Snake (3 page)

“Shaolin?” Seh said.

“Yes,” NgGung said, rubbing his thighs. “I'm sorry, but I don't have time to explain further. Find Mong, and he'll get you up to speed if he thinks you need to know the details.”

“But—”

“We can't waste another moment, Seh. There's too much at stake. Believe me. Fortunately, Mong recently completed a mission nearby and he's on his
way back to our stronghold. If you hurry you can catch him. The stronghold is less than a day's travel from here. You'll have a much better chance of seeing him on the road than getting into the stronghold.”

NgGung groaned and stood on shaky legs. “Ohhh, that double snake fist sure was a great move. I'll have to remember that.” He grinned and began to wobble toward the tree line. “Wait here a moment.”

NgGung returned with a grimy sack and tossed it to Seh. “For you.”

Seh opened the sack and removed a blue robe made of fine silk. He also found matching blue pants and a blue silk hat, plus a pair of black cotton shoes.

“It's time to shed your orange robe,” NgGung said. “Put it in the sack and hide it under the stone slab. I will dispose of it. Ying will have people looking everywhere for you. While you wear those fancy clothes, do your best to act like an aristocrat. From what I've heard, it shouldn't be too difficult.”

“What is
that
supposed to mean?” Seh asked.

“Nothing,” NgGung said. “Forget it.”

Seh ran his fingers over the fine cloth. “Are you sure you want me to take these? They must be worth a lot.”

“They are,” NgGung said. “But gold and silver mean nothing to me. I only kept those in case I needed to pretend to be something I am not. To tell you the truth, I'm glad you're taking them off my hands.” NgGung pointed into the trees. “Go west about half a
li
and you'll find a wide trail that runs north to south.
Follow it north along the base of the mountain. I suggest you hurry. Mong and the boys are usually asleep at this hour, but they'll break camp soon after sunrise.”

“I'll hurry,” Seh said, still fingering the fine cloth. “Thank you.”

NgGung bowed. “Safe travels, my friend. Tell Mong everything you told me and let him know that I saw—” NgGung paused and stared at Seh a moment, then shook his head. “Tell Mong that I saw Tonglong traveling with Ying.”

“Praying Mantis?” Seh said.

“Yes, Praying Mantis.”

“Who is he?”

“Ask Mong about it,” NgGung said. He turned to walk away.

“Wait,” Seh said. “Why did you stare at me like that when you mentioned Tonglong?”

NgGung glanced back and stroked his long, thin mustache with a dirty hand. “I just realized how much you look like Tonglong. The two of you could pass for brothers.”

T
onglong eased his stallion alongside a large hole in the rocky ground and dismounted. Sweat ran in shimmering streams down the horse's thick black neck, glistening in the rays of the rising sun. The horse had been ridden hard all night and began to shiver, though not from exhaustion or cold.

Tonglong slipped his long ponytail braid into the red silk sash around his green robe. He knelt down, peering into the hole. Inside, a stone-lined cavity opened into an underground space big enough to fit several grown men. But no man in his right mind would attempt to enter there now. Coiled loosely below was a gigantic snake as long as three men were tall.

Tonglong felt a rare smile form on his face. The
snake had grown considerably since the last time he'd seen it. He stood and untied a large cloth bag from his saddle, holding it at arm's length. As he set it on the ground, a drop of reddish brown liquid fell from the bag's stained bottom into the hole. The snake began to stir. It raised its enormous head and flicked out its huge forked tongue, collecting the scent of the fresh kill above, as well as the intruder.

“Welcome, ssstranger,” a soft voice hissed from behind Tonglong. “I sssee you bear gifts.”

Tonglong spun around and saw a small, hooded figure rise from behind a pile of stones. His smile grew. “Of course,” he said. “It would have been rude of me to arrive empty-handed. I wouldn't want to disappoint you, or your friend.” Tonglong nodded toward the pit.

The figure drifted forward. “I've never known you to disappoint me, or my friend. You are always ssso generous. I wasn't expecting you for a few more days. How is everything?”

“Everything is perfect,” Tonglong replied.

“Then we are on ssschedule?”

“Ahead of schedule, actually,” Tonglong said. “And I'd like to keep it that way. You know how much I hate to waste time.”

“I do indeed. In that regard, you are just like your father.”

Tonglong frowned.

The figure paused. “I'm sssorry to have brought that up. Why don't you give me my present? What is it you brought this time?”

“A little something that was meant for the Emperor, but I would feel much better if it were in your hands.” Tonglong motioned toward the bag. “Go ahead, open it.”

The figure knelt down and reached a tiny hand into the bag, feeling around. “Is this what I think it is?”

Tonglong nodded.

“What a thoughtful gift! You really shouldn't have. This is going to cost you dearly, you know.”

Tonglong shrugged. “You're worth it.”

The hooded figure bowed. “Thank you ever so much. I know just what I'll do with it.”

The figure pulled Grandmaster's severed head out of the bag and dropped it into the pit.

T
he sun had barely risen above the horizon when Seh stopped at a wide bend in the trail NgGung had told him to follow. Seh hadn't slept all night, and he had been through a lot of stress since the attack. His normally strong connections with the world around him were growing fuzzy. He had to be careful. Seh focused his attention beyond the bend and, sure enough, the pit of his stomach began to tingle. There were several people ahead.

Seh decided to find out who they were before he made his presence known. He stepped off the road into a thick stand of pine trees and looked down at his new blue silk robe. Seh shook his head. Why couldn't it be green?

He pulled the silly merchant's hat onto his head and slipped through the trees toward the opposite side of the bend. Seh followed a carpet of damp pine needles in slow, smooth strides. He took his time, keeping his heart rate low and his
chi
masked. Eventually, he heard a voice. It was definitely a bandit.

“That's not how you do it, you big oaf. Watch me. We didn't go through the trouble of stealing all this gold just so you could leave it scattered all over the road.
This
is how you tie down a tarp—”

Seh was about to introduce himself when he realized that just because the man was a bandit didn't mean that he was one of
Mong's
bandits. Seh needed to be sure. He took a cautious step forward and the hat snagged on a low tree limb, tumbling off his bald head. He had forgotten all about it.

“Hey, did you hear something?” the bandit asked.

Seh didn't wait for the response. He picked up the hat and raced silently back the way he had come. He would wait and try approaching the bandits from a different direction. He was nearly to the road when a huge forearm draped in red silk flew out from behind a tree.

The arm caught Seh square in the chest, and he had to grab the gigantic arm to keep from falling to the ground.

Seh expected the arm to drop under his weight, but it didn't. It held firm, parallel to the ground, and Seh found himself hanging from it like a tree snake dangling from a mighty oak.

“You should watch where you're going,” Mong said as he stepped out from behind the tree. “You never know what you might bump into.” Mong shook his huge arm, and Seh lost his grip, dropping to the ground. He landed on his knees.

“Be more careful out here,” Mong said as he adjusted his enormous red silk robe. His thick neck and shoulder muscles rippled beneath it. “Ours is a dangerous business. If that had been a sword instead of my arm, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Do you understand?”

Seh nodded. He could have kicked himself for getting caught—by Mong, no less.

“Good,” Mong said. “Now, what are you doing here?”

Seh felt his face begin to flush. “Ying came back to Cangzhen. With
qiangs.
The temple has been destroyed.”

“I see,” Mong said. He looked Seh up and down. “I recognize that outfit as NgGung's. Is that how you found us?”

Seh nodded.

“NgGung does not give up his secrets easily,” Mong said. “And I've never known him to give up his clothes. I'm impressed.”

Seh shrugged.

Mong cleared his throat. “It's good that you escaped, Seh, and that you came looking for me. Did Grandmaster make it out alive?”

“I don't know,” Seh said.

“I can see why NgGung shared my whereabouts,”
Mong said. “If Grandmaster is dead, that would be very, very bad. Grandmaster is the glue that keeps the fragile pieces of this region together.” Mong shook his huge, bald head. “Did any of your brothers survive? The youngest among you, I mean.”

“Grandmaster saved all of us,” Seh replied. “He hid me, Fu, Malao, Hok, and Long. Why would he do that?”

“I'm sure Grandmaster had his reasons,” Mong said. “I will not speculate on his motivations.”

Seh's jaw tightened. “I remember one time you visited and asked Grandmaster if my brothers and I were ‘ready.’ Ready for what?”

Mong paused. “Cangzhen meant everything to Grandmaster. He knew he was growing old, and he knew Cangzhen was at risk because of the shifting politics in this region and throughout China. He wanted to ensure Cangzhen's survival. To do that, he needed a successor. Ideally, several successors who would complement each other and keep Cangzhen a dynamic place. You five were to be Cangzhen's future.”

“But… why us?” Seh asked.

“You are all the offspring of powerful warriors,” Mong said, “and fate planted the five of you on his doorstep at roughly the same time. Grandmaster took that to be a sign. You are my son and have inherited many of the same skills. Fu is the son of a great tiger-style kung fu master named Sanfu. The list goes on.”

“Sanfu
is Cantonese for ‘Mountain Tiger,’” Seh said. “Was Fu's father a Cangzhen monk—
like you?”

Mong's pale forehead wrinkled. “I see you got
more information out of NgGung than just my whereabouts. Good for you. Yes, Sanfu was a Cangzhen warrior monk—just like me.”

“Who is Tonglong, then?” Seh asked.

“Tonglong is one of the Emperor's top soldiers,” Mong said. “But he has nothing to do with Cangzhen. I do not know why he has a Cantonese insect name. Why do you ask?”

“NgGung told me to tell you that he saw Tonglong with Ying yesterday.”

“What?” Mong said, folding his enormous arms. “Did you ask NgGung if he told anybody?”

Seh nodded. “He said he told Grandmaster.”

“Before
the attack?”

“Yes.”

“Did NgGung say anything else?” Mong asked.

“He suggested somebody warn the monks at Shaolin Temple.”

Mong stared at Seh. “That's a very good idea.
Someone
should warn them.”

“Me?” Seh asked.

“I can't think of anyone better,” Mong said. He unfolded his arms and placed a hand on Seh's shoulder. “I need every one of my men to help transport our shipment back to the stronghold. You are young, fast, and silent. You are also intelligent and resourceful. You could get there without Ying finding out.”

Seh stared at Mong, unsure how to respond. Mong had just given him more compliments in a few sentences than he had given him his entire life.

Mong slapped Seh on the back. “I'll give you directions to Shaolin. It should take you about ten days if you travel only at night, which is what I suggest. Spend a day or two at Shaolin. The monks there are good people. After that, join us at the stronghold.”

Seh nodded. He wasn't sure how he felt about joining a bandit gang, but at least it meant he might be able to get the bandits to help him.

“You look like you could use some rest,” Mong said. “Spend the day with us, sleeping atop one of the carts. We eat our main meal just before sunset. You can leave after that. Remind me to give you directions to the stronghold, too, so that you can find us later. I should warn you, though, as you did with NgGung, you may have to fight my men to see me.”