Confrontation!

The newly dawning Sun chased away the nimbus clouds the next day. Big, fluffy clouds hung high above, but the light still shone down on the Monotone Woods. Droplets spilled off the leaves on the small grove of Plum Blossoms. The flowers bloomed bright and deep whites, pinks, and reds. Late Plum fruits drooped from their branches.

Caleb leaned against a Fir tree. The water repelled from his body like scared rabbits.

He mumbled to himself, "Never knew I would ever be able to do this…"

Amanda stood alongside him with Sam. The boy wore the slightly baggy pants and long sleeve shirt that she sewed overnight out of wolf hides. They also stayed dried from Amanda and Caleb's combined connection to Nature and understanding water.

Amanda asked Sam, "This is the place?"

The boy nodded and hid behind her.

Small wooden houses surrounded the Plum Blossom grove. Uncles in the usual Buddyist brown frayed robes roamed around. They led little boys around the Plum Trees and joyfully chatted and played in the mud. A wagon pulled by a horse came back through a muddy trail amidst all the Fir trees.

Sam exclaimed, "See, that's Uncle!'

He pointed at the handsome man holding the reins to lead the horse.

Caleb pushed off the Fir tree and strolled through the mud.

"Let's get this over with."

As Caleb and Amanda approached, the Uncles and little boys turned towards them. The little boys loudly gossiped as the Uncles gathered up and worried.

One boy asked, "Who're those two?"

The other said, "Why does it matter? Maybe they're visiting."

One said, "I bet they're important. They look important."

Another said, "Isn't that boy familiar?"

"Yeah! He's one of the new arrivals!"

"He wasn't here this morning."

"I bet he was busy talking to them, then."

A handsome and clean middle-aged man left the gathering of Uncles. They noticed the effortlessness in drying up the muddy ground and worried about the rumors of the Two Gods.

He greeted, "Hello! How may I help you this fine day!"

He clasped his hands together and bowed. Caleb approached closer to the Uncle.

"You can call me Uncle. We are all Uncles around here, who take care of the unfortunate boys. Ah, aren't you getting a bit too close?"

Caleb casually put his hand on his shoulder.

"I heard from your Elders that the Buddy Tao Sect is full of people that are not cruel, heartless, or overbearing. Here I see proof, but I heard from one boy that you eventually make them disappear…"

Simultaneously, an abundant vitality swirled around Caleb and Amanda! It was like two entire Planets descended from the Universe and looked uncaringly upon him!

The handsome Uncle dropped to the now dried ground, gasping to breath and sweating like a dirty pig spying on women in a hot spring! The other Uncles felt the same pressure and swooned onto the dirt. They barely held themselves up on their hands and on their knees.

"Please!" he begged. "Let me explain!"

Amanda sighed and said, "Fine."

The vitality withdrew into their bodies and the Uncles could be at peace once more. The handsome Uncle wiped his face on his sleeve.

"We are the Sho-Tao Con Saviors. We really do take in unfortunate boys that have nowhere else to go and give these boys a better life. The thing is… we serve the Buddy Tao Sect as secret recruiters."

Caleb looked surprised and said, "Recruiters?"

The handsome Uncle solemnly nodded.

"Yes. We have to make sure that the boys have good intentions. Too many times have we been betrayed by disciples that misused our teachings. Because our last Sect Leader abandoned us in the Mainland, we were forced to flee to the Irula Peninsula.

Luckily, we survived. To the Mainland, it wasn't worth chasing after us because we still had some strength and other Tao Sects could ambush the both of us. It was like hyenas attacking an alphaless wolf pack while the tigers watched."

The handsome Uncle bowed his head.

"We could monitor how the boys reacted to each other. If they failed, we returned them to where we found them or we let them roam freely. Sometimes, it takes hardships of the World to realize how our kindness mattered. If they passed, we gave them the chance to join our Tao Sect."

Amanda frowned and said, "Then why take away Terry, Sam's friend? Why take away the boy who fell from the ladder?"

"What else would we do? We take them back to the Buddy Tao Sect! We can't keep medicines or practice our Buddy Techniques here! If we did, our affiliation would leak!"

Caleb snorted.

"Besides," the handsome Uncle continued. "It's only been two days. I brought back Nick just now. Nick! Come here!"

"Yes, Uncle?"

A lanky boy separated from the group of other boys and then jogged over.

"Nick, didn't you break your leg two days ago?"

The boy firmly nodded.

"Yes. Thank you, Uncle, for fixing my leg! I can run freely again!"

Amanda frowned as Sam gazed at him in shock.

"Why don't you all follow me?"

The handsome Uncle led them to a large river at the back of a tall wooden house. Back there, a tall tree grew, with a wooden fence around it.

"This is the Happy Tree. It represents our virtuous struggle. The hope it gives us comes from its medicinal properties. We can use its oval leaves, light grey bark, roots, and seeds in herbal extracts to help colds, skin problems, or digestive problems."

The handsome Uncle caught a falling cluster of Snow White Flowers.

"See the beauty in its purity? In the shortness of life as a Mortal, we cannot forget that the brightness in our life will fade. Today, we can treat illnesses, but when will the tomorrow come that not even the best medicine can help us?"

The handsome Uncle shook his head and handed Sam the flower.

"I'm sorry for not explaining this to you. Like I've told you before, we serve our principles as 'The Protectors of the Young.' I do not expect the Gods to understand how we value our virtues. All I want is for the future to be a better place."

Sam began crying and his nose started running too. He couldn't look at the Uncle and sniffled to himself.

"The World works as it must, but I defy the possibility of leading others astray. These boys… They are like my family."

The handsome Uncle patted Sam's head. Sam hugged his leg and kept crying.

Amanda frowned deeply.

"That still doesn't explain why you select only the cutest and most unharmed orphans."

"Ah…"

The handsome Uncle shifted his feet.

"I admit we do have a bias in selection. We cannot help every child that exists."

"So…" Caleb lifted up the handsome Uncle by his collar. "You are perfectly willing to let the ones who truly need help suffer? Your speech doesn't prove any of your words to be the truth. Even if you were telling the truth, isn't it hypocritical to not even try?"

The handsome Uncle shied away from the depth of Caleb's sapphire eyes.

"That… well, not everything in the World works selflessly. I have my preferences, and so do you. I doubt you two, as Gods, could care so much. Yet, I am here, lectured by Immortal Beings with powers beyond my comprehension. What gives you the right to stay uninvolved and allow the suffering to continue? Have you no sense of responsibility over Humanity?"

Caleb dropped the handsome Uncle on his butt.

"I believe in chance. If we encounter a situation where our help is demanded, we may or may not help. It is our choice whether or not to act. We do not dictate the smallest things that occur so Humanity can grow on its own. Even as Gods, we are not everlasting."

Amanda and Caleb looked up in the air. Four people materialized overhead.

"Ah, if it isn't Zhang Shuang, Han Jun, Wang Hung, and Li Kuo," Caleb snickered. "Jun! Kuo! I see your hair grew back since last time!"

The two Elders awkwardly nodded. They felt a tyrannical force immeasurably stronger than the last time they sensed. In their panic, they investigated while telling other Tao Sects to stay away. The possibility of enraging the Two Gods made the others too scared to look.

Elder Shuang floated down with the others and they all bowed in sync.

"This faithful servant begs your forgiveness! We hadn't explained exactly what we were doing, so misunderstandings were bound to happen."

Amanda glared at him while Caleb looked tiredly at him.

Amanda seethed, "If you want to promote the cause of bettering the world, don't discriminate on their physical appearance. Next time, make sure all of the Young are treated well. That includes girls!"

Amanda's vitality flared up and destabilized Elder Shuang! He fell face first into a pool of mud.

"Blurbah! Ugh! Pwhaacktwoo!"

Elder Shuang wiped off his face and spit out the mud onto the side. He didn't dare defy the heart-wrenching terror in front of him. He didn't want to die like a Squirrel that angered the Tigress!

"Y-Yes, Milady! We will reform our recruitment process immediately! Ah… Might I add we do recruit girls? They are called the 'Lolitaholic Loyalists' and we help groom them to be proper and selfless Nuns."

Amanda's eyebrow twitched and she stomped over to Elder Shuang.

He yelled, "Ah!? Wait!"

She replied, "Be grateful that I didn't go further."

She smacked Elder Shuang on the chest! He coughed, losing all blood flow and breath! The rotating vitality within him stopped for a moment! Suddenly, an intricate design formed over his heart! Elder Shuang felt a heavy burden on his heart!

"There. You will be properly motivated and monitored."

Caleb looked at Amanda in judgement.

"Did you really have to do that? A bit excessive, isn't it?"

"Yes," she agreed. "But this will ensure he follows on his words."

Caleb sighed.

"We're leaving. It's in your best interest not to fail. I refuse to be entangled in this mess."

They walked away as Elder Shuang gasped. He breathed in deeply and his blood started flowing once more! His vitality felt perversely watched. Elder Shuang shivered in the mud. Then, he finally flew up.

"Cousin Cuf!" he yelled. "Make sure you do as she says, or you will die with me!"

Elder Shuang flicked his sleeve and the mud flew off of himself and all over the Happy Tree. The Elders disappeared, one by one.

The handsome Uncle softly cried to himself.

Sam let go of his leg and asked, "Uncle, so you're really called Cousin Cuf?"

He rubbed his eyes and slowly nodded.

"It's one of my many names."

The handsome Uncle started cleaning off the mud on the Happy Tree.

"I swear! Humans, spirits, or Gods— They can't appreciate family or social values!"

Sam nodded and started helping him clean up. He was glad that he had his Uncle back.