Chapter 20: Traveling (1)
Before the rest of them continued their travels, Kelsang wanted to do something first. As a monk of the Air Temple, of course kindness was always their first motto.
And he could just not forget the young child from earlier. (Referring to Kyoshi from chapter 2).
Earlier when he was chasing her for stealing the Avatar's Relic he saw how horrible Kyoshi's living condition was.
She was living amidst garbage and had nothing to eat. And so before they took their leave Kelsang wanted to do one act of kindness.
"Can you guys accompany me for a bit?" He asked Jianzhu and Tai Lung. Jianzhu didn't give any gesture of confirmation but his silence was enough.
Tai Lung nodded knowing fully well that the Airbending Master was going to help Kyoshi. In the novel, to which Tai Lung vaguely remembers.
After choosing the clay turtle, Kyoshi ran off with the relic, and Kelsang let her, figuring it would return to where it belonged sooner or later. Kelsang ultimately followed Kyoshi, discovering that the girl was homeless and living amid garbage.
Horrified, the monk decided to care for the girl who gradually began to trust him.
Over the next years, he paid the locals to care for her and repeatedly stayed at Yokoya to look after Kyoshi.
However, he often had to leave the area to go on various missions, and was often upset to return to find Kyoshi having been neglected by the caretakers he had paid.
He thus began to personally spend more and more time with her, and Kyoshi began to view him as a kind of adoptive father.
That is what Tai Lung remembers from the novel. The local people of Yokoya are really a bunch of assholes that's why when the Rumbling Island Daofei were harsh on them he couldn't care less.
It's because they deserved it.
He only made a move because of the quest but if the system didn't give him that quest, he wouldn't even bat an eye at their misfortune.
Kelsang with Jianzhu and Tai Lung in tow walked around Yokoya to find Kyoshi, it didn't take long for them to find her since she is distinctive due to her tallness for someone her age.
He didn't immediately go for her since she might get alarmed, instead he approached one of the farmers which had their residence near her quote unquote home of garbage.
"Good day, hard working Yokoyan. Can I borrow your time for a bit?" Kelsang said politely and approached the farmer.
"Good day to you too, what is it?" The Yokoyan's are assholes. That's the impression Tai Lung have from experiencing it firsthand and also from the novel, so he expected the farmer to be very rude but it seems that they still know when to put up an act.
Kelsang is dressed as an Air Nomad, and no matter what angle you look at he looks like an Air Nomad, all citizens of the four nations respect Air Nomads no matter what part of the world they're from.
"Can I ask you a favor?" He asked politely. Smelling money in the air, the farmer's ears perked up and his eyes brightened.
"Of course, anything for you esteemed monk!"
"I've noticed how impoverished that young child living near your garbage disposal is, can I ask you a favor of taking care of her? Of course I can give you some money to compensate for the inconvenience," Kelsang pulled a bag full of money.
The farmer's eyes beaned up, his ears picking up the clanking of coins inside the bag. Greed filled him up immediately and smiled as wide as he could.
"Of course, why not! Your kindness has reached me and I'll do my best to take care of her!"
Kelsang smiled at the farmer's answer and pushed the bag of money towards the farmer.
However before he could even hand over the money Tai Lung grabbed his hands, stopping him from handing over the money.
"I won't do that if I were you,"
Kelsang blinked, surprised by the firm grip Tai Lung had on his wrist. He looked at the young martial artist, confusion appearing across his face.
"Why not?" Kelsang asked gently.
Tai Lung glanced at the farmer, whose eyes darted between the money and the monk with growing impatience.
"Because giving him that money won't help Kyoshi," Tai Lung said.
The farmer's smile faltered slightly. "What are you trying to say, boy? I'll take good care of the girl. You can trust me!" he said, his voice filled with fake sincerity.
Tai Lung ignored him and turned back to Kelsang.
"I know you're trying to help her. But giving this guy money won't change anything. The people here are..." Tai Lung paused, choosing his words carefully.
"They're opportunistic. They see Kyoshi as a nuisance, not someone in need of help. This man will take your money, but Kyoshi? She'll remain exactly where she is—or worse."
Kelsang furrowed his brow. "But what choice do we have? We can't take her with us on this journey. We need to leave soon, and I don't want to leave her without some kind of protection."
Tai Lung glanced again at the farmer, whose forced smile was becoming more strained by the second. "If you want to help her, find someone who actually cares about her. Maybe someone in a different village. But giving this guy money is the same as feeding the vultures and expecting them to look after the rabbits."
Jianzhu, who had been silent throughout the conversation, gave a small nod, finally stepping forward.
"The boy is right," he said flatly. "This village is too broken, too desperate. Giving them money won't change their nature."
Kelsang hesitated, the weight of Tai Lung and Jianzhu's words sinking in.
His gaze turning back to the farmer, whose smile had now vanished, replaced by a barely concealed scowl.
"I... I didn't want to believe it, but perhaps you're right."
The farmer's voice turned hostile. "You think you're better than us, huh? Just because you've got money, you can look down on us? Well, I'll tell you what—keep your money. We don't need your pity."
Tai Lung raised an eyebrow but remained calm. He could feel Kelsang's discomfort at the situation. Despite being powerful and full of wisdom sometimes he believes too much at the kindness of the world, thinking that everyone is good on the inside.
Kelsang sighed, pulling the bag of coins back. "I apologize. I had hoped... Well, I had hoped for something better." He turned to Tai Lung.
"What do you suggest, then? How do we help her if we can't trust the people here?"
Tai Lung crossed his arms. "We don't have time to fix this village's problems. If we find the right way, she can survive on her own—until someone trustworthy can step in."
Jianzhu nodded in agreement. "We'll look for better options once we return from our mission. For now, we keep an eye on her from a distance."
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