CHAPTER 58: BEDRIDDEN AGAIN

“Would you two stop that!” was the first thing Zen heard as he opened his eyes. He looked around the room he was in, laying eyes on Shibi who was hissing at the hound in Jiahai’s arms. “Wang Zen, you’re awake!”

“Chu Jiahai,” Zen made his way to a sitting position with great effort, “Are you okay?”

“Just a little bruising and a broken rib,” Jiahai touched his purple cheek, “but I should be okay. You seem to have it the worst.”

“Yeah,” Zen bitterly said as he looked at his feet. “I can’t seem to handle myself very well in battle.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

Shibi jumped on Zen’s lap and he rubbed the ape’s head affectionately. “Those beasts nearly put me to death. You, and even Shibi, seemed to have handled them better than I ever could.”

“Are you kidding?” Jiahai said. “The only reason I had any success against the Ripping Lizards was because of the information you gave me of their attacks. If the roles were reversed I’d be in the bed and you’d be where I am.”

“Maybe,” Zen smiled sadly at his friend. “So they’re called Ripping Lizards, appropriate, considering they were trying to rip my head off.”

Jiahai giggled, “You must be getting better if you can make jokes!” Jiahai saw the prevailing sadness in Zen’s eyes, even through his false smile. “I know something that will make you happy.”

Zen looked up at him in confusion.

“We’re going to make a move against Chen Jian.”

This announcement only served to carve a deep frown on Zen’s face. “How?”

Jiahai looked from left to right before leaning in closer to Zen. “Bao has stolen some of the school’s medicinal pills.”

“Does he plan on getting strong by taking a lot of medicinal pills?”

“Well… yes and no.” Jiahai said. “He said he’d share the pills with us, the gang , but the rest he’ll plant on Chen Jian and call the Academy’s authorities on him.”

“He’s going to frame him for the crime?” Zen said.

Jiahai nodded, “and get him expelled.”

Zen opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say. “Are-Are you okay with all of this?”

Jiahai looked around before shrugging.

“Is something wrong?” Zen said, after noticing Jiahai looking too closely at his face. He was not looking in his eyes exactly.

“Nothing!” Jiahai said. “I’ll leave you to your rest.” Jiahia rubbed Rizon’s head and left when Zen thanked him one more time.

Zen sighed and looked up at the ceiling. His thoughts were consumed about the whole issue with Chen Jian and Bao. He had always wanted to get his revenge against Chen Jian but he had always thought his vengeance would be more… honourable. Framing him, even though he probably deserved it, for a crime just came from nowhere for him. Also, his deal with Hau, the City Lord’s daughter weighed heavily on him. If Chen Jian was to be framed for a crime, their group would be the first she would suspect and then Hau would take him out.

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Zen sat up with determination shining in his brown eyes. He winced as he swung his legs off the bed and got dressed, last nights injuries flared up to remind him that he had not yet fully recovered.

“Come, Shibi.” He said as he limped away. The scorch ape almost bowled him over when it leapt to his shoulder. As he walked through the hallways, he stopped when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror hanging on one of the walls. He watched himself with intense interest as the reflected visage was not one he had come to know. It was not the purple bruising on his left cheek bone nor the small cuts on his forehead but it was his nose.

The bridge of his nose was crooked as it travelled up to disappear in the middle of his face and one nostril had more skin around it than the other, making it look small. He touched the bent bone of his nose with a testing finger. It seems this was the best the wood elementalists of the academy could do… or most likely were willing to do. After all, their job was to heal him, not make him look normal. If he wanted his nose properly fixed, he would have to pay for it.

He sighed and tore himself from the foreign face looking back at him in the mirror.

Wang Zen walked the grounds of the academy looking for someone. By chance, he came across Chen Jian. He was standing with two beautiful girls who seemed to hang on his every word. Zen instinctively rolled his eyes at the sight.

Now that he thought about it, many beautiful girls gravitated towards Chen Jian and had the same admiring look that the two girls around him had. Even Xu Hau, and she had a boyfriend! Zen found himself growing more annoyed the more he thought about. It.

He sighed and walked toward the three.

“Yo, Chen Jian!” Zen said.

Chen and the two girls turned to look at him. As soon as the girls looked at him, a look of disgust crossed their faces. He wanted to tell them that his face was a mark of a tough battle he had and that they should wipe their disgusted looks off their faces.

“Chen Jian, do you know this boy?” one of the girls said.

Zen did not like the way she said ‘boy’, almost as if it was more of an insult than a fact.

“Yes, I know him.” Chen said. “Although I do not know why he is talking to me because I don’t associate with his kind.”

“I’m glad,” the other girl said.

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Zen said.

“We heard about you, pervert!” one of the girls said.

“Yeah, we know you tried to spy on the girls’ bathhouse.” The other added.

“That was a misunderstanding!” Zen whined in annoyance.

“Right-“ one of the girls said, unconvincingly.

Zen gritted his teeth in anger but held his rage back. He would not allow this to dissuade hi from what he had come to them to do.

“Listen, Chen Jian,” Zen began, ignoring the two girls even as they continued to give him dirty looks. “I… I just wanted to thank you for saving me.”

“Saving you?” Chen said. “I didn’t save you.”

“But… I remember, the other night…”

“I wouldn’t waste my time saving you,” Chen asserted. “It would be a waste of my energy to save an embarrassment like you.”

“What?” Zen said as the two girls erupted in giggles.

“If you want to thank someone for saving you, then you should look at Xue Shaonu.” Zen said. “She was the one who did it. If it was up to me, I would’ve left you to your fate, that way, you could stop embarrassing yourself by playing warrior.”

Zen felt his anger as he glared at Chen Jian’s smug look as the girls continued to laugh. He continued glaring at him as the girls silenced and stiffened. He continued to glare, suspecting that he was emanating a killing intent but he did not care. All he wanted to do was to put Chen Jian in his place.

“Don’t worry, ladies.” Chen Jian said when he noticed them about to get into a fighting stance. “His bark is worse than his bite.”

Zen opened his mouth, about to challenge Chen to a one on one duel but was stopped when he saw quick movement by his side. He leaned back just before a thin but powerful fist sped past him where his head had been. He looked to the side, seeing his assailant about to throw a kick.

The kick was slow, one any normal fighter could dodge. However, Zen was not currently in the normal category because of his still recovering injuries. He tried to dodge but his body flared in great pain that slowed him down and in the end, the kick found its mark, sending the boy sprawling onto the floor.

“Well, this is disappointing.”

Zen looked up to the owner of the feminine voice, a mad Xu HAu who had her fists on her hips as she looked down at him. Shibi, who had landed on his feet, jumped on Zen’s chest and hissed at the girl.

“I thought I told you to leave Chen Jian alone.” She said. “Now, I’ll have to beat you to pulp and then get you expelled.”