Seh nodded in the general direction of the pit. “I wish I could watch. It's about to happen again.”
Charles scratched his head. “Seh, are you sure you don't want to place any wagers tonight? I could go check the bettors’ table and see what the odds are. If you think Fu is definitely going to win—”
“No, Charles,” Seh said. “Now if you don't mind, I want to listen to the bout.”
Charles frowned and slumped back into his chair.
LaoShu shouted, “All right, I can't take the suspense anymore! Let the games begin!”
The gong sounded, and the crowd roared.
Hok watched as the Kung Fu Crippler continued his crazy shadowboxing, now moving steadily toward Fu.
Fu planted his feet shoulder-width apart and raised both his hands. He formed a tiger claw with his left and positioned it in front of his face. He formed a regular fist with his right and cocked it behind his ear.
Fu growled, and the Crippler chuckled.
“Well, hello to you, too, Kitten,” the Crippler said.
The crowed erupted into laughter, but Fu didn't react. Hok knew that Fu had entered a trancelike state. Nothing would distract him now.
The Crippler moved forward to just beyond Fu's reach, and his own reach as well. He began to throw crisp jabs at Fu's head. The crowd went wild. Hok, however, could tell that the Crippler's punches wouldn't connect. They were meant to test Fu's reflexes and see what sort of range Fu had. None of the punches were actually close enough to hit Fu.
It was obvious that Fu knew what the Crippler was up to. Fu remained perfectly still.
The crowd began to boo. They wanted to see Fu throw punches, too. A moment later, they got their wish.
The Crippler leaned forward and committed to a punch destined for Fu's temple. It was a looping overhand shot, and Fu could have seen it coming from a It away. He shifted his left forearm up to block the Crippler's right-hand punch, but it really wasn't necessary because his own straight right hand connected with the Crippler's chin first.
The Crippler's head snapped back so hard, his bald spot appeared to bounce off his spine. He spun once … twice … then fell to the floor, straight as a board, out cold.
The crowd sat silent for a moment, then exploded with a flurry of cheers, boos, and everything in between. Charles cheered so loud, Hok had to cover her ears. Seh even yelled out a few times.
Hok looked over toward the bettors’ table and saw a scattering of men race up to it with bamboo sticks held over their heads like trophies. They must have bet on Fu. Most of the crowd members, however, broke their wager sticks over their knees and hurled them at the Crippler, who was still clearly unconscious on the pit's brick floor.
Hok glanced down at Fu and saw that he stood over the Crippler like a tiger over its kill, growling. At the Emperor's table, Hok could see that most of the group members were clearly disappointed, especially Tsung. HaMo, on the other hand, sat alone at his table, laughing so hard that his massive chins jiggled.
Hok looked back down into the pit and saw the two armed guards enter it from the tunnel doorway. They raised their qiangs, pointing them directly at Fu.
“Time to go back to your cage,” one of the guards shouted. “Inside!”
Fu snarled, but did as ordered. He headed for the pit doorway.
“Seh!” Hok whispered. “They're taking Fu away!”
Seh laid one hand on his midsection. “Do you want to make our move?”
“No,” Charles said in a surprisingly forceful tone. “There's nothing we can do. I might be able to take care of those two guards with my two qiangs, but the Emperor has ten armed soldiers directly across the pit from us. If I start shooting, so will they. We'll have to figure out a different way to rescue Fu.”
Hok bit her lip. She knew that Charles was right. She watched Fu disappear into the tunnel.
“I wonder what that rat is up to,” Charles said.
Hok followed Charles’ gaze and saw LaoShu hurrying toward the main fight club entrance. Her eyes widened. In through the front door walked a petite woman dressed head to toe in black. The woman had long, luxurious hair that was nearly as long as that of her companion—a man with a thick ponytail braid so lengthy, he had the end of it tucked in his sash.
Hok turned to Seh. “Your mother just entered with Tonglong!” she whispered. “It looks like LaoShu is escorting them toward the Emperor's table.”
Seh scowled. “I had a feeling they would show up. I'll keep my head down. It's not like I can see anything anyway.”
Hok patted Seh's arm and saw his snake tense beneath his sleeve.
Hok turned to watch Tonglong and AnGangseh. They reached the Emperor's table and dropped to their knees, kowtowing. Hok couldn't see the Emperor's face clearly, but she got the impression he was pleased to see them. Specifically, he seemed to fixate on AnGangseh, who appeared to also have the attention of every man in the crowd.