CHAPTER 43: BATHHOUSE MAYHEM!
“I don’t understand,” Zen said as he walked with Daomeng. In front of them was Sir Drools-a-lot, sniffing the ground aggressively. “Aren’t there ground guards who should do this? Why are you, a lecturer, doing it?”
“School politics,” Daomeng simply said, “and it doesn’t help that I am an acquaintance of the Grey Stalker’s master.”
Sir Drools-a-lot caught a scent and sped off.
“He’s got something!” Daomeng said as he took after the dog, followed by Zen.
“Ook! Ook!”
“Yeah, yeah!” Zen said. “I know I’m not running as fast as you but I’m doing my best.”
Daomeng stopped as the dog ran into the building. Zen passed by him a moment later.
“Young Wang, wait!” Daomeng called out.
“No,” Zen said, “If we wait, we’ll lose it!” Zen entered the building after Sir Drools-a-lot.
“That fool,” Daomeng said under his breath as he looked at the sign above the entrance of the building, which read ‘Ladies Bath House.’
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Zen ran into the hallways. He began noticing the increasing amounts of steam and heat in the air.
“Hey, why is there all this steam…?” Zen realised it when he walked in the main bath house with separate pools, some of those pools occupied by naked women.
The room erupted into high pitched squeals as Zen and Sir Drools-a-lot hid for cover when the girls used varous qi techniques to chuck hot stones at them. Zen hid behind a rack of clothes, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.
The close proximity he was with the hound allowed it to lick his face.
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“Get off!” Zen roughly shoved the dog’s face away. “Just so that you know, I blame you for this.”
The dog whined.
Zen pulled a towel off the rack. “Okay, if I cover my eyes, they can’t possibly be mad at me but then how will I get out if I’m blind?”
“Ook!” Shibi said.
“Yes, I’ve heard of the legend of the mind’s eye.” Zen said. “A warrior of great intuition and in great danger can see without his eyes by using his qi.” He began wrapping the towel over his head. “Yes, I am that warrior! I am the chosen one!”
He ran out of his hiding place, followed by Sir Drools-a-lot.
Yes, it’s working! Zen realised as he was sprinting but had not collided with anything. I’m doing it! I am truly the chosen… He slammed hard against a wall, falling flat on his back like a cut tree. “That hurt!”
To comfort him, Sir Drools-a-lot showered him in spit as he licked his face.
“Urgh! Get off me, you dumb dog!” Zen shouted as he pushed the hound away before he sat up.
With towel around his head, he still could not see a thing. All he knew was that he was in warm area filled with girls either screaming in embarrassment or simply screaming for his head on a platter.
“I need to get out of here.”
Sir Drools-a lot barked in agreement.
“Of course, you can lead me out of here, you dumb mutt!” Zen held onto the dog’s back and followed its lead.
Two hot stones propelled to his body and a few turns later, Wang Zen was led outside the bath house. He breathed in relief when he felt the cooler air outside the bath house greet him.
“Looks like you’re not totally useless, Sir Drools-a-lot.” Zen said.
He felt Shibi stiffen and make threatening growling noises.
“Shibi?” Zen unfurled the towel from his head in time to see a blur with sharp fangs lung at him. He was tackled out of the way by the hound.
The dog immediately turned to face his attacker which had landed behind them from its failed strike. Zen tried to look around Sir Drools-a-lot but could not see past his big grey body. The dog squeaked as it was hit and sent tumbling away.
“Drools-a-lot!” Zen cried out at the dog. His eyes snapped to where the attacker should have been but there was nothing there other than the green grass. Whatever it was, it was fast.
Zen walked over to the Grey Stalker, who was lumbering back to its feet.
“You okay?” Zen crouched next to it.
The Grey Stalker reached up and licked his face.
Is hand was already raised, poised to push the dog’s face away but then he relaxed. “Alright, I’ll let you this once because you saved my life, you stupid mutt.”
Shibi hissed. Zen grabbed Sir Drools-a-lot and jumped away, the dog was heavier than expected but he was still able to clear the area before the place he had been was smashed apart, causing a smoke of debris to rise.
Zen landed, letting Sir Drools-a-lot go to face the threat.
“How fitting,” the voice from the smoke debris said, “that your last kiss is from one of your own kind.”
Zen stepped back when the debris faded. “Xu Hau!”