"2 things will never run out, humans writing about dumb things and humans being dumb, but I'm only truly confident about the latter"- Lin Si, 6, when her dad asked her about what she learned in her studies
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"Wait, is my brother really needing to go into indoor training tonight? The injuries were that bad?" Li Junli asked intently, worried for his brother.
Sun'er nodded. "Yes, young master, the lord said he may not be able to come back out until tomorrow morning."
Li Junli considered for a moment. He had not woken up in a great state, after only sleeping around 6 hours, but after his brother brought him to his room at noon, he'd slept all day until an hour before dinner. "I hope his condition recovers…" He commented thoughtfully. "Leave some water and refreshments outside his meditation room before you go to your room tonight." Sun'er nodded. "Also. I'd like to sleep earlier tonight, I think now is good, could you bring me to my room?" Sun'er glanced up, the sun was only just setting. But…He would like to get off work earlier, and his job description only said he had to work until Li Junli went to sleep.
"Yes! Young master!" He toted him off excitedly to his room. But when undressing him from his outer robe, Li Junli caught his hand.
"Actually. It's kinda cold tonight, I'd like to sleep with it on." Sun'er also agreed it was a rather cold night coming, and although it was strange for the young master to want to sleep with his outer robe, due to him being very picky about being comfortable in bed, he let it be.
However, merely 30 minutes after steward Sun left, Li Junli's eyes snapped open. In the complete darkness, he had little problem feeling his way, pushing himself to sit up. It was difficult, but tonight, he was feeling more alive than he had in a while. Perhaps because of all the sleep he'd gotten, but his eyes were clearer, his headache almost completely gone, and his arms didn't even shake as he pushed himself upright, although it took two tries to get the covers off his legs. And then, slowly, he picked up each leg, sliding them over the side of the bed. His chair was within arms reach, and he pulled it towards himself, stopping to breathe heavily, his arms were now shaking erratically again. Then, with a a loud 'hmph', he pushed himself forward, falling belly-first onto the chair, and then rolling himself back upright. He stopped after that, for around an incense stick, he lay in the chair, regaining his strength, and then he began to move again. His door was just a sliding door, but was well-crafted, and slid without much effort.
He began his slow way across the yard. He had to cover two whole courtyards and by the time he reached the entrance to the second, he began to doubt himself and his own capabilities but…looking backwards, he figured he'd probably not be able to reach back to his room either. And so, he continued, reaching until the gate, unlatching it, he pushed, but it wouldn't move. It wasn't a heavy gate. Only, with his wheels, it was hard to get any force, and if he turned his chair sideways, holding a wheel steady with one hand, the other hand also didn't have enough force.
He bit his lip, barely feeling it, not even considering why he couldn't feel it. A cold wind blew overhead, but also was completely ignored by him. He wouldn't give up. His brother had probably forbidden Sun'er from letting him go out again, and his brother would never allow it himself, but…he wanted to see it again. He wanted to see their magnificent moves. Strong against strong, arm to arm, steel to steel, and also, perhaps a little, a soft white blade too.
He lifted up his body by his arms, and then threw his whole body at the gate. It didn't hold at all to his weight, and he fell forward, rolling into the dirt, as the gate opened, but he, himself, was suddenly paralyzed, perhaps from the fall, even his arms were refusing to move, as he ate dust. Shucks. This isn't good. He considered. Laying face first in the dirt.
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Lin Si's voice was beginning to crack, after an hour of speaking. Perhaps because she had spoken so many nights before, it was extra finicky today. Luckily Long Wen had found another person who also understood martial arts rather well and carried a loud voice to take over for her for a couple hours tonight. However, he did ask for her, after training him the first hour, to stick around in case things went wrong. The place was crowded, even more than the previous night. The leader boards had been constructed, and already there were two of them, with how many contestants had joined, wishing to try their luck. The arenas were lined with men, young and old and even some women, all rioting to try the next challenge or cheer their favorite competitor. It seemed they'd have to construct a third arena soon, and in that case, she'd need another announcer. No way she was willing to keep track of three fights at the same time.
But, now that she finally had a break, she tromped her way around in the crowd, and caught sight of the old man she'd met earlier.
"Yo!" He was standing by the wine stand, and so she came over, pushing in front of him, buying the one he had his eyes on and then something cheap for herself, handing the wine to him, "you got the good room?"
He nodded, smiling a little. "Yes, and it was quite cheap too!" It was humble for his usual expenses, but was indeed quieter than he'd get anywhere else, and plenty clean. Buying extra bedding wasn't an issue for him.
She elbowed him lightly, taking a swig. "Cheap for you." She gestured at the festivities. "I hope it doesn't disappoint?"
He shook his head. "Not at all, although I wasn't expecting you to be one of those running it."
"Ah, no, I don't run it," she shook her head. "I don't even get paid to work here."
"What?" he looked at her, a little perplexed. Her knowledge of martial arts was incredible, no matter how weak she was, as a literary agent of the martial art world himself, he was immediately offended. "You should real-"
She decided to leave before the man began to rant to her about working rights, quickly blending into the crowd, she soon lost him, but by then she'd already approached the edge of the festivities, the path now lay before her, a couple people were still going up and down it. She decided she was done with crowds for the time being, it was incredibly noisy, and she still hadn't gotten over being rejected so vehemently. She began to wander up the path, away from where the people were walking, heading back toward Li Junlong's residence. She came up, watching the gate, dark, looming in the darkness, considering. Should she start by doing deliveries? Gifts? Would that help?
Suddenly, she noticed the gate was slightly askew. She stepped forward instantly, thinking to close it, afterall, she only wished the best on this Li family, it would be bad if someone were to break in. with so many people walking by down below. But why was it open?
As she approached she suddenly noticed a figure, laying face first in the dirt, she would have thought it were a corpse, if the body wasn't shaking a little, as if shivering against the cold. She did notice it was quite cold that evening, but…what was a body doing here? Did someone actually try to break in and Li Junlong knocked him out? She bent down.
"Yo? You okay?" However, as she knelt down, she suddenly caught sight of the face. "It's you!"
Li Junli, incredibly weak at the moment, could barely even smile weakly. "It's me.." He breathed out, voice coming out rather meek.
"How'd you end up here?" Lin Si didn't waste any time and slowly lifted up his body, dragging one arm over her shoulder. "Are you okay? Did someone attack?"
"Sh!" His voice was still very quiet. "No attack, nothing bad at all, I was just trying to escape!"
It didn't matter if she pushed him back into his home, he preferred the bed to the ground at this rate, and he was quite relieved someone showed up before madam Wang in the morning. He should have listened to his brother…Why did he always try to do things himself…?
Lin Si pushed open the gate wider, as she lifted him up, grabbing him by his waist with one hand, and his arm over her shoulder with the other, he was completely limp, finding his chair, she set him down, taking his arms to place them onto his lap, and his feet onto the foot-rests, also picking up his bag of coin to plop in his lap as well. But she noticed his hands were icy cold, his body still shaking uncontrollably. She frowned, removing her outer coat, to wrap around him. Luckily it was already heated from herself, so his body was slowly warmed up.
"You, why are you trying to escape?" She asked worriedly, still tucking the coat around him.
"I want to see it…" he whispered. 'Again."
She noticed a tear trailing down his cheek. She instinctively wiped it, "Alright, alright, I'll take you down there then, but…"
"!" Li Junli couldn't believe it. She'd take him down? Out of nowhere?
"..don't tell your brother" she added on. "And let me know the moment you need to head back."
He nodded earnestly, and excitedly looked forward. She smiled back, and rolled him out, closing the gate to descend down the hill.
Soon the crowd's cheers were thrusting loudly in their ears, the small area was cramped with people, but each of them didn't mind it, much too excited about the two raised platforms featuring the warriors. There was even a monk on stage currently. She shook her head at their excitement, but it also bred into her own, she glanced down. Indeed, this kid liked crowds, noise and excitement, very different from what his condition made it seem.
She pushed him around, as he recovered, able to move a hand to gesture where he'd like to go, and so he bought a roasted corn/maize to try for the first time and placed bets on the next match, asking for her recommendation first of course, and so they went to watch it. Only…unlike before where she could roll him up the slope a little way, this time the entire slope was taken up by the crowd. So she turned to him.
"Say, do you want to see it up close?"
He glanced at her, not sure why she asked. "Of course!" His voice was mostly recovered, coming out energetic.
She smiled gently. "Then would you mind if I picked you up for a bit?"
He nodded, reaching out his arm. She lifted him easily, holding him to herself, trying to keep his feet from dragging. Luckily he was shorter than her, unlike his brother, so she managed it. Well, she herself wasn't short, she was tall by woman standards, a bit taller than the average man, but, she was so thin, and often walked with bent knees and a hunched back, so rarely did others notice.
They approached the stage, she viciously pushed people away, until she could bring him up behind the martial artists guarding the arena but…they were still kind in the way. So, she pushed between them as well. They glanced at her, but, most of them having been here previously, recognized her from the previous night, and didn't argue with it, in fact, the guy next to her instantly took the moment to escape and take a break.
She waved him off, he gave her a thumbs up.
Meanwhile, Li Junli was astounded. He was so close! He could feel the dust get blown into his face, the wind from each arc of the blade and club! Lin Si kept busy, blocking any excess qi and dirt that might hit his eyes, but let the weakest of them hit him still, and she enjoyed watching his grin grow bigger. Yes, yes, little one, love me more, yes, tell your brother to marry me, tell him he can't live out me, yes, yeees.
They finally moved away again after the match, collecting his coin, they sat a little ways away again. She'd finally found a place on the hill to chill, leaning back against his chair to keep it from sliding down, since the slope palace they'd found was rather steep.
"You like it?" She asked. "What's the best part?"
He handed her the corn, finding it too difficult to chew, she handed back some soft buns she'd found earlier, that looked good and some water. He took them both, enjoying the evening. "I like the look in their eyes."