Ying laughed. “Fine fighting force you have there, Malao.”
Fu growled and said, “Finer than the men you lost at Cangzhen! At least most of the monkeys … GRRRRR … escaped … ARRRRR … alive!”
Through the taut chain, Ying felt Fu tense in preparation for a mighty jerk. Ying chuckled to himself. The instant he felt Fu's big pull begin, Ying let go of the chain.
Fu sailed backward and Ying soared forward toward his closest opponent—Malao.
“Don't let him grab you!” Fu cried out.
But it was already too late. Ying clamped down on Malao's exposed neck with a powerful eagle claw. His razor-sharp fingernails pierced Malao's skin, sinking deep into a pressure point. Ying grinned at Fu as he squeezed, his nails slicing into Malao's nervous system like thin, ragged knives. Malao slipped into unconsciousness.
Ying watched Fu's eyes fill with fury. Ying discreetly formed an eagle claw with his free hand and took a deep breath. An instant later, Fu leaped at Ying's outstretched arm, attempting to break Ying's grip on Malao.
Fu can be so predictable, Ying thought. As Fu smashed into his arm, Ying released Malao and lashed out with his other hand, latching on to the back of Fu's neck with amazing speed. Fu didn't have a chance. Like Malao, Fu was unconscious within moments.
Ying lessened his grip on Fu and removed the scrolls from Fu's robe. He addressed his men.
“Did all of you see that?” Ying said. “That is how you take care of business! Quickly, efficiently, decisively!”
Ying glanced over at one of the weapons carts and saw Commander Woo sitting inside it with the hatch open. The Commander's right leg was bent at an odd angle.
“COMMANDER WOO!”Ying said. He pointed to Hok. “Look what Tonglong has caught. There is your restless spirit from Cangzhen, hanging from that pole. He was the one you felt watching you, and he snatched the Grandmaster's body from beneath your nose. Hobble over there on your one good leg and untie the one called Hok so that he can walk. He's going on a little trip.”
Commander Woo nodded and Ying looked over at Captain Yue's sedan chair. The silk curtains were drawn tight.
“CAPTAIN YUE!” Ying shouted. “Get yourself out from behind those curtains this instant.” Captain Yue poked his head out and Ying continued. “You will tie up the two troublemakers known as Fu and Malao, and they, too, will walk. Their paralysis is only temporary, so I suggest you hurry.”
Captain Yue made a sour face but nodded in consent. Ying scowled and turned to Tonglong.
“TONGLONG! You have proven your loyalty to me by capturing Hok. Now it is time for you to get your hands dirty. You will finish what was left unfinished back at the temple. Kill these monks. We will set up camp here for the night, so make sure you take them far into the forest before completing the job. I don't want any tigers coming around here to dine on their corpses or lap up their blood. If you run into any problems, fire a warning shot from a qiang. I'd hate to have to interrupt my reading to clean up any mess you might make, so don't make any mistakes. And make sure you pay special attention to Fu. He's already gotten away from you once.”
“I give you my word,” Tonglong said with a gleam in his eye. “I'll take care of the one called Fu.”
“We'll see about that,” Ying replied. “Don't forget to keep an eye on Hok. And keep a tight leash on Malao, too. Malao may not look like much, but he's a tricky little runt. Now get out of here!”
Very little time had passed, but Ying knew his world had changed forever. As he lay on his sleeping mat inside his tent, he rode a wave of emotions he had never known. He tried his best to relax, but nothing seemed to work. He was just too excited.
Now I know how Malao feels most of the time, Ying joked with himself. Pity I'll never get to tell him.
Ying was immersed in reading the first dragon scroll. His brain absorbed the information like a thirsty sea sponge. For the first time ever, Ying felt a connection with something. It wasn't a person or a place, it was a philosophy—an approach to life outlined within the first dragon scroll. He had always assumed the secret scrolls for each animal kung fu style contained advanced fighting techniques—and they did—but they also contained other things: mental guidelines, spiritual guidelines, and much, much more.
Back at Cangzhen, Ying had always been criticized for focusing all his energy on the martial aspects of his eagle-style training. He had ignored the mental and spiritual components, but he had had good reason— the fighting component was the only part that had ever made sense to him.
But now that he was reading the first dragon scroll, Ying was beginning to understand that there was more to kung fu than fighting. Having the nonfighting elements explained in a manner that his inner dragon could comprehend made all the difference. In fact, even the eagle-style fighting techniques he had perfected over time didn't make as much sense as the fighting philosophies described in the first dragon scroll. Ying now saw why dragon-style kung fu was considered the most powerful.