Arriving in front of Sigong Zhang, Master Wu bowed, lowering his torso so his head touched the ground in reverence.
“Forgive me, Sigong,” entreated Master Wu.
Sigong Zhang brought back his hand and slapped Master Wu on the face as hard as he could. “You are a disgrace to Heaven.”
“I know, I know. That is why I came back. To ask for forgiveness, absolution of my sins. I should never have left Heaven. I should never have taught our Way outside of here.”
Sigong Zhang was silent for a moment before breathing in deeply. “How did you come to this conclusion?”
“I wanted to share the knowledge of Heaven with everyone. I was not careful. I trusted when I should have been cautious. One of my students was evil and I was blind. He infected not only me but my other students as well. He caused great pain to the world and even greater shame to the Way.” Master Wu pointed to Noah. “If it were not for this young man and his parents, I would have perished. They rescued me in my darkest moment.”
Noah gave a slight nod as Master Wu turned back to Sigong Zhang. “I should have followed your teaching. Let the students come to Heaven, not reach out to bring them in. I made it easy.” Master Wu shook his head. “There must be a difficult journey to get here and an even greater burden to stay. Forgive me, Sigong.”
Sigong Zhang pondered for a moment, then nodded again. “It takes a wise and honest man to admit his mistakes. You are forgiven.”
He and Master Wu exchanged the Shaolin salute. More than a formality, this simple gesture of bowing to each other with an open left hand covering a clenched right fist conveyed respect, not only to each other, but to their common heritage.
“Thank you, Sigong. I will never do this again but, even if I wanted to, there is little time left on Earth for me to accomplish that.
Sigong Zhang grabbed Master Wu’s wrist and checked his pulse with two fingers.
The sigong snorted. “You are not going to die, at least not anytime soon. You are healthy. I can see it in your eyes and feel it in your pulse.”
Noah interrupted. “No, Sigong, Master Wu is not well. This is the first time in days that he has walked. On our journey here, we were attacked. All our medicine was swallowed by the ocean. Master Wu has had no medicine or medical treatment save for Tui Na for days. We had to carry him here.”
The entire monastery was aghast. No one had ever challenged Sigong Zhang’s judgment. Master Wu prostrated himself in front of Sigong Zhang.
Noah and Sam’s mouths dropped—Master Wu did not exhibit the slightest bit of pain or constriction of movement.
“Forgive me, Master. I have sinned again. I have not taught him well. He is insubordinate” intoned Master Wu solemnly.
Sigong Zhang eyed Noah warily, then turned to Wu. “Is it true?”
“Yes, it is true, but he should never have contradicted you.”
Sigong looked at Noah, assessing him. “You are not of the Way, are you?”
“I am of a different Way, the way of the carpenter and fish.”
Wangdan whispered into Sigong’s ear. “He is referring to Jesus, the son of a carpenter and who was a carpenter himself. He called his disciples ‘fishers of men.’”
Sigong Zhang lifted his hand toward Noah’s face as if to sense his aura, then brought it back down.
“What you did was not an act of disobedience but an act to save a life. That is never wrong. What is your name and why do you come here?”
Noah made the Shaolin salute. “My name is Noah Reid. My sifu needed assistance to come here. He has been training me for twenty years, and I would go to the ends of the earth for him.”
Sigong Zhang clapped his hands and barked. “Wangdan!”
Wangdan ran in front of Sigong Zhang and knelt. “Yes, Sigong.”
“See how well Wu has taught this young man.”
Without warning, Wangdan unleashed the Five Animals of the Shaolin upon Noah: Tiger, Crane, Snake, Leopard, and Dragon. Speed, power, and technique were in full view.
The Dragon’s claws circled, then the palm exploded toward Noah’s face. Noah whirled his hand up at the last moment, whipping Wangdan’s hand away. With Noah’s other hand, he aimed two fingers at Wangdan’s eyes.
The young master countered with a hard fist deflecting the fingers, then followed up with a sweep of his opponent’s leg.
Noah leapt up to avoid the sweep and followed with his own knife-edge kick to Wangdan’s leg. The spirit of the Tiger exploded with a right-left combination of open-hand blows by both opponents. Neither of them was able to land a punch.
Wangdan released an off-the-meter decibel-loud scream as his hands flew at Noah with the tiger claws, one hand to the face, the other to the groin. Both landed successfully and Noah reeled. Fighting through the pain, Noah grabbed Wangdan’s head and pulled it to his knees before unfurling his own tiger claw parry to Wangdan’s face.
Noah followed up with a lightning fast leopard fist to the throat. Wangdan was up to the challenge and yanked his head quickly out of harm’s way. He then countered with two rapid blows to Noah’s stomach. The lawyer keeled over in pain.
Wangdan moved in for the kill but Noah surprised him with a sideways kick to the groin, followed by two fists to the chest.
Noah stood on one leg and curled his hands to become crane beaks. He lunged his left leg forward in line with the right leg, then shot out one beak to hook Wangdan’s arm and the other to strike his temple.
This marvelously executed combination caught Wangdan off guard, but the monk recovered quickly. He turned his left hand over and circled it down by his left hip, while curving his right hand and bringing it up over his head like a snake coiling its body. With rapid fire, his hands struck out at Noah’s chest, then throat, then arms. A sudden sideways sweep of his left leg knocked Noah to the ground, defeated.
A circle of all the monks of Heaven had formed around the two combatants. Their indoctrination didn’t allow them to cheer or applaud, but the quiet titters and grins of delight showed that they were happy the “Hero of Heaven” had defeated the pupil of the profligate.
Noah got up and made the Shaolin salute to Wangdan.
“Master Wu has trained you well,” said Sigong Zhang.
“Wangdan still kicked my butt,” gasped the sweaty Noah.
“There is no one in Heaven as capable as Wangdan. I expect he will be the next Sigong of Heaven,” responded Sigong Zhang
Jingsha, a trim Shaolin monk about Master Wu’s age, joined them. “It is good to see you again, my friend. I thought you might be lost to us forever.”
Master Wu’s eyes sparkled. “Jingsha! My roommate. My sparring partner. You look so well!”
“We will know how well after we finish lunch. Then we will test our forms again.”
“What about the doctors?” asked Noah.
“Didn’t I tell you there was nothing wrong with him?” asked Sigong Zhang. “What ailed Wu was not the body but his soul. ‘Healing comes from Heaven.’”
All nodded, including Lisa, whose smile belied her thoughts. Healing comes from Heaven, but death comes from everywhere.
Chapter 31
King’s heart almost stopped. For the past days, there was not the remotest of clues about the whereabouts of his targets but now, not two hundred yards away, two teenage boys were painstakingly cleaning a new 25-foot metal skiff. In tiny Jinshanzui, it was completely out of place.
The dune buggy kicked up a storm as it raced over. King jumped out and demanded, “Where did you get this?”
One of the teens replied, “This is mine. I found it. Do you want to buy it from me? A thousand dollars.”
A thousand is the highest number the boy had ever heard of. He had no idea what value it was, but he was sure it was a lot.
King took out a ten-dollar bill and gave it to him. “I don’t want it, but I want to know about it. Tell me everything you know.”
The boy’s eyes widened in delight. First the boat, now ten dollars. He was rich
! “A few days ago, the boat just came up onto the shore. There was a white man, a Chinese woman, somebody about my age, and an old man lying down who couldn’t walk. They didn’t look very good. Maybe they were sick or tired.”
Yes! And Master Wu’s alive, too! King controlled his voice as he asked, “Are they still here?”
“Oh, no. They left right away.”
“Where did they go?”
“Um, I don’t quite remember.”
“Are you sure you don’t remember?” King reached into his pocket and took out five bucks, and waved it in the air.
The boy snatched it from him. “My father drove them to Shanghai. Do you want to know where they went? Shanghai is pretty big, you know.”
King handed him ten dollars. The boy’s eyes lit up.
“They went to Shaolin Paradise.” He added proudly, “They gave my father fifty dollars.”
King nodded. “Thank you.” He handed the boy another five, not because he felt generous but because he thought that maybe the boy brought him good luck. When that happened, you wanted to keep feeding the gods so they would bring you more.
King got out his cell phone and made a call. “Noah and Master Wu went to the Shaolin Paradise in Shanghai. Why would they go to that tourist trap?”
The phone was silent for a few seconds before Chin responded. “When I was one of his students, Master Wu told me that he went to Shanghai Paradise when he was twelve but that wasn’t his final stop. The real training took place in Heaven.”
“Heaven?” King’s voice reeked of sarcasm. “How’d he get there? Fly on the back of an angel?”
Chin didn’t laugh. “Heaven is a secret monastery for those who are or aspire to be the most fierce and spiritual masters of the Shaolin.”
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know because I couldn’t care less. But, for sure, that’s where he is.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he thinks he’s going to die and he’ll want to make one final pilgrimage.”
“Thanks for nothing.” King clicked off his phone and made another call.
“Hey, boss,” answered one of his men.
“Any activity on any of the cell phones?” asked King hopefully.
“Nothing for days. You know that.”
King took a shot in the dark. “You ever hear of Heaven?”
“For sure. That’s one place guys like us aren’t going. Why’d you ask?”
“It’s also a martial arts haven somewhere.”
At the other end of the line, King heard an explosion of laughter.
Chapter 32
Jingsha and Wangdan took Noah, Sam, Lisa and Master Wu on a tour.
Jingsha was happy to expound to Noah and Master Wu about Heaven’s history, spirituality, and philosophy while examining the library and its hand-copied manuscripts. Noah looked for connections between his Christian faith and engaged in deep conversation with the masters. As they conversed, Master Wu realized how much he missed when he departed.
Neither Sam nor Lisa had any interest in the metaphysical or any historic stone monuments. Lisa asked Wangdan to show them the apothecary. She hoped to find something to help in her game plan, but it was much more primitive than she expected.
Wangdan then took them through the monastery’s halls. Hanging on some walls were weapons, hand-made on Heaven’s premises. Heaven was not a museum, though, and every instrument of attack was available for use, no matter its age. Sam, especially, delighted in trying them out, slayed mythical creatures and imagined himself as a warrior of old.
He only quit when the huge courtyard bell sounded, signaling it was time for lunch.
In the hall, the monks and their guests shared a communal meal of fragrant corn soup, ginger garlic Chinese cabbage and vegetarian stir-fried chicken tofu. Sam grimaced silently at the fake poultry at his table with Wangdan, Lisa, and Noah while, at the long table, Jingsha and Sigong Zhang enjoyed their meal with Master Wu.
“When did you come here?” Noah asked Wangdan.
“Before I was a teenager. My father came here like Master Wu when he was young but, like Master Wu, he realized that a monk’s ascetic life was not for him. He promised the gods that, if he had a son, then the boy would be raised here.”
“So what does a guy do after he leaves Heaven?” asked Sam.
Noah detected a hint of a wince just before Wangdan answered. “He is one of the performers at Shaolin Paradise… It is so against what we are taught in Heaven.”
“A job’s a job. All work is good work and it’s a chance to stay connected,” encouraged Noah.
Wangdan shook his head. “He sets a bad example. Those at Shaolin Paradise are far from perfect and they don’t even know… but those that are true seekers, I will find them. They are from everywhere and many experiences. To teach them properly, it is helpful to know who they are and what motivates them.”
“It’s also dangerous. Doesn’t exploring these other worlds make you want to know more?”
“If martial arts were my only concern, I would leave tomorrow. However, it is the contemplative that keeps me here. Meditation builds awareness of the true moment, to be with the ‘now’ in all its manifestations. If I were in the world, I would have to worry about a place to stay, what to eat, family. I would never become at one with my inner self.”
Eyes glazed from Wangdan’s self-serving puffery, Sam carped, “You know, Wangdan, what you need is a woman.” He cheekily pointed to Lisa. “She’s available, you know. And she’s damned hot.”
“Sam!” exclaimed an embarrassed and outraged Lisa.
“And women are better when they’re angry,” laughed the imp.
“I have a boyfriend,” proclaimed Lisa, taking a swing at Sam.
“But I don’t see any ring on your finger,” chuckled Sam as he deflected her blow. “I’d go after you myself if I were ten years older.”
Lisa got up and stormed out, not at all amused.
“Hey, don’t mind her. Sometimes the truth hurts. Right?” said Sam, looking at the now red-faced Wangdan.
Sam’s comment about the lack of a ring hit a nerve with Lisa. Her whole life centered around pleasing King but he had yet to commit. If this doesn’t work, I’m going to leave.
She had made that promise to herself a hundred times since they met, but she came running back every time he beckoned.
This time for sure.
In the bathroom that stank so much she could hardly breathe, Lisa took a short Shaolin knife she’d taken from a weapons drawer when Wangdan was talking to Sam. She removed her blouse and her bra. With her left hand, she lifted up her left breast and made an incision beside a slight bulge, ignoring the hellish pain. She put the knife down and tenderly reached into her flesh to pull out a small sealed blood-covered plastic bag.
Taking the knife again, she cut into an almost invisible perpendicular bulge over her left ribcage. Laying the blade aside, she reached inside the cut and slid out one of her hollowed-out acupuncture needles.
She tore the top off the plastic bag and took out two waterproofed butterfly stitches. She placed one over the cut under her breast, the other over her ribcage.
Now it was time for the real work. The plastic bag contained a small amount of fluid. She put the tip of her needle into the bag.
“Why is she taking so long in the washroom?” asked Wangdan.
Noah laughed heartily. “Now that shows you know absolutely nothing about women. My girl... my ex… would go to ‘powder her nose’ and take half an hour to do who knows what.”
“Really?”
“Really,” affirmed Sam and Noah together as Lisa walked back into the hall.
Even without make-up or a fresh change of clothes, she somehow managed to transform herself from grubby traveler to ‘object of male interest.’ From the looks on the faces of the men around the room, it seemed more than one monk was thinking of revoking the vows of chastity.
Noah smiled as he observed Wangdan’
s eyes widening as the siren approached. “Do you want to reconsider anything, Wangdan?”
With a voice full of wonder, Lisa marveled, “I never really believed that Heaven could exist but this place has changed my mind. I cannot help but…”
Suddenly, she tripped on a crack in the floor, falling face down at the feet of Master Wu. During the fall, her leg scraped the stone surface. Blood flowed from the abrasion. “Ow, ow!” she screamed, lifting her leg in the air.
Wangdan quickly rushed to help her. “Get hot water and clean dressings,” he ordered.
Monks quickly obeyed and Wangdan started cleaning the wound.
“Don’t touch it. It hurts. Please be gentle,” whimpered Lisa.
“Don’t worry; you’ll be fine,” soothed Wangdan.
“If I am, it’s because of you.”
Wangdan flushed beet red at the compliment as he finished wrapping the bandage.
“Thank you so much, Wangdan. I don’t know what I would have done without you,” gushed Lisa.
All the monks tittered. There had never been a sight like this before in Heaven.
“It was nothing,” said Wangdan stiffly. “I must get to the students now.” He bowed to Lisa, then left.
Lisa blinked away crocodile tears. With everyone focused on her bleeding leg and her cries of pain, no one noticed she had taken out her acupuncture needle and injected its contents between the toenail and flesh of Master Wu’s big toe.
With all eyes staring at her praise of Wangdan, it was easy for her to hide the needle in her sleeve without attention.
Jingsha and Master Wu slowly walked toward the door of the great hall. It was the first private moment the two old friends had. So much to say, ask, and catch up with.
“How are you really, Wu? Did you really come back just to apologize to Sigong Zhang, or is there something else?”
The Noah Reid Action Thriller Series: Books 1-3 (plus special bonuses) Page 36
