Around daybreak I heard footsteps nearby. Without moving my body, I slowly opened my eyes in an attempt to see whom the footsteps belonged to. The sounds grew louder, as if they were approaching us. A few men dressed like farm workers had discovered our makeshift camp. They were probably hungry and smelled our food supplies.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” I said politely as I arose. “Did you want something to eat?”
Before they could answer, Lao Peng You bolted up, “We are not in the business of providing charity to strangers,” he spat. At least his lovable old self is still in there somewhere within that inflatingly-bloated carcass.
One of the men bowed. “We beg your pardon, my lords. My friends and I are not here to take handouts from you. It is not gifts we seek.”
The Marquis appraised them judiciously. “Then what is it you seek? I warn you my friends and I are quite capable of defending ourselves if you attempt any sort of highwaymanship.”
If it had been their goal to rob us, they had already squandered their advantage of surprise. Lao Peng You tended to see the worst in everyone. I, however, through the teachings of The Way, have learned to be less hasty in judging others.
The unfamiliar man smiled. “I believe you misunderstand our intentions. We seek you for the honor of playing the game of Mahjong. This cart bears the emblem of Changshou Shan, which, I believe, is a mountain resort a few days from here.”
“Yes, you are correct in that,” I responded. “How is it that you know of Changshou Shan?”
He looked back at his comrades then at me, “It is well-known in these parts as a place one can go for rest and recuperation. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive and beyond the means of common farmers, such as ourselves.”
“The cost of staying there can be quite prohibitive,” I replied while keeping an eye on Lao Peng You. My concern for his health persisted, especially in light of these unknown visitors.
“It is said,” the farmer continued, “that the grounds are like that of Heaven itself.”
The garden was certainly beautiful beyond belief, but I do not know if I would compare the rest of the setting to Heaven. “There is some beauty to be found there, certainly.” I looked back at the Marquis, whose distrustful focus remained on the interlopers. Then I asked the man, “Is there some way we may be of assistance to you?”
“It has been years since we have had the pleasure of playing with the medicinal tiles and we wish to enjoy a few games, if it is not an imposition.”
My main concern is getting Lao Peng You to his physician before he gets any worse. “Gentlemen, I appreciate your curiosity, but, as much as we would like to accommodate your wishes, we did not bring a Mahjong set with us.” Yes, I knew we had one in the cart, and, yes, I knew I was telling untruths again, but I was determined to get my huoban to safety as quickly as possible.
The fellow laughed out loud, “I hope your Mahjong play is better than your transparent attempt at deception.” He pointed to the back of the cart, where the tiles were quite obvious.
“Well, what I meant to say is that my friend here,” I pointed to the Marquis, “is quite ill and I am accompanying him to Chongqing to see his physician. I did not want to embarrass him by disclosing his current, life-threatening condition.”
The laughter stopped and the farmer bowed with reverence. “I am most sorry, my lord. I did not realize bad health was a factor. We shall leave you to your errand of mercy.” They turned and began to walk away.
“Wait!” Lao Peng You’s voice called out, faint but still audible, “There is always time for a game. How many coins have you brought with you?”
The men returned to the cart and showed a few gold coins, a handful of silver ones, and a bag of copper.
My huoban looked at me with the sad eyes, “Surely we can grant these fine gentleman at least one round, Baron,” his speech diminished with each wheezing breath. “We would not want to disappoint our new friends.”
I threw my hands skyward in exasperation. “If that is your wish, huoban, so be it.” Even in the throes of his own demise the avarice was inexhaustible.
Two of the fellows joined us as we sat in the back of the oxcart. We did not even bother to ask their names because we did not think they would be with us for more than a few minutes time. As Zhong Shi did not play Mahjong, he stood off to the side observing us play. From time to time, I observed him.
After the second round, Lao Peng You showed signs of further tiring and puffiness.
“Marquis, perhaps we should be getting to Chongqing now,” I suggested. Even though the thought of crossing that terrifying bridge turned my blood cold as blind charity, I wanted my huoban to receive the attention he needed.
“One more hand, Baron. Just one more hand,” he gasped. I can only hope this ‘one more hand’ works out better for him than the last time he requested such an additional game. His previous insistence upon playing ‘one more hand’ ended up with me taking all the coins on the table.
The dice rolled, tiles clicked and flew. Winds, Dragons, Flowers. All arranged and disarranged in front of us until finally the familiar call.
“Mahjong!” The Marquis had a concealed hand we were curious to see. As he displayed his tiles one-by-one, it became clear that he had a Pung of One Dots, one each of the Two through Eight Dots and a Pung of Nine Dots, a special limit hand known as ‘The Gates of Heaven.’ This allowed him to claim all the coins in play. He could barely laugh with greed as he collected his winnings.
“Thank you gentlemen,” I said. “I think it is time I take the Marquis to Chongqing.”
The others backed away and walked down the path. I could hear them grumbling as they trotted off.
“Huoban,” Lao Peng You coughed, “I do not feel very well at all. Please let us proceed.”
Zhong Shi and I prepared the cart. I could not take my mind off the precarious-looking Wushan Bridge we needed to cross to get to Chongqing. As long as my companions were with me, I hoped I would be able to draw up the nerve necessary for the journey ahead.
Once we were all onboard, I started the oxen back toward the bridge landing.
⊚
I stopped the cart at the precipice. Before us loomed a walkway of rope and bamboo at least one full li above the raging Yangtze River below. The wooden slats strung together vaguely resembled the version of ‘The Classic of The Way’ given to me in a recent dream. In a previous dream, Shen Lung mentioned I would see this bridge again, and, of course, he was correct.
“Let us go!” commanded Lao Peng You from the back of the cart.
My heart pounded mightily within my chest. I looked at Zhong Shi, and he looked back at me. Neither of us seemed very confident about what we must now do to help our companion.
“Huoban,” I started, “I do not believe the bridge is wide enough for the oxcart.”
“Of course it is not wide enough for an oxcart, you stupid egg.”
There was no need for insults. I had done everything possible to get my huoban to this point, including disobeying the Blue Dragon. If he persisted in this discourteous behavior, I would consider dumping him out of the cart and heading back to the mountain with Zhong Shi.
“You leave the cart here and we walk across the span.” He began to lift his distended body so that he could descend to the ground. Unfortunately, he had expanded to such a size that he was no longer able to accomplish that by himself. The silk tunic ripped at the buttons, exposing his swelling and ashen flesh. “Tian Mei! You must assist me.”
The young man looked at me with widened eyes, as if to ask for guidance. I had none and merely shrugged my shoulders.
“Get over here now!” the Marquis yelled, “Do not make me beat you yet again!”
Zhong Shi swiftly stepped into the back of the cart and helped lower Lao Peng You to the ground. The sight of the willowy youth attempting to bear the weight of a bloated Immortal made for a comical scene. A gentle breeze began to grace us with its slightly-salty river scent.
My huoban started toward the bridge by himself, one foot slowly placed in front of the other, determined to get to the other side no matter what. His tattered tunic fluttered in the air like garish banners. Due to his increase in size, he looked like a one-man parade. Zhong Shi and I stayed in the cart, immobilized with dread.
The Marquis glanced back at us, “Come on you two scared bunnies! Do not be silly little turtles.”
We both looked at the bridge with considerable trepidation. I have no idea what Zhong Shi might have been thinking, but I was fairly certain I was not going to cross that rickety path of certain death. Even an Immortal should be allowed to have a legitimate concern for his own life, unfounded as that concern might be.
“Look,” Lao Peng You shouted, “I shall demonstrate to you there is nothing to fear. This bridge is as sturdy as… well, as an ox!” He attempted to hit the anchor post with his hand to demonstrate its strength, but his own weakness made him look absurd because the downward movement of his arm was so slow. “Watch,” he commanded as he stepped out onto the bamboo slats held up by thin ropes.
Cun by cun he advanced toward the opposite bank. The bridge swayed slightly, but showed no signs of imminent collapse.
“See, I told you it was safe,” he smiled back at us as much as his pudgy face would allow.
The breeze increased a bit, making the span oscillate back and forth, more than I would be comfortable with. I crossed my arms and remained resolute.
“Ass fairies! Ass fairies! You two are useless, old turtle eggs.” He turned away and began his slow crossing again.
A distinct ‘snap!’ drew our attention to the rope holding the walkway. The Marquis turned back to look at the source of the startling noise. “Uh oh…”
As we watched in amazement, Lao Peng You began to increase in size noticeably before our eyes. His arms and legs gradually inflated, his head puffed out, his belly expanded. The flesh of his face wrinkled and withered, while his hair turned white and then fell out.
It was as if his advanced age had caught up with him all at once, and his unremitting overindulgent eating caused his body to balloon up to a humongous size. His eyes, barely showing behind his inflated cheeks, registered surprise like I had never seen before.
“What… is… ?” he managed to squeak out before the next loud ‘crack!’ from the bridge.
Zhong Shi and I sat together in the cart, holding hands for mutual support. As we watched, the ropes gave way and the bamboo slats flew chaotically in every direction. Lao Peng You’s overblown bulk whipped around with the flaying ropes as he held on tightly. Up, down, up, down and around. Finally, as if propelled by a blast of fire medicine, his heft was thrown high into the air, exploding overhead into ten thousand little pieces. He had carried his coin purse with him, and a shower of gold, silver and copper shimmered in the early morning sunbeams, imitating the fireworks he had enjoyed so much. The Marquis did relish a ‘dramatic finish,’ and he got just that.
⊚
“Thank goodness that is over,” said a distinctively baritone voice.
I turned to the person sitting next to me, the only one within sight. My eyes opened as far they could possibly go. “Did you say something, Zhong Shi?”
“Yes,” responded the mellifluous voice, “I said, ‘Thank goodness that is over.’” He smiled playfully back at me.
“You mean you could speak this entire time?” He nodded. “Why did you tell the Marquis you were mute?”
“I never told him anything of the sort.” The voice was golden and mesmerizing. “Because I never spoke, he merely assumed my muteness.”
“Now that I hear your voice, I don’t ever want to stop hearing it. The sound is like honey to the ear.”
He blushed slightly. “Thank you, Master Hao.” He glanced down. “However, I shall only be talking in your presence alone.”
“Why is that? You speak so beautifully.”
Zhong Shi closed the flowery silk robes with his soft, tiny hands “Because most pretty little ladies do not have big men’s voices.”
Now I understood. In order to perpetuate the masquerade of being a young woman, he had to refrain from giving his gender away by remaining silent.
“Shall we return to the mountain?” I asked.
He nodded in curt agreement.
⊚
As we drove along, I felt compelled to inquire as to what we had just witnessed. “Zhong Shi, do have any idea what might have happened to Lao Peng You that would cause such a display?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “Once you bestowed the gift of immortality upon me, my seed no longer provided the nourishment he needed to maintain his longevity. In addition, I made sure that I was the only man he received it from. The Marquis was totally unaware that I had become an Immortal.”
I looked at him with renewed appreciation. “You mean to say you intentionally caused the end of his life?”
His eyes focused on the road ahead. “It was not my idea alone. Shen Lung suggested this strategy. He knew I was upset with the way my master had treated me.”
“It pained me to see how Lao Peng You abused and frequently harmed you. Every moment I wanted to do something to help, but it was not my place to intervene.”
“Well-reasoned, Master Hao.” He glanced in my direction.
“Please, call me Hao Lan. I am not your master. You are a free man… or woman, as you choose.”
“Thank you, my eternal friend. I could no longer stand his treatment of me either. As Tian Mei, the servant girl, I was obliged to submit to his self-centered will and overly-authoritarian discipline. However, as Zhong Shi the Immortal, I felt unable to continue in this way.”
“No, of course not,” I agreed. “And you shall not be my servant either. As far as I am concerned, we are equals in every way.”
“If that is your choice, but I would gladly serve you through the rest of eternity, Hao Lan.”
His speaking my name sent shivers throughout my body. “I believe the Blue Dragon will surely instruct us on how to conduct ourselves.”
“Certainly,” he smiled, “but we shall continue the pretense of me being a young woman, yes?”
It was in my best interest to have a female companion, and this might have been as close as I was ever going to get. “Perhaps it is time for the young woman to become a lady. I believe that it might be advantageous for both of us, yes?”
His smile lit up the rest of his adorable face. I feel quite blessed.
“Yes, if that is what you would like. However, we would not want to disobey Shen Lung,” he cautioned.
“No, indeed not,” I responded. “Look what happened to Lao Peng You.”
“I believe he got what he deserved. Even the Yi Jing suggested this outcome.”
I raised my eyebrows in amazement. “And do you think that is what would happen to us should we stop taking the seed?”
“I would imagine so,” he replied.
“But it was so dramatic!” I exclaimed. “I think I would prefer to go out quietly with the murmur of the shadows.”
He grinned at me. “It might have very well happened that way, but to ensure the success of this plan, I put bits of crushed tea leaves into the Moon Cakes, just to make sure.”
We looked at each other and laughed out loud.
⊚
That night we stopped by the side of the road and pulled the cart into a circle of trees for concealment and protection. We talked and cuddled, finally enjoying the pleasure of spending an entire night together without fear of having the Marquis discover us. If I had to spend the next few hundred years alive, at least I have found someone I wish to spend that time with. Zhong Shi was as close to a perfect mate as I would ever find. Falling asleep in his doll-like arms was as near to Heaven as I ever hoped to get while still alive.
I stand on the black mountain again. Closer to the top, farther from the abyss below.
“Very well done, my servant.” The Blue Dragon floats into view. “You have completed my assigned tasks, for now.”
“Yes, my Lord, as you have instructed me.” I bow. “I take it Lao Peng You was the Immortal who was to be replaced by Zhong Shi.”
“You are correct, Little One. Lao received his reward for disobedience. You received your reward for right action.”
“My reward, O Great One?”
“Zhong Shi is your reward, my little servant. I knew what you wanted and provided it for you.”
“Thank you, my Lord. Zhong Shi is a wonderful companion. I look forward to spending many years together.”
“Many years you shall have. However, one suggestion, if you do not mind.” He snorts gently.
“And what is that, Shen Lung?”
“Do not allow him to learn Mahjong!”
We both laugh heartily.
“Hao Lan,” he says, “look around you. Tell me what you see.”
Perhaps I have an aversion to heights, especially after the episode at the bridge. I press against the side of the mountain for balance. “I see clouds, trees, a mountain.”
“Look down,” he commands.
“I would prefer not to, my Lord.”
“It is safe. I would not have you harmed in any way.” He sounds somewhat comforting.
Far below I can see a river and a meadow. Bamboo frames held familiar silk banners.
“Hao Lan, that is where you began your journey. Now you are near the top of the climb. Keep in mind that you may never reach the apex of the mountain, but you have also traveled quite far from where you started.”
That certainly is true. If I did not have such a fear of looking down, I would have been able to compare the distances much better.
“You have performed very well, and your assistance has been most valuable. Now you shall return to Changshou Shan and learn the rest of ‘The Classic of The Way.’”
“Yes, my master. Do you wish to have Zhong Shi learn it as well?”
“That is a good question, Little One,” he smiles, “however, his expertise is with the Yi Jing. The two of you can provide guidance to those who request it. Your wisdom and his insight shall be most helpful to people who seek it. Just remember that not everyone is prepared to receive the message at the time you wish to share it.”
“Of course, my Lord.”
“And now I shall bid you farewell.”
“Farewell? Am I never to see you again?” That would be a great loss for me, as Shen Lung has provided much in the way of support and instruction.
“Do not worry, my servant. I shall appear to you from time to time as I need your assistance. For now, enjoy your lives, share your learning, and be generous to those around you.”
“Indeed I shall, O Great One. Thank you.”
He turns, flaps his wings a bit harder and begins to fly away.
“Oh,” he cranes his head back toward me, “Hao Lan.”
“Yes, master?”
“Do not complain so much!” And he flies off into the clouds.
Back at Changshou Shan, Zhong Shi moved his few belongings into the suite with me. I hardly played Mahjong after that. Only when old Fa Sha requested my presence would I return to the table. Oddly enough, Fa Sha kept his one remaining eye on the game and never asked what happened to Lao Peng You.
I continued my study of ‘The Classic of The Way’ and Zhong Shi studied the Yi Jing. Occasionally we would take the sedan I purchased out into the country for a day or two. Usually Daniao accompanied us and prepared our meals, as well as provided us with his seed.
⊚
Those around us continued to age, and eventually we had to move away from Changshou Shan, sad as it was to leave that oasis on the mountain. Zhong Shi and I traveled, searching for another spot to settle down, but no such place called to us. Once enough time had passed, we returned to the resort where we had first met. No one knew who we were by then. Fortunately, my old suite was available and we lived there until, once again, we had outlived our new set of friends.