour guard of sorts, sitting still in the air, or perched on the nearby fences.

He noted one in particular, her eyes fixed on the three of them, and offered her a smile.

“Lady Vajra, you look well today!” Bi De called to her. “What brings you to our patch of field?”

She instantly erupted into a little dance, waggling her behind. Bi De walked closer to better see her. He still had a lot of trouble understanding the little insects, but sometimes he could get the gist of what she was saying.

“Friend Vajra says she is learning a lot by watching, and doesn’t think her skill is great enough to contribute. She says she is worried she doesn’t do enough,” Brother Chun Ke rumbled, as he also approached. He had a soft frown.

“Don’t say that, Vajra!” their Master exclaimed. He joined the two of them already at the fence, and put his hand down right beside her, leaning over her slightly. “We all have jobs to do, and your girls do a great one!”

“Indeed. Our home would be lesser without you, my lady. The work you and yours do is invaluable,” Bi De agreed, leaning on the fence as well. Her head swiveled to him

“Friend Vajra should be nicer to herself. She and friend bees already do so much!” Chun Ke finished, crouching down and smiling at her.

Vajra did nothing, her abdomen vibrating. Bi De got a hint of Qi speech that sounded a bit like panting and hiccups, the same noises that were coming from the other bees.

Ah, the poor little ones were overcome with emotion! They had been stunned when their fallen had been given funerals, and Bi De knew the actions of those who wished to repay an imagined favour well.

“You and your girls are doing more than enough, my lady.” Bi De stroked Vajra’s head with a finger, and then tilted her little chin up so she would look at him directly. “You, too, are members of our Fa Ram, and deserve to rest, the same as us.”

He winked at her, and she nodded slowly.

“You and all your girls!” Master agreed, gently patting her abdomen with his finger.

Her rump waggled oddly. Bi De couldn’t wait until they could communicate better, but Chun Ke chuckled.

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“We are not too kind. We are just kind enough, Chun Ke thinks,” his brother said, his smile warm and heartfelt.

Vajra seemed at a loss for words. The bees that had been hovering slowly settled down onto the fence, and stayed to watch the most noble of arts.

Cultivation.

They gave to the land and the land accepted them. Bi De felt a hand ghost along the top of his head almost absently…and then paused, a bit confused, when he heard the land start grumbling with frustration.

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“Come on, move you rassin frassin..” Tianlan Shan, the Spirit of the Azure Hills grumbled, glaring at the stubborn Dragon Vein before her. She had a yellow helm upon her head that was emblazoned with the character “Boss”. She bore a hammer in her hand and was currently slamming it into a Dragon Vein, trying to push it back into place. She had been hard at work since she awoke, putting things at Fa Ram to right.

She grunted and hammered down on it again. It wasn’t budging. It needed to move. Right here was a bad spot, and it was pulsing fitfully, not full of energy as it was supposed to be.

She whapped it again, and glared. It didn’t move. A snort of amusement came from behind her.

“You need some help with that, Tianlan?” her Jin asked. He was shrouded in golden light, and his smile was infectious. His ever-so-slightly ghostly body beside her was proof that he was meditating as he worked. He had felt her frustration and came to help.

“Yeah. You go on the other side, and we’ll hit it together. Maybe that will break the block!” she commanded.