Chapter 17 - When Things Happen

"Sir… Please! I swear on my life! I'll be back within the week with the rest of the money!"

Sun, having regained his composure, kneels towards the man in front of him. He slams his forehead onto the stone-lined street as his plea of desperation falls on deaf ears.

"Y-yo- you!" The man, sprawled flat on his butt under the entryway, stutters in cold sweat. "D-d-did- d-did you just try t-t-to th-threat-threaten me?!"

"I apologize, sir!" Sun apologizes, his head still glued to the ground. Please! I'll be back with the rest of the money!"

"I'll r-re-r-report you!"

The commotion attracts the attention of a few people passing by. They stop to watch as they mutter amongst themselves.

"You!" The man, emboldened by the spectators, jumps to his feet and points to the crowd. "You all saw that, right?! He just threatened me! I'll have you jailed for this!"

The Ghost Doctor sighs before jumping off the roof, landing quietly behind the spectators.

"Gyo-hoho! Let's not be too hasty now." The Ghost Doctor chuckles, breaking up the tense atmosphere, as he steps past the crowd.

"Grandmaster Ghost Doctor Yi!" The man exclaims upon seeing the elderly figure. He cups his hands and bows towards the Ghost Doctor. "What brings you to our humble pharmacy?"

"Not much, junior. Just enjoying a stroll." The Ghost Doctor replies. He takes out a coin from his sleeve and flips it towards the pharmacy owner. "Get the medicine. Keep the change, junior."

The pharmacy owner catches the coin and bows. He rushes towards the cabinet on the counter behind him, grabbing a clay vial and handing it to the Ghost Doctor.

"Thank you for your generosity, Grandmaster!" The pharmacy owner bows deeply.

"It's quite late." The Ghost Doctor speaks, waving his sleeve to accept the bow. "Why don't we treat this misunderstanding as such and let bygones be bygones?"

"As you request, Grandmaster!" The pharmacy owner bows towards the Ghost Doctor one last time before heading back in to close up shop.

As the crowd disperses, the Ghost Doctor bends his knee before placing the vial of medicine in front of the kneeling man.

"Under the tongue, let it dissolve naturally. One pill every six hours. Make haste, child."

Sun lifts his head towards the elderly man before him before slamming it back down onto the ground.

"Thank you, Elder, for your benevolence!"

"Gyo-hoho!" The Ghost Doctor chuckles. "At ease, child. Go take care of your business. Stop by my humble Black Root Clinic if you wish to repay me."

"On my life! I promise!"

Sun picks up the vial before him before standing up to face the sky. The Ghost Doctor observes with keen eyes as he watches the young man disappear, leaving behind a gust of wind and dust. He looks up at the sky and sighs.

To make someone of your caliber kneel… Heavy isn't it? The weight of responsibility.

***

The half-moon casts its pale, glimmering, light onto the city beneath. Its reflection rests calmly on the surface of the water. The peaceful reflection is suddenly disrupted by a wooden bucket. A pair of slender hands pushes the bucket into the barrel of rainwater before turning the bucket and lifting it back out.

Lia sighs as she makes her way back to the room. Arriving at the courtyard, she stops momentarily to look up at the night sky before making her way through the door. She kneels beside Yuyu as she sets the bucket down onto the floor.

After wiping the sweat off of the little girl's face, neck, and collar, Lia rinses the sleeves before folding them back into a rectangle. One on the forehead, the other under the neck. She turns towards the door and watches anxiously, slowly drifting off into sleep.

A few minutes later, a gust of wind rattles the doors and windows of the complex, waking Lia from her short nap. She looks at the door as it slowly creaks open. Sun enters the room before making eye contact with Lia.

"Don't worry. She fell asleep before the ninth count."

A slight smile appears on Sun's somber face as he makes his way towards Yuyu. He kneels across from Lia before pulling a clay vial out from his sleeve. With a muffled pop, he removes the wooden plug, tilting the vial into his hand. Multiple brown pellets, about the size of a pinky-nail, rolls out from the vial.

"Can you hold her mouth open for me?" Sun asks.

Lia lifts the little girl's upper lip with one hand. Her other hand pushes between the rows of teeth before gently pulling the lower row down. After a short moment of struggling, Sun manages to set the pellet under Yuyu's tongue. They observe Yuyu silently and patiently for an hour, watching with hopeful eyes as her expression becomes more relaxed and her shivering abates. The worst was over.

"Come," Sun breaks the hour of silence. "I'll take you home."

The two make their way outside into the courtyard. Sun closes the door gently behind him. He picks up the broken lock on the floor and removes the shackle. After sliding the shackle through the hasp on the doorframe, he pinches his fingers and bends the shackle into a ring.

"I'll be right back," he mutters before turning to walk with Lia onto the street.

Sun places one arm on Lia's back, sweeping her off the ground with the other under her knees. Feeling her arms securely wrapped around his shoulders, he lifts his heel before the two disappear from where they stood. A short moment later, they reappear in front of Lia's housing complex. Lia walks to her gate and unlocks it. Before entering, she turns around to see Sun's somber face looking back at her.

"Hey, dummy, don't be so hard on yourself." She tries to comfort him with a soft smile. "Things happen. You just have to handle it as it comes. Something happened, and you handled it. You got it together and you handled it. Just keep it together. This is the Mister that Yuyu needs you to be."

Hearing her words, Sun's worried expression fades, if ever so slightly.

"Sorry for keeping you up so late." He says as he bows with cupped hands. "Thank you. For everything."

"It's okay, dummy." Lia's eyes squint into a curve as she smiles. "Go now, Yuyu needs her Mister."