The Water Dragon

There is an eagle flying high over the vast expanse of a dense forest. The mountains in the distance are fast closing in on him. He can pinpoint every peak with clarity. But what he searches for is a lake. Not just any lake would do. It has to be the one. Finding it is the tricky part. These mountains have many streams and a number of small lakes. Nobody ever said, with any hint of truth, which of the lakes he needs to find.

The eagle circles above a pristine emerald green lake. The reflection is like looking into a mirror. Even the trees frame the lake perfectly. The valley offers no hints at all. Could this be it? He can sense a great deal of magic, but that can be said of any given valley in the Kunlun mountain range. A piercing scream sounds out over the quietness. It’s followed by a splash of water, and the eagle is no more.

“I have never seen a clumsier bird in my entire life,” Le Yang chuckles. He pulls on his fishing rod, and a young boy, of maybe twenty years, hangs by the end of it. Water is dripping from him, and there seems to be a tangle of lotus leaves in his hair.

“I swear this has never happened before,” the boy stammers.

“I do not care. I hereby forbid you from taking bird form until you learn some grace and elegance. You are a total disgrace to every bird out there,” Le Yang glares at the boy. Then he slowly lets his feet touch firm ground.

“Who are you to forbid me to do anything?” The boy smirks.

“The one you’re searching for,” Le Yang Long turns away and starts walking. “Follow me. At least I can get you dry before you leave.”

The boy runs after him, and really has to scurry with his short legs, even though Le Yang is not even walking that fast. He shakes his head as he leads the way to his house. It’s hidden in the densest part of the forest that surrounds the lake. His home is not for just everyone, but he can make this clumsy youth forget that they have ever met. He amused him for five minutes, so Le Yang can at least do a little something for the boy. Getting him dry and fed should do. He doesn’t owe him anything.

Taking away the spell that hides the house, he strides up the stairs that lead to the terrace overlooking the lake. His favourite Go table sits there, but he got tired of playing by himself. The rest of his house could easily be described as an elaborate treehouse. The rooms are divided between several big oak trees, the bridges that connect them are carved with precision and resemble a dragon just leisurely resting between the branches. A dragon’s head is carved on the roof of the tower. That is also his favourite spot for watching the constellations.

“You can take a bath in the small room just off of the kitchen while I find you something to wear,” Le Yang directs the boy with a hand gesture.

“Thank you,” the boy nods. There is just a tiny sliver of fear to be heard.

“What is your name?” Le Yang inquiries. He has no idea why, because he is planning to send the boy packing in an hour or so.

“Hai,” the boy says quietly.

“And?” Le Yang gestures. He wonders where the bravado from earlier went?

“Nothing. Just Hai,” the boy tells him with a sigh. It must be a recurring thing for him, because he launches into an explanation. “A monk found me as a baby. He only gave me a name. He didn’t make me his family.”

“I see,” Le Yang nods. So the boy has nowhere to go, except maybe back to a monastery somewhere. But, the closest one is ten days by foot away. He is definitely not from Kunlun academy. The palace is even less likely. The snake clan would never breed a bird. On a whim, he tells him his name: “My name is Le Yang Long.”

“Long? A dragon?” Hai stammers. “Are you the legendary water dragon?”

“Go take a bath. You’re stinking up my kitchen,” Le Yang sighs. “We can talk later.”

“Are you really the water dragon?” Hai asks when he emerges from the bath. The robes are too big on him and he seems like a toddler dressed in his big brother’s clothes. This boy will forever stay petite. And he is kind of cute, Le Yang admits to himself while he watches him.

“Yes,” he nods. “Weren’t you looking for me?”

“I was,” Hai nods. “I just never expected to actually find you. You see…”

“You didn’t trust the information you got? You just got lost and incredibly unlucky that you actually did find me?” Le Yang smirks. This encounter amuses him. Maybe he should keep the boy around for a few days?

“Why do you say unlucky?” Hai wants to know while he tries desperately to fit into the robes a bit better.

“I will send you back after lunch,” Le Yang gestures to the low table. “It’s just fish soup. That’s all I have here.”

“Send me back? Can’t I stay? I want to learn from you,” Hai drops to his knees and begs. “Please let me stay!”

“No!” Le Yang shakes his head.

“Please,” Hai pleads with tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

“I do not take disciples. There is nothing I could teach a little bird like yourself,” he stays firm in his decision to send the boy away.

“I’m not a bird,” Hai sniffs his tears back, not letting them fall.

“I see,” Le Yang murmurs. “What dubious cultivation did that monk teach you?”

“It’s called transformation. Only a few of us could take animal form, but the Master can even appear as other humans. I don’t particularly like it. It feels like a deception,” Hai explains.

“I can understand your reasoning. But what exactly do you wish to learn?” Le Yang inquires. This boy intrigues him on a deeper level.

“Real cultivation,” Hai whispers with reverence in his voice. “The kind that gives you power to change things, to help people.”

“Oh! You do not seek immortality?” Le Yang wants to know. The boy is not pretending, he is not hiding anything. Le Yang can smell a lie, but there is just truth and purity coming from this boy.

“I’m not a fool. True immortality is for gods and spirits,” Hie chuckles. “I’m just a human. If I get good enough, I might live past a hundred years.”

“You are remarkably astute for a boy of your age. No illusions? No wishes of grandeur? Don’t you want to reach for the stars?” Le Yang presses the boy.

“And then what? I can spend eternity alone? I’m all alone even now. How would immortality change that?” Hai counters with questions of his own.

“Well,” Le Yang chuckles. “I guess, we will see.”

“See what?” Hai wonders. The boy’s eyes are wide with confusion.

“How good you can get at your cultivation. Your lessons start tomorrow,” Le Yang smiles. “Let me fix those robes. My only disciple can’t look all shaggy and haggard like that.”

“You will let me stay?” Hai’s face lights up with a bright smile.

“For now,” Le Yang nods. He snaps his fingers, and the boy’s robes shrink in size to fit him perfectly. Not only is the boy short, his body is slim like a girl’s. Cast down robes just won’t do for him. “Do not expect from me to fix your robes all the time. Next set I give you, you can mend yourself.”

“Thank you, master,” Hai bows low to show respect.

“Clean the table. I’ll be in my tower,” Le Yang nods. He walks up the stairs just to avoid the boy. Too much human contact for one day. The lessons he agreed to will have to be fairly limited, too. Could he just drop a book or two on the boy? But, first, he needs to test the boy’s cultivation. Changing shapes is not a very useful thing, unless that monk is training assassins. On second thought, can the boy fight? Making himself comfortable in the lounge chair on the top of his tower, Le Yang starts to regret his decision to take this boy in. His solitude is self imposed, he quite likes it that way. This human is intriguing, but can he really stand having him around? Teaching him? Tomorrow will tell. It’s still not too late to send the boy back from where he came.