Meeting With Kanba
2061 Words
Jin decided to go to the Xian City once again this night to meet Du Angu. He doesn't want to waste time as Youra's marriage will be held in the next few days. He almost gets up from the chair when a young man suddenly comes to his chair and sits beside him. That young man is Kanba, the one who has looking for Jin from Xian City until this place.
"May I sit here?" Kanba opened the conversation.
"Umm... Yes, you can have the seat. But, I am sorry, I cannot accompany you. I have some urgent things to do." Jin refused to accompany the young man that he doesn't know.
"Why are you so hurry, just relax. Please sit down and talk with me, Jin. I insisted." Kanba urged Jin to sit down again.
Jin is surprised because the young man that he just meet today knows his name. "Who are you?! How did you know my name?!" Jin curious and decided to sit down again and hear what the young man wants from him.
"Calm down, let's talk properly, don't be too hurry burry like that." Kanba tried to hold Jin. "Do you want to eat something?!"
"I am sorry, I really don't have time to do some unimportant chit-chat, I have to find someone to cure my friend's father." Jin stands up again, intending to leave Kanba because he feels Kanba is only wasting his time.
"Just sit down first, please. I insisted."
"Okay... Fine. Please says your purpose to meet me, quickly." Jin turns to urge Kanba.
"You seem to be the type of person who likes to rush on everything, am I correct?"
Jin doesn't answer Kanba's question and chooses to keep silent. He will leave if Kanba said unimportant things again.
"How if I told you that I know someone who can help you to cure your friend's father?"
"What do you mean?" Jin was unsure of Kanba's words.
"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Kanba, and I come far away to this place just because to meet you, Jin."
"Wait a minute, did you say your name is Kanba?"
"Yes, you heard it correctly."
"Are you Hu Huaiyu's family?" Jin remembers if Kanba is the name of Hu Huaiyu's family that he heard when Boshiki report to Du Angu in Xian City this early morning. He wants to make sure if Kanba in front of him is the same person that Boshiki mentioned.
"What you gonna do if I am indeed Hu Huaiyu's relative?" Kanba asked Jin.
Jin smiles wide, he feels heaven being nice to him this time. The key person who knows Hu Huaiyu's presence has come to him without needs to look for. "Can you take me to Hu Huaiyu's place?" Jin asked to the point.
"Depends..." Kanba answered shortly.
"Depends on what exactly?"
"Depends on what you can give me in return."
Jin was confused because he doesn't have a lot of money to give to Kanba. "I don't have a lot of money to give to you, here, this is all that I have." Jin put his purse which only contains 2 gold coins and several silver coins on the table.
Kanba look at Jin's purse and laughed hard.
Jin is getting more confused, he thought Kanba was laughing at the nominal fee that Jin wants to give him for taking him to Hu Huaiyu. "That's all the money that I have, but, if you managed to bring Hu Huaiyu to my friend's place, I believe she could give you much more than this."
"Do you seriously think that money can lure Hu Huaiyu to come out of his hiding and help you? Don't you think you despise Hu Huaiyu with that kind of offer?"
Jin realizes some important think from Kanba's question, a legendary person of the caliber of Hu Huaiyu will not require money because he can get a lot of money easily if he wants to. Knowing this fact makes Jin's hope that previously rising high, now slowly falls down because he doesn't have anything precious enough to offer to Kanba or Hu Huaiyu. "I am sorry. Please forgive my rudeness." As of now, what he can do is ask forgiveness before he makes a more wrong impression on Kanba which will make him and Hu Huaiyu feel irritated.
"That's why I told you to calm down and don't get into a hurry burry. Calmness will make you decide better."
"Thank you for your advice, Kanba." Jin somehow feels if Kanba is way more mature than his current age.
"Let's talk first, okay?! I want to know you more. Anyway, you haven't eaten anything, right? Let's order something. Don't worry, I'll pay you this time, but next time it's your turn to pay me."
"Okay, as you wish." Jin doesn't have another option except to accept Kanba's offer. Kanba ordered quite a lot amount of food, while Jin is only ordered one type of food.
"By the way, where are you come from, Jin? Who are your parents?" While waiting for the food to come, Kanba starts the conversation.
Jin feels weird with Kanba's questions who was asking his parents' identity. It is uncommon to ask about background family to someone who we just met, yet Kanba asked it.
"I don't know, I lost my memories. I can not remember anything before my 8 years old of age."
"That's sounds terrible. So, with whom did you live all this time?" Kanba still tries to gain information about Jin's life.
"It's a long story, to be honest." Jin tried to evade that question because he doesn't want anyone unknown to investigate his past life.
"Don't worry, I have plenty of time." Kanba said.
Jin doesn't understand why Kanba insisted to know about his past life as if he wants to make sure about something. But, Kanba is as young as Jin himself, he doesn't have any clue what might be the reason behind Kanba's weird questions.
"Okay, I'll tell you my story." Jin gave up and willing to tell Kanba the brief story of his life because he desperately needs Kanba's help. But of course, he still hides many parts of the story.
The moment Jin finishes his brief story of himself, the servants have come with the ordered foods and serve it all on the table. "Woah, these foods look great. Don't you think so, Jin?"
"Yes, certainly."
"Okay, enough talking. Let's eat now." Kanba eats voraciously like someone who hasn't eaten for days, while Jin eats slowly because he doesn't feel too hungry, his mind only fulfilled by how to save Youra and his family.
"Hey!? What's wrong?! Is the food terrible?!" Kanba suddenly takes a portion of Jin's food and eats it. "Hmm... The food is not bad, it's delicious," Kanba still notices a heavy burden on Jin's face. "Are you still thinking about your father's friend?"
"Yeah, I still can not relax until I can help my friend to cure his father."
"Okay, I've decided. I will help you."
Jin smiles wide after hearing Kanba's decision. "Are you sure?! I don't have anything to offer." He suddenly doubts if Hu Huaiyu will help him.
"Just trust me." Kanba said.
"Thank you, Kanba. I owe you," Jin becomes sure after Kanba's confirmation. "So, can we go tonight?"
"Go to where?!" Kanba seems confused.
"To Hu Huaiyu's place of course."
"Ah, I see... Don't you worry my friend, just leave it to me. You just relax and we will meet again by tomorrow morning."
"But..." Jin wants to go immediately to Hu Huaiyu's place because he runs out of time.
"My friend, you should try to trust your friends. Don't carry every burden by yourself. You should start to share it with others." Kanba doesn't want to follow Jin's request to go to Hu Huaiyu's place tonight.
Jin was unable to argue again after Kanba refused his request. No other choice, he follows Kanba's plan and has to wait until tomorrow morning. He decided to sleep well at the inn for recovery.
***
THE NEXT MORNING
Jin has standby near Sinmu City Gate, the place that he and Kanba had agreed to meet this morning. He waited impatiently for the arrival of Kanba who still doesn't appear his nose. Waiting in uncertainty is not a fun thing, Jin starts to think badly, he is afraid if Kanba doesn't show up and only toying him.
He decided to wait until the sun is spear high before leaving to Xian City without Kanba.
Jin almost leave Sinmu City right when Kanba arrived at the gate. He can smile wide now. "Sorry I was late, I sleep too well at the inn and wake up very late. Shall we go now?!" Kanba said.
"Okay, let's go," Jin walks first to get outside the Sinmu gate.
"Where should we go?!" Kanba asked.
"What do you mean?!" Jin confused as Kanba should be the one who leads the way.
"Wouldn't you should lead the way to the one who needs the treatment to cure the illness?" Kanba said.
"What?! I need your help to bring me to Hu Huaiyu, I want to ask his help to cure my friend's father." Jin starts to get irritated by Kanba's actions, he feels as if Kanba is toying on his problem.
"My friend, just trust me. Take me to your friend's father first," Kanba looks at Jin's eyes that is started to disbelief him. "I know your friend's father's illness must be very strange, if not, then you won't bother yourself to look for Hu Huaiyu. If you truly want to make him cured, you have to trust me." Kanba said while touching both of Jin's shoulders and looking at Jin's eyes closely.
Jin can see honesty in Kanba's eyes, he decides to believe him and will take Kanba to Ja Som Fa's place. "Okay, I will try to believe you one more time." He leads Kanba towards The Golden Flame sect to see Ja Som Fa.
***
THE GOLDEN FLAME SECT.
Jin doesn't get any difficulty at all entering the Golden Flame's gate with the VIP plaque that was given by Kim Sang Pil. Both Jin and Kanba walk inside the Golden Flame sect to reach Ja Som Fa's place. Kanba didn't expect if the one that needs the help is inside one of the biggest sects in this world, The Golden Flame sect. "Who exactly the one that needs the help, Jin?" Kanba asked out of curiosity.
"Ja Som Fa, the former headmaster of this sect. He is in a serious illness right now."
"Ah, I see, that's why Ja Som Fa doesn't out for a long period. I remember the last time I meet him is around 11 years ago." Kanba said.
"What do you mean? 11 years ago you had to meet master Ja Som Fa?" Jin was surprised with Kanba's statement because Kanba is around the same age as himself, yet he said he met Ja Som Fa 11 years ago, which means he was still a toddler or at least a very small kid when met Ja Som Fa.
"No... I mean Hu Huaiyu that met Ja Som Fa at that time, and he told me about it." Kanba immediately clarified his statement.
Jin is still suspicious of Kanba's words, he feels Kanba is hiding some secret.
"Here is the place." Jin leads Kanba to the small house where Ja Som Fa and his family live in.
"Are you sure, Jin? I never think if the former headmaster of a big sect will stay at a very small house like this with his family."
Jin doesn't answer but he knows if Kanba is right, Ja Som Fa and his family deserve better treatment than this. He asked permission from the guards to meet Ja Som Fa and his family. The guards grant Jin's request and he knocks on the door several times before Youha is coming out of the house. She looks surprised as Jin has returned faster than he thought, along with someone with him.
"Greeting, Mrs. Youha. This is, Kanba, my friend. He wants to check master Ja Som Fa's condition." Jim explained.
Youha look at Kanba from top to toe, Kanba doesn't looks like a healer and it makes Youha doubtful.
- Writer
