Tiger (18 page)

“Did all of you see that? That is how you take care of business! Quickly, efficiently, decisively!”

Ying turned to Commander Woo, who sat in the weapons cart with the hatch open.

“COMMANDER WOO!” Ying said, pointing to Hok hanging from the pole. “Look what Tonglong has caught. There is your restless spirit from Cangzhen, hanging from that pole. He was the one you felt watching you, and he snatched the Grandmaster's body from beneath your nose. Hobble over there on your one good leg and untie the one called Hok so that he can walk. He's going on a little trip.

“CAPTAIN YUE! Get yourself out from behind those curtains this instant.” Captain Yue poked his
head out. Ying continued. “You will tie up the two troublemakers known as Fu and Malao, and they, too, will walk. Their paralysis is only temporary, so I suggest you hurry.

“TONGLONG! You have proven your loyalty to me by capturing Hok. Now it is time for you to get your hands dirty. You will finish what was left unfinished back at the temple. Kill these monks. We'll set up camp here for the night, so make sure you take them far into the forest before completing the job. I don't want any tigers coming around here to dine on their corpses or lap up their blood. If you run into any problems, fire a warning shot from a
qiang.
I'd hate to have to interrupt my reading to clean up any mess you might make, so don't make any mistakes. And make sure you pay special attention to Fu. He's already gotten away from you once.”

“I give you my word,” Tonglong said with a gleam in his eye. “I'll take care of the one called Fu.”

F
u stumbled sluggishly forward as Tonglong pushed him from behind. He nearly fell several times because his legs didn't respond as quickly as they normally did thanks to Ying temporarily interrupting the natural flow of energy through his nervous system. Malao appeared to be in a little better shape, moving forward behind Tonglong while two soldiers pushed him along. Bringing up the rear, two more soldiers followed Hok.

Fu considered their odds. There were four soldiers plus Tonglong against him and two of his brothers. Two of the soldiers carried spears and one carried a
qiang,
while each warrior monk was tightly bound with rope from shoulder to waist, their arms pinned
to their sides and their ankles connected by a short length of rope. He and his brothers didn't stand a chance. Fu figured Tonglong would finish him first, especially after their encounter back at Cangzhen.

Fu slowed for a moment to steady himself as they entered a sun-drenched clearing. He squinted and coughed quietly to clear his dry throat. Tonglong stepped up to him and screamed in his face.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing,” Fu replied. “I didn't say—”

“Don't deny it!” Tonglong shouted, pushing Fu to the edge of the clearing. He pulled his long, thick braid forward over his shoulder and tucked it into his sash. “You mumbled a secret under that cough. Who is listening on the wind, one of your remaining brothers? Let us find him before he attacks us! You will be my shield.”

Tonglong shoved Fu hard into an enormous bush. Fu was swallowed whole. The soldiers guarding Hok and Malao looked about warily as Tonglong leaped into the bush after Fu. He, too, disappeared completely. Fu lay on the ground, confused, as Tonglong landed on top of him and spoke in whispers.

“I realize none of your remaining brothers are near, young monk. I simply said that as an excuse to get you alone for a moment. I still owe you a life. I am loosening your bonds as I speak. When we get back out in the open, you must pretend to attack me so that I will not lose face.”

“But—”

“Hush!” Tonglong said. “Do not speak. Do you practice Iron Head kung fu?”

Fu nodded.

“Good. I will carry you out into the open and pretend to crush your rib cage with my Iron Arms. Use your Iron Head skills to strike my head just hard enough to render me unconscious. There is a dagger in my sash. Use it to cut your brothers free, but I ask that you leave it behind. It is important to me. You must not take my sword, either. Agreed?”

Fu thought for a moment. Didn't this man know that he had already returned the favor? He had saved his life back at Cangzhen when he distracted Ying by yelling from the burning rooftop after Ying killed Grandmaster.

Tonglong grunted impatiently. Fu nodded in agreement. Without warning, Tonglong slapped him loudly on the side of his bald head. It was a glancing blow, but it still hurt.

“Take that!” Tonglong screamed at Fu. “Don't you dare try to sneak away from me! Now stand up so I can knock you down again!”

Fu stood as best he could amid the dense foliage, irritated by the sharp slap. Tonglong gripped him chest to chest in a tight bear hug and carried him a few steps out into the open, squeezing harder than Fu thought necessary. Fu grunted. If this man wanted to see a little Iron Head technique, then that's exactly what he would get. Fu snapped his head back and then forward with lightning speed. Tonglong looked surprised as Fu's
forehead met his left temple. Tonglong slid to the ground, his eyes closed. Fu stepped back and wiggled slightly. The ropes dropped to his feet.

Seeing Fu in action, Malao lunged at the nearest soldier, swinging his head.

The soldier put his hands in front of his face to protect himself, and his fingers were crushed between Malao's iron-like forehead and his own forehead. The soldier dropped to his knees, his crumpled fingers held out before him. He stared hard at Malao with fight in his eyes.

Malao leaped straight into the air, his ankles tied together with a length of rope about half as long as his arm. He tucked into a tight forward flip just as the soldier began to stand and completed his improvised maneuver by thrusting his legs forward, spreading them out as far as the rope would allow, and slamming the taut rope down against the back of the soldier's neck. The soldier's head snapped down and his torso followed, his body going limp after his face ricocheted off a fallen tree. Malao tucked his chin to his chest as his upper back hit the ground smoothly. He rocked forward, popping up onto his feet. Then he turned to face the second soldier who had been guarding him.

The second soldier carried a
qiang.
Malao stopped his attack. Fu, however, did not. He had retrieved the dagger from Tonglong's sash and was about to throw it at the soldier when the soldier suddenly turned the
qiang
toward Fu.

“Put the dagger down, monk,” the soldier said. “Now.”

Fu hesitated. He glanced across the clearing and saw that the two soldiers guarding Hok had knocked him to the ground. They stood over Hok with their spears raised, ready to thrust. Malao stood uninjured, but he was securely bound and quite some distance from everyone else.

“Drop the dagger,” the soldier with the
qiang
repeated. “I will count to three.”

Fu stood there, thinking.

“One … two …”

Suddenly there was a loud
CRASH!
as something exploded from the brush behind the soldier. Startled, Fu looked toward the sound, expecting to see a white monkey flying through the air. Instead, a large tiger cub slammed into the soldier with the
qiang.
The cub's front claws sunk deep into the soldier's shoulder blades, and the man fell forward, screaming. The cub raked at the man's back ferociously, all the while staring at Fu.

Wide-eyed, one of the soldiers standing over Hok shouted, “Look! That tiger is protecting the large monk! Just like the monkeys fought for the small monk earlier!”

“You're right!” the other soldier replied. “I'm not going to lay a hand on any of them! Let's get out of here!”

Both men ran, and the tiger cub jerked its head in their direction. Then it turned back toward Fu and
blinked three times before instinctively giving chase. The cub left his victim in a state of shock, lying flat on his stomach with his arms outstretched.

Malao and Hok stared at Fu. Fu stared back. He shrugged his shoulders and a small drop of blood fell from the corner of the cut across his cheek.

“
W
hat was THAT all about!” Malao shrieked excitedly as he hobbled over to Fu, his arms and legs tied.

“Oh,” Fu said casually as he wiped the drop of blood with his thumb and popped it into his mouth. “It's a
really
long story.”

Malao giggled. “Good one, Fu!”

“I can't wait to hear it,” said Hok as he approached, still bound.

“You can't wait to hear my story?” Fu said to Hok. “What about your story? Never before have I seen a crane hanging from a trophy pole like a deer!”

“I suppose I do have a story or two to share,” Hok said. “But not right now. Would you be so kind as to
cut us loose? We need to leave as soon as possible.”

“I'll cut you guys loose,” Fu said as he went to work on Hok's ropes, “but I'm not going anywhere. Not without those scrolls.”

Hok shook his head. “It's not worth it, Fu. Ying is too strong.”

Fu stopped cutting and glared at Hok. “What do you suggest we do instead, run away? Look where that got you.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Malao interrupted. “Be nice, Fu.”

Fu grunted and got back to work.

Malao watched Fu cut Hok's ropes. “How did you get free, Fu? I mean, one moment you're tied up like me and Hok, and the next you're not. What happened in that bush with Tonglong?”

“Who?” Fu asked.

“Tonglong,” Malao replied. “You know, Ying's number one soldier? The man with the long pony-tail?”

“Is that his name?” Fu asked. “‘Praying mantis'? What kind of name is that?”

“I don't know,” Hok replied. “Cantonese, I suppose.”

“No kidding,” Fu said. He finished with Hok and walked over to Malao. He started cutting and said, “I spared Tonglong's life back at Cangzhen, and he repaid the debt. That's all. He let me loose, and now we're even. If he ever stands between me and the scrolls, he'll taste my fist!”

“Let it go, Fu,” Hok said, rubbing his pale, chafed
wrists. “Ying and Tonglong are far too strong. You won't have a chance.”

“I have to get the scrolls back!” Fu said, holding up Tonglong's dagger. “I refuse to let Ying win.”

“Just let it go,” Hok repeated. “I'm telling you, Ying's reach is too great. He has information, and information is power.”

“What do you mean by that?” Fu asked.

Hok sighed. “I overheard Ying talking to Tonglong. It seems Ying has been very busy this past year. Not only has he joined the Emperor, trained troops, and risen quickly through the ranks, he's also done quite a bit of research into his own past. I heard some of the stories he shared with Tonglong, and they seem believable to me.”

Fu finished freeing Malao. He looked at Hok. “Back at Cangzhen, Ying told me that Grandmaster wasn't the holy man everyone thinks he was. Is that what you're talking about?”

“Possibly,” Hok said. “Ying told Tonglong that Cangzhen Temple was a base for secret activities, and that we warrior monks were nothing but security guards whose main role was to protect Grandmaster and help with his secret operations.”

“That's crazy,” Fu said.

“I thought so, too,” Hok replied. “At first.”

“At first? Ying is just making up stories to justify attacking Cangzhen.”

“That was my first reaction. But now I'm not so sure. Grandmaster kept a lot of things from us, you know.”

“Like what?” Fu asked.

“For instance,” Hok said. “Grandmaster had visitors on occasion. What kind of
secret
temple has visitors?”

“You're paranoid.”

“Really?” Hok asked. “Why did our temple have to be secret in the first place? Think about it, Fu. Also, we all know that Grandmaster wasn't raised at Cangzhen like us, right? He led a different life before coming to Cangzhen, and like so many other things, his previous life was kept secret from us.”

“I think we need more information before we pass judgment on Grandmaster,” Fu said.

“Look at you, Governor Fu!” Malao said with a laugh. “Since when did you become so diplomatic?”

“Be quiet, Malao,” Fu growled. “Hok and I haven't finished our conversation.”

“You two
never
finish conversations when you get into this kind of mood,” Malao said. “You're both way too hardheaded. Only you could make a crane talk so much, Fu.”