The Mulan of Balhai Temple

[Taiylor Wallace]

"Hot, please," he smiled, and he only sat down once the women were seated first. He settled with a content smile, and though he didn't eat much, he had impeccable manners and listened well whenever anyone spoke. He didn't speak much, but whatever he did say was full of wisdom and kindness and intelligence. All monks aspired to be, generous, kind, intelligent, brave, wise, and balanced. Gan Zu was certainly all those things.
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But in the middle of dinner, a loud, rhythmic drumming came from town. It was the village watchtowers, and the drums were a warning of approaching danger. Gan Zu rose immediately. "All of you, stay inside and arm yourselves. Do not open the door for anyone unless you're absolutely sure they are a monk." He bowed quickly and bolted out of the house, leaving behind his staff in his rush.
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Luangzu stood, "Go to my room, children. Jia, bring me my sword, I'll get my bow..." He hurried to get his bow from beside the door, bolting the door shut. His blade was on a mantle in he and Jia's bedroom, displayed as a symbol of the family's honor given by its previous user, Luangzu's father Luangho, a war hero who'd fought and died under Lord Sun Jian of Wu, protecting the Lord's infant son at the time, Sun Ce.
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Outside, people dressed in yellow on horseback were riding into the town, roaring battlecries and praises to Heaven. Most people in Hanzhou were Buddhist and didn't understand the Way of Heaven, they only knew that its followers, the Yellow Turbans, were heretics and murderers. The Mulan appeared before them, Gan Zu among them, ready with either bare hands or simple weaponry. They practiced Kung Fu in all ways, and embraced weaponry only because it allowed them to better protect the people of Hanzhou. The monks charged silently, some sweeping or kicking Yellow Turbans off their horses, others jumping onto the horses themselves and striking out. Soon, all the men were unhorsed, and all-out combat ensued. More monks showed up, and around the town, there was fighting. Luangzu was at the open window of the living room, bow drawn, and he shot a man off his horse before the man could strike at a wounded monk. The monk nodded to Luanzu, and kept on going.

[kishiseta]

Fang Li had fun at dinner, although having an honored guest before them was not something she was used to. She asked Gan Zu many questions and stopped herself when she was beginning to think she was asking too many. She looked at him in awe barely able to touch her food when the drums sounded. Her stomach clenched. She knew her father would not sit around. He would fight. And what of her, Jia and Xuzhu? They would sit and wait.

The thought left her restless.

As the men charged out into battle, they set themselves to cleaning the table, praying for their safe return. As Fang Li wiped the table, she noticed that the monk left his staff. She didn't know if Gan Zu left it intentionally or in his haste, and she was torn between giving it to him and waiting for his return. Would anything change if he did not have his staff? She knew the monk was a skilled fighter, but what if it was his lucky charm or something.

Outside, she could hear the fighting start. There were screams and howls coming from men and horses. She could hear the breaking of wood and bone, the tear of cloth and flesh. She decided to go to her father, bow in hand. "Father, let me help, please!"

[Taiylor Wallace]

"I told you to stay in my room!" Her father snarled, firing another arrow. "Battle is no place for a woman, especially not a child!" He glared at her, but then, an arrow came through the window, narrowly missing them both. Luangzu grabbed her, pulling her back, but he did give in. "Just this once. go to the small kitchen window and fire from there. Don't shoot unless you're sure you can hit your target."
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He let her go, and for fifteen minutes, the battle went on, until Fang Li heard a thud against the back kitchen door, and something sliding down. "Open up!" A weak cry came through. "Please! It's Gan Zu! I need... my staff..." He ws hurt, that was dead sure even if she couldn't see him.

[kishiseta]

Fang Li nodded and headed to the kitchen. Aiming was difficult in battle. Unlike hunting, she didn't have to be careful about hitting an ally. It took all of her concentration to get each of her targets, shutting out everything else knowing that she would cry later at the lives lost and the homes destroyed. She had another yellow turban in sight when the thud came at the door. She pointed her arrow at the door gasping when she heard him call out, cursing herself for not following her instincts and heading out to give him his staff.

With Gan Zu's staff in hand, she opened the door, ready with the staff on her shoulder and arrow nocked. She quickly opened the door, bow and arrow at the ready just in case someone was going to attack barely registering Gan Zu. When she did, she gasped and quickly attended to him, her bow and arrow forgotten as she pulled him in shutting the door.

[Taiylor Wallace]

Gan Zu took hold of his staff as she pulled him in, and tried feebly to stand. Altogether, he was a mess and a horrifying sight. A long, jagged cut from a blade ran from his left temple, and across his left eyebrow, stopping just short of his eye. two broken arrow shafts protruded from his stomach and the right side of his chest. A deep, wide cut ran the length of his outer thigh and bled profusely, and his left arm was tucked into his sash, obviously broken. "Fang Li," he nearly collapsed into her. "Help me... back outside... help me to the front door, and... lock it behind me..." But he was in no shape to fight. Monks were known for never quitting til their enemy gave in or died, even if it meant they were to die with said enemy.
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Luangzu rushed into the kitchen and stumbled to a halt, "Master Gan Zu, let us help you, please!"
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"No... I have to fight. Help me..."
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"Sir, you'll die..."
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"So be it... But I will take some of the heretics with me at least..."
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"Fang... get the door." Luangzu, being the son of a warrior, was always taught to allow fighters to die in battle, even if they couldn't fight. It was honorable, and it was the way of the warrior, to fight and to die, but to die in safety and warmth was frowned upon unless the battle was over. Luangzu took hold of Gan Zu, helping him stand up straight, and he helped the dying monk shuffle to the door. Outside, the other monks were holding their own very well.

[kishiseta]

She pulled him in and heard her father rush down the stairs, quickly explaining what happened. Both men talked as if she wasn't around and she was used to that, but she didn't agree with what they had agreed on.

"Are you both crazy?" Fang Li knew that she spoke out of turn, but she had also been taught that it was a woman's duty to take care of a man. That, if anything, esle, she was good at. And her father and brother would agree. She barricaded the door before the monk could come close. "No! I'm not going to consent to this. This..." she knew her father would be glaring at her, but she would not wilt. Not in this.

"I know the honor you uphold. But please, let me tend to the greater wounds first. You would be good to no one dead. And in your state, the best you can hope for is to bring one of them down with you, if you can even manage it at all! Please..." she choked holding back her tears. "I'll let you go but we..." she looked at the arrow shafts, "We have to get those out and bandage you. Then..." she forced a smile. "Then you can bring more of those renegades down. Please."

[Taiylor Wallace]

"If he wishes to fight, you are not going to stop him!" Chan growled, but Gan Zu put a hand on his shoulder.
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"No... She is wiser than you think... I must do what I can to fight, but also to fight another day." Gan Zu looked to Fang Li. "Then please... help me. I am no healer." Luangzu's temper was calmed by this monk's reasoning, and Luangzu helped him to sit down at the living room table.
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"Take care of him, Fang... But if he wishes to return to battle once you're done, let him." Luangzu himself was no healer either, so he left it to his daughter, who'd been taught by her mother and the women of Hanzhou since she was five.
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Gan Zu smiled weakly as Luangzu returned to his post, "He means well... But he and I both are too overcome by the warrior's code..."

[kishiseta]

Fang Li conceded and helped ease Gan Zu onto the table hoping she had learned enough to be of help to him. She knew of the warrior's code well, eavesdropping when her father told Xuzhu about it when they were alone. She frowned at his wounds then wiped it away putting on a smile. "I guess I understand that. But! You are definitely in no position to fight right now. We'll have a proper sling for your arm first then I'll get a pallet I can't take out these on a hard table. You can scream all you want. I won't tell."

She started to work on setting his arm to rights, telling him different lighthearted stories to distract him. While she was clumsy in many things, this was not one of them. Her hands flowed from one stitch to another, her fingers deft and fast as she mixed herbs into poultices and put them on his wounds. She took out her own pallet to the living room and helped him lie on it continuing to entertain him as she pulled the arrows out carefully and stitching them close quickly.

Finally, she removed the stauncher from his leg and set to work stitching that as well. When she was done she smiled at him. "You wish to have your head stitched too? It's not as bad but our skin is really thin there, so, the blood will be distracting more than it is weakening. But then again, your face will be marred by a scar. Your choice."

[Taiylor Wallace]

"Just a bandage... I wear my scars with pride..." Gan Zu told her, but she could tell bloodloss was beginning to take away his mental clarity. Even if he could get up to go back out, he'd collapse. No one would blame him for resting if he couldn't be of help. He ended up passing out before she was done. Within another hour, the Yellow Turbans routed, and monks visited the townspeople door-to-door, checking on them all. One came to the Chan house, a tall Wind monk with a long-missing eye. Luangzu opened the door to him.
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"Is everything well here?" The monk asked gently, concern clear.
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"Yes, but Master Gan Zu of your order is here. My daughter is caring for him."
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"Is he hurt?"
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"Badly, but I think he'll be just fine. My daughter is a wonderful healer."
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"Well, a woman's touch is all it takes." The monk stepped in, and Luangzu brought him to the living room. The monk knelt, "Master Gan Zu..." he chuckled, "his title as the Mulan Dove belies his ferocity in battle. The dove becomes a wolf." He looked to Fang Li, "Thank you, young lady. You've most certainly saved his life. I'll return him to the temple, and take over his watch on this road. Don't hesitate to come say hello, I'll let you know how he's doing." He carefully lifted his Master, carrying him out. "Thank you again, Miss Chan."
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Luangzu came to Fang Li and hugged her, "I'm proud of you, sweetheart... I'm sorry I shouted, you didn't deserve it. You make me proud." He kissed her forehead before going up to get Jia and Xuzhu. In all her life, her father had never said aloud that he was proud of her.

[kishiseta]

Fang Li acquiesced and bandaged him as he lost consciousness. Warrior's honor or not, she was glad he didn't even have the strength to stay awake. She knew exactly what his end would have been if he continued into battle in his state. Finally, she took a clean towel to wipe off the dirt and blood off him. A thought crossed her. Maybe they weren't the kind of monks who swore off women if he let her touch him. Which was good. She didn't know what would have happened if he was. Well, actually she did. And that would involve hitting the monk in the head to knock him out--which she shuddered to even think about doing.

As the ruckus outside died down, she bowed over his sleeping form and said a prayer of thanks for saving the village and Gan Zu's life. After a few more moments, she heard her father and another ask about Gan Zu. She bowed to the other monk as he thanked him and carried off Gan Zu. "No, Master Monk. Thank you for saving out small village. We can only repay with whatever we can. It's the least I can do.

As the monks departed and her father hugged her, she couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Everything was so horrible and yet they came out of it alive. Hale and whole. And her father's words...it made her cry even more of happiness. She might be a disgrace as a woman, but as a healer... "Father, you do know i'm bloody and sweating. Mother will freak out if she saw you covered in blood," she choked out a laugh through her tears.

Evening came and Fang Li and Luangzu told their versions of the battle around dinner; sans the blood and gore which would both earn them air for breakfast and lunch the next day. Xuzhu pouted wanting to take part as well, though knowing he was too young.