He sat for a while, looking at his teacup, then looked back up at me. ‘I’ve been a complete ass, haven’t I?’
‘Yes!’
He sighed and put his cup down. ‘I just wish the Celestial would demote me. I’m not fit for this. Look at you — ordinary human, female, not even Immortal, and you’re running rings around me. First a monkey, now a woman —’
‘You sexist bastard.’ I slammed my teacup on the table. ‘One on one, down on the forecourt. You, me, staves.’ I glared at him. ‘Come on, show me what you’ve got.’
He hesitated for a moment, watching me, then shot to his feet and held his hand out. I grabbed it and we were on the forecourt in front of Dragon Tiger.
Liu was teaching a group of advanced students Shaolin long sword; they all stopped.
‘Clear the area, bring us two suitable staves, and stand back,’ I called to Liu without looking away from Er Lang. I grinned. ‘No holds barred. No mercy, no quarter, no rules except that you’re not allowed to kill me. Got it?’
Er Lang saluted me with a grim smile.
Liu threw a staff to me and one to Er Lang. The students moved back, discussing the match under their breath.
‘Silence!’ Liu barked, and they went quiet.
I saluted Er Lang, holding my staff, and he saluted back. We moved into position. I held my staff in front of me, guarding, just as I had when I’d kicked Leo’s ass all that time ago. This time, however, my opponent was going to give me a lesson I wouldn’t forget, and I knew it.
We remained motionless for nearly twenty seconds. As the challenger, I had to make a move after that time or the match would be forfeit.
I swung the staff above me in a move that was more show than substance and kept it rotating as a strike towards Er Lang’s head. He blocked it easily, swung it down in the direction it was already moving and locked it onto the ground. He held it there without effort; I was stuck already.
I pulled the staff straight along its length and it slid out. I swung it and tried to take his feet out with the other end; he blocked me. He jammed my staff against the ground again; he was being purely defensive without attacking. I pulled the staff out of the lock and swung it directly up at his face, hoping to hit him under the chin, and he blocked me again, pushed my staff sideways, and used the other end to tap me on the ankle. He hit me right on the nerve point at the protruding bone and I yelped and hopped back, then lifted the foot as the pain eased. A couple of students squeaked with me, feeling my pain.
He followed the advantage, swinging at my staff so fast that I was barely able to block it. He continued to press me back, hitting my staff relentlessly. The worst part was that he wasn’t hitting it very hard, just tapping it, but he was so fast I had trouble keeping up. He raised the speed and I couldn’t stop him: his blow passed my staff and hit me on the abdomen. He finished it with a flick to take my feet out from under me and I hit the ground hard, my muscles soft after so many months of enforced rest.
I lay on my back, trying to get my breath back, and he stood over me.
‘I yield,’ I managed to wheeze out. ‘You’ve beaten me fairly.’
He held his hand out to me and I took it. He pulled me easily to my feet and we stood with our hands clasped for a long moment while he gazed into my eyes.
‘You were holding back,’ he said. ‘You’re much better than that, I know it.’
‘That was the best I can do at the moment,’ I said. ‘I didn’t hold back.’
He released my hand but continued to examine me. ‘But I’ve heard stories about you. You took down some huge Mothers. You turned one into a cat. You fought off One Two Two single-handed. You defeated the Demon King in single combat.’
‘Really?’ I couldn’t help myself: I grinned like an idiot. ‘Who’s spreading these ridiculous stories, and where can I sign them up to write my memoirs? Most of that’s pure fabrication.’
‘Is it?’
‘Hell, yeah. I may have taken down a couple of medium-sized Mothers and done the cat thing, but that was probably when I was possessed by the Xuan Wu’s Serpent. Without any supernatural help I’m about as good as a really good human.’
He studied me with his face rigid.
‘Do it. Go ahead,’ I said, and braced for the impact.
He snapped his Third Eye open in the middle of his forehead. His intense gaze swept right through me like a blast of brilliant light, burning my flesh from my bones and shredding my essence. The light blinked out and I bent over, gasping.
You should have warned me before you let him do that, Emma. You could have damaged me, the stone said.
I don’t think anything can damage you, I said. You’re surrounded by an impenetrable field of your own superiority.
‘I have misjudged you, ma’am,’ Er Lang said. He held his hand out again. ‘My Earthly name is Robert. People call me Rob when they work with me in English.’
I straightened and shook his hand. ‘And I’d prefer to be called Emma, really. Hey, I know where Liu’s secret boutique beer stash is, and where his vintage wines are. He’s occupied with the students right now — want to come and raid it?’
‘What?’ Liu said from the side.
‘I’d love to, Emma,’ Er Lang said. He waved cheerily to Liu. ‘Meet up with us later, we might have some alcohol left over for you.’
This play-acting is extremely tedious, the stone said. Why don’t you just be yourself? Drinking alcohol indeed. You can’t stand the stuff.
The safety of all the Celestial is at stake, I said. It’s worth a little play-acting.
And you could have done better against him.
Uh, no, I gave it all I have. He’s just straight-up better than me.
I completely disagree.
CHAPTER 8
I sat with Mum and Dad on the back terrace of their house, talking as the sun set over the Western Plains. I took a deep breath: they’d planted a few wattle trees in the yard and the powdery fragrance spread over us. I was fiddling with my still-full plate of salad when my sister Jen knocked on the door and the demon maid let her in. She came out to the terrace and sat next to me, giving me a quick hug.
‘Emma, you should have told me that Andrew’s visiting the Mountain. I didn’t know he was heading over there. I only just got it out of Colin when I came home from work.’
My stomach fell out. ‘Andrew never made it home?’ Her eyes widened. ‘Isn’t he staying at your Academy?’
I shook my head. ‘I sent him home with the Horseman and Mark. I told them I wouldn’t take them, it’s too dangerous.’
She sagged with relief. ‘Thank you.’
‘But he never came home?’
‘No,’ Jennifer said, her voice weak.
‘Call him, see if he answers,’ I said, and pulled out my own phone. I dialled Amanda’s number and she answered. ‘Amanda, it’s me. Did Mark come back from Wudang?’
‘I don’t know — he’s not home. He went to Wudang? He knows we’re trying to live a normal life down here and he was specifically told not to harass you about joining Wudang. He did it anyway?’
I dropped the phone into my lap, my mind racing. I put it back to my ear. ‘Amanda, I’m going to hang up now. I want you to call around and try