Xuelei, Tears of Blood

Chapter 34 - Growing-Up

Xuelei lay in bed wide awake and tense. Something had woken him up. He lay quietly in his dim room, listening, trying to ascertain what had caused the disturbance. All was quiet, he turned his head and caught a faint scent of flowers. He sat up startled, Mei Ling had been here. Owww! The sudden movement stretched his healing wounds and tore at the scabs. He winced at the sullen throbbing.

He eased his position to a more comfortable one, propping pillows and leaning back. He couldn't go back to sleep, he was too wide awake now.

It was the perfect time to sort some things out. Xuelei had noted that the Master and Mistress had not asked him about his rescuer. It was almost as if they were afraid of the conclusions they might come to from his report. Did they know the man? Did they think it was more than one person?

Thinking about the mysterious man his mind went automatically to the man's sword practice. He closed his eyes and replayed the steps in his mind. As soon as he was well enough, he would try it out. He couldn't wait.

Xuelei frowned. He had gone through the 59 steps of the swordman's dance. Some thing was not right at the 23rd step. Why would he swing the blade in an attack leaving his left exposed, almost as if inviting the unseen enemy to attack? The position would render him vulnerable as he would not be able to reverse his blade in time to defend himself. It was the same on the 47th step. He retraced the steps in his head, going over it slowly, analysing the sequence. He was positive he remembered it correctly. Perhaps he would find the answer when he could actually physically practice it.

He got up from the bed and staggered over to the table. His body was still weak, he barely had control over his limbs. He had just reached it and held on for support when a horrified voice called out at him.

"What do you think you are doing? Get back into bed!"

Xuelei froze.

Mei Ling stood at the threshold of his room, hands on her hips, a vexed expression on her face. She looked very fierce.

"I said get back into bed. You are not well enough to be wondering about."

"I just ... wanted to sit here for a bit," he said and sat down at the table defiantly before she could protest.

Mei Ling opened her mouth to berate him some more. He glared back at her mentally preparing for a verbal assault.

But she surprised him when she suddenly rushed to him and burst into sobs. He caught her almost toppling over from the stool himself. She knelt at him and hugged his waist, her tears soaking his light cotton undershirt. She was shaking uncontrollably.

For a moment he was confused, taken off guard. The intense verbal assault he was expecting from Mei Ling did not materialize. Instead, she had crumbled in front of him turning from a fierce tigress ready to fight to a helpless sobbing kitten. She hung onto him desperately, like he might disappear at any time. She was shaking him urgently but couldn't say a word through her tears.

He patted her shoulder and stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. His brows knitted together. Who had made his precious sister cry?

"Hey, what's wrong? Mei Ling...?" Xuelei asked gently. "Who bullied you? Was it Jin? Did he tease you again?"

"N-no ... "

"No? Did Dao make you practice knives for hours until your hands hurt? Or was it Li? Who made you cry? Tell me, I will make him suffer."

She mumbled something into his chest.

"Huh?"

She looked up with a tear strained face and jabbed a finger at him.