EARTHLY DRAGON, SOARING PALM Page 5

  Li Jing stood up and looked at his martial brother sternly. "Watch how you speak about master. Yes he encouraged us to better our skills but he valued honour above everything.” Pointing towards the hillside where the group of warriors just stood, Li Jing continued. “Does that despicable demonstration of martial ability match those standards of honour? He may not have their power but they fall far behind him in martial valour."

  "Valour counts for nothing in the absence of strength," Wu Chen retorted. "But strength is strength even in valour's absence. I say master has been negligent in teaching us this truth and, from here on, we've surpassed those teachings. Brother Jing, let us ask these warriors to take us on as disciples and follow them to the Earthly Dragon temple—where our training can reach for even loftier heights. What do you say?"

  Li Jing retreated with a look of scornful dismay on his face. "Brother Chen! I cannot believe what you are saying. I know you are hot-headed but what you're saying is just… it's just plain wrong. Look at your leg! These people have already injured you without a second glance. And you want to kowtow to them? At the very least we should be avenging you, not acquiescing and pleading for their favour. Have you no self respect?"

  In the midst of this argument, Bai Feng’s nervousness had urged steady retreat. Sure, Li Jing and Wu Chen were fond of bickering but he'd never heard them argue like this before. There was a lot of adrenaline behind it but Wu Chen, in particular, seemed like a man possessed. What's more, their arguing was getting noisier. Unwittingly, Bai Feng backed off from the heated discussion behind a nearby tree. Before he realised it, however, a loud laugh boomed in his ears. That Warlord Sing fellow, short bald and covered in carbuncles was squatting above Li Jing and Wu Chen in the very tree which Bai Feng was perched atop of only moments earlier.

  "Well, whayda know? One wants to join us, the other slay us. I gotta say, either way, you two have spunk." Springing off the branch he landed in between the startled young men and grasping each of them by the scruff of the neck, he sprang once again from under the tree. In a second, all three of them were heading for the cliffside in huge bounding motions. Panic arose in Bai Feng's chest. He hadn't been discovered yet, not wanting to let his companions out of his sight, he scurried towards the cliffside whilst staying behind the tree line.

  Travelling as close to the cliffside as the tree cover allowed, Bai Feng saw the Sing fellow toss Li Jing and Wu Chen onto the ground in front of the tall Yarlese monk, the wealthy scholar, and the sickly looking Taoist. "The one with the injured leg wants to kowtow to us, the other wants to get vengeance for his friend's leg. Ha-ha! Whayda say we eat the aspiring avenger and take the wannabe disciple on as an apprentice cook and dishwasher? He clearly feeds himself well. Perhaps he can feed us even better, hey? Ha-ha-ha!”

  Priest Hou was the only one to throw a look at the two captives but it was the scholarly warrior who spoke. “You certainly like to play games Brother Sing.”

  “Whatever passes the time.”

  Unable to resist, Priest Hou responded smugly, “A true martial expert relishes the more contemplative moments and doesn’t wish them away.”

  “I’m just an uncouth warrior, Priest Hou. My fighting is upfront and in your face. Perhaps, you’ll admonish me with some pointers?”

  The challenge was obvious to everyone yet Priest Hou said nothing. He merely smiled as he gazed over the cliff. Eventually, he pointed at the giant etching. “Brother Sing, that there is a demonstration of true martial power. I wonder if you have realised that. Such power comes from the silence of contemplation not from the thrill of war-lording.” Picking up his Monk’s Spade he twirled the heavy implement with two fingers until he held it in his right hand just above the spade. With blinding speed, he shot his right arm straight out so that the crescent bladed handle hit a nearby rock and sparks flew. A couple of quick movements later and the character for “silence” was etched clearly into the rock about two centimetres deep.

  Lying prostrate in front of this eccentric group, Wu Chen and Li Jing had been unable to utter a word or even move anything other than their eyes since they were unceremoniously thrown on the ground. It seemed the burly warlord had surreptitiously sealed a number of their acupoints as he tossed them. They had barely gotten their minds around that fantastic skill when they saw what the sickly looking priest just did. They glanced at each other before returning their eyes to the inscription in shock.

  The Sing fellow blanched and said nothing. Even the scholar’s smug smile dropped from his face if only for a split second. It was a swift demonstration of the priest’s internal power and the point was made. A point Hou had been waiting to make ever since this group had been recently introduced to each other. Returning his spade to his side, he wore a satisfied smile until it occurred to him that the Yarlese monk hadn't even turned his head to look at what he had done. He had noted everyone else's reaction with relish but the Yarlese remained motionless, merely staring across the gorge impassively.

  “Of course,” Priest Hou continued disingenuously, “I’m sure my skills are paltry compared to our Yarlese friend here. Not one of us has made as good a show at appearing indifferent on this journey as our foreign holy man has.”

  At the close of that sentence, the Yarlese Monk turned to the priest and morphed his stoic expression into a disturbing grin. Looking right through Priest Hou, he said “I wouldn’t dare to compare my rotten talents with yours my eminent Priest Hou. Please excuse me; I’ve grown bored waiting for my disciples to return. I’ll send them back with any news of what lies ahead.” In one movement, his giant Yarlese frame clouded past the group and dropped straight over the edge of the cliff, with one loud kick against the near wall of the cliff he sprang clear across the gorge without losing any height in his leap. Another single kick against the far wall sent him up and over so that he completely traversed the gorge in only three movements.

  The remainder of the party watched in stunned silence. Sure, the others had demonstrated stunning internal kung fu to cross the gorge earlier but they had all scaled their way down to where the gorge narrowed before proceeding to spring across and scale back up. What’s more, they all lost height as they sprang across. To make it across in twenty or so jumps like they had was beyond most people’s imagination but to accomplish what this giant Yarlese just did was almost god-like.

  A cold chill tumbled down Bai Feng's spine the moment he saw the priest wield his spade but the giant Yarlese’s display filled him with sheer terror. It was like a monster from folklore had just manifested before his eyes. As much as he wanted to help his friends, he was paralysed with fear. Who were these people?

  Feeling thoroughly belittled, it wasn’t long before Warlord Sing’s eyes found his prisoners. “So,” he said as he unsealed Li Jing’s acupoints with a swift movement of his fingers. “Let’s get this avenging over and done with, shall we?”

  Once Li Jing could speak, a flood of invectives spewed forth to the point where everyone snapped out of their reverie over the Yarlese’s power. “You ugly troll! Why don’t you go back down to the bottom of your gorge where you belong? I saw how white you turned when the priest scraped that stone but don’t worry, I won’t tell him why you’re really ashamed. Sure, you couldn’t do what he did in a fit but what really annoyed you was you couldn’t even read his handiwork. Come sit—let your old man teach you how to read. We’ll begin with the character for ‘troll’, whaddya say?” Li Jing spoke this last sentence in Warlord Sing’s own accent and he mimicked him perfectly right down to the mannerisms.

  Happy to be distracted from their own shortcomings, both the priest and the scholarly looking fellow began to pay the martial brothers more attention and Li Jing’s witty and colourful vocabulary was proving more than amusing. They erupted in vindictive laughter while Warlord Sing simply exploded.

  “You ignorant blockhead son of a goat, I’ll chop your legs off and beat you to death with them!” As he said this, he pulled a short dagger axe from his gown and prepared
to bring it down on Li Jing’s right leg. However, at that exact moment, a stone whistled through the air and sent the axe flying out of his hand.

  Everyone turned around to see Bai Feng standing ten meters away with a handful of hastily prepared projectiles. The battle seasoned warriors were as stunned as the two martial brothers were. They each felt the speed of the stone as it sped past them so the last thing they expected to see when they turned around was a child standing there. Warlord Sing didn’t stop to consider the implications however, he simply darted for Bai Feng with an apoplectic scream.

  Bai Feng stood in terror. He had jumped forward from the cover of the tree line with as many stones as he could grab intending to distract that Sing fellow from his murderous intention. However, before he could release even one of them, he heard a noise pierce the air followed by the sound of Sing’s axe being struck. With no time to figure out what was happening he felt that bone-shuddering roar and saw the ugly maniac descending upon him in a flash. Closing his eyes to the incoming terror, he couldn’t help feeling that he had seen something else. He reopened his eyes to see Sing in midflight flying towards him but, in the background, he glimpsed a white blur arcing out of the trees on the far side of the clearing. Preceded by two or three more high pitched whistles, Sing let out a frantic squeal and instead of descending on Bai Feng, he continued to fly over him in an unsightly ball, crashing into the undergrowth from where Bai Feng just sprang.

  Trying to catch his bearings, Bai Feng leaned forward to see the blur of white landing between his friends and Priest Hou. When his vision settled, he saw a heroic young man clad entirely in white standing formidably in front of the enemy. A flash of steel later and both Hou’s spade and the scholar’s deer antler knives were in flight. The white clad warrior shot forward in a twirling motion. Arriving close enough to Hou that he neutralised the length of his spade, he proceeded to roll along the outside of the priest’s spade arm and continued on and into the scholar with a blindingly fast spinning kick. Under pressure from the hero’s body, the priest’s attacking arm and weapon collapsed, sending him rolling in the opposite direction, while the scholar was sent spinning in sync with the kick that just smashed the smugness off his face.

  Priest Hou was the first to his feet but he played it safe by adopting a defensive posture. The scholar was slower to get up while, after taking some painful stones to the body and disappearing into the undergrowth, Warlord Sing was unconscious.

  Wasting no time, Priest Hou approached. “Young hero, there's really no need for such drama. I’m sure this can be cleared up with a few introductions. My name is Priest Hou; the scholarly individual beside me is Han Liang. He's a travelling companion I met on the way to this place as is Sing Yi over there.” Hou wasn't stupid; he knew a hero of this man’s abilities wouldn't wade blindly into a dangerous situation. Most likely he had been observing them for quite a while. Thus, he spoke truthfully about his companions and even volunteered the names of those who had sped ahead on reconnaissance. “We're also travelling with a rather imposing Yarlese monk named Wangchuk Drup, his three disciples, two Kshatriya Warriors named Tamim and Mewar, who are more than handy with those earth, wind, and fire wheels and the renowned martial couple Lin Fung and Lin Niu who wield their famous Circling Swords.”

  Attempting to project a sense of openness so the young hero would let down his guard, Priest Hou was speaking freely to the point of apparent naivety. Of course, he was also casually informing, or at least reminding the interloper that they were part of a bigger more formidable group. But with every sixth word spoken, he took one step closer, comfortable in the belief that the young hero was being put at ease. However, although the hero was quick to cup his fist and smile in salute, he continued to shift his stance with every one of Priest Hou’s steps. Noting this, Priest Hou groaned inwardly and ceased his advance.

  After catching his breath, Bai Feng finally had an opportunity to take a closer look at their saviour. A slender man in his mid twenties and gracefully handsome, he had a forthrightness about him that gave him a heroic air. Returning Hou’s greeting, the hero spoke in a softly sarcastic tone. “Xun Da is my name. It's an honour to meet you Priest Hou I'm sure, but, could you tell me why you and your unlikely companions were treating these young people so disgracefully? You're clearly all very strong. Did you feel the need to show that off all of a sudden?”

  After regaining some feeling in his jaw, it was Han Liang’s time to speak. “Careful Hero Xun,” he warned. “We've been in a gracious mood considering the manner in which you announced your arrival. You're still only one against two and those two have more than enough justification to treat you impolitely.”

  “Far be it from me to throw my insignificant weight around.” Xun Da stood casually with his hands behind his back. “But I'm afraid I find it difficult to tolerate bullying and that's what I saw here. Whatever about these young men, this child is most certainly out of your league. A true hero ignores the insults of those beneath him. In your friend’s Sing Yi’s case, he actively provoked them. No, I'm afraid that won't do. The next vigilante might not be so forgiving.”

  With that Xun Da turned to Bai Feng. “Kid, let's go.”

  “Where are we going?” a startled Bai Feng blurted.

  “Oh, I thought you wanted to cross this canyon. I'll help you if you like.”

  “My friends do. At least they did. Well one of them still does. Well, he did before all this happened.” Bai Feng scratched his head in slight confusion. “I, on the other hand, wouldn't dare to cross. Will you take them if they ask you to?”

  “Unfortunately, your friends won't do well over there. It's best they turn back here. Don't worry; these scoundrels won't dare touch them again.” These last words were said in the same relaxed manner as before but the stare that accompanied them was fierce. Priest Hou and Han Liang felt coldness wash through them.

  Xun Da knelt down to unseal Wu Chen’s acupoints. Both he and Li Jing promptly bowed and expressed their thanks. “Feng'er,” Li Jing said, “I've been saying all along you have unusual potential. Now that heaven has put you in the care of this hero, you should grasp the opportunity with both hands.”

  “He's right,” Wu Chen added with a reluctant acceptance. “This is all beyond us. But you shouldn't turn your back on this chance.”

  “No, I'm staying with you. I've only been here half an hour and I've seen a lifetime of miraculous yet terrifying feats. This world isn't for me at all.” Bai Feng rambled on like this until Xun Da cracked a big smile.

  “Oh, I don't know,” Xun Da said. “I think you've proven yourself plenty brave. Wulin needs people like you.”

  “Bravery is for showing off. What I did was out of loyalty to my friends. Loyalty is only right and if it's the right thing to do then bravery shouldn't come into it. I can't stand the word ‘bravery’.” Bai Feng was once again adopting the amusingly earnest expression he used when speaking of such matters.

  Originally, trying to stifle a laugh, Xun Da was soon staring in disbelief at this flabbergasting demonstration of abstract thought. “Now I'm sure you should come with me.”

  “Wait!” Bai Feng initially exclaimed but before he knew it, he was clinging on to Xun Da with all his will. The bottom of the huge gorge blurred beneath his feet and he felt like throwing up. Xun Da had jumped lightly, grasping Bai Feng by the waist as he rose and disappeared over the cliff only to cross it in the exact manner the Yarlese monk did. Only this guy was carrying Bai Feng as he did it. In what seemed like a heartbeat, they were on the land again and clear across the gorge at that.

  Catching his breath, Bai Feng slowly raised his head. Xun Da was looking down at him with a bright glint in his eyes. “From here on young man, it's going to get very strange.”

  The Ten Greats

  At the far side of the gorge, Xun Da and Bai Feng entered a narrow crack in the cliff wall which continued to rise into the clouds. Xun Da didn’t say much, he merely walked through the branches and weeds that had grown
uninterrupted for decades only to be repeatedly hacked at in the last couple of hours. After about two hundred meters of winding rock and scraping bush, the pair emerged onto a ridge of yet another gorge.

  “What do you say we take a break and eat something before we get back on our way?” Xun Da asked.

  Bai Feng just shrugged. He hadn’t a chance to say goodbye to Wu Chen and Li Jing. He’d only known them for a few weeks but they had hardly been out of each other’s sight in that time and he missed them. Ostensibly, they took him on as a helper but they did as much cooking and cleaning as he did. In reality, they had taken pity on a lone child in the mountains and assumed responsibility for him. Bai Feng only realised this now and tears of gratitude streamed down his face.

  Xun Da frowned sympathetically. “Your friends will be all right but, more than that, I feel the tall one sees this as being in your better interests. He’s wise. Not for his clever attempt to corner me into taking responsibility for you but for what he spotted in you.”

  “In me? Just what's so special about me? I know no kung fu at all.”

  “Perfection in anything lies in refinement, comprehension, and attitude. You can train the first to a large extent. You can teach the second to a lesser extent. But that final quality is something the student must land upon his or herself. That’s who they are and it’s not common to find someone who acts so decisively and unconventionally as you do. That suggests there might be something interesting about you.”

  “About my attitude? Well, let me tell you about my attitude. My attitude is not what the martial world would call honourable at all.”

  “That's okay. The world of Wulin is full of hypocrites. I wouldn't follow anybody's standard but my own.”

  In the time he spent with them, Bai Feng hadn't said a word to Li Jing or Wu Chen about his family's dishonour but for some reason, he felt like bringing it up here and now. “What if I told you, my father is a coward? He ran from conflict to save him and my mother, leaving me to be raised by a bunch of pacifist monks. Is that honourable? Am I not stained by that?” Once again, tears formed in the corner of the boy's eyes but these he held back.