A Different Lesson

by nievelion

The very day after his defeat by the Dragon Warrior, a battered and injured Tai Lung is taken in by Master Shifu. Several of the Five, most notably Tigress, think he is out of his mind, while Po has faith in his enemy. Can a father undo his past mistakes?

38. Chapter 38: The Tale of Heian Chao

(Had to split the chapter yet again; I should have known Chao's backstory would take a lot longer to tell. So I guess this puts us to forty-three chapters for the fic? We shall see...)

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Kneeling still upon the hard wooden planks of the gallows that would have been the site of his death…or else his irrevocable and tortuous descent into madness and pure darkness once again…if not for all those who had rallied about to defend him, Tai Lung slowly let out a long, deep sigh and struggled valiantly not to dissolve into sobs of relief. Finally…finally the ordeal he'd been going through was over, and the constant terror, distress, worry, and desperation he'd been afflicted with since the previous night were no longer his companions.

He'd thought it would never end, and as each hour passed and his circumstances only worsened—as Chao's influence over the entire village only grew to a tighter stranglehold, as none of those who spoke up for him were able to pierce the veil of hatred and suspicion, and as it seemed more and more certain he would soon be executed for a crime he had not committed—the snow leopard had come that close to giving up, and giving in, to letting the constantly whispering voice of Heian Chao seduce him.

Never mind the irony that at the moments when his guilt was strongest he did believe he deserved to die, but for his rampage and not Zhuang's death. The simple fact was, seeing everyone turn against him, fearing he had driven Shifu away with his escape attempt, not knowing where Po and Tigress were…so that it seemed he'd been abandoned by those closest to him…and knowing everyone believed him capable of killing an innocent man who had never harmed him, one who was his friend, solely because he'd killed so many innocents twenty years ago… It had almost broken him.

When it had seemed the end was nigh, that all of Shifu and Mei Ling's words had fallen on deaf ears, when even Tigress had been unable to save him after she'd finally appeared, Tai Lung had been set to tear free of his bonds and make a run for it. His fury and hate, his fear and panic, it had all overwhelmed him until not even the opium could sedate him anymore, and all he could think was to get away, to live, to escape the people of the Valley, Heian Chao, everything that tormented and haunted him.

Would he have gone on another rampage, if he'd had to? Would he have slaughtered the villagers again, even his father, Mei Ling…Tigress? No, no surely not! But…he could not be sure, even now. He liked to think he would have retained some control, that while the treatment he'd received made him determined to flee, never look back, forget about the Jade Palace and everything he'd hoped to accomplish there, he would not have become a murderer again in the process. Yet an ugly part of him feared that he'd been that close to taking that fatal step…while he hoped he'd never have another chance to find out, he would also never know.

What he did know was, Chao had of course been pushing him to take that awful plunge, and if he had, he would have fallen prey to the wizard's evil. He would have been a complete monster again…and even worse, he would likely have been Chao's puppet, his soul consumed and destroyed, his body only a possessed shell for the wicked mage to inhabit while he carried out his insane, fiendish plans. All because he had started to believe the mad chi-master, that no one believed in him or would stand by him, that he was once again all alone and unloved…and if any did care, they would be helpless to do anything for him. He had been a fool, his faith had faltered when it should have remained strong in his father and his lover, his new friends…even in what old Oogway had promised him.

It was all enough to make him want to bury his face in his paws and cry as he hadn't since cubhood. It made him so very grateful for those who had saved him…made him pray to the gods and offer more effusive and genuine thanks than he ever had in his life.

Looking up from his rather dark thoughts, Tai Lung acted on instinct—when he saw that Crane still stood nearby, quietly conversing with Shifu and Viper, he lunged forward with both spotted arms outstretched. The avian only had time for a quick and startled cry, abruptly cut off as the snow leopard caught him up in the tightest hug he could give without crushing the poor bird. And as he did so, he whispered brokenly in Crane's ear.

"Thank you…thank the gods for you, Crane. I don't think you have any idear what you saved me from…saved all of us from."

"You're…you're welcome, Tai Lung," the avian replied, sounding rather strangled.

"I promise you…I am your friend for life, now. If there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, just name it." And he meant it—Crane had saved him twice now, had earned his friendship and loyalty forever, and he was determined to let the bird know this. When Tai Lung accrued a debt, he repaid it in full.

Crane chuckled weakly, even as he tried to pull away. "Um…er…you could start by letting me breathe…"

From nearby, laughter filled the air as both Mei Ling and Viper overheard this exchange, and Tai Lung had to let go of the bird rather quickly, flushing in embarrassment and rubbing at the back of his neck. "Er…yes. Sorry about that…don't know my own strength sometimes, you know…"

The snow leopard was about to turn to Tigress and express his gratitude to her as well when he was forced to stare with his jaw hanging open—for as soon as Crane was free of his embrace, Mei Ling took that opportunity to sweep him up instead and solidly plant a kiss on the side of the waterfowl's beak. By the time she decided he'd properly submitted and had earned some air, Viper was grinning, Tigress was smiling a small, slow, but quite satisfied smile, and a number of bystanders in the crowd cheered.

As he got to his feet and staggered over to the others, Tai Lung smirked at the blushing Crane. "About bloody time, I say!"

Crane blinked, and if his slumped shoulders were any indication he wished he could sink away into the earth. "Did everyone know but me?"

More laughter, and nods all around the circle—even Shifu looked mildly amused. Putting his arm around Tigress's waist and holding her close, the snow leopard winked with exaggerated care. Suddenly, although he didn't know why, he felt extraordinarily good—relaxed, calm, even euphoric. "Even I could see it, and believe me, that's saying something."

Of course he wasn't going to mention it was Viper who'd brought it to his attention—it was too much fun needling his new friend, and no one needed to know he'd been so caught up in romancing Tigress he might not have noticed if Po had started dressing up in a cheongsam.

Oh gods…why did I have to go there? Someone kill me now, please…or at least murder my imagination.

Both to drive such thoughts from his head, and because he was as grateful for her appearance and that she'd stood up for him as he was for Crane, Tai Lung turned then and immediately kissed Tigress…even more passionately, lovingly, and lustfully than before. For a long moment, he heard nothing but his own pulse pounding in his ears, and then the intertwined purrs of himself and his feline mate. Then, gradually, he became aware of a sound behind him…what sounded like—distant thunder?

Managing to tear himself away from Tigress, he turned—and saw, to his surprise, that a large number of villagers were standing and watching him. And while the majority of them still seemed shocked and horrified by what they had said and done, or at least uncomfortable seeing the former scourge of the Valley and the leader of the Furious Four puckering up, a fair number were openly smiling and actually applauding. There was even the occasional cheer or a hat whirled around in celebratory fashion in the air here and there. Well, what do you know…

Glancing at the Jade Palace contingent, he was not surprised, on the other paw, to see Mei Ling whooping at the top of her lungs, Viper whistling between her fangs, and even Shifu gazing with all the serenity of an ancient patriarch while he clapped politely.

When all the hubbub had died down, Mei Ling was the first to speak. "Whoa, nice one, big guy! Looks like I'm going to be the one getting pointers from you now, eh?" She nudged Crane's shoulder, which only made the waterfowl blush even deeper.

Even as the snow leopard was on the verge of buffing his knuckles on his creamy white chest fur and making some clever, knowing remark, the sound of a staff on the cobblestones accompanied a clearing throat, and Tai Lung couldn't help cringing a little as he glanced at the approaching Ning Guo. The goat stopped at the bottom of the gibbet steps, peering up at him in mingled exasperation and amusement. "Goodness gracious! If you're going to be doing much more of that, sonny, I'm going to have to give you a monthly discount at my shop!"

As everyone else was laughing, even (and most especially, to his chagrin) Tigress, the snow leopard rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yes, er, about that. I'm afraid I'm going to be needing…a bit more of your herbs. Can't very well use what got spilled on a dirty kitchen floor…but I don't have any more money on me…"

"Are you saying my friend Ping doesn't maintain a clean kitchen?" Ning retorted, but then he chuckled and grinned, spreading his hooves in a magnanimous gesture. "Not to worry, young man. Consider it a gift, it's not your fault the first batch got spoiled. Let me just get back to my stock, and I'll catch up with you and give you a replacement pouch by the time you get back to the palace."

Suiting actions to words, the apothecary turned and shuffled off through the streets with his typical spry gait and an almost jaunty tapping of his walking stick. Tai Lung watched him go with amazement, confusion, and a slight bit of awe. He'd never met anyone like the fellow…never believed someone like him could live in the Valley. How many others like him might there be, never encountered, dismissed from his mind because they'd been simple peasants and farmers rather than kung fu warriors?

He didn't know…but now, at last, he might get to find out. Now, with the truth he was not a killer finally lodged in their minds, with everyone coming out of a fog of manipulation and hate they couldn't help but realize had been induced and forced upon them by some unknown, malevolent spirit, with so many standing by him and giving testimonials on his behalf—with all of this, the Valley of Peace might finally be willing to forgive him. And just as importantly, he could finally forgive himself.

Feeling more pleased with and proud of himself than he remembered being in a very long time, the snow leopard turned back to face out across the square. Most of the people were slowly but surely dispersing, milling about uncertainly and shooting him deeply-ashamed glances before departing with quiet sobriety to head home or go back to their daily chores. The guards, looking both disappointed and puzzled, were helping some of the older members of the community safely away, and Fu Xiao, he saw with some satisfaction, was literally still on his knees, begging forgiveness from Shifu and saying he didn't know what came over him. That has a very familiar ring to it. Viper was chatting merrily with Crane and Mei Ling, and Xiulan…

He paused, exchanging a long, sober look with Tigress. Somehow it did not matter how close he had come to death or madness, to falling under the sway of evil, or that this woman had been at the heart of it. In the end, she had been as much a victim as anyone else, if not more so…she had lost so much, been through such tragedy, and if he thought about it the right way, it was all his fault. He had certainly killed Dishi, and it was because of the bitterness and hate this engendered in her that she'd been such a prime target for Chao. Even Zhuang's death probably would not have happened if he hadn't befriended Tai Lung.

Everything Xiulan had suffered could either be laid at his door, or was due to circumstances she'd brought on herself in her desire for revenge. There was a lesson there…but he was no one to judge her, not by any means. She certainly didn't deserve to lose everything just because of her ill-informed beliefs about him…and now little Yi had no father. For that matter, Wei Chang had lost his sight and his son for very similar reasons. Heian Chao, in attempting to obtain Tai Lung's service, had inadvertently taught the feline's detractors a lesson…but so terrible, so twisted, and so immoral that he could not condone it. In a weird, sick way, he had done Tai Lung a favor—but the ex-convict could not be happy for or appreciate it. In fact, he was left to pick up the pieces and do damage control…

That decided him. After one last firm glance at Tigress, he crossed over to where the cow woman still knelt on the planks, softly sobbing while she clutched the piece of Zhuang's ru to her chest as if it were the only thing she had left to connect her to her husband, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. When he approached, she looked up—and while the expected anger was in her dark eyes, there was also something that had never been there before: regret, sorrow, and self-loathing.

"I know you didn't do this," she choked out bitterly. "But don't expect me to forgive, or to forget. My life is over now, and while you might not have caused it…you damn well didn't help, either."

Tai Lung gazed down at her, then impulsively went down on one knee beside her. Unsurprisingly, she cringed back, but he didn't move toward her, only staring at her sympathetically. "It isn't over," he said softly, choosing to ignore what could not be denied, what could never be changed. "You still have Yi. She loves you and needs you. If there's one thing I've learned since Po defeated me, it's that there is a damn well lot to live for besides vengeance. Love. Hope. Friendship. Making a difference. And family. Above everything else, family. I've got one now…you still have one too."

He paused. "And while I know this is a hell of a lot to ask, I'd be happy to help you with Yi, anytime you like. Zhuang was my friend—helping look after his daughter is the least I can do after all that's happened. I don't expect you to say yes. I understand…you have every right to hate me. More and more lately, I've been hating myself. But…if you need it, the offer's there."

Xiulan looked up at him, a riot of conflicting emotions on her face—skepticism, disbelief, wonder, fury, resentment, but at the last, understanding and acceptance. "I'm sorry." Her voice was soft, still with an undertone of viciousness, but also extremely tired…and somewhat lost. "I was so willing…to believe the worst of you. I can't forgive you, not yet. I don't even know if I ever can. But I had forgotten something, something very important. Something my husband kept trying to tell me…but I refused to hear."

"What's that?" the snow leopard said gently, even as he felt, oddly, as if he were on the opposite side of one of his usual conversations with Oogway, with himself in the old master's role.

"That for all you've done, how much you've hurt the Valley, and me…you're still a person." The seamstress sighed and looked away. "One who can think and feel…who has a heart, and makes mistakes, and tries to make up for them. If what everyone who spoke today said is true, you have changed, or are trying to. I…should not be making that harder for you. If I don't want what happened twenty years ago to happen again, I should be helping you, or at least not standing in your way." She paused, then looked back with a firm directness and ferocity that, as always, startled him. "The one who made me believe you did it…who clouded my mind. He's real? This dark, amorphous evil…he's not just some figment of Shifu's imagination?"

Tai Lung shook his head, growling softly. "I'm afraid not. I haven't yet set eyes on him, which is why he's still counted among the living, but I've…felt his presence. He's quite real. He's the one who made Vachir commit all those murders. He's out to corrupt me…and to destroy and control us all." Just thinking about it made him crack his knuckles and long to rip Chao to shreds with his bare paws and claws.

She shook her head, some of her fiery nature returning as she glared in the direction of the palace and the peach tree. "I can't believe it…" For a moment he thought she was still denying the truth, until he realized she was only commenting on the sheer impossibility of the situation. "How could this be happening? How could Oogway have allowed this? Why didn't he stop this Chao while he was still alive?"

That was a very good question, and one he intended to ask the turtle the next time he spoke to his ghost. But before he could try and come up with a diplomatic answer, Xiulan looked back at him and narrowed her eyes. "Never mind. Just tell me this: the ones who took my Zhuang from me, and framed you for their crime…they were the Wu Sisters? And they were also the ones who tried to kill the Dragon Warrior?"

Uncertain where she was going with this, he only nodded.

Xiulan scowled, roughly wiped away her tears, and gave him an even fiercer, blazing glare. "Then I want you to get them for me, find them wherever they're hiding and kill them. Avenge Zhuang, make them pay…give me the vengeance I want."

Instantly he knew the right thing to say: reaching out to gently rest a paw on her shoulder, he shook his head slightly. "No, I'll do better than that. I'll get you justice."

She paused, silent, for a long time, but then slowly, firmly, she nodded and managed a real, if tight, smile. "Yes. Do that." She flicked her eyes to Tigress, who had wisely stayed silent all this time—or perhaps she was simply exhausted. "I am…sorry for the things I said to you, Master Tigress. To all of you. I…didn't mean them."

Tigress furrowed her brows, looking uncomfortable but also determined. "Yes you did, Mrs. Shen. I have experience with Heian Chao myself, though I didn't realize it at the time. And while it's true he made me say things to Master Shifu, as well as to Tai Lung, that I didn't want to and wasn't ready to say, they were still things I felt and believed. He just…encouraged me to be more loose with my tongue, you might say." She glanced at the snow leopard, then back to Xiulan. "That doesn't mean we don't forgive you, though. Beliefs can be mistaken, feelings can be wrong. As long as you realize that, things will get better."

Apparently not trusting herself to speak, the seamstress only lowered her gaze and twisted her hands around the swatch of Zhuang's shirt in her lap. Then, sighing, she rose to her feet, tucked the piece of fabric into her belt, and moved toward the steps. There she stopped and looked back, clearly debating with herself before speaking. Her words were slow and halting, but nonetheless clear and strong.

"Perhaps…I was wrong. If you can stop the Wu Sisters, if they can be punished so Zhuang can rest, then perhaps I can believe you really are a good man who will not bring us harm again. As for what you asked…yes, once this is over…you can see Yi. She's been asking for you…and she'll need…all the love and support I can give her now. Not more rules and limitations." Nearly on the verge of tears again, Xiulan nevertheless kept her back stiff and proud, her head held high as she turned and descended the steps, disappearing into the crowd.

Tai Lung watched her go with an odd sense of approval—she was handling this with as much dignity and forthrightness as possible under the circumstances and giving him an extremely lenient benefit of the doubt compared to her previous behavior. But more than this, she was a brave and strong-willed woman and a good mother. He knew she would do right by Yi even without a man to support her…and he would do all he could to help her with that. He'd spend the rest of his life making it up to Xiulan, giving back to her after all he had taken away…

"Come on," Tigress suddenly said at his side, slipping her arm into his. "Let's go home, get everyone's injuries looked at. Especially yours."

No one tried to stop them—all those who weren't still shell-shocked and trying to recover from the number Chao had pulled on them had been unequivocally convinced of his innocence, not just by Master Ning's testimony and the evidence Crane had brought but by Xiulan's acceptance of it. And after what everyone had become under Chao's influence, the things they had said and done, the manner in which they had behaved—no better, in some ways, than how Tai Lung had behaved under the same power—to condemn him now would be incredibly hypocritical. So in due time, the five masters accompanied him up the slopes of the Jade Mountain toward the palace that was indeed his home again—Tigress carrying Viper once more, Crane and Shifu speaking softly (for all he knew, about the appropriateness of two different species, or an avian and a feline in particular, openly becoming an item), and Mei Ling supporting Tai Lung on his injured side.

It was slow going thanks to the mostly untended arrow wound and the awful bruises and swellings his beatings had given him. But it was also because of the sedation of opium that still lingered in his system and seemed to be gaining strength again after the fading of his adrenaline surge. As a result, it was past sundown and heading into twilight before they finally passed through the tournament arena and were climbing the last set of steps, and the effects of the drug were making his vision fuzzy…and his thoughts more than a little loopy.

By the time the snow leopard had not only apologized at least five times for threatening Shifu's life in his cell in order to escape—never mind he hadn't meant it and the red panda knew it—but also taken to calling him 'Baba' and trying to hug his father repeatedly with a decidedly goofy grin on his face, everyone was both rather concerned and also amused.

However, when Tai Lung started begging Viper to ribbon-dance for him so he could learn how, observed Crane needed to get some meat on his 'skinny little legs', and told Shifu in all seriousness that his queue was a 'goofy little braid' that he'd always wanted to cut right off, everyone agreed the feline needed to be detoxified as soon as possible…and somewhere inside his fogged, unfocused brain, Tai Lung himself was absolutely mortified by his behavior.

Just as they reached the last few steps before the palace terrace, Tai Lung finally started demanding to know what had happened while he was in prison—why Ping hadn't come to his defense when he really needed the silly bird for more than noodle soup that was to die for, where Tigress had been so long and why she'd felt a need to run away when he'd needed her by his side, too, and how both she and Viper had gotten injured.

And so, reluctantly—he supposed because they were afraid he'd try to go racing off again and get himself in even more trouble—Shifu explained about the note he and Crane had found, and Tigress related the story Po had told in the bunkhouse the night before, the message from Chun regarding the goose's kidnapping, and the decision to head off to Wu Dan to rescue him and take care of the sisters once and for all.

Shifu seemed almost as furious and disbelieving as Tai Lung would have been if he'd been in the right state of mind—at the Sisters for perpetrating such a dastardly plot, at Chao for daring to think he could remove the Dragon Warrior from the picture, and at Tigress for supporting Po in his foolhardy, life-threatening choice to face the snow leopardesses again instead of staying in the Valley where they'd been badly needed.

And to be fair, the snow leopard was indeed angry—at an innocent and harmless villager and one so dear to Po being caught up in this siege, and at Tigress for putting herself in mortal peril again…when she had promised the panda she would do no such thing, and when he hadn't been there to aid and protect her. Of course, Po coming to her in the middle of the night could be considered tacit permission, even a request to go face danger, and this time she hadn't run off all by herself, but still... Somehow, though, the spotted feline couldn't get up the gumption to reprimand her or wax eloquent on the Wu Sisters' vile, repulsive nature, nor even launch into a diatribe against the Dragon Warrior for being far too impulsive and temperamental—like his teacher, he realized guiltily—when he wasn't ready yet.

Instead, he could only lean on Mei Ling and Tigress, one arm around each set of feminine shoulders, and proclaim in a loud, rude, and slightly slurred voice, "Where's my buddy then, eh? If that's why he wasn't there to help prove me innocent…where's Po now? I demand to see a fat, black-and-white, fuzzy panda, right this instant, or so help me there'll be hell to pay!"

As if on cue, the sound of huffing, puffing breath came from behind them on the stairs. Tai Lung twisted around—wished he hadn't, as the motion stretched his bandaged side painfully—and looked down the slope. There, just heaving into view, was the muscular but still mostly pudgy form of the Dragon Warrior, accompanied by the tiny goose Ping looking haggard, worried, and rather ill at ease, as if he'd heard or said something that had made him sick to his stomach. Or perhaps he was simply food-deprived after being taken from his restaurant before dinner was finished.

Po, though also looking tired, slightly distraught, and emotionally wrung-out, was strangest because of his appearance—as in, the fact he was literally draped in limp, nearly unconscious snow leopardesses as if they were a new form of fashion statement worn by the ladies in the Imperial Palace.

When he reached the stone porch where the others waited, the panda stopped, gasping for breath and rather looking as if he wished his arms weren't full so he could bend over and lean on his knees—or perhaps collapse on the ground. He took one look at Tai Lung, at his bandaged and bleeding side, dirty and disheveled clothing, sweaty and unkempt fur, and glazed, unfocused eyes.

The snow leopard in turn flicked his gaze over the bloody slashes across Po's chest, stomach, and arms, his badly bruised side, the mud caked in his fur, and what looked like a black eye (ironically enough) forming in the white fur around his already black-ringed eye. Then, at the same time, they both blurted out:

"What happened to you?"

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A bustle of activity overtook the Jade Palace after that, as there was so much more to deal with than they'd expected. On the one hand, all those injured in the fight with the Wu Sisters needed to be treated and looked after, as did the beaten, battered snow leopard who both had an arrow wound to tend before it became infected and a hallucinogenic drug to get out of his system. Then there was the Wu Sisters themselves, who had to be placed somewhere secure until something more permanent could be done with them; since it had done so well for both Tai Lung and Monkey, Shifu saw no reason not to put them in yet another storeroom beneath the temple.

Lastly, aside from sharing stories and learning what had transpired both on Wu Dan and in the village, both Mei Ling and Tigress (for different reasons but with equal fervency) were determined to interrogate the assassins to learn all they could from them—about Heian Chao, what he could do, where he could be found, how he could be defeated.

Yet Shifu already knew that even if the snow leopardesses would give such information, and could be trusted to do so truthfully (neither a sure option), there was a much more likely way to learn all they needed to know. Master Oogway had been the one to first speak of the chi wizard to Tai Lung…and something in what his son had told him of that conversation suggested the turtle had personal knowledge of the mage.

Even if that were wishful thinking, the fact he knew so much implied there might be records of Chao's existence, that his story might be hidden somewhere in the vast stores of scrolls here at the palace. In fact, now that matters were calmer and he could think about something besides saving Tai Lung, the red panda was positive he had read of Chao, or someone with his abilities, somewhere before…

So he had taken the opportunity, while the others were preoccupied with locking the Sisters up and gathering supplies and herbs for medical treatment, to slip away and head to the scroll room. It was not just that he feared another attack by their enemy—although he did. Any sane person would. He had not allowed himself to give in to his fear during the trial, it had not been the time to panic with his son's life and freedom on the line; now that Tai Lung was safe, for the moment, and the Valley was freed of Chao's influence—again, for the time being—he could afford to shut down and give in to his terror and helplessness.

Except that was not Shifu's way. Always proactive, forthright, and determined—Fine, I'm a stubborn old bastard, I admit it! Happy now?—he had always taken the direct route, the clear path, and plowed his way through any and all obstacles with a tenacity, strength, and decisiveness which seemed far too powerful and staggering for one of his small frame. Oogway had never been able to wean him of these habits, and while a case could be made that this had contributed to his mistakes with Tai Lung and Tigress, just now such traits were not only admirable, they just might be the key to ending Heian Chao's threat forever.

No matter how comforting it might be to relax, to accept at face value the fact they had won a major victory today, he knew now was not the time to quit. No matter how smug Shifu had been after hearing that scream of rage and frustration, so obviously made by Heian Chao, he very much feared that matters would only get worse. He didn't know how they possibly could…but after losing Vachir, losing the Wu Sisters, and now losing this last desperate gambit against Tai Lung, he suspected whatever Chao did next, it would be something truly horrific on a grand scale.

The only way to stop it was to learn Chao's weaknesses and exploit them—to go on the offensive, take the fight to him, and eliminate him while he was still smarting from his defeat, still recovering from the cleansing of the Sacred Pool. It was unexpected, it was something the wizard could never predict—and it fit precisely with Shifu's usual method of operation. He was not one to hide and cower, nor to crouch down behind a defensive bulwark and wait for the army to come to him. He much preferred to flush the enemy out, find him where he lived, attack him with every bit of force, passion, and righteousness he could muster. If it killed him, at least he would go down fighting rather than caught napping in his bed.

He was tired of sparring with shadows, both literally and figuratively. He was tired of being confused, frightened, and stymied. He was simply tired of not doing anything. That was why he was determined to find answers. To put an end to this whole siege at last. To prevent Chao from making another insane attempt to rule their lives and bring the empire down. And most of all, to make him pay for what he had done.

The litany of Chao's crimes was long and familiar to all of them, but this most recent one seemed the worst to Shifu. To kill an innocent man who had been one of the most generous, caring people the panda had ever met, aside from Po…frame Tai Lung for his murder…manipulate the townspeople into turning on him and believing these lies…and come that close to taking away his son again, after he'd finally gotten him back, finally brought out the goodness and nobility that he'd known were in the snow leopard's heart.

It wasn't just the twisted cruelty, appalling wickedness, or awful danger of this plot that upset Shifu. It was true that if Chao had succeeded, Tai Lung would have become an even worse monster than before and, if anyone in the Valley had survived his second rampage at all, they might never have recovered from it. But the fact this had been directed at his only son…that now that they finally understood each other, had reconnected, were enjoying a better and more loving relationship than they had since his cubhood, the wizard dared to shatter this for his own selfish ends—it made Shifu see red. Now it was personal—and if he had to tear apart the whole damned scroll room, and then the Imperial Palace for good measure, he would find out how to kill Chao.

And he hoped it would be as painful, tortuous, and agonizing as possible. The Dragon Warrior had to have a pure heart and soul, and if he killed at all it would have to be in self-defense and without malice. Shifu had no such strictures. It was why he hadn't been given the scroll—and right now, he didn't care. He didn't need it, or anything else…he would kill Chao with his bare hands if he had to.

Unfortunately, learning anything at all about the wizard, let alone how to defeat him, proved to be far more difficult than he'd anticipated. It wasn't that the scroll room was that disorganized—in one of the few ways in which Oogway had not been scatterbrained and vague, he had always insisted that the codification of knowledge be approached methodically, extensively, and carefully, and while some of his choices in arranging the texts had been a bit…whimsical, in the end everything did follow a system and could always be found where the records said it was. Shifu had been quite strict about this with Tai Lung as he'd studied the thousand scrolls of kung fu, maintained the practice with the Five, and enforced it with a vengeance when the clumsy, chaotic Po began training in earnest.

No, the problem was that Shifu had no idea where to start looking for information, since he hadn't the faintest clue in what capacity he might have read of Chao before. Could it have been analyses of old military campaigns? Treatises on mythology that described all the denizens of Di Yu? Legends of famous kung fu masters, past and present? This last seemed especially frustrating to the panda, since he had been sure the chi wizard must have been renowned as a warrior and master of kung fu at some time in the past, perhaps had even trained as a student in one of the academies…or the Jade Palace…and so his name would be on the rosters, somewhere.

He didn't know if he was simply looking in the wrong places, or if the tale had not been set to ink and parchment—or had, but then was later destroyed as Chao's evil grew in strength and horror, rather like Tai Lung's heroic deeds were after he committed his rampage. But whatever the reason, no matter how long and hard he searched, he continually came up empty-handed.

After an hour or two of increasingly frantic pawing through the records, during which the setting of the sun and the descent of the scroll room into darkness did not at all deter him—for he simply lit the lamps and continued searching—Shifu finally flopped down on a stool in defeat. Tired and sweaty, he wiped his brow with the back of his hand, ran it over his face, and stared dully at the towering wooden shelves, the piles of rolled-up parchment and silk surrounding him and spilling down from their cubbyholes, and the cracks in the stone wall with equal resentment.

"Damn it!" Striking the floor with Oogway's staff, he let out a groan of defeat and slumped forward, resting his forehead on the stick's wooden knob and closing his eyes briefly. "I know it's here…how do I keep missing it? Where am I not looking?"

From somewhere beside and behind him, a throat cleared suggestively, and then a lilting, somnolent voice spoke up, gently instructive. "I do believe what you're looking for is there, my friend." A stubby-clawed hand pointed at a scroll not far from the panda's elbow, one more ancient and crumbling than any other in the room.

"Oh, thank you, Master Oogway," Shifu said absently as he snatched up the scroll in question so he could eagerly peruse its contents. "What would I ever do without—" He broke off as the true magnitude of what he had seen and heard sank in, and even the possibility of finding out the full story about Heian Chao wasn't a strong enough lure to keep his eyes on the parchment. Wrenching his head up, he whirled about to gaze in shock and wonder, as well as more than a little consternation. "Master Oogway?"

Indeed, there was the old turtle looking just as he had in life, though hovering a few inches off the floor and giving off a saintly, violet-pink light—in fact his image seemed to be formed completely from floating peach blossom petals, including the hand he'd used to indicate the scroll, how could he have missed that? Shifu didn't know which surprised him more—Oogway's appearance, the fact he was here at all, or that he had come now rather than sooner. This last also couldn't help but make him more than a little miffed.

"Yes," his master replied, his soft and soothingly gentle voice so very familiar it almost brought tears to Shifu's eyes, even as it somehow made everything oddly reassuring, as if just knowing Oogway was still around and still watching over him made everything all right. "I am here, old friend. As I have always been, waiting for just the right moment."

Narrowing his eyes flatly, the panda didn't see a better opportunity than this. "And what moment was that? If you were here all along, and could have shown up at any time, why didn't you? What were you waiting for? Where were you when all those people were dying, when Vachir almost killed us all, when the Wu Sisters did kill Zhuang, when Tai Lung was almost executed?"

By the time he'd finished his barrage of demanding questions, even though he'd fought against it, he had risen to his feet again and his voice had risen to a distinct, angry shout. It wasn't that he believed there was anything the dead could do to help the living, it was the simple fact of knowing Oogway had been watching all along and helpless to prevent events from coming to pass. It made him as frustrated and furious as Chao's continued elusiveness did.

The turtle didn't react badly, raise his voice, or show any emotion at all save for a vague disappointment and sorrow—not just with his old student, Shifu sensed, but with himself. But then he never had allowed himself displays of temper and passion while alive, why should that change now? In fact just the idea of Oogway becoming angry, since the Grand Master had always had such self-control, was rather frightening to contemplate. Far better that he retain his calm and poise…

"What I was waiting for, Shifu, was for the pall of shadow to be lifted, for the dark chi that had been growing in strength and power ever since Tai Lung's escape to at last be rent asunder and thus allow me the chance to slip through the cracks."

"What…? I don't—"

"I had great power in life, my student, and just as much in death, but I am not omnipotent." Oogway paused, and a surprising note of satisfaction entered his voice. "No more than Chao is…his skill with chi is such that I could only influence things in small ways…placing my essence within my staff on the night of the full moon, when light was at its strongest and the feminine Yin of night outweighed the aggression and passion of masculine Yang—in Tai Lung but also in others.

"It was this that let me shield Tai Lung somewhat from Chao, and in turn influence the chi of those he came in contact with. But I could do no more than this, I was shut out and left as a mere observer…until Vachir was freed by your son's mercy, until Monkey was himself again, and especially until Po cleansed the Pool of Sacred Tears. While Chao is not yet defeated, and will in fact never relent, never end his quest for domination, his power has now been broken. Enough, at least, for me to come to you now…while I have the chance, while he rages and flails about in futility, once more alone and with none to support him…"

Shifu let out a long, shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding—not only expelling his anger since Oogway's explanation did in fact make a clear amount of sense, but also shuddering with the understanding the turtle had given him. To think that only the snow leopard's personal oath to repair Oogway's staff had made it possible for the Grand Master to aid them…and that it was through both of their chi that the Jade Palace had not been consumed by the darkness and they'd won the victories they had…

It was highly ironic that the very one who had caused so much harm to the Valley, upon whom Heian Chao was fixated, and for whose sake so much evil and suffering had come about, was also the one who had repeatedly saved them. Ironic, but somehow fitting. Yet all could still be for naught, he could still fall under the wizard's sway, or they could simply be overwhelmed by Chao's power, if something was not done. And unless he missed his guess, the reason Oogway had come to him now was to make sure none of that happened—to give them something to work with, some key to find, confront, and destroy the mage.

Glancing down at the scroll to which his master had directed him, the panda squared his shoulders and then looked the lambent, shimmering shade right in the eye as best he could. "And what is it you have come to tell me, Master? Anything you have to say will be helpful at this point, and I will always be guided by you. But I get the feeling you have some personal stake in this. Is there…something I should know?"

Oogway sighed like the wind in the mountain pines, then gestured to the parchment. "Yes…many things. To begin with, Heian Chao is a name he chose for himself, not his given name—not completely. When I first knew him, long ago, he was known, as he was since birth…as Xun Chao. From a distinguished, noble lineage: a great line of warriors, monks, and servants of the Emperor, protectors of Tibet as well as the lowlands. I believed in him, had such high hopes for him, felt him capable of greatness and honor as his name implied…as you did with Tai Lung. The first of many parallels between their lives, I am afraid—some occurring by chance, and others deliberately induced." He paused. "If you examine that, much will be made clear."

Slowly and cautiously, uncertain what he would see as well as careful not to damage the fragile material, Shifu unrolled the scroll and peered down at its exposed surface. It took him several moments, even in the light of both lamps and spiritual sending, to decipher what was written there, since the ink had faded to near illegibility and blended in with the parchment. Eventually, however, he recognized the handwriting as Oogway's—unsurprising—and that it seemed to be a list of names. A roll call?

The first hanzi characters were those for Xun Chao…but it was the ones which followed the mage's old name that startled, then troubled Shifu. Gou Cheng. You Li and You Min. Ochir. Jin Hu. Hou Kuan, Hou Xiong, and Hou Sudu.

Looking up with astonishment, disbelief, and confusion, the panda at last found his voice. "But…these are your students, Master. The first class of the Jade Palace—the oldest, the most legendary. Master Dog…Masters Twin Weasels…Master Flying Rhino…Master Iron Ox…and the Three Lions, who fought with the Sword of Heroes their blacksmith brother forged from their weapons."

Oogway looked sadder, more despondent, depressed, and regretful, than he had ever seen him—and considering how aged and wrinkled the old turtle was, so that the lines of his face formed such an expression naturally, that was saying something. "That would be because Xun Chao was also one of them. My brightest and best student. And just as Tai Lung failed you, Chao failed me…only far worse, and his fall into evil was far more terrible and complete."

Stunned into silence, Shifu felt his legs give out from under him; luckily, the stool was still behind him to catch him.

Jaw hanging open, mouth working soundlessly, and eye twitching, the panda could only listen as the aged reptile's ghost floated serenely to his side and began to speak again…quiet, resigned, even despairing, as if he were referring to someone long dead who was lost forever. "He was a good man once, of course. Even when we receive bad karma from a previous life, no one is born evil. Absolutely brilliant mind, a keen strategist and tactician. A fair hand at artistry too, not that it matters now." Oogway's enormous eyes looked even more mournful. "Intelligent, clever, sophisticated, a voracious reader, and a perfect grasp of mythology and philosophy. Not to mention, the best master of Eagle Claw I've ever trained."

He paused at Shifu's surprised look. "Oh yes, he studied kung fu as well. It was how he began my instruction, as most who came to the Jade Palace to learn did. He did not believe in such crude, brute force, but he put up with it because I had promised him the greatest and most powerful of mystical secrets, if he would properly discipline his mind and heart to prepare for it. So I taught him the more finessed and nuanced form of Eagle Claw, which satisfied him…for a while."

"He wanted power, then?" Shifu finally found his voice. "More than was safe, more than you were willing to teach him? Why?"

Something dark and troubled passed over the turtle's face; he almost swore the petals forming him became spotted with shadows, as if blighted and soon to shrivel into dead, blackened husks. "Would you believe it was because he was convinced he needed it to save the empire?"

"What?" The panda didn't know whether to be contemptuous and mocking, or to have a tiny glimmer of sympathy for his enemy…since once upon a time, all he had wished was to defend China, and he knew Tai Lung had as well.

Oogway glanced away, a deep pain gleaming in his spectral eyes. "Yes. How true it is that the road to one's own damnation is often paved with good intentions! Xun Chao had always been a model student—a perfect example of logic, calm, and self-control, so much so that his Yin always outweighed his Yang. Imbalance in a soul, especially a warrior's, is always cause for concern, but because of which side of him was stronger, I believed him not only safe, but eminently suitable as a role model and defender of the empire. I was wrong."

Shifu frowned and shifted a little on the stool; this was beginning to sound more and more familiar all the time. "I don't understand. How…?"

"You must understand, this was long ago, in the decades after I first settled here in the Valley," the turtle said urgently, as if anxious to place everything in perspective—though for whose sake, his own or Chao's, wasn't clear. "The empire was much more dangerous and wild back then. The borders constantly shifted, the last dynasty had ended in a veritable bloodbath, the barbarian hordes were at the gates, and the new emperor…well, let us say that he was not a paragon of virtue and peace. To be fair, there was no way he could be; the people needed a warrior to lead and protect them, not a poet or a pacifist. But in order to be strong, he had to be ruthless. Even to those he ruled."

At Shifu's raised eyebrow, Oogway waved a hand. "Do not ask me for specifics, it has little to do with my tale and my time here is short. But you can be certain that enforced conscription into the Imperial Army, and the appropriation of massive stores of food for his soldiers, were among the most civilized of the emperor's actions. What made this all worse was, it could all be justified by the dangers which beset China…and the emperor, for all his faults, was not a usurper like some both you and I can name. He had come to the throne legitimately, descended from one of the noble houses which had served the previous dynasty before it fell. So…as much as it rankled me to do so, I could not intervene.

"Xun Chao…did not approve of this. He believed something should be done to protect the rights of the people, to prevent the atrocities which occurred daily when anyone dared to denounce the emperor or refused to obey his callous commands, to put an end to the famine and suffering which accompanied the thievery of crops and the division of families from their menfolk. At the same time, he still knew the empire itself must be preserved from anarchy. He asked me for permission to begin studying the most advanced scrolls I had collected in my travels. As I said, I had promised him, when he first came to the Jade Palace, that I would train him in the deepest and most powerful of mystic arts, since he showed an astonishing aptitude for them. Even more so than Tai Lung did for kung fu…"

He shook his head, as if even now he could not help being amazed by the talents of his first student. "Chao could sense almost instantly what was wrong with a person's chi, how to cure it of spiritual ills, and could even employ it to heal injuries and diseases which no physician could ever hope to. If he had not…become what he did, he would have been the greatest healer in the empire. Perhaps the world." Now Shifu knew there were tears in the aged turtle's eyes.

"I told him no…I told him he was not ready, and that in any event, the power involved was too great, too subversive, too corrupting. But he did not believe me, he did not listen…the one flaw he possessed, at least which I would allow myself to see, was that he was far too arrogant. He believed his way to be right, and in fact the only way, and nothing could dissuade him from his course once his mind was set. He believed I was holding him back on purpose, that I did not trust him or believe him strong enough to handle this power, that I was denying him greatness and the chance to save China…to make it as he was certain it should be…because I believed myself superior to him, because I wished to be the savior of the empire in his place.

"He did not bother with the Dragon Scroll—which he had not only witnessed me writing but helped me to create, infusing it with the chi that would enable the warrior who read it, and truly understood its meaning, to achieve impossible and miraculous feats of kung fu simply because he had the will and heart and belief for it." As Shifu sat up straight and held out a hand in dismay, letting out a strangled cry—after everything he and Po had been through together, after they had both learned to understand the secret of the scroll and what a true kung fu warrior could do without mystical enhancement, after Tai Lung had also been disabused of the notion and learned to seek something different, there truly was a power in it?—Oogway cut him off with another gentle wave.

"Do not trouble yourself, Shifu. Once the chi became one with the parchment, it could no longer be controlled or influenced by Chao. And now that it is one with Po, he is also beyond Chao's power to manipulate." If he knew he had misunderstood the reason for Shifu's concern, the turtle showed no sign of it, although the panda had to admit to relief over what he had revealed—that particular ramification hadn't even occurred to him. "In any event…no, my pupil instead studied other scrolls, more ancient and complex and mysterious still, until at last he found what he sought, or so he believed. The secret to ultimate power. The key to bringing down the emperor, and enforcing his own will on the Imperial City so as to protect and guide the people to what he was certain would be beneficial ends."

"What went wrong?" Shifu said quietly. "Did he read the wrong scrolls? Misunderstand, or mistranslate, them?"

Oogway shook his head. "No, he was correct. But in his zeal and pride, he forgot the most basic lesson, which applies to kung fu, to chi, and to life itself: the lesson of the Yin-Yang. Always there are two sides to everything, a light and a dark, a good and an evil. What is more unfortunate and often leads to ruin is that the two can look alike…what one believes is moral, and right, and proper, is in fact quite the opposite. In reading these scrolls, Chao unlocked great strength within him indeed. But he also unlocked something else…a knowledge, and a hunger, for power. It became insatiable, possessing him utterly.

"He could not stop; he had to have more, to know all, he would not rest until he knew everything there was to know. He would not eat, he would not sleep. He became a gaunt wraith haunting the palace, a shadow even before he was one in truth. But nothing could deter him, he was adamant that his will was supreme, that he would control what he had unleashed and use it for the betterment of the people. It was a noble aspiration…but wrong, and soon tainted by lust, cynicism, contempt, and malice. The more he learned, the more he believed himself intrinsically better than any other creature because only he understood all. Any who got in his way became first irritants, then outright enemies—or rivals who, in his madness, he believed were attempting to wrest the power from him.

"He feared losing it; he hated them for wanting it, for not aiding him, for not joining his righteous cause against the emperor, for simply being too weak and peaceful to do what needed to be done. Blinded by his arrogance, he was positive that anything and everything was both possible and permissible, if it would give him what he craved—more power, and the ability to fulfill his personal oath and make his 'dream of peace' come true. He could not see that the only peace he would bring was that of the grave—or perhaps he did see, and believed this preferable to the suffering and pain and loss that we all must deal with in life…"

The turtle fell silent, lost in his morose thoughts, for so many minutes after that that Shifu had believed his story finished. So after a few more moments, the panda cleared his throat and leaned forward on his stool. "That is terrible. Truly a tragic story." He tried to keep the stilted sarcasm out of his tone, and didn't think he'd succeeded; on the one hand, who Chao had once been and what had happened to him was a sad tale, a definite testament to the road not taken if ever there was one.

And he had to admit that he saw far too much of himself, and of Tai Lung, in the Eagle Claw master, something which both deeply disturbed him and awoke some further measure of sympathy, even as it also explained a great deal. He already knew what the snow leopard was capable of in the name of his own sense of duty and fair play; what might Shifu himself have become, if he had let himself be consumed with correcting wrongs, changing the status quo, enforcing his will on the empire?

On the other hand, none of this changed what Chao had done, to the Valley, to Tai Lung, and to Shifu personally. None of it changed the fact the wizard still had to be stopped and eliminated. And if what Oogway said was true, the subversion of Xun Chao by the ancient scrolls he read meant that the good, well-intentioned, but misguided man he had once been was now long gone, as dead and turned to dust as his body would be (perhaps, actually was?) if he had not used chi, presumably, to unnaturally extend his lifespan. So Shifu had no cause to feel sorry for his enemy—if anything, only for the man who had been lost, not the thing which now dwelled within his crumbling shell and believed it still had a right to the name.

But that reminded him of another point. "I still don't understand how he became what he did, though. Or how he could even still be alive. He would have lived nearly a thousand years ago. How is this possible? Was he another turtle, like you?" For a moment he actually managed a tiny smile.

For a moment he thought some invisible line had been crossed, since Oogway still remained unnervingly silent. But then at last, the shade spoke…his tone slightly chiding but also gentle, regretful even as it was determined. "No, he was not. And you are quite correct…by all rights, he should have died long ago. But he would not let himself, his mastery of chi has prevented his true death…as for what he became, and how…if you will follow me, I will show you, Shifu."

Something in those words seemed ominous and chilling, yet Shifu would not miss this for the world; he had to truly know his enemy, and what he was capable of, before he could track him down and face him. So, suiting actions to words, the panda rose from his seat and followed Oogway—for he also had to admit to some curiosity as to just where the spirit intended to take him. He hoped it was nowhere near the dormitory, he'd rather not have to explain what was going on to the other kung fu masters—and interrupting the turtle at this juncture was probably not wise.

He needn't have worried; after leading him silently from the scroll room and down the passages of the palace, the swirling petals of the sage's otherworldly form only floated into the Sacred Hall of Warriors before halting, coming to a stop beside a pillar so that both of them had an unobstructed view down the room's vast length to the shimmering surface of the Moon Pool. There, Oogway turned and looked intently at Shifu before, with a tiny shudder and a poignant sigh he closed his eyes, raised his face heavenward, and extended both hands out in divine supplication.

Even as Shifu was wondering if crossing over to the other side had unhinged Oogway completely, he began to notice—gradually at first, then with increasingly clarity—that the entire hallway was taking on a subtle, fuzzy, wavering cast…as if it were shifting out of focus, or becoming suffused by a holy light. In fact the hue of everything began to change, an odd greenish cast being lent to the moonlight, the normally crimson fires of the torches and braziers becoming viridian, almost as if the jade used to decorate the hall were now reflected in everything.

Within this hazy illumination, as if through a rain-spattered window onto the past, the panda could see equally ephemeral figures swimming into view, gathered all around the Moon Pool. Children, at least a score of them it seemed, ranging in age from three or four all the way up to nine or ten, both male and female, of varying species. He thought he saw a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed fox; several mountain cats like Mei Ling; a couple of wolves; an equine and a goat; and of course, the usual contingent of geese, rabbits, and pigs that populated the Valley.

From their manner of dress, each and every one of them was a student of kung fu, and while many were idly frolicking, playing, and otherwise cavorting in the spacious chamber, just as many were doing tai chi, practicing the forms, or meditating quite seriously. Watching them, Shifu couldn't help but be amazed and a little awed…as well as puzzled, as he had never seen so many students at the Jade Palace while he dwelled here. As he put this fact together with the reason Oogway chose to show him this vision, the panda felt his heart lurch in his chest and he took an involuntary step forward. No. No, it couldn't be! He wouldn't have…

But no matter how much he railed against it and wished it were not so, he could not change the truth of what he was seeing. Somehow, despite the darkness of night cloaking the hall, he had a sense of daytime warmly bathing the mountain outside…only to be abruptly filled with shadow by a figure that had clearly appeared in the doorway to block the sunlight. Several of the children looked up, startled, but while they seemed concerned and even worried, it seemed (as best he could judge) from distress over the expression or posture of the visitor, not his actual identity or presence.

This was confirmed when one of the older students, the fox, stiffened and adopted a recognizable kung fu stance—Viper style. "Master Xun? What is it, what's wrong? Has something bad happened?"

Slowly Shifu turned to look at the Jade Palace doorway. For a moment, all he saw was the heavy, closed portals…then, wavering into being to overlay them, a square of light, a view of the porch and the steps leading down—and standing quite still and almost unnaturally patient, the cloaked figure of the Eagle Claw master. The cloth was not black, but shades of brown and dark red, open to the floor to expose Chao's simple leather tunic, a knotted belt with what looked like a pair of Emei piercers and a claw bracer hanging from it, a Yin-Yang pendant around his neck…and his extremely slender, gray-feathered body with its clearly avian legs.

He stood no taller than Crane, in fact at least half a head shorter, and with the hood of his cloak thrown back, his proud, white-crested head was revealed. Bold, ink-dark eyes gleaming with intelligence and insight…sharply curved, incredibly vicious-looking raptor's beak…a thick neck ruff where the lighter feathers turned that deep, dark gray…and almost incongruously, the scholar's guan perched atop his head to give him an extra half-foot of height.

Even if it weren't for what Shifu knew about him, and the definite unease he felt in meeting those depthless sable eyes shining with hidden power, in seeing the twisted smirk that turned up at the corner of his beak, he would be wary and distrustful. For Heian Chao, their enemy and master of dark chi, was a smoke-hued, rather exotic and rare, Amur falcon.

The tableau held for only a few moments more, and then Chao spoke. His voice, though surprisingly rumbling and deep for a bird, was not particularly menacing or disturbing in and of itself…but the words he uttered were terrifying in their import. "Yes, something is wrong in the capital, in the very heart of the empire. But I mean to remedy that, to snuff it out…and you all shall help me do it."

Some of the children blanched and backed away upon hearing this, while others, apparently believing themselves about to embark on a grand, heroic mission with the falcon master, actually cheered and hurried forward…but Chao seemed unaffected by all of it. His expression flat and unemotional, his eyes blank and empty, he merely gestured with one wing for them to gather closer…and when they had formed a large crowd around his feet and were begging to know what was going on, what he was going to do, and how they could help, he finally looked down at them.

At last a flicker of pity seemed to light in his eyes…but it was so faint, and so offset by the unholy fervor and determined ferocity, that it seemed more upsetting rather than less. "Forgive me, children," he said softly—but he hardly sounded sorry at all. "But I have need of this…more than you do…"

And withdrawing his piercers and bracer to fit them into place on his prehensile wing tips, he at once began laying into the kung fu students…starting with the very youngest.

Shifu stared, open-mouthed in horror. After only a few moments he had to forcibly avert his gaze from the bloody carnage, but he could not shut off his ears…the whimpers and cries, screams and moans, continued to ring and echo in the Sacred Hall, and each only added to the fires of vengeance, hatred, and despair burning in the panda's heart. Worst of all were the children whose voices he could hear quite clearly—some begged for mercy while others merely cried out in confusion, asking what they had done wrong or why he was doing this and receiving no answers in reply. Some offered prayers to the gods, and at least one actually asked for Chao to be forgiven!

Trembling violently, the panda turned and whirled about to glare at Oogway. Unsurprisingly, the turtle stood watching the scene with an agony of sorrow, suffering, and loss…as well as the deepest, most abiding anger he'd ever seen from his master. "Why are you showing me this? And—and—how could he do this? You said he was a good man once…was what he read that corruptive, did it truly twist and pervert him that much? Children…" His voice broke.

"It did," Oogway said wearily, succinctly. "But it was more than this. What he discovered in the scrolls was that it was possible to unlock the greatest mystical secrets, and to augment one's chi to unlimited proportions, by killing others in cold blood, killing the innocent. Not only is this a depraved and reprehensible act that quite literally places one beyond the bounds of what we would think of as traditional morality, but it allows one with the right power and understanding the ability to absorb another's chi…to take it into oneself, and add it to one's own. Watch."

Although looking at the twisted scene of death and blood again was the last thing he wanted to do, somehow Shifu could not disobey. And when he looked back, he saw indeed that his master was right: whenever one of the little ones fell in a pool of their own life-essence, when their heart ceased to beat and their lungs were stilled, something seemed to shimmer in the air above them, a wavering and misty light barely discernible in the haze of the vision. It rose up, and Chao would intercept it, leaning forward to part his beak and inhale deeply…wing-feathers twitching and darting about in odd gestures while he closed his eyes in ecstasy.

At first he shuddered and nearly bent double whenever he partook of this spiritual substance, as if he were about to become violently ill…but then, gradually, he seemed to draw strength from it, to even receive an appalling thrill from it. Instead of bending over, he stood up straighter and taller with each infusion—literally, for he seemed to be gaining height and muscle mass at a slow but inexorable rate. And his expression became more euphoric, repugnant, and beatific as he feasted on the chi he released—to Shifu's absolute disgust, he saw that the crotch of the falcon's trousers was becoming increasingly tighter, too.

Just as the last child fell to collapse in a pitiful heap on the marble floor, and just as he was about to demand Oogway end this awful vision, another massive shadow appeared to block the light from the Jade Palace doorway. A shadow with broad shoulders, rippling muscles, and an enormous rack of horns rising above his head. "Chao! What do you think you're doing?"

For a wild moment, Shifu thought it was Shen Zhuang or perhaps one of his ancestors…but then, as the man stepped out of the blaze of sunlight into the darkened hall, it became clear he was an ox, not a bull…and then, catching sight of the tapestry on the wall (right through the shimmering figure, oddly), he recognized him at once. Jin Hu, the Iron Ox. And his heart sank right into the floor.

But the cruel events continued to play out before his eyes, as if they could not be stopped or silenced until the entirety of the true horror had been imparted to him. As he watched the memories unfold—which must have been raised somehow from the very walls of the palace, since Oogway himself was nowhere to be seen during these events—Hu stalked forward angrily, snorting billows of steaming breath as he brandished his iron fist. "Have you gone mad? The…the children! How could you…no…"

"I did it," Chao said quietly, emotionlessly, "because I must. Because there was no other way. It is the only means by which I can stop the Emperor."

"What're you talking about? Stop him from what? And I don't care what he's done, you can't justify this! You can't kill children and think you'll get away with it…" Master Iron Ox swung his gauntleted fist at the falcon…but the bird easily sidestepped him, almost seeming to shimmer in mid-air so that he passed through the bodies as well as the nearest pillar.

While Hu whirled about to face him again, Chao glared…and Shifu was beginning to see a horribly familiar red gleam taking up residence in his eyes. "You don't get it, do you, you big lummox? I have to stop him! This is what I was born to do, the reason I exist, and I'll be damned if I let you stop me. You can't deny me my destiny! And anything, anything, is justified if it brings an end to his tyranny!"

"No, it isn't," said another voice, this time from the hall leading toward the bunkhouse dormitory, and when Shifu turned he didn't know whether to cheer or groan in despair. A wrinkle-faced Shar Pei stood there, his paws tucked into the sleeves of his emerald robes, while the hilts of a pair of pu dao, the Ninja Weapons which he had been gifted for saving Lady Lotus Blossom, rose above his shoulders. Behind him, the panda saw, each of the other legendary kung fu warriors was approaching, summoned by Master Dog, the sounds of battle, or the simple sensation in the air that something was quite wrong.

Masters Twin Weasels, dressed all in black but clad in Manchurian ma gua rather like Tigress was wont to wear, save for sandals upon their feet and the Ring Blades hanging at their waists. The Three Lions, their pelts as gleaming gold and their burnished manes ranging in hue from honey to cinnamon to deep chestnut brown, looking like shi statues come to life, each larger and more muscular than the last. And finally, looming even above them, the leathery gray figure of Flying Rhino—who Shifu saw to his shock was the spitting image of Vachir, save he lacked the dragon tattoo and his horn was quite intact. That, and he seemed to have a sense of nobility and dignity the commander had never had.

They all gathered close, joining Jin Hu in surrounding and menacing Chao, their expressions ranging from the outright anguish of the Three Lions (the youngest of whom looked on the verge of tears) to the stoic Ochir and the deadly intensity of Twin Weasels. But it was Gou who continued to speak, and despite the comical sight his wrinkled fur made as he talked, and the fact he was the shortest of the great masters, he was quite serious and invited no mockery—not even from Chao.

"I don't know where you got this idea, or what you hope to accomplish, but any rationale you might have put forward…that is erased by what you've done." A menacing growl ended this statement.

"Damn right!" Flying Rhino snapped, cracking his horny, callused knuckles, his fists easily as large as cannonballs. "You really think we're gonna let you walk outta here and go after the Emperor? Or, what, that we'd join ya? You aren't the guy we knew, not anymore. Oogway was right, he warned us this might happen. I didn't wanna believe him before, but now…I don't know you, Chao. I don't know what you've been readin', but ya must've gone nuts…"

Xun Chao made a scoffing sound, then stepped toward Ochir. Everyone, even the rhino, blinked when they saw how he had grown in size and strength. "I thought no such thing. I did not want it; I do not need it. This is my task, none need aid me…and none will defy me. For the sake of our long friendship and association, I ask that you stand aside for me, let me depart in peace." He paused, and the brief note of regret in his voice turned to something harder and colder than anything Shifu had ever heard; even Tai Lung at his worst had never sounded like this. "I will not ask again."

No one moved. Outside, the wind whistled on the mountaintop, the boughs of the juniper and ginkgo trees shook and tossed, and the sun still shone brightly. But inside the temple, a deeper and greater darkness seemed to descend over everyone. Twin Weasels grasped their Ring Blades; Master Dog loosened his Ninja Weapons in their scabbards; the Three Lions each brandished their signature weapons of broadsword, halberd, and dagger, muscles bulging and rippling beneath their garments. Then at last one of the two mustelids spoke, his voice quite venomous and suggestive. "I think I speak for all of us, when I say…not a chance."

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Chao was moving—leaping to the side and twisting with a surprisingly sinuous motion as he caught the weasel by one arm in an Eagle Claw joint-lock. The same attack also jerked his arm to the side, so that the Ring Blade he'd been bringing to bear…was instead buried deeply in his brother weasel's throat, completely severing his jugular.

For a moment, everyone froze, staring in horror and shock. Then, as the weasel collapsed to his knees, clutching his throat vainly to try and keep his blood inside his body, the Three Lions each let out a thunderous, resonant roar and all of the kung fu masters turned as one to launch themselves at their former friend.

But Chao wasn't there anymore…with an odd blurring in the air, and the trailing of wispy black mist that could only be the first signs of his darkening chi, the falcon flew with astonishing speed—or perhaps simply dissipated and reformed, as Vachir had in Chorh-Gom—until he swiped with his claw bracer and stabbed with his Emeici. The former slashed across the other weasel's unprotected belly, gutting him with an agonizing scream; the latter impaled Jin Hu deeply in one eye, all the way into his skull.

After that, the battle went by swiftly—mercifully so, as far as Shifu was concerned. Not only did Chao prove what a master of kung fu he was by so neatly dodging, darting about, and evading every attack made against him, as well as lay about him with his weaponry with deadly accuracy, but he also employed his chi in all manner of unfair, cheating manners.

A blast of the shadowy substance sent Flying Rhino slamming back into the wall, pinning him there several feet off the floor; another wrapped around Hou Sudu's paw, wrenching it about and forcing him to stab his dagger right into his brother Kuan's heart; and still another seemed to surround and inhabit Xiong, making use of his righteous rage to possess him so that, in a wild and manic bloodlust, he slashed and sliced with his halberd with impunity.

He did manage to strike Chao several times in the side and leg, cutting him deeply so that the mage's blood soon soaked his robes…but more often than not, he only struck his fellow kung fu warriors instead, bringing down Sudu and Gou, cutting the hand off one of the weasels who was still struggling to fight, and driving his blade deep into Jin Hu's abdomen. With each mortal injury dealt, and as each kung fu warrior fell never to rise again, Chao seemed to grow in strength and size, towering even above Ochir, swelling until it seemed he would burst from his clothing…and so too grew the aura of darkness around him.

Even in the greenish eye of the vision, Shifu could see how it glittered and shimmered with ebony promise, gleaming like ink even as it seemed a portal into impossible depths of wickedness and evil, the entrance to a bottomless chasm…and it only grew to fill the Sacred Hall, leaching light and life from everything it touched, turning the bodies of the children into piles of pitiful, bleached bones that soon dissolved into dust, siphoning strength from the dying kung fu warriors until their muscles atrophied and they became only gaunt, shriveled husks of their former selves…

Finally, none were left save Flying Rhino, Master Dog, and Hou Xiong. As Chao allowed Ochir to fall ignominiously to the floor, only for him to scramble up again almost immediately and come rushing with a roar of blinding rage toward the falcon, he gestured with one wing. His eyes maddened by bloodlust and grief, yet still with enough cognizance to know just what was happening, what he was being made to do, the cinnamon-maned lion was jerked forward as if a puppet on strings, right into Flying Rhino's path.

Both screamed in the same instant: the curved blade of Xiong's halberd had embedded in Ochir's stomach, while the rhino's horn had similarly buried itself in the feline's chest. As both crumpled to the floor in a bloody heap, Chao stood over them, drinking in their chi and becoming still more massive and churning with corrupted power: he now stood as tall as Tai Lung and just as muscled, while the shadows surrounding him had taken on the appearance of a cloak, completely wrapping about his body as well as extending out from each wing, spreading across the floor in endless, undulating patterns of strips and streamers. His expression was exultant and mad, his beak parted to allow a lustful, amorous groan to escape his throat, his head tilted back and his wings unfurled as if to embrace the entire world.

"You won't…win." This came from Master Dog, who had managed to sit up, one paw driven into his abdomen to keep his innards in place, the other still clutching one of his pu dao to brandish in Chao's direction. "Even if…you kill us all…Oogway will stop you. Even if you do win…you'll have become no better than the emperor. You'll…you'll be nothing but a coward and a killer…"

Without warning, Chao suddenly leaped toward the canine, blocked the swing of his sword with his bracer, snatched him by the throat, and hoisted him off the floor, pinning him to the wall with one wing while the other hauled back to form a feathered fist. As it trembled visibly with his rage, he hissed darkly, "Don't you ever call me a coward…"

Gou tried to shake his head, but could not move it, so settled for twitching his ears. "Why not? You're right…the Chao I knew, he wasn't a coward, he wouldn't kill innocent people, just to gain some forbidden power, to try and take out a tyrant by becoming one himself. He certainly wouldn't kill children. I don't know what's happened to you…but Ochir was right, you aren't him."

He paused, then his voice became pleading, his expression a mute, aching appeal. "Xun Chao…this isn't you. I know you're still in there. Please, listen to me. You were never that close to the others…but I was the first student Oogway took after you. We were always like brothers. Please…fight it. Don't let this darkness consume you. It's not worth it, it isn't right. I believe in you…I believe you can come back…"

For a moment a spasm of emotion twisted Chao's beak and his whole body trembled from head to talon. Something else gleamed in his insane red eyes—despair, regret, a sense of grandeur lost and something once loved and treasured now taken forever beyond his reach. Then, even as tears appeared in his eyes, the falcon shook his head violently. "No…you don't understand. None of you ever did, or ever will. I must do this…it is the only way. You…should not have gotten in my way. I…didn't want to kill you, but you had to intervene…yes, it is your fault, not mine…"

"Chao…"

"My time has come," the wizard announced. "I will do what I set out to do, and no one will stop me. I will destroy the empire…and in so doing, I will save it. I will kill the Emperor, and take his throne. I will rule China as it is meant to be ruled…I will preserve its people, not ruin them. All they must do is bow to me and obey, and they will be granted earthly paradise. I have the wisdom and knowledge, I will do what no other could…it is meant to be."

A menacing, smug, vicious smile appeared on his face, the feathers of which were bleeding from gray to pitch-black even as Shifu watched—paralyzed, as he had been all along, longing to rush forward and intervene but knowing he could not…that this was all merely a replay of events of a thousand years ago, that it was too late and the great masters were already long dead.

"Say hello…to Guan-Yu for me…" The winged fist flashed forward with dazzling speed…Master Dog's muzzle crumpled in with a crunch of bone, its shattered remnants being driven back and embedded in his brain…the canine spasmed violently, eyes rolling back and then going vacant as Chao allowed him to slip to the floor…

And then, out of nowhere, a blast of golden light came from beyond the panda's field of vision, sending the falcon spinning and hurtling sideways to slam into the wall behind the Moon Pool. Whirling about, Shifu saw Oogway—or rather, a second image of him, this one much, much younger…and filled with fury. He held his walking stick before him, the knobby end pointed at Chao and brandished like a weapon, and it was glowing with the same golden aura as it had during Tai Lung's trial—as the light which now held Heian Chao writhing and cursing against the carved marble.

Step by step, the turtle moved down the Sacred Hall, passing the bodies which littered the floor, the bodies of his dear and beloved students, and though he did not look at them or even pause, Shifu could tell from his face how saddened and despairing the old master had become upon seeing them. His expression hardened, more severe and unforgiving than the panda had ever seen it…and then he glared up at his captive, his voice abrupt and harsh as it came out in a cold, stinging rebuke. "You disappoint me, Xun Chao. I truly thought better of you."

"Release me!" the falcon screamed—not only in fury and hate, but in real pain; the golden, life-affirming chi of his master seemed to truly, physically hurt him. In the back of his mind, Shifu began to get the glimmers of a notion, and to understand why he was being shown this. "You are a fool, Oogway! You were holding me back, you did not trust me with the power, when I am the only one who can truly use it!"

Bitter sarcasm laced the turtle's next words. "Yes, I can see how trustworthy you have proven yourself to be, Chao. You denied me, you denied everything I ever taught you, and you denied everything I and kung fu stand for. All because, in your selfishness, you believed you knew better than me…believed you could do whatever you wished, because your way was the only way. You are sadly mistaken."

"No! No! The Emperor—I have…to stop…"

"Not like this," Oogway said firmly. "Never like this. Believe me, he will be dealt with…if for no other reason than to keep others from following in your corrupt footsteps. After I have dealt with you."

Somehow, by an act of supreme will, Chao succeeded suddenly in tearing one wing free from the wall, and he gestured. "You mean after I have dealt with you!" A surge of black chi, growing in strength, force, and size, washed across the Sacred Hall toward the turtle…cresting, churning, rising up like an immense tsunami that would destroy everything in its path.

But Oogway did not falter, did not even hesitate. He merely held up one hand and spread all his fingers wide, at the same time as he brought his staff about to wield it in a vertical circle, like a shield. Instantly a disk of golden light formed before him, expanding and bursting outward above and before him—and as the wave of dark chi struck it, it was split in two, spraying harmlessly on either side while Oogway was left untouched behind his convex shelter. Shifu saw Chao's openly shocked and disbelieving look.

When the wave had dissipated, the turtle lowered both staff and shield—and if anything he looked even angrier, and more disapproving. "So brilliant, so gifted, and so insightful…and yet still you cannot see. Where did I go wrong? What did I fail to teach you?"

"Only everything in the restricted part of your library!" the falcon sneered. "And that I taught myself…" Without the staff pinning him to the wall, he was free to attack—and so he did, leaping toward Oogway. But despite looking visibly fatigued and drawn after holding back that insanely powerful chi attack, the turtle was expecting this and ready for him.

For several minutes, the two sparred with blinding speed—the bird literally leaping, twisting, flinging himself about only to spread his wings and break his fall, the reptile blocking every one of his strikes with staff or shell, even ducking his head down inside of it once or twice when a slash of Chao's claw bracer just missed him. The falcon made to catch his arm in another Eagle Claw Lian Quan, but Oogway wasn't there anymore, having leaped adroitly to the side atop his staff. The turtle struck out with one foot to snap his student's knee, but Chao somersaulted in mid-air and paused, hovering atop his streaming dark chi. He launched himself with another cry, his Emeici brought to bear for another devastating impalement—but at the last second Oogway whirled about, and the metal rods shattered against his shell.

Letting out the shriek of the sky predator he was, Chao clawed wildly at him with his bracer, tearing large chunks out of the keratin, but his master soon latched onto his arm and wrenched him about, slamming his backbone into the nearest pillar. The falcon somehow broke free of this hold, leaping in for close-quarter fighting…but after several more breathless minutes in which the two exchanged body blows, a drop-kick into the turtle's sternum, and a roundhouse that knocked Chao's head back, Oogway finally sent the bird flying back with a return kick—and before his student could retaliate, brought his staff to bear again.

Suddenly, it was over. The staff had released another wave of golden chi, and Oogway's guiding hand had shaped it into a glowing, shimmering cage of light completely surrounding Chao. In fact, streams of chi were actually connected to the wizard's limbs at wrists and ankles, as well as wrapped tightly around his body, as if he truly were manacled and chained. He struggled valiantly, violently, but could not break free.

Rage burned in his blazing crimson eyes, and every word that came from his beak was now underlain by his raptor's shriek. "No! NO! You…cannot…do this to me! I was your best student! No other could stop the Emperor! No one else can do what needs to be done…no one else will accept the sacrifices that must be made!"

"Again, you are mistaken," Oogway said, and despite his heaving chest, his voice was more doleful than out-of-breath. "I, too, make sacrifices. But never ones of such selfishness and vanity. Your pride has destroyed you, my student. Perhaps it can be broken…perhaps one day, you will see the light." His voice hardened. "Until then, my prisoner you shall be. I will sacrifice you to maintain peace and order in China. I will drain you of this dark chi, leech it from you as poison from a wound if I must…and when you are free of it, when you can see reason and realize you are not the center of all, that you have another purpose…then, we will talk." He turned away, dismissively.

"No! No! NO! You can't…you won't…I'll break free! I'll destroy you! I will make the empire mine, make it what it should be! Then you will see, then you'll be sorry you ever stood in my way! No! No…!" But Chao's voice, along with his image, was already fading out, along with the rest of the scene, leaving the Sacred Hall just as it was before, filled with the shadows of night and the shimmers of peaceful moonlight.

The last thing Shifu saw was Oogway's face as he shuffled away from the falcon…and far from confident, certain, or determined, it somehow looked centuries older already. Sagging and weighted down, not by gravity and age, but by anguish and tragedy…by sadness and pain…and as he winced and closed his eyes at Chao's hateful words being flung at his back, Shifu recognized the look on his master's face. It was the same one he had worn when Tai Lung had been taken away in his prison cart to Chorh-Gom…the look of disappointment and loathing, not for his student, but for himself…for having failed.

How long had the Grand Master been keeping this secret? Shifu wondered. How long had he concealed the loss of so many innocents, of his beloved students, of the one who had, like Tai Lung, fallen so far from light into darkness...so that none would know of his mistakes, his sufferings, the slaying of the empire's protectors by one of their own? For Shifu had not known of any of this until now—the details of how Oogway's first class had met their deaths had always been couched in vague generalities in records and legends, "cut down in the prime of life", "died as they had lived", "laid low fighting in a great battle against evil". An omission Shifu knew had to have been made at Oogway's behest...to hide the nature of what Chao had done, so that in time he might perhaps be redeemed, as centuries later he had done with the snow leopard as well; to let it seem as if Chao too must have died in this combat with darkness (which, in a weird and twisted way, was actually true), so that the memory of the good man he had once been would not be sullied. But also to hide the true magnitude of the turtle's failures.

Yet he could not be angry with his master; there was no point now, and besides, he understood—how could he bring peace and prosperity to China, establish kung fu as a means of defense and guardianship of the empire, if no one would trust him or his teachings due to this tragedy? What if Chao could, somehow, still be saved and restored to himself, the same hope Shifu had had for Tai Lung...? But no, now that he knew the full truth, the panda knew what he had to do...that his first impulse had been the correct one.

For a long time, all remained silent in the Jade Palace. Only the sound of crickets chirping and the occasional night bird could be discerned. Then, at last, Shifu spoke, soft and sober. "Where did you put him, Master? Where did you hold him? I need to know…so I can kill him."

To his surprise, Oogway did not object to this bloodthirsty and heartless pronouncement; in fact, his ghost only nodded, as if such a thing were to be expected if not wholeheartedly approved of. "Before I tell you that, and show you how to reach him, there is something you must do. It will protect you from him, as well as your son and all here in the Palace."

Shifu blinked incredulously. "What? What is it, tell me at once!"

"Take my staff," the turtle advised slowly. "As you know, a person's chi may be blocked by striking at key points within their body, preventing it from flowing. What you are not aware of is, the same may be done to a place. Chi is not limited only to sentient life, it flows and shifts within all living things, within the very earth itself…in the air, the water, and in places where people have long dwelled. Especially in places which are sacred, which have been consecrated by either familial love or the blessings of the gods. In a sense, such places too are alive.

"The Jade Palace is one of these. And if you block its chi at certain points, prevent its flow, you will also prevent Xun Chao from being able to use and harm you. He will still have command of the chi within him—and it is considerable, even now. But so long as the Jade Palace is thus bound, so too will you, and everyone in it, be shielded from his influence…unlike my first students." Tears stood in those luminous eyes.

Needless to say, the red panda was stunned; he'd had no idea anything like this was true or possible. But at this point, after all he had been shown, all he had seen and witnessed with his own eyes, and all he had learned, he would believe and trust anything. Especially if it would help him get rid of Chao. "All right, Master. I will be guided by you, as always. Tell me how to do it."

It didn't take Oogway long at all to explain, and soon enough Shifu was leaping nimbly about the Sacred Hall, bouncing off of pillars and vaulting upward with the aid of the staff so as to strike the indicated points: above, beside, and on each panel of the great doors, since they faced to the south, the sacred direction of the heavens; above each of the shrines for the kung fu artifacts displayed in the hall, points which concentrated their power; the dougongs above each of the pillars; the windows on the eastern wall which allowed the light of the moon to shine upon the Moon Pool and infuse it with its mystical essence; and especially the golden dragon's head which had held the Dragon Scroll.

Once this was accomplished, Shifu landed back on the steps of the pool, breathing hard but feeling more alive, aware, and refreshed than he had in weeks. He could not see anything his actions had done (although there had been splashes of golden light radiating out each time he'd struck one of the chi points), but he could feel it just the same.

"So," the panda said at last. "You said you would tell me where to find Chao."

Oogway bowed his head and sighed. "He is here. In the Valley. Where he has always been."

Shifu's blood went cold; that explained so much, and yet… "What do you mean? Where? Why?"

"Do not be misled by what I showed you, Shifu." He still kept his mournful gaze averted, as if too ashamed to meet his student's eyes. "I had great power, and my chi was enough to withstand his. But only barely. What he did…the murders he committed…it allowed him to take the chi of every one of his fellow students into him, to thrive on it and bolster his will and soul. He had phenomenal chi to begin with, and when you add to that the chi of eight other kung fu masters…plus the chi of innocent children, the most powerful chi of all…"

Oogway shook his head morosely. "The best I could hope for was to contain him, to slowly draw out his darkness until he was free of it…or at least, weak enough to be more readily dealt with. But this never occurred, he remained consumed by his darkness and in fact stronger than ever as the centuries passed; it was not until I passed on that I discovered why. Or at least, what had sustained him for the past forty years." He paused again, and at last looked up with intense pain in his eyes. "It was Tai Lung."

"What?"

Oogway seemed to deflate, to completely lose his confidence and poise, every aspect of him given over to shame, regret, and weary resignation. He seemed to be pleading with Shifu to understand, to forgive him. "When the darkness began to grow in Tai Lung's heart, when he began to change, I suspected Chao might have something to do with it. In many ways, they were much alike; both inordinately proud, both convinced of their own superiority and right to a great destiny, both gifted with a wellspring of natural chi greater than any other of their generation.

"Their reasoning and goals were completely different, but as Tai Lung grew older, became more fanatical about his studies, and sought out greater and more specialized kung fu forms—especially as he became so fixated on the Dragon Scroll—I began to wonder. He was not the only one who seemed willing to give in to darker impulses either. There was Commander Vachir…and even you, my friend." He held up a hand to forestall protest. "So after Tai Lung was paralyzed, I made certain he would be held outside the Valley. I was positive that as far away as Mongolia, he would be safe from Chao, if my old student was indeed corrupting him. That in Chorh-Gom, he would recover his wits and inner goodness, that he would become again the noble hero we had been training him to be. But again, I was wrong.

"One of the powers Chao uncovered in his studies, it seems, was the ability to detach his soul from his body, so as to travel with the speed of thought, to range far and wide across the empire and manifest wherever and whenever he wished. My chi could restrain his body, but not his mind. It was how he survived, retained his darkness, and even absorbed more throughout the years of his imprisonment. And it was how he visited Tai Lung in the depths of Chorh-Gom…whispering, ever whispering, in your son's ear, insuring he remained unbalanced and unstable, given over to thoughts of murder, revenge, and destruction."

"So…you are saying…that this is all his fault?" Shifu couldn't believe what he was hearing. On the one hand, it was a relief to know that he had not failed that badly as a father, that Tai Lung had become what he did thanks to the outside influence and corruption of this dark wizard; on the other hand, the fact Chao was responsible for the suffering of his son, and of the empire, for the last forty years and likely longer made him even more diabolical and deserving of death. "What he did to the Five, to me, to Po…even his rampage of twenty years ago? It was all because of—?"

"No!" Oogway snapped, his voice firm and resolute. Shifu stepped back a pace. "Those acts were all still Tai Lung's, his own choices, his own desires driving him over lines he should never have crossed. That cannot be forgotten…least of all by him. And the fact he has atoned for them and strives every day to make amends is thus quite admirable." He paused. "What Chao did was make it more likely Tai Lung would act so immorally. He kept him insane and focused only on his desires.

"He encouraged your son to fixate on the Dragon Scroll to earn your love and affection; he encouraged Tai Lung to act on his impulses, to give in to his rage and hatred. He convinced him that no one cared for him, that he was a worthless orphan who could only achieve acceptance if greatness were granted to him—or if he stole it by force. Nothing more, nothing less. It was still Tai Lung who gave in to temptation."

Shifu snorted. "Perhaps so, but he was still the tempter who set it all before him. He would never have given in, if not for Chao."

"I hope you are right, but there is no way we can ever know." Oogway waved the matter aside. "In any event, it is thanks to feeding off of Tai Lung's chi that Chao remained so powerful and beyond my ability to purge or destroy. When he escaped Chorh-Gom and came here to the Valley, he brought his darkness with him, and this gave Chao more power still."

"And you had already died," Shifu said slowly, putting the pieces together. "No wonder…his chains must have already been weakening, and once Tai Lung gave him the chi he needed…"

"Well…I didn't say that." Oogway looked even more apologetic. "My death did make it easier for him to escape, yes. But it was something else that set him free."

Shifu paused—and then it hit him. "No. You don't mean—"

"I'm afraid so." The turtle bit his lip. "The Wuxi Finger Hold. It was meant to purify and cleanse, and so it did to Tai Lung—but by this point, nothing can wash Chao clean and restore him to whom he once was. All the influx of chi could do—chi which was even more powerful than mine, thanks to the Dragon Scroll—was set him free.

"But do not tell this to Po," Oogway hurriedly cautioned. "There was no possible way he could have known, and if he were to learn of what he had inadvertently done, he would once more lose all confidence in himself. For the Dragon Warrior, that is a disaster. Besides…" The shade smiled faintly. "What he did was, undeniably, the right thing. Saving Tai Lung from himself, and giving him this chance at redemption, is well worth the release of Heian Chao. I am not saying, of course, that everything Chao has done since then is something I am glad happened; I wish with all my being it had not.

"Yet at the same time…I have learned my error, that merely imprisoning Chao was never enough. That locking away any problem does not truly solve it. Sometimes, there truly is no recourse but to fight, to achieve victory by force of arms…and in the end, to slay that which would destroy us all. That being true, it is for the best Chao was freed when he was. It would have happened inevitably anyway—and now, what was meant to be shall be. Chao must be dealt with once and for all…and as weak as he currently is, your students finally have a real chance."

His mind awhirl with these revelations and what they all meant, Shifu put a shaking hand to his head—but then abruptly lowered it as his mind sharpened, focused in on what was important. "Very well. Then where he is? Where did you put him, and how do I get to him?"

Oogway closed his eyes again. "He is here…beneath the Jade Palace. In the Vault of Heroes."

"The Vault of—but that's only a legend!" Shifu's jaw was once again hanging, he couldn't help it. He had read stories of the Vault of Heroes, of course, especially after coming to the Jade Palace: scrolls had told of an ancient shrine to warriors of times long past, those who had placed their lives on the line to defend the empire and its people, even before the first Emperor united China so violently. No one had ever seen it to know if it was real, or if they had it had been so long ago their stories, too, were lost.

If the place had ever been real, it was believed by most scholars to have tumbled into ruin, buried and crushed beneath the earth, or pulverized and used for building temples and palaces, perhaps even the Great Wall. It was supposed to hold great riches—not of gold and jewels, but of wisdom and knowledge, beauty and wonder.

"I can assure you," the turtle was saying wryly, "it is quite real. It was here, beneath the Jade Mountain, when I first came to the Valley. I decided to incorporate it when building the Palace, to hold its great power but also to protect it from thieves and interlopers. Or those who would use it for evil, as Chao would. It is the Vault's power—the power of the gods—which has likely restrained him for so long, even in the last days of my waning strength. It is this he will attempt to use against you—but which you in turn can use against him. It is neutral, its power neither good nor evil…like Yin and Yang, it is balanced and may be called upon if you listen to that still, small voice within you, Shifu."

Shifu nodded, even as he began to feel rather exasperated; this was all very good, important information, but he still hadn't been told what he really wanted to know. "And I can reach him by…?"

Oogway regarded him flatly for a moment, then chuckled ruefully and pointed to the Moon Pool. "There. Simply use my staff to tap the central stones, at the southern and eastern rims, seven and five times, respectively. The entrance will reveal itself…"

When he had done as the turtle instructed, he was startled to hear a sound of grinding stone from somewhere deep beneath the pool—and then, slowly at first but with increasing speed, the water began to swirl, forming a deep, churning whirlpool as it drained away from the basin. After a few minutes, the Moon Pool had vanished, pouring into some hidden cavern he'd never known was there, and in its place a steep, spiral staircase was revealed, leading down into impenetrable darkness.

As he fetched the Sword of Heroes from its stand, Oogway's voice stopped him once more. He looked over to see his old master beginning to fade away, the peach petal blossoms scattering on the wind, and a look of unspeakable distress on his face. "I am sorry, Shifu, for not telling you any of this sooner…I had hoped it would never come to this, that you would never need to know of my great shame. Of how terribly I had failed. Try not to think too badly of me. I hope one day you can forgive me…and that you can set right what I did wrong. Promise me, Shifu…promise me you will end the curse of Heian Chao, before he can again harm another soul. Do not let him continue to make history repeat itself, and keep us all in darkness."

Shifu paused for several long moments, looking back over his shoulder at the turtle whose face desperately sought absolution. Then, firmly, he nodded. "I promise, Master. He's not going to escape this time."

He glanced down into the blade of his weapon, at his sober and pensive reflection in the gleaming metal and the glowing jade carving of the dragon that wreathed the sword as if alive. Then, with a deep breath and a gathering of every ounce of courage and will left in his small frame, he started down the stairs.

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(A/N: *wipes brow* Well...first off, a few translations and some explanation of my references, per usual. Di Yu, for anyone who doesn't know, is the Chinese term for Hell, while Guan-Yu is the Chinese god of war. Chao's true name, Xun, means "quick", a reference to his species. The names of the great kung fu masters translate as follows: Gou Cheng=sincere dog; You Li/Min=sharp/clever weasel; Hou=roar of a lion, Kuan=broad, Xiong=powerful, Sudu=swift. [These are oblique references to the three lions' favored weapons.] As to why I said the three brothers were lions...it was one of the few species we didn't see appear in some manner in the movie, and since in those days there were lions in India... Ochir, naturally enough, is a shout-out to Luna's "Memoirs", although by now it should be clear that my story is actually an alternate reality from hers, since Yeying is actually dead in my fic and Ochir lived a thousand years ago instead of being a contemporary of Shifu's. Since I don't know any other Mongolian names, I sort of had to use Ochir anyway.

The scene with Shifu searching the scroll room is somewhat meant to be reminiscent of Gandalf rushing to Minas Tirith in Fellowship of the Ring to learn about the Ring. As for Chao himself, his personality and backstory are a sort of cross-pollination between Voldemort, Seymour from Final Fantasy X, Brona/the Warlock Lord from Shannara, and Anakin Skywalker. Hopefully my version is better, more realistic, or at least more effective than some of those villains were. In general, Chao is a Well-Intentioned Extremist, Knight Templar, Omnicidal Maniac who believes Utopia Justifies the Means. Fun, eh? As for his species...I swear, I planned for him to be a falcon all along. The fact he is also a mage is not a reference to FalconMage, I promise!

Now you know why the Hall of Warriors was always such a focus of my story beyond the usual reasons. Speaking of the Jade Palace, I am fairly positive I'm right about it facing in the sacred directions: in the scene where Po received the Dragon Scroll, the windows were to his right and the doors behind him, and since it makes sense the Moon Pool would be shone upon by the moon, which usually rises either in the east or west, then the doors would face south. If I'm wrong...then consider it poetic license. The Vault of Heroes, BTW, is the last lost place from Art of KFP I'll be including. I am hoping most of you will be surprised by what is found there...in the meantime I'll just note that with it being an underground location, Dream Works was making Po's story arc even more obviously a Hero's Journey before they nixed it. Me bringing it back is even more appropriate, since both Po and Tai Lung are following such a journey this time.

Lastly, I am sure you noticed the parallels between Chao's backstory and certain events which have occurred in my fic. In case you missed it, though, I suggest you compare the final moments of Master Dog with those of Mantis... Anyway, R/R!)