Chapter 9

In The Shining Jewel market place…

Po strolled through the open market street, eyeing the number of stands and merchants selling fancy and otherwise gaudy pieces of jewelry, though he did spy a few that would look good on Tigress. Maybe I should get something for her before we head home. He passed by a number of stands, yet heard nothing regarding the string of bandit attacks. It seemed as though the people had no clue about it.

Turning down another corner, Po came upon a section of the city set aside for farmers, and to his confusion it appeared no one was around. Looking over his shoulder he could see that the villagers went out of their way to avoid this street, some even tilted their faces back in a rude manner.

Confused by their action, Po went back down the street, calmly approaching the first merchant speaking in a friendly tone, "Hello there."

The merchant—a stout pig—jerked at the sound of Po's voice and fell from his stool. "Don't do that! You nearly scared me half to death!"

"Whoa easy there," Po said holding up his hands in a calming gesture, "I didn't mean to startle you, I only wanted to talk."

The pig pressed a hand against his chest, took several deep breaths and finally sat back upon his stool and said, "I take it you're not from around here. What are you some kind of farmer or cook?"

Po chuckled, quickly tilting his hat down to hide his face. "Yeah something like that," he said eyeing the many different fruits and vegetables spread out across the stand. "Say why is no one shopping here," he paused to pick up an apple and took a quick bight, "this apple taste wonderful."

"Once again," the pig said in a mocking tone, rolling his eyes, "you're clearly not from around here. Haven't you noticed all those stands selling sparkling gemstones and tacky perform?"

"Yes," Po muttered eyeing the open market street, "but what does that—"

"It's because they're nothing but a bunch jerks!" the pig snapped cutting Po off. "Just look at them, strolling past like they don't even know I'm here," he paused to thrust a hand out toward the coward shouting, "that's right I see you out there!"

Po took on a confused expression. Clearly this person was a little off his rocker. Releasing a deep grunt, Po turned back to the pig and said, "Uh not to change the subject or anything, but I was wondering, have you heard anything about bandit raids around here?"

"Uh…what?" The pig muttered, appearing to be in a daze but then shook his head and said, "oh yeah sorry, it's just when I think about those uptight no good over price," he paused to release a growl, "anyway, you mention something about some bandits?"

"Yes," Po said in a harsh tone.

"Well there have been some rumors flying about raids that have taken place up in the mountain path."

"What about here in the village?" Po asked.

"Nope," the pig answered quickly, "say what you will about Yumao, but he has some of the best guards in all of China."

"Then what are the bandits stealing?"

The pig looked rather puzzled for a moment, stroking his hairy chin. "Well they seem real interested in minerals in our mines, mainly sulfur and charcoal."

Po's confusion grew as he turned away from the stand. "Why would they waste so much time and effort to steal something so worthless?"

"Hey there big fellow."

"What is it now," Po said turning back face the pig.

"You're going to pay for that apple."

Po rolled his eyes though chuckled as he pulled out a gold coin tossing it over his shoulder. "Keep the change."

Po made his way back to Yumao's mansion, his mind pondering what could be so important about a pair of minerals that would be worth stealing for. So consumed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the ram until he was right on top of him, the ensuing collision caused them to stumble about the ground and for Po's hat to slip off revealing his face to a crowd of shocked merchants and villagers.

"What the," the guard said sitting up, "watch where you're going, you, you…PANDA!"

"Oops."

Getting back up, Po made a mad dash from the market place, flipping over a number of stands causing several villagers to jump back screaming in freight. Moving quickly, Po turned down a nearby alleyway where he slipped into a dark corner. There he waited till the sounds of chasing guards died down and faded into the distance. Once then, Po shifted his position to bring his back up against the wall and slapped his forehead. "How could I have been so stupid? Now how am I going to get out of here without being spotted? And what's going to happen when Yumao finds out?"

Po's moment of doubt was broken when he heard a door open and quickly shifted into a fighting stance, though lowered his arms as he realized it was the pig from the discarded market area.

"Quick panda over here," the pig whispered, "the guards could be back at any moment."

Po was somewhat hesitant at first, there was no way to tell if this pig could be trusted, but it was better than being captured by Yumao's guard, so after taking a deep breath, Po dashed across the alleyway and slipped the pig just as he closed the door.

"That was close," the pig said as he peered through a narrow gap in the door, "just want did you do to get them guards so riled up?"

Po released a solemn sigh. "Sadly just being a panda seems to be enough for some people," he said in a low voice, the then turned to face the pig with a stunned expression, "say now, why did you help me back then?"

The pig turned around to face him, looking rather embarrassed as he brought his hands behind his back. "Well you were the first person who ever wanted to talk to me about what I had to offer, and you seem like a nice enough fellow, so I can't imagine there being any need to for those guards to chase you."

"Thank you," Po said with a sly smile, "that means a lot." He then sat down as they heard the sounds of rushing footsteps from the other side of the wall. "But getting out of here is going more difficult now that everyone knows I'm a panda."

"Perhaps not," the pig said, coming to stand before a set of barrels, "here, give me a hand with these."

Po moved to shift the barrels aside to reveal a hidden door. "Where will this lead?" Po asked in a calm voice.

"It'll lead to the farmers' quarters," the pig said, "even the guards don't enter there."

Po thought about for a moment. From there it would be easy to slip out of this place and head back to the Valley of Peace. But he then realized he had Crane to worry about and what about their mission? He was still nowhere close to finding out who was behind the raids. Glancing over his shoulder he eyed the pig and said, "I have two more questions for you."

"Yeah?"

"When I get to the farmer's quarters can I get to mountains?"

"Yes," the pig muttered, "there's a path leading to north, it'll take you right there. Though I have to warn you, those bandits will tear you apart, you be better off running for the gate."

A bold smile formed on Po's face. "Don't worry I can take care of myself."

"Your funeral," the pig said, "and what else do you want?"

"Can you get word to a friend of mine by the name Crane," a strange sensation came over him as he referred to Crane as a friend. It had been a long time sense he thought an avian could be his friend, and sadly it did not ended well. Shaking his head, Po went to say, "the last time I saw him he was speaking with the village chef."

"Oh that can be a real problem. Those upper crust types don't like us entering their area."

"Please it's important," Po said, "and don't worry, Crane will be the last avian to ever turn his beak up on you."

"Alright, what do you want me to tell your friend?"

"Just tell Crane that I've head up the mountain to deal with the bandits, and if he wants in on the fun he better catch up." And with that, Po opened the door and rushed off.