By The Will of the Gods

The Lost Cloth

The rest of the week went by very quickly.  Having to be nurse maid to sixteen brothers was initially a lot of fun, because she was given more responsibility than she had ever received.  And initially she didn't mind running about the mountain with fresh elixirs, plain un flavoured soups and wash basins, but when Mo Yuan insisted that she also assisted in their personal cares, the fun was over and Si Yins willfulness took over.

"But Shifu, I can't wash my brothers, I don't even bath with them." she insisted strongly while moving back to stand against the wall as he undid Chang Shans robes to wash him down.

"Seventeen.  I know you don't bathe with your brothers, but you need to help, I cannot do it all on my own.  Now.  I will show you how to wash them properly, then you go and wash one of the others." he stated calmly while giving her a look she couldn't even begin to interpret as all of Chang Shans clothing came off save his underpants.

Ignoring the look, whatever it was meant to mean, she continued to shake her head as Mo Yuan began to bed bathe her second senior, which wasn't really all that difficult to do.  All she had to do, was dip the cloth into the bowl, tip a little relaxing oil onto it, and briskly wipe him down.

But when Mo Yuan lifted his underpants just enough to ease the cloth inside, her entire body spun to face the wall.

"No no no no no no no ........" she whispered with a firm consistent shake of her head and her eyes clenched tightly closed.

"Seventeen, if you can't do their ........" Mo Yuan stumbled a little..... "privates, then give them the cloth and ask them to do it themselves, but you can to do the rest." he said as he watched the girl almost faint against the wall in disbelief.

"But Shifu, they're........   " she also stumbled a little.  "Boys......" she whispered.

Keeping the smile hidden and the tone of his voice gentle but firm, Mo Yuan insisted that she help before threatening her with harsh punishment and that being his birds.  They too needed to be tended to and he couldn't do everything.

"Why can't we just get High God Zhe Yan Shifu?  I know the way to the Peach Tree Grove.  He might also have a better remedy than those elixirs." she suggested before suddenly smacking her own mouth for daring to suggest his elixirs were useless.

Sighing heavily, Mo Yuan finished washing him down, before giving him the elixir which wasn't really helping at all.  In fact, even though he was hungry, the plain unflavoured broth, which he normally liked only made him feel worse.  It was as if his entire stomach had turned on him, but he ate it anyway.

Only watching silently as his juniors flushed face turned back to look at him, soon had Chang Shan realizing how difficult it must be for her.  They, her seniors, had always been the ones to look after her, protect her and whenever anything untowards happened, they were the ones who dealt with it.  To see her suddenly looking so lost and helpless, made him feel exceptionally guilty and with that he tried to sit up, even just to make himself look a lot less sick if it made her feel better.

Only the moment he did, then his entire breakfast was thrown up all over himself.

And with that, the tears started.

"Shifu can I go now.  I'll go get High God Zhe Yan and even Zhen Zh..... I mean High God Bai Zhen.  They can both help and we can get it done much quicker." she whispered tearfully at the vomit, before closing her eyes quickly.

"No.  You will assist me on your own.  They are you brothers and you owe them for their years of dedicated service to keeping you safe and well." Mo Yuans soft tone began to sharpen.

"Owe them?" she spluttered as he once again began to wash Chang Shan down.  "But Shifu, they pick on me all the time." she whined as her bare arm was suddenly produced and the remainder of a bruise that was almost healed emerged along with her bottom lip.