Legends of Ogre Gate

by Jeremy Bai

  “That’s right. I heard some villages on the Bay of Yu were raided and sacked recently. We’re probably next!”

  Throughout the course of the night, Sunan and Sun Mai learned little helpful information.

  Later, as they prepared to sleep, Sun Mai said, “You know what I was thinking?”

  Bracing himself for another bizarre conversation, Sunan replied, “What’s that?”

  “What was a Demon Emperor soldier doing debt collecting for Iron Awl Hu?”

  The sheer normality of the conversation topic surprised Sunan. After blinking a few times, he took a deep breath and said, “It seems pretty obvious to me. Iron Awl Hu must be working for the Demon Emperor.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Hmm…” Sun Mai fell into silence.

  A few minutes passed, during which Sunan’s eyes slowly began to close. Just when he was about to drift into sleep, Sun Mai sat up loudly. “Righteousness and social order.”

  Sunan’s eyes fluttered open. “What?”

  “Righteousness and social order are among the key tenets of Dehua. Kong Zhi told us that ‘The righteous man who sees wrongdoing but does nothing to stop it is no righteous man.’”

  “Are you sure that was Kong Zhi?” Sunan asked sleepily. “I think I heard that in a street opera before.”

  It was dark, so Sunan couldn’t see the dark look that flashed across Sun Mai’s face.

  “Of course it was Kong Zhi. And of course it’s true. Sunan, getting rich in the platform tournaments is not inherently wrong, but we have been blessed with a great power. What Iron Awl Hu is doing is wrong. If he’s selling out the city to the Demon Emperor, we, as righteous men, have a duty to stop him!”

  Sunan was rapidly being dragged back from the brink of sleep into being fully awake. Slowly sitting up in bed, he rubbed his eyes and said, “Sun Mai, what are you talking about? Selling out the city to the Demon Emperor? You have no proof of that! For all you know, that soldier was making extra money on the side by working for Iron Awl Hu.”

  “Well, that’s… I mean…” Sun Mai spluttered a bit but couldn’t come up with anything to say in response at first. After a bit of incoherent muttering, he finally said, “Well, they’re both bad guys!”

  Sunan shook his head. “Bad guys? Perhaps so, but that still doesn’t mean Iron Awl Hu is involved in some conspiracy to sell the city to the Demon Emperor.”

  Sun Mai sighed, placing his elbow on his knee and resting his chin on his hand. “I guess you’re right. My judgment wasn’t really clear, I suppose. Wait. Judgment. Clarity. Perfection. Dehua.” He leapt out of the bed. “Sunan, you’re a genius! This is just what I need for my classic scripture!”

  With that, he began banging around in the dark to prepare writing utensils and paper, then started muttering and taking notes.

  Sunan rolled his eyes and tried to sleep.

  The following day after eating breakfast, Sun Mai resumed the conversation from the night before. “Sunan, after that bit of enlightenment last night, I wrote down many ideas. Unfortunately, it was so dark that not much of my notes make sense. However, one thing I wrote down was completely eye-opening. Zhui zhen qiu shi!”

  Sunan stared blankly. “What?”

  “Oh, right, that’s Classical Fei, which you don’t understand. You should really start studying it, you know. Hm, how to translate it? I guess the best translation would be ‘Seek the truth, pursue the actual.’”

  Sunan shrugged. “Sounds… profound?”

  “Yes, you were right last night. We can’t accuse Iron Awl Hu of working for the Demon Emperor unless we have proof. And that’s why starting today, we’re going to get that proof. We will investigate this matter and get to the bottom of it! As righteous men, we will seek the truth and pursue the actual! We will determine what is really going on in Daolu!”

  Sunan’s face twisted into a grimace. “Sun Mai, isn’t that the job of the sheriff and the city constables?”

  Sun Mai guffawed. “Constables? Everybody knows that they all report back to Iron Awl Hu himself. No, my friend, we have been blessed by Xian Nu Shen herself with the power of qi, and we will use it to carry out justice!”

  “I thought you didn’t believe in the Enlightened Goddess…”

  “Ahem. Well, I was speaking figuratively, of course. Anyway, what do you think? Don’t you agree? We need to start investigating right away!”

  Sunan rubbed his chin. What Sun Mai said made sense, but Sunan wasn’t sure that was the path for him. He had seen what the Demon Emperor’s soldiers could do, both in his hometown and in that alley the day before. They were clearly trained in how to use qi to fight, and with that in the picture, it changed everything.

  I don’t want to be a hero, he thought. I just want to… Well. Hmm. What do I want?

  It was a question he had never considered. In the Huang Mountains, he had been focused on survival and healing. After coming to Daolu, events had proceeded along so quickly he had allowed himself to be swept up and had never stopped to think about a purpose or goal in life.

  He looked up to find Sun Mai waiting expectantly, clearly expecting an answer, eyes burning with passion.

  This seems stupid. Dangerous! We could get ourselves killed! But Sun Mai was right. They couldn’t just let the Demon Emperor take over every corner of the entire world and not do anything about it. One day, I’m going to make him pay for what he did to my family and my friends.

  He nodded decisively. “Yes, I agree. We will seek the truth and pursue the actual. Where do we start?”

  ***

  Meanwhile, somewhere near the north gate of the city was one of the most luxurious mansions in all of Daolu. Within that mansion was a courtyard with a fish pond and willow trees. Two men occupied the courtyard. One of them wore golden-colored robes and sat in a pavilion sipping tea.

  The other man was a few meters away in a portion of the courtyard paved with wide stone slabs. He was tall and broad-shouldered and was currently shirtless, revealing a powerfully muscled upper torso. In his left hand he held a metal spike with a knob at the end, roughly a third of a meter long in total.

  The bare-chested man was none other than one of the most powerful men in Daolu, if not the most powerful: Iron Awl Hu.

  The man in the golden robes was, of course, the Golden Immortal, the most famous fighter in the underground platform tournaments.

  Lined up in front of Iron Awl Hu were several dummies crafted from bamboo and straw that bore the rough semblance of men.

  Iron Awl Hu hefted his awl for a moment, then he let out a powerful shout, spinning through the air and then hurling the awl at one of the dummies.

  The awl screamed through the air and plunged into the chest of the first dummy.

  A hail of wood chips and straw flew into the air as the awl crashed through the dummy’s chest and then continued on to the next dummy. The awl smashed through the second dummy’s chest and flew toward the third.

  Finally, the awl embedded itself in the third dummy, all the way to the knob.

  Iron Awl Hu grunted and walked over to the pavilion, where he sat down next to the Golden Immortal and accepted a cup of tea.

  “Still not perfect,” he said.

  “When it is,” the Golden Immortal said, “it will be formidable.”

  Iron Awl Hu nodded. “The final version should be able to pierce through at least three men in one blow. I just need to think of a good name for it.”

  “Have you completed negotiations for the work on the tempest stone?”

  “Yes. We can begin work with it as soon as Geomancer Po arrives from the Banyan Region.”

  “He’ll bring feathers from the windhawks that live near the Falls of Sura?”

  “Of course.”

  A servant appeared, who wound his way through the courtyard and then prostrated himself in front of Iron Awl Hu, holding aloft a sealed message. Iron Awl Hu took it and dismissed the servant, then opened the message and read it.

  “Trouble?” the G
olden Immortal asked.

  “Perhaps. One of the Lions of Peace was killed in an alley yesterday. Blood everywhere.”

  The Golden Immortal frowned. “An officer?”

  “No, one of the weaker ones. Even still, only someone with… abilities like ours could do something like this. Perhaps…”

  The Golden Immortal nodded. “The boy from the platform tournaments? Didn’t you send some men to teach him a lesson?”

  “I did, but perhaps the lesson didn’t sink in.”

  “Shall I handle it?”

  “Yes, but wait for a bit, until the commotion of the soldier’s death dies down. No more lessons this time. If it was him, put an end to him. I would do it myself, but I’m very close to a breakthrough.”

  The Golden Immortal smiled. “Very well. Shall I make it painful or quick?”

  Iron Awl Hu’s lips twisted into a grim smile. “Painful.”

  Chapter 14: Rooftops

  Weeks went by. Their discreet inquiries around the city earned them a bit more information about Iron Awl Hu, but regarding his connection to the Demon Emperor, virtually everyone seemed to have their own version of an explanation.

  Some people said the Demon Emperor had promised him official lordship of the city. Others said the Demon Emperor was paying him to kidnap children to be used in human sacrifices.

  There were even some people who believed that Iron Awl Hu actually was the Demon Emperor, in hiding because of a coup.

  Sunan and Sun Mai were starting to get discouraged.

  They even stopped fighting in the platform tournaments for a while in an attempt to keep a low profile.

  One day during the second week, Sun Mai had his own breakthrough. Furthermore, the technique he had been working on grew more refined. Instead of a simple blast of air, he was able to form something that almost resembled a shadowy sword.

  As for Sunan, he continued to refine his Rebuke of the Dragon technique. He began to develop other techniques, especially ones designed for defense and deflection of attacks. Now that he had achieved his third breakthrough, he found his progress with his qi to have slowed considerably. He could sense that a fourth breakthrough was indeed possible, but reaching it would be much more difficult than before.

  Staying out of the platform tournaments meant that they weren’t making any money, but they still had quite a bit saved up from their previous victories.

  Nothing eventful happened until one particular morning during which Sun Mai was practicing with his zither. They were told someone had requested an audience with them.

  “An audience?” Sun Mai said incredulously. “With us?”

  “Yes, Young Master,” the boy replied, one of the numerous servants who worked in the inn and called it home. “He said he’s a friend of yours. Green Tiger Zheng?”

  Sunan and Sun Mai exchanged a glance. Green Tiger Zheng was none other than the man who Sun Mai had owed money to and had chased them through the city the day they met.

  They had seen him a few times since then in the city, but he always avoided them, even when Sun Mai called out his name and said he wanted to settle the debt.

  “Send him up,” Sunan said.

  The servant boy nodded and disappeared.

  Sun Mai snorted coldly. “Presumably he’s heard about your victories in the platform fighting tournaments and is worried we’re holding a grudge.”

  Sunan and Sun Mai quickly straightened the room up and prepared to receive Green Tiger Zheng. They both felt a little silly, especially considering how small their room was, but there was little option.

  A few minutes later, Green Tiger Zheng appeared in the doorway. Despite his height and muscular frame, he didn’t seem threatening at all, and in fact, he even looked nervous. As soon as he entered the room, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply.

  “Greetings, Young Masters,” he said.

  Sunan and Sun Mai clasped their hands and bowed in return.

  “Greetings, Green Tiger Zheng,” Sun Mai said. “What is the purpose of your visit? I can pay back your twenty-five spades right now, with interest.”

  Sunan’s brow furrowed. Didn’t he owe fifty spades?

  Green Tiger Zheng’s expression flickered, but he quickly bowed his head and said, “No, no, of course not. I don’t need those fift— er, uh, twenty-five spades. Consider it a gift. I’ve come bearing an invitation. The Golden Immortal would like to entertain you for dinner tomorrow night at his residence.”

  Sunan looked over and could see Sun Mai frowning.

  “The Golden Immortal?” Sun Mai asked. “Hmm. Is there a special occasion?”

  “He said that he wishes to become better acquainted with one of the most promising fighters he’s seen in years.” When he said that, Green Tiger Zheng’s eyes flickered in Sunan’s direction.

  Sun Mai looked over at Sunan, and they exchanged the slightest of nods.

  “Very well,” Sun Mai said. “We accept.”

  “Excellent, Young Masters!” Green Tiger Zheng said. Clasping his hands once again, he said, “In that case, I’ll take my leave.”

  After Green Tiger Zheng left, Sunan began tapping the table. “What do you think he really wants?”

  Sun Mai plucked a string on his zither. “Excellent question. Let me think.” He plucked another random string, then another. “Green Tiger Zheng. Small-time loan shark. Southern Market. Yams. Carrots. Star anise.” He looked up from the zither. “Sunan, do you like the flavor of star anise?”

  Sunan thought for a moment. “Yes, I suppose so.”

  “Perfect. My mother used to make a wonderful dish with yams, carrots, and star anise! Perhaps the inn would let me use their kitchen.”

  Sunan’s eyes narrowed. “Sun Mai, what does that have to do with Green Tiger Zheng and the Golden Immortal?”

  “Hmm? What? Oh. Right, that. Green Tiger Zheng operates mostly around Southern Market. We went there a few days ago when we were asking questions about Iron Awl Hu and the Demon Emperor, remember?”

  “Sure, I remember.”

  “When we were there, I saw him lounging next to a fruit cart operated by Old Granny Wang. Now, that might seem like it’s nothing out of the ordinary, but Old Granny Wang’s nephew is Wang the Leek. They call him that because his hair sticks straight up like a leek. In any case, Wang the Leek happens to operate the Silk Peony brothel!” Sun Mai triumphantly plucked another string on his zither.

  Sunan squinted. “Okay…?”

  Sun Mai sighed. “Come on, Sunan. Even you know that Iron Awl Hu runs all the brothels in the city. If Green Tiger Zheng is close with Wang the Leek, then obviously he’s connected to Iron Awl Hu’s gang. Now, the Golden Immortal is supposedly just a fighter. I’ve never heard any talk that he works for Iron Awl Hu. But now, one of Iron Awl Hu’s flunkies comes to invite us to have dinner with the Golden Immortal? And this just weeks after we killed that Demon Emperor soldier, who was also working for Iron Awl Hu?” He shook his head. “Too many coincidences.”

  “You’re saying that the Golden Immortal works for Iron Awl Hu?”

  “I’d definitely make that bet. And it makes sense too. Why wouldn’t the top fighter in the city be in cahoots with the top gang boss? The only gang boss, really. It’s probably not even a secret. We never thought to care about it, so we never asked anybody, and it’s not like people just randomly chat about that kind of thing.”

  “So you think this dinner with the Golden Immortal is a trap or something?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Then what do you suggest we do about it?”

  Sun Mai grinned. “We need some black clothes.”

  ***

  The city walls of Daolu were enormous, towering things, but most of the residences within the city itself were one story tall. Some two-story structures existed, mostly in the commercial districts. The only larger structures were the various temples, guard towers, or other government buildings that rose up high above everything else.

  Thankfully, that night was moonle
ss and overcast. Sun Mai and Sunan were dressed in all black, with black cloths tied over the lower halves of their faces. They crouched in the shadow of one of the guard towers, which rested atop one of the smaller walls that divided the city into its various sections. From this vantagepoint, they could overlook the sizeable courtyard residence occupied by the Golden Immortal.

  Getting into this position had not been difficult. Sunan and Sun Mai had long since discovered that it was possible to use qi to make their footsteps lighter and faster. Sun Mai actually seemed more adept at it than Sunan, but both of them could use this skill to run and jump from rooftop to rooftop, making it much easier to get around the city.

  “Nothing’s happening,” Sunan whispered. “We’ve been here for an hour already.”

  Sun Mai sighed. “He’s probably asleep already.”

  “I have an idea. You must know where Iron Awl Hu lives, right?”

  “Of course.”

  They exchanged a glance.

  “Good idea,” Sun Mai said.

  They proceeded to leap from rooftop to rooftop as they headed toward the north part of the city.

  It didn’t take long before they were perched on the eaves of the two-story Drunk Ox Wine Shop, looking down at a residence that was easily three times as large as the Golden Immortal’s. It had been built in the shadow of the city’s largest temple, which was dedicated to the Enlightened Goddess.

  “That’s it,” Sun Mai said. “Iron Awl Hu’s mansion.”

  “Seems pretty quiet too.”

  They observed the residence for roughly an hour before finally deciding that they had wasted their time. Then, at that exact moment, a bright light flared in the main courtyard.

  A well-built man could be seen standing in the courtyard, wearing a long robe of brocaded silk. He was flanked by two men with sabers strapped to their waists, one of whom held an oil lamp in his left hand.

  Two additional men could be seen, thuggish-looking brutes. They stood a few meters in front of the man in the silk robe, and between them knelt a woman. The thugs were holding her wrists and shoulders at a painful-looking angle, and her hair was draped down, concealing her face.