Small Shen

by Kylie Chan

  Xuan Wu pulled himself to his feet and transformed from an old man into his usual human form; long hair and sculpted face. He strolled to the demon and held his hand in front of its face.

  The demon’s face went from horror to blank.

  Xuan Wu moved his hand, and the demon followed, its eyes never moving from Xuan Wu’s palm. Xuan Wu turned the demon and then walked towards the desk, his hand still in front of the demon’s face. The demon followed like an automaton.

  ‘This is the Number Twelve Son of the Demon King,’ Xuan Wu said conversationally as he led the demon to the desk. ‘How many girls are you holding here against their will, Twelve?’

  ‘Thirteen, here,’ the demon said.

  ‘Other places?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Twenty? Forty? Fifty?’

  ‘Probably about fifty.’

  Xuan Wu glanced at Gold. ‘Fifty like that American girl.’ He strode around the desk and fell into the large office chair, then placed both hands, palms down, on the desk. Not a single scrap of paper sat on the desk; its only residents were a large brush and ink set and a priceless jade ruyi, a sceptre that granted its owner fulfilment of his will.

  ‘Number Twelve here,’ Xuan Wu said, gesturing dismissively towards the hypnotised demon, ‘has been planning for years to make an attempt against his father, the King of the Demons. He has amassed an army in the hills above Guangdong province. Human and demon.’

  ‘Normally I let the demons sort this type of thing out among themselves,’ Xuan Wu said. ‘The current Demon King has been around for a long time, though, and his behaviour has been reasonably honourable. His word is good and he doesn’t create half-human demon hybrids to use as weapons against us.’ Xuan Wu rose, walked back around the desk, and stood next to the demon still standing motionless in front of the desk. ‘This one, however, is not particularly trustworthy and treats humans with contempt. If it were to gain the position of king, many humans would suffer.’

  ‘You cannot interfere directly, my Lord,’ Gold said. ‘Celestial interference in demonic dominions is forbidden unless they attack us first.’

  ‘I am well aware of that,’ Xuan Wu said, studying the demon.

  Gold blanched as he understood. ‘No.’

  ‘You may do your best to free the captive women while you work for the demon. I can help you if you require it. These women must be freed. But, apart from that, all I want is for you to provide information. On the opium trade, on the tea trade, on the prostitution and organised crime, and particularly on the planned bid against the king. You are cunning, Gold, and your intelligence has been going to waste. I think now is a good time to begin using it.’

  Gold hesitated, thinking. Then he nodded once. ‘If you can help me, I think I can get some of them out.’

  ‘Good.’ Xuan Wu held out his hand, and a small black jade turtle appeared in it, hanging from a light gold chain. ‘Take this. Connect with this jade, stone to stone. It will allow you to communicate with me. Be aware that if I am on duty to the Jade Emperor, the Celestial takes precedence. Even if the demon is about to take your head.’

  ‘I understand, my Lord.’ Gold took the turtle and slipped it around his neck. He had an inspiration; a black turtle around his neck was an obvious giveaway of his connection with the Dark Lord. He absorbed the turtle and chain into his human form and wrapped them around the stone, deep inside his body, where not even a demon could see.

  ‘Good thinking, Gold, I think you will do well at this.’ Xuan Wu held his hand in front of the demon’s face. ‘I am going to walk it back to where it entered the room. Then I am going to give you to it. You know how to behave. Ready?’

  Gold returned to his seat. ‘Ready.’

  Xuan Wu walked the demon back to the door, and concentrated.

  Then he went back on the rosewood chairs next to Gold.

  The demon froze.

  ‘I am not here to interfere in your dealings,’ Xuan Wu said. He gestured dismissively towards Gold. ‘This Shen has an honour debt to you, I believe. I caught him trying to steal the Great Seal of the Jade Emperor.’

  The demon slowly turned back, its horrified expression changing to one of cunning. ‘You are here to ensure the debt is paid?’

  Xuan Wu rose. ‘I am. That is all I am here for.’ He waved one hand at Gold. ‘This worthless stone is yours.’

  The demon bent to study Gold, grinning with avarice. ‘I will put it to good use, my Lord.’

  ‘You are bound to this demon’s servitude until the Celestial judges your debt discharged, stone,’ Xuan Wu said. He disappeared.

  Gold fell to his knees in front of the demon. ‘I am yours. I can only trust that you will treat me well.’

  ‘Can you take female form?’ the demon said with barely controlled greed. ‘Attractive female form?’

  ‘If I must. But, my Lord…’ He gazed up at the demon. ‘I am sure I would be more useful managing your administrative dealings. As I am bound by the Celestial, I am completely trustworthy, and you can pass me the management of your accounts without concern.’

  The demon straightened and studied Gold. ‘You have a point. Managing the Little Brothers is a pain.’ He gestured dismissively towards the desk. ‘Behind the desk is a cabinet full of documents that need to be sorted, and in the basement there are outstanding reports that need to be brought up to date. Can you do that?’

  Gold rose and bowed slightly. ‘I am more than capable. I can manage the whole operation with minimal supervision, my Lord. And you can trust me.’

  ‘Sounds good. I ate the previous manager of this particular house last week, he was skimming takings into a private account. You won’t do that, will you?’

  ‘I cannot,’ Gold said. ‘I am bound.’

  The demon grinned, jolly. ‘I think the Xuan Wu has given me a very useful little toy. You can handle all of this while I deal with more important matters. I haven’t tallied the earnings in a while, it’s too much trouble. You can tell me when you’ve worked it out.’

  Gold bowed slightly again. ‘I will be delighted to.’

  The demon slapped Gold on the back. ‘Let me show you where the documents are.’

  Gold went back downstairs, and sat at the desk in the demon’s office. He pulled out the records of the days’ takings, and began to add the figures when noises erupted outside the door.

  One of the junior demon guards rapped on the door and charged in. ‘We lost another one.’

  ‘Damn,’ Gold said, rising. ‘Was it bad opium again?’

  The demon gestured towards the door. ‘No, I think she just took too much. Deliberate overdose.’

  ‘Call the Master,’ Gold said. He led the way up the stairs. ‘Which one is it?’

  ‘Anne,’ the demon said, then disappeared into the back of the house to call the Master.

  The demon Master appeared next to Gold. ‘Is she dead?’

  ‘Yes, my Lord,’ Gold said. ‘Don’t worry about it, I will take care of the body.’

  ‘Dump it in the harbour or something,’ the demon said. ‘Damn! This black one was expensive. And popular. Where the hell are we going to get another one?’

  Gold rose and turned. ‘My Lord, we are losing too many to this. I think it would be better if we only used girls who choose to be here. The ones we hold against their will always end up killing themselves.’

  ‘Deny the opium,’ the demon said.

  ‘If you deny the opium then they are too distraught to serve the customers,’ Gold said. ‘Either way, we lose. I think the best option is just to use girls who want to do it. There’s plenty over the border who will give anything to come and work in Hong Kong.’

  ‘Very well,’ the demon said with resignation.

  ‘Permission to release the rest of the girls as we find replacements for them,’ Gold said. ‘At the rate we’re losing them, the growing pile of corpses will attract the attention of the authorities.’

  ‘I pay the police very well to leave us alon
e,’ the demon said.

  ‘I am not talking about the police.’

  The demon was silent as he understood. ‘The Celestials won’t intervene. It’s none of their business.’

  ‘If enough humans are suffering, a Celestial may take it upon himself to do something,’ Gold said. ‘I recommend that you release the rest of the girls, my Lord.’

  ‘Very well. Take care of it, Gold. I have other, more important things to attend to.’

  ‘My Lord.’ Gold bowed slightly. ‘Don’t worry, it will all be taken care of.’ He ventured a question. ‘How soon will you make your bid, my Lord?’

  ‘Another two, three weeks, that’s all,’ the demon said slowly. ‘Then I may promote you to oversee all of my Earthly establishments.’

  Gold bowed. ‘I would be profoundly honoured, my Lord.’

  The demon chuckled. ‘A Demon King with a pet Shen. Who would believe it?’

  ‘You will be the most powerful and ruthless king that Hell has ever seen,’ Gold said.

  The demon laughed and slapped Gold on the back. ‘You are worth more to me as a slave than any wife of the Tiger would have been.’

  Gold bowed again. ‘I thank you, my Lord.’

  ‘Now sort this mess out,’ the demon said, gesturing towards Anne. ‘Get rid of it and the rest of the slaves. You’re right, they’re more trouble than they’re worth.’ He hesitated. ‘But if you could find another black one that wants to do the job, I’ll give you a special bonus.’

  Gold grinned. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

  The demon disappeared. Gold quickly closed the bedroom door. He stood in the centre of the room, lowered his head, and concentrated.

  Yes? Xuan Wu said.

  I have another one, my Lord, Gold said.

  I’m sending somebody right now.

  A tall European woman appeared next to Gold. Without saying a word, she moved to Anne and took her hand.

  ‘Well done,’ the European woman said. She glanced up at Gold. ‘My name’s Meredith, I’m one of the Dark Lord’s lieutenants.’

  Gold couldn’t hide his amusement.

  ‘Westerners can gain Immortality as well, Gold,’ Meredith said, turning back to Anne. She put her hand over Anne’s face. ‘Good job.’ She concentrated, and Anne jerked as if shocked, then took a deep gasping breath. Her eyes snapped open and she cast around.

  ‘It’s all right, dear,’ Meredith said. ‘I’m taking you home.’

  Meredith and Anne both disappeared.

  Gold lifted the opium pipe and returned it to the cupboard, then headed back downstairs. He had a lot of recruiting to do.

  Gold was sitting quietly in his office when a demon appeared. Gold rose, walked around the desk, and bowed. ‘Good day, sir.’

  The demon was in human form, appearing as a Chinese in his mid-thirties, slim and good-looking. ‘You are Gold?’

  ‘I am, your honour,’ Gold said.

  The demon grinned. ‘Number Twelve’s pet Shen.’

  ‘No more, I believe, my Lord,’ Gold said.

  ‘You’re free now, stone,’ the demon said. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Waiting to see the new proprietor of this establishment,’ Gold said. ‘I have enjoyed working with the women, and if you are as understanding as the previous owner, I may choose to stay. What is your honoured name, sir?’

  ‘I’m the One Hundred and Twenty-Second Son of the King,’ the demon said. ‘You can call me Mr Wong. I provided my father with a great deal of assistance in the recent altercation, and I have been granted all of Twelve’s property as reward.’

  ‘I will show you the deeds, sir,’ Gold said.

  The demon gestured dismissively. ‘Let’s see.’

  Gold opened a cabinet behind the desk and pulled out the books. ‘These are all of the establishments possessed by the late Number Twelve. There are thirteen brothels similar to this one. There are three export traders in Hong Kong, and six in Guangdong.’ Gold flipped through the papers. ‘A few other minor holdings, real estate, restaurants, businesses.’ He pulled out a set of books tied with a red ribbon. ‘These contain details of underworld activity; the names of the gangsters, their ranks, and the amount of protection money they are collecting from businesses.’

  ‘How much is it all worth?’ the demon said.

  ‘Seventy-five million Hong Kong dollars,’ Gold said.

  The demon whistled through his teeth. ‘Yes.’

  ‘The girls are hiding in the basement, sir,’ Gold said. ‘They are delightful ladies, all working here of their own free will, not even held by debt. Would you like me to call them up so you can inspect them, try some of them out? They’d probably like to meet you.’

  ‘Go right ahead,’ the demon said, moving to the desk to inspect the books. He spoke without turning away from the deeds. ‘Seventy-five million. Excellent.’ He glanced up at Gold. ‘How many women?’

  ‘Fifteen here, my Lord. All human,’ Gold said.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ the demon said with relish. ‘Humans. Any spare?’

  ‘My Lord?’

  The demon focused on Gold. ‘Are any of the women excess to our needs? Not satisfactory in performance? Do any of them need to be…

  ‘Punished?’

  ‘Every single woman here is a good worker and well behaved, my Lord,’ Gold said. ‘None of them are excess.’

  The demon shuffled through the books. ‘I think I shall go and inspect my other properties. My other women.’ He glanced up at Gold. ‘Have the women here ready for me when I return. I will inspect them last.’

  ‘My Lord,’ Gold said.

  Gold watched the demon depart, and waited until it was a good distance away. He turned and quickly scrabbled through the cabinet behind him. For a horrible moment he couldn’t find what he was looking for; then pulled it with triumph from the back. He unrolled the document — the deed to the tea plantation in Fujian, the one that the previous demon owner had used in their bet. Gold rolled the parchment up and shoved it into his human body.

  He slipped down the stairs to the basement, and opened the door.

  ‘Girls, listen,’ Gold said. ‘There is a new Master and he’s a bad one. He will hurt you. Come with me, I can help you.’ Gold felt a rush of remorse; he couldn’t do anything for the girls in the other houses. He straightened. He would do what he could for these ones. ‘Come with me, I’ll take you to Guangdong train station, and you can go home.’

  The girls silently followed him up the stairs. They grabbed what they could and ran.

  HONG KONG

  1997

  A FEW days before Daniel was due to leave, Michelle tapped on Leo’s door. ‘Leo, are you in there?’

  Leo opened the door. ‘Can I help you, ma’am?’

  Michelle saw that Gold was in Leo’s room on the couch. ‘Good, both of you are here, I need your help.’

  Gold shifted on the couch so that Michelle could sit. She rubbed her hands over her face and sighed.

  ‘What’s the matter, honey?’ Leo said.

  ‘Daniel has said that he doesn’t want to return to Canada, or take the job in Paris. He says that he wants to stay here in Hong Kong. He says he’ll live here for a few weeks, if that’s all right with John, and then find an apartment of his own.’

  Leo and Gold were silent for a moment, then Gold said, ‘That’s great, ma’am.’

  ‘No, it isn’t!’ Michelle exclaimed. She lowered her voice. ‘He will run rampant here and destroy everything! He will spend all his time chasing the Filipinas and eventually find his way back into the drugs. He was coming along so well, until he came here!’ She slapped the arm of the couch. ‘We must make him go to Paris, and take his job there. He must stop his disgusting habits. He has broken poor Jade’s heart, he has harassed Monica, he has probably annoyed both of you. From the look on Lo Wu’s face, I’d say he’s even tried to seduce him.’ She looked away. ‘He is so shameful!’

  ‘We didn’t know you knew, ma’am,’ Gold said.

 
; ‘Of course I know,’ Michelle said. ‘He promised me he had given it up. He promised me he would settle down with someone, and stop chasing everyone he meets, man or woman.’ She dropped her head, her voice thick. ‘He promised me!’

  ‘Short of drugging him and dragging him onto the airplane, ma’am, I don’t think there’s much we can do,’ Gold said.

  ‘Do that then,’ Michelle said.

  Both Gold and Leo snorted with amusement.

  ‘I don’t think that’s an option,’ Gold said.

  ‘Can you do something with his mind, Gold?’ Michelle said.

  ‘That’s really not allowed, ma’am.’

  ‘In this case, it would be doing him a favour,’ Michelle said.

  ‘It would be doing us a favour as well,’ Leo growled.

  ‘Exactly!’ Michelle said.

  ‘The Dark Lord is in his office, let’s go talk to him,’ Gold said. ‘He might have a suggestion for us.’

  The three of them went into Xuan Wu’s office together. Leo and Michelle sat on the visitors’ chairs, and Gold stood behind them.

  ‘This looks serious,’ Xuan Wu said.

  ‘To cut a long story short, sir,’ Leo said, ‘the Lady Michelle is well aware of her brother’s…habits…and is unhappy because he has decided to stay in Hong Kong.’

  ‘He had a job lined up in Paris, correct?’ Xuan Wu said.

  The three of them nodded.

  ‘Would he be better off in Paris than he is here?’

  ‘There are no desperate Filipinas in Paris,’ Michelle said. ‘The women there will not accept his advances so easily. He will also be kept extremely busy in his new job. If he stays here he will probably just live on our generosity without even seeking work!’