Master of The Azure Palace Chapter 6: The Beggar, The Monk and The Courtesan (5)

Read chapter 6 of Master of The Azure Palace by AzulConVerde on NovelPedia.

A few hours had barely passed after their first encounter and Shú was already at the Lúse family estate. Lán knew that beggars would be a good source of information, they were often ignored and heard and saw things from the shadows that few other people did. Still the speed at which Shú gathered information surprised him. They met in a small office that Lán’s father had prepared for him. “Here’s what I found” Shú said excitedly “The West Wind Taoist sect is currently in a feud with a Buddhist clinic that just opened up” Lán found it strange, from what he recalled the Shaolin Temple focused on meditation and martial arts practice to reach enlightenment, medicine was more the realm of the West Wind Taoist sect. “I thought the Shaolin Temple and the West Wind Taoist’s were on good terms” Lúse said. “The monk of this clinic isn’t from Shaolin” Shú replied “Some of the beggars I asked went to the clinic for treatment, they say he treated them for free and that he spoke with a strange accent” “I asked around some more and it turns out this monk comes from a monastery far away, from a mountainous country west of China” This last part took Lán by surprise, he knew the region that Shú was talking about, but he also recalled that the Buddhist monks from that country never ventured outside of it, they were often looked down upon in China as their practices were considered esoteric and mystical. “Good job, here take this before you leave” Lán slid over Shú’s payment and a small dagger “Take this too, use it only for protection” Shú grabbed the dagger carefully and hid it in her clothes. “Baek its time to go” Lán said “Lets go meet this mysterious monk” _________________________________________________________________________ Shú guided Lán and Baek to a small clinic near the outskirts of the city, a small wooden sign that simply said “Medical Clinic - All are welcome" hung outside. The front gates were open, and angry bickering and shouts could be heard from inside. “Shú go get some guards,” Lán said quietly as they entered. Shú hurried off A group of ten Taoist priests and disciples were circling a much smaller group of four people. One of the people from the smaller group seemed to be the priest Shú was talking about. He was an older pudgy looking man with a kind face, he wore red robes and even though the situation seemed to be escalating he was still trying to deescalate the situation. “Please calm yourselves brothers, we mean no disrespect by being here, we only wish to help the people of this city” the old man said gently before he was rudely cut off. “Go back to your mountains you devil!” one of the Taoist priests said, followed by cheers from his posse “You claim to practice medicine, yet your methods are completely unorthodox, no better than magic or witchcraft!" The Taoist priest pushed the old man to the ground, the monk’s disciples seemed ready to fight but were held back by their master. Just as the situation was about to turn violent Lán cleared his throat to call their attention. The entire group quickly turned their attention to the entrance. The man who seemed to be the leader of the Taoist priest addressed Lán directly. “Young Master of the Lúse Family, I am Língfēng, leader of the Taoists of Húchéng.” “You must ignore this devil’s words as they are surely poisoned” “Any treatment he has promised for your condition is surely no better than snake oil” Even though they had never met in person Lán knew who Língfēng was. He had been a constant thorn in his family’s side even before the attack by the Crimson Flower Society. Língfēng was a direct disciple of Xībiāo Dàorén the Grand Master of the West Wind Taoist sect, and he had used his influence to gain the favor of the people of Húchéng, often by pitting them against the Lúse Family by painting them as the cause for the city’s problems. “I haven't come here for treatment” Lán said firmly “I only came to talk with the owner of this establishment” Língfēng hesitated for a mom