by Tianyi Zhang
Then for some reason, Little Wang began to cry, oh!
Boom!
Crash! The glass in the window shattered.
The house shuddered. All the vases and decorations all fell off to the ground. The silver plate someone had given to the Elder Master Shi Boxiang tumbled with a flip, its glass case shattering into thousands of pieces.
Little Wang cried out with a sharp mad shout and rolled under the sofa. Panting and crying, he yelled, “It’s all over this time, but… but… mother!”
The electric lights went out.
Shi Zhaochang’s legs went weak, and he sat down on the floor.
A column of black smoke rose in the flame-red sky. Amid the sounds of gunfire were the sounds of collapsing buildings like the rolling of the tide.
The airplanes screamed with more and more intensity, like they were flying inside the room, and the floor rocked and trembled.
“Ah!” Little Wang cried out sharply, darted out from under the sofa and ran outside.
Shi Zhaochang jumped up to hold him back.
“Little Wang, you can’t go! Buy the stealth suit… My Elder Brother and the rest will be here soon… We will do good deeds…”
“I can’t, I…”
“Little Wang, didn’t you swear obedience to me? You have to obey me. I gave you twenty cents, twenty… not lead coins, you…”
“I, I, I…”
“Don’t go, Little Wang, and you… I, your Elder Young Master will give you another twenty cents!”
But Little Wang twisted his body and fled.
The sound of airplanes went further away. Then there was one more: “Boom!”
“I must prepare the talisman!” Shi Zhaochang ran into his room.
Prepare the talisman and wait for Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple to come, then they could go and fight the devils together. If only he had the time to look for Thirteenth Sister.
He pulled a paper box from a drawer. Inside were twenty or thirty Golden Pills. His Master gave this to him.
“Disciple, these Golden Pills were refined by I, The Supreme Ultimate Master and Xuan Nü of the Nine Heavens. Once disciple eats one, damned all if he don’t need fear no flood, fire or blade. If someone breathes his last, this Golden Pill can bring him back to life.”
It was that kind of thing.
Shi Zhaochang stuffed one of the pills into his mouth. Soft, sweet, and it had a kind of banana flavor.
The sound of gunshots eased a bit, the sounds was cut by someone screaming. Then there was a sudden sound like someone striking a wooden fish that made the house jump: Bambambambambambambam…
From near and far away was: Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shi Zhaochang grit his teeth, not at all afraid. He just shivered and his shoulders twitched, then he slowly hunted for the sword his master gave him. It was very small, drawn from the scabbard it wasn’t even half a foot long. He struck a match to see if he wasn’t mistaken.
With the match lit, we can see the foreign words carved on the blade:
“G.H. PENKNIFE CO. SHANGHAI”
There was a red thread wound around the hilt.
“Ah, no mistake.” Shi Zhaochang put it and the box of Golden Pills in his pocket.
“What to do? He had to wait for Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple. Looking around, he shivered again. If he were to go out to win honor all by himself, that would be showing a lack of respect to the two of them, and to Master.
He lacked a stealth suit, too. The one he had was stretched out and ripped to the point of being useless. To wear torn up clothes would be too demeaning.
He also lacked a Thirteenth Sister.
He shuddered and sighed. Perhaps The Supreme Ultimate Master would be struck with a flash of insight and make a divination that would show he must have Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple send Thirteenth Sister, and bring along a stealth suit too. He must go, hand in hand with Thirteenth Sister…
Bang!
BAM!
Shi Zhaochang was so startled he nearly fell over. He didn’t have time to get into his upright stance, he just shot out the doorway. It seemed like he worried someone might come rushing up. He hesitated behind the door to the guest room. But after five or six minutes, he remembered the Golden Pill he had swallowed.
“Haha! I don’t fear you!” He strode out in his upright stance.
Right then someone bolted out and ran right into Shi Zhaochang.
“Who?!”
“It’s me.” Little Wang.
“How?”
“I couldn’t get out.” Little Wang hid on the sofa, trembling so much that the sofa springs squeaked.
Boom—Crash!
The house shook like it was about to collapse.
“I’m not afraid!” Shi Zhaochang spat out through gritted teeth. “Follow me and those shells and bombs won’t do a thing to you. I need to… need to…”
But he still wouldn’t leave. He had to wait from Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple to bring Thirteenth Sister.
But no one ever came.
His eyeballs were getting dry. His upper eyelids were coming down like hammers. No matter what gongfu he tried he couldn’t keep them up. For several nights he hadn’t slept. That day Liu Zhao tried to get him to make a donation, he was up the whole night with worry. Then falling out with the Woman Warrior of National Salvation had him up all night with anger. After offending Thirteenth Sister, he was up thinking the entire night. Now he was just…
His butt hit the sofa.
Little Wang jumped up in fright, but then after five or six minutes burrowed back down.
Outside, the gunshots went thick and then sparse. Not long after there was the rolling scraping sound all mixed together: Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shi Zhaochang closed his eyes. He felt his body floating up. He seemed to see a bullet come from the muzzle of a rifle soaring wildly through the streets. Then there was some black thing in front of him: ah, it was someone fleeing for their life. He wanted to tell them not to worry, but he couldn’t make any sound.
The fleeing silhouette gradually started to glow and became a multicolored body. The face appeared: Ah! The Woman Warrior of National Salvation!
“Let her suffer a little bit.”
“Great hero! Quick come save me la!” Her face was streaked with tears.
“You are Evil. You, you… There are still fifty dollars of mine in your…”
“I’ve cast aside Evil and turned to the Good la,” the Woman Warrior raised her hand for him to see. In her hand was a head—the head of that Missed-Whatever Tao.
“You, you…you…”
Then the Woman Warrior of National Salvation sat down on him lap and snuggled her head against him. He smelled her scent of sandalwood and sardine oil. Next to him sat Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple.
“Second Brother, Master has arrived,” Elder Brother stood perfectly as one should.
Master sat on a cloud dais, rubbing his red eyes with his fingers.
“Disciple, go forth now and win honor. Many are waiting for you to kill the devils.”
“Your disciple will go immediately,” He jumped up and ran outside.
But in front of him he was blocked by people kneeling in a circle around him: Mr. Liu Liu, Mrs. Liu, Liu Zhao, Shi Zhaowu, Mistress Shi.
“Brother Shi Wuchang,” Liu Zhao kowtowed. “You must save the people. You see how so many people await your… Save us, we won’t ask you to make a donation…”
Oh, right, behind him, knelt uncountable millions of regular people.
“Very well. I will go… Little Wang, bring me my stealth suit!”
Elder Master Shi Boxiang appeared before him, stroking Shi Zhaochang’s head.
“Only now do I realize you have such ability. Only if you go out on a campaig
n will the evildoers of the world be wiped out, only then with the world be at peace. Zhaowu has no real future. You can win honor and save so much money. I spent so much money raising you—the return on investment is incredible.”
“Father, only now do you understand…”
But father wasn’t father: it was Thirteenth Sister.
The Woman Warrior for National Salvation appeared on his shoulder smoking a cigarette, telling him she loved him, and he didn’t need to spend a cent. He said nothing, just puffed out her cheeks, sniffed, and ran out.
On the firing line!
“I, Shi Zhaochang, have arrived!”
The guns fired off wildly, but whenever a bullet was fired toward him, it would turn away.
“Watch my blade!” He took out the blade in his hand.
The devil soldiers fell to the ground like a collapsing wall.
His blade flew everywhere, and one after another, heads rolled to the ground. He had to kill all of the evildoers: Those who don’t believe in the Divine Way, that don’t know their places, that mixed men and women together. And also those two guys who tried to get donations at the door to the theatre. And the rickshaw pullers that wouldn’t take the lead dimes.
Somehow he killed all the way into the nation of the devils. Their emperor’s face was made up like the ‘painted face’ in an opera, and a pheasant feather stuck out from the top of his head. They all kneeled before him.
“Great warrior, spare us, great warrior…”
“Do you submit to me, Shi Zhaochang?”
“You servant is…
The suddenly from all over, millions upon millions cried out: “Long live Shi Zhaochang! Long Live Shi Zhaochang!”
But was Shi Zhaochang a bit unhappy? How dare they address him by shouting out his personal name?
There was a sound like firecrackers outside.
Firecrackers came flying in next to his ears. He jumped.
“Ah!”
He was still on the sofa in the guest room.
It was light. There was a grayish light slanting in from the window.
Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple hadn’t come. Thirteenth Sister didn’t come. There was only him and Little Wang here. Little Wang was sleeping on the floor face up, with sticky saliva seeping out of the corners of his mouth, flowing down his cheeks, and snorts came from his nose.
All around was quiet, with only the occasional gunshot or two.
“They still haven’t come,” Shi Zhaochang muttered with a yawn.
If only they would come, his dream would be put into action.
His legs were numb, and when he stood, he nearly tripped.
“I’ll take a look outside.”
As soon as the door opened a chill came in. He shivered.
The alley seemed to be a deserted world. He could only see a couple of people with bundles on their backs running off. He groused Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple hadn’t come, otherwise—those refugees would have been saved long ago. But how many lives were wronged over night!
It is all preordained, ah!
But…
“If they don’t come by tomorrow, then I’ll have to…”
Then he would have to go out and win honor by himself.
But his legs didn’t have any strength, his teeth chattered, shaking so much that his cheeks shook. His heart raced one moment and then calmed the next. He forced himself to calm down, but it didn’t do any good at all. A thought came to him that maybe this feeling was what is called the “Flash of Insight.”
“It’s been this flash of insight, dammit!”
Maybe Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple were about to arrive. Maybe Thirteenth Sister was in trouble.
He blew out a breath. This “Flash of Insight” was a little tough to take.
“I’ll go save Thirteenth Sister,” he muttered.
He legs went weak and he leaned against the wall. His hand rubbed his forehead—he was burning up.
“I’m hungry. I’ll have Little Wang order a bowl of dough noodle soup …”
He leaned against the wall, unmoving. He hoped that Little Wang would have a flash of insight too, and figure out that his master’s stomach was empty so that he would order some dough noodle soup and the rest.
Little Wang did really have a flash of insight. Little Wang ran out.
“Master, it’s time to hurry… quickly, master. We have to leave now!”
“I won’t leave. I have to fight the devils. I must save…”
“The…the...the… if the devils come, what can we do? We…”
“I won’t leave. I really have to… I really have to…”
“You can’t leave either!”
“You… You…” Little Wang’s face was covered in tears. “I’m done for…”
“If you leave, who will get me dough noodle soup … don’t worry, I’m here. I…”
But that one didn’t heed, he broke into a run and fled.
“Little Wang! Little Wang!” Shi Zhaochang called out shrilly. “Dammit, dammit!”
Suddenly, heaven and earth started spinning. Shi Zhaochang closed his eyes and tried to gather himself, then slowly returned home.
“Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple still haven’t come. Thirteenth Sister still hasn’t come. And I still don’t have a stealth suit.”
Shi Zhaochang tried to sit down on the sofa, but his butt slipped and he landed on the ground. Patterns spun around in front of his eyes like the tri-colored patterned pole in front of a barber shop. Then comet-like things joyously spun around him.
He chewed on a Golden Pill. Sweet, soft and banana flavored. But he tasted a little bitterness at the tip of his tongue.
“What do I do? I… I must… I must…”
For some reason at that moment he couldn’t think of anything at all. Comets and patterns danced around so much his head throbbed. It felt like his body was floating in mid-air. He was on a cloud dais. His feet trod on variegated vapor. He saw…
“Oh, Master!”
At Master’s left stood Thirteenth Sister and the Woman Warrior of National Salvation. Close on his right were Elder Brother and Elder Brother Disciple.
“What!” Shi Zhaochang spoke mostly through his nose. “Men stand to the left and women to the right. How could these two women stand to Master’s left?”
The Woman Warrior of National Salvation floated to his lap.
“This is the new morality la!”
In a dazzling of comets, everyone disappeared.
Thirteenth Sister was at his side. She did a handstand, hands on the ground, her two bound-dumpling feet pointing at the ceiling. She looked at him, and he told her in a flood of words—his own story. He spoke with a great effort, as if there was a piece of iron in his throat preventing his voice from coming out. Thirteenth Sister was quiet the whole time, staying in her handstand without moving a muscle, focusing on listening to him.
The story wasn’t short. He spoke for quite a while before falling silent. Actually the story ended with a cliffhanger, but the piece of iron in his throat swelled and lengthened so that no sound could come out. His tongue also became as stiff as a stone…
Shi Zhaochang passed out. The gunfire and sound of shells were getting louder outside, but Shi Zhachang slept on all the way until night without moving.
At daybreak, the shellfire was truly terrible. Shi Zhaochang shouted out wildly, his hands madly clawing at the ground. He jumped up and rushed all around the room. From the window he ran to the doorway, then from the doorway, he darted to the opposite wall. Only after tripping over the shards of a shattered vase and falling to the ground did he come completely awake.
His legs wouldn’t support him. Leaning on the wall he made his way to the sofa and sat down, panting with the effort.
Outside,
everything was in flames.
Boom! Crash!
The house shook.
Shi Zhaochang licked his lips. His lips were bitter.
“They still haven’t come…” He closed his eyes.
Boom! Boom! Ratta-tatta-tatta-tat!
Then from far away the sound of airplanes came nearer.
“Attend me to save…” Shi Zhaochang lightly moved his lips. “But wait…”
All of a sudden there was a sound like the world exploding.
The house did a summersault.
Shi Zhaochang was blown from the sofa to the ground. His ears rang—droning…
Black smoke billowed in through the window.
He started crawling, rushing outside. He couldn’t see anything. In one breath he had run several blocks before gradually slowing down.
A wall collapsed in front of him. He crawled up to the pile of roof tiles and bricks and lay down like he was getting into bed. His body was like a foreign wax candle in an oven—he couldn’t keep upright no matter what.
Shi Zhaochang lay there for four or five hours.
“There’s an unconscious civilian there!”
“Hey! Hey!”
“Are you injured?”
“I’m not… I’m not…” Shi Zhaochang mumbled.
“Hey! Hey!” Someone helped Shi Zhaochang up.
“What!” Shi Zhaochang opened his eyes.
Eh, to lie down on a place like this!
Collapsed walls, crumbled walls, tiles, bricks, smoke, scorched timbers, soldiers and civilians running around. There were some soldiers reclining on a pile of tiles and bricks in front of him. Their rifles were pointing out, but they didn’t open fire. They were just chatting with their buddies. Closer to him, a machine gun was set up next to a crumbled wall with several soldiers looking outward. Opposite gunshots rang out without cease, the bullets whizzing over.
“Why don’t they open fire over here? Why… Why…”
But everything was hazy, like they were separated by a pane of frosted glass. He couldn’t think straight. It was like he was walking on cotton, each step sinking in. His body sunk down too. He didn’t know where he was now, and he didn’t know what he had to do. His body was grabbed and taken away like some magic had taken control of him. He couldn’t struggle free—no, he simply never thought to struggle free.