Shang barely survived his first week of recovery. His wounds were not life threatening but his mother was another story.

“Tell me the story again, about your little…friend.” His mother said while spooning lukewarm soup into his mouth. Heavens forbid it was actually hot. That would be a major danger to his sensitive palate.

“I’ve told you so many times already, mother. Why are you so caught up on Rue?” Shang groaned, trying to dodge the next spoonful of medicinal soup.

“Rue?” She quirked an eyebrow at that. “You gave it a name.”

“Yes, but that’s just between you and me. Don’t tell Xin and YiHua, I can’t handle their teasing right now.” ChuHua gave her son a reassuring pat on the leg. Her other hand was masterfully directing the spoon towards his upturned face.

“Now stop that MingMing, stop dodging like that. I worked hard to make this. Do you want your mother’s hard work to go to waste?” She chided. Shang gave an exasperated sigh and opened his mouth comically large. Not even a smile. She was really mad this time. “How do you expect to eat like that? The soup will just fall right out.”

“Yes, but that’s kind of the point,” he muttered under his breath.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing.” Shang dutifully gulped down the proffered soup, moaning and groaning all the way. The taste was especially bitter today. It must be extra nutritious.

“So, this…Rue, when did you meet him?”

Shang shrugged. “I don’t know, it was before the testing, I think.”

“That long?” Her voice trailed off and her face furrowed in concentration.

“Yeah, why are you so focused on him anyways? That’s really not the exciting part.”

“Oh, and what is?” She asked, her tone dangerous. “Is it the part where you purposefully defied an upper disciple and risked your life for a little weasel?” She asked.

“He’s not a weasel, and I couldn’t just let Xiao gut him. I thought you would understand that.”

“Why would I understand? I could never understand why my beautiful and smart son would do such an idiotic thing,” she said flatly.

“You weren’t even there, it was a believable showing,” Shang lied. The look on her face told him he was not being very convincing. “Besides, you’re always so sensitive about animals. You yell at me when I step on an ant!”

“I yell at you when you step on an ant hill,” she corrected. “It’s for your own good too.”

“I thought you would understand why I had to try to save it,” Shang said. ChuHua sighed deeply.

“I do understand MingMing, but I wish you hadn’t.” She lifted her hand to his purpling face. “Every life is precious. The longer I live, the less I feel separate from an ant, a bird, or even a tree.” Shang leaned into her cool touch. His mother always had a way of making him feel better. “But, because I am a selfish woman, there will always be someone I care about more than the moon and sun. I would let the world implode into a million bits and let all the animals, blessed beasts, and humans burn just to make his life a little bit better. I’m truly an evil woman, aren’t I?” she asked with a teasing smile on her lips.

Shang rolled his eyes. He was used to her overt show of affection. He knew it was not something other parents did in the village. His father struggled with expressing his love in words. Shang had always thought his father was a bit austere, but he realized that it was his mother that was strange.

“If you treat him like that, he’ll never grow into a strong man. You are going to ruin him for his future wife.”

She never heeded the villager’s warnings and Shang was grateful.

“Listen to me MingMing,” Shang cocked his head at her shift in voice. “Do not put yourself in danger like that. You may not believe me, but the people of this village are gentler than most. Cultivators everywhere are a prideful bunch. You must be respectful, do you understand?” She asked. Shang nodded sullenly. “I know you think bowing and groveling is silly, but you must treat those stronger than you with proper deference. If not for you than for your poor mother’s sake.” Shang nodded in agreement. The ache in his arm was reminder enough. “You know the proper bow for the Tiger Sect Leader?”

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“Yes, mother, I know,” Shang moaned. She gave him a chiding smile at his tone.

“Good! As long as you know. Now, do you want me to tell you a bedtime story before you go to sleep?” ChuHua asked.

“Sleep? It’s not even dark outside yet,” Shang complained.

“You need rest to fully recover,” ChuHua said. Shang relented, knowing this was not a fight he could ever win.

“I’m not a baby. I’m taller than father. I don’t need a bedtime story,” he grumbled.

“I never said you needed one, but would you like one?” Shang hesitated before settling into his covers and nodding his assent. ChuHua reclined next to her son, her hand resting gently on his broken arm and began to tell a familiar tale.

“Before the creation of man and the land we stand on, there were only two entities under heaven. For the world to be created, there had to be perfect balance, so brothers light and dark were created simultaneously. These brothers were opposites in all things, so it was no surprise that they didn’t get along. Fighting between them was futile. They could never destroy the other completely. Without one, the other could not exist.

“Instead, the brothers decided to create vessels for their wars. First came the ancient beasts of antiquity—the dragon, the phoenix, and the fox. These creatures contained a mix of darkness, yin, and light, yang, and so they were able to be killed without disrupting the balance of the universe. These creatures were so strong that no one could kill another. They were so prideful that none could work together.

“In frustration, the brothers created more creatures. Soon, mankind was created. This creation was perfect for their needs. Humans killed and killed one another without reservation. The brothers were able to wage wars with the lives of billions of pawns. Humankind was imbued with a deep hunger. This hunger fueled these conflicts for millennia, and the brothers reveled in their feud for dominance. It was a game to them. Their favorite pastime.

“Unfortunately for them, the hunger engrained into humankind was also the brothers’ undoing. The leaders of men, in their eternal strife, were hungry for power and growth. They sought to use the energies of the universe. The qi from the earth, the breath of the eternal brothers.

“At first, the brothers did not mind. They had qi to spare. When the short lives of the human cultivators ended, their qi would go back to the earth. However, before long, cultivators had gained enough power to prolong their lives well past that of normal humans. These cultivators would spend their whole lives cultivating a technique that perfectly imprinted to their individual auras. These became maps for the soul. They helped guide the wielder to something akin to immortality. Each cultivator passed down these maps to their descendants and the strength of these bloodlines grew.

“As time went on, the brothers became worried. They had grown weak, their qi drained by the generations of cultivators. While they were not truly immortal, the length of these human lives was no longer insignificant. The brothers’ worst fears came to fruition when a young man named HouYi became patriarch to one of the great houses. He was born with unbridled abilities, never seen since the creation of mankind. He was set on gaining true immortality. If he gained eternal life, then he had the potential to grow even stronger than the brothers.

“HouYi, unlike the primordial brothers, possessed both light and dark and could manipulate both yin and yang. As HouYi grew stronger, the brothers were so weakened that they could do nothing but watch his ascension through the nine realms, their powers draining with each passing breath. Finally, HouYi had succeeded in his quest to create an elixir of immortality. With it, he could gain dominion over all nine domains and the primordial brothers.

“In a last desperate attempt to preserve their lives, the brothers put aside their differences and joined forces. They merged the rest of their qi into one perfect human being, Chang’e. She was a human equal to HouYi in power, and she was tasked with stealing his elixir of immortality. HouYi was stunned by her beauty and power. She was cunning and quickly gained his trust. Chang’e pitied Hou Yi, for all his power, he was also lonely. His quest of power had left him isolated and he became unmoored with the lonely passage of time. It was a simple thing to gain his trust and steal the elixir.

“When HouYi discovered Chang’e had stolen the elixir, the earth and mountains shook with his rage. HouYi and Chang’e fought a war like no other. Each clash tore rifts in the earth and ripped out pieces of the sky. They fought for nine days and nine nights until they were both at death’s door. Chang’e, for the first time in her short life, felt human. The thrill of battle, the threat of death, was like lightning in her veins. The fight awakened something inside of her that made her feel alive. The same could be said for HouYi. He realized his folly in his quest for immortality. They had both experienced the bite and thrill of life and they both wanted more. So, Chang’e and HouYi created a truce. They would destroy the elixir and live on as humans because living for eternity would make them something altogether different.

“It was then that the brothers attacked. In their weakness, HouYi and Chang’e were easily defeated by the immortal brothers. After their death, the energies in their bodies coalesced into the sun and moon. The aftermath of their battle left scars in the sky letting the light of heaven shine through.” As the story came to an end, ChuHua gazed down lovingly at her son. He was fast asleep. Her heart was full when she looked at him. She ran her fingers through his hair, lingering on the strands of white. With some reluctance, she pushed off the bed and exited the room. The courtyard outside was brightly lit by the full moon. The sun had fully set in the time it took to finish her story. Her gaze swept through the garden.

“I know you’re out there.”

Her words were met with only silence.