Tonglong's head tilted to one side. “What was his name?”
Ying paused, closing his eyes. “His name was Luk.”
“Deer?” Tonglong asked, surprised.
“Yes!” Ying said, opening his eyes. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“I am sorry, sir,” Tonglong said in a sincere tone. “Please do not be offended by this, but I can't imagine a deer being a very dangerous fighter. They're so … timid.”
“You would not question the style if you'd ever seen Luk in action!” Ying sneered. “He was unbeatable with antler knives in his hands.”
“Again, I am sorry, sir.” Tonglong paused, staring into the fire. “Your voice is filled with sadness and anger. Why?”
“Luk was my best friend,” Ying replied.
“How did he die?” Tonglong asked, looking up. “Was it some kind of accident?”
“It was no accident!” Ying shouted, suddenly bursting with energy. His eyes glowered at Tonglong from the opposite side of the fire. “It was all Grandmaster's fault! Grandmaster took a group of us on a mission for the new Emperor. We killed hundreds. The Emperor wanted to reward us handsomely, but Grandmaster refused to accept anything for our efforts. The Emperor noticed my frustration and offered me a special reward if I would do him a favor. The favor required two people, so Luk came with me. Things went wrong, and Luk died.”
“Pardon me for asking, Major Ying, but how does that make the Grandmaster responsible?”
“If Grandmaster had accepted the reward and distributed it to each of us as the Emperor had offered, I would never have accepted the Emperor's request—because there would have been no request! Then my best friend would still be alive!”
Tonglong said nothing.
“Another way to look at it is this,” Ying snarled. “If Grandmaster hadn't gone to the Emperor's aid in the first place, Luk would still be alive. Or if Grandmaster hadn't chosen me and Luk to go along, Luk would still be alive. Do you see my point?”
Tonglong closed his eyes.
“Look at me when I'm talking to you!” Ying shouted, baring his razor-sharp teeth. “How dare you respond this way? Do you have feelings for Grandmaster?”
“No!” Tonglong said. His head twitched slightly.
“What was that?” Ying said.
“What was what?”
“That twitch—” Ying said, leaning forward and staring over the flames. “Your head, it—”
“I have no idea what you're talking about!”
“Don't raise your voice to me!” Ying shouted. He leaped over the fire, his arms spread wide. He landed in front of Tonglong. “You know what? Now that I think about it, I didn't see you slay a single monk in our attack on Cangzhen. Do you have some kind of tie to Cangzhen? To Grandmaster? What are you up to, Cantonese man!”
“Don't be ridiculous,” Tonglong said, turning away. “During the attack, I stayed back in order to watch our men in action. As your number one soldier, that is part of my job.”
“I'm not sure I believe you,” Ying said. “Remind me why it is that I selected you as my number one.”
“You chose me for my loyalty,” Tonglong said, turning back to face Ying. “And for my fighting skills.”
“I chose you for your fighting skills,” Ying replied. “I know nothing of your loyalties. I am beginning to get suspicious of you.”
“Suspicious? Whatever for? Did I not prove my loyalty by handing over my family sword when you asked for it earlier?”
“You did, but you hesitated. Also, you returned far too quickly from your delivery assignment to the Emperor.”
“Sir,” Tonglong said, standing straight. “What can I do to prove myself to you?”
“Catch me a crane.”
“Done.”
Fu woke to the warm sun on his face and the smell of freshly baked buns wafting through the air. He felt refreshed and extraordinarily pleasant as he thought about the wonderful breakfast he would soon have. Freshly baked buns weren't often served at Cangzhen, and he couldn't wait to dig in. As he listened to his brothers' anxious voices in the distance, he realized something. Those weren't his brothers' voices.
Fu opened his eyes and saw bamboo bars all around him. He sat up and remembered where he was. Then he remembered what he had come to the village to do. Fu paid close attention to the two voices moving quickly along the far side of the tall hedge bordering the village square.
“Come on!” Ma said. “Let's GO!”
“No, thanks,” Ho replied. “I don't feel like it.”