As Jax and Yu Yu walked back to the monks’ dormitory, they heard a strange scuffling and scrabbling sound from behind them.
‘Quick, Jax, hide.’ Yu Yu yanked his sleeve and dragged him behind the large iron cauldron filled with burning incense sticks.
Through the grey smoke, something that looked like an animal on all fours scratched around in the dirt.
No, wait.
A breath of wind lifted the smoke, clearing the air for a moment, and Jax saw Buzzy, down on his hands and knees, grabbing at something in the dirt. It was large and brown and shiny. A cockroach!
Jax watched in disgust as Buzzy stuffed the wriggling insect into his mouth then chewed noisily, spitting out legs and wing bits. When he finished, he grinned and looked around, his yellow eyes glinting like a demon’s.
‘What have I done?’ Jax whispered, horrified.
‘Let’s just think how we’re going to get him out of here,’ Yu Yu replied. Then without warning, she jumped out from behind the cauldron waving her arms in the air yelling, ‘Wei! Huli, huli! Foxy, foxy over here!’
The fox spirit spun around at the sound, then lowered his head and growled, glaring menacingly at her.
‘Lai ba! Come on!’ Yu Yu called.
‘No, Yu Yu!’ Jax whispered as loudly as he dared. ‘What are you doing?
But Yu Yu didn’t stop to answer him. She dashed across the courtyard and up onto the stone fence, beckoning the fox spirit to follow. Jax watched in horror as the creature, in the form of Buzzy, stood up and chased after her. Yu Yu reached the gates and tried lifting the heavy wooden beam, but the fox spirit was upon her. She struggled desperately, but the animal was too powerful and knocked her to the ground.
Jax cowered behind the cauldron, watching helplessly. He wanted to go to Yu Yu’s aid, but his legs trembled with fear. Where had all his training gone? He couldn’t have forgotten it so soon. Jax felt weak and empty. It was as if his insides were being sucked out by this creature. Then all the old memories came flooding back on a huge wave of emotion – the death of Ruby, stealing the gold necklace, Ma and Ba and Mai, all his insecurities – making him weaker and weaker.
Suddenly Jax realised what was happening to him. The fox spirit had tapped into the old Jax, making him forget the boy he had become since arriving at Whispering Cloud Monastery – a boy that was now wise and strong and fearless.
Fight, Jax, fight! he silently screamed. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind as the Abbot had taught him to. Don’t hold onto these emotions. Let them go. Let them float away…
An intense battle began inside Jax – his new self, fighting against his old. He had to take control, not let the fox spirit weaken him by using his old self against him. Every time he looked at the fox spirit in Buzzy’s form, his old self would dominate and the creature would be winning. Then, when he looked across to the gingko tree where he had trained so hard, the new Jax would be on top. It was a bitter battle. His head throbbed and the creature mark on his palm was on fire.
Then suddenly the Abbot’s wise words seemed to be all around him. ‘Let the old self go, Mingzi, release it and let it float away… Don’t hold onto things that have passed…’
And at that moment, it was as if a window had opened up in his mind. Jax watched as his old self floated away, growing smaller and smaller… until it was gone.
Jax could now feel every muscle in his body come alive, alert and ready to obey him. As quick and graceful as a panther, he picked up his staff and charged at the fox spirit, ramming the end hard into the creature’s back. But the staff was like a brittle toothpick, it first buckled then snapped easily in two. The fox spirit let go of Yu Yu and wheeled around, glaring at Jax.
He smiled. ‘Give up, Mingzi. Ni bu shi wo de dui shou. You are too weak to fight me.’
‘What do you want?’ Jax shouted, suddenly shocked to hear the Chinese words coming from Buzzy’s mouth. But this is not Buzzy, he had to remind himself. This is not Buzzy.
‘I want you,’ the fox spirit laughed.
Jax stared at the creature, seeing the greed in his eyes.
‘If I gain power over a Peng Master, then the great beast will be under my control,’ he said, scowling menacingly.
Jax knew he was in grave danger, but so were Yu Yu, the Abbot and the other monks. He had to get the fox spirit out of the monastery.
In Buzzy’s form, the fox spirit was more powerful and more agile than Jax, but there were some things that Jax could do now that not even Buzzy could do. Jax could see in the dark as if it was day. He could leap high in the air, use qing gong to climb walls, and move silently as if he was walking on a cushion of air. And he knew his way around the temple grounds, even if he was blindfolded. Using these skills, he would get ahead of the fox spirit, then maybe, just maybe, he might have a chance of opening the gates and luring him to the outside.
Jax turned and ran towards the main building, then up the stairs. He heard a yelp of triumph as the animal chased him. But suddenly Jax swerved and headed down the side, where it was dark and overgrown with thick bamboo. Like a lizard, he jumped onto the side of the building, then climbed the wall up onto the roof. As he peered over the edge, he saw the fox spirit just below him, confused, his nose in the air sniffing for a scent.
While the animal was still searching the bamboo, Jax crept over the roof of the main hall and leapt onto the outer wall, a bat shadow against the night sky. With silent feet, he ran along the tiles until he came to the gates. Dropping silently to the ground, he landed beside Yu Yu.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
She nodded, brushing the dust off her clothes and rubbing her arm.
‘Stay here and be ready to shut the gates as soon as the fox spirit is outside,’ he whispered.
‘What are you going to do?’ Yu Yu asked.
‘Don’t worry. Just do as I say.’ Jax lifted the wooden beam and opened the gates without making a sound. Then he shouted at the fox spirit as he backed out into the park.
The creature stiffened and spun around to face Jax. He snorted angrily then charged across the courtyard towards him. White flecks of foam sprayed from the animal’s mouth and his eyes looked as though they were on fire.
As soon as the fox spirit was through the gates, Jax shouted, ‘Now, Yu Yu!’
Yu Yu slammed the gates shut and Jax heard the beam drop into place. The monastery was safe.
Jax and the fox spirit circled one another warily. Jax knew that he couldn’t defeat the creature. Not yet, anyway. Not when this beast could draw power from the gold he had stored in his den.
‘You are a clever one,’ the fox spirit snarled. ‘But you are just a human being and human beings are weak. The old one has not taught you enough to be a match for me.’
The fox spirit stood up tall, towering over Jax. Even though he was in Buzzy’s form, he was much bigger than the real Buzzy. His hand darted out to grab Jax’s throat but before he could take hold, Jax leapt away over the beast’s head. By the time the fox spirit had spun around, Jax was already up on the monastery wall and down the other side.
Jax and Yu Yu pressed their ears against the wooden gates waiting to see what the fox spirit would do next. A few seconds later they heard an angry cry, then a growling mutter that disappeared into the distance. They relaxed and the tension in the air dissipated.
‘Duibuqi, I’m sorry, Yu Yu,’ said Jax, sitting down to rest on the stone wall.
Yu Yu shrugged then asked, ‘What did he want?’
‘He wants to control Peng and he thinks he can do it through me.’
‘How?’ Yu Yu sounded alarmed.
‘I don’t know. Did you feel how strong he was though? He must have a huge stash of gold in his den.’
‘Then we have to find him before he gets any stronger.’
‘What do you mean “we”?’ said Jax. ‘It’s my problem, not yours.’
‘No. You’re not doing anything alone any more. You’re my best friend now and I’m going to protect you.’
‘It will be dangerous,’ said Jax.
‘I know. That’s what we’ve been training for, isn’t it?’ Yu Yu brought her feet up onto the wall and sat hugging her knees to her chest. She gazed out across the courtyard, deep in thought.
In that moment, Jax realised that Yu Yu was like the other side of his being. How could he ever leave her behind? But one day, at the coming of the silver wind, the Abbot would say that his temple training was over, and it was time for him to go into the outside world again. Now he wished that day would never come.