Chapter 22: Scrolls

Chapter 22: Scrolls

“Uncle Kho, is there a reason you picked this scroll?”

Sen stared down at the partially unrolled scroll, not quite sure why it was in his hands. The scroll was covered with a combination of pictures and text. The pictures were of plants. The text described a variety of things about the pictured plants, such as where to find them and their uses.

Uncle Kho gave the obviously confused boy a sympathetic smile. “That’s actually one of my wife’s scrolls. I should say, she wrote it. But, yes, there is a reason that I picked that one. Everything on the scroll can be found on this mountain. Everything on there also has a medical or alchemical use.”

Sen squinted down at scroll and pointed to a word. “Alchemical? Is that what this word is?”

Kho glanced at where the boy pointed and nodded. “It is.”

“Okay. So, what does alchemical mean?”

“You don’t know what alchemy is?”

Sen blinked at Uncle Kho a few times. “I didn’t even know the word a minute ago.”

“Ha! I suppose that’s fair. I’m not an alchemist, that’s someone who studies or performs alchemy, but I can give you the basics. A lot of things in the world are powerful in one way or another. I expect you know that some plants are dangerous to touch or eat.”

Sen nodded along, following the explanation so far. “Like the Devil Blind Root?”

“Exactly. There are also plants out there with healing properties.”

“Like the Starflower.”

“Really? The Starflower?”

“Yeah, I used to put the petals on any cuts I got. It helped them heal up. It was the only medicine I could get most of the time since they grow everywhere.”

“You seem a lot more excited about this scroll than the last one. Not very impressed with the government?”

Sen had to think that over. He hadn’t been impressed with reading about the government. That had been terribly boring. Even so, he wasn’t sure he had any strong feelings about the government itself.

“It seems complicated. I’m not sure it’ll ever matter that much in my life.”

“Oh, it’s very complicated. Politics is always complicated. Knowing how the government is organized, well, let’s say that you’ll probably be glad you know about that down the road. You never know when you’ll need to know what official is in charge of something. Here’s a tip for you, though. Never talk to the person in charge. Talk to their assistant.”

“Why?”

“Assistants are almost always available. They can usually solve your problems without bothering their bosses. And, if you show up looking for them, it makes them feel important. That makes them want to help you. Anytime you can get someone to want to help you, it’s better than making someone help you. People resent it when you make them do what you want. They feel good about it if they wanted to help you all along. Plus, they’re happy to see you the next time you cross paths.”

Sen wasn’t sure he understood all of what Uncle Kho just explained, but he filed the information away in his head anyway. Whatever he was now, Sen knew that Uncle Kho had not always lived on this mountain. He’d clearly spent a lot of time out in the world. If he said that this was a good way to approach things, Sen believed him. As Sen considered the scroll in his hand, he remembered something that happened that first day he and Master Feng arrived.

“Uncle Kho, do you remember that first day I was here?”

Kho grinned at the boy. “I have some vague recollection.”

“You tried to give me a scroll to read that day. I think it was about cultivation.”

“Oh, yes,” said Kho, looking uncomfortable. “I remember that.”

“Can I see that scroll?”

“I’m afraid not. Rather, that’s a question for your master. It wasn’t appropriate for me to offer it to you in the first place. He’ll have to decide what to I can share with you about cultivation.”

Sen could see that Uncle Kho either didn’t like the topic or didn’t like that he couldn’t share the scroll. Either way, it had been a minor matter to Sen.

Sen shrugged. “If you can’t, you can’t. I was just curious. I’ll ask Master Feng about it.”