A Daily Life of a Fire Dragon

24. Distractions

Day five has come and gone in the Lan clan’s library. Shi Lang just finished his essay on forging. He included his own thoughts about the matter and drafted an idea for a sword. His drawing lacks some serious meat. It doesn’t look right no matter what angle he takes. Why can’t he draw? The floor is littered with discarded drawings. He can see the sword clearly in his mind. Why is it so hard to transfer that to paper? He tries again, only to come up with another messy sketch that has nothing in common with the sword he wants to draw.

“Oh, my!” A youth dressed in the typical white robes of the Lan clan exclaims. He is standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the mess on the floor.

“What?” Shi Lang asks. He is more bothered by this human intruding on his thoughts than by the mess.

“Waste none,” the boy says, quietly. Ah! Those damn rules.

“The paper? I can pay for that,” Shi Lang shrugs. Money, or gold, has never been a problem for him.

“GrandMaster Lan wants to see you,” the boy gulps. Everyone is either afraid of the old man, or too respectful of him.

“I haven’t finished my essay yet. I bet he knows and he’s calling me about it just to rub it in,” Shi Lang responds. He will have to turn it in without the picture.

“He would do that,” the boy nods. “You can write so nicely, but you can’t draw?”

“You noticed?” Shi Lang puffs. There is the danger of actual smoke coming out his nostrils at this time. He is frustrated as hell because the drawing just doesn't come out right.

“If I do it for you, he will know,” the boy looks almost apologetic.

“Why are you suddenly so nice to me?” Shi Lang narrows his eyes in suspicion. He remembers this boy from classes. Always the top grader, the model student, the one who speaks first and seems to know everything. “Lan Boqin?”

“The classes are much easier without you there to question everything,” Lan Boqin answers. “Were you punished to be alone in the library?”

“No. I chose this over the classes. The GrandMaster agreed,” Shi Lang tells him.

“Really?” Lan Boqin chuckles. “You have to be crazy.”

“Maybe,” Shi Lang shrugs. “But, I prefer solitude over you noisy guys who never seem to shut up.”

“Humph,” Lan Boqin scoffs. The boy turns on his heels and marches up the stairs. He delivered his message and got insulted. Shi Lang smiles. A little miss deed goes a long way in reassuring his peace. Once the word spreads, no one will come to bother him.

Shi Lang follows Lan Boqin at a moderate pace. He wonders what trouble he will land himself in if the boy tells Grandmaster Lan anything that just happened in the library. His incomplete essay doesn’t worry him that much. Lan Boqin is the Grandmaster’s favourite after all. But, the boy doesn’t enter the Grandmaster’s room. The two guards standing there only let Shi Lang pass. It is strange to have guards here. He has never seen any around during the day. They only guard the gate. Did something happen?

“Have you been to Gusu lately?” Grandmaster Lan asks when he walks through the door. There is a sense of dread and worry surrounding the man.

“No. I haven’t left the library in the last five days,” Shi Lang shakes his head.

“There have been some unexplained things going on in Gusu. A few fires erupted and no one can find anything suspicious. No traces of spirits or demons,” Grandmaster Lan sighs. “No traces of arson either.”

“You are questioning me about fires? Do you suspect me?” Shi Lang glares at the man.

“You do come to mind,” GrandMaster Lan nods. “But I can’t accuse you of anything without evidence.”

“Good that you know that,” Shi Lang scoffs. He places his papers and a small pouch on the table. “Here is my essay for the week. And some money for all the paper I ruined.”

“Where are you going?” Grandmaster Lan’s harsh words stop him.

“Back to the library. The mess I created won’t clean itself,” Shi Lang waves. He really can’t be bothered with this nonsense. A Fire Dragon doesn’t light fires just for fun. “You can have someone follow me around to see that I have nothing to do with this.”

“Did I say you can leave?” GrandMaster Lan shouts. He might be the only person who can rile the man up.

“You want to lock me up? Good luck with that,” Shi Lang glares at the man. “Remember our deal?”

“Do not leave the mansion!” GrandMaster Lan orders. The man’s anger is astonishing.

“Whatever!” Shi Lang shouts back. Childish much? He asks himself. But it was Grandmaster Lan who started this. He’s told the man that he is only here for the books. He never went down to the city. Even when he came here, he has flown. There is nothing of interest there. Why would he even go?

He notices Lan Boqin following him. Was he instructed beforehand by GrandMaster Lan that he should? Shrugging it off, he sets to sweep the library. All the paper he ruined gets thrown into the trash. It will be burned later. With his mind in a state of disarray, Shi Lang can’t focus on a book at all. He’s not sure he’s even holding it right. It might be upside down. He frowns at the script in front of him. The book is indeed turned upside down. Reading it is the last thing on his mind. Why would the old man accuse him of burning Gusu? Why would he even think about it? Was everything he said the other day just an act? It felt real. So, what has changed?

Lan Boqin sits at the low table with the guqin. The boy can’t be more than seventeen. It must be torture for him to sit still and do nothing. Shi Lang prefers silence, but this is anything but that. Another living being is here with him. He can hear the boy breathe. His heartbeat is steady, almost too low. If he didn’t have his eyes open, Shi Lang would think the boy is asleep. At any rate, he is starting to get on his nerves. Just sitting idly here, watching him do nothing. It’s a distraction that he doesn’t need or want.

“Can you play?” Shi Lang asks.

“What?” Lan Boqin is surprised that he’s even talking to him. The boy can’t hide his emotions. Reading him is much easier.

“The guqin? Can you play it?” Shi Lang clarifies his question.

“Yes,” Lan Boqin nods. He plays a nice soothing melody. It differs from GrandMaster’s playing in several ways. A different melody, but also a slightly different style of playing. Lan Boqin is a natural talent. He doesn’t need a script, or even to look at the strings. The boy plays smoothly with his eyes closed.

Shi Lang sets the book aside. He sits in the lotus position and places his hands on his knees. Taking slow breaths, he sinks into meditation. The melody is guiding him over the rooftops of the mansion. Over the wall and the valley below. There is a lake in the distance. The water soothes his flames. He was always fascinated by water. The colours and movement of different bodies of water are like a masterpiece painting of Mother Nature. Then he gets abruptly pulled back to his body. Someone is shaking him. Someone has his hands all over him.

“What in Hell can be so important that you have to shake me out of meditation?” Shi Lang growls. He has to keep his anger in check. Setting the library on fire would be bad.

“Did you go anywhere today?” GrandMaster Lan demands.

“No! I was right here all day. Ask Lan Boqin if you don’t believe me,” he shakes his head.

“He said you were here all the time. What were you doing right now?” GrandMaster Lan asks him.

“Meditating. The soothing melody Lan Boqin played was perfect for it,” Shi Lang tells him. “Would you kindly remove your hands from me. I will only ask once.”

“Boo hoo. Your Lordship doesn’t want to be touched?” Lan Boqin mocks him.

“And, I guess you don’t want to live anymore?” Shi Lang glares at the boy.

“Stop it! Both of you!” GrandMaster Lan orders. “If you want to fight, do it on the training grounds.”

“Why did you disturb my meditation?” Shi Lang asks the Grandmaster. The man has removed his hands and even stepped further back from him.

“There was another fire. It’s escalating. And this one was bigger. A tavern burned down,” GrandMaster Lan tells him.

“It wasn’t me,” Shi Lang shakes his head.

“Do you know of any entity who would do something like this?” The GrandMaster asks.

“Some maleficent spirit maybe? Or a very disturbed ghost,” Shi Lang answers. He waves his fingers slightly. There was a book about fire spirits. “Let me think.”

“Why are you asking him?” Lan Boqin scoffs. “He is useless. He doesn’t even go to classes. It’s the same as asking us. Or, we might know more, since we study.”

“Shut up!” The GrandMaster orders. “Or I will put the two of you together in training. We will see how useless you really are.”

“Got it!” Shi Lang opens his eyes. He snaps his fingers and the right book appears in his hand. “Fire spirits. Entities with an eternal grudge. I don’t really understand why they would target Gusu? Isn’t the town on water?”