The look on Shirong's face told Shun he recognized the phrase. He held it out to Shirong, adding, "You know. Tell me."
A quick swallow. "It's the title of a story... from my other life."
"That part's not hard to guess, Shirong. Now explain what the story's about."
Shirong took a moment or so, ordering his thoughts, perhaps. "Two unlucky bandits kidnap a little boy from a well-off family. He turns out to be extremely difficult to deal with; loud, obnoxious and constantly making trouble for them. When they try to ransom him back to his family, the parents demand money from the bandits to take the child back."
"That... didn't make any sense at all," Shun protested. "Why would the bandits let the child run them ragged? Why not gag him and lock him in a closet somewhere. Even if the child's a complete menace, they're adults and...." He stopped himself. "And I'm letting myself be distracted."
"It's all right. I don't mind." Shirong had that look again. The indulgent expression that said he was enjoying Shun's temper just because it was Shun's temper. "I am concerned, though. How much do you think we can ask Master Qiong for to take Meng Huang Shang back?"
Now there was an interesting question indeed. Shun let himself contemplate the possibilities a moment, then shook his head. "It wouldn't be up to us, anyway. It'd be up to his Priest."
Shirong thought about it. Agreed. "Should we go back and find her, then?"
"No. Not yet. I've a feeling we're supposed to handle this ourselves." Shun eyed Disciple Li Shang. "First thing; help me with our Shixiong here."
They examined Disciple Li Shang carefully and made sure he was properly unconscious, only then did Shun look for the third disciple, the one with the axe. Somehow he wasn't surprised to find him gone. "At least we have one hostage."
"Yes. And I'd like to keep him, so," Shirong set to stripping their Shixiong. Before Shun could question his actions, he explained, "I've seen too many lightning shadows... er... moo veees... to leave a captive any way of breaking free. Who knows what he's hiding in his clothes?"
Shun had to admit that, aside from yet another of Those Damned Words, Shirong was right. His Shidi might still be a complete ignorant in this world, but he'd learned more than a few things in that other time. As Shun set to helping strip Disciple Li Shang, he muttered, "Once we have time, I want you to teach me that form you use. And tell me more about your other life."
That elicited a bright smile that hit Shun a bit harder than he'd expected. When had Shirong managed to worm his way into Shun's affections this way? It wasn't just the boy's willingness to tie his fortunes with him. Nor even the boy's clear affection. It was the respect Shirong gave him, the recognition that Shun had feelings and thoughts and a right to both.
Realizing they'd finished, Shun eyed their Shixiong thoughtfully. "Something isn't right," he muttered.
"I agree. All the body parts are there, though and nothing seems wrong about them." Shirong tossed a piece of cloth across Disciple Li Shang's pelvis, hiding what should not be stared at, then sat back. "But I still feel like it's wrong.
Scanning their captive from toes to the top of his head, Shun was about to shrug and tell Shirong not to worry about it when his Shidi suddenly exclaimed. "He doesn't have a belly button."
"Neither do I," Shirong pointed .
"Yes, but you're half-demon. Half snake demon. And you came from an egg."
Oh. That was true. Shun avoided staring at others in the baths, so while he knew intellectually that most humans had belly-buttons, he hadn't really thought about it. "Are you suggesting Disciple Li Shang isn't human?"
"It's a possibility. Do you know a way to tell?"
Shun did. "There's an array you can use to force a being to reveal their true form, or forms. But I'm not sure either of us is up to it."
"Maybe my father could manage?" Shirong gestured back towards the lake. "I think that's his specialty."
An excellent thought. "I don't know, but I don't see a reason why we can't ask."
After all, their troubles began with the mistakes their parents had made. No reason at all they couldn't expect those same parents to help them work things out.
Even if it was still up to Shun and Shirong to finish what they'd started.
#
It didn't take long to find Xu Sheng. Shirong's father was already looking for them, just leaving Meng Huang Shang's cart and heading in the direction Priest Housu pointed. To Shun's surprise, Liang Ren was with him, walking on his hands and singing an odd little ditty comprised of nonsense syllables.
"Back already?" Xu Sheng glanced curiously at the wrapped bundle tossed over Shirong's shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be with... a certain young madman."
"There's a tale to tell on that subject, sir." Shun turned his attention to Liang Ren. "And what are you doing here?"
"My King is alone...."
"Hey!"
"Almost alone and faced with troubles without number. How can this lowly fox-spirit fail to support his King?"
Shun winced. He'd mostly accepted he didn't have a choice about being the Demon King. What he wasn't sure he wanted to accept, or even consider, was the foolish court manners that went with it. Couldn't he just hide in a cave somewhere and cultivate? Couldn't he?
The answer, of course, was no. He turned his attention on Liang Ren. "Your King allows you to accompany him. As long as you do as I say and don't go poking your tail... tails... into trouble without consulting with me first."
A startled look crossed Liang Ren's face. Then he grinned broad. "Your Majesty's desires are mine. This unworthy...."
"Don't do that. We'll discuss court manners later. Right now I don't want you drawing attention to us." The last thing he needed was for the merchants surrounding him to decide he was a potential source of wealth.
"Sure. Got it. So, Senior Shun. What do you need me to do?"
"Give me a moment to talk to Master Xu here." Shun turned his attention back to Xu Sheng. "Sir, do you happen to know the Array of Clear Sight?"
"I know it. It's been some years since I needed it. Why?"
Shun tapped the disciple flopped over Shirong's shoulder. "This is one of Master Qiong's chosen disciples, one of the ones who follow him only and don't involve themselves in Sect business."
"Eh? When did he start doing that? He never...." Shaking himself, Xu Sheng apologized. "You were explaining what you needed. Go on."
With a sigh for the easily distracted, Shun continued, "We noticed he was lacking a thing most humans have and wondered if he might, possibly, be not entirely human."
Xu Sheng didn't hesitate. "I can help you with that, but first we have someplace to go. I've gotten a boat to take us to the center island. Someone's waiting to meet you."
It was easy to guess who that person was. "Mother?"
"En. She does want to meet you, child. The island's the best place for that. It's holy to snake spirits and protected."
Though Shun had mixed feelings on the matter and wasn't entirely sure he was ready to meet with Xing Baishe, he knew putting it off wouldn't help. "Lead the way, then."
They walked back through the tent city, ignoring merchants and avoiding pickpockets thanks to Liang Ren's quick eyes. His quicker hands even divested the pickpockets of their ill-gotten gains as they passed, to Shun's mixed admiration and chagrin. "Don't draw attention."
"I'm not. If I walked through a crowd and didn't pick pockets as I went, then I'd be drawing attention."
Shun sighed. That hidden cave with no one except Shirong to bother him was sounding better and better. Or maybe they could just move into their shared Spiritual Space and never come out?
It was getting late in the afternoon by the time they reached the lake shore and the little old boatman who'd agreed to carry them across.
"Won't stay for you, though. You want to spend the night there and get et by demons, that's up to you. I ain't interested."
Xu Sheng grinned. "Our agreement earlier stands. You come back tomorrow morning and pick us up. If we're not waiting for you, you've done all you can do."
Scoffing, the old man chivvied them onto his raft and set to poling them through the lotus plants towards the empty waters surrounding the island. The waters were preternaturally still, despite the breeze, creating the impression they were skimming across the clearest of ice, instead of warm water.
Below, the lakebed was easily seen, every grain of sand, every pebble, every fish, sharp and clear. Shun found himself entranced by the sight, gazing into the water, half-wishing he dared swim in it.
That, though, could be dangerous. Legend had it the waters were home to a huge monster. No one knew what sort of monster it was, but they swore they saw its trail moving beneath the pure white sand. Shun didn't spot anything, but he sensed some ancient power below. One he felt a kinship to, though he couldn't say how.
"Shun. Look." Shirong touched Shun's elbow lightly. Pointed towards the island.
It wasn't terribly big, just a few dozen yards wide. Small trees covered its surface and a dock surrounded it. Shun thought there might be a building towards the center of the island but his focus was all on the slim woman standing on the dock.
She didn't call out to them, just watched their approach without moving. Though her expression seemed calm, her hands twitched nervously, little motions that were all the more obvious against her general quiet.
Just as nervous and anxious as Xing Baishe, Shun waited for the raft to bump against the dock. Without bothering to wait for the boatman to tie off, he stepped off lightly, facing his mother with an expression he hoped was as calm as hers.
"Your Majesty," he murmured. "This son offers you greetings and hopes for your good health."
Before he could bow, or offer any other gesture, Xing Baishe was on him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight but gentle embrace. Startled, he couldn't help stiffening a moment, a reaction that almost made her release him and step back. He didn't let her, returning her grasp with all the desperate loneliness of a long abandoned child.
They could worry about other concerns later. Right that moment he had his mother and he was going to cherish that for as long as possible.
#
"I wanted to tell you back in Khai. I was afraid. You were so angry. So unhappy. And it's my fault."
How could any of this be his mother's fault? Shun shook his head, clinging to her still. "You didn't do anything wrong. Everything that went wrong was someone else's doing."
"I should have known. Should have seen."
"Known what? Seen what?"
She fell silent. Finally admitted, "I don't know. There's something I'm missing. I know there is. But I just can't see what."
Shun felt much the same. There was some underlying conspiracy behind all this. The trouble was, he couldn't tell what its purpose was. "Someone wants power. I'm sure of that much."
"It has to be Master Qiong," Mama Bai whispered.
Quite probably it was, but they needed more than suspicion to do anything about it. Given they could do anything about it. Shun sighed, leaning into his mother's embrace for a moment or so longer. He hadn't realized until now just how starved he'd been for that sort of touch. The only other person who'd ever held him had been Master Quan, and that'd been in private, when he could be Grandfather, not Shizun.
They stayed close as the last rays of sunlight dimmed from the sky. Only when Shirong's father coughed politely did Shun realize they still had work to do. He released her reluctantly and smiled at her. "We'll talk, all we can talk, later."
"Yes. You're right. Now, why in the world did you bring that boy here with you?" Mama Bai pointed at the bundled up figure Shirong had set on the ground beside him. Liang Ren had settled down beside Disciple Li Shang and was busy braiding the boy's loose hair in an elaborate pattern.
Seeing they were done, Shirong stepped forward, bowing politely. "Your Majesty. This disciple offers greetings."
Mama Bai waved off the manners. "I'm not King anymore."
Ah, yes. That was true. "Can we discuss that later, mother? We need to figure out why Disciple Li Shang and his companions kidnapped Meng Huang Shang."
"Kidnapped? No one kidnaps a God, child. If they took him, it's because he let them."
Shun had no doubt that was true. He also had no doubt they were supposed to find out what was going on. "That doesn't change the fact that they took him. Or the fact that we have to find out what this person actually is."
Xu Sheng called out from further into the island. "You wanted an Array of Clear Sight, right? I've set one up."
Lifting their still paralyzed Shixiong and slinging him over his shoulder, Shirong carried him towards his father's voice. Shun and the others followed behind, into a torchlit paved area. Xu Sheng had worked hard, creating a large array at the center of the pavement. Lines of fine powder glistened in blue, purple and orange, forming a familiar set of patterns.
Although Shun belonged to the alchemical branch of Leifeng Sect it wasn't hard to recognize most of the symbols of the array. Wasn't hard to tell Xu Sheng was an expert at such things. The array was elegantly designed and perfectly implemented, sign of long years of practice.
Seeing Shun's eyes on the thing and recognizing his appreciation, Xu Sheng smiled. "Thank you. It's the one thing I do particularly well," he admitted. "Here. Hand Disciple Li Shang to me."
Once their Shixiong had been settled in place, making small angry and helpless noises, Xu Sheng stepped to the open part of the array and set the last few lines, activating it. The lines flared and rose upwards, spinning around above the pavement and braiding into a delicate cage of light and color.
Inside the cage, Disciple Li Shang howled furiously and somehow freed himself of his paralysis. He rose to his feet, transforming into something several times larger. He resembled an ogre, but Shun had never seen an ogre with the head of a bull ox before.
From beside him, Shirong whispered, "The hell is a mi-nou-ta-ru doing here?"
----
Li Shang: I know you're amazed to find me here.
Shirong: I'm more amazed that you can pun at a time like this.
Shun: Somehow I don't think that counts as a pun in Khaitanese.
---
The Author has something to say:
With NaNoWriMo coming up I need to finish the third book of my Wudang Trilogy (Obligatory Product Pushing is linked down at the bottom under external link.) I may not be posting much during November.
I have one chapter back that I'll post at the end of October and if I manage to finish Wudang: Return of the Exile's rough draft this week I'll use next week to try and get a few more chapters ready for this story. No promises, though. Wish me luck, I need it. So. Many. Distractions.