บท 16: Storytelling
"Hmm… red is the color of blood?" To Hu Zi whose world only consisted of shapes and no colors, information like this was hard to imagine. When Shou stopped spinning her around, Hu Zi tilted her head.
"..." Shou tried to get rid of the hollow feeling in his heart so that the sadness won't show in his voice before he said. "Lesson is over for today. Now, let's go in, Xiao Zi."
"Eh, ah, yeah." Hu Zi stopped trying to imagine as Shou brought her into the small house. Shou got rid of the air barrier he made and Hu Zi was able to feel the inside of the house. She gasped. "Wow…"
Shou completely changed the interior so it felt like a camp. The blanket and bed cover was turned into a tent with ropes. The chair was used to tie the ropes. Shou decorated the ceiling and walls. But for someone who spent her times in the mountain, training, Hu Zi was not that gravitated to the camp like house interior. Because she was very hungry and exhausted, Hu Zi was more amazed at the food inside that small house. From candies to fruits and fishes. Hu Zi thought all of her favorites were there.
"Are these steamed buns?" Hu Zi asked as she felt the round things on top of the dark brown wooden table.
"Yep." Shou laughed when Hu Zi freed herself from his embrace and ran in the direction of the table where the food was placed. Hu Zi took a bun, sat down on a chair and ate it with delight. Shou smiled gently and asked her. "Do you like it? Is it yummy, Xiao Zi?"
"Uhuh." Hu Zi could not answer with her mouth full so she just nodded twice. She gulped down her bun and said. "It is the best. Who made it? It tasted a bit different than Mother's steamed bun."
"Ehehe…" Shou chuckled. "You know, I am the one who made it myself!" Shou said proudly.
"Eh?" Hu Zi did not know that Shou could cook this well. Hu Zi did not know that he could make a steamed bun. Hu Zi suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Looking at Hu Zi's surprised face, Shou felt very proud. He smirked. "Don't you think your Master is the greate-"
Hu Zi who had already finished her food, grabbed a bun and shoved it inside Shou's mouth. "Don't spoil the food by boasting." She laughed heartily. "Sit down and eat."
"Heh." Shou sat down on the bed and ate his food. They chatted while they ate the buns. The two did not realize that they spent so much time and it was already dark until Shou looked up to the window. "I think it is bedtime."
"Ah…" Hu Zi also looked up. "Yeah, I will clean first."
Hu Zi and Shou took turns to clean themselves before they went to sleep. Hu Zi jumped into the bed that was transformed into a tent by Shou earlier. She went into the tent and waited for Shou to come in.
When they camped in the mountain, Hu Zi usually had unpeaceful nights because of the leftover injuries she got when she trained so Shou always slept near her so that he could help her when her fever raised or when her wounds opened and such. Sometimes, Shou loved to keep Hu Zi by his embrace when he fell asleep. He said Hu Zi was small and looked cozy to hug, so he did it. Hu Zi refused to sleep with him like that at first, Hu Zi said it was improper. Yet, she gave in these days because Shou always sneaked in after she fell asleep to hug her.
Shou came and sat beside her inside the small tent. Inside the tent was a pile of cushions Shou sat on one of the cushions. "Nice tent, right?" Shou asked Hu Zi.
"Yeah." This is the first time Hu Zi was experiencing camping inside the house. "But, why are you making this? Why a camp inside the house?"
"Oh." Shou thought about something and said. "Well, when I was young, I used to camp inside the house."
"Huh? Why?" In that time, doing something like this was uncommon. "Tell me."
"When I was little, I was very naughty and then..." Shou gasped because he realized he said too much about his childhood. Shou looked at Hu Zi and saw that she was listening intently. Shou smiled. His hair was a bit wet and the water dripped from his hair to his cheek as the corner of his lips made a perfect handsome arc.
"Why are you stopping?" Hu Zi tilted her head. She rarely heard Shou talking about himself, so it was exciting for her.
"Hmm... let's save the rest of the story for later," Shou said awkwardly. "Oh anyway, you are progressing faster than I expected Xiao Zi. I am proud of you as your Master." He praised.
"Oh!" Hu Zi also felt happy, although she was not as good as Shou, and she could not move the air as great and precise as him, her radar suprased Shou's in term of skill.
"You can cover so much area when you concentrate," Shou said joyfully. "Although you still can't fly, this progress is very good."
"Yep! Praise me, praise me." Hu Zi joked. She cheekily smiled. Shou chuckled and pinched her right cheek. "Hehe…"
Hu Zi and Shou played around, joking and laughing until they were tired. Before she slept, with a tired tone, Hu Zi asked. "Master, why is there so few wind masters even though wind power is very strong and convenient?"
"Why?" Shou let Hu Zi rested her face near his chest. "Because…"
"Because?"
"Because it is very difficult and risky to master. And there are some inconvenients that came from mastering one of the elements. So many people who want to be stronger or join the army take the safe route and choose the martial arts instead." Shou explained. "The Jin people, unlike the Meng people, are not exactly people who want to take risk in learning the skills, so we almost see no one using elements here. The empire tried to have as many element master as they can in the army by giving two times the reward normal soldiers get so people would try and learn the element skills. The empire did that because, if there are no element forces, they could not possibly defeat the element forces of the enemy's empire easily."
"Ahh…" Hu Zi replied so that Shou knew she was listening. Her voice was faint thought, she was very tired. "I see… if I it was not for my condition, I might not even wanna try doing all these trainings too." Hu Zi said.
"Ahaha…"
"Master…"
"Yes?"
"I have my own condition, but…" Hu Zi pondered. "Why did you decide to be a wind master?"
Shou's eyes widened. "..." He did not reply.
"Master?" Hu Zi wondered if he did not hear her.
"Zi, your questions become harder and harder to dodge." Shou whispered.
"Huh?" Hu Zi did not hear him so she made herself closer to him.
Shou helplessly sighed and hugged Hu Zi's small body. "Okay, let's sleep for today, alright!"
"Oh, ah, yeah…" Hu Zi thought that she should not ask him anymore because she could feel his uneasiness. Hu Zi just let shou hug her and slept inside his warm embrace.
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