Chapter 70: Crooked Nose

Zen looked up at the sky, lying in a bed of rock. Too injured to move and in too much pain to sleep, all he could do was watch the sky turn from black to grey to blue, the stars slowly disappearing, other than the morning star which fought off the brilliance of the sun.

“Ook?”

Zen looked to the side and his thin cold kissed lips curled up into a smile. “Shibi!”

Shibi made a sad sound as he curled up next to Zen’s head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.” Zen sighed, still looking at the sky. “Huh, if this is what its like to win, I’d hate to lose.”

“Hey, is that someone over there?”

Zen looked to the side in confusion, only to see a woman heading toward him.

“Yes, I’m over here.” Zen said.

“Huh, and I thought the other guys were jerking me around when they said there could be someone injured here.” The woman said as he got closer. He had volumes dark hair, shaped like a dome that ended at her chin. “Ooh, did that happen today?” The man said, pointing at his own nose.

“No!” Zen said.

“Alright kid, relax.” The man smirked. “So, where you hurt?”

“Well, my head is busted open, I’m a little tender on my sides and I scraped…”

“Choose one kid,” she said. “I’m barely paid to keep you brats up and running, not to mention that I had to hike up this stupid mountain to find you. So don’t give me a list of your injuries, tell me the injury that’s keeping you here, so that we can go back down and the other wood elementalist can decide whether they’ll heal you, pump you full medicinal pills or leave you to fend for yourself.”

“Gees, kinds harsh but, I guess if my knee was healed…”

“Good choice!” She said before kneeling before his knee. She hovered her palms over the injury and green light began coming out of Zen’s knee.

Vines, made of pure green energy grew around his knee, with leaves sprouting out along its length. Zen could not only feel his knee getting fixed but also his qi getting replenished. The light of the vines faded, leaving behind normal vines.

Zen shot to his feet and began practicing his kicks, “Wow, you are good! It feels like it was never broken at all!” He said, feeling good to be up on his feet and generating some heat to fight the cold that had crept into him.

Shibi leapt on his shoulder, happy that Zen was feeling better.

“I healed you all the way?” the woman shook her head in disappointment. “I should really learn a weaker wood healing incantation. I’ll never make any money healing people completely.”

“Uhm… thanks?”

She began walking away and stopped to look back at him. “Well? Are you coming or have you grown attached to this place?”

“Funny, they healed a kid yesterday with a broken arm even worse than yours.”

“Yeah,” Zen said absentmindedly to whatever the healer said, while looking at the floor.

“Geez, why are you so sad?” she said. “You just got healed and your saviour is walking you to further help. I don’t see what you have to be so down about. I mean… I get your nose makes you look ugly… no hideous but still, you have a lot to live for.”

“Yeah,” Zen continued.

“Urgh! It’s like talking to a wall with a vocabulary of ‘Yeah.’”

“I’m sorry,” Zen looked up at her. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

He kept looking at here and her eyes wandered around. “What kid?”

“You’re a wood elmentist?” he said. “You’re the youngest wood elementist I’ve seen.”

“It’s all hard work, kid.” she said. “And I’m sure your tired of seeing thse old wood elementist farts who treat you guys. I thought I’d give you a beauty to look at.” She fluffled her hair.

“Thanks for saving me… uhm…”

“Hong Lu,” she said.

Zen smiled and nodded.

Zen was exhausted when he got home. The healers had bandaged his head and the shredded skin on his fingers with herb treated bandages that would numb the pain and facilitate the healing process. He stopped before the mirror in his room to look at his bandaged face.

His fingers touched his crooked nose. For a long time, he was planning to rid himself of the defect but now he would keep it. This defect would be a reminder of the price of his weakness – betrayal of his friends, having superiors he did not like nor respected and having his fate out of his hands. This crooked and misshapen nose would be the symbol of his oath, his oath to get stronger.