Chapter 184: An Honoured Shifu

Lu Daomeng was on the ground, his back propped up against. The area of his tunic around his wound had turned dark from the blood soaked in it. His bloody hand pressed firmly on the wound and his breathing was long and slow while his eyes drooped.

All of this made Wang Zen nervous, a nervousness that carried over to Shibi who bounced on the spot nervously.

“Shifu, are you okay?”

“Yes, Master Wang.” Lu Daomeng said. “And you asking me is not going to make me feel better.”

“Sorry, Shifu.” Zen said. “But your breathing doesn’t make me feel better.”

“I am practicing an ancient breathing teachnique of Pranayama.” He said. “I’m okay ut not for long if you can’t find what I told you to.”

Zen nodded and touched the stone with his eyes closed. Searching a storage stone for an object you were not familiar with was difficult and he was sure the effort of emptying it out would take too long. He could feel the object and hoped it was the right one as he brought it out of the storage stone.

A fine blue glass gourd appeared in his hands and he rushed to Lu Daomeng.

“Is this it?” Zen said, kneeling next him while offering the gourd.

Lu Daomeng’s eyes opened wider and he smiled. “That’s it.” He grabbed the gourd. Using his thumb, he popped the stopper out before placing it on the ground next to him. “Sending this message to the Commoner’s Rebbellion will take my last bit of strength.” He opened his palm and a thin sliver of water rose from the gourd. It formed a small sphere which he thrust his hand in.

The clear water began to grow murkey from the blood on his hand. The sphere grew completely red then abruptly fell apart, leaving his clean hand in the air.

Zen looked around in confusion. “What-What happened? Did you do it, Shifu?”

“Yes,” Lu Daomeng said returning his hand back to his wound. “Let’s hope they come.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Zen shouted. “You’re one of the top members of the Commoner’s Rebellion!”

“I’ve told you before, Master Wang, I’m not a member of the Commoner’s Rebellion.” He said. “More like a friend. So there’s a chance they may not come.”

Zen’s eyes began to water and his bottom lip quivered.

Lu Daomeng smiled at Zen, his eyes drooping once again. “Not to worry Master Wang. Death is certain and only the time is a mystery.”

“Your time shouldn’t be now!” Zen said with a shaky voice.

“That is not for you or I to decide.” He said.

“What should I do, Shifu?”

His eyes went from droopy to closing completely. “The only things you can do, Master Wang, worry, hope and pray.”

Zen stayed at his spot watching as Lu Daomeng’s chest slowly contract and expand as sigs of life.

Wang Zen could feel 3 energies coming closer. He shot to his feet and touched his storage stone, bringing out his short sword and facing the coing threat together with Shibi.

“Master Wang, hide.” Lu Daomeng said, his eyes open and alert.

“No!” Zen said. “I’m not abandoning you.” He grtted his teeth as he faced towards the direction.

From the woods came two men and a woman in regular clothes. Zen relaxed a little when he saw the black bandannda around each of their left arms.

He dug out his own bandanda from his person and presented it to them. “Commoners’ Rebellion!”

“So we do have the right place.” One of the men said. “We got a call that there was an SOS here and that we should try and check it out while we retreat. Who needs us kid? Hopefully you didn’t call us.”

Zen stepped aside to reveal Lu Daomeng.

The three rushed to him. The other man began radiating green energy near Lu Daomeng’s wound while feeding him a pill.

“You said you are retreating?” Lu Daomeng said as he was being looked over. “How is the war going?”

“We’ve lost.” The woman said. “We’ve won a few small towns but none of the ahor ones. The Overlord has sent support to crush the Commoners’ Rebellion. We’re retreating to a bunker.”

“Aright, get up.” The man said. “That’s where you’ll get better treatment.”

They took his shoulder and each of the men supported Lu Daomeng as they got him to his feet and led him away.

“See Master Wang?” Lu Daomeng smiled. “Seems its not my time yet.”

They were led back to the road where a carriage waited.

Lu Daomeng told the two men to leave him on the edge of the road so he could speak to Wang Zen alone. He used his sword to stay upright.

“This is where our paths split.”

“What?” Zen said. “But I need to…”

“You’re not involved in this.” Lu Daomeng said. “Remember your father’s wish. Stay in the city and stay low.”

“What about the war? They’ll arrest me.”

“Like I said, you are not a part of this.” Lu Daomeng said. “And the Commoners have lost the war. Ou are not a commoner, you will eb safe.”

Zen did not know what to say.

“Survive, Master Wang.” He said before turning to walk away. The other men came back to his side and helped him along.

Zen looked around and saw a tree. He took Shibi off his shoulder and placed him on the ground before walking toward the tree.

“Shifu!”

Lu Daomeng turned around, helped by the tehr men to look at Zen.

Zen placed his hand on the bark of the tree and sent out ki into it. 100 leaves fell down, sailing back and forth as they dropped towards the ground. Zen activated Swirling Swath, one after the other in quick succession, creating a vortex. He opened his palm, making the vortex’s centre his palm and swept up the leaves. Some of the leaves were torn and fell to the ground, others were missed and also found their way to the groung but most were taken and landed in Zen’s palm.

Zen’s eyes shone with tears as he presented his palm, full of leaves to Lu Daomeng.

“90,” Lu Daomeng smiled and bowed to Zen. “You honour me by being my student, Master Wang.”

Zen also bowed lower than Lu Daomeng’s wound would allow him. His head remained low, his eyes tightly shut even as his tears squezzed from his eyelids, even as he heard the carriage drive away, no knowing where his Shifu was bound or when he would see him next.

Zen respected the Lu Daomeng’s command and remained low in the city for 2 days. The war had calmed and the City Lord claimed that commoners were not criminals and unless they were part fo or had actively participated in the Commoners Rebbelion, that they could remain free and run their businesses and serve their masters.

The Goixi Academy opened its doors to all its students once again,, inviting them back. Having grown tired of sleeping in the streets. He was scared it was a trap but was allowed in and not arrested r questioned.

After 2 days of sleeping on the hard floor in hunger, it felt good to be back in his bed in the dorm room again. It was strange for it to be so empty, as none of the commoners had come back to the academy and only a few nobles had come back, most fleeing to the safety of their homes.

A few days passed with him trying to find out about his own home town. It had been taken over by the commoners who had successfully killed their City Lord. However, after a few days, more reinforcements came from the Overlord and surrounding cities. A fierce battle raged but that was the last Zen had heard from it. He did not know the condition of the city, his friends nor his father.

One day there was a knock on his dorm door. He assumed it was his cousins or perhaps one of his dorm mates returning.

He opened the door to see a messager.

“Hello, are you Wang Zen?”

“Yes,” Zen said.

He was handed a letter sealed in red parchment. Zen thanked the messager as he usealed the letter and began to read it. The words on the letter made him feel light headed. He collapsed onto his bed not believing what he read.

“What’s wrong?” Shibi said, looking up at him in worry.

“This letter,” Zen said, as his hands trembled while holding the letter, “It says my father is dead.”