by Katie Zhao
Erlang Shen continued reading from his scroll. “In light of this momentous occasion, my uncle, the Jade Emperor, would like to invite the Heaven Breaker on a quest. As the worthiest warrior of them all, the Heaven Breaker will aid the Jade Emperor as his new general.”
Gasps rose from the crowd.
Ye Ye shook Alex and me by our arms. His eyes lit up with excitement, brighter than I’d seen them since my father left. “This is the chance your father and our ancestors have waited for. At last, the warriors—you—will see true glory.”
I shook my head. “Didn’t you hear him? Only the Heaven Breaker is worthy.”
“You are worthy, sūn nǚ er.”
Erlang Shen rolled up his scroll, and his eyes zeroed in on me. My pulse raced, but he looked away in an instant. “The Heaven Breaker must pass the Jade Emperor’s tests of valor. For that, my uncle has asked me, the most courageous and brilliant god of all, to compose a shī.”
A classical poem. The idea of the fearsome god composing poetry made me want to laugh, but I figured that would be a bad idea.
Erlang Shen made a show out of clearing his throat and held the scroll up.
First, seek the city named after the Empress to save the animal named after the Emperor.
Second, travel east to the city of a goddess who brings sleep, to free the fallen beasts.
Third, find the city in quiet ruins and reclaim a lost treasure.
And finally, prove the tests have been fulfilled to gain entry to Peng Lai Island.
When he finished, Erlang Shen paused and gave us an expectant look. Everyone stared at him in silence. Then it became obvious what he was waiting for. We all brought our hands together in a smattering of uncertain applause.
“That was so bad. That wasn’t even a poem, much less a classical one,” Alex muttered under his breath. “I guess there’s a reason Erlang Shen is the god of war, and not poetry.”
I jabbed Alex in the elbow. “Shhh. He’ll hear you.”
Erlang Shen said, “On the fifteenth and last day of the Lantern Festival, the Jade Emperor and the eight immortals will hold their annual banquet atop the mountain on Peng Lai Island. If the Heaven Breaker can make it to the banquet, the Jade Emperor will welcome the brave warrior as his general, in preparation for a new era.”
“The mountain on Peng Lai?” Alex gave me a wide-eyed look. Hadn’t Peng Lai Island been Ba’s final destination on his demon hunt?
Erlang Shen continued, “During the next two weeks, the demons will be more powerful than ever, emerging from hiding places even in havens like San Francisco. Already we gods have felt the presence of beasts that haven’t roamed Earth for thousands of years. The Jade Emperor is testing the Heaven Breaker’s physical strength, mental fortitude, and loyalty to the gods.”
More murmurs swept through the crowd.
“But who is the Heaven Breaker?” Mao asked, gripping Wang’s arm so tightly he winced.
Erlang Shen fixed her with his cold eyes. “I sense you will soon know. It is only a matter of time before such power reveals itself.”
“This is impossible.” One of the Five Elders stood up—the Eldest. He looked like a wizard because of the long white beard hanging past his stomach. Also, he liked to wear funny hats sometimes. “We’ve never heard about mortals setting foot on Peng Lai Island before. Even if the Heaven Breaker is among us, he will not be able to find this banquet.”
Alex’s hands clenched against Ba’s book.
Erlang Shen raised an eyebrow. “To the best warriors, the impossible is merely another challenge. When a nián attacked last night, only the Heaven Breaker was courageous enough to take it down with me.”
I pressed my hands into my sides to keep them from shaking. Unless I’d heard wrong, Erlang Shen had just called me the … Heaven Breaker.
Nobody, not even my own family, would believe that I’d brought down the fearsome demon. That someone like me was the Heaven Breaker.
Erlang Shen’s lost it, I thought. Maybe he hit his head really hard last night.
Ye Ye turned and narrowed his eyes at me. As if he knew.
“But demons like the nián have been dormant for decades,” said the Eldest, looking pale and shaky. “We would have sensed if it had been anywhere near us.”
Erlang Shen snorted. “Your senses have dulled, old man.”
The Eldest sat down and mumbled an apology.
Erlang Shen summoned a cloud beneath his feet, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he floated above us. “If I were my uncle, I wouldn’t choose any of you to be my general. Not until you’ve proven your loyalty and vigor. You’ve been slacking off. Growing soft and weak. Failing to pay your respects to the gods.”
Erlang Shen thrust his spear in the direction of the temple, and a bolt of purple fire shot out of the end. The powerful blast crumpled one of the shadow walls. Several people screamed.
I groaned. Guess who’d get to clean up that mess later tonight?
“And I hear you’ve turned your backs on demon-hunting in order to pursue other, less honorable activities.” Erlang Shen’s three eyes fell upon the guilt-stricken faces of some of the men: Mr. Yang in particular.
Erlang Shen rose higher in the sky, and Xiao Tian Quan followed him on a gray cloud. “Two weeks, Heaven Breaker. The Jade Emperor awaits.”
“Wait! You haven’t even tried the wine yet,” Mao called after the god.
“Or told us the name of the Heaven Breaker!” shouted Mr. Yang.
Yet the god said nothing. We watched with bated breath as he disappeared high into the sky. For a moment, Erlang Shen’s departure was met by only stunned silence. Everyone turned to look at Wang.
He gulped. “Wh-what?”
CHAPTER
6
As predicted, Mao forced Alex and me to clean up the destroyed shadow wall. She tried to rope Ye Ye into doing her dirty work, too, but relented after seeing that his cough had worsened, and my grandfather returned to the house. Shocked by Erlang Shen’s appearance, everyone else had gone home early, too.
Alex and I swept up the rubble quickly. There was no salvaging the wall—the warrior god had blasted it to smithereens. Until we got an architect in here, I guessed the statues of the deities would have to fend off the evil spirits themselves.
“Of course Wang is the Heaven Breaker,” Alex muttered sourly. “He’s the future master of the Jade Society. It makes perfect, disgusting sense.”
He threw down his broom, making a whoomp that echoed across the empty courtyard.
As if on cue, Wang climbed up the steps toward Alex and me, taking them two at a time.
“Have you guys seen Wendi?” he asked.
“No,” I said. Wang’s forehead glistened with sweat, and there was a large brown stain on his shirt. I’d be lying if I said part of me—okay, a lot of me—wasn’t glad to see Mao’s perfect son all frazzled.
Alex didn’t bother hiding his glee. He leapt up onto the remaining shadow wall and kicked his feet in the air. “Lost your shadow—I mean, girlfriend—have you?”
Wang sighed. “She probably thinks we’re nuts. Especially after Erlang Shen visited.” He buried his face in his hands. “That wasn’t what I meant when I told her we’d be ‘eating food fit for the gods.’ ”
“If I were Wendi, I wouldn’t want to see you again,” Alex threw in. I cut him a look, letting him know enough was enough.
Wang brushed the back of his head, biting his lip. “Look, I know you guys don’t like me. My mother can be a bit … much.”
I raised my eyebrows. “A bit much” was the most generous description of Mao I’d ever heard.
“Yeah, so why bother talking to us? Mao would be upset if she found her precious Heaven Breaker with us.” Alex spat out the last word.
“What did you come here for?” I asked.
A pained look crossed Wang’s face. “I just wanted to—”
“Waaaaaaaaaang! Where are you, silly boy?”
Wang winced as Mao’s croo
n echoed in the quiet courtyard. He glanced toward his house, then back at us. “I wanted to say—”
“Your precious mā ma is waiting,” Alex said softly. “A good, filial ér zi wouldn’t make his mother worry. ’Specially not the Heaven Breaker.”
Scowling, Wang shoved his hands into his pockets. “Everyone keeps calling me that, but I don’t know anything about being the Heaven Breaker, all right? Just let me know if you see Wendi.”
He thudded down the steps, his shoulders hunched over.
I raised my eyebrow at Alex, who leapt down from the remaining shadow wall and shrugged at me. I bit back a lecture. It had felt nice to see Wang out of sorts.
Alex was so hyper from all the leftover nián gāo that he couldn’t stand still or stop babbling. “Ba searched for the island before we were even born, and now the gods have granted the Heaven Breaker a quest to find it. This is fate. I bet—” My brother whirled around and nearly slammed into me. His brown eyes burned bright in the light of the red lanterns. “I bet this means our father really is alive. He must have hunted all the demons along that path and is waiting for us at the island!”
“Maybe,” I said. But even as hope rose within me, doubt slithered into my mind to crush it. I mean, if Ba had been alive this whole time, why hadn’t he bothered to send a postcard or something? Did he even want to see us again?
“Or—or maybe Ba got lost along the way,” said Alex. “Maybe he’s in trouble and needs our help. Faryn, we have to go with the Heaven Breaker. This is our chance to find Ba.”
He had a point, but I didn’t return my brother’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, right. You think Wang would appreciate us, of all people, tagging along on his quest—especially after you talked to him like that?”
“Bet he would if we gave him this,” my brother countered, waving Ba’s black notebook. “The Eldest might not know anything about the island, but we do.”
“Don’t be stupid. You know we can’t go.”
“Why not?” Alex demanded. “You don’t seriously believe Mao’s nonsense, do you?”
I stared at him, aghast. “Of course not! I just meant—if we leave, who’d look after Ye Ye?”
Alex softened. “We could … bring him with us?”
“You really think Ye Ye is well enough to make that trip?”
The hopeful light dimmed in my brother’s eyes, and guilt tore through me. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to find Ba—I just knew we couldn’t leave our grandfather here, alone and helpless. Especially not during the Lunar New Year.
“Alex …”
My brother forced a smile. “You’re right. Plus, I’d never make it to Peng Lai Island, anyway. I’m not a great warrior like Ba. Or even as good as you.”
“That’s not what I meant … Even though you’re totally right—I am more awesome than you.”
Alex smacked me on the shoulder. “Race you back to the apartment!”
“Alex!” I started after my brother but froze at the sound of a loud creaking noise behind me. The golden temple doors slowly opened—on their own.
My heart dropped into my stomach. “Wh-who’s there?”
Evil spirits.
Erlang Shen had destroyed one of the shadow walls when the demons were at their most powerful. My eyes darted to the surrounding trees, searching for—I don’t know—a Chinese boogeyman.
A chilly breeze swept through the air. The lanterns and tree branches danced with the wind. Nothing was there.
Then candlelight flickered alive inside the worship hall, lighting up the space in a golden glow. I had to enter the temple to get a better look.
I walked inside to see the calm, stony faces of Buddha, goddess of mercy Guanyin, Third Lotus Prince Nezha, the now all-too-familiar god of war Erlang Shen, and other warrior protectors stared back at me. Their altars overflowed with food from the offerings of New Year’s Day: fruits, rice, meat—even Pocky. The familiar sight of the gods did nothing to reassure me.
Visits from warrior deities and now possibly Chinese ghosts—I had to be dreaming. I slapped myself and yelped. Not dreaming.
My eyes fell upon something that hadn’t been there this morning: a black spear with a wicked blade, encased in glass.
Fenghuang. The spear of the Heaven Breaker, the most powerful one of all.
My breath stilled. All thoughts of evil spirits lifted from my mind. Without thinking, I reached my hands out toward the spear. I didn’t care that there was no chance I could lift it. Fenghuang drew me in, its presence calling to me like an old friend—or maybe a friend from a past life.
I knelt before the glass, pressing my fingers into the cool surface. I lifted the thin cover up easily and moved it aside. Trembling, I reached inside and grasped the cool shaft of the spear and pulled with all my might.
I felt like a toddler trying to lift a barbell weighed down by elephants instead of plates. My muscles strained, and then gave up. I winced and shook out my aching hand.
Guess that meant I wasn’t the Heaven Breaker after all, even if Erlang Shen seemed to think so. Knowing the tales of great warriors’ deaths—heads lopped off in battle, poisoned by enemies—I could live with that.
I started to stand up, and then hesitated. Someone, or more likely several someones, had deliberately moved Fenghuang to the worship hall. And what else was there to do in a worship hall except worship?
The incense grew brighter in front of the statue of the Jade Emperor’s wife, Xi Wangmu, as if welcoming my prayer. I turned away from Buddha and the other deities and folded my hands in front of the Queen Mother of the West. I pressed them to my forehead.
Queen Mother of the West, if I am the Heaven Breaker, please grant me the power to wield Fenghuang.
After I’d bowed my head three times, the incense stick glowed even brighter. Energy pulsing through me, I reached inside the glass case again, firmly grasping Fenghuang in my hand. I inhaled and pulled.
This time, the spear came up with my fist, lighter than any of the spears in our training hall. I gasped. I would’ve dropped it in shock if it weren’t stuck fast to my hand.
“Gods, this isn’t happening.”
The black spear shook and glowed, burning white-hot in my palm. I muffled a scream and looked away from the blinding light.
When the glow faded, I held a brilliant golden spear. Its shaft molded perfectly to fit into my hands. Chinese characters were crafted along the base of the spear, and a red-and-gold bird was carved around the width of the shaft. The bladed tip held a small, glittering white crystal.
I whipped my head around. The place was empty, as were the faces of the deities that glowed in the dim light. “I just … King Arthur’d.”
“That’s a pretty weapon you’ve got there.”
Cloaked in shadow, Wendi Tian stepped through the open door, her eyes glued to the spear in my hand. I swear they flashed red.
“You shouldn’t be here.” Casually, I hid Fenghuang behind my back. Maybe Wendi would think it was an elaborate backscratcher. “Wang’s looking for you.”
“You,” Wendi croaked in a distorted, accusing voice.
I blinked. “You okay? You sound … sick. And old.”
“You helped Erlang Shen bring down the nián. You are the Heaven Breaker.”
I backed away until my legs hit Xi Wangmu’s altar. My palms grew sweaty around the shaft of my spear. “Wh-wh-what? No. C-can’t be.”
Wendi tossed her head back and growled. “I can’t allow you to make it to the Lantern Festival banquet, mortal. No hard feelings, all right?” A sinister change swept over the girl, elongating her nose, coloring her hair and eyes from black to a fierce red.
“Wh-whatever it is you’re doing, stop it now,” I said. “I do not like that. Nope. Do you hear me? That is not good future-Chinese-wife behavior.”
A snarl contorted her face. Her now cracked, dry lips pulled back to reveal a set of gleaming fangs. A reddish orange layer of fur sprouted over her body. With one last convulsion, a set of not one, not two, bu
t nine tails burst out of her backside. Wendi landed onto the ground, paws first, now a fully fledged fox demon. A hú lì jīng.
“I knew you were too good to be true!” I cried. With a silent apology to the statue of the Third Lotus Prince, Nezha, I flung the nián gāo from his altar at Wang’s girlfriend.
The creature, now only a half-dozen paces away, dodged the rice cake like a school-food-fight champ. It shrieked in anger, a horrible screeching noise that left my ears ringing. I racked my brain for what I knew of the hú lì jīng. It hoodwinked men by transforming into beautiful women—and it could only be killed by slicing off all nine of its tails.
If I held Fenghuang now, that must mean I was the Heaven Breaker. It was impossible, but the thought strengthened me.
I swung the magical spear from behind my back, raising it above my head as the creature closed the distance. With a growl, I arced the spear downward. Though my aim was true, my trembling hands stole my strength. The fox dodged to the side, the sharp blade of Fenghuang only managing to sever two of its nine tails. I cursed. At the moment it mattered most, Ye Ye’s training had flown out of my head.
The fox lashed out with its remaining tails, which I managed to avoid by leaping onto the Jade Emperor’s altar and knocking his bowl of grapes to the ground.
“Sorry, dude.” I forced a brave appearance even though all I wanted to do was crawl under the table and wait for the demon to go away. “They don’t call me Heaven Breaker for nothing.”
The hú lì jīng jumped to the other side of the altar, lashing out with its tails. I swung Fenghuang through the air and lopped off three with ease. A tail sliced across my cheek before I could back away, leaving a sharp sting.
The creature bared its fangs, eyes red as fresh blood, hissing and gloating at me. A pink tongue darted out as the hú lì jīng licked its lips.
In my desperation, I could only think to do one thing: pray. Please, deities, give me a miracle. Give me the power to slay this demon.
Warmth shot from the top of my head down to my toes. Fenghuang glowed and heated up in my hands. As I grew accustomed to its light weight, the spear felt incredibly easy to maneuver in my grasp, like an extension of my arm.