Chapter 91: Hangover.
Chapter 91: Hangover.
As Haru made his way toward the door to the cafeteria he could hear the sounds of snoring, It wasn't just the sound of one person either there seemed to be many of them.
He opened the door to see the cafeteria full of sleeping people. Some of them sprawled out in many different positions some of them were lying on top of each other and some of them looked like they had passed out where they were sat last night.
Haru's first thought was they had been poisoned since most of the people passed out were strong individuals but there wasn't a single sign pointing to them being poisoned.
In fact, the only other conclusion he came to is that they had all gotten drunk since members of the militia he had come with were also slumped over in the corner of the room.
He sighed as he walked over to where the blond hair boy was lay sprawled out on the table next to a big looking guy dressed in military clothing.
"It looks like I missed quite the party last night." He said out loud before grabbing Jakes arm.
"Hey wake up, It's morning already." He whispered quietly so he wouldn't wake anyone else.
"Huh, What? Where am I?" Jake said as he opened his eyes unsure of how he ended up in this unfamiliar place. Haru tugged at his arm gently but Jake closed his eyes once again.
"I swear if you don't get your ass up in ten seconds I will drag you outside and through you in the pond. I bet that would wake you up pretty fast wouldn't it?" Haru said whilst pulling his arm more aggressively this time.
Jake must have understood as he quickly swung his legs over the table and then sat up straight.
"Okay, I'm awake," Jake said as he rubbed his crusted eyes. He looked up at Haru as the sunlight filtered in through the windows.
The orange glow of the sun hurt his eyes as he looked up too quickly so his gaze fell to the ground once again.
"What's up? Why did you wake me up so early? We aren't supposed to set off until around lunchtime." Jake said sounding confused.
"I got some news that the kitchen staff don't like people sleeping in here so I figured it would be a good idea to get you out of here before they decide to show up," Haru said as he began to walk to the door without looking behind him.
Jake stayed on the table for a moment feeling a bit weak from his night of drinking. His head was still spinning at a hundred miles per hour and his stomach burned. As he put his feet on the ground and stood up straight he felt something come up through his throat.
He put his hand over his mouth as liquid filled his mouth. The taste of bitter alcohol and the food he ate last night filled his mouth. He looked down seeing a younger-looking cultivator lay on the ground beneath him.
He tried to turn away but the taste was so bad he let it all out. He felt relief as the taste vanished from his mouth but then was mortified at what he had just done when he looked down seeing the cultivator was now sleeping with a blanket of puke coating his chest.
Haru turned to see Jake with his hand covering his face. He then looked down to see the cultivator still sleeping despite the smell that was coming from the centre of his chest. 'Shit this is bad.' He thought as he looked back up at Jake.
"Just hurry up. You were never here remember. Hopefully, we can get going before he even wakes up." Haru explained.
Jake hesitated for a moment and then looked back at Haru. He didn't waste any time fleeing as he gently ran across the floor, making sure he didn't stand on anyone or wake them by being too loud.
Jake was out of breath as he escaped. He had been holding it the whole time so that he didn't accidentally wake anyone. He wasn't entirely sure that it would work but he remembered seeing someone do it in a TV show. He felt proud as he managed to escape without alerting anyone.
Haru then closed the door slowly to avoid making any noise. It was a sliding door so it was difficult to close it quietly but it turns out if you spend a little effort even the loudest doors would close.
He wasn't really bothered about waking anyone earlier so he opened it without a single care. But now for the sake of Jake, he was being extra careful. Haru could sense that the man Jake had thrown upon was not weak in any sense.
The only reason he didn't wake up was probably thanks to the rare alcohol that Teacher Li had the night before. If the alcohol they were drinking was the same kind that Li Jun told him about then it was specifically made for cultivators. There were certain ingredients inside that would block Qi from flowing.
As Haru closed the door Jake made a noise as his body curled over once again. He threw up on the floor right in front of the entrance. If it wasn't enough that he threw up all over someone he was no leaving a trail behind him.
"We need to get you sorted out first. I bet the sect master has a cure for hangovers. I just hope that it isn't too weird" He said as they both made their way toward the elder's hall.
The door was closed and there was no light coming from inside. But on the other side of the door, he could sense the presence of a person. Although he seemed unfamiliar. It definitely wasn't the sect master or Teacher Li. He opened the door anyway and walked inside with Jake resting on his shoulder for support.
"Who is it?" The voice of an old woman called out as he stepped over the threshold.
"Oh, I am Haru. I'm looking for the sect master. I was wondering if you knew where he was?" He asked and then looked up to the top of the steps to see a little old lady with a sweeping brush in her hands.
She looked like the stereotype of a grandma. She had short grey curly hair and two little golden earrings with some kind of gem in the middle. Her eyes seemed to be brown but in the light from the direct sunlight, the looked almost purple.
She was also wearing the same yellow robes that everyone at the sect wore as their uniform.
"Oh, The sect master? He is currently sleeping. I would go and wake him for you but he isn't really a morning person. It would take me hours to get him to come and greet you. Is it important? I might be able to help you." She said in a gentle voice.
Haru couldn't help but smile. He didn't even need confirmation. He could tell be the way she described waking him up that the sect master and this woman were familiar with each other. She was probably his wife. Although he found it a little strange.
After Li Jun had used his power to rejuvenate the sect master he looked to be in his early forties. And this woman looked to be in her seventies. 'I guess looks really don't matter if you love somebody.' He smiled.
"Actually, You might be able to help. It is my friend here. He is hungover from last night. We have a long trip ahead of us today and he keeps throwing up, I was wondering if you knew anything that might help him recover quickly?
The last thing I want is him to stink out the car and end up being locked in there for the next eight hours." Haru chuckled as he thought about it.
"Help him recover you say? Actually, you came at the right time. My herbs have just finished growing and I have one type of spearmint called Locrite, It helps ease the feeling of nauseousness and headaches. So it should be perfect for a drunk after a night out." She chuckled lightly and then smiled.
"Follow me, I will help you out." She said and then walked over to a door behind the elder's thrones.
This was the first time Haru was seeing this but the elder's hall seemed to double as the sect masters residence. There were pictures of the sect master in his old form with this woman who was now guiding them.
He then found a picture hung on the wall, It looked to be a picture of their whole family. It was taken right outside the sect gates with the huge arched gate in the background. The sect master, His wife, Two grown men and two women all stood together.
And then on the floor in front of one of the women was a young girl with blond hair.
"Excuse me, ma'am? Is this by any chance Cui?" He asked as he pointed to the picture.
She stopped and turned to see the picture.
"Ah yes, She was such a sweet girl back then, She used to give me lots of hugs and kisses but now. Well, she claims she is too old for that stuff." The women smiled.
"No way! That is Cui when she was a kid?" Jake called out as he was now paying attention.
"Yes, And that there is her mother and my eldest son, Han." The woman said with a smile. She seemed to be proud of her family.
She then looked at Jake who was looking pale once again.
"Are you okay dear? Come this way and we will get you fixed up in no time." The woman said with a smile and then led them through another doorway.