The Ruined City

The Ruined City — page 7 — How can mountains fall The earth shakes when the gods are angry she said simply Why not enough that mountains fall Kun shrugged unconvinced Even if that is possible the sky cannot be on fire and the dead cannot live to be courageous What happened the year you were born For a moment the emperor was confused and then he realized what Jingshen was asking A great star fell to earth he replied Its fall was so bright that it could be seen at noon Do the chronicles not say that it was as if the sky was ablaze Kun’s voiced dropped They do So the reign of Skyfire is when I am emperor Yes and is Shenxian not the high priest who can speak with the dead as if they were standing beside him alive And has he not proven his courage in battle many times Kun took a deep breath So when the mountains fall during my reign as emperor Shenxian will be able to put on the Golden Mask without our aid Jingshen nodded But what is the Ivory Ark That I do not understand But whatever it is it is important The pair sat in worried silence as the sun rose and the shadows fled down the walls of the imperial tearoom It seemed to Kun that they mirrored the darkness that was falling across his reign and the entire future of Sanxingdui He had almost plucked up enough courage to ask Jingshen 6 john wilson

The Ruined City — page 8 — what could be done when the silence was shattered by a highpitched highpitched yapping Kun leapt to his feet in surprise as a small brown dog shot into the room and tore around in circles The dog had long hair a shaggy tail droopy ears and a squashed face that made it look as if it had run at full speed into a wall Its pink tongue hung out flapping wetly from side to side as it ran Kun spun around to the doorway where a young girl dressed in the same uniform as Chen stood with her eyes and mouth open wide in horror Ting he shouted How many times have I told you to keep that foul smelly beast under control Dogs are for work to catch rats to stand guard and to hunt not to be pampered overbred pets for kitchen girls who do not know their place Remove it from the sacred tearoom immediately We shall talk about what is to be done with it later Jingshen watched serenely as Ting chased the animal around the room shouting Come here Fu Bad dog At last she grabbed a leg drew the protesting creature into her arms and retreated bowing As she disappeared out the door she was replaced by Chen who was carrying a tray with an ornate teapot and two cups on it He shuffled across the room bent forward his eyes staring only at the mat in front of his feet Chen Have I not warned you enough about keeping that dog under control Kun demanded as he sat back down It cannot live in the palace if it disrupts everything Chen looked about to burst into tears as he bowed even lower 7 the ruined city

The Ruined City — page 9 — As the boy reached the table Jingshen said with a smile I understand that you have been studying wushu Chen nodded without looking up Does wushu not promote fluid elegant bodily movements movements she asked Chen flicked his eyes up to glance at Jingshen and mumbled It does Then why do you move like an arthritic monkey Does wushu not say Do not fight yourself relax I’m sorry Don’t be sorry Simply move as you can Chen looked up at the emperor who gave a nod Slowly the boy unbent until he stood straight He spun in a circle raising the tray above his head as he did so Balancing it on one hand he performed an ever-faster sequence of complex twists and turns then placed the tray neatly in the middle of the table With a mesmerizing series of delicate hand moves he poured the tea and placed a cup before each of the onlookers As Chen backed away Jingshen said That was well done I don’t believe I’ve seen tea served that way before I made up the moves myself Chen said as he backed away toward the door They’re very graceful Jingshen called as the boy disappeared disappeared She turned to Kun Don’t be too hard on Chen To control Fu he must first control Ting and I’m not sure even you could do that The emperor grumbled and reached for his tea At least he didn’t spill much he said 8 john wilson

The Ruined City — page 10 — He has talent Jingshen asserted And I think his role in the struggle to come is greater than being the emperor’s teaboy And Ting Will she have a role Chen seems infatuated with her Around the palace it is almost impossible to see one without the other I think she will Jingshen said But she is so quiet like a mouse Were it not for that annoying dog at her heel she would be invisible Remember the old saying There is greater depth in silence than a million words of senseless babble That is true Kun agreed And Jingshen continued do not be so ready to dismiss the annoying dog There is magic in the number three Kun sputtered over his tea You cannot be serious Chen has talent yes And Ting may well have hidden depths But that dog It’s it’s Words failed him He could find nothing to describe how he felt about Fu Jingshen smiled I understand Fu is not the most lovable of creatures But there is a story a story that was ancient even when the first mask was cast in Sanxingdui She sipped her tea and began to tell the story When the world was young and newly born out of chaos there were no people or animals Heian the god of darkness and Guang the goddess of light decided to divide the world between them but they could not agree which creatures to place in it Heian saw the world as a playground for the gods and wished to populate it with mighty creatures from the beginning of time Guang saw the earth as a garden where more modest creations could live peacefully 9 the ruined city

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