Seyran

Chapter 17: To 'bear' traditions

Thanks for the recommendations foxyfean, you're an angel. However, I fear I already read them all.

Thanks for everyone's votes and comments.

Unfolding the paper, elder Shen carefully looked at it. The material was thick, old, but besides some creases, nothing was wrong with it, its whole length was still dark with ink, and the content, still very much legible.

"The future isn't something set in stone. It's quite hard to see. The danger is still very much present but there may be hope."

She looked at that parchment for a long time. Not really reading the words, rather mentally reciting them and comparing it to the seer's words. There may be hope. Her heart shook as she really considered its meaning. To judge it maybe, she did something she didn't do in years now; she held the paper above a candle and watched it being devoured by the flames emitting a slight crisping sound. The matriarch held, withstanding the heat until the flame touched her fingers, before letting go. In front of her eyes, as that last part was released from her hand, the ashes that crumbled and started falling disparately on the floor went against gravity, levitating and assembling in the air, turning now into a brand new parchment with the same scribbles on the previous it replaced. The paper then flew and stopped above matriarch Shen's hand, folding itself as it once was, before softly landing on the opened palm. It stayed still, like any other ordinary paper.

Far from being satisfied with this result, elder Shen was now a little anxious. No matter how she looked at it, it definitely recuperated faster than it used to do. Was it because the time was approaching? Her unease grew a little more. Calling for the servants, and disregarding the time, she ordered,

"Send for the oracles. Urgently."

Even though they had been called in the Shen residence the day before, elder Shen suddenly needed to be told once again that there was indeed hope.

***

Shen Ai was in her bath, soaking her back without remorse even though it had been advised against it when she heard jingling sounds in the dead of the night. Calling for the servants waiting on her at the other side of the door, she asked,

"Answering, ...it should be the invitees of the matriarch."

She pursed her lips, not making any comment but her brows furrowed. 'Again!' she thought.

Its been so long since the last time she heard the sound of their instrument that she actually forgot it. The matriarch had gone as far as taking in those two people who were certainly banned from their country in this residence, almost every day listening to their nonsensical things about future. Who exactly was being foolish now?

"Come" she shouted and the servant entered to help her rebandaged her back. As mistreating it as she had been, the injuries were still healing and would be but something of the past in a couple of days. No matter what, one still had to sigh at the Jing family's medicines. It may not be something of the imperial family but it was quite impressive.

Her bandages done, the captain just directly wore a middle robe then jumped on the roof, to look toward her matriarch's place, imagining inside it the young woman and her small boy talking to her great-grandmother.

***

The night changed into a day. Huang had actually really cultivated, accompanying the woman in the room who also did so. The moment she had closed her eyes she didn't open them again until now. The small bird knew it had peeked. What made her opened them was when the chiefs came to check on their patient, asking through one guard if they could enter.