Immortal Mortals

Days of Ease.

It had taken every ounce of Ai and Chang Li's strength to not only straighten Jie's leg to terrifying screams of pain, but to also create a makeshift splint to bring the split bones together, and with Chang Lis shirt, she ripped it into thin shreds, which she used to keep the splint in place.  That she even knew what she was doing having never dealt with a fractured bone before not only surprised her, but Zhe Yan too, who was still behind his barrier watching with growing interest.

By the time she had him ready to transport back to the house, Jie had once again lost consciousness from the pain which was so severe, even if he had all his powers and elite cultivation, he would not have withstood that kind of intense agony without making at least a slight whimper.

Teaching Chang Li how to build a quick sledge to carry Jie back, they worked quickly with left over timber from the stables construction and bamboo twine, which Jie kept in small bundles at the back of the stables, though Ai tried her best to keep her emotions under control, the fact that she had to teach Chang Li how to tie a simple connector with the twine, really tested her patience.  But eventually, they got it done, and were able to lift Jie up onto the sledge.

Next, retrieving Meilis horse, the most gentlest of the horses, and with the bamboo twine rope she had quickly put together, she attached it to the sledge and led the horse back slowly to Tai who had waited at the house with Meili, having already prepared the entrance to pull Jie through the door.

With Tais help, they were able to not only maneuver him in to the house, but to the bed chamber where they all lifted him as gently as they could onto the bed, where he would remain for the next few weeks, though the effort cost them the last of their own energy and briefly Jies consciousness again as the pain grew in intensity.

 Falling into the seat placed against the wall, Ai sat heavily to catch her breath, while the children stood by the door in shock.  Crying softly Meili clung to Tais arm fearfully while Chang Li moved closer to the bed to look his friend over not missing the small satisfied smile that briefly flitted across his face before disappearing behind a painful grimace when he tried to move.

"Jie, don't move!" Ai berated him as she rose quickly to stand beside him.  His head was dripping with sweat from the pain, and being in a Mortal body, he could nothing about it, though he did try to keep the painful grimace to himself with the children present.

Noticing where his sight had taken him, Chang Li quickly took over the care of the children and forced them from the room, taking them back to the main room for a light snack, though the thought of preparing food and tea suddenly made him feel even more inadequate as he fumbled his way through the kitchen until eventually Meili came to give him a hand.

"Uncle, will Father be alright?" she asked tearfully.

The sudden use of a term that he was not used to hearing, temporarily stunned him, that it took a few seconds for Bai Zhen to realize the girl was addressing him.  Smiling down at her quickly, he patted her head gently before turning back to the tea which he was successfully spilling all over the floor.

"He will be fine Meili, it is just a leg wound, though he will not be able to move around so freely for a while.  He will need a little extra care than normal, otherwise there really isn't anything to worry about." he chuckled lightly at the thought of The Great War God with a broken leg.  The absurdity of it, almost had him belly laughing, but he reined it in quickly when he noticed the child was still crying heavily though a dense frown.

"Now why that look Meili?  Did I not say he would be fine?" he asked softly as her tears once again began to rain down her small cheeks.

Nodding her head lightly, the only thought she had was of her portrait which would now have to wait, unless she put him in the picture with a leg wound.  Though thinking about it now, it would portray her family in their true state and not the fake one she had pictured in her mind.  She could even attempt to capture the emotion of it all, and with that in mind, she suddenly smiled up at him.  "I know he will be alright.  Mother is a good care giver, she will heal him quickly." she said with conviction before suddenly once again throwing her arms about his waist before running off to her room to fetch her brush and paints.