Book of Bravery

by James Burke

  ‘While meditating the blossoms’ scent can be a slight distraction, but it’s beautiful nonetheless,’ Tai said.

  The old man then described to his student the benefits of what they would soon begin to practice under the tree’s shade.

  ‘Meditation strengthens the mind, maybe necessary, or you may go crazy on this mountain with only me as company,’ he jested.

  Quintus grinned, acknowledging Tai’s quirky self-depreciating brand of humor.

  They reached the plum tree and Tai sat on the cobblestone under it. He gestured for Quintus to do likewise. Tai quickly folded his legs into a double lotus position which Quintus tried copying after sitting.

  ‘You can also develop many abilities through meditation such as longevity and the celestial eye. Mind you it sounds easier than it actually is,’ Tai said.

  ‘I can appreciate that already,’ Quintus quipped as he struggled to twist his legs into the full lotus position.

  ‘In time you shall perfect. Actually, it’s likewise possible some abilities will not work for you, among them the celestial eye. Everyone is different. But if you develop the celestial eye, you may see the White Dragon, but then again you may not. Different people see different things.’

  ‘So, is he like the dragon you paint?’

  ‘Indeed, and he is choosy, so he may choose not to reveal himself to you,’ Tai said.

  The old man went on to describe the mystical creature’s appearance.

  ‘The dragon is similar in size to a horse but longer. He has six legs with eagle talons for feet. From head to toe he is covered in fur while its head is your typical looking dragon type with long whiskers and a soft-orange colored mane. My paintings don’t do him justice.’

  ‘Does the White Dragon have a purpose?’

  ‘To defend this mountain of course, that is what the Gods have asked of it.’

  ‘Defend it from what?’

  ‘Evil, and I’m not talking about the idea of evil but the reality of it. Before I was here, in fact before I was even born, my master and the White Dragon fought a 11-headed Red Dragon on this mountain that was let loose from the depths of Hell. Together they chased it back into its lair, minus four of its ugly heads.’

  As he listened Quintus continued struggling to get his legs into position. Tai offered an encouraging smile and then returned to discussing meditation.

  ‘As I mentioned, the real benefit of meditation is strengthening the mind,’ he said. ‘You’ll need strength of both heart and mind when you leave the mountain and return to the West. I your teacher will watch over you as best I can but even I’m limited.’

  Tai then softened his tone.

  ‘But you must be able to endure the unendurable,’ he said.

  Quintus picked up on Tai’s change of voice and the implied seriousness of it all. It helped him focus on what the old man had to say next.

  ‘Many centuries from now, at the appropriate moment, you shall return to White Dragon Mountain. The fate of humanity depends on it, at least at a particular point in time when everything will appear as if it is falling apart.’

  Quintus felt somewhat uncomfortable with the weight of the old man’s expectations.

  Despite having his eyes shut, Tai picked up on Quintus’ unease.

  ‘Again, I have said too much, now close your eyes and try clearing your mind,’ Tai said.

  Quintus closed his eyes. He contemplated what Tai had told him until his mind was overrun by terrifying memories of his recent past.

  Tortured at the hands of Meng’s minions.

  Years as a slave soldier.

  The Battle of Carrhae.

  If he was a modern man he’d be diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. After 20 agitated minutes he opened his eyes and he appealed to his master who was meditating calmly opposite him.

  ‘I can’t do it teacher, my mind, it’s just…’ Quintus said not finishing the sentence.

  Tai kept meditating but gave advice.

  ‘Don’t give into it Quintus. To begin, focus your thoughts on the mountain and recall what you have seen from this sanctuary or even think back to happier times of your youth. Forget the dross. Let it go,’ Tai advised.

  Quintus resumed his meditation and did as Tai recommended. He visualized himself above the mountain and over the valley and then flying across continents to his homeland where he imagined his family, happy aspects of his youth and even a slave girl who he once fancied. She was older than him by three years and despite her situation, he remembered her content nature.

  For 20 minutes he thought in this more positive manner until being disrupted by a suspicious noise that triggered his eyes open.

  The first thing he saw was Tai catching an arrow bolt shot from a repeating crossbow used by a black-clad assassin crouched near the terrace ledge. As Quintus scrambled to get up, Tai again managed to catch the assassin’s next bolt. By the time the Roman was on his feet he counted five more black-dressed attackers clambering onto the terrace behind the crossbowman.

  Quintus figured it was time to arm himself. He pulled a fist-sized cobblestone out from the ground. He then watched in amazement as Tai performed a fly-float kick that knocked the crossbow out of the first assassin’s hands. His master followed through with a series of precise jabs that targeted several of the attacker’s acupuncture points. The now paralyzed crossbowman promptly toppled over like a cardboard cutout.

  ‘Quintus. My stick!’ Tai yelled referring to a pole near Quintus resting against the plum tree. Quintus grabbed it and threw it to his master. Using it, Tai quickly engaged the next two assassins. It wasn’t long till one of them was paralyzed by some well placed pole prods while the other attacker double backed to join the other assassins who were now more cautious.

  With the cobblestone still in one hand, Quintus took the paralyzed bowman’s sword. As he gauged its weight he recognized among the attackers the large frame of Yongan, Meng’s main bodyguard. He then likewise noted the last assassin who clambered onto the terrace was Meng himself. The former governor looked thinner and more haggard than Quintus recalled. Life on the run had taken its toll.

  For a half minute the two opposing sides faced-off each other until the silence was shattered by Meng’s shrill voice.

  ‘Old man you have chosen a barbarian as your student. You have disgraced the Han race!’

  Tai swiftly responded.

  ‘You are a no-good bandit trespassing on White Dragon Mountain!’

  Then the moment exploded. Meng screamed and charged with his three remaining minions trailing.

  Quintus quickly made good use of the cobblestone and hurled it at full force at an attacker armed with a spear. Bull’s-eye. The stone hit the assassin’s left eye. The assassin lost his balance and fell. Quintus’ legionnaire fighting instincts kicked in and a deeply suppressed rage likewise emerged. He lunged forward and, with one sword blow, killed the fallen man.

  ‘Quintus! Try not to kill!’ yelled Tai who was jabbing another attacker into a state of paralysis.

  There was, in Quintus’ mind, no time to consider Tai’s words. Hesitation will only result in defeat, he thought. Moreover, today he had the chance for revenge.

  Quintus shifted his stance to meet Yongan who came in swinging with a battle-axe. The Roman fended off the attack and then went on the offensive. His counter swings with the sword forced the bigger man to drop the battle-axe but also broke his blade resulting in both men brawling hand to hand.

  Despite what you may presume, Yongan proved no match for the smaller man’s fury and skill.

  It was a head butt by Quintus that crushed Yongan’s nose, sending the big man stumbling back blinded by pain. Not missing a beat, Quintus picked up a discarded spear and prepared to use it.

  ‘Quintus! Do not kill him!’ Tai shouted.

  But Quintus still wasn’t in a compromising mood. He ignored Tai’s order and repeatedly jabbed Yongan with the spear, pushing him towards the cliff’s edge. Meng’s chief minion let
out a near-comical scream of surprise as he tumbled over the edge and plummeted to his death.

  Quintus turned back to where his teacher was still fighting Meng who was by now the last unwelcomed visitor standing. Instinctively Quintus repositioned the spear in his grip and, when Meng was a safe distance from Tai, he threw it.

  The spear hit its intended target squarely in the chest. Meng shrieked in agony and then collapsed to the ground. For several seconds his body writhed in pain before it gave up the ghost.

  After Quintus was satisfied that Meng was indeed lifeless, he picked up Yongan’s battle-axe and approached one of the three paralyzed attackers.

  ‘No, you must stop Quintus. I cannot allow anymore killing,’ Tai said.

  Quintus stopped in his tracks, but his stance suggested it was only momentary.

  ‘They’re assassins,’ Quintus said in a state of barely controlled rage.

  Tai put aside his fighting stick and looked calmly at his student.

  ‘Yes, there’s evil in the world Quintus and a virtuous man cannot stand idly by, however you must consider what I’m about to say,’ Tai said. ‘These three men you’ve already killed today, in their future lives, they will seek you out for retribution.’

  Tai’s warnings appeared to fall on deaf ears. Quintus, with axe in hand, stepped forward towards the nearest paralyzed assassin.

  ‘If you are my student Quintus, please do not do this. Nothing good can come from it.’

  Quintus again halted as a war waged inside him on what he should do. He closed his eyes and sought to clear his thoughts for half a minute which gave him just enough time to take sentiment out of the equation. He threw the axe aside and took a seat on the broad rock that looked like it had been sat on a million times.

  ‘Okay,’ he said to Tai. ‘They get to live.’

  Tai looked at his student with a great deal of compassion.

  ‘Be assured Quintus I will teach you how to fight and defeat evil and you will be able to do it without killing or causing unnecessary harm,’ Tai said as he sat on the rock under the plum tree. ‘The three dead, they’ll be reborn one day and blindly will seek you out for payback. That is how reincarnation works, in part at least, so we must now take it into account. Perhaps there is something I can do to soften what will come.’

  Both men sat there silently for some time; contemplating what transpired until Tai described what they needed to do next with the assassins, both the living and the dead.

  ‘We will burn the deceased and for those paralyzed, a few taps with my stick on the correct acupuncture points and they will regain their senses,’ he said.

  ‘Then we shall tie their hands and walk them down to deliver to the villagers who will hand them over to the local powers. It might take us four days to do it, but it’s an agreeable walk,’ he said. ‘So, that is that. Your second day of training Quintus has been rather eventful. I just certainly hope they’re all not like this,’ he added laughing.

  To Hell and Back

  Before the fight with the assassins, Tai had planned to ensure that the deaths that Quintus was responsible for as a soldier were mystically resolved. But any killings that Quintus committed while he was Tai’s disciple would be much harder to fix since the standards for him set by Heaven were now much higher.

  After the fight with Meng and his minions, Tai knew he had to risk everything by going to Hell to try and resolve matters. He did not share his concerns with Quintus. It would have still been too much, too early for the Roman to comprehend.

  Centuries earlier, Tai’s master gave him ten years’ worth of lessons on how to get to Hell and back. Tai’s master had already been there done that when he and the White Dragon fought the Red Dragon. In short, it was a bold, ballsy method and it worked.

  Tai left the earthly realm and rode the White Dragon straight into a stiflingly-hot cavernous room, a place of immense despair, where he found the 13 Demon Kings of the Pit seated on thrones fashioned from a black stone wall.

  ‘Who are you?’ they shrieked in surprised unison, pointing their long boney fingers at him.

  Tai didn’t bother responding. Instead, he remained silent and mounted on the White Dragon, staying a safe distance from the demons.

  Through the shadows, he could just make out their details.

  They were hulking humanoid figures twice his size. They wore no clothes and their skin was a dark earthy red. The largest feature on their faces were wide mouths full of serrated teeth. True to stereotypical form they had long horns that came out on their heads just above their elongated thin ears. It wasn’t long till their rat-like eyes recognized Tai.

  ‘No, we know you. Get out. You are not allowed here. Only the damned are permitted here!’ they screamed.

  Tai and the White Dragon didn’t’ budge.

  ‘Yes, I’m trespassing, I’m fully aware of that, however I also know you demons can only command the damned in this vile place,’ Tai said, acting as if he had the upper hand. ‘So, save yourselves the effort and quit your screaming.’

  Tai’s bravado was, in one way, no act. His master long ago advised him to take charge if he ever had to go to Hell and deal with the demons. You see these creatures have no authority over anyone not marked as one of theirs which of course Tai was not. Not only that, his supernormal abilities were magnified in this realm.

  There was no hometown advantage for the 13.

  The demon kings knew this, and they began shifting nervously on their thrones. Undeniably, Tai’s presence had now upset them to the point of near panic. Even their boss Satan couldn’t help them, at least on such short notice.

  ‘We despise you. Even more than your master,’ they yelled at Tai.

  ‘I certainly take that as a compliment,’ Tai calmly replied.

  ‘Be quiet. Get off that creature and kneel,’ they bellowed hatefully.

  ‘I’m not here to pay homage or beg,’ Tai said.

  ‘Why are you here then?’

  ‘I’m here to issue a warning.’

  ‘You? Warn us? We don’t take direction from the likes of you. Instead let us tell you we have taken precautions since your master’s last unwelcome visit,’ they said bluffing. The demons had no backup plan. At one stage they argued about making one but, out of a combination of arrogance and laziness, nothing ever eventuated.

  Nonetheless the memories of Tai’s master and the White Dragon entering their realm and wounding their red dragon was traumatic. He had been the only full human being to enter their territory until Tai’s current visit.

  ‘Your master was trespassing. Don’t make the same mistake,’ they yelled.

  ‘You sent your dragon to attack my master, breaking laws of Heaven,’ Tai said. ‘Your beast is not permitted in the human world.’

  ‘Yes, our dragon entered your realm, but it was a long time ago. Get over it you fool.’

  ‘If need be I will finish what my master started and destroy you all plus your pet dragon but that’s not what I came here for,’ Tai warned.

  ‘One thing is for certain, your insolence is tiring,’ they replied.

  ‘Nevertheless, you have been warned. Ignore it at your own peril,’ he said.

  ‘Just tell us why you are here.’

  ‘I have a new student learning the Way,’ Tai said. ‘He slew three assassins who were attempting to kill him.’

  ‘If what you utter is accurate, he is not coming here. Self-defense is no wrongdoing you fool!’ they yelled.

  ‘But the three he killed will one day seek him out when they reincarnate on Earth.’

  ‘That is how it goes.’

  ‘They’re now here in Hell.’

  ‘Suffering as they must, like other sinners.’

  ‘I want to see them.’

  The demons moaned.

  ‘Why such fuss over a student?’

  ‘That is what a master of the Way does,’ he answered.

  ‘Cast him aside,’ they yelled.

  ‘Never!’

  ‘We
ll we cannot order these three to do what you want. Free will is even a principle here.’

  ‘So, will you give me your consent and let me see them?’ Tai asked.

  ‘If we grant you this favor we want something in return.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘Promise that you’ll never come back.’

  After a beat, Tai nodded, and the demons collectively agreed.

  ‘You can see them. It is seldom we allow such things,’ they said. ‘So, we will watch your student ever more closely to see if he is worthy of such mercy. Do you understand?’

  Tai nodded.

  The 13 demons drew straws to see who would escort Tai to the third ring of the seventh circle of Hell where Meng and his two henchmen were suffering in a torture pit.

  There the souls of Yongan and the other thug killed by Quintus gave Tai pitiable reassurances that they’d seek no retribution upon reincarnation. But dealing with Meng’s soul was another thing. It remained full of spite and malice.

  ‘You think you can bargain with me old man?’ Meng’s soul screamed. ‘You think you can bargain with the demon kings? They say one thing, do another. You’re a fool. I will seek out your disciple and have my vengeance.’

  Tai realized there’s no point reasoning with a madman, even a dead one, so he left Meng’s soul and returned to the earthly realm, fearing what his student may one day have to face.

  Back on White Dragon Mountain, Tai began taking the necessary precautions. Before the incident with the assassins, he calculated it would only take 150 years for Quintus to learn everything he needed to know. After that the Roman would have been free to return the West and deal with what would come when the time presented itself. But given his visit to Hell, Tai had Quintus train for some 400 years to ensure he was well prepared to face any type of challenge, earthly or otherwise. Or at least so he thought.

  Sealing the Cave

  Just before Quintus was due to leave the mountain sanctuary he built a rock wall at the entrance of the cave while Tai remained inside. As instructed, Quintus then sealed the one-foot thick wall with sticky rice and limestone plaster to hide it from the outside world.