Disclaimers:  Barry Hughart wrote these wonderful characters.  I'm only borrowing them briefly.  No infringement intended, no moneys made.  Written for Sleeps With Coyotes; she'd had a lousy day.
Rated:  G.

Broken Silver Linings

I must admit that before I met Master Li, I would have gaped at a mountain face covered with sparkling bits of broken silver.  I would have gathered them up carefully, and hidden them safely under a boulder, and gone home on time to find a bag and a job that would require me to return.

Traveling with Master Li has taught me a great many things, however, not least of which is that the gods have their own ways of accomplishing things.  Master Li calls them devious.  I merely bow and attempt to do as the gods would wish, since Master Li will tell me what to do and it's likely what they want anyway.

Master Li looked at the scattered pieces of silver, studied the angle of the mountain and the prevailing winds, and frowned.  "How very odd.  Ox, gather all of it -- we mustn't miss a piece -- and then we will go looking for the nearest flood."

"Sir?"  I started picking up the silver, using my tunic for a bag.  "I don't understand."

"We're going to hope we find a flood, Ox."  He was gathering pieces too, collecting the tiny bits that had rolled into spots too small for my hands.  "Either a cloud is bleeding, or a cloud dragon.  Either way, we have a problem."

As I said, Master Li is giving me a most remarkable education.

Comments, Commentary, & Miscellanea:

Master Li & Number Ten Ox are from The Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen, or, in omnibus (and illustrated by Kaja Foglio), The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox.  The omnibus is consistently on my 'top ten books' list, and I cannot recommend them highly enough, although finding them is a quest in and of itself.

Yes, there is a cloud dragon in Chinese myth.  No, actually, I'm not sure they have silver scales.

Really.  Go read the books. ;->

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