By The Will of the Gods

An Inkling

By the seventh day, not only were her seniors now rolling out of bed as if the entire week hadn't happened, even Shifu was breathing a sigh of relief and looking a lot less haggard having been kept on his feet the entire week.  And though he treasured each and every one of his Disciples, the week had been just as trying for him as it had been for them.

Now in the Grand Hall having called an emergency meeting, he tried to ascertain exactly what had happened.  Perhaps if he had a good idea of what it was they had done, or eaten, they could avoid another outbreak.

"Shifu. We all ate dinner and went to bed feeling perfectly fine." Die Feng spoke for them all.

"But we all ate Si Yins cooking.  It had to be his food, there was nothing else that could have made us that sick."  Zi Lan insisted with a glare at his junior who was beginning to flush bright red in indignation.

"But Second Senior got sick first and I never cooked that time.  And I also ate the meal you all ate, so it can't have been my cooking!" she snapped back at him and ready to completely lose it the longer he glared at her.

"But I never saw you eat anything.  You were still mad cause I bruised your stupid arm." he snapped back which immediately had her on her feet and Mo Yuan sighing.

"See Shifu.  I told you they pick on me when you're not here." she almost screamed at him and bringing Zi Lan to his feet.

"Well if you weren't so annoying I wouldn't pick on you." he screamed over her.

"I'll remember that the next time your crying into your pillow with a belly ache you bái chī!" [1] she screamed before launching herself at him, and before any of them could stop them, they were both on the floor pounding each other for all they were worth.

Shaking his head, Mo Yuan waved his hand at Die Feng to break them up which soon had Si Yin not only trying to fight him, but the tears were raining down her face.

"I think you all owe your Seventeenth Junior a little gratitude.  He has given a whole week of himself to assist you all back to good health." Mo Yuan said gently but firmly at Zi Lan in particular who was not only scrambling to his feet and spitting blood, but his eyes were now bulging in his head in disbelief.

"But Shifu.  He's the one that caus...."

"That's enough Sixteenth.  If you don't want to be punished for insolence, I suggest you sit yourself back down and be quiet." Mo Yuan growled him harshly.

They really shouldn't have expected it to go any other way, when it came to Si Yin, Shifu would always be on her side no matter what she did.  Indignant but not wanting to risk punishment, especially seeing as the Midsummer Festival was the next day and they were all grateful they were well enough to attend it, he said no more, but he did throw her a look of contempt before turning back to Shifu who was still waiting for Si Yin to sit back down.

Flopping down beside Zi Lan which was where she was meant to sit, Mo Yuan then suggested that any uneaten food that was not preserved, was to be thrown out and they were all to harvest a new lot of fruit and vegetables while also giving them all a thorough and lengthy lesson on hand hygiene before sending them all into the low valleys since they were now well enough to work, while ordering Si Yin to his study who was still whimpering.

Watching as she walked away with her head down, Zi Lan was fuming but waiting until they were all outside and out of earshot, the moaning began immediately.

"We all know he is responsible, but Shifu mothers him so much, he will never learn." he complained to Cheng Bao who was also of the same frame of mind along with Liang who really didn't mind Si Yin all that much, but even he was getting a little fed up with the preferential treatment.