34. With a Smile

A few days later…

"Wow, I feel as good as new ... Ouch!" Po's face contorted with pain and he rubbed over his still bandaged belly.

"You shouldn't overdo it," Tigress warned him.

They were at the entrance to the palace and were about to leave. Po had recovered quickly after all this and the others had also processed the bad events. Even the little kids who were coming out of the gate with their mother.

Wang was already there with a couple of guards. Xiang stood beside him pouting with his wings folded. The blue peacock was reluctant to be persuaded to meet his ex-wife one last time before she traveled back to Gongmen City. If it had been up to him, he would have locked himself in a room until the field was free again. But Liu was also at the palace entrance and wanted to say goodbye, too. From time to time, she hoped for eye contact from Xiang, but he deliberately avoided her gaze and only hoped that the day would be over soon.

Yin-Yu took the three little boys close to her as they walked to the exit or entrance. Shenmi was not among them. The white girl had preferred to hold tight to her father, who was walking behind his wife at some distance.

All the while, they hadn't let the children get near Xiang. Both thought it was the best not to bring him together with the children, and Xiang was still too tense for that. Shen, in particular, was watchful like a watchdog. Just because Xiang had managed to kidnap Shenmi, let Shen raise his neck feathers.

Yin-Yu nodded briefly to King Wang, who wished her a safe journey. Then her gaze wandered to her ex-husband, who gave her an angry look.

"Xiang," she began hesitantly. "These are my children."

One look couldn't have been more derogatory than the one that Xiang threw at the three little peacocks. He had first heard of them when the old goat had informed him of the hatch, but he hadn't taken it too well. But the boys also saw the blue peacock for the first time.

"He looks like grandfather," Jian burst out, whereupon his mother quickly covered his beak.

Xiang's eyelids immediately tightened, but before he could express his anger in words, Shen stood in his way. Both peacocks pierced each other with withering looks, while Yin-Yu took the opportunity and hurried off with the boys. She didn't stop until she was standing next to Liu. The younger peahen nodded to her resignedly. Yin-Yu smiled and hugged her.

"Good luck," she whispered to her.

Then she hurried to the door, because Xiang definitely didn't want her around him any longer. As soon as she was gone, Shen also took a step back and nodded icily to Xiang. "Goodbye forever."

"I hope so, too," the blue peacock replied caustically.

Shenmi, who was hiding behind Shen, looked a little shyly up at Xiang. She tried to smile at him, but Xiang just snorted and gave her a dismissive look. Shen patted the girl reassuringly, then he walked away for good.

Po, who had watched the scene around the corner, shivered under his thick fur.

"That was more than an icy farewell," he thought. "In contrast, even the deepest winter was a mild air."

He hurried to join the others. Xia and Sheng were already on the first steps. They didn't want to see Xiang anymore. Xia in particular feared that everything from then would come up in her again. Wang escorted everyone to the door, while Xiang preferred to stay in the house. But when Liu glanced at him again, he just turned his back on her and hobbled away.

Outside, Shen wanted to inquire about the state of affairs. "And? What is the situation like?"

"The geckos were arrested," Wang said. "Likewise, Duona. Mr. Furu got a little smaller again when he realized that he had let another criminal into his house."

"And Laishi?"

"He flew away after the fight. I don't know where, I just hope he doesn't continue to wreak havoc somewhere else."

Shen's sidelong glance briefly wandered to the palace. "Can we count on you to keep a close eye on him?"

The King of the Huns shrugged his shoulders. "As long as he doesn't do anything."

"I don't think that it will happen," Yin-Yu said.

Shen looked at her skeptically. "What makes you so sure about that?"

"I would say experience."

Shen's beak stayed open for a brief moment while Po gave him a pat on the back. "I'm sure she has a lot of experience about it, hasn't she, Shen?"

He smiled at the peacock. But Shen shook his head in less convincingly. "Maybe - panda."

Po's corners of his mouth sinking back into the basement. "Hey, I thought we..."

"You shouldn't think too much, panda. We'd better hurry, the ship is waiting."

With that, he lifted Shenmi in his arms and climbed down the long stairs with the others to the city, while Po paused on the top step and almost forgot to say goodbye to Wang.

On the way, Zedong couldn't contain his enthusiasm and talked excitedly. "You should have seen that, dad. How Jian knocked out the big bear. It crashed to the ground like a tree! - And you dad, you were so cool. You set almost the whole building on fire!"

Shen couldn't help smiling. "Well, maybe because I was born in the Palace of Flames, it must run in the family." His gaze wandered to Yin-Yu. "I'm sorry that I scared you."

The peahen smiled and pushed him further. She just didn't want to think about it anymore. "Alright. Better hurry to get to the ship. The others are sure to be waiting."

When they arrived at the port, the two masters were waiting for them. Master Storming Ox met the former ruler of Gongmen City with a sour gesture. "I still don't understand why you still want to go to Gongmen City," he growled.

Shen raised his head rebelliously. "I still have something to do there."

With these words, he crossed the bridge with the others, while Master Ox followed him with a grim expression.

"And what?" he pressed on when they got to the deck of the ship. "But not something illegal...?"

Shen turned to the ox at lightning speed, but before there was a fight, Po took the angry ox aside. "Hey, buddy. I completely forgot to say that your commitment touched my kung fu heart deeply..."

Yin-Yu immediately took advantage of the distraction and pulled Shen quickly out of the conflict zone. Reluctantly, the white peacock let her lead him to another part of the ship. When Master Ox noticed that the bird had withdrawn, he pushed the panda aside, snorting. "It's okay. That's not worth mentioning." With these words, he walked away and retreated to another corner of the ship. Po sighed dejectedly. Master Croc could only agree with him and also let out a deep sigh.

Po leaned thoughtfully over the railing. "I was actually hoping that after all this the waves between them would smooth out." The panda tapped the wood with his fingers listlessly. "I wonder when they'll bury their hatchet."

Master Croc propped his elbows on the railing. "I wouldn't hope so much. No matter what the former prince of Gongmen City will do, he will never be able to forgive the murder of his best friend. And to be honest, I still find it difficult to cope with that to this day."

Po gave the crocodile a frightened sideways glance. "Are you really sure about that? Maybe one day something will change between them."

The kung fu master furrowed his scaly brow. "It's more likely to snow in summer."

Finally, the ship cast off and swam down the river. For a while, the passengers kept an eye on Mendong City until it disappeared around the next bend in the river. Xia breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you still afraid of him?" came her father's voice from behind her.

Startled, the young peahen turned to him, but before she could say anything, Shen had laid his wings on hers and was looking at her intently.

Xia looked down. Her wings trembled. Shen sighed heavily. "I cannot promise you that you will never meet him again, but I promise you that he will never threaten you again."

Xia gasped for breath. "I wish, I could believe that."

Shen hugged her quickly. Xia hesitated to return his hug at first, then she wrapped her wings around him. "Just please don't tell mother about it," she whispered. "I don't want her to blame herself."

Shen rubbed her back soothingly. "Do not worry. I will."

"Shen?"

Quickly, the two birds separated when Yin-Yu joined them. She looked troubled from one to the other. "Is anything wrong?"

"No, no," Shen brushed her off. "It was about something personal. And…" He paused for a moment. "And I wanted to discuss something with you, too. Can we go somewhere else for a moment?"

Reluctantly, Yin-Yu agreed and together they withdrew to the very end of the ship. Po watched them out of the corner of his eye, but secretly he failed to follow them. After making sure they were alone, Shen leaned against the railing and stared into the water. Yin-Yu didn't want to rush him and waited until he started.

"How strong is snow for you?" the white peacock began after some hesitation and several breaths.

The peahen looked at him in amazement. "How strong do I think snow is? Well…"

She didn't know what to make of this question. Shen made it easier for her to find an answer and went on in a halting voice. "Snow is strong... but fragile. Um... When it comes into the sun... it melts."

The white peacock held his wing in front of his face. All this interpreting, somehow he had no talent for it. Yin-Yu looked at him questioningly from the side. Finally, Shen turned to her and took a deep breath. "You know my life. We know each other inside out. You me and I you. And we never wanted to hide anything from each other." He folded his wings and rubbed the finger feather tips. "I always wanted to be more than what I am... So... that means..."

Yin-Yu looked at him pityingly. "Is it about your weaknesses, which is why you didn't want to train with the boys?"

Shen started up. "How do you know...?" He clenched his beak lips. "Has she been chatting with you again?" he asked angrily, thinking of the old goat.

Yin-Yu shook her head. "She never spoke to me about it," she said in a calm voice. "I only guessed it and later I was sure that you were not feeling as well mentally as you used to be."

Shen's wings clenched briefly. "How long have you known?"

Yin-Yu shook her head slowly. "For over a year. At first, I was surprised that you had refused to teach the children something about yourself, as you always wanted to do. And when you then agreed that they should train in Gongmen City with the masters, even though you had always despised kung fu, I suspected that something was wrong. Mainly because you had slacked off in your own training and you were always tired." She gave him a warm look. "But there was one thing that the old lady hadn't kept from me. Namely, that you refuse medical treatment."

They stared at each other for a while, then Shen looked down. Quickly, Yin-Yu walked up to him and laid her wings on his shoulders. "Shen," she pleaded urgently. "I don't want to lose you, but I never wanted to push you to do something you don't want either."

The white peacock slowly raised his head. "Honestly," he began in a slow voice. "In the last few days, it has become clear to me that it won't be any different if I still want to be there for you."

His gaze fell on the little children who were just about to unpack the toys which their mother had brought for them from the palace. Most of all, Shenmi caught his eye. Had he been on medication earlier, things would have turned out badly if Xiang hadn't ... Shen immediately put the thought away. He didn't want to admit that he owed Xiang any kind of thanks.

Yin-Yu rubbed her finger feathers on his shoulders. "Honey, no matter what others would say about you, but since the first day I saw you, you have been the strongest being in the whole world to me. And you still are for me today. I never thought that I would still regard my life as valuable if it hadn't been for you. I might have been ready to kill myself then. I wasn't worth anything to my parents. But on the other hand, I must have been more afraid of death. I did not dare to step over this threshold. It would have been the best if someone else had done it. Even if it had been you."

Shen remembered. When they first met in the exile, he really had intended to have her executed first, believing she was spying on his plans.

"You give me strength when you're around me," Yin-Yu continued. "Even if it is only part of you. Our first two children alone gave me the feeling not to break with despair." She looked at him sadly. "But without your presence, I would find it difficult not to be strong. I know that sounds like... I'm sorry I'm not the strong woman you might have wanted in your dreams. I also didn't train because of the small children. Least of all we together."

Shen's eyebrows knit. "Then we will probably have to change something about that."

Her gaze wandered up to him. "So you will treat by a doctor?"

Shen hesitated to accept. "You won't tell anyone about it, will you? Especially not him." He nodded with his head at Master Ox.

Yin-Yu twisted her beak a little playfully. "Have I ever done that?" She smoothed a crease in his robe. "I think, the children will be happy that you do something with them."

"Are you serious, dad?" The peafowl parents turned around in surprise. Zedong had sneaked up on them and looked up at his father expectantly. "Do you really want to train with us?"

White peacock and peahen glanced briefly at each other, then Shen leaned down to the little piebald peacock. "Yes, we will spend a little more time together. Then we save ourselves the constant trips to Gongmen City."

Zedong flung his wings around his neck and clung to him. Shen was forced to pick him up. But then the other children came running and ran excitedly around their parents.

Po smiled at the cheerful mood and sighed deeply.

"Po," the voice of Tigress brought him back, who came over to him along with the other Furious Five. "You look so thoughtful. Anything wrong?"

"Uh, no, I just thought..." Po thought for a moment. "Actually, I was just wondering whether we could also install an elevator in the Jade Palace. I mean, an elevator like that would be very practical. That could save a lot of time." He grinned, but his friends weren't exactly enthusiastic about it. Po looked at them in surprise. "Wouldn't it?"

"She has been there for days now." With a frown, a sheep watched the old goat, which had not left her place at the Gongmen City harbor until now. "When it's night, she makes a campfire and waits, and during the day she sits and walks on the spot and still waits. That's not normal."

His neighbor, another sheep, shrugged. "She seems to be waiting for a ship."

At that moment, the old goat raised her head when she saw a ship on the horizon. Her fear and joy grew as the ship headed for port. Quickly, she went to the jetty and waited nervously for it to dock. On the deck, four little peafowl chicks immediately waved over to her. A thousand stones fell from Soothsayer's soul when she saw each one safe and sound. When the bridge was finally lowered, the small children rushed towards her. "Thank heaven," the old goat said, "nothing happened to you! I was so worried about you."

"We have a lot to tell you!" Zedong exclaimed excitedly.

The goat's mouth stayed open for a moment when she noticed the boys' tail feathers had disappeared. "But what happened to your feathers?"

"That's a long story," Po intervened quickly and went towards the old goat with outstretched arms.

"So?" the old goad said and returned a short hug from the panda after examining the bandages. "That sounds very exciting." She looked around. Then Yin-Yu, Xia, and Sheng came up to her and greeted her warmly. The old goat didn't stop until Shen came up to it.

"My goodness," the old woman said, when she saw Shen's robe still partly bloody. The white peacock had preferred not to wear strange clothes and had tried as best as possible to get the stains out of his robe again, but he hadn't quite succeeded. "You look like you've been through something," the goat continued, hurrying to rub off a protective stain from Shen's shirt.

"Could you leave that, please?!" Shen scolded, but he immediately recovered himself and briefly took the goat aside. "I wanted to ask you something else anyway. That's also the reason why I am here."

The goat looked at him expectantly. "Yes, what do you want to know, Shen?"

At first, Shen had a hard time asking the question and managed to come to the first sentence. "I wanted to ask you if you... Do you remember...?"

"If you want to know where the doctor is, with whom you were when you were a little chick," the goat continued, "he still lives in the same street."

Shen's beak stayed open for a moment. "So you also knew it all along."

The goat smiled. "I know you too well for you to keep something from me."

"And why didn't you try to persuade me to go to a doctor?"

"Would you have listened to me?"

Shen thought for a very short moment and frowned before answering. "No."

Soothsayer giggled. Then she took his wing and patted his finger feathers. "Still the same boy from back then."

She smiled at him and he took that remark with a smile, too.