Three months have passed since Fennu's death and things have never been quieter around the Valley of Peace. I don't know whether I miss the action or not anymore. Sure, we still had bandits appear every few days but it wasn't the same as a large scale attack. Even after recovering that monsters body, I had made sure that he was, at the least, buried. It only seemed right. Now he rests miles away from the Valley of Peace under a rocky hill, his hammer sticking out the ground to show it.
Yinshen stayed in touch. Every week or so, a messenger from Gongmen city would come through town and deliver to me a scroll from the panther, telling me how she was doing and how well the city was thriving, kind of like a pen pal. In the first few weeks she had returned, she had been appointed as the third member of Gongmens council to take over Master Thundering Rhino's place along with Master Croc and Master Storming Ox. She's done well for herself. Every time I sent her one back, informing her of me and the Valley's status, Mantis would ask, more than once, if she would ever consider going out with him. Still the same rude bastard from when he first met her. Luckily I never mentioned it otherwise I'd be very certain that Yinshen would visit the Jade palace just to kick his ass. It seemed highly likely that she actually would.
Viper and I were still together. We had continued to take things slowly but we still cared about each other dearly. After the defeat of Fennu, we recieved a week off, all of us at the Jade palace. Viper wanted to take the time off to just help me with ancient Chinese history as well as teaching me how to write in the same language. To be honest, I'm still learning at this moment as I'm a slow learner.
As for myself, well there isn't exactly much to say. Every now and then, I'd either send a message to Yinshen, help Monkey with a few practical jokes or just train. There is still a lot I need to learn, especially with my new title which I received from Shifu after Fennu's death. The Valley's guardian... An interesting title, but at least it was much better than Po's suggestion, the deadly human shadow... I could go over so many things that were wrong with that title.
Today, was Sunday. The usual day off for all the warriors. I was spending it helping Po out with one of his... well let's say stunts which have gone unrehearsed and may possibly result in death. The first one he ever did was pretty stupid. And the way Tigress explained it, I couldn't agree more. I mean, who in their right mind would try eating raw rice and then drinking boiling hot water to try and cook it? Apparently Po did. I was nearly sick to my stomach just imagining the aftermath. But this new one takes the cake. After seeing what a travelling performing circus passing by the Valley of Peace could do, of which Shifu specifically ordered Po not to go to, he went anyway and got the idea that it would be fun to jump off the roof of the Jade palace and try to land in a jug of water. Yeah, how well do you think that is going to turn out?
"PO? ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS"? I had to yell just to catch his attention.
"TOTALLY! IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME"! He yelled back.
"NOT IF YOU BREAK ALL THE BONES IN YOUR BODY IT WON'T"!
"COME ON! IF A CIRCUS PERFORMER WEARING TIGHTS CAN DO IT, THEN WHAT REASON IS THERE THAT THE DRAGON WARRIOR CAN'T"?
"ONE, BECAUSE THEY'RE TRAINED PROFESSIONALS! AND TWO, THE PERFORMER WAS A SPIDER! TO HIM, IT WAS LIKE DIVING INTO A SWIMMING POOL"!
"TRUST ME ON THIS! I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING"!
I had no way to talk him out of it as the panda had already begun stretching and put his hands together, ready to dive. He was about to as well until.
"PANDA"!
The sharp stern voice made me jump. Shifu was standing right next to me and I hadn't even noticed. Po seemed to have been caught off guard just as much as he lost balance and fell off of the roof and landed right next to the jug of water. The resulting shock wave travelling underground was powerful enough to make the jug topple over and spilling the water over Pos face. I quickly slithered over to him in fear of him breaking something.
"Po! Are you okay"?
"Are you nuts? That was AWESOME"!
I glared at the panda angrily before giving a sigh and slithered away so that Shifu could speak to him.
"Po, I thought I made it clear that you would tone down on your little stunts".
"I have. I'm only down to three a week now".
"Even so, I believe punishment is the proper response to your rash actions and poor judgement".
"Uhhh... Pardon"?
I noticed Shifu's ear twitch.
"... You are to sweep the Jade palace stairs from top to bottom before the day is out. Do I make myself clear"?
I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the panda as his ears lowered slightly and obeyed his master. But still, I couldn't help myself as I tried to hold in a laugh as I looked at his disappointed face.
"Yes master Shifu".
"Good. I will return in an hour to check on your progress".
With that, Shifu headed back down the stairs as Po went to grab a broom. I offered him some sympathy before departing and heading back to the barracks for some peace and quiet. Or as peaceful as it ever gets around this place.
As I entered the barracks and got to my room, I found Vipes already coiled up on my bed sleeping. I have to admit, I was surprised when she had suggested that we move into one room together. It was even more of a surprise that Shifu allowed it. I suppose that it was because he knew that myself and Viper were wise enough to make our own decisions without jumping to... irresponsible conclusions. Anyway, I'm getting off track. What was the time? Something like perhaps eight in the morning maybe? Half the days we spend training, she's the one always having to wake me up. Now, I have the opportunity to pay her back for it.
I carefully sneaked over, careful not to wake her up just yet and got ready to shake the bed and make her jump awake. Instead, she turned the tables and got the jump on me!
"BOO"!
Her eyes opened at once and scared the hell out of me as I did not expect it, resulting in a near undignifying scream and being tackled to the ground. I glared at the victorious serpent.
"I hate it when you do that". I hissed.
"Aw, does the big bad python hate it when I beat him at his own game"? She teased.
She let me go and I got back up onto my stomach. I sighed from defeat and decided to get some cereal for breakfast while it was still morning. Viper followed me out and into the kitchen.
"So is there anything that you have planned for today"? She asked calmly as though nothing happened.
"Not much. I should be receiving another scroll from Yinshen some time today".
"You know, she's done well for herself despite how she treated us when you introduced us".
"Well you couldn't blame her. She had been through a lot. Still is I guess. First few scrolls she sent me were asking for advise on the important decisions on law and order. I'm still struggling to answer that as well". I laughed remembering the memory.
"That reminds me. We'll need to go over your writing again. You've been making a few mistakes with your words".
I rolled my eyes. It was too early to be talking about writing skills. Then again, I suppose any time was too early to be doing anything related to learning in my opinion.
"Okay, we'll go over it later teacher".
*KNOCK* *KNOCK*
"That should be the Gongmen messenger with that scroll". I stopped preparing my cereal and went to check the front door. But when I opened it, I didn't find myself face to face with the Gongmen city goose, but with a heron with black and white feathers. His eyes were orange and he looked quite nervous as though this was his first delivery. The feathers sticking out of its head were tied together with a small band. Unlike the Gongmen messenger who wore white robes and silver lacing, the heron had a sky blue robe with a dark blue lacing covering the edges which almost stretched down to his talons. This guy must have come from somewhere else.
"Hello". He spoke a little shaky. "I have a message for Master Viper from the great Sh'e village"...
The what village?
"Please excuse me for one second".
I held the door in place with a small stone as to not make it seem like I was shutting the poor guy out and fetched Viper who was already eating her own breakfast.
"Viper, you seem to have a message from a heron from the great ...Sh'e village". I told her at once, wondering if she knew where it was this place was. Apparently she must have done. Upon hearing the news, Viper nearly dropped the spoon and looked towards me with large widened eyes.
"Sh'e village"?
"Yes...". I replied uncertain if I should have said anything at all as the look I was receiving was becoming... unstable.
In seconds she broke out in a happy grin and zoomed right past me, almost knocking me to the ground. I take it she was familiar with this certain village. She acted towards the heron in a friendly manner like he was an old long dear friend. The heron just glanced to me and I shrugged in response, unsure whether I should be worried for his sake.
"You have a message for me from the Sh'e village"?
"...Y-yes ma'am". He replied, revealing the scroll to her. The happy snake took it and begun to read it at once. I didn't dare look in case she dared try to snap at me for doing so. Eventually once she finished it, her grin became even bigger.
"Mike! This is from the Sh'e village"! She turned to me.
"Yeah... I never would have guessed that... but, could you please tell me what is the Sh'e village and why is it so important"?
"Do you know what Sh'e means"?
"If I did, I wouldn't have just asked what it is". I responded cheekily. Thankfully she ignored it.
"It means Serpent! The great serpent village. The village of my mother and father"!
The great master Viper and his wife? Whoa. I never met them before but they sounded like a nice pair of snakes from what Viper had already filled me in on them some time ago. From what I remembered, Great Master Viper was the sole protector of his village and could defeat any opponent thanks to his lethal venom which, according to Po, was enough to take out fifteen gorilla warriors along with a mid sized crocodile.
"Cool. I suppose they are writing to see how you are getting along at the Jade palace"?
Viper took another look at the scroll before responding.
"It says that they would like to request my presence back home. Just to catch up".
"That's nice".
Was all I could say, though it did mean that Viper would be leaving for a while if she chose to go. Obviously she would. Not that I'm upset or anything, I'm glad she gets the chance to see her own parents unlike myself. But there seemed to be another surprise awaiting as Viper continued to read on.
"It also says that they would like to see you as well". She pointed to me.
Inside, I felt a little uncomfortable about this and tried to keep my neutral expression from frowning. But another important matter came to mind.
"How exactly is it that they know me"? I asked. The look I got in response made it look like I had just done something wrong as she raised an eye like I should have already expected the answer.
"Mike, many villages in China already know of what happened between you and Fennu"-
"Yinshen did most of the heavy lifting". I butted in, a little annoyed for everyone thinking that I had just somehow taken down a great big gorilla war lord on my own.
"Even so, they know who you are. Which means you're coming along".
There was no point of trying to wriggle my way out of this one. She'd probably drag me all the way there if I had dared to say no. I was not prepared to take that chance.
"Okay then, when do we set off"?
"Tomorrow morning. We'll need to inform Shifu and the others first".
"Very well".
Viper thanked the heron for his time and watched as he flew away. Afterwards, the only thing we could do was find Shifu and tell him about this new arrangement of sorts.
Eventually when we did find him, checking on Po's progress as he was still scrubbing the very first few steps, and Viper decided that she should be the one to tell him, what with it being her parents. I just stood at the side and helped Po with the first few stairs of which he had yet to start on.
The conversation lasted only a couple of minutes and Po was now scrubbing the tenth step. Ten down, many many more to go. Unfortunately for him, I was quickly called over by Shifu. His face as stern as ever.
"Master Mike, Master Viper tells me that you will be keeping her company on her journey to the great Sh'e village, is that correct"?
"Yes Master Shifu".
"...Very well. You both will leave in the morning. Just be sure to return within the next few days".
With that, Shifu left us and we just returned to our room back at the barracks. Viper was head over... tail I guess seeing how she doesn't have heels. She just kept smiling and telling me how she couldn't wait for me to meet her parents. I wish I had her confidence because I was a little shaky on meeting them. I'm sure they're very nice, but would they be willing to accept me was the question I was asking myself. I just slithered on top of the bed as I thought it over.
It took Viper three full minutes to notice that I was no longer listening to her which I found a little amusing. But my thoughts still focused on what it was going to be like when we arrive at the Sh'e village.
"Is something the matter"? She caught on at last, slithering onto the bed next to me.
"No, of course not. I'm doing just fine".
I didn't see the small smile across her face as she nuzzled her head into mine.
"You know you can't hide anything from me. So why don't you just tell me"? She asked sweetly.
Not like I had too much to lose.
"I guess I'm just... curious of how your family will react when they see me is all. I know it's stupid but, it worries me a little of what they'll think of me".
"Because they're my parents"?
"Yeah"...
Pretty much how every guy feels meeting someone elses parents. It's one thing to be nervous just because they are your girlfriends parents. But Vipers father is a kung fu master for petes sake. What if he finds me unworthy or something along those lines? It could happen. That was the main issue that played in my head over and over again.
"I understand that it may feel tough for you Mike. But I promise that you'll be fine. If anything, they've already taken a bit of a shine to you after hearing about how well you've protected the valley of peace several times".
"...I... I guess you're right. Maybe I'm just being silly". I smiled as best I could.
"You'll be fine. So please stop worrying will you? For me"?
"Alright. I will". I'll try to anyway.
"See? Don't you feel better already"?
"I do, yes. Thanks Vipes".
I smiled and rubbed my head back into hers. Sometimes, I wondered how lucky I really was to have her. There was nothing much else to do but just lie down and snuggle up to each other.
Nothing else special happened throughout the day apart from the Gongmen city messenger finally arriving and handing me the scroll letter I had been waiting for. This one was an interesting read.
Dear Mike.
It has been quiet lately around the city. Not as much crime as there used to be when I first agreed to the position of being the third council member. I can't decide whether I like it or not any more as there's nothing fun to do anymore.
On an unrelated note, my last walk through Gongmen left me with a small smile on my face, especially when I passed the market. It turns out that both myself and you have our own action figures now. I've heard that they will be sold around China in about a few days time so you can see for yourself. Though as childish as it may sound, my figures are selling a lot faster than yours so ha!
I really can't believe how fast three months have gone. It only feels like yesterday that the pair of us were kicking gorilla butt. We really need to get together sometime and just hang out. Also, I hear that you and Viper are doing well together. Three months and still going eh? I imagine that you two will have done it by now, joking. But in all seriousness, I wish you two the best of luck in the future.
P.S. I'm well aware that Mantis has been trying to get me with him ever since I left, so please pass on this message below to him.
If you ask me to go out with you ever again, I will squash you under my boot so many times that no one will recognize your remains!
I'd better wrap this up. They need me to settle a debate between two boars demanding a divorce or something along those lines. Can't wait to hear back from you.
Your friend Yinshen.
I closed the scroll and laughed. I felt a little sorry for her, not having anything fun to do. But at least she's happy and that's all that should matter.
And thus, the day ended.
...
Hey everybody! Guess who's back?
Okay, I was going to wait until I went to university to post this, but I realized I'd be too busy exploring the sights and enjoying freshmens week and whatnot. So I decided to post on a couple of chapters seeing how I mentioned that I'd get back to doing this story sometime this month. So the plan is to post one more chapter before I leave home on the 21st, enjoy freshmens week, then depending on my new timetable, I'll try to get a chapter done for my stories that are yet to be finished, and hopefully end up actually finishing them. But still, I've already set up the plot for this part, it'll be a little shorter than the previous one. But overall, I hope you enjoy reading part two of Mikes tale. Cheerio!