Taoist Master

A Lifestyle Adjustment

Lying in bed in the early hours of the morning, Bai Qians eyes remained wide open and her hearing honed in on the soft monotone voice coming from the otherside of the wall where the guest room was.  She had given up tossing and turning hours ago and she had also given up on sleep seeing as her guest had yet to close his own eyes along with his mouth.

He wasn't kidding when he told her there were probably things about him that she was not aware of, and one of those things, she was learning the hard way and on the very first night.  On the mountain, she had not really seen much of the private things he did, because for one, she assumed he was like her and just wanted to sleep seeing as his days were just as busy as hers.

Only far from sleeping, Mo Yuan was meditating and rather than in silence like she was taught to do, he was chanting.  And it had gone on for hours.  So much so that her head was pounding from the lack of sleep and the inability to even interpret the chant because it was in the language of the ancients which she had never learned.  

Only the longer he took to find peace, the angrier she was becoming, and that was because the birds were now adding their chirpy merriness to the racket he was making, which meant it was almost dawn and she had not slept a wink all night.

In fact, his pleasant stroll about the grounds had tired her out because he questioned everything from the lean to and who built it, to the luminous pearls he could see at the bottom of the lake.  And though the stroll had been pleasant enough, she was not used to so much activity in one whole day, so by the time she fell into bed, she was feeling very snug and ready to sleep.  Only the moment her eyes shut, they flew back open again when the chanting started.

It was actually quite a miracle that she had not stormed into his room to snuff him out with her pillow which she had wanted to do.  But there was something reverent and sacred in the old chants that held her tongue and anger at bay.  And as much as she was annoyed, her respect for his form of meditation was inbred.  She had been taught from a young age to revere those who held the knowledge of their worlds oldest language and one should never interfere in their mediation rites either.  It was holy and untouchable, and so there was nothing she could do but stare up at the ceiling and fume.

Only now, she was no longer feeling all that reverent or respectful.  Her head hurt, her body ached and the sound of his voice was far from peaceful which she would have deemed so, had it been any other time and nor was the rising sweet song of the early birds a pleasantry she normally took for granted either.  So finally throwing her feet over the edge of her bed, she yanked her robe off the post and slammed it over her body before storming out of her chamber and straight into his.

Instantly the deep resonant tone of his voice cut off mid sentence while his eyes snapped open at the sudden slamming of his door against the inner wall, having used far more energy than she intended.

"Dearest." he smiled up at her.  "Did you sleep well?" he asked completely ignoring the growing scowl that was blackening by the second.

"Mo Yuan.  Far from sleeping, you have kept me awake the entire night." she replied and barely keeping her tone to a respectable whisper..... "Now as my guest, you are afforded some privileges and being the kind of man you are, I grant there are some things that might not be to my liking.  However...." she continued to keep a calm demeanor even though he could see she was angry.... "Chanting through the night and keeping your host awake is not only disrespectful, but I cannot allow it to continue.  So kindly end your meditation in silence." she finished it with a deep breath which she held for just as long before dispelling it loudly.

His face was a picturesque vision of tranquility and calm despite the icy cold chill she had brought with her, though a slight flicker of concern did pass through his eyes before he quickly pulled it back to address what seemed to be a major concern that he was not understanding.