by Shinn A. H.
“Bao Yu!” hissed the assailant.
lood dribbled down the side of Shifu Tan’s ear, but that didn’t thwart his efforts in protecting his responsibilities. His body rose into a fighting stance and he put up his hands. He was looking away when Kellie saw a dark figure coming at him again from above.
“Shifu Tan!” she warned, but not in time.
The attacker was too fast for him and he repeatedly threw violent blows at the monk. Deep cuts appeared on Shifu Tan’s arms and forehead. It was impossible for him to defend himself against this blur. From where Kellie was standing, she couldn’t get a good look at the stranger, but he appeared small in size, barely the height of Shifu Tan’s waist. The foe would strike and then vanish, his opponent unable to foresee his next move.
As Kellie watched Shifu Tan crumble to the ground, she yelled at Jake and Jory to get help.
“What about you?” cried Jory.
“Just go!” screamed Kellie. “I can’t leave him!”
With conflicting expressions, they hesitantly took off pleading for help as they scrambled toward the monks’ private rooms.
Kellie ran in front of Shifu Tan and screamed, “Stop it, you coward!”
Then there was a dead eerie silence. All Kellie could hear was Shifu Tan’s shallow breathing as he lay on the ground, vulnerable. Kellie stood close to him, preventing him from receiving another hit. Her heart was pounding in hyperspeed, but she couldn’t let herself succumb to her fears; Shifu Tan needed her. She prayed Jake and Jory would get the others soon.
She tried to tune in to her senses, listening and looking everywhere. With her guard up, she waited for a movement from the adversary, as her mind backtracked to all the kung fu lessons she ever had.
“Bao Yu,” called a scratchy, wicked sounding voice. She spun around and saw a macabre creature. It wasn’t a man. It wasn’t even human. It was a monkey! It was a haggardly old primate, covered with long unruly hair. His dull gray coat and wrinkly sagging skin, hinted at a long unmerciful life. Long protruding yellow nails scratched at the ground as he edged toward her, staring at her with a terrifying soulless gaze. There was hardness in his eyes and beyond his pupils, Kellie could see the anger and darkness that burned within.
Kellie positioned herself between the monkey and Shifu Tan, who was now semiconscious. She shook on the inside, but put on a brave front.
With a cruel smile, the monkey asked, “Are you trying to protect him?”
“What do you want from us?” Kellie yelled.
“Just give me Bao Yu!” he demanded, his smile transforming into a scowl.
Kellie felt her whole body shaking and she hoped he couldn’t detect her fear. He didn’t know her name was Bao Yu, and she planned to keep it that way.
“We don’t have it!”
He continued to creep toward her. “And who are you? Why is a young girl at this monastery?”
“M-My name is Kellie….The monks are my family. We don’t have what you want, you disgusting animal!”
“Disgusting animal?” he repeated, undoubtedly offended by the insult. “You humans are the ones who are loathsome. Such ignorant things you are…always desiring the tangible — narcissistic scum is what humans are!”
Kellie was taken aback by his detestation.
“H-how do you talk?” she asked.
“I can more than just talk, you foolish girl.”
Kellie didn’t take her eyes off him, as he got closer and closer. Although terrified to the bones, she had to ask a burning question: was she standing in front of Shifu Lau’s killer?
“Are…are you the one who killed Shifu Lau?”
“Shifu Lau? Was he the idiot hiding Bao Yu from me, years ago?” With indifference he said, “It was I,” as if killing Shifu Lau meant nothing to him. Then his beady black eyes homed in on her. “You are lying to me…you know where it is.”
Kellie could feel her neck moistening and sweat beads developing on her forehead. She was face-to-face with Shifu Lau’s murderer. She was furious at the abomination, but also petrified. He beat Shifu Tan, a highly skilled martial artist, without much effort. How was she going to defeat him?
Her mind raced as he advanced toward her; she wanted to fight for Shifu Lau’s honor, but knew she was no match for him. As he was about to claw at her face, Kellie blocked his strike, with a technique Master Chen taught her (she observed the motion of his shoulder). She not only blocked him, but she circled her arms around and struck him back with a loud yell.
Tumbling backward, he looked dumbfounded. Kellie couldn’t believe it! Her confidence grew as she watched him eye her up and down. She was ready for him when he went at her with full force. She was able to evade the first few hits, but quickly lost her focus. He was too fast and too skilled. His multiple strikes were like one movement and she was no longer able to anticipate his punches. She got hit in the face and gut, which flung her back, hard against a tree trunk.
“Kellie!” Jake and Jory screamed. They brought all the monks with them, weapons clenched in their hands.
Seeing the approaching mob, the monkey reached up to the trees to make his escape when something caught his eye. “Bao Yu,” he murmured and leapt at her. Kellie shrieked in horror when his claws came at her. He wrested the jade necklace off her throat and evaporated into Shenmi Forest.
Jory and Jake ran toward Kellie and helped her up; some of the monks tended to Shifu Tan and his injuries; the rest of them searched the area to ensure that the assailant was gone.
Master Zheng fled to Kellie, assessing her from head to toe. He looked relieved after seeing she only had superficial wounds.
“How is Shifu Tan?” Kellie barely let out, her nose stinging from the punch.
“Alive,” Master Zheng said. “Can you make it to your room?”
Kellie felt wetness under her nose and on the side of her temple. Wiping it away, she saw blood on her hands. “I-I think so.”
“Jake — Jory, take her to her room. I will be there soon with a first aid kit.”
Shifu Tan was already carried away and the frenzy was settling down. A handful of the most skilled fighters were assigned to follow Kellie to her room and to keep watch of her.
Jory held the door open as Jake supported her arm, guiding Kellie into her room. She slowly lowered herself onto the bed; it felt good to lie down on the soft mattress, though her abdominal muscles cramped and her cuts burned.
Jory handed her a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her face.
“What else can we get for you?” asked Jake, with an agonizing look.
“It was him,” said Kellie, her eyes beginning to water. “And the one who has been hurting us…was a talking monkey — He killed Shifu Lau. He said Shifu Lau was hiding Bao Yu from him.”
“Kellie, your head is hurt…you don’t know what you’re saying,” said Jake.
“No — he called us loathsome!” she said, as she sat up on the bed.
“Us?” asked Jory, appearing petrified.
“Humans! He seems to hate humans.”
“How could an animal talk?” asked Jake, frowning. “Your head is bleeding, you might have a concussion.”
“He said he could more than speak…and his kung fu…I have never seen such moves.” Kellie took a sip of the water Jory offered her. “All this time I thought I could be what he’s been looking for, but it was my necklace.”
“Your necklace?” asked Jory, wrinkling his forehead.
“Bao Yu means precious jade in Chinese,” Kellie explained. “It was my jade necklace he wanted all this time…not me.”
Kellie was relieved to not be the “Bao Yu” the monkey had been seeking all these years, but that meant Shifu Lau died in vain, protecting her. He thought the monkey was searching for her, but it was a stone. She wished he had never found her in the woods; he may have been alive today if he hadn’t. She wiped her tears away with the bloody handkerchief.
Her two friends didn’t seem to know what to say during her emotional breakdo
wn, so they just sulked with her.
“Would you like to be alone?” asked Jory.
“No…stay here…I need to figure this out….Why would the monkey want my necklace?”
“Where did you get it?” asked Jake. “I’ve never seen you wear it.”
“Master Chen gave it to me when I turned twelve. He and his friend found the rock when they were kids. They broke it and each kept a piece. He made it into a necklace for me….I brought it as a reminder of him.”
“So…the story you told us about Anguo,” said Jake, “…the monks think that it could be you, but might be the necklace?” There was a hint of excitement in his voice as he started piecing the clues together. Jory took a seat in the corner, quietly listening.
“Things started going downhill here when Master Chen and I left with the stone.”
“But would it have improved here since it’s back in China?”
“Maybe it takes time…” she said blankly.
“Shifu Tan did say he hasn’t seen the stars in ages…. Where is Master Chen’s friend with the other half of the jade?”
“I don’t know — I’ll call him to ask.” Kellie swung her legs off the bed, eager to figure out this quagmire. “Maybe that piece isn’t important…or maybe it is….”
After some time in thought, Jake said, as he scratched his head, “So, the talking monkey has been searching for ‘Bao Yu’…how do we truly know that the stone is Anguo?”
Jake was right. Kellie’s fears returned when she came to the realization that she could still be Anguo. What if the monkey discovers that the stone is not the “Bao Yu” he wants and returns? She slouched back onto the bed, feeling as though they were back to square one.
“Only if we had the Seer,” she murmured.
“The what?”
“Dr. Lee told me a story about a small gold telescope called the Seer. It can detect Anguo — If you look through it at Anguo, you see an indescribable vision.”
Jory emerged out of the corner with his mouth stretched wide open, but no words came out. His hands were flapping up and down, as if he was trying to fly. Once he grabbed their attention, he started making motions like they were playing charades.
“How many words is it?” asked Jake.
Frustrated, Jory shouted, “Er — Jing — Grand Master’s shrine! I found the Seer there!”
Kellie jumped off the bed and yelled, “What?”
“I found a gold telescope there! I looked through it at you…when you were looking at the art book — I saw a glow coming from your neck! I assumed it was some sorta reflection, but now I know it was coming from the jade. It was exactly what you said, ‘an indescribable vision’!”
“Are you sure?” asked Kellie in disbelief.
“I’m positive!” he wailed.
“I can’t believe it…” Kellie whispered, half in shock and half relieved. Jory found the Seer. They knew for certain that the jade stone was Anguo and she was not. “We have to get it back!” she said determinedly.
“Sorry…but did I just hear you say, ‘We have to get it back’?” asked Jake.
“Anguo can’t be in the wrong hands…and we’re the Protectors of Anguo!”
“We’re the what, now?” Jake asked.
“Throughout time, there have been people who have protected Anguo. We know the jade stone is Anguo. We have to get it back!”
“And how are we going to do that?” he asked. “I don’t think the monkey is going to hand it back to us.”
“I’m going into Shenmi Forest tomorrow morning to get it back before they send us to Dr. Lee’s house….I have to at least try. You both will have to cover for me.”
“No way!” said Jory. Kellie didn’t expect his outburst. “I’m going with you.”
“I can’t let you do that,” said Kellie, shaking her head, “it’s too dangerous.”
“It’s too dangerous for you to go alone,” he said. “I found the Seer and I discovered that the stone is Anguo. I’m a Protector, too,” he said proudly.
“I’m not sure about this —”
“— I’m going and you can’t talk me outta this. I’ve gone camping every summer — I know the outdoors.”
“Are you sure?” Kellie asked, hesitantly. She wasn’t comfortable including her friend in this risky adventure, although she could use someone with nature skills.
“I’m positive,” he said confidently. “I brought my Boy Scout Wilderness Survival Gear — never got to use it….”
“Okay — fine, we’ll go at sunup. The monks will be watching my room, so I’m going to have to sneak out and meet you at the entrance.”
“I’m in, too,” said Jake. “You two are not going without me.”
Kellie was about to protest, when they heard a knock at the door.
Jory opened it and let in Master Zheng, holding a crowded tray; on it was a tea kettle, mug, plate of pastries, and a silver box.
“How is she doing?” he asked with grave concern, and all shreds of disappointment gone.
“Surprisingly, fine,” answered Jory.
“Boys, I would like to speak with Kellie alone. Do you mind giving us some privacy?”
“Of course not,” they both said, glancing at Kellie.
“Shifu Han will take you to your rooms.”
Kellie saw a moment of fear emanate from their eyes, after hearing Shifu Han’s name.
“Okay…” said Jake. “Well uh…we’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early, Kellie,” he said, trying to not sound suspicious.
Master Zheng put down the tray on the table and brought the box over to her.
“What would you like to talk about?” Kellie asked, having a feeling she knew what he wanted to know. He sat next to her, opened the box, and took out a few first aid supplies. He poured an anti-septic solution onto a cloth and wiped the wound on her temple; Kellie flinched, feeling the sting.
“The attack on you and Shifu Tan must have been frightening,” he said. Kellie flinched again when he tried to remove dried blood from the side of her nose. “Shifu Tan is hurt, but he will be fine. We will send him to town with you to see Dr. Lee tomorrow.”
The guilt about her plan to enter Shenmi Forest tugged at her as he spoke; she almost changed her mind when she visualized all the monks anxiety-filled after finding the note she was going to leave in her room; but accepting she was a Protector, she had no choice but to go after her necklace. If she could help it, she wasn’t going to let Anguo be in the possession of Shifu Lau’s killer. The only problem was the adeptness of the monkey. How was she going to get it from him? He had far too much kung fu ability.
Putting on a butterfly bandage over her temple, Master Zheng said, “Your mind is a million miles away.”
“Master Zheng, please tell me more about Grand Master Jing.”
Kellie wondered how the Seer could have been in his shrine all these years, but she couldn’t ask Master Zheng directly about it. The knowledge of Anguo residing in the jade stone had to be guarded; she wanted to tell him, but knew in her heart that it had to be kept secret. She remembered Shifu Tao saying that if a Protector had knowledge of where Anguo was housed, it should be secured with their life.
“He was the most skilled martial artist of our time and nearly mastered all the animal styles of fighting. We have been passing on his teachings…well, as best as we could.”
“Shifu Su said he founded the monastery and was the only one to live deep inside the forest and survive.”
“Ah yes, he was the one to name the forest. Shenmi is truly a mystery…and even more so since he would not reveal anything about it.” He put away the supplies, including the soiled cloth in the box, and placed it back on the tray. Then he poured some tea and gave it to Kellie.
“Drink this. It will ease the pain and help you sleep.”
She took a sip of the hot liquid as she remembered another remark Shifu Su made. “Oh, and Shifu Su also mentioned others were not so lucky….What did he mean by that?”
&nb
sp; Shaking his head, he said in his usual peaceful demeanor, “What a shame that was. Before you were born, scientists came to explore the wooded area. We warned them it was not a place for strangers, and the forest should not be disturbed. They brought much equipment and planned to live there for the duration of their research. They said they wanted to discover new organisms, and refused to listen to us. We could not stop them.”
“What did they find?”
“They never came back out.”
“What? What happened to them?”
“We do not know for sure, but we assume the worst. The forest does not like invaders.”
“Oh my gosh!” She began having second thoughts again. There were unknown dangers they were going to walk right into. Well at least, she was going to have to protest Jake and Jory’s involvement. She still had to go.
“I have questions for you,” said Master Zheng, staring at her with strong curiosity. “Shifu Tan did not see the man….He just described the attack as a blur. Did you catch a glimpse of him?”
“I did. The man is — um — a monkey — and the monkey not only spoke, but he knew kung fu.”
He stared at her wordless, and after a moment, he got up and stared out the window. It now appeared as if he were a million miles away.
Having drunk half the cup while she waited for him to speak, he finally broke the silence and said, “It can’t be true.”
“What can’t be true?”
He sat down next to her. “There have been stories about mystical animals that can talk. They harness skills and wisdom beyond that of humans, specifically in kung fu.”
“And you think this animal is one of them?”
“Possibly…but there is one thing I cannot understand…”
“What’s that?” Kellie was now the intensely curious one.
“These animals have pure hearts and represent good, but this creature is unmistakably not. Are you sure this monkey is the same one who has been assaulting us?”
“I believe so — he called out ‘Bao Yu’ and demanded that I give it to him.” Kellie was about to tell him that the monkey took her necklace, but refrained. That would have opened up a host of questions.