Chapter 4:
Tiger Cage
Lei walked the crowded streets of Hong Kong. The sights and sounds of home was pleasurable to his senses. Too long had he stayed in America. Too long had he kept himself busy, working for the police, training his body and mind to do his job. A simple stroll through his birthplace was the most relaxing thing he had done in a long time.
A youth hurried out of the endless crowds, he bumped into Lei, apologized, then was on his way. Lei smiled. He remembered being a rough-and-tumble little boy. He absent-mindedly placed his hands into the pockets of his brown jacket. His smile faded.
"That little brat!" Lei turned to see the kid running off into the distance. The thief nicked his wallet!
Lei ran after him. He ran past the endless waves of crowds, jumped over gates and ducked under various overhanging objects. He almost caught up with the kid when the youth turned into an alley. Lei continued to pursue the thief. The kid climbed up a metal ladder, Lei followed.
"Hey! Stop now you little punk!" Lei's order fell on deaf ears. The youth ran through a flat past a bathing woman. Lei also ran through the flat but slipped on a piece of soap on the bathroom floor. He skidded towards the window on one leg, flailing his arms and screaming. He crashed through the window and half-flipped in the air.
"Ouch!" Lei landed on two Chinese men below. The thieving youth laughed and ran off down the alley.
Lei and the two Chinese men got up. One of the men wore a white and pink Western suit. His purple hair looked freshly conditioned. The other wore a plain white Chinese suit. They stood up and looked at each other. The purple-haired one smiled.
"Lei Wu-long!" He exclaimed. "Long time, no see!"
Lei brushed his jacket with his left hand. He looked at the purple-haired fellow. "Do I know you?" He asked.
"Hey, its me, Lee!" Lee grabbed Lei and Law around the shoulders. "What luck! The three China-boys meet in Hong Kong!"
Lei pushed away from Lee. He pointed accusingly at Lee's chest. "You owe me 100 dollars! When I came to get it, you just ran off and never contacted me since."
Lee continued to smile. "Come on, man. That was years ago. Besides, I've changed a lot." Lee's smile broadened. "So what are you doing in Hong Kong, falling out of windows?"
"Ah, long story." Lei answered.
"Hey, who's going to pay for my window? You listening? Hey, I'm talking to you!" The woman stood at her broken window. She was wrapped in a towel.
Lei pulled a face. "Uh, let's go!" Lei ran down the alley. Lee looked at Law, they both shrugged then followed Lei.
*** It was a sunny day. Zei-mu walked up to his father who sat under the glare of the sun, drinking tea from a small brown cup. The area was peaceful. A small place with bushes around its perimeter, the middle used to be grassy but too many people have trained on it. It was now just light-brown earth.
Zei-mu stood to the side of his father. He wore a white vest tucked into his black trousers. A red sash was tied around his waist. His father was a small man. His head was bald, his moustache was long and he wore extravagant rings on his fingers.
"What did you call me for, father?" Zei-mu asked.
Zei-mu's father put the brown cup on a small table. He extended a golden finger. "Him." He said.
In the center of the training area stood a Japanese man. He wore a white gi and a black-belt around his waist.
"He's a challenger. He has beaten many martial artists around the globe. Defeat him. Show him the might of Northern Triad wushu."
Zei-mu smirked. He walked up to the young man. "I suppose you've entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament before?"
"I have no need for glory." The man replied. "I want to prove to myself that I am the best."
Zei-mu's father chuckled. "Alas, yet another prodigal son!"
Zei-mu looked saddened. "I used to be like you, fighting, challenging, arrogant. But its not worth it, you don't yet know the truth about violence. You have these starry-eyed notions of knock-outs, the feeling of dealing out pain grows stronger. Real violence is isn't like that, it is ugly. Go home, open a dojo and live peacefully. Don't ruin your life."
"Hmph, I don't need your advice. I'm the best and I'll prove it to you." The karateka moved his left-foot forward into a deep stance. He raised his fists into a guard.
Zei-mu sighed. "Pay attention, I'm going to teach you a good lesson." Zei- mu curled his left hand into a tiger claw, his right hand tightened into a fist. He moved his arms in a circular motion while maneuvering his feet into light stance.
The Japanese man let out a deafening kiai and lunged forward at Zei-mu with a right leg side-kick. Zei-mu side-stepped to the left and threaded the kick with his right hand. This caused the karateka to go off balance, he quickly found his footing and spun with a left back-fist to Zei-mu's head. Zei-mu was too fast, he grabbed the man's wrist with a left tiger-claw, twisted it and pushed upwards, locking the man's elbow. Without wasting time, Zei-mu reached over with a right tiger claw to the base of the man's spine. He gripped it and sent large amounts of pain through the Japanese youth's body. The karateka screamed. Zei-mu let go of the man and executed a double palm strike to his body, breaking his ribs and sending him flying backward.
The Japanese karateka lay on the floor in immense pain. Zei-mu stepped up to him.
"You are probably wondering why you can't move. I've blocked the nerve passages to the base of your spine using the compassionate art of chin-na."
The Japanese man didn't seem to notice, he gritted his teeth and clamped his eyes shut. Zei-mu knelt next to him and turned him over. The man wasn't able to resist. Zei-mu placed another tiger claw on the man's spine and gripped into it. He helped the man up.
The man, realizing he can now move his arms, clutched his ribs in pain.
"You're lucky I'm a fair man." Zei-mu told him. "Otherwise you'd be dead. Now get out of here, go back to Japan."
The karateka didn't need telling twice. He ran as fast as he could through the bushes, still clutching his broken ribs.
Zei-mu's father stood up and clapped. "Excellent, Zei-mu, your wushu is brilliant."
Zei-mu turned and frowned at his father.
"But that was merely a country bumpkin, there's someone else I want you to see."
"Father, I'm not going to play your little games." Zei-mu stormed off through the trees.
Zei-mu's father sat back down on his chair. A woman in a suit walked up to him.
"He'll come round." He said, half to himself. "He's just a little confused."
"He fears for your safety, Dragon Head." The woman said. "He just doesn't like what you do."
"You're right, woman." The Dragon Head replied. "You're right."
Tiger Cage
Lei walked the crowded streets of Hong Kong. The sights and sounds of home was pleasurable to his senses. Too long had he stayed in America. Too long had he kept himself busy, working for the police, training his body and mind to do his job. A simple stroll through his birthplace was the most relaxing thing he had done in a long time.
A youth hurried out of the endless crowds, he bumped into Lei, apologized, then was on his way. Lei smiled. He remembered being a rough-and-tumble little boy. He absent-mindedly placed his hands into the pockets of his brown jacket. His smile faded.
"That little brat!" Lei turned to see the kid running off into the distance. The thief nicked his wallet!
Lei ran after him. He ran past the endless waves of crowds, jumped over gates and ducked under various overhanging objects. He almost caught up with the kid when the youth turned into an alley. Lei continued to pursue the thief. The kid climbed up a metal ladder, Lei followed.
"Hey! Stop now you little punk!" Lei's order fell on deaf ears. The youth ran through a flat past a bathing woman. Lei also ran through the flat but slipped on a piece of soap on the bathroom floor. He skidded towards the window on one leg, flailing his arms and screaming. He crashed through the window and half-flipped in the air.
"Ouch!" Lei landed on two Chinese men below. The thieving youth laughed and ran off down the alley.
Lei and the two Chinese men got up. One of the men wore a white and pink Western suit. His purple hair looked freshly conditioned. The other wore a plain white Chinese suit. They stood up and looked at each other. The purple-haired one smiled.
"Lei Wu-long!" He exclaimed. "Long time, no see!"
Lei brushed his jacket with his left hand. He looked at the purple-haired fellow. "Do I know you?" He asked.
"Hey, its me, Lee!" Lee grabbed Lei and Law around the shoulders. "What luck! The three China-boys meet in Hong Kong!"
Lei pushed away from Lee. He pointed accusingly at Lee's chest. "You owe me 100 dollars! When I came to get it, you just ran off and never contacted me since."
Lee continued to smile. "Come on, man. That was years ago. Besides, I've changed a lot." Lee's smile broadened. "So what are you doing in Hong Kong, falling out of windows?"
"Ah, long story." Lei answered.
"Hey, who's going to pay for my window? You listening? Hey, I'm talking to you!" The woman stood at her broken window. She was wrapped in a towel.
Lei pulled a face. "Uh, let's go!" Lei ran down the alley. Lee looked at Law, they both shrugged then followed Lei.
*** It was a sunny day. Zei-mu walked up to his father who sat under the glare of the sun, drinking tea from a small brown cup. The area was peaceful. A small place with bushes around its perimeter, the middle used to be grassy but too many people have trained on it. It was now just light-brown earth.
Zei-mu stood to the side of his father. He wore a white vest tucked into his black trousers. A red sash was tied around his waist. His father was a small man. His head was bald, his moustache was long and he wore extravagant rings on his fingers.
"What did you call me for, father?" Zei-mu asked.
Zei-mu's father put the brown cup on a small table. He extended a golden finger. "Him." He said.
In the center of the training area stood a Japanese man. He wore a white gi and a black-belt around his waist.
"He's a challenger. He has beaten many martial artists around the globe. Defeat him. Show him the might of Northern Triad wushu."
Zei-mu smirked. He walked up to the young man. "I suppose you've entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament before?"
"I have no need for glory." The man replied. "I want to prove to myself that I am the best."
Zei-mu's father chuckled. "Alas, yet another prodigal son!"
Zei-mu looked saddened. "I used to be like you, fighting, challenging, arrogant. But its not worth it, you don't yet know the truth about violence. You have these starry-eyed notions of knock-outs, the feeling of dealing out pain grows stronger. Real violence is isn't like that, it is ugly. Go home, open a dojo and live peacefully. Don't ruin your life."
"Hmph, I don't need your advice. I'm the best and I'll prove it to you." The karateka moved his left-foot forward into a deep stance. He raised his fists into a guard.
Zei-mu sighed. "Pay attention, I'm going to teach you a good lesson." Zei- mu curled his left hand into a tiger claw, his right hand tightened into a fist. He moved his arms in a circular motion while maneuvering his feet into light stance.
The Japanese man let out a deafening kiai and lunged forward at Zei-mu with a right leg side-kick. Zei-mu side-stepped to the left and threaded the kick with his right hand. This caused the karateka to go off balance, he quickly found his footing and spun with a left back-fist to Zei-mu's head. Zei-mu was too fast, he grabbed the man's wrist with a left tiger-claw, twisted it and pushed upwards, locking the man's elbow. Without wasting time, Zei-mu reached over with a right tiger claw to the base of the man's spine. He gripped it and sent large amounts of pain through the Japanese youth's body. The karateka screamed. Zei-mu let go of the man and executed a double palm strike to his body, breaking his ribs and sending him flying backward.
The Japanese karateka lay on the floor in immense pain. Zei-mu stepped up to him.
"You are probably wondering why you can't move. I've blocked the nerve passages to the base of your spine using the compassionate art of chin-na."
The Japanese man didn't seem to notice, he gritted his teeth and clamped his eyes shut. Zei-mu knelt next to him and turned him over. The man wasn't able to resist. Zei-mu placed another tiger claw on the man's spine and gripped into it. He helped the man up.
The man, realizing he can now move his arms, clutched his ribs in pain.
"You're lucky I'm a fair man." Zei-mu told him. "Otherwise you'd be dead. Now get out of here, go back to Japan."
The karateka didn't need telling twice. He ran as fast as he could through the bushes, still clutching his broken ribs.
Zei-mu's father stood up and clapped. "Excellent, Zei-mu, your wushu is brilliant."
Zei-mu turned and frowned at his father.
"But that was merely a country bumpkin, there's someone else I want you to see."
"Father, I'm not going to play your little games." Zei-mu stormed off through the trees.
Zei-mu's father sat back down on his chair. A woman in a suit walked up to him.
"He'll come round." He said, half to himself. "He's just a little confused."
"He fears for your safety, Dragon Head." The woman said. "He just doesn't like what you do."
"You're right, woman." The Dragon Head replied. "You're right."