Heaven's Golden Finger - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Shun's back hurt. Not as much as his head and chest but Gods it hurt. If he weren't raging inside, barely able to keep every last bitter tear from trickling down his cheeks, the whipping would have left him sprawled on the floor of his chamber, screaming.
He wouldn't. He would. Not. Scream. Shizun had left him face enough to punish him in private. Ten lashes, with the promise of more if he ever repeated such unbefitting behavior again. And that damned giant brat Xu Shirong, lying there pretending to be dead or dying, probably sniggering into his sleeve at the trouble he - once again - had caused his Shixiong.
Damn that boy anyway. A lump of earth from start to finish. Useless for anything but fetching and carrying. Always staring off into space and mumbling to himself. Shun had eavesdropped on the brat's spiritual training once. No surprise he'd been whispering promises about what he'd do when Heaven's will finally granted him the things he deserved. Deserved? Him? What in the nine hells had the bastard done to deserve anything of the sort.
It was that augury. The one the Revered Predecessor had done for the brat, right after his parents had died. No one was supposed to know about it, but somehow Xu Shirong had found out. King. Shun scoffed at the thought. It was no wonder the Elders favored the brat, but Gods, what had Xu Shirong ever done to deserve such a blessing?
The brat had certainly never done Shun any favors. Anytime something went wrong in Shun's life, the brat was never far away. Stumbling through a newly planted herb bed, destroying a day's work. Spilling half a bowl of congee in Shun's lap and destroying Shun's notes in the process. They were accidents, supposedly, but why was it every time they came into contact, it was Shun who paid the price?
Shun had achieved foundation early, despite his antithetical bases of Lake and fire. He'd happily entered disciple hall, secure in the knowledge that the lazy brat wouldn't be following him soon to continue his campaign of harassment. And, though it took a while for grandfather Quan to decide, he'd finally earned his place as his grandfather's fourth disciple. At long last his efforts had been paying off.
What Shun hadn't expected was what happened when Xu Shirong finally achieved foundation. The brat hadn't worked nearly as hard as Shun had. Had taken his own sweet time with the first step. Worse, his bases were too simple, meaning he'd be useless for anything that wasn't focused entirely on earth. And Shizun had blithely taken him as a disciple almost as soon as Xu Shirong had entered the disciple hall. Even if his parents had saved the sect, getting to be Third Elder's disciple was far beyond enough.
Excited voices outside Shun's room drew his attention. "Changed? They really changed? That's impossible!" "Master Long himself says it!" "Amazing! How like Master Quan to choose such a prodigy!" "Do you know what they are?" "Heaven and Earth! And wood! Such an auspicious combination!"
Shun flinched. Instinct born of long and aggravating experience told him who his fellow disciples were talking about. Shizun only had a few disciples and the others were off on missions. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Xu Shirong, by some twist of fate, must have suddenly transformed from a mere clod to something rare and powerful.
Maybe Shun should try blowing a cauldron up for himself, now?
"With Disciple Shirong's bases changed, he will need to relearn how to control them. You will join him in cultivation, to guide him if need be."
Shun kept his expression as cold as ever. It was the only thing he could do. "Yes, Shizun."
Shizun eyed him. "I don't know why you have such a dislike of your Shidi, boy. But you're going to have to overcome it."
Why Shun should have to overcome anything was a question no one could answer. A question he never bothered to ask, for that matter. Stupid brat. Stupid augury. Stupid everything. "Shizun, this disciple will try."
Led to the practice room, Shun was a little surprised to find the brat actually cultivating. A newly established foundation needed to be consolidated. One consisting of two attributes needed extra care, especially when the two opposed each other the way Heaven and Earth did. But up until now, Shirong had always acted like he didn't need to work to get anywhere.
Now the brat sat in the middle of the room, meditating properly. Really, right this moment, there wasn't much Shun could do for him. Everything was happening on the inside. But if something went wrong and the brat ran into trouble, it was Shun's job to catch him before he fell too far.
Shun settled into a meditative posture himself. Shizun expected him to maintain his own cultivation as well as being prepared to guide the brat. He just needed to set a part of his thoughts on watching Xu Shirong. He'd need to be diligent, though, pay proper attention if the brat ran into trouble. The Elders already knew how he hated his Shidi. They wouldn't believe a word if something went wrong.
Of course, what went wrong wasn't Xu Shirong's cultivation, but Shun's. Ordinarily, Shun could set aside all distractions and focus on reconciling his attribute and his element. Ordinarily it only took a minute or so before the one would balance with the other and let him slip part of his Self free to rise outside himself. This time, he found himself 'hearing' Shirong's voice muttering discontentedly as ever.
The words weren't discernable. Nor did Shun want them to be. He'd heard them quite enough the first time. No doubt the brat was celebrating his newly formed attribute and transformed element. Odd, though. The tone of Xu Shirong's thoughts didn't seem satisfied at all. Quite the contrary.
Selfish smelly brat. How could he be disgruntled? There hadn't been a Heaven attributed cultivator for generations. Not only that, but he'd retained his old attribute without having to spend centuries cultivating. His transformed element was a perfect fit to his attributes, for wood grew in the earth and rose to the sky.
Somehow, Shun managed to turn his thoughts away from the brat, but not before overhearing one plaintive phrase. '...just my type....'
He forced himself to focus on his own cultivation. He did not want to know what that idiot brat meant.
The biggest trouble with antithetical bases wasn't keeping them balanced. Any properly trained cultivationist could do that much. It was keeping them balanced and not allowing any outer realm distraction to enter. Shun knew the biggest reason Shizun had taken him as disciple specifically. Shizun's Wind and earth bases meant he understood the danger antithetical bases posed.
'You, especially, are at risk. Water and fire can be an explosive combination. It's a lucky thing your attribute is Lake, though. Keep your heart still to reflect the world, and your fire will remain tamed and under control.'
But keeping one's heart still meant hiding all the pain and hurt the unfairness of the world created. No one could choose their bases. No one could choose their family. No one could choose their desires. A cold chill lake, suppressing the fire beneath, might be safe, but it was lonely. And that, in turn, created an opening in the heart that let all manner of demons in.
Shun had learned to protect that opening, but having to maintain a part of his attention on his Shidi's progress split his awareness. He didn't notice something creeping in on him, attracted to the emptiness and trying to fill it. A voice in the dark, whispering viciously. No. Mine. Should be mine. My place. Mine. It was an ugly voice. A familiar voice. Full of hatred and greed. Promised to me. Only me. It was not, however, Shun's voice.
The voice seeped in, taking over, pushing at him. Unbalanced, he found his foundation shifting beneath him, trying to become something else. Something heavy and clinging and thick with the stink of the grave. He panicked, qi flaring around him. His element, freed of the Lake suppressing it, swirled around him, a spinning whirlpool of fiery lava.
No. Not a whirlpool of fiery lava. Fire. A real fire, spinning around him and his Shidi. Spinning out of control. He opened his eyes. Flung himself forward to shake Xu Shirong awake. "Out. Out now!" Damnit. He hated the brat but he didn't want him dead. "RUN!"
Xu Shirong's eyes shot open, wide and full of panic when he realized the room was on fire. He was on his feet immediately, running for the door. Good. Let him go. He'd be safe enough. Shun stood in turn, recovering his balance and his control. He was too shaky to stop the fire burning the chamber, but at least he wasn't flinging more around.
Somewhere outside, one of the masters shouted, "Quan Lei, that disciple of yours is out of control! Why can't you keep him out of trouble?"
Sagging, all too aware that he was about to be blamed - again - for something the brat's presence had caused, Shun sat back down. He was fire and water. He might survive, but maybe he'd be lucky for once?
Suddenly Xu Shirong was in front of him again. "Shixiong! The hell is wrong with you? Come on! Don't sit around like a dumbass!" Before Shun could stop him, the brat swept him up, carrying him from the burning chamber before the flames could reach them.
"Shizun, Elders. It's my fault. This disciple let his new attributes get out of balance. He distracted his Shixiong at a critical moment in his cultivation."
Shun knelt, staring blankly at the floor. In all the years he'd known the brat, Xu Shirong had never, ever, admitted to a fault. Often he'd indirectly blame Shun when things went wrong. After all, Shun was the older and stronger disciple. He'd started training early, got his foundation early and was Master Quan's grandson. He was the one who had to be responsible for keeping a headstrong, self-willed, disciple from creating trouble.
Inevitably, Xu Shirong's plaintive self-blame softened the elders' mood. "Well, now, child. There's no need to defend your Shixiong. He knows he's wrong."
Softly, so softly only Shun heard him, Xu Shirong muttered, "Ten thousand grass mud horses." Then he took a deep breath, raising his head. "This disciple does not agree. Shixiong should not suffer for this disciple's incompetence. Let Heaven and Earth bear witness, I will share any punishment you set on him."
Shizun murmured, "If anything, it is my fault for not considering the possibility something could go wrong. Just as a student first building their foundation risks interfering with other cultivators, a newly changed foundation surely would pose a problem, too. Also, my disciple's antithetical bases likely complicated the matter. Beg my fellow Elders forgive my incompetent teaching."
Somehow, the combination of Shizun and Shirong Shidi's persuasion did what nothing had ever done before. Somehow the blame flung on Shun's shoulders dissipated and the Elders relented. "Well," Sect Master Qiong said finally. "There's merit to your arguments. And, after all, the only thing damaged was the cultivation chamber. But from here on, if Disciple Shun is to act as his Shidi's guide, he mustn't attempt to cultivate as well."
Shizun bowed, accepting the stricture gracefully before leading his errant disciples out of the meeting hall. "The cultivation hall needs to be cleaned. Please do so."
As punishments went, that was light. The fire had charred the floor and walls, but stone cleaned easily, especially when you had a Lake attribute. Shun knew he ought to feel grateful things weren't worse, but that didn't stop him from telling Shirong, "Don't think defending me will change my mind about you." It was obvious the brat was trying a new tactic with him; he'd failed to get Shun's approval by proving his worth so now he'd do it by groveling? Hah!
A wry smile crossed Xu Shirong's face as he set to cleaning the walls. "I don't. That'd be too easy." He sighed. Muttered, "Left and right's the same, huh?"
"Stop muttering and work."
"This Shidi obeys," Xu Shirong answered calmly.
Oddly enough, the usual faint air of mockery, of smug superiority, wasn't there. It gave Shun nothing to fasten onto. Silently, grimly, he continued working, spreading water across the floor, then mopping it up.
They continued that way for several minutes, until suddenly the brat exclaimed wordlessly. Shun turned to look, just as the wall in front of Xu Shirong crumbled further, revealing a hole just a bit larger than a hand. "What is wrong with you? How did you manage to do that?"
In a peculiar voice, the brat murmured, "Just lucky, I guess." Before Shun could stop him, he reached into the hole. A moment later his hand came out covered in spiders, a scroll box between his fingers. "Shoo. Off. Now." He shook his hand back inside the hole, until the spiders were gone.
Shun couldn't help working his mouth angrily. "Are you trying to die?" Those spiders were deadly poison. One bite and Xu Shirong would be a dead man.
"Not at the moment, no." Xu Shirong carefully removed a bamboo scroll from the case. Examined the words, lips tightening. Then he put it and the case away in his robe. "I should fix the hole."
Now Shun was absolutely furious. "You're just going to walk off with that? What makes you think you have any right...." He forced himself not to splutter, "You give that to me right now, brat!"
A soft sigh escaped Xu Shirong's lips. "Shixiong, has anything you've taken from me ever done you any good? Have you ever managed to get one over me without winding up in a worse situation than before?" He sounded almost defeated, clearly expecting Shun to grab the case for himself.
Except, he was right. When had Shun ever really won anything when it came to this rotten, self-absorbed, clod? "It's probably worthless, anyway. Fix that wall so we can finish up in here."
Xu Shirong bowed. "Yes, Shixiong." He was gone before Shun could accuse him of mockery.
The rest of the day was quieter. They finished cleaning and repairing the cultivation chamber and Shun sat grim guard over his Shidi like a good little disciple. They separated after that, neither mentioning the scroll Xu Shirong had found. Shun would be lying if he didn't admit to being desperately curious, but he wasn't going to give the stinky brat the satisfaction.
Instead he spent the night cultivating, regaining the balance he'd lost earlier in the day. This time, at least, there were no interruptions. No troublesome voices or spirits trying to break past his guard to take his place. He didn't know why he'd been targeted, but he definitely didn't want to deal with that one again.
When morning came, Shun left the cultivation chamber, intending to wash and get some breakfast. Except Shizun was waiting for him outside. "Did you say anything to your Shidi?"
Somehow, Shun managed not to call the brat any names. "Nothing in particular, Shizun. May this disciple know why you ask?"
"You didn't tell him to leave the sect, or scram or to get lost?"
"No." A sudden burst of honesty made Shun add, "Though I wouldn't mind if he did." He knew he shouldn't say so, knew the masters all gave that brat far too much leeway. He couldn't help it.
To his surprise, Shizun didn't clout him for his temerity. "The boy's gone missing. He's taken his things and walked right out of the sect."
Leifeng Sect was atop a mountain peak. There weren't many safe ways down and all were guarded. Almost, Shun asked if they'd checked for bloody messes at the bottom of the cliffs. For one thing, he knew that wouldn't go over well. For another, they surely had looked. "Did he leave any note?"
"Yes. One for me. One for you." Shizun held out a scrap of paper with Xu Shirong's characteristic scrawl.
"'I have to work this out myself, Shixiong. Just sit tight and don't do anything stupid.'" Shun crumpled the parchment angrily. "What is that brat... I mean what is my Shidi trying to say? And acting like he's protecting me? From what?"
"A good question." Shizun considered him for a long moment. "The Elders aren't going to like my doing this but... I've never liked their plan. Go find your Shidi, boy. If he's doing something really important, try and help him. If not, bring him home."
Shun was a senior disciple and thus permitted to go out into the world. He'd only ever been with the older disciples, though. "I...."
Shizun handed him a spatial ring. "I've put money and goods inside for you. And your sword. Hurry. I don't want the Elders finding out where you're going." He paused. Added, "Be careful. You've always been a good student. I don't want to lose you."
Given no choice and knowing his Shizun wouldn't send him off in quite such a hurry if he didn't think it absolutely necessary, Shun headed outside.
"I'll find you, you little brat. And if you don't have a good explanation for why you ran off and a good reason for not coming back, I swear I'll tie you up and drag you home!"