Call On Me

4

"Leader San," Hanguang Jun greeted me as I entered his guest room. Unfortunately he was sharing it with his brother so I had to be careful with what I say.

"I appreciate you taking the time to teach me," I said.

"Hmm," Hanguang Jun nodded and sat at the table where his guqin sat. I knelt on a nearby mat and watched him play cleansing. It seamed easy enough to remember.

I took out my flute and started to play. I remembered each sound, each pitch, each resting point. It didn't take long for me to learn. Once played, I set my flute aside and looked at Hanguang Jun and Zewu Jun, "How was it?" I asked.

"You really do have a good ear," Zewu Jun said, "do you not know how to read music?"

"No, just listening is fine for me," I said.

"Did you speak with Wei Ying?" Hanguang Jun asked.

I let out a deep breath, "As my spiritual power is limited, would you mind setting up a privacy barrier over the room?"

"Alright," Zewu Jun said and placed one before Hanguang Jun could.

"He spoke with me, he said if you wish to meet with him, it has to be done more privately. He doesn't want to be seen by his old sect," I told him.

"Why is he avoiding the Jiang Sect?" Zewu Jun asked.

"You really do as your principles say by not listening to rumors," I mumbled.

"How do you know what our principles are?" Hanguang Jun asked.

"Do you think Wei Ying spent all those days copying rules and not remembering a single one? I listen to him. He got drunk one night and just started talking about your rules," I said.

"You are close to Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan asked me.

Why is he looking at me like he wants to cut my head off...wait is he jealous? I internally laughed, "Hanguang Jun, I think of him more as a brother. I have no interest in him like that. He is all yours if you desire him," I teased.

"Nonsense," he said.

I bit back a laugh, "right," I said and cleared my throat, "if you must know, those rumors about Wei Ying being mistreated by his previous sect, they are not false. He was abused both verbally and physically. He spent all of his time here healing from the trauma he endured from there. He watched those people die and even took the blame for it. He was blamed for the massacre of Lotus Pier. Do you really think he is happy to hear those people are in his new home?"

"We...did not know," Zewu Jun said, "we are sorry he suffered from that. How is he now?"

"He still has his days of post traumata but he is okay," I said, "but as I said, if you wish to see him, you are to do so, more privately."

"If we stuck around longer than the others?" Lan Zhan suggested.

"Perhaps he'll come out," I said.

"Can't you just set up a place?" Zewu Jun asked, "surely there is somewhere private here."

"Nothing is ever guaranteed private," I said.

"Please Leader San, all I want is to see him," Lan Zhan said.

"Why?" I asked, "he told me that you think of him as a nuisance and annoying. He even believes you hate him, so why would I put him in the same room as you?"

I saw something break in Lan Zhan's eyes, almost as if he was about to cry, "he thinks that?" He asked, "I know that I wasn't necessarily kind but I never hated him."