‘Looking professional, Yi Hao. You’d pass for a local businesswoman.’
She fidgeted with pride. ‘Some of the younger students have been helping me.’
I leaned on the desk. ‘Do you want to go further than just being my secretary? You can go study if you like.’
She appeared horrified. ‘Ma’am, please do not wish such a thing on me! It is a dream come true for me to be acting in this capacity for you. Now…’ She looked down at the diary, professional again. ‘You should tell me when you give humans my phone number, ma’am. A man called Chang called me and I had no idea what he was talking about. He is being held on the first floor until you decide what to do with him.’
‘Chang?’ I said, confused. ‘I have no idea. What does he look like?’
‘Big!’ Yi Hao exclaimed. She spread her arms. ‘He looks like a…a… big man !’
I searched my memory. ‘No idea. Okay, I’ll go down after we’ve been through the diary. When’s my first appointment?’
‘In half an hour you have a meeting with General Ma.’
‘Good. Did you give us at least an hour?’
‘Yes, ma’am. After that, no more appointments.’ She gestured with her head towards the in-tray. ‘You’ll need some time to deal with this.’
I sagged over the desk. ‘You all hate me.’
She touched my arm. ‘You know we don’t, ma’am. Now go check on this human that you seem to have collected.’
I went down to the first floor, the armoury, the most secure area inside the Academy building. Master Liu, dressed in jeans and a scruffy Batman T-shirt, was waiting there for me with a massive Chinese man, nearly as tall as Leo and heavily muscled. He was sitting morosely in the holding room but jumped to his feet when he saw me. ‘Lady, help me!’
‘This was Demon Prince Six’s driver and general assassin-about-town,’ I said to Liu.
Chang grimaced. ‘Tell your janitor here that I am not a criminal. I was under an oath, but now I am free.’
Liu’s mouth flopped open with delight. ‘ Janitor ?’
Chang glared at him with derision. ‘I want to speak to you alone, ma’am, without this lackey around.’
‘What word did that come out as in English?’ Liu said.
‘Lackey,’ I said.
‘It was far more obscene and derogatory in Chinese,’ Liu said.
I turned to Chang. ‘Remember when I told you that Liu Cheng Rong hadn’t died six hundred years ago; he’d attained Immortality?’
Chang made the most lightning-fast double-take I had ever seen. He glanced from myself to Liu, then swiftly fell to his knees in front of Liu and touched his head to the floor. ‘This humble, worthless piece of dung profoundly apologises for this insult and prays that you will allow him to assist you with his skills as a Shaolin master.’
Liu’s face went thoughtful as he looked down at Chang. ‘Hmm.’
‘I was a disciple of Shaolin before I lost my way, Master. Please, help me to retake the oaths and return to the Path,’ Chang said, still with his forehead on the floor.
Liu rubbed his bearded chin. ‘Interesting. How long have you been outside the temple?’
‘Six years,’ Chang said with misery. ‘I made some terrible mistakes and I want to atone for them.’ He glanced up at Liu. ‘Master, please help me.’
Liu gestured to him. ‘Get up. Tell me what you have done.’
Chang rose, a swift and elegant movement. ‘I have killed,’ he said, almost a moan of despair. ‘I have broken my vows. I wish to retake them and follow the Path once again.’
Liu rubbed his chin again, studying Chang. ‘What was your reason for straying?’
‘Wealth,’ Chang said. ‘I saw the wealth of the West and wanted it for my own. I have since learned thatwealth is an illusion and cannot bring true joy. For the last three years I have lived in misery, serving one who was truly monstrous and evil.’
‘If you believe in the concept of evil then you still have a long way to go,’ Liu said.
Chang’s face crumpled and he dropped his
She fidgeted with pride. ‘Some of the younger students have been helping me.’
I leaned on the desk. ‘Do you want to go further than just being my secretary? You can go study if you like.’
She appeared horrified. ‘Ma’am, please do not wish such a thing on me! It is a dream come true for me to be acting in this capacity for you. Now…’ She looked down at the diary, professional again. ‘You should tell me when you give humans my phone number, ma’am. A man called Chang called me and I had no idea what he was talking about. He is being held on the first floor until you decide what to do with him.’
‘Chang?’ I said, confused. ‘I have no idea. What does he look like?’
‘Big!’ Yi Hao exclaimed. She spread her arms. ‘He looks like a…a… big man !’
I searched my memory. ‘No idea. Okay, I’ll go down after we’ve been through the diary. When’s my first appointment?’
‘In half an hour you have a meeting with General Ma.’
‘Good. Did you give us at least an hour?’
‘Yes, ma’am. After that, no more appointments.’ She gestured with her head towards the in-tray. ‘You’ll need some time to deal with this.’
I sagged over the desk. ‘You all hate me.’
She touched my arm. ‘You know we don’t, ma’am. Now go check on this human that you seem to have collected.’
I went down to the first floor, the armoury, the most secure area inside the Academy building. Master Liu, dressed in jeans and a scruffy Batman T-shirt, was waiting there for me with a massive Chinese man, nearly as tall as Leo and heavily muscled. He was sitting morosely in the holding room but jumped to his feet when he saw me. ‘Lady, help me!’
‘This was Demon Prince Six’s driver and general assassin-about-town,’ I said to Liu.
Chang grimaced. ‘Tell your janitor here that I am not a criminal. I was under an oath, but now I am free.’
Liu’s mouth flopped open with delight. ‘ Janitor ?’
Chang glared at him with derision. ‘I want to speak to you alone, ma’am, without this lackey around.’
‘What word did that come out as in English?’ Liu said.
‘Lackey,’ I said.
‘It was far more obscene and derogatory in Chinese,’ Liu said.
I turned to Chang. ‘Remember when I told you that Liu Cheng Rong hadn’t died six hundred years ago; he’d attained Immortality?’
Chang made the most lightning-fast double-take I had ever seen. He glanced from myself to Liu, then swiftly fell to his knees in front of Liu and touched his head to the floor. ‘This humble, worthless piece of dung profoundly apologises for this insult and prays that you will allow him to assist you with his skills as a Shaolin master.’
Liu’s face went thoughtful as he looked down at Chang. ‘Hmm.’
‘I was a disciple of Shaolin before I lost my way, Master. Please, help me to retake the oaths and return to the Path,’ Chang said, still with his forehead on the floor.
Liu rubbed his bearded chin. ‘Interesting. How long have you been outside the temple?’
‘Six years,’ Chang said with misery. ‘I made some terrible mistakes and I want to atone for them.’ He glanced up at Liu. ‘Master, please help me.’
Liu gestured to him. ‘Get up. Tell me what you have done.’
Chang rose, a swift and elegant movement. ‘I have killed,’ he said, almost a moan of despair. ‘I have broken my vows. I wish to retake them and follow the Path once again.’
Liu rubbed his chin again, studying Chang. ‘What was your reason for straying?’
‘Wealth,’ Chang said. ‘I saw the wealth of the West and wanted it for my own. I have since learned thatwealth is an illusion and cannot bring true joy. For the last three years I have lived in misery, serving one who was truly monstrous and evil.’
‘If you believe in the concept of evil then you still have a long way to go,’ Liu said.
Chang’s face crumpled and he dropped his
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