Chapter 1 (2/2)

“You…..after being……even though its been some time and some of the muscle has atrophied and is very painful, if stimulated this way it can help some recovery.” The man’s eyes were closed and he nodded.

Xiao Liu smiled, after enduring that much torture and pain this would be nothing in comparison, but as he was ma.s.saging he kept talking to distract him “As I was walking to the clinic I pa.s.sed a house with vines and purple flowers growing all over the wall, and when the wind blew all the flowers came falling down like rain. I was so distracted because I couldn’t believe this family would waste such delicious flowers which can be made into yummy biscuits…..”

From outside the room, Ma Zi said to Chaun Zi “I don’t think Brother Liu will ask me to take care of the beggar anymore.” The beggar’s body was broken and frail and his ugliness was frightening to behold. Even Ma Zi didn’t really want to keep seeing it.

True to Ma Zi’s words, Xiao Liu never asked him to take care of the beggar anymore. From feeding him medicine to wiping his body to applying ointment, Xiao Liu did it all himself.

After a month, the beggar’s throat injury was mostly healed and he could swallow but the habit was already formed. Every day Ma Zi would stand outside the room with a bowl of medicine and holler towards the clinic “Brother Liu ———-” And Xiao Liu would quickly finish with the patient and rush into the backyard room.

After half a year, the man’s injuries on his body was gradually healing. The nails on his fingers and toes were not completely grown back yet but he could touch water now. So Xiao Liu stopped was.h.i.+ng his body and instead prepared a tub so he could take proper baths.

After being taking care of by Xiao Liu for six months, the man was no longer stick and bones thin but he was still very light. When Xiao Liu picked him up, he nagged “Eat more!”

The man closed his eyes and said nothing. During this entire time he was like that. Every time Xiao Liu touched his body, he shut his eyes and pursed his lips. Xiao Liu understood. After enduring so much torture, his body despised any type of touch and each time he had to endure it.

Xiao Liu put the cloth next to him and said “You wash yourself. Your hair isn’t fully grown back yet so don’t scrub so hard.”

Xiao Liu sat to the side and munched on a snack and kept him company.

Perhaps because each scar on his body was a type of shame, the man always kept his head raised and eyes closed as to not look at his own body. He took the cloth and started was.h.i.+ng himself. From the neck down to the chest down to the stomach and finally lower towards his legs.

Xiao Liu’s eyes followed his hand when suddenly he turned to the side and munched loudly on the duck neck, making crunch crunch sounds.

The man’s eyes opened and he looked towards Xiao Liu. The sunlight shone through the window and bathed Xiao Liu in light. His cheeks were red and it was illuminated by the sunlight like a piece of beautiful jade with red spots on it.

Xiao Liu waited until the man was done bathing and carried him out of the tub. Because his leg wasn’t fully healed, usually Xiao Liu helped dress him but today he just put him on the pallet and let go.

The man kept his eyes lowered, one hand on the pallet supporting his body and the other clasping his robe shut. His hands were thin but very long, the newly grown nails white and healthy.

Xiao Liu kept his head lowered and put the robe next to him “You….you try dressing yourself. If you can’t do it then call me.”

Xiao Liu hurried out of the room but stood by the door listening to the sounds, and when it all sounded normal that’s when he left.

Chuan Zi was sorting the herbs and saw Xiao Liu and asked “Haven’t heart him speak in half a year. What if he’s stupid?”

Ma Zi smacked Chuan Zi “Shut your brainless trap! After enduring unspeakable torture, even surviving is a source of admiration. The willpower, he can’t be a stupid person.”

Ma Zi asked “Is his vocal chords damaged and now he can’t speak?”

Xiao Liu said “I checked his throat and while there is an injury and his voice will sound different than before but he should be able to talk.”

Ma Zi was happy “That’s good to know.”

Xiao Liu said “With respect to his injuries, regardless of whether you’ve seen it, from now on it’s never to be brought up again.”

Chuan Zi raised a hand “I never had the guts to look in the first place so I saw nothing.”

Ma Zi added “Don’t worry, Lao Mu already reminded us. I have a bad memory, forgot other people’s business, I forget my own stuff all the time.”

The door opened and the man supported himself on the wall and wobbled outside.

In the past it was usually dusk when Xiao Liu carried him outside to get some sun and fresh air. Today was the first time he came out during the day into the yard. He leaned against the wall and raised his head to silently look at the blue sky and white clouds.

Ma Zi and Chuan Zi gaped at the man. Because his injuries left them such an unpleasant memory, they always avoided looking at him. Chuan Zi even refused to enter his room.

This was the first time either of them clearly look at him. He had long black eyebrows, sparkling eyes, a high straight nose, his simple cheap wool clothes was worn with elegance and sophistication. In a second both Ma Zi and Chuan Zi felt so unworthy and also in awe. Xiao Liu rubbed some dry gra.s.s and said “If your legs don’t hurt too much, try moving around more. You should be able to leave in 3 to 4 months.”

The man lowered his head and looked directly at Xiao Liu “I. Have. No. Place. To. Go.” He likely hadn’t spoken a word in a few years and his voice was scratchy but his enunciation was clear. Xiao Liu leaned back and propped his feet up while chewing the dry gra.s.s “No place to go? Is that true?”

The man nodded.

Xiao Liu asked “What’s your name?”

The man shook his head.

“You don’t know? Don’t remember? Don’t want to tell me?”

“You. Saved me. I. Am. Your servant. Give name.”

Xiao Liu spit out the dry gra.s.s wad “You don’t seem like someone who serves and would listen to orders. I don’t want you.”

The man kept his eyes lowered “I. Listen. To you.”

Xiao Liu chewed more dry gra.s.s “In the future if you see people who know you, you will still listen to me?”

The man pursed his lips and his hand lightly gripped the bannister, his face pale and he remained silent.

Xiao Liu was about to scoff when he raised his eyes and looked directly at him “I listen!” In his clear eyes there appeared to be flas.h.i.+ng embers as if branding the word “listen” in his heart. Xiao Liu hesitated for a moment and then said “Then you can stay.”

The man’s lips moved as if he wanted to smile but he didn’t. Xiao Liu tossed him some dry gra.s.s “Go sit somewhere and chew this.”

The man obediently sat down on the stone steps to the side and slowly tore off some dry gra.s.s and put it in his mouth.

Despite eating the same dry gra.s.s, his movements were refined and gave off the impression that he wasn’t eating dry gra.s.s but the fruit of the G.o.ds from the mountains.

“Ya, that beggar, this dry gra.s.s is good for your throat”

Ma Zi scratched hus head and said to Xiao Liu “Brother Liu, give him a name, we can’t keep calling him beggar.” Xiao Liu said “Then call him Gan Cao (dry gra.s.s) then.”

“NO!!!!” Both Ma Zi and Chuan Zi objected “Give him a better name, not like our names.”

Xiao Liu smacked them both “What’s wrong with our names?”

“Our names suit us, but it doesn’t suit him.” Chuan Zi said very sincerely and Ma Zi nodded his agreement.

Xiao Liu stared at the beggar guy sitting on the stone steps and then stuck his head close to Ma Zi and Chuan Zi and pointed to himself asking incredulously “I’m not as good as him?”

Chuan Zi carefully asked “Does Brother Liu want to hear the truth or not the truth?”

Ma Zi consoled him “Brother Liu, some people were born on top of the clouds, others are no better than dirt. There is nothing to compare. Let’s be accepting and live our dirt life as best as can be.”

Xiao Liu raged “I want to call him Dirt then!”

Ma Zi and Chuan Zi both yelled “Nooooooo!”

Ma Zi wanted the beggar not to be angry at him in the future over a terrible name so begged “Brother Liu, think of another name please.”

Chuan Zi also said “Yes, yes, think of another name, another name as good as Brother Liu’s name.”

Xiao Liu got all excited and reached for a medicinal herb from the basket and tossed it to Ma Zi. “Count the leaves and that will be his name.”

“…………..1, 2……….17 leaves.”

Xiao Liu turned around and yelled “Beggar, from now on your name is Ye s.h.i.+ Qi” (Ye means leaves and s.h.i.+ Qi means 17 so his name means 17 leaves).

Ye s.h.i.+ Qi nodded and Ma Zi and Chuan Zi thought about it and decided it wasn’t bad. They both laughed and went to say hi to s.h.i.+ Qi.

Lao Mu called from the front “Xiao Liu, a patient is here.”

Xiao Liu kicked both Ma Zi and Chuan Zi in the b.u.t.t and hummed a ditty as he went out to see a patient.

Time flew by and another half a year pa.s.sed. s.h.i.+ Qi’s injuries that could heal were all healed and the ones that couldn’t heal that was it. The bone break in his femur was reattached but too much time had pa.s.sed so when he walked he limped. How the wounds in areas that couldn’t be seen were healing, Xiao Liu didn’t know since s.h.i.+ Qi never allowed him to help apply the medicine after he could do it himself.

Ma Zi secretly gave s.h.i.+ Qi some of his secreted away savings “Our little Hui Chun Clinic…..heh heh…..you can tell Brother Liu’s medical skills isn’t all that…..heh heh…….have you heard of the Flame Emperor’s Sheng Nong Clan? If you go to the other end of town, there is the Bao Cao clinic run by a doctor who is a many generation descendant of the Sheng Nong clan. His skills are very impressive and perhaps can heal your leg.” s.h.i.+ Qi silently handed the money back to Ma Zi.

Ma Zi got impatient “Don’t! You can repay me slowly but your leg is a big deal. You can pay me interest if you want then.”

s.h.i.+ Qi kept his head lowered and said “This. Is good.”

“What’s good about it? Do you want to be a cripple for the rest of your life?”

“He. Doesn’t care.”

“What? Who doesn’t care?” Ma Zi scratched his head “Oh! You say that as long as Brother Liu doesn’t care about it? How does that help you if he doesn’t care? Look at how lazy he is, he can eat a meal with a bowl and use the same dirty bowl for another meal. His clothes are used like dirty rags…….”

s.h.i.+ Qi glanced behind Ma Zi who wanted to keep talking sense into s.h.i.+ Qi when suddenly he was smacked upside the back of his head so he immediately shut up.

Xiao Liu’s head popped into view and he took the money from Ma Zi’s “Oh, quite a lot of money! Tonight we can have a big feast!”

Xiao Liu’s eyes pop around money and he didn’t even care what Ma Zi was doing sneaking around with the money. He grabbed the money and rushed outside, with Ma Zi crying and chasing behind him “Noooooo, Brother Liu, that money is my savings so I can take a wife……I need it to do proper stuff………”

That night everyone feasted on meat and fish, with Xiao Liu and Chuan Zi happily stuffing their faces, and Ma Zi eating as much as he could otherwise it would all be for naught though it pained him to the core, while Lao Mu sipped his wine and stared at s.h.i.+ Qi.

After eating, Xiao Liu, Ma Zi, and Chuan Zi were all pa.s.sed out drink asleep. Today was supposed to be Xiao Liu’s ch.o.r.e to do the dishes, but no one remembered when their ch.o.r.e list changed at Hui Chun Clinic that s.h.i.+ Qi did his own a.s.signed ch.o.r.es but also did all of Xiao Liu’s a.s.signed ch.o.r.es. s.h.i.+ Qi collected all the dishes and grabbed a pail of water and sat down in the yard to wash the dishes.

Lao Mu stood behind him and asked “Who are you?”

In the sound of the evening breeze, a scratchy voice replied “I am. Ye s.h.i.+ Qi.”

Koala post-script:

In case it’s not clear, Xiao Liu is our female lead. Or he will become a “she” once he reverts back to his true self – her real ident.i.ty is the Crown Princess of the Gao Xing Kingdom and her real name is Jiu Yao. Her father is Shao Hao the Emperor of Gao Xing and her mother is Ah Heng the Crown Princess of the Xuan Yuan kingdom. For those who have read Once Promised, the truth is her real birth father was Qi Yo, the greatest general of the Sheng Nong Kingdom. The reason she is posing as a he and living not as royalty in her kingdom but hiding in some d.i.n.ky town will become clear as the story progresses. Of course it’s clear just from this first chapter that the poor tortured s.h.i.+ Qi is definitely more than meets the eye. He is one of our male leads but leave some room for the other two. All three are pretty amazing in their own way. Once the leads are all out I’ll do a legend to keep track of names since everyone has at least two names/ident.i.ties here. This chapter feels ordinary and slow but it’s because the world all these people live in is so very extraordinary. So the simple stuff you’ll all later come to remember fondly.

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