Wang Fei's Disciple

"He Returns" Chapter Six

The days seemed to inch slowly by while Wang was away. Finally on the sixty sixth day since Wang had left while the noon sun shone down hitting Nia's skin as she practiced extracting water out of the ground and infusing it into a plant that was before her. Her green eyes narrowed in concentration, and her red hair was wound up on her head held in place by a white agate hairpin.  After she finished the chant she watched the plant lift its drooping leaves. Looking up she saw Wang standing a few paces away. His silver eyes looking calmly at her, his white hair put up under a straw hat. He glanced towards the house and saw stone flowerpots standing by the doorway. the courtyard also had some flowerpots in the corners. The flowers where blue and yellow. and their vibrant colors seeped into their gray surroundings. He looked back at Nia who by now had stood up and approached him. 

"You did this?" He asked with his soft deep voice. 

Nia felt her heart tremble and nodded nervously, she hoped he wouldn't dislike it. 

Wang then walked over to the hut and entered it, setting down his bundles and hat on his bed he turned and started to unpack. Nia followed and began to prepare lunch, she made fried dumplings and steamed vegetables with some pickled kimchi. 

When they sat down to eat Wang noted that the kimchi was strong and bright red and the dumplings golden brown and crispy.  He glanced at Nia who was busy eating her food, then bit into a dumpling only to find that the inside was soft and savory with water crest and green onions. The vegetables where green and limp with just a hint of salt. All of the food was well prepared and tasty. When they had finished Wang stood up and took their dishes and washed them and put them away. Nia watched his back as he dried the dishes. his wide shoulders covered with his white hair. I wonder how old he is, she thought. His hair is white but he looks young. 

When the dishes where away, Wang walked out and around the house heading for the garden. Nia assumed he wanted to see how it was growing and followed him. Soon they entered the Tunnel of Stars as Nia referred to it as. Wang reached up and opened the door to the garden and stepped into the bright light that flowed from the opening. When his eyes adjusted to the light he stopped in amazement at what he saw. 

The pale green plants where now vibrant and lush and soil was a rich brown even the air seemed to sparkle. Wang breathed in deeply and noted the sent of earth and growing things. He moved along the rows of plants checking their growth. When he came to the last rows the ones Nia had planted he saw the most vibrant plants of all, they where a deep green and their leaves were large and strong. Red peppers, green broccoli and orange squash lay in numbers their skins smooth. 

Turning to Nia he asked her if she had only done the normal water and earth chants. Nia swallowed and told him she had only done what he had taught her. 

Wang was silent then he took the satchel from the shelf and started picking the produce. Nia also took another one from the shelf and started from the opposite side of the garden.  When they had finished picking all that needed to be picked. Wang lead the way out of the garden and through the tunnel. 

Putting the food away he turned to Nia and told her to follow him. He walked past the courtyard and down the path to the place they had met and sat down, Nia sat across from him. 

"I think its time you started learning Average Tier Chants." He said solemnly.  

He stood up and while grasping the air with his right hand he chanted.

"Oh Wind sing, 

Sharpness of sword bring." 

In his hand formed a translucent sword of Wind Essence. The wind it kicked up blew his hair across his face and billowed his robes. Turning to Nia he told her to do the same but to say Water instead of Wind. 

When Nia finished she held sword of Water Essence that swirled within its blade. 

Wang nodded in satisfaction, Nia had gotten better at controlling the amount of Essence while he was gone. 

"Now turn the sword into a bow......"

They practiced until the rays of the setting sun hit the shadowy end of the gorge. Then they ate and Nia fell asleep to the sound of silence that was now comforting to her. 

The days went by and soon Nia could smoothly turn the Essence sword into a bow, two daggers, a whip, a shield, a thousand needles and then back into a sword. When they where finished with practice one day and where in the garden finishing picking the last of the harvest. Wang spoke his deep voice echoed off of the rock walls of the room. 

"I am leaving in a week, and your coming with me this time." 

Nia looked up at him in surprise but he looking down picking the winter squash. 

"Who will run the garden when we are gone?" Nia asked as she looked over the mostly harvested plants. 

"By next week the harvest will be over and it will be time to let the soil rest." Wang placed his palm against the soil and closed his eyes as if listening. With full satchels they entered the house. Nia took some of the cabbage, carrots, onions, red peppers, garlic and started preparing Kimchi. Wang took the rest of the cabbage, and carrots  stored them in boxes layered in sand placing them in the corner between his desk and the wall. The onions and garlic he braided and hung up from the ceiling. He cut some winter squash into cubes and boiled them, adding to half salt and garlic and the other half he added honey. He placed these in stone jars and sealed their lids with clay. Nia finished her kimchi and also sealed it in stone jars, then she worked on boiling broccoli, bamboo shoots and green beans with a pinch of salt and also storing them in jars. Wang separated the chaff from the rice and oats and poured them into stone barrels that sat near the doorway. 

It was dark by the time they finished and the lights in the the walls glowed illuminating their work. Small stone jars stood on shelves and larger ones sat on the floor along the walls. Two large stone barrels stood on either side of the doorway. and boxes stood by the desk near the back of the room. Onions, garlic and herbs hung from the ceiling. 

When the sun rose the next day it shone onto herbs and peppers that lay out on stone slabs to dry. 

Soon it was the night before they were to leave, Nia didn't have much to pack just her bed roll some toiletries and her scrolls on Chants and Forms. She then lay down on her bed too excited to sleep. She was finally getting to see the world she had fell into, she wondered if there would be the same kinds of animals like there were some of the same types of plants. Yawning she drifted off to sleep dreaming of the adventures to follow.