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But Rui kept the thought to herself as she turned to the grizzled, white-robed being who spoke. She bowed formally with due respect.
“Master,” she greeted.
The short, thin, white-haired and white-bearded old man nodded in acknowledgement and looked expectantly to her companions.
Sorin inclined his head, but Ere merely blinked.
“Isn’t there something else we can call you besides ‘Master’?” the troublemaking male asked in his devil-may-care tone.
“I’m really not fond of addressing anyone in the terms of subjugation, having suffered enough enslavement to last to eternity. How about White Beard? Or Old Man? Or—”
“You may call meShifu,” Master interrupted, his unlined brow crinkling with annoyance.
“You know, I’ve watchedKungfu Panda,” Ere shared in a conspiratorial whisper. “I know whatShifumeans. It’s just another way of saying Master.”
Master closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Rui could see his fingers twitch where he clasped his hands behind his back.
She could certainly empathize.
Ere had the unique gift of driving saints to madness.
“Shifumeans Honored Teacher,” she interjected, before the Master decided to punish the male for his impertinence.
Although, perhaps she should let that happen. The sooner Ere learned his lesson, the better.
Maybe he’d finallybehave.
“Well, he hasn’t taught me anything, so why should I—”
His voice suddenly broke off, though his mouth kept moving. Instead of words, a bullfrog’s croak emerged.
Ere’s eyes bugged out with alarm, a fair impression of a bullfrog, in fact, as he slapped a hand over his mouth.
“Ribbit!” he uttered when he tried to speak again.
“Lesson one,” the Master said calmly, “language is a gift to be used wisely. Know when to speak and when to hold your tongue.”
Rui’s mouth trembled with the subtle hint of a smile.
Who said she had no humor?
“Now keep silent until it is your turn to speak,” the Master instructed smartly, his voice sharper than usual.
“Perhaps I shall return your voice…in due course.”
Ere glared at the ageless being helplessly. But he seemed to realize the futility of incensing the Master further. He had very little power here in the Celestial Realm, a place ruled by magic beyond his ken.
His Mate seemed to understand as well, for Sorin didn’t rush forth to subdue the Master with brute strength for rendering Ere mute.
Rui suspected that the big male would unleash the mightiest fury on anyone who wronged his Mate. But he must have known that Ere deserved this small punishment. He maintained his stoic stance with legs braced and arms folded across his chest.
A silent male was the best kind of male, in Rui’s considered opinion. If he kept this up, she might develop a platonic affection for Sorin before long.
“The reason the three of you are here by the Jade Emperor’s decree is that you must work together to discover and retrieve a missing treasure of Heaven,” the Master said, easily commanding their attention with his softly spoken words.
“The Jewel of Dreams.”
Rui scrunched her brow a bit.
