I don't own Jackie Chan and no money is being made with this.
Very special thanks to Alan Wilkinson who beta read this for me. If it hadn't been for him, there would have been many unnecessary mistakes in the story. I also want to thank CelestialGlowEquivalence for pointing out that one chapter had deleted itself. Thanks!
I know I promised 38 chapters, but I realised that what I had intended to be the epilogue was more like a short chapter. So, there is an extra chapter instead of an epilogue. Both are posted at the same time.
HEING MEH
Chapter 38
Jackie fell to his bed and sighed in relief. He was really happy to be back home and away from the demons. Working with them had been stressing and he had constantly worried about something bad happening.
His whole life felt like a tangled mess. Right now he should have been working -- his colleagues had discovered fascinating ruins in Egypt and he would have loved to be there with them -- but yet again he had to concentrate on saving the world.
He had dared to hope that those days were already over.
The archaeologist rubbed his temples and tried to organize his thoughts. Now that they were home again he felt like they had a small chance. They had always made it.
He trusted on that Uncle and Tohru would come up with a way to get rid of Heing Meh, even without the help of the demons. After that they'd only have to banish the rest back and restore peace. Then he'd take a long nap.
Suddenly his cell phone started beeping at him. The sharp sound startled him and he wasted a couple of seconds trying to find the phone. When he finally got his hands on it, he didn't feel very relieved. It was Captain Black.
"Yes?" he asked fearing the worst.
"Jackie, we have a really big problem," Black's serious voice said. "Something big and mean has arrived to the city."
"A demon?" Jackie suggested and lifted himself from the bed.
"Most likely, but not any of the ones we know. Sounds to me like it's our new friend Heing Meh," Black said.
All the relief Jackie had felt earlier was washed away instantly. He felt strangely determined. He didn't like the fact that he and his loved ones had to endanger their lives in a mess like this, but right now they had no other choice. Sometimes he felt like destiny did everything in its power to make sure he'd never have a normal life.
"I'll be there as soon as possible and I'll bring Uncle. Where is Heing Meh exactly?" he asked.
Black gave him the directions. "I'll send all my men there to keep the creature under control," he promised.
"No, don't do it!" Jackie hurried. The last thing he wanted was the involvement of strangers.
"But if the thing really is as powerful as everyone says, we're going to need help," Black insisted.
"I know, but that's Uncle's business. There will be only trouble if we try to mix technology with this. We needed so many men to take down Tchang Zu and he was nothing compared to Heing Meh. Let us take care of this," Jackie said in determination.
"Well, I'm coming at least."
"I don't think that's a --"
"Don't argue with me, Jackie. I'm not going to leave my friends alone with that thing."
Jackie had to smile. No matter how bad the situation was, he could always count on one thing. The support of his family and friends.
They finished the call and he slipped his phone into his pocket as he walked downstairs. Uncle was sitting on his usual spot, sipping tea and with his nose behind a book. Tohru and Viper turned to look at Jackie as they heard him arrive.
"Black called. Heing Meh is here," Jackie said. The others' reaction was just like he had imagined.
Uncle's cup fell to the floor and shattered as the old man let out a yelp, stood up abruptly and rushed to the other end of the room. "Already?" he asked in frustration and gathered items from books to small vials from his shelves. Jackie hoped Uncle had a spell ready and was not just choosing the things randomly.
Tohru managed to remain true to his calm self and only the darkening of his expression revealed that he had even heard what Jackie had said.
"What are we going to do, sensei?" he asked. Uncle threw all his junk into the arms of his apprentice.
"We'll go and send Heing Meh elsewhere. We need to get rid of him," he said.
"So, we're going to do what Chow's message told us? We're going to kill a demon?" Viper asked.
"If we have to," Uncle replied. Nobody had to remind him that with the exception of three, every member of the demonic family was on the other side of the globe.
Hsi Wu, Shendu or Ni Tang. They had no other option.
This was when Jade and Xu Lin chose to come downstairs, the former leading the duo.
"What's with all the yelling?" she asked and looked from one shaken relative or friend to another. Then her eyes widened and she understood. Sometimes Jackie wondered where Jade had got her cleverness from.
"You and Xu Lin had better stay here. You've seen enough excitement already," he said.
"Never! I haven't even got started, and don't look at me like that, Jackie. This is not a game for me. I really want to help." Jade looked at Jackie with a serious expression in her dark eyes and brows frowned.
"You're not an adult yet and I promised your parents I'd take care of you. Same with Xu Lin," Jackie said. Nothing could have made him want to have the girls along and endangering themselves. This was different from his previous adventures. Never before had they been this close to failing. If something went wrong, Jade and Xu Lin could escape if they weren't there with them.
"You know that's stupid. You need every helping hand if you want to get rid of Heing Meh," Jade pointed out impatiently. Jackie didn't know if the girl had remembered that they'd have to kill someone to get what they wanted. Nobody had really discussed the matter.
"You can get hurt or even die," he tried again, though he knew from experience that it wouldn't help. Jade was used to getting what she wanted and he didn't think she'd ever grow out of it.
"If it helps you to rid the world of Heing Meh, then it's worth it. What do we matter when the entire world is at stake?"
Everyone turned to look at Xu Lin. Jackie was perhaps the most surprised. He had expected Jade to defeat him with her stubbornness. However, the quiet Xu Lin had said exactly what he had had in mind about himself. He had risked his life for others so often that he had lost count.
And yet, the idea of endangering others felt like a rock in his stomach.
"Hey, that was well said. I guess I agree," Jade said to her friend and turned back to Jackie. "So, we're coming."
Jackie opened his mouth to argue, but Uncle solved the problem for them -- as usual.
"Let them come. If you don't they will follow and then you can't keep an eye on them!" the old man snapped. During the entire argument he had done nothing but collected spell ingredients from the shelves and piled them in Tohru's arms. "We need to go now if we want to stop the monster from destroying the city!"
Unlike Valmont had thought, catching some fresh air didn't make him feel any better. On the contrary, now he felt even more agitated and had to stop himself from jumping to the walls.
He brushed sweat off his brow. I shouldn't get involved, he thought. He lacked both the desire and time to take part in any kind of magical showdown. It was the best to let others fight.
And yet he was walking to the exact direction where he could sense the problem.
He felt a cool breeze on his face and stopped when a shadow washed over him. To his surprise he saw Hsi Wu in his true form, and the sky demon landed in front of him. The demon's appearance caused a small chaos when people noticed him and started screaming and pushing each other away.
"Was that necessary?" Valmont asked, watching how a car almost hit a street lamp when the driver kept staring at the suddenly appeared devilish creature.
"We don't have time for that! You can feel it too, can't you?" Hsi Wu asked impatiently and grabbed Valmont's shoulders with his claws.
"And if I do? I don't have anything to do with this!" Valmont snapped and tried to shake the demon off. It wasn't easy and just worsened his foul mood.
After he got free he took a step back and loosened his tie. Why had he put it so tight this morning? He could barely breathe!
Hsi Wu looked at him, his eyes red slits. "Heing Meh is here. Today we'll see whether he'll be the ruler of this world or not. You need to join the battle," he said.
"Are you out of your mind? I'm not going to risk my life for anyone or anything! And what could I do?"
"I'm not the one to answer that question. This could very well be the final test that'll determine whether you're ready to become part of the family," Hsi Wu said and an expression of loathing and hate appeared on Valmont's face.
"I can learn to live with Ni Tang, but I will never be a part of your family!" he said. His voice was loud and sharp and made Hsi Wu flinch so slightly that it was hard to notice. The demon spread his wings and jumped into the air.
"I don't have time for this. Make up your mind, but do it soon," he said and with a few flaps of his mighty wings the demon was gone.
Valmont stared after him for a while. Then he lowered his eyes to his tie that he had taken off at one point of the conversation. He had taken a few more steps to the direction he didn't want to follow.
Or did he? He doubted he would feel this horrible if he truly didn't want to get involved. Perhaps it wasn't only his demon side that was attracted to the magical battle. Maybe he, as a human, was interested in it too?
It was true that he was selfish and hadn't cared about anyone else's but his own survival for years. Even now he didn't feel like saving the world. His life was the only thing that mattered.
I could very well go and take a look at things. Nothing else. What could go wrong? After all, he wasn't going to jump in the middle of things. One peek was enough.
He made a quick decision. It wasn't the most sensible one in his life and he would probably regret it later, but at the moment he didn't care. He felt that it was right, no matter what his senses said.
The tie flew to the street, soon followed by his shoes. Valmont barely paid attention to what he was doing. It was so easy. After mere seconds he felt like someone was pushing him away, as if he was no longer in control, but the feeling was gone soon.
He was still himself, but now thoughts of human troubles and being Valmont were packed in the back of his mind. He was more interested in what was going on in the city.
Ni Tang jumped on a street lamp, threw himself at a building and started climbing the wall. It was a simple movement and he didn't even think about glancing down or around. He knew exactly where he was going.
He was sure the other demons could feel it too.
Despite that he was no longer restricted by humanity, he had no intention of doing anything stupid. Valmont's thoughts and opinions were his. The demonic black chi only fed Valmont's natural selfishness and arrogance. Now that his memories were whole, nobody could use him again.
He would make his own decisions.
Shendu pressed his face against the window. A low growl escaped his mouth as he tried to see what was going on in the park. Shin had promised that everything would happen there. Apparently the game had finally started.
He would have to go there and make sure that everything was going according to his plans. But not yet. He doubted anyone had noticed anything yet and he didn't want to face Heing Meh alone. He'd wait his time and that everyone else had tired themselves in the battle.
Then he'd arrive and collect the prize. The others would crawl in dust at his feet and beg for mercy. He'd never show any and the mere thought of slaughtering the weak and traitorous made his blood flow faster.
"The woman is the only one I'll save," he muttered to himself and glanced at Origami who was cowering in the corner. "And once I've got what I want from you two, I don't need you anymore either."
He drew a deep breath and started pacing in front of the window. It wouldn't take long now.
"You seem nervous, brother Dai Gui."
The mighty earth demon was startled when he heard the calm and cold voice of his older brother.
"Something is wrong," he said then. He could feel it in the earth. It was like his element was sighing at him and demanding him to set things right.
Tso Lan lifted a brow. Dai Gui was more than aware that the moon demon didn't regard him as a very reliable source of information. Tso Lan was so rational and trusted thinking and facts more than anything else.
Dai Gui, on the other hand, reacted to his feelings and passions. If he wanted to crush someone or commit a massacre, he'd do it without thinking further. That was the way he wanted to live.
"The earth speaks to me," he said before his brother could argue.
"That doesn't surprise me. Heing Meh could rise to power at any moment," Tso Lan stated. Dai Gui frowned. His brother was obviously not taking him seriously.
"It's more serious than that. Something is going on now," he said in determination and rose to his full height. It didn't impress Tso Lan who stared at him, resting his arms on his chest.
"The moon doesn't tell me anything. It's silent," he stated then.
"You've forgotten how to listen."
A frown appeared on Tso Lan's forehead and his tongue made an angry slash. "What do you know, you fool?" he asked.
"Dai Gui knows much. I go where the earth tells me to go," the earth demon said. He would just have to follow its voice and soon he'd be where he was needed.
"It's stupid to rush to a battle without a plan. I wouldn't expect more from you," Tso Lan said. Then he was silent for a while.
"Where does the earth tell you to go?"
The situation was worse than Jackie had feared. When they arrived to the park he barely recognised it. Trees lay in rows, everything built by humans was in ruins and there were slaughtered bodies lying around.
He swallowed and regretted taking Jade and Xu Lin along. They shouldn't have to witness this, he thought. He would have liked to be elsewhere too and he was sure that the eyes of the young, lifeless boy next to him would haunt him in his dreams. He forced himself to turn his own eyes away.
"This is horrible," Xu Lin said in a weak voice.
"You don't have to be here," Jackie told her, but she shook her head.
"I don't want to leave. I feel that..." she didn't finish her sentence and Jackie glanced at her in worry. Then he had to concentrate on far more important things.
They couldn't see their enemies anywhere. In the middle of the destroyed park was nothing that they should have been afraid of. And that was exactly what made Jackie tense and glance around.
"Uncle and Tohru, this could be your only chance of working on spells in peace. You better use it," he said. His voice sounded tight and unfamiliar even in his own ears. He had to swallow again.
Uncle didn't need to be told twice. Even as Jackie was speaking the old man had pulled out several spell ingredients as Tohru helped soundlessly. Working together for years had created a strong understanding between them and they no longer found it necessary to speak in situations such as this.
Since it looked like nobody was going to attack them in a while, Jackie let himself relax a little. At the same time worry grew inside him. Where was Heing Meh? Why wasn't he doing anything?
"This makes no sense," he said to Viper who nodded. Jackie realised that he hadn't been paying much attention to his friend lately, nor spoken with her. He felt a pang inside him and promised in silence that if they survived, he'd talk to her and give back some of the support she had shown him.
"This is really spooky," Jade said and Jackie noticed that the girl was standing quite far away from him. It made him feel both relieved -- most of the fights would probably be around him -- and nervous because he wanted to do everything in his power to protect her.
"You should probably find a place to hide," he suggested, but before either of the girls had managed to reply, an excited scream cut the air.
"Look!" Jade exclaimed and everyone's eyes turned to the direction she was pointing at. There, from behind the very few trees that were still standing, leaped a feather-winged dragon, covered in brown scales, at them. Jackie realised that the creature must have been near all the time. They just hadn't looked well enough and because of his colouring, the dragon found it easy to hide.
"You!" the demon hissed. "I haven't met you before." He spread his wings, but didn't attack.
"What do you want?" Jackie asked. The creature in front of him didn't look like he was strong or mighty enough to rule the world. The legends had to be exaggerating.
The Nameless tilted his head and looked at Jackie slyly.
"Isn't that obvious?" he asked. "I want to claim the name Heing Meh as mine. I want all of you to whimper with fear when you hear it, and kneel in front of me. Don't you find that a goal high enough?" The dragon snorted, as if he had told a joke.
Jackie didn't like him. He acted calmly, but in his eyes was a cruel glow that he hadn't seen even on Shendu's face. It seemed to him that the dragon had a motive unfamiliar to him and he did his best at guessing what it could be. Insanity? Desire for power? Revenge? All of them?
On top of that he could never forget how Shin had plunged a dagger into Jade's chest to revive this monster.
Suddenly he understood two things. If the Nameless, as Valmont had called the dragon, had needed Jade's blood, then he must have been dead. He felt a new wave of uncertainty inside him as new questions rose to the surface. Why had the Nameless died? Why didn't he have a name?
The second idea was much simpler, but worried him nevertheless. Where was Shin? The man, or creature or whatever he was, should have been near Heing Meh, ready to serve his master.
He took a quick look around, but there was no sign of Shin. Something wasn't right now.
"Jade, Xu Lin, be careful and prepared for everything," he said. When he glanced at the girls he saw that they were tense and stood staring at the Nameless with bright eyes and determined expressions.
A sweet scent filled his nose and he turned to look at Uncle. He was mixing ingredients, looking sour. When he saw that Jackie was looking, the old man nodded, and the archaeologist realised that a spell would be ready soon. It didn't really calm him down.
The Nameless looked around. "What? None of my siblings is here to greet me? I'm hurt," he said and his voice was a bare growl during the last words. Jackie couldn't say whether the thing was sorry, insane or toying with them.
"Your siblings?" Jade's clear voice asked. The Nameless turned his attention to the girl. Whatever his earlier comment had meant, now he looked truly worried.
"They didn't tell you? They never said anything about me?" the demon asked.
"Are you trying to say that Tso Lan and the rest are your siblings? That you're part of their family?" Jackie asked as he realised that the Nameless could mean nobody else.
"Of course I am!" The Nameless raised his head and glared at them with glowing eyes. "Who else could I mean but those dirty traitors who replaced me with a pathetic human spawn?"
Jackie didn't even want to understand what the Nameless was talking about. He was afraid of getting a headache from just thinking about the demons' messes. It was the best to let them be.
"Uncle?" he asked carefully, hoping that the spell was ready. Perhaps it was, but he never had the chance of asking.
The ground started to shake and with the exception of the Nameless they all lost their balance. The dragon, who had clearly known to expect the incident, had jumped into the air and was flying in delicate circles around them. However, that was not what caught Jackie's attention.
As strange as it looked like, a statue of an old Chinese warrior with a long sword in his hand rose from the ground in the middle of the park. The ground under them turned into a floor made of stone.
This can't be anything but a bad day, Jackie thought.
Ni Tang almost lost his footing when the ground started shaking. He slowed his pace and finally stopped entirely to see what was going on.
He had barely arrived to the gates of the park. After a few leaps he would be in the middle of everything, but the only reaction that got out of him was the realisation that he'd have to be even more careful. After making sure that immediate danger wasn't threatening him, he continued on his way.
The demon sensed Hsi Wu's presence even before he saw his brother. The sky demon remained in the air because of the shaking ground and looked like he was keeping an eye on something. From the ground Ni Tang couldn't see what was going on.
"The Chans have started without us," the sky demon stated, not turning to glance at Ni Tang. The shaking subsided slowly.
"What happened?" the polar demon asked. Hsi Wu still didn't come down. His brows were in a frown and it looked like he was deep in thought.
"I'm not sure," he admitted finally. "But I'm going to find out."
"Wait!" Ni Tang exclaimed at the flying demon before he managed to disappear. "You didn't tell me what you saw!"
Hsi Wu turned to look at the smaller demon and his earlier confusion had turned into annoyance. He obviously didn't want anything to slow him down. "Why don't you take a look?" he asked, flapped his wings and was gone within seconds.
The way the sky demon had treated him didn't please Ni Tang at all. However, he was not about to waste any more time on his brother's idiocy, but continued on his way to see the events before anything was over.
When he arrived to the others it took him a while to realise that he really was in a park. There were only a handful of trees still standing and everything lay in ruins. Bodies decorated the scarred view, but he didn't spare a thought for them. What was more interesting and important was that the ground was covered in stone and that a huge statue stood in the middle of it all.
"You!" a sudden, enraged voice shouted and his attention turned to the demon circling above them. He felt his blood freeze and his body tickled. The Nameless! The creature that had used him when he had been Valmont.
The creature that had promised to kill him first.
Ni Tang realised what a fool he had been to come here, offering himself to be slaughtered. He should have done what his human side had told him to do, hide somewhere to wait for the battle to end. But no, he had had to give in to his curiosity and take a look at the scene to find out if he could do something. Valmont would have never done that. If he just had let the human side remain in control, he wouldn't even be in this mess now.
During the second that the polar demon had taken to realise this, the Nameless had flapped his wings and started a dive at him. Ni Tang barely managed to jump away before the demon's huge claws dug into the stone where he had just been standing. Sparks and sharp pieces of rock flew around.
"You're the one who took my place!" the Nameless hissed angrily as he drew up his wings and turned to face the polar demon.
Ni Tang didn't know if he should have said something. Tso Lan had revealed that Hsi Wu was the one the Nameless should have been mad at, but he didn't know what it meant. He felt like it was really simple, that the truth was just within his reach, but he didn't have the time to ponder it now.
The Nameless jumped at him again and he had to flee. He had no means of fighting against the dragon.
Thankfully others did. Hsi Wu wasn't about to just stand and watch how others fought. When the Nameless did his best at trying to slaughter Ni Tang, the sky demon dove from the sky and sunk his claws into the dragon's muscular back. The Nameless shrieked in rage and hit Hsi Wu with his tail like an insect.
"Don't get involved! Your turn will come later!"
Jackie felt strangely useless as he watched the three demons' fight. He knew he couldn't get involved, as there was only one thing that could happen to him in that mess of claws, teeth and tails.
Suddenly he saw movement from the corner of his eye and turned to look. Right at the edge of the stone square stood Shin, following the events without an expression. Jackie realised that the creature was to blame for the square and the statue. The Nameless had merely kept them busy while Shin worked.
"What are we going to do now?" he asked, running to Uncle where everyone else had already gathered. The old man was holding his familiar blow fish and sprinkling something on it.
"Get rid of Heing Meh," the old man stated and nodded at the fighting demons.
"But didn't the message clearly stress that he can't be killed?" Jade pointed out.
"It also said that some of the damage can be repaired if we kill someone with his blood at the Square of Ze Zeng. We only need to kill a demon."
"But which one of them? If the dragon truly is Heing Meh, then we only have Hsi Wu and Ni Tang," Xu Lin said.
Jackie drew a determined breath. "I think it's obvious. Ni Tang is Valmont, so we can't kill him. I don't like killing anyone, but we can't take a human life. No matter how selfish and foul that person is," he said.
"Hsi Wu, then," Uncle agreed.
"But he was once a human too!" Jade exclaimed and everyone turned to look at her. Jackie didn't like the desperate expression on the girl's face.
"What do you mean?" Viper asked.
"Five years ago, right before he let me go, he told me a secret. He's not going to like it that I tell it, but if it makes you abandon the idea of killing him..." Jade shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts.
"He used to be a human, but the demons made him one of their own. I don't know why, but... Jackie, please! Some of that human must still be inside him! We can't kill him!" she begged.
"If he was a human, why didn't he end up like Ni Tang?" Uncle asked suspiciously.
"I don't know, you need to ask him," Jade replied.
"What the heck happened to this park?" a familiar voice asked and everyone turned to look how Black walked to them. The bald man wore a confused expression and couldn't tear his eyes from the destroyed landscape.
"The demons were having a little fun," Viper said. The answer made Black's face darken.
"I'm sorry I'm a little late. It took long before I convinced the President, the other Sections and everyone else that the situation is under control. I organized patrols to all roads leading here. Nobody will get in or out without Section 13 knowing," he said.
"That's good to hear. At least no more innocents will come here," Jackie said.
Black crossed his arms. "So, what are we going to do now?" he asked.
Shendu could feel magic wash over his body. It was sweet and warm and filled him with joy that reminded him of the glory of the ancient days. Pure, thick magic.
Soon, he told himself. Just a little longer and we can start our plan.
Suddenly, within a second, he realised that he didn't need to wait for Shin. What a fool he had been! There had to be the greatest magical showdown the world would see in a while down there. Nobody would notice if he appeared, crept behind Chan and...
The thought made him shake with excitement. How lovely it would be to sunk his claws into Chan's flesh and feel his thick, warm blood on his scales!
He glanced at Origami. The man was glaring at him, but the fire in his eyes was gone. Shendu found himself disappointed. He had considered the thief a little stronger than that.
On the other hand, he hadn't fully broken him and it was a risk to leave the Japanese alone. Most likely he would try to escape again. Shendu thought about the situation. He had no other option. He couldn't possibly take Origami with him to the battle field, because he wouldn't have the time to keep an eye on him there. With really bad luck the thief would only get himself killed.
"I need to take care of something. Beware if you're not here when I come back," he said. He didn't have to raise his voice, his mere expression was enough to tell how serious he was.
He left with great expectations. The entire hotel was empty now because Section 13 had evacuated it a while ago. Nobody had come to Shendu's room as the demon had locked the door and not answered anyone's calls. Eventually Black's men had left believing that the inhabitants of the room weren't there.
After he got to the lowest floor in the deserted building he headed for the street and the park. He didn't even stop to snort at the men of Section 13, but took his true form and rushed through. The temptation to slow down and kill everyone was great, but he kept his head clear. There was no time to fool around.
When a few minutes had passed since Shendu's departure, Origami rose to his feet. The dragon's words and eyes still lingered in his mind, but he didn't have the slightest intention of obeying. He'd die anyway if he stayed with the demon and running away was his only chance.
He walked to the wide window and pushed it open with his healthy hand. The room was so high that wind instantly caught a hold of the curtains and made them dance.
He would have to take the form of a paper bird and fly away. It was the only way to get away from the area. From the heights he could see the men of Section 13, ready to check on everyone travelling on land.
Could he fly? His other hand was useless and Origami knew that his paper form would be incomplete. In some other form it might not have been such a problem, but the bird had to be perfectly balanced to be able to fly.
The thief looked down and considered.
"Well, duh!"
Everyone turned at Jade when she let out an anguished exclaim.
"What?" Jackie asked. Jade stared at them as if they had all forgotten something obvious.
"The Talismans! Why didn't we take them with us? They'd be so useful if we have to start a fight here!" she let out.
"Oops?" Viper said. Everyone looked at each other. They had all been so busy and worried that nobody had even remembered the Talismans existed.
"We still have time to get them," Black said. "Jade, why don't you go with Xu Lin? I'll make sure my men let you through."
Jade lifted a brow. "Are you sure this isn't a badly disguised attempt of getting us out of the way?" she asked.
"Of course not," Jackie chuckled. "Besides, you can use the Talismans when you get back. The rest of us have other ways of fighting," he promised.
Jade wasn't sure. On one hand she didn't want to leave her family alone -- nobody knew what could happen if she wasn't there to take care of them -- but on the other hand she knew she wouldn't be able to participate in the fight without magic.
"We already have one," she remembered and drew the Horse Talisman from her pocket. She had forgotten it there after last using it. However, it was not enough and wouldn't be of any real help. If the Nameless managed to hurt them they probably wouldn't be in the shape to use a Talisman.
She slipped the Talisman back to her pocket and turned to Xu Lin. "What do you think?"
"Sounds like a good idea to me," her friend replied.
"Okay, we'll go. Don't look that relieved, Jackie. We'll be back before everything is over," Jade said. Then she realised something. "And if I see that you've killed Hsi Wu while I was gone..."
"Don't worry about that, Jade." Viper pointed farther away where one could barely see the demons. "We are not going to be in a hurry in a while."
Jade nodded and decided that she could trust her relatives. There was no way they would just suddenly start killing someone.
"Let's go," she said and the two girls were off.
Jackie felt happy when Jade and Xu Lin left. The girls would be safe for a while and he wouldn't have to worry about them.
"I'll go and see what is going on," he told his friends. "Some of you must stay to protect Uncle and help him with the spells. We'll need more protective magic if we're going to get anything done," he continued, not caring about the glare that Uncle sent at his direction.
"Uncle can take care of himself," the old man snapped.
"You can't face the demons alone. I'll come with you," Viper announced. Jackie didn't feel like endangering anyone, but he knew he knew he'd only hurt and annoy the woman if he tried to order her around.
"Fine," he agreed. Black looked like he wanted to volunteer too, but Jackie managed to open his mouth first. "You're needed here."
Black looked as far from pleased as possible, but didn't start an argument. After all, he hadn't been that involved with most of Jackie's adventures anyway, so this wasn't all new to him.
"Let's go," he told Viper. She nodded. Together they started for the direction where the three demons had gone.
Making progress wasn't difficult on the stone floor. The statue in the middle tickled Jackie's archaeological desires, but he shook the thought off. Perhaps he'd take a look at it when everything was over.
Since most of the trees were no longer standing, they spotted the demons long before they got close to them. They were not able to say who was winning. Hsi Wu and the Nameless had risen in the air and Ni Tang could only watch.
"Looks like we're not getting anything out of that any time soon," Viper pointed out. Jackie had also realised that as long as the two demons were fighting off the ground, nobody else could do a thing. And he doubted the two would come back as long as they were both able to fly.
"We need to get the Nameless down," he said. He also kept an eye on Ni Tang. He had never trusted Valmont and he didn't want to do it now that the man was controlled by dark chi. On the other hand, the demon was just as eager to see the feathered demon go as they were.
"And how are we going to do that?" Viper asked, watching how the flying demons charged at each other, dodged and tried to strike at each others' wings. Hsi Wu was obviously faster and more agile, but he didn't look impressive compared to the Nameless.
Jackie didn't reply, but started examining the fallen trees. After finding a branch long enough he snapped it cut and eyed it. It was sharp, but perhaps his idea wasn't as good as he had first thought. Even if he could throw it high enough, it wouldn't hurt the Nameless.
"We're not being very useful here," he said in frustration. As he watched the fighting demons he realised that both had received damage. He wondered what would happen if the Nameless was hurt really badly. He couldn't die, right?
"Chan."
Jackie turned to look at Ni Tang, confused for that the demon spoke to him. What should he have thought? Was he supposed to treat him as Valmont or an individual person? Did it matter?
"Yes?" he asked in his most neutral voice. Ni Tang pointed farther away. Jackie had to slit his eyes to see what was going on at the other end of the park. He felt cold when he realised what he was seeing.
"Looks like the little girls are in trouble," Ni Tang said.
Jade and Xu Lin had almost got away from the area covered by stone when Shin had appeared in front of them out of nowhere. He was now in his older form and looked anything but the handsome young man who had lured Jade into his trap.
"You," Jade growled. She couldn't believe she had followed that creature like a puppy.
"It's been a while, Jade. I see you're back among the living," Shin said softly. A smile split his face.
"What do you want? You should be happy by now," Xu Lin said. The smile disappeared and Shin's eyes flared.
"Everyone else got what they wanted! I got nothing of what was promised to me!" he snapped with poison. "If everything goes as planned, I will finally be able to return home. But before that I want to taste mortal blood."
After that he took a surprisingly agile jump at the girls. They dodged and Jade took a fighting pose, ready to give her best. When the creature tried to take them on the next time, he received a sharp kick to the face. It didn't leave a single scratch.
"Even the sky demon couldn't beat me. What makes you think you can?" Shin chuckled and snapped his fingers. A blue flame appeared on his palm. That was enough to tell Jade that they shouldn't stick around and fight if they weren't able to use magic too.
"Come on!" she exclaimed and the girls started to run. Both had completely forgotten their plan to get the Talismans.
Shin waited a while before going after them. He was in no hurry. It would be fun to let the prey tire themselves.
"Jade!"
Everything else forgotten, Jackie was running. He didn't even stop to think what chances he had against Shin. All that had room in his mind was that this time Jade was in a greater danger than before.
Shin had already killed his niece once. It wouldn't happen again, even if he had to sacrifice his own life to make sure.
He didn't notice what Viper, Ni Tang or the other demons were doing.
What he didn't notice either before it was too late, was another dragon demon. Shendu charged at him out of nowhere and only the years spent practising saved Jackie. He leaped away, feeling the demons' claws scratch his back.
"I don't have time for this! Let me go and we can settle this later!" he suggested, but knew how useless it was. Shendu was the most stubborn and selfish creature he had ever had the displeasure of knowing and nothing would stop the fire demon now. He finally had the chance of getting rid of the mortal he hated more than anyone else.
"I've waited so long for this moment," Shendu hissed. "This time I will make it!" Jackie realised this was the demon's goodbye and he felt quite small compared to the dragon's huge form. Yet he wasn't afraid. At least not for himself. His thoughts were in Jade and Xu Lin who needed him.
Apparently Shendu wasn't about to waste precious time in talk and went straight to business. Despite his size the demon was agile and Jackie had his hands full with avoiding the claws and fire breath. This wasn't enough to help him concentrate and he kept glancing behind his shoulder where he had last seen Jade. Only sharp pain in his shoulder reminded him of the reality and that he'd be of no use to anyone if Shendu killed him.
Would he have time to help Jade after this? While dodging the demon's hits Jackie tried to lead him closer to the girls. Then they'd be facing two monsters, but perhaps he could do something to help them before...
"Don't try running away, Chan," Shendu mocked. "Without magic you don't stand a chance against me. Your struggle only amuses me."
There was one thing Jackie was grateful for. Viper was nowhere in sight. Perhaps she had understood what was important and had gone to help Jade and Xu Lin while Jackie kept Shendu busy. He hoped that more than anything.
Jackie jumped to his right when Shendu's claws slashed at him. As he hit the ground he felt blood trickle down his back. A few more hits like that and the demon could very well leave him alone to die.
The air vibrated with heat when Shendu breathed flames at him. Despite his pain Jackie rolled away and stood up as fast as he could. The stone had turned into shapeless, molten mass. Shendu was starting to get serious. Jackie knew that he'd have to come up with something and soon.
But what could he do about a dragon that was bigger, stronger and faster and could breathe fire? He had made it this far only because of his luck, but even that wouldn't protect him forever. He could already feel his movements getting slower.
"What will your family think of this?" he asked, trying to shake the demon. Shendu only snorted.
"My family? Why should I care, Chan? They are weak fools if they think I will let my revenge be. I'll never forgive you! You will have to pay for all you did to me! You and your family!" he hissed.
"The Nameless and Shin will kill us all if we don't do anything about it!" Jackie snapped back. He couldn't believe it that he was trying to make the fire demon agree with him. However, it was the only way to help Jade. If she was even alive anymore.
Shendu laughed. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to fall for that? I'm not interested in what happens to anyone as long as I get you for myself," he said. "Though I have to admit that it would be a pleasure to keep the girl as a slave."
Jackie saw red. He could have taken everything else but Shendu talking about Jade in such a tone and with such a sly glow in his eyes. With an angry growl that probably surprised the demon, Jackie attacked for the first time during the battle and aimed a hard kick at the demon's knee.
Perhaps his anger and frustration gave him extra strength because Shendu fell and grabbed his leg. Jackie hadn't delivered any real damage, though. The demon only got angrier and stared at Jackie with hatred that the archaeologist had never witnessed before.
"That was a mistake," Shendu hissed.
And then a new voice rang over them and Shendu turned around. To his horror Jackie realised that it was nobody else but Viper.
"How sweet. Did you come here so that you can die together? Or did you really think you could help him?" the dragon asked the ex-thief and Jackie didn't like either option. Viper shouldn't die like that!
"Go away!" he managed to exclaim, but another surprising event caught his attention. With amazement Jackie realised that Viper had only been there to draw Shendu's attention elsewhere.
Ni Tang had joined the battle with the same branch that Jackie had played with earlier. In the polar demon's hands it was a deadly weapon and when Shendu had turned his turned away to mock Viper, Ni Tang had appeared and sunk it deep into his brother's side.
Shendu roared in pain and the situation gave Jackie flashbacks to how Hak Foo had saved his life in Japan years earlier.
Eyes glowing with rage the fire demon threw Ni Tang off and the polar demon landed to the ground with a sickening crunch. Shendu himself fell to his knees and pulled the branch out, accompanied with a growl of pain and hatred. Blood gushed from the wound and coloured the ground red.
Jackie realised that this was their only chance of escape. He called Viper to follow him and only after they had left he turned to look at Ni Tang. The demon was trying to get up, but it was obvious he wouldn't have the time to do it before Shendu was back on his feet.
He felt horrible all of sudden. He knew for sure that he'd have to help Jade and he didn't dare to risk the girl's life by helping Ni Tang -- no matter what the demon had just done.
Thankfully Viper understood what her friend was thinking.
"You go and help Jade. I'll take care of the demon," she said. Jackie nodded in silence.
He had decided to take the risk.
Perhaps he wouldn't make it, but at least he wouldn't have to suffer in slavery. Pride so typical to his people filled Origami as he drew the last breath and let himself turn into paper.
After several quick folds he was a bird, spread his wings and took a daring jump. The wind caught his wings at once and made him tilt to his wounded side. He fought to keep himself in balance and fly away from the area, but it was obvious where the wind was taking him.
Swearing at what was about to follow, Origami let the breeze carry him closer to the park.
Hsi Wu let out a shriek when the Nameless' claws slashed at his back. The hit barely missed the sky demon's wings.
He hadn't delivered as much damage as he would have liked. The ground under them was coloured by read feathers, but the Nameless still didn't have trouble flying. Even the cuts Hsi Wu had inflicted on his sides didn't seem to slow him down.
"How long are you going to keep playing?" the dragon asked.
"As long as it takes to have your bleeding body at my feet!" Hsi Wu growled.
"Are you going to kill me alone? It looks like everyone has abandoned you," the Nameless said and Hsi Wu took a quick glance around. His enemy was right.
He felt a sudden wave of anger and disappointment go through him. Did the others really think he could take on the Nameless alone? Wasn't anyone interested in helping?
The Nameless hit him with his claws and Hsi Wu fell before regaining his balance. He spat blood and looked around again. Now that he had more time he could easily see where the others had gone.
Ni Tang and the rest were making sure that Shendu would have a painful day. With a grin Hsi Wu was about to go back to fighting with the Nameless, but then a flash from farther away caught his attention. Someone was using magic.
The Nameless, Shendu and Ni Tang were in his sight, his other siblings hadn't arrived yet -- if they would at all, and the old Chan was elsewhere. The magic he was seeing had to be Shin's doing.
It wasn't a surprise that Hsi Wu hated Shin more than the feathered demon. The Nameless hadn't done anything to him, but Shin had taken Jade and almost taken his life in the process. Hatred filled his mind and grew stronger than his responsibility to destroy the Nameless.
"When you were born you were so weak that you died before anyone had the time to give you a name!" he snapped, remembering what Tso Lan had said. If he wanted to get away from this fight, he'd have to use verbal attacks. With a sudden flinch the sky demon realised that the winged dragon had a much stronger bond with the demon family than he ever would.
Whether he liked it or not, the Nameless had the same father and mother as Tso Lan.
The dragon drew a hissing breath and Hsi Wu knew he had hit a sore spot.
"Don't say it! My spirit was stronger than anyone else's and I managed to remain in this world for all these years!" the Nameless threw back.
"Why didn't you return to life sooner? It has been thousands of years since your death. What were you waiting for?" Hsi Wu asked. Even though he had got the Nameless angrier than ever, neither was attacking. The demons merely circled around each other, trying to find a sudden weakness in the opponent.
"I couldn't! Even though I was here, my connection to this world wasn't strong enough. Only when you created Ni Tang to replace me, I had a chance. Despite your attempt he was an unstable creature and it was easy to grab onto him and use his life force. Soon I was strong enough to summon help," the Nameless replied.
Hsi Wu blinked. "Ni Tang?" he asked in confusion. Didn't the Nameless know that Hsi Wu was his replacement? Hadn't he noticed anything? The dragon could have returned so much earlier if he had just used the opportunity.
"Yes... That filthy creature took the place that belonged to me!" the Nameless snapped. Right then something flashed again and Hsi Wu realised that Shin was seriously attacking someone. The hunch he had didn't promise good.
"You should talk about that with him," he stated. The sky demon knew he'd never manage to slip out of the battle without finding the Nameless something else to do. Setting the dragon on the polar demon wasn't probably the best of options, but at the moment he was too busy to come up with something else.
Besides, right now he didn't want his enemy to find out who he really should have been trying to kill.
His words made the Nameless glance around. While the dragon searched for Ni Tang, Hsi Wu flapped his wings and dove to Shin's direction as fast as he could.
Xu Lin yelped and protected her face as a magical attack barely missed her and burnt her skin. Jade turned to look back at her at once.
"Are you okay?" she asked, though it was obvious that Xu Lin had had it easier. They were both red from running and having magic roast them, but Jade's burns were more serious and her cheek was bleeding a little.
"I'm fine," Xu Lin replied quickly and they continued their desperate escape.
Shin hadn't even tried to catch up with them yet, but continued playing with them. The creature stayed behind, just close enough to hit them if he wanted, but at the same time giving them false hope. He was also chasing them to a direction that was as far away from the rest as possible. There would be no help coming.
Jade couldn't believe that everything had gone so wrong. If they had just had another minute they might have got out of the park and started for the Talismans. Well, they had the Horse, it was no real use. Right now their injuries weren't serious enough to need healing.
A light flashed and the ground ahead of them erupted. They both stopped, covering their faces from the pieces of stone and dust. When they were able to see again they noticed that Shin had finally caught up with them.
"The chase ends here," the creature said. He wasn't smiling and didn't look anywhere near as smug as Jade had suspected. For some reason Shin's calm expression only annoyed her more.
"Come on, take a shot!" she snapped. There was no reason to run anymore. The best thing to do was to wait, fight and hope that something unexpected happened. That was how she usually got out of situations like this.
"With pleasure."
However, Shin never had the time to do anything but raise his hand above his head. He was pushed to the ground and with an angry growl he stood up to see the demon he probably hated the most.
"You!" he hissed, but this time Hsi Wu had no intention of remaining there to fight.
"Jade, come!" the sky demon said and caught the surprised girl in his arms. Within a second he took off, leaving everyone else to the ground.
"No! We can't leave Xu Lin!" Jade exclaimed and stared down where her friend was.
"Only a fool would go back. Shin is dangerous," Hsi Wu stated. "It was difficult enough to get you out of there. I'm not going to do it again for your friend."
For a short moment Jade stared at the demon, a shocked expression on her face. Then blind rage and disgust filled her and she dug her finger nails as deep into the demon's chest as she could.
"You... horrible monster! How could you save me but leave Xu Lin to die?" she asked.
"She doesn't mean a thing to me. I wouldn't have had the time to save you if I had tried to help her," Hsi Wu stated calmly. In the middle of her anger Jade realised that the demon didn't think he had done anything wrong. He understood nothing of what was important to Jade.
"And here I thought you had changed for better during the years! Put me down at once! I don't want to see you ever again!" she shouted and tried her best to free her from the demon's arms. However, he was stubborn and didn't let her go.
"What are you saying, Jade? We're friends," Hsi Wu said.
"Friends? I could never be friends with you! Perhaps you think it's okay to abandon your family and friends for your own selfish interests, but I don't! You make me sick!" Jade spat and hit the demon as hard as she could. It didn't seem to have a desired effect and she turned to glance behind them. What would happen to Xu Lin?
Suddenly she remembered something and slipped her hand in her pocket. The Horse Talisman! They were already quite far away from Shin and Xu Lin, but with a little luck her friend could get a hold of the Talisman.
Hoping for the best, Jade threw the artefact as far as she could.
Hsi Wu understood why Jade was angry. Mortals were so dependant on the well being of their loved ones. It was obvious Jade would have sacrificed everything to saver her friend.
But he wouldn't have. Xu Lin was only one among the numerous mortals and meant nothing. He wouldn't put himself in danger or let Jade do something like that either. She would understand one day.
"You should be grateful. I just saved your life," he said. Jade looked at him with an expression of such hatred that he almost wanted to let her go.
"And destroyed our friendship forever. After this day I won't even spit at your direction, Hsi Wu," the girl said quietly. Her tone made a shudder go down the demon's spine and he realised that Jade was being serious.
"I know you're sad and shocked, but there was nothing I could do," he said.
"You could have done everything! It doesn't matter if you were once human, you know. You're obviously just like the others! No, you're worse. Tso Lan or Po Kong would have never abandoned a friend like that!" Jade's sharp words made Hsi Wu slit his eyes. Who did she think she was, talking to him like that? He was nothing like the others!
"Shut up! I was stupid to think you'd show gratitude!" he hissed and started landing. As far as he cared, Jade could walk back to her relatives.
"No, you were stupid to think I'd want to have anything to do with a monster. You haven't changed at all, Hsi Wu. You're just as cruel, selfish and blood-thirsty as before. I'm not going to waste my life waiting for a change that will never come. Jackie was right."
Neither of them said anything else. The sky demon put Jade down and she left without taking one glance back.
"Stupid mortal," Hsi Wu muttered in disappointment. Then he noticed something strange in the sky. And he wasn't the only one.
When Viper got to Ni Tang she noticed that she no longer had a demon to save. The change was quick and complete and made her hesitate for a moment. It had been easy to convince Ni Tang to help her, but she wasn't so sure about Valmont.
"I can get up on my own, thank you very much," the crime lord stated, pushing Viper's helping hand away. He managed to do it, but not without almost losing his balance and having to put all his weight on his left leg.
"I can see that," Viper remarked lifting a mocking brow. Valmont said nothing to that, only glared daggers at her.
"Where did Shendu go?" the Brit asked and that got Viper to look around. True, the fire demon was gone and had left only a pool of blood behind. She felt cold as she realised that the demon had indeed went after Jackie instead of inflicting his revenge on them.
"We have to help Jackie!" she hurried, but Valmont made no move. Viper could feel herself grow mad as she stared at the man's expressionless face.
"What?" Valmont asked as she noticed her anger. "You don't think I'm going to help Chan, do you?"
"It wasn't such a problem just a moment ago," Viper said.
A small smile appeared on Valmont's face. "Yes, but I did it only to get rid of Shendu. He would have come after me at one point anyway, and saving Chan was just an unfortunate side effect," he said. His smug expression was cracked when he grimaced in pain after accidentally leaning on his injured leg.
"Shendu is not dead yet and now he's really mad."
"He can't get far with a wound like that. It won't take long before he bleeds to death," Valmont said. "And now I really must go. I've suffered enough because of this mess." He started to limp away.
"I liked you a lot more when you were a demon," Viper said. It was a pity that the painful hit had made Ni Tang go back to being a human. The polar demon might have agreed to help, but, ironically, his human side was much more selfish.
She knew she had to hurry to Jackie's aid, but right then she happened to lift her eyes to the sky. There was something interesting going on.
Xu Lin did nothing when Hsi Wu grabbed Jade and flew off. Even Shin could only stare and once the duo was gone he finally realised what had happened.
"That Hsi Wu, always ruining everything!" he growled. Then his eyes turned to the remaining girl. "Well, I can catch them later. You, on the other hand..."
Xu Lin took a step back. Her mind told her to run, but it felt like her ankles were shackled to the ground. Now that she was alone she no longer had the strength to escape.
"Please, don't hurt me," she pleaded. It was useless of course, and the controlled glow in Shin's eyes only added to her terror. Her skin tickled, but her thoughts were strangely clear.
I must be in shock, she told herself. Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed how something fell to the ground twenty metres away. Shin noticed it too.
"What now?" he asked turning his eyes away for a second. Xu Lin didn't have the time or courage to take even one step before the creature's attention was back on her. I need to do something or I'll die, she scolded herself. Thinking about how Jade wouldn't have frozen like that, she managed to get herself moving and rushed to grab the item that had fallen from the sky.
At the same time Shin fired a magical attack at her and Xu Lin shrieked in pain as she fell to the ground and felt her fingers wrap around the strange object. In the next instant the pain subsided and she dared to open her eyes.
The Horse Talisman, she thought in surprise. Jade must have thrown it at her. It would not help her forever, though. It would heal her, yes, but if Shin used magic strong enough she might die in one hit.
She stood up, her intention running away, but the angry Shin hit her again. Xu Lin flew away from the impact and yelped as her back hit the ground. The Talisman healed her at once, but didn't stop her from feeling the pain for the short moment.
"Let her be!" a sudden voice shouted and they both turned to look.
"Jackie!" Xu Lin shouted in surprise. She climbed to her feet and managed to take a few steps before another attack stopped her.
"This is starting to get annoying. Why does someone always have to appear right when it's getting interesting?" Shin asked turning to face Jackie. "Well, at least you don't possess a way to heal yourself."
"What happened to Jade?" Jackie asked.
"She's safe. Hsi Wu saved her," Xu Lin replied as she tried to get closer to the archaeologist. Unfortunately Shin wasn't about to let them join forces.
"That's enough with games!" the creature snapped and fired an attack at Jackie. It hit the man in the chest and sent him flying backwards -- straight into the arms of Shendu who was coming right at them.
The fire demon growled in pain as Jackie was smashed at his wounded side. The demon almost fell to his knees. To Jackie it was a stroke of luck, though, as Shendu's body made his fall a little easier.
"You traitor! Chan was mine!" Shendu hissed in rage. Shin didn't even blink, only stared at the demon calmly. Perhaps it was because the fire demon was hurt. Xu Lin didn't want to remain there to guess but hurried to Jackie's side while the two magical creatures were busy with each other.
Jackie was badly scratched and his clothes were charred. The scent of burnt flesh made Xu Lin gag and cover her nose. Quickly she slipped the Horse Talisman on Jackie's chest and sighed in relief when it healed the man's wounds. At least he wasn't dead.
But he wasn't in good shape. True, his physical injuries were gone, but he was still unconscious. Xu Lin tried to wake him up, but it was no use. In the end she decided to drag the man way. They would be safer anywhere else.
After hiding Jackie behind a few fallen trees Xu Lin grabbed the Talisman back and pondered her options. The wisest thing to do was to go and find help, but in order to do that she would have had to walk past Shendu and Shin. And she was not going to do that without knowing what the two were doing.
Putting the Talisman in her pocket Xu Lin started creeping back to see what was going on.
Shendu pressed his claws at his wound and glared at the creature in front of him. His shoulders fell and rose in rhythm with his pained breathing. The agony in his side and dizziness caused by blood loss weren't enough to make him back away. Quite the contrary, they fed his already bright flame of hatred.
How could everything have gone so wrong? He had been supposed to kill Chan with one stroke and start preparing for world domination. Instead he was here, beaten and suffering from a wound that would eventually kill him.
If he wanted to survive he would have to find rest and healing spells at once. Neither option was available to him, but, controlled by his rage, Shendu didn't stop to think how final the following few hours would be.
"You betrayed me!" he spat at Shin.
The creature only shrugged.
"I wasn't going to kill Chan. He appeared at the wrong time," he said.
"You could have still done something else than attack him!"
Shendu took a threatening step at Shin and received an amused stare in return.
"Are you going to attack me? I've almost killed two of your brothers and they weren't injured," he said, but did take a step back when Shendu kept coming closer.
"Dai Gui and Hsi Wu are weak fools! Nobody in my family ever had the powers I possess!"
Shendu raised his claws, red with his own blood, and charged at Shin. The creature didn't return the attack, but dodged, obviously hoping that the demon would calm down.
"Don't be a fool! We can still destroy Heing Meh and you can have Chan for yourself. The girl dragged him away, in case you didn't notice," he said with a soothing expression on his face.
Unfortunately it was not enough to suppress Shendu's blind rage. The demon wasn't angry just at Shin, but everyone, including himself. He hated Chan who always got lucky, Chan's friends and Valmont for what they had done to him, his family for existing and himself for letting the situation get this far.
"I can do that without you!"
"Not in that condition!" A desperate shadow slowly crept on Shin's face. "You were supposed to help me get back home! My family --"
The fire demon grinned. "Looks like the little brats will have to learn to live without daddy."
And then he attacked.
Xu Lin didn't think that she could take Jackie to safety as long as Shendu and Shin were at each other's throats. It was perhaps the best to return to her friend and make sure he was fine, but she couldn't tear her eyes from the battle.
It was fast, intense and cruel. Shendu's wound didn't seem to slow him down much -- with a flinch Xu Lin realised that it was identical to the one in her dream -- but Shin wasn't about to give up either.
The fire demon was only using his mighty claws, but because of his weak form Shin had to resort to magic. Despite his earlier arrogance the creature was losing.
Magic was a great weapon if there was much distance between the fighters. Now Shin had to retreat constantly to avoid Shendu's attacks and had no time to use his stronger spells. The weak hits Shendu received did nothing.
"I won't go down this easily!" Shin growled and looked like he was about to escape. The creature showed surprising agility in his robe and leaped away, trusting in that Shendu wouldn't have the strength to follow.
It was a mistake. Shendu was no longer able to reach him with his claws, but he could still breathe fire. Fallen trees and other rubble caught fire gladly and soon the fighting duo was surrounded by an ocean of dancing flames. Xu Lin had to stumble back and protect her face from the heat.
Because of the flames she no longer saw what was happening, but she heard the horrible scream that could belong to nobody other than Shin. Deciding that this was her moment to escape and take Jackie with her, she turned around to leave, but Shendu's voice stopped her.
"Going somewhere, Xu Lin?"
What so many had stopped to follow was the appearance of a paper bird. Viper noticed it, Uncle lifted his eyes from his spell, and most importantly, the Nameless noticed it.
After Hsi Wu had left the fight the dragon hadn't know what to do. Nobody had come to challenge him and he had started to feel disappointed. This was meant to be his day! And yet everyone had found something else to do with each other and it looked like everyone had forgotten him Where was that blasted Shin, too?
His dark thoughts were pushed aside by curiosity when Origami appeared in the middle of it all. Sensing that magic was being used, the Nameless flew to the bird and circled around it for a while. The current of air created by his wings almost made the bird fall and he charged at it to stop it.
Paper was crushed and torn in his claws and despite it being completely expressionless and silent, the dragon could sense the pain he was causing. He almost laughed with joy when the bird took a human form.
It was an Asian man he had never met or heard about before. A man who didn't mean a thing to him and who he wouldn't miss.
"You know what?" he asked, crushing the man in his claws and watching his pained and terrified expression with amusement. "I have an idea."
And so he flew to the statue in the middle of the square and, with a playful twinkle in his eyes, impaled Origami on the long sword.
At first the man couldn't do a thing from his shock. Blood flowed past his lips and only then he had the sense to scream.
The Nameless grinned, watching how Origami twitched a couple of times and listening to his bloodied shriek.
It took a while before it ended.
Xu Lin could do nothing as Shendu approached her through the flames. The sight was straight from her dream. The flames, Shendu's wound and the hatred in his eyes... Only her wounds were gone.
Cold terror filled her when she realised that the moment had come. And yet it was different. She didn't expect the real Shendu to be concerned for her.
She was right, in a way. A grin spread on Shendu' face. "Are you alright, Xu Lin?" he asked and the girl realised he was mocking her.
"Go away!" she exclaimed. She didn't expect it to help, but to her surprise Shendu stopped and the grin disappeared. However, it had nothing to do with her plead.
Xu Lin realised that Shin's attacks must have hurt the demon more than she had thought. The fire demon's body had many spots with no scales and the blood from his wound had coloured his entire bottom half red.
Shendu fell to his knees with a hiss, but didn't take his eyes off the girl. "Go ahead and laugh, mortal," the demon panted. "I still have enough strength to kill you."
"You saved us from Shin," Xu Lin said and Shendu laughed. It was a tired laugh.
"You think I did it for you? I would have killed him in any case. I did it for myself!" he snapped, as if he had found it insulting that someone even suspected he had tried to help mortals voluntarily.
"I know," Xu Lin replied.
Shendu slit his eyes. "Then why are you still here? Do you take pleasure in my condition?" he asked. "This must be such a victory for Chan..."
Xu Lin sighed. "I should let you die. You have caused nothing but misery, don't regret it and aren't going to change. Nobody would miss you and I think everyone would be just happy to see you go." If she had expected Shendu to look sad at her words, she was disappointed.
"What are you saying?" the demon asked instead. "Even if you could do something --" he was silenced when Xu Lin pulled out the Horse Talisman.
"I'm going to regret this later, but without you Shin would have killed me and Jackie. Father always told me to pay my debts, even to people like you," Xu Lin said and pressed the Talisman at the demon's arm. She made sure that he wasn't able to suck it into him. It would have been stupid to let him have the power of healing back.
Within a blink Shendu's wounds closed and he stood up.
"My Talisman!" he exclaimed in excitement and grabbed Xu Lin to get the item back. Before he managed to do that, an agonized scream interrupted him and they both froze.
"Just like in my dream," Xu Lin whispered and for a short moment they forgot they were enemies.
"I know who it was. I can't feel his life force anymore," Shendu said. The demon's voice was strangely quiet and it took a while before Xu Lin realised that he was in complete shock.
"Who was it?" she asked in fright, as she hadn't recognised the inhuman wail.
"He's gone! All my plans are ruined!" Shendu burst suddenly and threw Xu Lin to the ground. He had completely forgotten the Talisman. "Whoever did this, will pay dearly!"
He still hasn't got enough of killing, Xu Lin thought as she stood up. Shendu had run off in mad rage and the girl felt like the demon wouldn't be himself after this.
Well, it wasn't her problem. She returned to Jackie and found out that he had woken up.
"Xu Lin! You're fine!" he exclaimed. "What happened?"
"Shendu killed Shin," Xu Lin replied. When seeing Jackie's worried expression, she hurried to explain, "Don't worry, he's not here anymore. My dream came true and someone died. Shendu went insane and rushed away."
"Who was it?" Jackie asked in worry.
"I can't say, but it might have been a man," the girl replied. She and Jackie didn't want to waste anymore time talking, but started after Shendu to make sure their loved ones were still alive.
"This should help," Uncle said sounding tired after finishing yet another spell. Black bent closer in interest.
"What does it do?" he asked.
Uncle sighed. "It's an attack spell, much stronger than the ones I've used before," he said.
"So, I take our lizard friend is not going to like this, huh?"
Black suspected he was the only one who wasn't feeling any doubts about this. He was used to that you had to get rid of your enemies and he had seen more death during his career than he had ever wanted. Perhaps it had hardened him, but in this situation he considered it to be an advantage.
He hadn't hesitated when ordering his men to kill Tchang Zu and he wasn't about to do it now. And if it was up to him, nobody else would hesitate either. They simply had to get rid of this demon.
"How fast does it kill?" he asked.
"It's not the strongest possible spell, but causes enough damage," Uncle replied. From the old man's eyes Black could see that even though he wasn't feeling the least comfortable when they got to talking about killing, he wouldn't turn back anymore. Uncle had the ability to do what was right, even when doing so hurt.
"Sensei, look!" Tohru's shocked voice caught their attention and made them lift their eyes from Uncle's spell ingredients. Black was just about to ask what the Japanese had seen when he noticed it too.
The Nameless was back. The demon flew in broken circles around the statue holding something that Black soon recognised as a human. With a heavy feeling in his stomach he watched how the demon impaled that poor soul in the statue's sword.
The scream that followed made him frown. "I really hope that wasn't Jackie," he said. He pushed the worry aside and turned back to Uncle. "Are you ready to use that in case the lizard flies here?"
"Everything is ready," Uncle said with a nod.
Just then a bright flash blinded them. At first Black was afraid of the Nameless having come up with a trick for them, but when he could see again he noticed their old friends had come to join them.
We could have done it without them, he thought.
"What makes you come here now? You are late!" Uncle snapped angrily as he stormed to Tso Lan and stabbed the demon's chest with a finger -- he was too short to reach the temples.
"It's not that simple to travel from another side of the world when you don't know the exact destination," Tso Lan stated.
"What do you mean we're late? What happened?" Bai Tsa asked.
Uncle pointed to the statue where the dead man's body was easy to see. The Nameless had stopped his little game and had turned to look at them. Black counted how many seconds it would take before the demon attacked them.
"Indifferent," Tso Lan said. "Losing one life doesn't mean a thing in this battle."
"I think we're going to lose some more soon," Black said. His words made everyone realise that the Nameless was coming right at them.
Uncle and Tohru grabbed their spell ingredients and the demons looked like they were ready to fight. Black felt helpless, he had no way of participating in the fight.
I guess I have to settle with pulling the bodies aside, he thought.
Shendu was insane. He wasn't only angry, now he was also disappointed and even a little scared. His entire future had been based on the idea that sooner or later he would get what he wanted from Sha Fuju. Now it was impossible. He was back at the beginning again.
He couldn't believe it! That cursed mortal had had the guts to escape after all! And the Nameless! At that moment the fire demon hated the dragon, his brother, more than anyone else in the world, Jackie included.
He will pay! he promised himself. That was as far as he wanted to think because otherwise he would have had to ask himself just what he was going to do after the battle. All his plans had been crushed.
In his blind rage he didn't see Uncle, the other mortals or his siblings. After fixing his eyes upon the Nameless he didn't think about anything else than having the dragon crushed at his feet, drinking his blood and tasting his pain and death.
The Nameless was flying so high that Shendu's claws couldn't reach him, but he breathed fire, not really caring about that his siblings had to dodge his insane attacks as well. Some of the fire hit the target though and the Nameless' wings were soon smoking. It was nothing compared to the fire in the flying dragon's eyes.
"Another brother I haven't met before!" he snapped. "You and the rest arrived at quite a bad time. My intention was to get rid of Ni Tang and then take on you one by one. But if you want a massacre, I have nothing against it. Shin!"
The Nameless raised his head and looked around, searching for his servant. Nothing happened -- apart from him having to dodge one of Shendu's attacks.
"He can't hear you where he is now," Shendu growled.
"You killed him?" the Nameless asked and his eyed widened. "Impossible! Nobody was supposed to be able to beat him!"
"He was weak and pathetic, just like my family. He didn't understand my true powers. And apparently you don't either," Shendu said. For a moment his eyes turned to the statue and its broken victim. The blood that fell to the ground was the perfect image of his dream that was now slipping through his fingers.
"You will pay for that!" he screamed and charged at his enemy again. A flame hit the Nameless' other wing and the demon lost his balance. He managed to remain in the air, but because of the damaged wing his movements were a lot clumsier.
Shendu was just about to attack again when a green beam hit the Nameless in the chest, sent the demon flying and made him fall in a heap of red wings.
"What?" the fire demon turned around and noticed that the old Chan had joined the battle. The old man stood straight and was looking at him with a serious expression. No lectures of wisdom, no comments. As long as Uncle was silent, Shendu didn't have a reason to complain.
He finally paid attention to his family that had watched the scene in silence. It was good that they were in the middle of a fight because otherwise Tso Lan would have liked to talk. Shendu had no intention of doing that with his older brother anymore. Never again.
With a quick leap he was at the Nameless. The demon had just stood up and Shendu sunk his claws into his side, ripping and tearing scales and flesh. The winged demon shrieked in pain and slashed at Shendu with his long tail. When the fire demon was still getting up it was his turn to taste his enemy's claws.
The pain didn't bother him and he managed to push the Nameless away. The demonic duo glared at each other, bleeding and panting.
Shendu wasn't worried. Revenge flowed in his veins and he only enjoyed the battle -- even though it was his third that day.
"You think you can win? I'm stronger than you!" the Nameless spat.
"But can you take us all together?"
Bai Tsa was the next demon to join the battle. Despite that her hatred for Shendu ran deep, she flashed a playful grin at her brother.
"It's been a while since we fought together," she said.
"We never did that," Shendu said back.
Bai Tsa shrugged. "Well, this is a first, then."
After that the water demon slithered to the Nameless and hit him with her tail. He dodged the first slash, but the next sent him back to the ground. Shendu was instantly at him again and soon Dai Gui joined him. Together they managed to hit and cut their enemy, but he had no intention of giving up.
With a mighty roar the Nameless rushed away from his enemies, spread his injured wings and took shaky flight. It lead to that most of the demon family was useless. Bai Tsa and Dai Gui could do nothing that would have hurt the flying demon and Xiao Fung's wind attacks wouldn't have done much either, since they would have only sent the Nameless away. Po Kong was high enough to reach the dragon, but she was too clumsy to actually catch him.
That only left Shendu and Tso Lan. When one counted Uncle there were only three fighters against the Nameless.
"Where is Hsi Wu?" Tso Lan asked.
"The fly must have run off," Shendu said. It would be so much like Hsi Wu to slip away when the situation got serious.
Valmont had no idea how to get out of the park. He had seen Black's men as Ni Tang and now that he was back in his human form, he didn't stand a chance to get past them. Going to the Chans would be useless as they'd just arrest him as well.
Hsi Wu was probably his only option. The Brit stopped to take a look around. Where was the sky demon? For a short moment he felt worry for the demon since he had last seen him fighting with the Nameless. Hsi Wu was the only demon that could have meant something to him.
Besides, without his help he would have to get adjusted to what the world looked like behind bars.
He didn't see the bat-like demon anywhere, but he would have been blind if he hadn't noticed that battle that was going on farther away.
"Looks like someone isn't having fun," he said to himself and snorted when he saw the Nameless in the middle of it. Nobody else was flying, so he guessed Hsi Wu wasn't there.
I have no reason to be there, he thought. He had seen enough danger for the day. It felt impossible to think that he had really attacked Shendu when he could have let Chan take care of him.
It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of him. Pity he didn't die at my feet. It would have been a suitable revenge for all I had to go through.
Where was that Hsi Wu? Valmont was starting to grow angry. Hadn't he suffered enough? Was it really too much asked that the demon would come and assist him? He doubted Hsi Wu would like to continue hanging around once they had got rid of the Nameless.
Then he saw a far away figure he instantly recognised. Valmont raised both of his hands and waved at the demon who turned to his direction soon enough. The Brit didn't dare to shout because he didn't want to attract any more attention.
"What is it?" Hsi Wu asked sharply as he landed. The demon was frowning and an angry expression covered his face. His body carried the marks of a battle, but Valmont didn't think the demon was angry because of the fight with the Nameless.
"Nothing interesting is going on. Why don't we leave now that nobody is here to stop us?" he suggested cheerfully.
Hsi Wu looked at his injuries. "You need a lift out of here, right? What makes you think I'd help you?" he asked.
"Well, how about that we're still talking? When I last asked, you didn't want to have anything to do with your family. I'm the only one you have!" Valmont snapped.
His words made the demon grimace. The reaction confused Valmont. He was starting to feel like he didn't understand a thing.
"True," Hsi Wu said, "but that doesn't mean that's the way things should be. You should try thinking about someone else for a change."
"And what do you mean by that? Just because nobody around here means anything to me doesn't mean that --" Valmont started defending himself, but a glare from Hsi Wu silenced him.
"You know what will happen if Heing Meh wins. Then even those you do care about -- whoever those poor souls are -- will suffer," he said.
"Then what do you want me to do? Go there and get myself killed? Look at me! I did enough by getting rid of Shendu!" Valmont threw back.
"You think he's dead?" Hsi Wu started to laugh and shivers went down Valmont's spine. Not because of the laugh, but the horrible message behind the demon's words.
"Shendu is alive?" he asked in confusion, all anger and arrogance gone from his voice.
"And in perfect condition, even. I saw him as I was flying here. He looked angry," Hsi Wu said.
Valmont felt like the ground was shaking under him. "Now I really need to get out of here. He'll kill me the minute he sees me!" he worried and glanced around, as if expecting the fire demon to charge at him at any moment.
"No, he won't, if Tso Lan is there. Come, let's join the others. Even if you don't want to do anything for anyone, you should be there to see what happens. I believe you too have questions that haven't been answered yet," Hsi Wu said.
"Will you help me out of here, then? I don't fancy the idea of getting to know Black's men. I got enough of them last time," Valmont said and for the first time during the conversation the sky demon grinned.
"If I'm in a good mood," he said.
Jackie and Xu Lin hurried on. The girl had told the archaeologist what had happened while he had been out cold.
"I hope Jade is fine," Jackie muttered. Despite that Hsi Wu had done his best to keep the girl save earlier, he didn't trust the demon. His motive wasn't clear and he didn't like the idea that had started to form in his mind.
"I don't think she's in danger. I'm more worried about Uncle and the rest," Xu Lin said.
Jackie felt like the worries of the entire world were on his shoulders. His family and friends were somewhere there and he had no way of knowing if they were still alive or helping them.
Suddenly he saw two figures farther away. His heart jumped when he realised they were humans.
"Look!" Xu Lin exclaimed. "It's Jade and Viper!"
Jackie dared to breathe normally again as he realised that his niece and friend were alive and well. A happy smile took control of his face and he caught Jade in his arms the minute they reached each other.
The girl let out a surprised yelp and struggled free.
"Don't do that, Jackie! You know I hate it!" she said, but couldn't stop her own grin. They both knew how lucky they were to be together again.
Jade turned to Xu Lin. "You're still alive! What happened?"
"I'll tell you later. We don't have time right now," her friend replied.
"You two shouldn't have come here in the first place," Jackie said and Jade's smile died.
"I know. Don't start the lecture," she said.
"I won't. I'm too happy to have you here," Jackie said.
"Hey, what about me?" Viper asked and the archaeologist turned to look at the woman. She was standing with her arms crossed, weight on her left leg and the old, familiar smirk on her face. Her hair was a mess, but other than that she was the old Viper.
"Oh, sorry! Of course I'm happy to see you. Don't think that --" Jackie started, worried that Viper might think he didn't care about her.
"I don't. If we weren't in this situation I'd tell you to relax a little. But I guess we'd better hurry to the others or we'll miss the entire thing," the woman said.
"You're right," Jackie admitted and the four headed back to look for the rest.
It didn't take long before they saw the first signs of battle. Dancing flames told them of Shendu's presence and Jackie hoped that the occasional green flash meant Uncle was there. The old man would have never missed the fight, unless he was unable to take part. And that wasn't a thought he wanted to give much time to.
When they got closer they faced a surprising sight. The Nameless stood on shaky legs, bleeding and grimacing at the other demons who stood around him. They had injuries too, especially Shendu and Bai Tsa. To Jackie it looked like one of the water demon's tentacles had been bitten off and her body was covered in bleeding cuts.
A little behind the demons stood Uncle with spell ingredients in both hands. Tohru stood side by side with his master and he too was carrying something Jackie guessed to be a magical weapon. Black, on the other hand, had voluntarily chosen to stay back. Quite far away from the bald man stood Valmont, watching the fight with an unhappy expression.
Jackie and the rest headed for Black, as they were useless in this fight.
"What's going on?" Jackie asked his friend.
"Jackie! It's great to see you. For a moment we thought..." Black didn't finish his sentence, only coughed. "The Nameless killed someone -- impaled him in that statue over there -- and came to boast here. Shendu arrived just in time, the other demons followed his example and here we are. If you ask me, that creature won't last long." Black nodded at the Nameless right when the dragon managed to dodge Dai Gui's fist.
"That makes no sense! The Nameless is Heing Meh and we weren't supposed to be able to kill him!" Jade snapped.
"You're right," Jackie said frowning. It really looked like the Nameless might fall at any moment. Was it really that easy? All this time they had believed that destroying Heing Meh was difficult, impossible even. The archaeologist couldn't help it that a bad feeling rose inside him.
"Who did he kill?" he asked.
"No idea, but from here he looked a little like you," Black stated.
"We heard his scream with Shendu," Xu Lin said and Jade and Viper told they had heard it as well. "He went insane and rushed away madder than ever. The victim must have meant something to him."
"Then I know who it is," Viper said. The others looked at her in curiosity and she shrugged. "Origami. He was Shendu's slave and the dragon probably had some use for him."
"That makes sense," Jackie admitted. He was sorry for the thief, but at the same time he felt relieved for that another innocent life hadn't been lost. The feeling made him loathe himself.
An enraged and pained shriek brought their attention back to the fight and they saw that the Nameless had finally fallen. The dragon collapsed to his side with a thud and could only glare at the others, panting hard. His wings were in shreds and blood was pouring from the numerous wounds.
Jackie and the rest hurried closer right when Shendu was about to leap at the Nameless to finish the job.
"Stop!" Tso Lan ordered sharply and his tone made Shendu slow down.
"Don't tell me you pity him!" he snapped.
"I don't, but he won't die before he has answered my questions," Tso Lan said calmly. With a wave of his four arms he ordered the other demons away and floated in front of the injured Nameless. The moon demon obviously wasn't afraid of the dragon striking at him anymore.
"What do you want? Humiliate me more?" the Nameless asked, coughed and spat blood.
"I want answers," Tso Lan said. The Nameless' eyes were slit and a small smile appeared in the corners of his mouth.
"And what makes you think I'd tell you anything?"
"There is no other choice. You will die in any case."
"Your words warm my heart, brother," the Nameless stated, but his tone revealed he had accepted his fate. Yet, the fire in his eyes didn't die. "You're stupid if you think I'll fall for your tricks after this!"
"We don't need to know what he has to say. Let's kill him!" Shendu suggested.
"I have to admit that I agree. He has caused us only trouble," Bai Tsa said. Tso Lan glared at the two and turned to the dying one again.
"You may die as an outcast we will never remember again, if you wish. But if you want to have a... mention in our family, you will talk. Otherwise no one will speak of you ever again," he said.
On hearing the moon demon's words the Nameless flinched and drew a ragged breath. The demon considered for a long moment and nodded then. "Fine," he said and Jackie couldn't help thinking that Tso Lan's threat had meant much more than he could imagine.
"How did you come back? When you died you were so young that it shouldn't have been possible," Tso Lan asked.
"Ha! I'm stronger than any of you! I was meant for great deeds, but destiny interfered. It didn't mean that I was to give up. Even as an infant I was mentally strong enough to remain as a shadow in this world." The Nameless threw another breath and coughed again.
"I was not able to do anything without a body. Years went past and magic started to die. My changes grew rare and thin, but then a magically unstable creature was born. I was able to stick to him and feed on him," he continued.
"Ni Tang," the moon demon guessed. The Nameless nodded.
"Yes. I've been with him ever since he was born and finally I grew strong enough to summon a servant from another world. You already know what his role was."
Before Tso Lan could say anything, Jade pushed past the moon demon. "But why did you try to kill your own family?"
The Nameless chuckled. "Why? Because they forgot about me! They buried me without a name and created a flawed replacement for me!" he snapped and continued with a quieter tone, "How ironic that I was able to return just because of that..."
"You're wrong," Tso Lan pointed out and made the dragon lift his eyes sharply.
"What?" he croaked. The blood in his lungs made his voice sound hoarse.
"Ni Tang is not your replacement. Hsi Wu is. He was created soon after your death," the moon demon said.
The shock on the Nameless' face surprised Jackie. It looked like the dragon had entirely forgotten he was dying. He almost pitied the demon.
"He? But... I can't feel anything! He's a real demon!" the Nameless snapped.
"True, as the rest of us were there to create him. I wasn't there when Ni Tang was born," Tso Lan said. "I see your time is almost up. There is one more question in my mind."
The Nameless coughed and nodded. He looked miserable and it was hard to believe that a moment ago he had been arrogant and sworn to kill all his siblings.
"We know that you are Heing Meh and that we shouldn't have killed you. What will happen to the world when you are gone?" Tso Lan asked, but the answer was simpler anyone could have ever imagined.
"No."
"What?"
"I'm... not Heing Meh." The earlier speaking had tired the Nameless and the dragon had to struggle to continue. "I wanted to fulfil the legend and take... his name as mine. Now I know I'm not... him."
A shocked silence took over everyone and they could only hear the Nameless' tortured breathing.
"What are you saying?" Tso Lan asked finally.
"I'm not Heing Meh!" the Nameless snapped. "I already answered your questions. Are you happy? I have... something to ask for as well."
"What do you want?" the moon demon asked. His voice sounded weak.
"Give me a name before I die."
Tso Lan was silent and looked at his other siblings. Shendu looked like all he wanted was to rip the other dragon's throat open, there was no feeling on Po Kong, Dai Gui and Xiao Fung's face and Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa didn't look very happy either.
Then the earth demon nodded.
"Give him a name," Dai Gui said.
"Fine," Tso Lan agreed. "You never had the time to be part of this family, you don't know us and we don't know you. Perhaps you were lucky." On saying this Tso Lan took a quick glance at Shendu. "Despite this you don't need to die without a name again. Sleep well, brother Deng Qian."
Deng Qian nodded, coughed and rested his head on his claws. He closed his eyes and didn't move again. It didn't take long before he stopped breathing.
"He was the demon of dreams, but didn't reach his own before dying," Bai Tsa remarked.
Shendu snorted, but nobody paid attention to him.
"He deserved this after what he did to us," Xiao Fung added.
"This was it? Is it all over now?" Jackie asked.
"No," Uncle said and everyone turned to look at him. "We still have one open question." The old man nodded at Deng Qian. "If he wasn't Heing Meh, then who is?"
Almost the End...