Immortal Mortals

Mount Cang Wu

Kunlun Mountain

The day dawned bright, but the heavy mist that shrouded Kunlun Mountain took what may have been a beautiful sunrise as Mo Yuan rose to prepare himself for what the day would bring.

Meditation always calmed his mind, and it was crystal clear as he strolled the paths as was his habit at that hour of the morning, though as he past the Grand Hall and through the low arch that led to the back of the sprawling building, he was surprised to see Die Feng and Chang Shan already awake. They would not normally be up at that hour, but seeing the two from a distance hurrying to awaken their juniors, the thought that they were up to something, had him moving very quickly in their direction.

By the time Mo Yuan reached them, they had roused two more. "Die Feng." He called to his First Disciple, the oldest and most senior of them all.

"Shifu!" he almost jumped as Mo Yuan came into view. Raising both hands, all four boys bowed, but kept their heads down.

"What are you doing Die Feng?" he asked, now suspicious of his activities having noticed the boys startled expression which he had tried to pull back in and seeing the rest would not look up at him, he became even more so.

Raising his head, Die Feng kept his face inscrutable and his arms raised. "I was about to take my juniors through a meditation routine Shifu." He answered him softly. "This is the best time of the day, it will assist them in keeping their minds clear for the day ahead. Outside influences have caused their minds to stray." He explained.

Looking at the boy, Mo Yuan read his eyes as he spoke and though they didn't move an inch, he knew he was lying. Die Fengs eyes were highly expressive regardless of his demeanour, and that he had sought to hide all emotions, including his body gestures which could at times become quite animated, he couldn't help but wonder why.

But seeing as he was not going to tell him regardless of what they were up, Mo Yuan decided to leave it for now. Waking his juniors earlier than normal was not a crime, and seeing as they were not rising unwillingly, there wasn't much he could do unless they broke a rule, which he would be keeping an eye on now that he knew they were definitely up to something.

Breaking into his thoughts, Chang Shan moved forward. Still with his arms raised and head down, he informed him that breakfast was waiting for him, before Die Feng also cut in to inform that his battle gear was ready.

"Shifu, your usual battle apparel had become soiled in storage." He said calmly while explaining that having been in storage for so long, seeing it had been thousands of years since he had battled anyone, the damp had caused his robes to mold.

"I see." He said now becoming irritated. It was just one more thing that he didn't need.

"So what will I be wearing?" he asked and as he watched his first Disciple very closely, he suddenly caught a flicker of movement in the boys eyes, that left as quickly as it arrived. It was the first expression other than the stoic one he was wearing that he had seen all morning. Though the answer he received suddenly had him hurrying to the Armory.

Reaching the Armory, Mo Yuan looked at the Battle Gear in horror. "Whose idea was this!" he stammered unable to believe what he was looking at.

"High God Zhe Yan and High Goddess Bai Qian of Qing Qiu." Die Feng answered, though the tight rein he had on his demeanor was instantly stripped when Mo Yuan spun around glaring at him.

"She was here?" he asked flabbergasted, an expression none of his Disciples, Die Feng included had ever seen on their Masters face before.

"Yes Shifu." He said, wilting under his intense glare. But keeping himself calm as best as he could, he explained how the apparel came to be in his Armory and why he would have to wear it.