The Inglorious Saint Tami

There was a great shuffling movement that lasted from the crack of dawn to midmorning. Wei Li Na listened with anticipation as the great army that had occupied the river banks for nearly half a month, marched out. Their departure gave the sensation of so much relief. She waited an extra day in hiding to make sure none of those soldiers lingered behind, before she popped her head from the rocks and jumped out from the crack on the cliff she had called home for too long.

Wei Li Na arrogantly adjusted her belt, the very same belt stolen from Wang Lei, and to the former owner of her present clothing she spat on the ground, "Pei! Pei! Shall we never cross paths again, so unlucky!"

Lifting her gait, her steps in full expression of her joy for freedom, Wei Li Na vaguely knew where she needed to go. The correct path was upstream, the opposite direction of that army's path. The correct path was also to stay close to the river, because where there's water, there will inevitably be people. Human civilization, since ancient times have followed this simple rule. To live, one will build near water for drinking, washing, and watering the garden, then one will never want for more. With this thought in mind, Wei Li Na with full confidence started her journey upstream.

It was not long before she spied a small group of haggard travelers. They looked harmless enough, so she unhurriedly approached. She let the group see her first, even as she was very far off, as to not alarm them. Someone, who looked to be the adult of the bunch, waved at her and yelled for her to come over.

"Are you travelling alone, little brother?" The adult had a gentle smile, that gave off and comfortable feeling. Wei Li Na notice the man addressed her as a male, she did not correct him. She had a long look at the fellow, for top to bottom. His garb looked rough, but his skin was smooth, with a bright complexion. He did not look like one who did manual labor, or practiced martial arts. He was surrounded by several children of various ages. Some of the children were focused on washing up, most lifted their heads to look at her.

"We stopped for a rest, on our way to Gaochang, for the market" He still had that gentle smile plastered on his face. In an encouraging tone, he tried his best to coax a response from Wei Li Na. The man followed Wei Li Na's gaze, she was curiously looking at a teenage boy shaving the head of a younger child. "Do you want a haircut?"

Wei Li Na touched her own hair. Patches of it were burned off close to the scalp and the long hair she had left were matted and tangled. She noticed several of the children already had their heads shaved. Was this a Buddhist order? Wei Li Na nodded her head in response to the man. She did need a haircut, silently she moved closer to the teenage boy with the shaving blade, to wait her turn. Getting her head shaved, she couldn't help feel a little nostalgic. Wasn't that just like the beginning of each school year at the military academy she attended since the age of ten, when all cadets, male or female, got a buzzcut.

While Wei Li Na looked distracted, her eyes towards the river in a daze, her head unmoving while Disciple Ren shaved her head. The man called Saint Tami took this opportunity of distraction to blatantly observed Wei Li Na with a discerning eye.

The stolen outer garb Wei Li Na called a tunic, was in this era the common chang pao for males. It was a perfect fit on the tall and valiant former owner, but on Wei Li Na, the chang pao hang loosely, the hem fell beyond her ankles, the sleeves long enough to cover her hands. All the extra fabric was gathered and held to her body with a belt. Her skin was peeling, red and inflamed, even on her face. She looked very much like a run-away, hastily dressed in stolen clothes.

It was the belt Saint Tami noticed, especially. It had a buckle of jade, possibly not the best quality jade but this was the first time Saint Tami had seen jade used in such a wasteful way. Isn't jade so precious that it's only used sparingly for small jewelry pieces? A ring or pendant. But this belt had a buckle of jade, and along the belt's length were sewn flat tablets of jade. So extravagant!

Saint Tami looked more closely at Wei Li Na's clothing, although soiled at the bottom hem, and the material was of ordinary linen, it looked new. It was of a bright and vibrant yellow ocher color that had not been washed so many times. It was probably washed only once or twice in its lifetime. There were no signs of patches or repairs, the sleeves and collar showed no marks of long wear. Unlike his own, travel weary robes. Quietly, he already made his plans for this wandering lamb. A small, sinister smile twitched at the corners of his mouth, unobserved by Wei Li Na.