The Tiger and the Demon (Wandering Phoenix and Roaming Tiger Episode 3)

by Thaddeus White

  Guan Shi strolled through the streets, a few people whispering and pointing at him as he made his way to the market square. A ring of soldiers surrounded the square, which had been cleared of all its stalls. Countless hundreds were standing to watch, a typhoon of chatter whirled around the crowd. Bamboo scaffolding had been erected for seats, upon which well-to-do merchants sat. Lord Ximen was on a raised dais alongside his friends and family, a vermilion awning keeping the governor in the shade.

  The soldiers surrounding the square recognised Guan and let him enter. The chattering crowd fell silent. Ba Renzhong, the Purple Demon, was the only other man within the ring of soldiers. The general strolled forward, and gestured at a small table in one corner.

  “Good day, Roaming Tiger,” the Purple Demon said, bowing his head a little.

  Guan bowed his head to the same degree. “Good day, Purple Demon. Ready to fight?”

  Ba gestured at the table. “In a moment. As you can see, I’ll be fighting with my two-handed sword. It seems unfair for you to be armed only with a wooden staff. I had some alternative weapons made available, and some refreshments as well.”

  “Very thoughtful of you.” Guan looked around the square, his eyes taking in every aspect. “I think some refreshment is just what I need.”

  Roaming Tiger strode to the table. He ignored the weapons of iron and wood, steel and leather, and instead grasped a hefty amphora of wine, meant for filling cups. Guan picked it up with one hand and hurled it at Ximen’s dais. The clay pot struck the awning’s frame and exploded, red wine soaking the governor from head to toe.

  Ximen sputtered, the crowd gasped with shock. Here and there someone laughed, but one glance from the Purple Demon silenced them. The governor got to his feet and clenched his fist.

  “Ba Renzhong, bring me his head!” Ximen shouted.

  Not so very far away, Guan Song was feeling pretty down. Betrayed by his woman, and betrayed by his own hand too, for he felt guilty for writing letters inviting his brother and his friend to visit Tiangjin. The Jade Lion was a giant amongst men, stronger than an ox, but because of this his guard was ten times more than it would’ve been for a normal man. Despite looking for every opportunity to escape, not the slightest opening had presented itself.

  The day was hot, and the soldiers threw canvas over the top of the cage to provide some shade. At first, Guan Song was grateful and thanked the guards. But so much was put over the cage he began to wonder. Peeping under them, for the cloth dangled only a few inches above the ground, he saw far fewer soldiers’ boots than he expected.

  Everyone’s gone, Guan Song thought. This is my chance!

  Breakfast was served, dirty water and boiled cabbage. The Jade Lion ate the cabbage, placed the bowl on the ground and, putting his weight onto his knee, broke it. He waited to see if anybody had heard the quiet crack, but no-one came. Grabbing a shard of the bowl, Song started sawing away at the rope around his wrists. Once the rope was frayed and his wrists were freed he cut the bonds around his ankles.

  Though he had arms like an ape and the heart of a lion, Guan Song lacked any patience at all and so he quickly concocted a plan to get the cage door open.

  “Hey! Let me out! There’s a scorpion in here!” he shouted.

  The guards outside laughed, their boots shuffling around to face the canvas-covered cage. “A lethal sting for a man sentenced to death sounds like your karma catching up with you!” one wag cried. The others laughed some more.

  Guan Song clenched his fist so hard the knuckles cracked. “You chuckling monkeys won’t be laughing if Ba Renzhong finds out you let a prisoner destined for ceremonial execution get killed. He’ll cut you into pieces so thin a butcher would mistake you for bacon.”

  One mention of the general’s name dried up the mirth like a puddle in a desert. Two guards ran to the door, pulling aside the cloth to unlock it. The door swung open and the Jade Lion burst out, knocking both men to the ground. Guan Song grabbed a spear from one and threw it at a guard. The spear burst through his back, and skewered the guard behind him as well.

  A lion on the loose, a tiger in the fray, Tiangjin is in uproar, and it’s not yet midday!

  Swords flashing like lightning, the crowd silent one minute and roaring the next, Roaming Tiger and the Purple Demon battled ferociously in the market square. Sure-footed as mountain goats, fast as snakes, the two men were matched perfectly. Guan Shi cut a sliver from his foe’s sleeve, Ba Renzhong trimmed his adversary’s moustache without drawing a drop of blood.

  Ximen’s concubines had wiped away the wine from his face and hands, and the governor had put on unspoiled robes, but with every passing minute he was getting angrier. Soaked and humiliated in front of his own city, now the criminal was holding his own against the greatest warrior in Tiangjin. He beckoned a servant close.

  “Go order the nearest archer to shoot an arrow at Guan Shi,” Ximen said. “Then Ba Renzhong can finish him off.”

  The servant clasped his hands and bowed his head, and ran off to the nearest soldier armed with a bow.

  Ximen guzzled wine whilst his concubines massaged his shoulders and stroked his beard, smiling at what was about to happen.

  The two heroes were still going at it hammer and tongs. In the corner of his eye, Guan Shi saw the servant scampering from Ximen to the archer. He took three quick steps backward. Before Ba Renzhong could close the distance, the archer stretched back his bow and released the arrow. Guan took one hand from his borrowed sword and plucked the arrow from the sky.

  The Purple Demon stopped in his tracks, brow furrowed, then turned to stare at the dais.

  Guan Shi scraped the arrowhead against his teeth, and held the projectile aloft as if it were a trophy. “Thank you, governor! I’ve had this apple skin stuck between my teeth all day!”

  The crowd laughed, and Ximen got to his feet, shoving aside the concubines and stomping over to one of his servants. “Get five archers to shoot the wretch! I want him to be a human pincushion!”

  The servant paled and ran to do his master’s bidding.

  Below, Roaming Tiger and the Purple Demon had resumed their duel, but when Ba Renzhong’s pricked ears heard the grunt of straining archers he stepped back. Five arrows whistled through the air. Guan Shi struck four of them with his sword but was too slow for the fifth.

  The Purple Demon’s sword shifted a fraction of an inch, and the final arrow was deflected away from Roaming Tiger. It struck the weapons table, and all the crowd fell into frightened silence.

  Ximen roared with rage, kicking over his table and slapping the nearest concubine. Before he could order anything else, Colonel Deng Ran, Ba’s second-in-command, approached, fell to his knees and bowed his head.

  “Forgive me, Your Excellency, but we just received word Guan Song has escaped from his cage. He’s heading this way!”

  Fear swallowed Ximen’s wrath in a single gulp. The governor’s eyes widened, his face broke into a sweat, his lips quivered and his eyebrows trembled.

  “This must be some sort of trap. They won’t catch me so easily. Colonel Deng, we’re returning to my manor. The hot sun has made me fevered. Quickly now!” Ximen ordered.

  The governor ran as fast as his legs could carry him, his friends and family, concubines and soldiers chasing after him. Before long, rumours of what had happened swept the crowd.

  “A tiger in front of him, a lion behind, no wonder Ximen fled!” Guan Shi cried.

  The crowd laughed.

  Ba Renzhong’s lips were still, but his eyes relaxed. “This isn’t the theatre, Guan. If you’ve finished being a jester, we have a duel to end.”

  But let us turn from the doings of the brothers to the women. Liu and Sun had made their way to the wall outside the governor’s district, until they found the mark the Steel Shadow had made earlier. Liu had her quarterstaff, and Sun carried a chain with a hook on the end.

  “It’s really quiet. Think everyone’s at the square?” Liu asked.

  Sun nodded. “It�
��s rare to see such skilled men fight. We’d better hope Guan can keep Ba busy for a while.”

  The Steel Shadow flung her chain over the wall’s tiled roof and waited to see if anyone on the other side let loose an exclamation. Nobody did, so she gave it a tug to ensure the hook held fast, and clambered up. Wandering Phoenix followed close behind, and the sorceress pointed to one of the cages.

  “They’ve covered it with cloth for some reason. Maybe they were worried about sunstroke, or wanted to hide guards leaving to attend the governor and the general in the square,” Sun said. “Either way, there aren’t many men around it. Let’s go paint the ground with their blood.”

  Liu grinned. “Now you’re talking!”

  Wandering Phoenix hopped down from the wall and ran to the cage, leaping over bodies strewn in the street. A guard jabbed his spear at her, but she battered it aside and smashed her staff into his stomach. Liu kicked him to the ground, wrenched the keys from his belt and moved to unlock the cage.

  But when Liu approached to open it, she found it was already open. A shadow fell across her and she side-stepped to avoid another guard’s spear. Sun’s hook snared his belt, yanking him backwards. The Steel Shadow kicked his lights out and left him groaning on the ground.

  “What’s the problem?” the sorceress asked.

  “Guan Song’s not here!” Liu said, gesturing at the cage. “He must have escaped without us.”

  From every corner, more soldiers approached, a forest of spears hemming them in. Sun’s hook whirled through the air and sliced open flesh, Liu’s staff bludgeoned organs and broke bones, but there were too many guards. Liu climbed onto the roof of the cage, Sun right behind her.

  A guard followed, and Liu stamped on the man’s hands, sending him crashing back to earth. Another tried to climb up, but Sun’s hook took his eye out and he tumbled to the ground. On every side, steel spearheads had them trapped. The guards couldn’t get up, the heroines couldn’t get down.

  On one side of the cage, the hedge of spears trembled and half of them fell down.

  “This way!” Guan Song shouted.

  Liu swatted aside two spears and leapt down. The Jade Lion picked up a wounded soldier and threw him into half a dozen more, knocking them down like ninepins.

  Sun’s hook cut through approaching enemies in a red blur. “You’re a welcome surprise.”

  Guan Song grinned. “I heard the commotion and came to help. Follow me!”

  It was a case of ‘the captive saving his rescuers!’.

  The Jade Lion led Liu and Sun towards the wall. At first the guards followed closely, trying to catch their quarry, but three heroes were more than conscripted men could stand. Guan Song’s fists taught them to fear being near, Sun’s hook taught them to fear being far, and Liu’s Manners Stick taught them to keep a polite distance. They clambered over the wall and into the Serene Gardens district of Tiangjin.

  “This is all well and good, but where’s big brother?” Guan Song asked.

  “At the market square, fighting Ba Renzhong. That’s where all the soldiers have gone,” Liu said.

  “We’re going to rendezvous with him at Fort Silverheart,” Sun added. “Come on.”

  Not very far away, Guan Shi parried left and thrust right, Ba Renzhong deflected low and stabbed high. Neither slackened their pace for a moment, their swords were never less than a blur of steel. Roaming Tiger deflected the Purple Demon’s lunge and stepped forward, but the stone beneath his boot was loose and his footing gave way.

  Guan Shi fell backwards, dropping a hand to break his fall. In an instant, Ba Renzhong attacked, kicking Roaming Tiger down and grabbing his wrist. Guan Shi tried to break free, but the general was kneeling on his back and twisted his arm until he relinquished the sword.

  “Bad luck,” Ba Renzhong said. “I have my orders. I’ll deliver your head to Lord Ximen, and ensure your corpse is not defiled. Rest–”

  “Ba Renzhong!” Guan Song bellowed. “I’ve come to kill you!”

  The Purple Demon smacked his pommel into the back of Guan Shi’s head to daze him, and gestured for the soldiers to tie up Roaming Tiger. Ba got to his feet, and turned to see the Jade Lion had claimed a sword from the table. The two female fugitives were with him.

  “I caught you twice before, Guan Song. But you seem to keep escaping. This time I think I’ll cut your legs off!” Ba Renzhong roared, swinging his sword like a meat cleaver.

  Guan Song met the challenge, and the market square rang to the sound of clashing steel. For a few rounds it seemed a close contest, but even though the Jade Lion was stronger, the Purple Demon’s skill soon had him on the defensive. All Guan Song could do was parry as Ba Renzhong decorated his arms with red lines.

  Liu ran at the Purple Demon’s back, staff aimed at his neck. He whirled around, swept aside her staff and kicked her to the ground. Her head hit the stone and stars danced in front of her eyes. Ba returned to attacking Guan Song. Even together, the Phoenix and the Lion were no match for the Purple Demon!

  Sun’s hook hurtled through the air and wrapped around Ba’s sword arm. Guan Song shouted in triumph and struck down with his sword, but Ba yanked on the chain, pulling the Steel Shadow towards him. Guan Song couldn’t stop his stroke and it cut through the chain.

  Liu shook the grogginess from her head and spat blood. Anger boiled her heart, and she smacked her staff into the back of Ba’s knee. The Purple Demon fell, and Guan Song punched the wits from his head.

  “Don’t kill him,” Guan Shi, still tied up, called.

  Liu ran over to her mentor, the guards around him dropping their weapons and running away at her approach. Soon, every soldier left in the square had fled.

  “Big brother, this is no time for mercy,” Guan Song said, sword raised, ready to kill the unconscious Ba.

  “And what happened to meeting up at Fort Silverheart?” Guan Shi asked.

  “We decided it was foolish, so we ignored you,” Sun stated.

  Liu tugged the dagger from her belt and sliced through Guan Shi’s bonds. “He was there at my farm, and he’s never going to stop hunting us. Ba Renzhong is dangerous. Let’s kill him.” She helped Guan Shi to his feet.

  Roaming Tiger rubbed his wrists, wandered over to the table and reclaimed his staff. “No. We owe a debt. At Lin Mei’s house, he could’ve killed us both. Today, we repay that favour.”

  “This is stupid,” Liu said. She strode over, raised her staff, and had the weapon yanked from her grasp by Sun’s chain.

  Guan Shi folded his arms. “You need to decide if you want to travel with me, Stray Sparrow, or whether you want to fill your days with vengeance. I’m going to Fort Silverheart. You can come with me, or murder an unconscious man and stay here.” Without another word, Roaming Tiger walked from the square.

  Sun placed a hand on Liu’s shoulder, handed back the staff, and followed Guan Shi.

  Guan Song sighed, sheathed his sword and spat. “I know how you feel. This wretch captured me twice and was a whisker away from killing big brother. Killing him might feel good, but it would only last an instant. You might spend ten years learning martial arts and wisdom from big brother. It’s up to you.”

  The Jade Lion loped away.

  Liu Shanshan tightened her grip on her staff, knuckles turning white as snow. She scowled down at the fallen general.

  “I hope Ximen cuts your bloody head off,” Liu spat. “If not, the next time we meet I’ll beat you to death.”

  Wandering Phoenix turned on her heels, and followed in Roaming Tiger’s footsteps.

  The four heroes make their way to Fort Silverheart, but what will they find there, and what happened to gallant Ba Renzhong? Read on, if you would know.

  Part 9 – the Purple Demon faces his punishment, the heroes fight the Scarecrow King

  Ba Renzhong woke up. His head rang like a bell, and as he staggered to his feet he realised he was in a cage in the governor’s district. His sword and armour had been confiscated. A heavy bandage was wrapped aroun
d his forearm where Sun Yang’s hook had pierced it. He flexed his fingers, and was pleased they still worked.

  I wonder if Guan Shi persuaded his thuggish brother to let me live out of gallantry, or to let Ximen be the one to get his hands dirty, Ba thought to himself.

  Shielding his eyes from the merciless sun, he approached one of the guards by the door. “What’s my sentence?”

  The soldiers turned, bowed their heads and clasped their hands. “Forgive us, general. The governor was furious with you, it was all Colonel Deng could do to keep your neck in one piece!”

  Ba sighed. “I failed in my duty. Punishment is warranted, and there is nothing to forgive. What’s my sentence?”

  The soldier swallowed. “Lord Ximen wanted to be notified when you woke up. His Excellency wants to give you his judgement personally.”

  That doesn’t sound promising, Ba thought.

  A messenger was sent to the governor, and the soldiers gave Ba a little soup and water. By the time he had finished, Colonel Deng Ran, his second-in-command, had arrived with a hundred men.

  Deng unlocked the door and entered by himself, a finger to his lips. “General Ba, I’ve got to take you to the manor at once. Please be humble, Lord Ximen is apoplectic.”

  The colonel beckoned more men to enter the cage. They shackled Ba’s ankles with heavy chains, and enclosed a thick wooden cangue around his neck and both wrists. A hundred men escorted Ba as he trudged from his cage, the soldiers escorting him as if he were an arsonist or traitor. Every step was slow and difficult, and the cangue was tight enough to deepen the pain in his wounded forearm.

  Ba looked at the soldiers he had commanded. Some smiled sadly, others looked away. One or two, whom he had punished for breaking military regulations or behaving immorally, sneered.

  The short distance to the manor was a long journey. Ba Renzhong was dragged into the audience chamber and thrown to the ground. Lord Ximen was sat on his dais. To the left of him were the province’s chief military officers, to the right were the leading civil officials. Through the window, Ba could hear birdsong.