Kunlun Mountain Part 4 - The Return

Chapter 48 - Chang Shan Speaks

Mo Yuan awoke the next day feeling more alive than he had since the day he had returned from his sacrifice.  Taking a cautious look at Bai Qian who was curled up beside him, he quietly slipped out of bed so as not to disturb her.  Even though she insisted she was well and had never felt better,  he knew she would need a lot of rest.

The night before, he had sat with Zhe Yan and Di Jun talking about what they had all witnessed her do, the effects it was having on their world and also her.  

"When she was little, she would dramatize even the smallest cut to her finger." Zhe Yan had said.  "But she has changed Mo Yuan.  She is not as well as she makes herself out to be and you know this more than anyone.  Dying and resurrecting takes a huge toll on the body, she will be very tired for weeks.   That barrier she just erected, used a lot of energy so make sure she rests."  he had said.

And he did know.  The first few days after his resurrection, was exceptionally exhausting for him, so he did rest himself as much as he could.  But Bai Qian was not him, she was still the excitable little girl that he had always known, and the night before, he had ordered her straight to bed even though she had wanted to stay up drinking wine with them.

Her mind, like his own was far too awake with thoughts of loved ones, life, the meaning of life and all manner of mind chatter that keeps the body too energized.  In the end, Zhe Yan had given him sleeping elixirs to force him to sleep, and though he had not had to force her to sleep, he knew he would have to eventually.

There was a lot of work to do, especially on Kunlun Mountain, and having yet had the opportunity to really look at the damage and determine where he was going to begin with the clean up, Mo Yuan dressed quickly before slipping out of the chamber quietly.

Dawn had not yet broken, but he knew that Di Jun would be up early as he had to return to the Palace now that the world was still being energized, and with him would go Zhe Yan.  Many would have been hurt when the initial blast hit their world, so he too would not stay.  In fact, Zhe Yan looked so much better now that his body was fully energized, though he did insist that Zhe Yan return at the end of each day to eat and sleep in comfort, until he was fully back to good health.

And health was another issue he had to deal with.  They had all suffered considerably from lack of good nutrition and decent sleep, his Disciples especially, so for that day, he did not want them doing to much.  Now that Bai Qian was back along with an eternal power source, they could all focus on their own healing.  

The moment he entered the Grand Hall, he noticed that someone had been up cleaning away the debris.  In the Grand Hall were twelve main Pillars and twelve minor Pillars, but an earlier inspection had him noticing that six of the main Pillars had given way completely, while the rest would need immediate attention.  However it seemed as if someone had already begun strengthening what remained complete, while moving the debris to the main entrance where much of it could be reused to replace the broken ones.

He also noticed the ceiling and walls had already been prepared for fixing, but as he walked around the empty hall, he knew after a few minutes, whose energy had been used and the smell of fresh bread and hot porridge being cooked had him moving quickly towards the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, Chang Shan did not notice his entry which automatically had him moving towards him.  No one entered his domain without his knowledge, the boy had a sixth sense when it came to his kitchen, and the amount of times his younger Disciples would try to sneak in when they were younger, just to see if they could get away with it, always ended in failure and tears because not even a spider could enter without him feeling it.

But he had stood inside the doorway for some time watching his second Disciple sluggishly moving about the kitchen preparing breakfast and it was his movements that had him quickly pulling him around to face him.