The Scent of the Orchid in the Forest of Secrets (密林兰香)

Chapter Nine

"You're not allowed to help out anymore." Shu Haolin said, not leaving a sliver of space for her little brother to protest. "I can't let you go on in this kind of hostile environment."

Shu Haoyang's gray, pale face twisted, and his mouth was pressed into a tight line. "A-jie..." He said quietly. "I'm really okay."

"You passed out for several hours." Her tone was unrelenting. "You're not suited for this kind of work, at least until your curse is cured."

"A-jie, if you can thrive in the Yu Sect and fight your way up the ranks, so can I. Why don't you trust me?"

Shu Haolin took in a breath and tried to soften her voice. "Yang-er, I know that you're upset, and I know that you like medicine, but I can't feel at ease if this kind of thing is happening. I'm trying to protect you. Just stay in our dormitories from now on, okay?"

Shu Haoyang did his best to sit up, leaning against the back of the bed. "A-jie, you don't trust me enough. You need to trust that I have the ability to conquer my own obstacles and challenges on my own. I know you want to protect me, but I am an entire living person. You can't live my entire life on my behalf. You have to let me go and be independent at some point." His voice shook a little, but the way his skinny chin lifted showed strength.

Shu Haolin stared at her little brother for a long while. Now she thought about it, it had been a long time since she'd seen her little brother cower behind her back when meeting strangers and hold her hand tightly when they walked through crowds. How old was he now? Twelve? No, he was already thirteen.

While she was lost in thought, a pair of gentle hands closed around her shoulders. She jumped and turned around quickly, only to find Chen Linfeng standing behind her. "You need to rest, too. You can't be walking around, or else your wounds might open up again." He rested a firm hand on Shu Haolin's shoulder, and guided her away before she was able to say anything else.

A tight feeling curled inside of Shu Haolin's chest, one of nostalgia, one of regret, as she realized that her timid little brother no longer needed the shelter of her wings. Like a butterfly released from its cocoon, would it fly away, never to return to its old home?

***

Shu Haolin's month of reflection was basically staying in her isolated dormitory, practicing the sword with a branch she had picked up from the forest. Like so, the month swiftly passed, and for the first time, Shu Haolin showed up to the door of Yu Jielan's residence.

A brass knocker with a slender-necked crane stared her in the face as she carefully proceeded up the smooth stone steps. She knocked once and stood outside the steps. A feeling washed over her, making her excessively aware of how empty-handed she was. After a minute, still no one opened the door, so she raised her hand to knock again. Before she could knock, though, the door was slowly pushed open, revealing Yu Jielan's calm expression.

"Please enter."

Shu Haolin stepped over the threshold, and Yu Jielan led her all the way to an airy study, the paper windows propped open, letting the sunshine stream into the room. Two low desks were set with paper, brushes, ink, and a stack of books, and an elderly man sat on the chair in front of the two desks.

"This is Sir Mu, a wandering teacher that the Yu Sect invited to teach."

Shu Haolin made a respectful bow with cupped hands and sat down next to Yu Jielan. Mu Qianqing cleared his throat and stroked his beard, and then began speaking. It took only the time for the golden light of the sunrise to fade before Shu Haolin's eyes went dazed as she stared at Mu Qiangqing's wagging beard, words going in one ear and out the other. Yu Jielan's head was lightly bowed as she listened, but Shu Haolin felt her neck start to go stiff, and her legs felt itchy. After she shifted more than ten times in a single minute, Mu Qianqing finally stopped speaking and dismissed them with some homework. With a flick of his sleeves, he sat down on the chair, and silence fell over the study.