by Yan LeiSheng
A-Cai cursed his ancestors to the eighteenth generation. Their master hated to be disturbed and could exact severe penalties against anyone who bothered him, particularly if he was eating. The eunuch was obliged to obey nonetheless, so he knocked on the door as gently as possible.
“Uncle Yu, are you there?” he called hesitantly.
There was no response, but he heard someone moving inside to open the door. When it opened, he was surprised to see that it was not Yu Dayong. He had no time to consider this incongruity though, as a blade pierced his chest as the door swung on its hinges.
Shao Jun stood before him in the doorway.
Following Zhang Yong’s trail, she’d arrived only a short while before and just missed him. Seeing Yu Dayong’s men in the distance heading in the direction of the port, she’d decided to hide in the pavilion and lie in wait. She had no desire to become a cold-blooded killer, but the Tigers had assassinated her masters and hunted her as far as Europe, leaving her little choice in the matter. These ones were also involved in despicable slavery, which counted against them. And anyway, there were too many of them for her to allow herself any misgivings. As soon as the first fell, the second advanced on her, pulling a weapon from his sleeve. His throat was sliced through with a great gout of blood before he was even able to draw his sword. The young woman was merciful, stabbing him through the heart to finish him as he began to drown in his own blood, hands vainly clawing at his throat.
Retreating slightly, Mai Bing was caught off guard. At first he had waited with wicked anticipation to see A-Cai severely reprimanded by their master, but he was filled with terror when he saw his subordinate collapse to reveal Shao Jun. Over his time with Yu Dayong, he had learned the basics of kung-fu, but had no illusion as to his ability to fight the former imperial favorite. Had she killed his master? Behind him, the kidnapped girls began to scream, sending him into complete panic. Legs trembling, he fell to his knees and repeatedly pressed his forehead to the ground.
“Miss Favorite, please…”
His pathetic appearance quelled Shao Jun’s anger slightly. If the eunuch had drawn his sword instead, she would have attached him without thinking. On the other hand, the idea of taking the life of a man who didn’t fight back, repulsive though he was, disgusted her. She wiped her sword clean on one of the bodies and spoke with an icy calm.
“Uncle Mai, you look as well as when we last met.”
Shao Jun’s calm disturbed Mai Bing even more: used to Yu Dayong’s fierce character, he was well aware that when someone spoke gently to an inferior who had erred, it could only mean that a terrible punishment was coming. Thinking Shao Jun would behave likewise, he felt ready to faint and banged his head harder against the ground as he redoubled his pleas.
“Miss Favorite, I was only acting on Uncle Yu’s orders… Please, I beg you, show mercy…”
“Where have these girls come from and where were you planning to take them?”
“They were kidnapped in the area by the Iron Sharks gang on Uncle Yu’s orders, and are to be sold on Lusong island. I didn’t dare disobey, please, show mercy.”
“Uncle Mai, you have a mother and a father, do you not? What would they think if they knew you were participating in such atrocities?”
“Yes, yes, yes, the favorite speaks true. I am but a poor, stupid beast beholden to the desires of Uncle Yu. I would never have done these things if he didn’t have such a hold over me.”
Shao Jun’s pity turned to disdain. The miserable being wouldn’t even take responsibility for his actions, turning all the blame onto his master instead. For a moment she toyed with the idea of ordering him to take the slaves back to their home villages but doubted she could trust such a fickle being to follow her instructions. She cut the bonds of the girl at the head of the column, who appeared to be twenty-five or twenty-six. Once freed, she fell to her knees in prayer.
“Great goddess, praise be upon you! You saved us.”
The slave saw Shao Jun as the reincarnation of Mazu, the most revered deity in the entire Fujian region.
And for good reason: a famous statue depicting her wearing a cloak was named “Miss Favorite”, the exact title used by Mai Bing to address her seconds before. All the girls and young women had been making offerings to the goddess when they were captured by the Iron Sharks, who normally prowled Guangdong and Guangxi. The south of the region was largely uninhabited at the time, though a temple dedicated to the goddess stood on a large hill overlooking the sea. When the Portuguese saw it for the first time, they heard the natives speak Mazu’s name and took it to be the name of the region. Their thick accents deformed the word, and that was how the place came to be known as Macau.
Shao Jun caught the arm of the kneeling woman to help her stand. Being mistaken for the reincarnation of a goddess discomfited her.
“Big sister,” she asked, “do you know how to get home?”
By chance, the slave understood Mandarin despite being uneducated, allowing her to act as an interpreter for the rest of her unfortunate companions.
“Yes. We were kidnapped at the temple of Mazu, but the boat they put us on to cross the estuary is still moored back there. We can use it to return to our families on the opposite shore.”
“Perfect. You should go back now.”
Shao Jun was relieved that they could get home on their own, because she had her own business to attend to. Armed with her sword, she began to slice the rest of the prisoners’ bonds. Most came apart easily, but after six or seven prisoners the ropes began to cause her trouble. As she bent to try a different angle, the girl at the front of the line shouted something in Cantonese.
Seeing the former imperial favorite was distracted and having told himself that the time of his execution grew near, Mai Bing found the courage to stand and launch an attack despite his fear. His kung-fu was not exceptional, but he had studied several techniques for surprise attacks and still had a dagger hidden in his right boot. This type of treacherous strike had allowed him to kill enemies more skilled than he in the past, and he hoped to repeat his success by sinking his blade into Shao Jun’s back.
He hadn’t counted on the reflexes the young woman had developed over her time as a fugitive. She didn’t speak Cantonese, so she hadn’t understood the prisoner’s shout; but she heard clothes rustling behind her and saw her attacker’s shadow falling over her soon enough to react. Without even turning round, she smoothly released her rope dart behind her. Mai Bing screamed in pain and fell to the floor as the dart sank into his shoulder. It didn’t take much to dispel the scant courage he had managed to muster. When he tried to get up to flee, he received a violent blow to the head and fell unconscious. The captive who had been at the head of the line had just thrown a large stone at his head that his injury and surprise had prevented him from avoiding. All the other girls quickly followed suit; their terror transformed into hatred towards the vile being who had deprived them of their freedom for the sake of a few coins. They who, in their village, spent their time quarrelling had finally found common ground. They also felt protected by the living embodiment of their goddess. A hail of stones flew towards the eunuch, whose brains soon flowed onto the ground like white sauce.
When her rage subsided, the captive who instigated the stoning suddenly seemed to realize that she and the other women had just killed Mai Bing. She began to shake like a leaf. It wasn’t easy for anyone to carry the weight of a murder, regardless of the reason it had been committed.
“That shovel-faced bastard… We killed him?”
Shao Jun had never heard this typical rural Guangdong insult before, but she understood the young woman’s horror. She moved towards the body to stab it through with her sword.
“No, it was I who killed him. Go in peace.”
The villager knelt once more; forehead pressed against the ground.
“Thank you for your kindness, my lady. When we rea
ch our village, I will ask my husband to burn two long sticks of incense in your honor.”
All the other girls thanked her in turn before fleeing northwards at a run. The former imperial favorite felt guilty at being unable to accompany them. She sincerely hoped that they reached home without any problems.
After leaving Master Yangming on the river, she had travelled on to Hongqimen to find the Tiexin he had spoken of and ask for the help of him and his men. She had then followed Mai Bing to Macau, where she hoped to keep Zhang Yong busy until her allies of the moment could launch their surprise attack, but she hadn’t expected the leader of the Tigers to weigh anchor so soon.
She needed to change her plans.
She felt tired and slightly confused as she looked down at the three bodies on the ground. The eunuchs’ deaths were not to be mourned, it prevented them from causing more misery, but she still hated taking lives. She dug a grave for the bodies using a shovel in the fishermen’s cabin. A little exercise helped her to assess her situation and calm her inner thoughts.
When she showed Tiexin the jade pendant and told him that Master Yangming was no longer with them, she had the impression he was pained but not upset. Later, when they were discussing the details of their plan, he had insisted that Shao Jun attack the small port of Macau alone before he and his men, something she found suspicious. Did he plan to abandon or betray her? The mentor had warned her not to trust them, so she couldn’t rule out the possibility. Now Zhang Yong was at sea, she wasn’t sure that this doubtful ally would still support her if she pursued her enemy across the water.
Just as she was finishing covering the bodies with earth, a small boat approached the shore, moving so quickly it almost seemed to fly. The young woman was disappointed to see it didn’t hold the small army she had expected. Instead, the boat contained only a seventeen year-old fisherwoman with unbound feet, pretty despite her suntanned skin. It was Tiexin’s sister A-Qian. Ready for action, she jumped to the ground with unusual agility, looking around with a confused expression before walking towards Shao Jun.
“Huh? Why is no one here?” she asked.
“They had already gone before I got here. Is your brother not coming, A-Qian?”
“He warned me that the nasty old Zhang Yong would flee without waiting for the last of his men.”
More mature and competent that her age would suggest, she was respected by her brother’s men and was aware of all his business. She was also the first person Shao Jun had discussed the situation with in Hongqimen. The former imperial concubine was still surprised. At first she’d believed that Tiexin had sent her to attack Zhang Yong alone in the hope that he would kill her and take all the risks instead, but what A-Qian had just said suggested that in reality he had doubted there would be a fight at the port.
He must still have some plan in mind though, which was unsettling.
“Did your brother say anything else?”
“He thinks Zhang Yong is going to the Isle of Demons, but with the wind that will blow tonight, they’ll have to stop at Guimen reef. It will be our only chance to intercept him, big sister!” Seeing Shao Jun’s hesitation, the fisherwoman took her by the sleeve. “We must hurry! This small boat will be smashed to pieces by the waves if we’re caught in the storm!”
The former imperial favorite felt she was hiding something, but the sky was growing dark with clouds, forcing her to make a quick decision.
“Let’s go!” she declared.
“We can use them, but we can’t trust them”, Wang Yangming had said of Tiexin and his men. She kept these words in mind as she stepped onto the boat. Although surrounded by mountains and saltwater, the young woman felt as if her master’s spirit was with her. She was also painfully aware that he could no longer watch over her as he had done before, and she could now only count on her own abilities for survival.
Chapter 17
Maritime laws had fluctuated significantly over the course of the Ming dynasty. As a result, during the second year of Jiajing’s reign a dispute broke out at the port of Ningbo over whether to allow two Japanese ships, come to present their tribute, to dock at the same time. Maritime policy had become harsher since then, and, except for several small fishing vessels, ships no longer approached the shore, even on stormy nights. However, the small boat braved the poor weather and sailed through the moonless night towards its destination: the junk moored at Guimen reef.
In the stern, A-Qian proved to be an impressive navigator, slipping between the waves on a boat that was usually used to cross a peaceful strait. Without her, the imperial favorite would have quickly been sunk. Who would have guessed that the young girl would be as skilled as an old sea dog?
“Big sister, we’ve caught up with them!” she called quietly, pointing at the silhouette looming near the island.
Apart from the whistling of the wind, the Tigers’ ship was shrouded in an eerie silence. On board shone a single lantern which must belong to the sailor on watch. Their skiff sped across the water, its small size making it difficult to spot in the moonless night.
“We must be careful, there’s sure to be a lookout,” Shao Jun warned.
A-Qian nodded then pulled on the rudder at the last second: the boat turned, brushing lightly against the junk before stopping soundlessly at its side. The alarm would have been raised immediately if the sailors had heard anything other than the sound of waves against the hull.
As the young girl skillfully executed the delicate maneuver, Shao Jun squinted to examine the swell around them.
“A-Qian, where is your brother?” she asked.
The fisherwoman looked all around.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “They’re still not here?”
“I find it hard to believe they got lost along the way.”
“My brother knows the location of the reef very well. He also gave me two flares to signal our position, but I’d prefer not to for the moment…”
Tiexin and his men were supposed to be there before them, and with their lead should have arrived earlier despite the bad weather. The flares, impossible to let off without immediately betraying the boat’s presence, were completely useless. The young woman raged silently. The coward had left her to do the dirty work and bear all the risks alone both here and in the port. It was too late to turn back now though and waiting could be dangerous. Zhang Yong was in reach and she had to take her chance now, with or without help. Even if she wasn’t up to the task ahead, she owed it to her master to push on and do everything she could to stop her enemy reaching his goal. Jaw clenched, she turned to A-Qian.
“Stay here,” she said, “I’ll go up first. Light the flare if anything happens.”
“But big sister, it’s too risky…”
“Don’t worry, but stay alert.”
Shao Jun was perturbed by the fisherwoman’s reaction. She seemed genuinely concerned for her safety. Could she really be sincere? If she was pretending, she was as good an actress as she was a navigator. Perhaps her brother hadn’t told her his entire plan after all. Without her master to guide her, the young woman didn’t know who to trust. Anyway, her decision was made: she began to climb the smooth, glistening side of the junk using every tiny imperfection for grip. Click! A movement of her ankle, and she stabbed the blade on her boot into the wood to help her climb. When she was halfway up, she heard A-Qian call out softly.
“Big sister, be very careful!”
The young girl was impressed by her passenger’s smooth movements as she swiftly climbed the side of the hull. Her lack of knowledge of martial arts meant she was unable to truly comprehend just how exceptional Shao Jun was: her agility exceeded that of Wang Yangming or Zhang Yong; fighters like her appeared only twice in a millennium.
She checked the deck was empty before climbing over the parapet. The junk swayed violently with the wind, but it was moored firmly enough that the sailors could avoid tedious inspec
tions of the ship. Consequently, there was not a single soul on deck. She slid on board like a curl of smoke drifting on the breeze, pressing herself against the wall of the cabin before silently climbing its roof to reach the wheelhouse, which held the only light on the ship.
When she entered, the sailor dozing over the wheel opened his large round eyes, but the point of her sword was at his throat before he had time to cry out. He felt as if a shadow had materialized before him like some supernatural apparition. Master Yangming had more than once counselled Shao Jun against her hesitation and tendency toward excessive mercy, but she couldn’t bring herself to be a cold-blooded murderer.
“Silence,” she motioned. “And I’ll let you live.”
With a cloak that was clearly of non-Chinese design, he had initially believed her to be Portuguese or some other Westerner, so he was surprised to hear the intruder speak his tongue. He nodded slowly and felt the pressure of the steel against his skin ease slightly.
“Is Zhang Yong on board?” the young woman asked quietly.
“He’s in the cabin under our feet,” the man answered thinly.
“Thank you.”
The sword slid downwards, then pressed an acupuncture point on his heart with surgical precision to incapacitate him. Shao Jun leapt onto the deck, silent as a cat, and slid the end of her blade between the door and the frame to delicately lift the lock that held it closed. Everything had gone without a hitch up to this point, but she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. There was no way for Zhang Yong to know she was about to attack him on the open sea, but he was still extremely dangerous despite being weakened from his fight with Master Yangming. Killing him would not be easy.
She took a deep breath and suddenly opened the door. On ships hinges are always corroded by the moist, salty atmosphere, which makes them creak. Though it meant being spotted as soon as she opened the door, the young woman had bet on the element of surprise. Just as she was about to hurl herself into the inky-black cabin, something flashed in the darkness.