A Bond Undone Page 20

  “Will you submit to your fate if we defeat you in one-to-one combat?”

  Wanyan Kang smiled to himself. He’s fallen for my taunt! “I shall yield to your ropes without another word. Who would like to display their martial knowledge first?” He folded his arms behind his back and cast his eyes around the room, regarding each of the pirates with disdain.

  “This old man will rip the feathers off this foreign peacock!”

  Captain Shi, known as the Golden Turtle, charged at Wanyan Kang. His fists flew at the Prince’s Great Sun vital points, at each of his temples, in a move known as Bell and Drum.

  Standing tall, with his hands still behind his back, Wanyan Kang turned a fraction and evaded the punches with ease. With a twist of his right hand, he grabbed Captain Shi from behind and propelled the pirate’s fleshy bulk back towards the doorway.

  “It would be my pleasure to sample your excellent kung fu in the courtyard.” Laurel Lu gestured outside. He knew none of his men could beat Wanyan Kang – he was too fast and too brutal – and he could not let this fight unfold near his father and the guests. They were not trained in the martial arts and might get hurt.

  “Why not here?” Wanyan Kang was confident that he could tackle his captor within moments. “Please honour me with your first move.”

  “You are our guest; the first is yours.”

  Wanyan Kang thrust his left palm in a feint. It masked the deadly Nine Yin Skeleton Claw that tore at Laurel Lu’s chest.

  The young master of Roaming Cloud Manor held his ground. Hunching his shoulders so that his torso was just beyond reach, Laurel Lu threw a right punch at the Prince’s elbow. At the same time, he jabbed two forked fingers at his opponent’s eyes.

  The speed of the attack took Wanyan Kang by surprise, forcing him to step sideways. He flipped a clawed hand into a Grapple and Lock and seized his captor by the arm. Laurel Lu twisted away, then drew his arms in a circle with his thumbs outstretched, in an Embrace the Moon. Recognising the move’s potency, Wanyan Kang launched into the Quanzhen Sect’s defensive fist technique.

  A student of Abbot Withered Wood of Cloudy Perch Temple in Lin’an, Laurel Lu was well versed in the boxing techniques of the Immortal Cloud Sect. A branch of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Henan, their kung fu, together with that of the Quanzhen Sect, was considered a fundamental part of the orthodox martial lineage.

  But this was the first time Laurel Lu had fought such a powerful opponent. Treading with care, he kept his arms close to his body to fend off Wanyan Kang’s savage talons. His feet were ready to kick out the moment he saw a gap in the Jin Prince’s defence.

  Fists and feet flew faster and faster. The two young men were now nothing but blurred outlines flitting around the room.

  For fear that Wanyan Kang might recognise them, Lotus and Guo Jing had retreated behind the bookshelves to watch the fight.

  Wanyan Kang had expected to beat Laurel Lu quickly, and he would have done so had he not been so shaken by his ordeal during the night.

  If I let this fight go on much longer, I won’t have any strength left to take on another challenger. With that thought, he redoubled his efforts, employing some of his most brutal moves.

  Thwack! Laurel Lu took a punch to the shoulder. He staggered back several steps.

  Revelling in the hit, the Jin Prince lunged. A crushing pain rocked his chest. How had his opponent hit back while in retreat?

  Laurel Lu’s kung fu was grounded in muscular strength and agility. It stressed the collaboration between hands and feet, a repertoire of kicks forming his most potent offensive technique. “One-third punches, two-thirds kicks” and “Hands are doors, kick to win” were well-known mantras of this style.

  Laurel Lu stumbled, and yet struck his left leg at Wanyan Kang, quick as lightning, in a kick called Arrow to the Heart. He had toiled over this move since childhood, pulling, stretching and hoisting his ankle high using a rope thrown over a roof beam. The speed, the force and the extreme overhead angle made the kick all but impossible to dodge.

  Wanyan Kang felt the wind knocked out of him, but still he managed to twist his left hand and impale Laurel Lu’s calf with all five fingers before the young man could pull back.

  “Down!” He smacked his other palm into Laurel Lu’s hip.

  Laurel Lu lost his footing. After all, he was only supported by one leg. The young man flew across the room, straight into his father.

  Confounding all expectations, Squire Lu placed his hand on his son’s back and set him down with ease. A scarlet line on the floor marked the young man’s trajectory.

  “Who are you to Twice Foul Dark Wind?” Squire Lu hissed.

  Needless to say, the room was stunned by Squire Lu’s reaction, except for Lotus and Guo Jing. Even Laurel Lu had assumed his father’s disability and his interest in music and literature precluded any real knowledge of the martial arts. But the hand that guided him down was certain and steady. The touch of a master.

  “I’ve never heard of this Twice Foul Dark Wind!” Wanyan Kang said with disdain. He had learned kung fu from Cyclone Mei for years, but he did not even know her name, let alone her past.

  “Then who taught you the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw?”

  “I haven’t got time for this!” Wanyan Kang turned to leave. The pirates immediately raised their weapons.

  “Are you not honourable men of your word?” the Jin Prince drawled.

  “The heroes of Lake Tai never go back on their word.” A pallid Laurel Lu signalled his men to stand down, and, grudgingly, they obeyed. “Captain Zhang will see you out.”

  “Follow me.” The pirate glowered at Wanyan Kang.

  “And my entourage?”

  “They too will be freed,” Laurel Lu conceded.

  “The word of a gentleman is as true as a horseman’s whip!” Wanyan Kang raised his thumb in approval. “Captains, fare you well.” Smug in his triumph, the Jin Prince put his hands together and gave each pirate a mocking salute.

  “Do indulge this old man and show me once more the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw.” Squire Lu spoke softly.

  “Happy to oblige.”

  “Pa . . .”

  “He hasn’t mastered it yet; there is no need to worry.” Squire Lu turned to Wanyan Kang. “I can’t walk, so you have to come to me.”

  Sneering, Wanyan Kang stayed put.

  “I’d like to sample your kung fu on behalf of my papa.” Despite his injury and almost certain defeat, Laurel Lu could not let his father put himself at risk.

  “It would be my pleasure,” the Jin Prince said.

  “Out of my way, son!”

  Squire Lu gently tapped his seat and instantly propelled himself across the study, his left palm held high, ready to strike down at the Jin Prince’s head.

  Wanyan Kang lifted his arm to block, but, instead of pain, he felt a tightness around his wrist. Then, outlines of hands and palms weaved back and forth before his eyes. A right hand struck at his shoulder. The Jin Prince had never seen such fast and unusual grappling kung fu. Defending himself with one hand, he struggled to free himself from Squire Lu’s clutches.

  Meanwhile, Squire Lu’s feet had not touched the ground. The weight of his whole person pivoted on Wanyan Kang’s wrist. His palm cracked over Wanyan Kang like lightning, five or six savage blows in the space of a single breath.

  Wanyan Kang writhed and turned, his legs kicked and flew, but he could neither free himself nor hit back at Squire Lu.

  Gasps of surprise overtook the room, as all stood transfixed by Squire Lu’s extraordinary skill.

  The master of Roaming Cloud Manor brought his palm in attack once more at Wanyan Kang. This time, the Jin Prince scratched his talon-like fingers at the offending hand.

  Squire Lu dipped his elbow and knocked the bony joint into the young man’s Shoulder Well pressure point, just above the collarbone. Instantly, numbness spread over half of Wanyan Kang’s body. His other wrist fell to Squire Lu’s grip.

  Crack! His joints p
opped simultaneously.

  By the time Wanyan Kang registered the gentle push to his waist and his shoulder through the pain in his wrists, Squire Lu had settled back on his couch. The young man’s legs gave out.

  The pirates gaped in stunned silence. Then cheers lifted the roof.

  “Pa, you’re not hurt, are you?” Laurel Lu hobbled over.

  Squire Lu reassured his son with a smile, then a look of concern darkened his face. “You must question him thoroughly about the lineage of his kung fu.”

  Seeing his fellows approach Wanyan Kang with ropes to bind him, Captain Zhang said, “We took some steel manacles last night. They’d be perfect.”

  A pirate dashed off to fetch the fetters. When he returned, the metal shackles were clamped around Wanyan Kang’s wrists and ankles.

  “Bring him here,” Squire Lu requested.

  Two pirates dragged Wanyan Kang over by his arms. Intense pain ripped through his broken wrists. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans formed on his forehead. He fought hard to swallow his groans of pain.

  Pop, pop! Squire Lu snapped the dislocated joints back into place with expert precision. He then tapped the pressure points at the bottom of Wanyan Kang’s spine and on the left side of his torso.

  The Jin Prince could feel the pain fading away as anger and shock took its place. Before he could get another word out, he was escorted back to the prison at Laurel Lu’s order.

  Once the study was empty, Guo Jing and Lotus Huang emerged from behind the bookshelves. They were confident that Wanyan Kang had not noticed them.

  “Please forgive my ungentlemanly conduct,” Squire Lu said.

  “Who was that man?” Lotus feigned ignorance, quietly noting the similarity between Lu’s kung fu and hers. “Did he steal something from you?”

  “He has taken rather a lot from us.” Squire Lu laughed. “Come, we mustn’t let this little rascal spoil your stay.”

  Squire Lu and Lotus returned to the paintings, discussing each work’s composition and admiring the brushwork. Guo Jing listened to this talk of trees and rocks, insects and flowers, but he could comprehend little.

  After lunch, Squire Lu sent two servants to show them the caves of Celestial Master Zhang and Hermit Shan Juan the Virtuous. They explored the subterranean wonder until dusk.

  That night, as they were getting ready for bed, Guo Jing asked Lotus, “What should we do? Should we help him?”

  “Let’s wait a few days. I can’t quite figure out Squire Lu yet.”

  “His kung fu is very similar to yours.”

  “I know!” Then she lowered her voice. “Could he have known Cyclone Mei?”

  The line of conversation ended there, for fear that someone might be eavesdropping.

  4

  NOT LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT, LOTUS HUANG AND GUO JING woke up to the quiet rattle of roof tiles overhead. Then they heard a light scraping on the ground outside. They tiptoed to the window and saw a dark shape duck behind a rosebush. The figure looked around, then ran eastwards. Only an intruder would move with such stealth.

  Having witnessed Squire Lu’s martial skills, Lotus decided Roaming Cloud Manor must be more than just the base for Lake Tai’s pirates. Perhaps this trespasser would lead them to their host’s secrets. She jumped out of the window and beckoned Guo Jing to follow.

  After trailing the intruder for several dozen paces, Lotus realised she was following a woman and that her kung fu was no better than mediocre. Quickening her steps to take a better look, Lotus caught the interloper’s starlit profile as she glanced around, trying to work out her route.

  Mercy Mu!

  She must be here to rescue her sweetheart! Lotus smiled to herself.

  Mercy darted hither and thither around the garden and was soon completely lost. But Lotus knew where they could find Wanyan Kang. The holding cell must be located at the Gnawing Bite, she figured, based on what she had learned from her father. The I’Ching stated that this hexagram – with the trigram for Flame placed above the trigram for Thunder – was a suitable location to exercise the law, mete out punishments and build gaols.

  Roaming Cloud Manor might be a maze to those unfamiliar with the principles of its construction, but, to Lotus, its layout was straightforward.

  Lotus watched with amusement as Mercy hesitated at a fork in the road. The way you bumble around, you won’t find him in a hundred years!

  She grabbed some earth and flicked a speck to the left.

  “That way,” Lotus croaked, deepening her voice.

  Mercy spun, with her sabre raised. But her reactions were not quick enough. The young couple had long sprinted out of sight using lightness qinggong.

  Do they mean well? Mercy wondered. She was hopelessly lost. She might as well place her faith in her unseen guide and head down the path as indicated. A flying grain of earth pointed the way whenever the path split. She meandered through courtyards and gardens for some time. Suddenly, something swished past and there was the quiet sound of earth hitting the window frame of a nearby hut. Two blurry shadows flitted past her, heading towards the unassuming structure, then disappeared.

  Mercy rushed towards it. As she neared the bungalow, she could make out two stout men lying on the ground by the entrance, clutching their blades. She could feel their eyes following her every move, but they were paralysed by means of their pressure points.

  Relieved that a master was watching over her, she nudged the door open, stepped inside and listened.

  Yes. She could hear breathing.

  “Kang, is that you?” she whispered.

  “Yes!” Wanyan Kang replied at once. He had been woken by the thump of the guards hitting the ground.

  “Thank the heavens and earth!” Mercy moved closer, guided by his voice. “Let’s go.”

  “Have you got a blade on you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Wanyan Kang shifted on the straw mat and his shackles clanked.

  Mercy tugged at the fetters. “I shouldn’t have given Lotus the dagger. It would cut through this as if it were soft clay.”

  Of course, she had no idea that Lotus and Guo Jing were listening outside. And no notion of the thought that was going through Lotus’s mind: I’d be happy to give you the dagger, but only when you’re desperate.

  “I’ll find the keys.”

  “No, don’t. You can’t beat them. You’ll put yourself in danger and it won’t make any difference.”

  “Then I’ll carry you out of here.”

  “They’ve chained me to a pillar.”

  “What should we do?” She sounded tearful.

  “Kiss me.”

  “This is not the time for jests!” Mercy stamped her foot in exasperation.

  “I’ve never been more serious.”

  Mercy ignored him. Freeing him was the only thing on her mind.

  “How did you know I was here?”

  “You know I’ve been following your entourage.”

  “Come into my arms. Let me speak to you.”

  She obeyed without protest, falling into his embrace.

  “I’m the Imperial Envoy of the Great Jin Empire. They won’t harm me. But, as long as I’m stuck here, I will be thwarted in an important matter Father has entrusted to me.” He paused, then added sweetly, “You will help me, won’t you, my dear?”

  “What is it?”

  “Take the gold seal from around my neck.”

  Mercy felt under his collar and untied a silk cord.

  “This is the seal of the Imperial Envoy. Take it to Lin’an and ask for an audience with the Song Chancellor Shi Miyuan.”

  “The Chancellor? He’d never receive a commoner like me.”

  “He’ll welcome you quickly enough when he sees the seal.”

  Darkness hid a smug smile from Mercy.

  “Tell him I can’t be there personally because I’m being held by the pirates of Lake Tai, but that I have one simple message for him. He must not grant the Mongol emissary an audience. The moment they arrive
in Lin’an, he must order their arrest and beheading immediately. This is a secret decree, direct from the Great Jin Emperor. It must be followed to the word.”

  “Why?” She stiffened.

  “It’s a military matter of the greatest import. You won’t understand, even if I explain it. Just repeat what I said to the Song Chancellor and you will have done me a great favour. If the Mongolians get to Lin’an before me, it will be very bad for our Great Jin Empire.”

  “Our Great Jin Empire? I am Chinese, an honest subject of the Song. I will not do this for you until you have explained everything.”

  “Aren’t you a future royal consort to the Great Jin Empire?”

  Mercy shot to her feet. “You are the true-born son of my godfather. You are no Jurchen. You are Han Chinese. Do you really intend to stay a Jin prince? I thought . . . I thought you . . .”

  “What?”

  “I thought you were a brave and wise man. I thought you were just pretending to be a Jin prince, biding your time so you could do something great for our fatherland. Our Song Empire. Yet, you . . . you actually see that Jin invader as your father!”

  Wanyan Kang was alarmed by this change in her. He could sense the words and emotions choking in her throat, and maintained a tactful silence.

  “Half of our country is occupied by the Jin.” Mercy had found her voice once more. “Our people are murdered, tortured, robbed, suppressed by the Jurchen. Do you really not feel a thing? You . . . You . . .”

  She tossed the seal to the floor and made for the door, her face buried in her hands.

  “Mercy! I was wrong. Come back.”

  She stopped.

  “When I’m free, I won’t play this silly envoy game anymore. I won’t go back to Zhongdu. I’ll travel south with you. We’ll live together, as recluses. We’ll be farmers! It would be so much better than feeling wretched like this all the time.”

  Mercy sighed. When she had lost the Duel for a Maiden to Wanyan Kang, she thought she had given her heart to a hero, an outstanding man. She had convinced herself that he had refused to recognise his birth father, Ironheart Yang, for some noble reason she was yet to understand. When he travelled as the Jin Imperial Envoy, she decided he must be using his position of influence to do something spectacular, something that would aid the restoration of the Song Empire. All along, she had been nothing more than deluded, blinded by her feelings.