by Ino Lee
“I’m not sure I understand. What should I do?”
“Present it.”
“How?”
“How was it given to you?”
“Wong just gave it to me like you just did.”
Naruki interrupted. “Wong is a bad example.”
Youta grumbled and shushed him.
“Present it, as if you were giving up your own child.”
Tae got down on one knee and presented the sword with both hands.
“Shogun Yomai, for use of the Sun shard, I return Shin’ichi, jewel of the samurai, back to its rightful owner. May it protect Yomai from evil for generations to come, from Shogun to Shogun.”
She bowed low and raised the sword.
Youta received it. “I accept.”
Tae rose.
“Well done,” Youta said.
“Thank you.”
“And now there is one last issue. The shard is in part reciprocation for Shaolin’s help in establishing the pool. So now there must be more reciprocation for Shin’ichi.”
Tae raised an inquisitive brow. Youta gestured toward a staircase connecting the platform above the pool. Naruki led the way and Tae followed, curious.
“Tell me, Tae,” the old man said. “What do you know of the way of the samurai?”
“I know you are crazy about your swords.”
He cackled.
They reached the top of the stairs.
“You are in a place few are allowed to see. Welcome to the pride of Yomai.”
Emotion welled within, which she did not expect. Numerous samurai swords could be seen, arranged in a circular fashion and angled down toward the center of the pool. They all pointed to the chi shard in perfect uniformity. She could not understand why she felt the way she did, but somehow she could feel the toil, the care, and the painstaking dedication to the perfection of every shape, color, and size of every sword that lay before her.
“What is this place?”
“The sacred swords of the Sun Temple.”
“And one will be yours, Tae,” the Shogun said.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Naruki walked to the center of the platform.
“We believe that every sword has a soul and can be joined with our own. If it is nicked, we bleed. Shaolin focuses on one’s self and one’s chi, where weapons are merely tools. But for samurai, our sword is our body, our sword is our chi.”
Tae was surprised to see Naruki speak with such conviction. He was much different than the crazy fisherman they met that evening.
“One cannot just choose a sword—there must be a bond. There must be compatibility.”
He drew his sword and listened to its ring.
“Every sword is different. Each has its own needs. They point to the center of the pool and the chi of the universe passes through them, strengthens them, makes them whole. When they are ready, they will let us know.”
He sheathed his sword.
“Now be warned, Tae. This place is sacred. If we find you are not compatible with a sword, we must kill you.”
“Naruki!” Youta scoffed.
“Just kidding.”
Tae smiled. “Who are you?”
“I am Naruki, master swordsmith of Yomai.”
“These swords . . . you made them?”
“Yes, though more hands have shaped them under my direction. Only I am allowed in this place, to monitor their growth and handle them. I cure them like fine meats. The chi pool is the cooker, the swords are our meal.”
“I am honored. They are beautiful.”
“So the question is—are you ready for your meal?”
“Yes.”
“Then you shouldn’t have ruined my fish!”
“Naruki!” Youta scolded again.
“Just kidding. Kneel on the mat. I must read your chi.”
“What?” Tae asked.
“For the sword. To gauge your appetite.”
Naruki kneeled after Tae and put both hands on her shoulders, closing his eyes. He mumbled something inaudible. Soon he stood, a pensive look on his face.
He paced around the circular wall of samurai swords and gravitated to an area, mumbling more inaudible words. He closed in on a sword and then withdrew his hand, moving over to a different section. Suddenly he snatched a sword and examined its blade.
“This. This one is ready. It sings.”
The katana had a black sheath with a white handle that was covered in etchings. He handed it to the Shogun.
This time, Youta kneeled and presented the sword.
Tae thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
15
THE SHOUKUI SLOWED his horse’s gait at the base of the mountain and stretched out his senses. He could feel the temple’s diminished power. Never before in the history of Shaolin had such an event occurred.
Han pulled up to him.
“Can you feel it?” Li said.
The sumo closed his eyes.
“My skin used to tingle from the power emanated by the Infinity Pool. But not now.”
“Let’s see it for ourselves.”
They started the climb to the temple, followed by a contingent of Shaolin warriors and sumos. At the outskirts of Shaolin, they were met by guards.
A solider with gray hair and a sword walked up to him and bowed. It was Riyon.
“Shoukui, it is good that you are back.”
“Elder,” Li said, surprised. “What brings you out here?”
“Can’t this old man just greet the Shoukui without alarm? I was coordinating our brothers and sisters in the Commons. When I heard of your arrival, I wanted to make sure you had a proper welcome. Guards noticed your approach from afar.”
“Thank you for your kindness. What were you doing in the Commons? What is the situation?”
“We’ve posted sentinels all along the perimeter. We retreated behind the temple walls at first, but we’re beginning to move back into the Commons. The temple was not built to sustain such numbers. More soldiers will help reclaim all of our living quarters.” He looked up from conversation and eyed Li’s soldiers. “Are all our forces returned?”
“No, some remain in Tanjin. The fighting is still fierce. But we’ve picked up sumos from Guilin along the way.”
The elder looked over and nodded. “Sumos are welcome.”
“What of the temple?” Li asked.
“The elders are in the process of restoring it, but I do not know more. I leave that to the monks.”
“I shall see Elder Gao straightaway.” He paused and corrected himself. “Grandmaster Gao.”
A silent look conveyed their unspoken sadness and respect for the deceased master.
The Shoukui continued. “Can you direct the new troops as you see fit? Deploy them along the perimeter if need be. They will need food and shelter.”
“Consider it done. Godspeed, Li.”
“Thank you.”
Li and Han left their troops and rode through the Commons. An occasional hail went up at the sight of the Shoukui. He could sense tension and relief in their voices, and wondered what it had been like during the night of the attack. Dark stains on the roadways could still be seen—some unan tar, some blood. He felt remorse.
“I should have been here.”
“Don’t fret Li. There was nothing you could do. Tanjin needed you.”
“So did Shaolin.”
“You couldn’t have known.”
“Wong went back. Wong knew.”
“Wong does a lot of things. That does not mean he is right. He can bear those risks not being the Shoukui.”
Li frowned.
An angelic voice spoke inside his head.
“Fear not, master. All is not lost. The warriors turned
back the evil and Kai is safe.”
He looked up at a window and recognized a woman with short hair. She did not speak aloud, but connected with his mind.
“Thank you,” he mouthed back.
He rode up to her window.
“Hello Shian. It’s good to see you. I figured you to be at the temple.”
“I just spent the morning mediating to the restoration of the pool. But my place is here, with the students.”
“Mind my manners . . . this is Han of Guilin.”
The big sumo waved.
Shian waved back. “Pleasure to meet you, Han of Guilin. I have seen you before.”
“Shian teaches disciples in this quarter,” Li explained. He turned back to her. “This street looks to have seen better days.”
“It was a choke point for the unan. They pursued Kai through here.”
“How are you? How did you fare?”
“I am well. We suffered loss, but held them off. Lu-fei was injured and is recovering. We are proud of the warriors of the Commons.”
“As am I.”
A warrior walked by and bowed. “Greetings, Master Li.”
“Greetings. And how did you fare, solider?”
“It was the Night of the One Hundred and One Demons. We survived it, but we are glad to have you back.”
He bowed again and left.
“Is that what they’re calling it?” Li asked.
“Yes,” Shian said. “One hundred unan plus the lo-shur with the chi shard. We will mourn our losses, and when a new chapter begins, we will come out stronger for it.”
“You have restored my faith in Shaolin, Shian.”
“I doubt you ever lost it.”
Li managed a smile as he left the Commons.
They left their horses at the temple’s gates and proceeded on foot, passing through makeshift tents and shelters that were cluttered throughout the courtyard. Many warriors lay on blankets, some recovering from injuries. Li could hardly believe they were behind the temple’s walls, unaccustomed to the disorder.
More hails went up as the Shoukui passed through. He tried to respond with a proud and happy face, but in a few places, tar stains sobered his mood. Cleaning them up would be high on his list of priorities and he worried what the Infinity Chamber might look like.
He entered the temple, which was in a similar state of disorder. A temple steward approached him.
He bowed. “Master Li. I am pleased to see you at the temple again. Han, I am pleased to see you as well.”
“Thank you,” Li said. “Where is the grandmaster at this hour?”
“He should be in the Infinity Chamber seeing to the pool.”
“Where is Kai?” Han asked.
“Most likely in his room. Hojin was injured and is recuperating there.”
“Thank you.”
They moved to a stairwell and climbed several floors.
“Do you mind if I stop to see Kai?” Han said. “The Infinity Chamber is not my place anyway.”
“It’s on the way. I’ll see him too.”
They arrived at his room and Han knocked on the door. Kai’s face lit up when he opened the door and he ran to give the sumo a hug.
“I hear you’re still getting into trouble, little one,” Han said.
“Sneaking off late at night. Fooling around in the warriors’ quarters, with this one,” Elder Woo said.
The elder sat by Kai’s bed, a chi spark on his staff raised over Hojin’s injured wrapped leg.
Li walked in.
“Is the wound bad?”
“Good to see you back, Li. It will heal in time. Unfortunately there are many injuries and not much Infinity water to spare. I am doing what I can.”
“Has he had none?”
“Just a little.”
“Rapier through my leg,” Hojin said.
“What were you doing in the warriors’ quarters?” Han asked.
“Target practice. Kai killed an unan that way. He used chi fai to track it and then wham, arrow through the face.”
Everyone turned to Kai.
“Is that so?” Li said.
“It wasn’t that much.”
“Yes it was,” Hojin said. “His eyes where all white and creepy.”
“I just reacted.”
Li hunched to his level. “Is that the first time attaining chi fai since fighting the lo-shur when we first found you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what this calls for?”
Kai shook his head.
Li stood and spoke more formally. “A chi fire ceremony.”
“Oooh,” Hojin said. “Can I have one?”
Woo knocked him on the leg.
“Ow,” Hojin screamed. “Heal that.”
“Perhaps this is not the time,” Woo said to Li. “With everything that has happened.”
“Nonsense. When a warrior reaches a level of chi fire, it must be recognized. Kai has never had one and it is long overdue.”
“I don’t need one,” Kai said.
“I would like to see it,” Han said. “I am not here often enough.”
“Shaolin could use it,” Li said.
Kai didn’t like that he became the focus of everyone in the room. He reluctantly nodded.
“It is settled then,” Li said. “Tomorrow evening. We should see if any other warrior has attained chi fai from the battle. Perhaps out of tragedy we might recoup an ounce of joy.”
Hojin raised his hand. “I’m pretty sure I felt chi fai. When the unan stabbed me my eyes bulged . . . ow!” He rubbed his leg.
“It is a grand idea,” Han said.
“Fine, fine,” Woo said. “I understand the merits. I will make sure arrangements are made once I am done with Hojin.”
“Good. I’m sorry I can’t talk long. I must see Gao now on matters of the temple. Is there anything else that I should know?”
Elder Woo looked hesitant. “I think you should speak with Gao.”
“I will see you later then, elder. Goodbye Kai. Hojin, behave and get well.”
He left and closed the door.
The Infinity Chamber was bustling with activity. Three large casks were complete and full of clean water, with a fourth being filled and a fifth being constructed. Monks sat by the first two and channeled chi energy from the tainted pool through the use of a continuous stream of orbs that floated in the air. They were similar to light orbs but more full of energy, and they landed in the fresh reservoirs. Li was satisfied with the progress and also happy to see that the floors were free of unan stains.
Grandmaster Gao came over to greet him. They shared sad words about the former grandmaster and details of the fateful night. Since there was little time to waste when two of Shaolin’s foremost leaders got together, they soon turned to subjects such as the status of the temple, Tae and Tengfei’s mission to Yomai, and the state of affairs in Tanjin.
Gao was upset to hear that Li was only able to bring back half of Shaolin’s forces from Tanjin, even though he was able to supplement them with sumos.
“Sumos are not ideal against unan,” he said.
“They’re not ideal for the Jengzhi forest either. If we pulled back all our forces, we would risk losing Tanjin for good. And I do mean nothing left. Worse than the last collapse.”
Gao made a frustrated face. “What was the Koon Gee presence there?”
“Somehow they were able to get a radiance pool across the Yangtzhu. The fighting was heavy in the treetops. Dark ninjas, lo-shur, and unan—not nearly a hundred, but enough.”
“Sometimes I think the only solution will be to extend the Wall south. And that is not a realistic solution.”
“We’ll hold it. The rangers are committed there.”
“Very well then.”
&n
bsp; “I suppose there are more pressing matters here to take care of.”
Li unsheathed his sword and handed it to the grandmaster. It sizzled being in such close proximity to chi water.
“Ah. This will be put to great use,” Gao said.
He passed it onto a monk for preparations.
“Will it be used for a third cask?” Li asked.
“No, we still need help with the second.”
They walked over to the second cask and observed the monks at work. Three sat by the Infinity Pool to extract the chi orbs from the tainted water, while another four concentrated on moving and setting the energy in the clean cask water. There were two such extraction teams. Once the orb was passed to the cask, six surrounding monks held the energy in place until it stabilized with the water.
“Twenty monks to a cask,” Li commented.
“Yes. The Shaolin Staff is submerged in the first cask. It has more extraction teams since it does not need additional monks to hold the energy in place.”
“I see. The process must be very taxing.”
“Yes, we rotate monks often.”
The Shaolin Sword was handed back to the grandmaster, cleaned, and with a line of Yaje silk tied to the hilt.
“Be ready, monks,” Gao said.
He gently tossed the Shaolin Sword to the center and let the silk line hang outside the cask for easy retrieval. They waited a moment for the sword to steep before the grandmaster signaled them to resume. When a new orb was introduced, it passed into the water much more easily than before. The surrounding monks let up and Gao held his arms out over the water to test the stability.
“It holds—barely. Two monks shall remain until the pool strengthens. The rest shall form a new extraction team.”
He clapped and the monks scrambled.
Gao and Li walked away.
“That will help,” the grandmaster said. “Now if we only had a chi shard.”
“I have no doubt Tengfei and Tae will succeed. Do you doubt them?”
“No, their task is the most promising. The samurai are honorable.”
“Speaking of tasks, where is Jaguan? I should meet with him on the state of affairs.”
“Ah. Now that is the difficult thing to explain. There is one detail I have neglected to tell you.”