Chapter 21- The Bamboo Medicine Hut

The disciples started walking onto the flying cloud when Tian spotted a dreadful, expedition destroying problem.

“We never resolved the issue of seniority!” Tian exclaimed. “Quickly- which of us is the senior brother or sister? Brother Wang and Sister Su have the highest cultivation, and Brother Wang is the eldest. By default, he should be the senior. Any disagreements?”

“Yes, me. My disagreement.” Brother Wang shook his head. “I can play the leading man, but I prefer to be underestimated and fade into the background. Sister Su carries a wise and austere air. She will make a fine senior sister.”

“I too decline the ‘honor.’ I suspect there will be combat challenges, and my current infirmity leaves me few non-lethal options in a duel. So long as I am in this chair, I do not fight. I only kill.”

“A logic that would also rule out Brother Tian, as he is likely to take boasting and threats as literal statements of fact, leaving shattered bodies in his wake.” Hong Liren smiled brilliantly. “Unrelated, but do you hear meadowlarks? What other bird could sing so sweetly?”

“It’s a crow, the brain damage in your ears is worsening.” Tian could happily acknowledge others as senior, but orthodoxy forbade Sister Liren sitting in the elder’s seat. “Obviously, as the elder, I’m the senior.”

“You don’t know your birthday.”

“I do. It’s one week before yours.”

“Oh? Then when’s my birthday?” Hong gave him the look of someone who knows their brother can’t be bothered to remember what month it is.

“One week after mine.” Tian shook his head. Asking such an obvious question just showed how unfit Hong was for serious responsibility. Actually, wasn’t it about time for their birthdays? He hadn’t been keeping track, but it felt like it had been around a year since his last birthday.

Sister Su coughed. Tian was suddenly worried about her lungs. That didn’t sound like a proper cough at all. “I’m afraid that it must be either Brother Wang or Brother Tian. Brother Wang for the reasons Brother Tian identified. As for Brother Tian… I’m afraid battle record trumps age.”

“Then I beat him there too.” Hong looked mulish, unwilling to miss the opportunity.

“Apologies, Sister, but when did you kill…” Wang asked, then let his words trail off, sliding his eyes towards Sister Lin. Tian jolted. It seemed he didn’t need to remind his companions about the need to keep certain matters private.

Tian looked over. “Ah, no need to bring all that up.”

“Mmm. Still though.” Wang stroked his ching contemplatively.

“Right, sure, great, but I-” Hong slammed to a stop, then glanced back at the manor. She visibly struggled for a moment, then spread her hands and cried to the sky “The Heavens are blind, except when they see too damned well!”

The Elder appeared on the platform in a sudden breeze. “Everyone is ready? Good. Don’t throw our face, don’t start unnecessary trouble. Let’s go.”

The flying cloud descended over a lush valley. A charming little river ran between rich fields and orchards, while on the hillsides, terraced fields were being cultivated. Fine homes and halls were scattered through the valley, seemingly standing in guard over the fields around them. Just below the peak of one hill was a deep bamboo grove, and within that grove was an ancient temple. It had much the same deliberate humility Tian remembered from the West Town Temple- white plastered walls, black terracotta roof tiles, simple carvings of wood and stone for decoration.

There was a definite medicinal motif. Tian noticed that the statues were of sages carrying a peddlers medicine box, or of pill furnaces. It was a little funny to Tian. The temple had statues and things, of course, but they were indoors and tended to be honored ancestors. Or Elder Rui, just in case. Most of the outdoor stuff was decorative vases or good looking rocks a brother picked up somewhere. He couldn’t imagine decorating in birds.

Tian tapped his chin with a finger. Now that he was thinking about it, a few statues of Senior Redmane might look very nice. Not life sized, obviously, but a nine foot tall miniature or something. They could put it right next to the pond near the martial practice courtyards.

Lined up in front of the temple were twenty cultivators. Tian noticed their uniforms were green and brown, with a pill surrounded by trailing wisps of fragrance emblazoned on their chests. You could quickly sort out the ranks. The outer court uniforms looked no better than what Tian was wearing, and the Heavenly People’s robes were better, but not spectacularly so. Not too many Heavenly People, though, and they all gave Tian the sense of being old.

“The Elders and Disciples of the Bamboo Medicine Hut Greet Elder Feng and the Disciples of Ancient Crane Mountain!” The cultivators below bowed deeply as the cloud settled on the fine blue flagstones in front of the temple. Elder Feng led them in the reply bow. Her bow was polite, but only polite. Tian didn’t dare be so bold. He bowed as though he were saluting elders of his own sect.

Courtesy was always the right approach. Brother Fu was extremely firm on this point.

There was a mercifully brief exchange of greetings, welcomes, complements and other social frippery, then the disciples were dismissed. The Sectmaster offered to have one of the elders show the juniors around, but in the end it was agreed that everyone would be more comfortable if they were shown around by disciples roughly their age.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

ToTian’s quiet shock, that meant cultivators in their thirties who were only Level Seven. One of their guides was fifteen and barely level four. He knew he cultivated faster than many other people, but he didn’t think it was to the point of being outrageously quick. Would the Monastery rate these people as third class talents or something? Was there such a thing as a fourth class talent?

“So, where would you like to start the tour?” An older disciple smiled and asked. The smile seemed a bit forced to Tian, but he thought it was fair. He wouldn’t be too social if someone dropped in out of the blue and demanded they be shown around the Temple.

Tian glanced at the others, who collectively shrugged. Except for Lin, who seemed like she was looking for someone. “We admired the fields from the air as we came in. Maybe you could show us how you grow your herbs before taking us around to see the medicine being made?” Tian suggested.

“Gladly.”