Sigong Zhang claps his hands and barks. “Wangdan!”
Wangdan runs in front of Sigong Zhang and kneels. “Yes, Sigong.”
“See how well Wu has taught this young man.”
Without warning, Wangdan unleashes the Five Animals of the Shaolin upon Noah: Tiger, Crane, Snake, Leopard and Dragon. Speed, power and technique are in full view.
The Dragon’s claws circle. Then the palm explodes toward Noah’s face. Noah whirls his hand up at the last moment, whipping Wangdan’s hand away.
With Noah’s other hand, two fingers aim at Wangdan’s eyes. The young master counters with a hard fist deflecting the fingers, then follows up with a sweep of his opponent’s leg.
Noah leaps up to avoid the danger and follows with his own knife-edge kick to Wangdan’s leg.
The spirit of the Tiger explodes with a right left combination of open hand blows by both opponents. Neither of them is able to land a punch.
Wangdan releases an off-the-meter-decibel-loud scream as his hands fly at Noah with the tiger claws. One hand to the face, the other to the groin. Both land successfully and Noah reels.
Fighting through the pain, Noah grabs Wangdan’s head and pulls it to his knees before unfurling his own tiger claw parry to Wangdan’s face.
Noah follows up with a lightning fast leopard fist to the throat. Wangdan is up to the challenge and yanks his head quickly out of harm’s way.
Wangdan counters with two rapid blows to Noah’s stomach. The ex-lawyer keels over in pain.
Wangdan moves in for the kill but Noah surprises him with a sideways kick to the groin followed by two fists to the chest.
Noah stands up on one leg and curls his hands to become Crane beaks. He moves his left leg forward in line with the right leg, then shoots out one beak to hook Wangdan’s arm, then the other to strike his temple.
This marvelously executed combination catches Wangdan offguard, but the monk recovers quickly. He turns his left hand over and circles 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 strike out at Noah’s chest, then throat, then arms.
A sudden sideways sweep of his left leg, knocks Noah to the ground, defeated.
There is a circle that has developed around the two combatants of all the monks of Heaven. Their indoctrination does not allow them to cheer or applaud but the quiet titters and grins of delight show that they are happy that their Hero of Heaven has defeated the pupil of the profligate.
Noah gets up and makes the Shaolin salute to Wangdan.
“Master Wu has trained you well,” says Sigong Zhang.
“Wangdan still kicked my butt,” gasps the sweaty Noah.
“There is no one in Heaven as capable as Wangdan. He kicks everyone’s ‘butt,’ as you put it,” says the Sigong.
Jingsha, a trim Shaolin monk about Master Wu’s age, joins them. “It is good to see you again, my friend. I thought you might be lost to us forever.”
Master Wu’s eyes sparkle. “Jingsha! My roommate. My sparring partner! You look so well!”
“We will find out shortly how well after we finish lunch. Then we will test our forms again!”
“What about the doctors?” asks Noah.
“Didn’t I tell you there was nothing wrong with him?” asks Sigong Zhang. “What ailed Wu was not the body but his soul. ‘Healing comes from Heaven.’”
All nod in agreement including Lisa whose smile belies her thoughts. Healing comes from Heaven, but death comes from everywhere.
Chapter Thirty-Two
King’s heart almost stops. Not two hundred yards away is a 25-foot pleasure boat. Two teenage boys painstakingly clean it. In this poverty-stricken village, a newer powerboat looks completely out of place. The dune buggy kicks up a storm as it races over.
King jumps out and asks, “Where did you find this?”
One of the cleaners replies, “This is mine. I found it. Do you want to buy it from me? A thousand dollars.”
A thousand is the highest number that this boy has ever heard of. He has no idea what value it is, but he’s sure it’s a lot.
King takes out a ten-dollar bill and gives it to him. “I don’t want it, but I want to know about it. Tell me everything you know.”
The boy’s eyes widen in delight. First the boat, now ten dollars. He is 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 controls his voice as he asks, “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 reaches into his pocket and takes out five bucks, which he waves in the air.
The boy snatches it from him. “Oh. My father drove them to Shanghai. Do you want to know where they went?”
King hands the boy another five.
“Shanghai is pretty big, you know?”
King hands him ten dollars. The boy’s eyes light up.
“They went to Shaolin Paradise.” He adds proudly, “They gave him fifty dollars.”
King nods. “Thank you.” He hands the boy another five, not because he feels generous but King thinks that maybe the boy has brought him good luck. When that happens, you want to keep feeding the gods so that they will bring you more.
King gets out his cell phone and makes a call. “Check the GPS coordinates and track where I am. Then bring the chopper here ASAP. I need to go home, then we will take a trip to Shanghai.”
“Why don’t we just go straight to Shanghai?”
“I need to bring some reinforcements along.”
“Gotcha.”
King smiles as the wind and sand kick up into his hair. It is possible to find a needle in a haystack.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Before lunch, Noah, Master Wu, Lisa and Sam are taken on a tour. What a difference between Shaolin Paradise and Heaven. None of the gaudy commercialization of Shaolin Paradise is evident in Heaven. The atmosphere is saturated with history, spirituality and the very deep feeling that the physical, mental and spiritual are extensions of each other. The complex is almost entirely self-contained. All the weapons were made on the premises. All the books and literature have been hand-copied by monks throughout the ages. Except for rice, all food is grown in one of the several vegetable gardens surrounding and integrated into the complex. There is a meditation cum library, a worship hall, a martial arts training academy, a two-tiered multi-purpose great hall and a building for sleeping quarters. The great hall in particular is a treasure trove of martial arts artifacts, paraphernalia and icons. Noah takes particular note of a large painting of the Five Animals of the Shaolin—it is remarkably similar to one that Master Wu had in his studio foyer.
In the hall, the monks and their guests share a communal meal of fragrant corn soup, ginger garlic Chinese cabbage and vegetarian stir-fried chicken tofu. Sam grimaces silently at the fake poultry at his table with Wangdan, Lisa and Noah while at the long table Jingsha and Sigong Zhang enjoy their meal with Master Wu.
“When did you come here?” Noah asks Wangdan.
“When I was three. My father came here like Master Wu when he was young, but he realized that a monk’s ascetic life was not for him. He promised the gods though that if he had a son, then the boy would be raised here. I have two sisters and our family lives outside Shaolin Paradise in Shanghai.”
A light goes on in Noah’s head. “That’s why you were there and that’s how you knew how to get here.”
Wangdan nods. “I spend three weeks in Heaven, then one week at Shaolin Paradise. There are four of us in rotation. Our job as sentries is to watch. Watch for those who might be candidates for Heaven and those who might want to return.”
; Heaven will find you. That’s what Master Wu said. “You weren’t there for me; you were on a scouting mission.”
“As you noticed, the students at Shaolin Paradise are not perfect. But every so often, there is someone who makes the waiting worthwhile. They seek for more than they can find there. But I am also at Shaolin Paradise to learn of other things. There are occasionally people who come to Heaven who are not Chinese, who have different backgrounds. In order to properly instruct them, it is helpful to know who they are and what motivates them.”
“Doesn’t exploring these other worlds make you want to know more?”
“If martial arts was my only concern, I would leave tomorrow. However, it is the contemplative that keeps me here. The meditation that builds our 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 worldly things. About a place to stay, what to eat, women, family... These are all important on one plane, but if we are immersed in this situation, we will never have the opportunity to become more at one with our inner selves. Minding the details of the ebb and flow of life allows us to appreciate it more.”
“I guess that means ‘no.’” Noah smiles.
“But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the pleasure of “kicking your butt.”
The two young men share a laugh. Two people from completely different and opposite worlds come together at the end of the earth, in Heaven.
“Hey Wangdan, you ever had a girlfriend?” The cocky Sam points to Lisa. “She’s available, you know.”
“Sam!” exclaims an embarrassed and outraged Lisa.
“They say women are better when they’re angry,” laughs the imp.
“I have a boyfriend.”
“But I don’t see any ring on your finger. I’d go after you myself if I were ten years older. I still might,” shrugs the cheeky teen.
Lisa walks out, not at all amused.
It’s hard not to notice that Wangdan is turning a shade of red.
***
Sam’s little provocation was exactly the excuse that Lisa needed to leave the room. To do what she wants to do next, she needs a few more minutes than simply going to take a pee.
In the unisex washroom that stinks so much she can hardly breathe, Lisa takes from under her shirtsleeve a short Shaolin knife that she palmed when she was pretending to admire the monastery’s many weapons.
She takes off her blouse and her bra. With her left hand, she lifts up her left breast. The underside of the breast bulges out ever so slightly. Lisa takes the knife and slowly and conscientiously makes a two-inch cut right beside the bulge. She puts the knife down and tenderly reaches into the cut.
This hurts like hell. She pulls out a small sealed blood-covered plastic bag.
There is also an almost invisible perpendicular bulge over the left ribcage. She does a quick nick with a knife to the top of this protrusion. She puts the knife down and reaches to the cut. She pulls out one of the special hollowed-out acupuncture needles.
She tears off the top of the plastic pouch. The pouch contains a small amount of liquid as well as two wrapped butterfly stitches.
She takes out the stitches and places one over the cut under her breast and the other over the incision by her ribcage. She then sticks the needle into the bag’s liquid.
***
“Why is she taking so long in the washroom?” asks Wangdan.
Noah laughs 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,” affirm Sam and Noah, nodding heads in unison.
A transformed Lisa walks back into the hall. Even without make-up or a fresh change of clothes, she has somehow managed to transform herself from grubby traveler to ‘object of male interest.’ Perusing the faces of the men around the room, it seems more than one monk is thinking of revoking the vows of chastity.
Noah watches Wangdan’s eyes widen.
“Do you want to reconsider anything, Wangdan?” asks Noah cheekily.
Lisa walks toward Sigong Zhang. “I never really believed that Heaven could exist but this place has changed my mind. I cannot help but...”
Suddenly, she trips on a crack in the floor, falling face down at the feet of Master Wu. During the fall, her leg scrapes the stone surface, causing a huge bleeding abrasion.
Lisa cries out, “Ow, ow...”
Wangdan quickly rushes to help her up. “Are you all right?”
She lifts her leg―it’s a nasty ugly scrape but she’s mobile.
“I won’t die. I was clumsy.”
Another monk rushes over to bring clean dressings, while another brings over some boiled water to cleanse the wound.
“I’ll be okay in a minute.” She smiles gratefully. “You are very thoughtful.”
“It was nothing.” Wangdan straightens up. “I must get to the students now.” He bows to the group, then leaves.
“I think he likes you,” says Sam.
“He is... nice,” says Lisa enigmatically.
What no one except Lisa knows is that she tripped on purpose and the bleeding was not from hitting the ground but from a cut, she made onto her leg with the Shaolin dagger. The fall merely forced the skin apart, allowing the blood to flow out.
All this was a diversion for her main task: Master Wu. When everyone focused on her bleeding leg, she whipped out the needle and injected its contents between the toenail and flesh of Master Wu’s big toe, a place that no one would ever see. She then quickly hid the needle in her sleeve.
***
Jingsha and Master Wu slowly walk toward the door of the great hall. It’s the first private moment that the two old friends have. So much to say, ask and catch up with.
“What’s the world like, Wu? Has it changed much since we were children?” asks Jingsha.
For Master Wu, this is a complex question. While he has lived in Hong Kong ever since he left Heaven, as much as possible he tried to keep Heaven’s basic principles. He has personally never owned a cell phone or computer or television. His first exposure to modern technology was when he lived with the Reids. He would watch them use the devices but never use them himself. When he had his own studio, he grudgingly allowed electricity to be installed so that he could teach at night as well as during the day and for him to have a little electric hotplate to cook on. So when Jingsha asks about the world change, Master Wu’s answers are those of an observer, not a participant.
“The world now is much faster. You can communicate with almost anyone around the world easily and inexpensively. You can be entertained with little boxes called televisions and computers. These allow you to write without pens, correspond around the world and have access to more than a thousand libraries of books. Travel is no longer just for the rich. The average person can go to India or America or France. Noah travels all the time. He went to school in America and now lives in Hong Kong but more than five times a month, he travels to somewhere in Asia or North America and back.”
“How can Noah know himself with a schedule or machinery like that? It would take up all your time just trying to keep up.” queries Jingsha.
“You are precisely right. He does not know who he really is. He thinks he has everything under control but the truth is, he is but a hairsbreadth from inner disaster. His world lacks balance. The world has changed but people have not... Noah also broke up with his girlfriend just before we came here.”
“Did you ever marry, Wu? Do you have children?”
“Never married. My disciples are my children... Noah is the only disciple I have left... and I love him like a son.”
Suddenly, Master Wu keels over, dropping to the ground, unconscious.
“Wu! Wu!” shouts Jingsha. “Call the doctors! Now!”
Right on time. Lisa rushes to the fallen sifu.
Chapter Thirty-Four
This has got to be one of the mos
t bizarre medical treatments ever seen anywhere.
It is taking place in Heaven’s worship hall. Sigong Zhang leads a group of Shaolin monks on one side, chanting and praying. Jingsha leads a group of martial artists in the strictest regimen of performing the traditional animal form drills. Lisa is tapping acupuncture needles on Master Wu’s body on the key meridians, hoping to stimulate qi. There are also half a dozen suction cups on Master Wu’s chest drawing out the cold. Dr. Xin, Heaven’s doctor, has set up an IV drip so that a Chinese herbal potion can go directly into Master Wu’s veins. He also forces the unconscious patient to sip a potion of local herbs designed to cleanse and detox Master Wu’s system—in preparation, there is a bedpan underneath the hole in the bed where Master Wu’s bowels lay. Noah stands at the side, praying to the God of Israel.
Between Buddha, the Judeo-Christian God, a phalanx of Chinese herbs, Chinese medicinal practices and Chinese spirits, something’s got to work.
At least that’s the theory.
Noah’s worried because he has never seen the intravenous use of Chinese herbs. This is a unique contribution from Dr. Xin. Xin studied Western medicine until he was twenty-three and felt the urge to study Traditional Chinese Medicine. He immersed himself in both methods of healing until he was twenty-eight and felt the urge for another passion: the Shaolin. Heaven found Dr. Xin and he has only been in Heaven for fifteen years, where he sees less than five hundred patients a year. For him, this is fantastic because he can spend more time in mindful meditation, practice of martial arts and perfecting his groundbreaking experiments of intravenous Chinese herbs.
This treatment has been going on for eight hours, with monks taking shifts chanting and doctors taking turns tapping on the needles as well as cleaning the cold from the cups. Of course, the bedpan is regularly replaced as well.
Another four hours pass. Day turns to sunset turns to night, yet the vigil continues.
The Noah Reid Series: Books 1-3: The Noah Reid Action Thriller Series Boxset Page 38
