Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Master’s hut

Chapter 5

Master's hut

Dun led Xie Jie up a small winding path away from the main buildings.
After climbing for sometime he reached a large open field of softly rolling grassland, in the middle of the grassland was a small one story cream coloured mud building with a dark clay tiled roof and a raised wooden porch. Dun guided him to the hut.
Pausing to look off over the view, Xie Jie sighed in wonder, he could see the different greens of the trees and fields below and the small dots of the villages, he understood that he had climbed far higher in the mist that he should have and marvelled once again how amazing cultivators are.
Xie Jie knocked on the door, when there was no answer and Dun still pointed in, he opened the door and stuck his head in. The interior of the hut was dark compared to the outside and he called out as his eyes adjusted, "hello, is anyone home?"
There was again no answer so Xie Jie moved inside. As he entered Dun wrapped loosely around his shoulders and lay still with a contented air of a job well done.
Realising this was indeed where he was supposed to be Xie Jie said, "thank you for getting me safely here." He reached up and stroked the chain.
The hut was all one room about 6 meters long by 2 meters wide, with a wooden floor and white walls. There was a fire pit for cooking at the left end, then a small table with a couple of cups and bowls on it, moving through the room there was a sleeping mat lying on the floor and a large writing table with dark red cushions. Scattered on and around the desk were lots of scrolls.
Xie Jie picked up one of the scrolls and unfurled it, the dust hit him in the face and he coughed, sending more dust into the air. Disorientated by the dust Xie Jie opened the small window beside the desk to let some air in.
As the air swirled in he saw the entire hut was covered in a thick layer of dust, he wondered when Master Hao was last here.
All of the scrolls blew across the floor with the dust, Xie Jie dived after them, glad they all blew into the hut and not out the window.
Many of the scrolls unravelled and Xie Jie could see that they were about different beings, this one was about flower demons, another was about woodland nymphs, another about the interaction between ogres and trolls.
Staring at the scrolls Xie Jie wondered, 'is this what Hao Kong does? No wonder he knew to kiss me to give me power'.
Thinking of that too short kiss Xie Jie touched his lips for a second lost in the memory of Hao Kong’s soft lips.
Coming back to reality he thought 'well this won't do.’
Carefully stacking the scrolls up, he grabbed the broom in the corner, and swept the hut out.
As he got to the door Dun lifted off his shoulder, "don't worry I'm not Running away, just cleaning."
Seemingly satisfied Dun lay back on Xie Jie's shoulder. Satisfied the place was now dust free Xie Jie turned to clean the floors, this time he would have to go out to find water. "Dun where is there water? I need to scrub the floors and my self for that matter."
Dun returned to his guiding position, wrapped around his waist, and pointed out the door.
Once outside Dun pointed round the left side of the building, furthest from the path they had come up.
Out back of the hut there was a wall running up the mountain from the right corner of the building creating an open courtyard. In the middle of the long grass Xie Jie saw a stone bath, with a fire section underneath to warm the water.

Excited, he ran to the edge of the bath but then recoiled in shock, if he thought the hut was dirty this was filthy, algae was growing around the sides and bottom and it looked like something had died in the fire section.
Well it was just another thing to clean, it's not like he had anything else to do till Master came back, and they had talked about having a bath when they came here.
The image of Hao Kong soaking in the bath came to mind and Xie Jie sighed happily, how he wanted to see that, he would definitely clean the bath.
He set about it, Dun showed him the way to the well, that was just up from the bath and returned to Xie Jie's shoulders to relax, Xie Jie rubbed his cheek against Dun's smooth chain, "thank you".
Dun gently rubbed Xie Jie's cheek back.
With the water Xie Jie first cleaned the hut then went for the dirtier bath.

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While waiting for the water to heat, in the now clean bath. Xie Jie stripped off, Dun now on his bare shoulders, and started cleaning his clothes, sitting on a little stool near the well.
Xie Jie was just trying to get Zhou Tu’s blood out of his robes when he heard the sound of a lot of excited people walking up the path. Hidden in the half courtyard Xie Jie was unconcerned and continued with his cleaning.
He had finished cleaning his robes and was just hanging them up on the well, when there was a shout from behind him.
"Hey what do you think you are doing here! This is Master Hao's place!"
Xie Jie turned to see lots of angry young disciples, all about the same age as him, all dressed in white robes brandishing spears.
'Why does everyone want to stab me with a metal spear but no one seems to want to stab me with a man's spear?' Xie Jie thought to himself.
To the angry people in front of him who where going red in the face with "anger" he said, "Master Hao sent me here. I'm not currently allowed to leave."
Seeing the stances of the people in front of them Dun unwrapped from Xie Jie's shoulders and raised in between the two parties.
One of the disciples, a young girl, said to the others, "he's a demon look at his tail,"
Xie Jie looked at his feet, 'always the tail.'
"We should get one of the Masters." she finished.
The one who had yelled first, a tall stout teenage boy with light brown hair, replied, "what is the point of us doing all this practicing if we run away from the first demon we see?"
The boy advanced towards Xie Jie and went to stab him with his spear, Xie Jie dodged to the right, but he needn't of moved at all.
As the spear came towards him, Dun reached forward wrapped round the spear and pulled it out of the boys hands, turning it in the air Dun stabbed the spear deep into the ground with tremendous force.
The boy jumped back, but with more bravery than brains he grabbed the spear of the girl next to him and threw it at Xie Jie, Dun whipped through the air and smacked the spear into the ground to the right of the group.
The utter fool grabbed a spear from the boy to his right, who was in too much shock to resist, and threw again. This one Dun slammed into the ground to the left, close to the bath.
Xie Jie yelled, "ah not Master’s bath! Dun please be careful."
Dun turned to look at Xie Jie and just at that moment the boy throw yet another spear, this one flew past Dun and scrapped the side of Xie Jie's left arm, a tiny line of blood ran from the cut.
Xie Jie put his hand on the cut, Dun shook with rage and lunged at the boy, all the other disciples screamed and ran in different directions as Dun pinned the boy to the floor with multiple links of chain, then raised up at the tip like a viper about to strike. The whole thing took but a second.
"Dun please don't!" Xie Jie yelled and grabbed hold of the chain with both hands, "he is just young, he doesn't know what he is doing and I'm fine it's just a scratch."
Dun paused above the youth, the boy was crying in fear. Not being as forgiving as Xie Jie, Dun struck a tiny wound across the boys left cheek as a reminder.
Returning to Xie Jie, the chain wrapped gently around his wound checking if it was OK.
Xie Jie stroked Dun, "I'm sorry I distracted you at an important moment, I won't do it again please forgive me."
Dun gently Rubbed against Xie Jie's hand and arm.
Glaring down at the boy still on the ground Xie Jie said in a stern tone, "get out of here, today you were lucky Dun was merciful to you. Many strong beings would have just stuck you down, let that cut be a reminder to you, attacking is not always the best option." Dun nodded along with Xie Jie's words.
The youth ran after his companions tears streaming down his face.

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