11. Dangerous Japan

Shen craned his neck. A coast appeared on the horizon. Impatiently, he kept an eye on the piece of land in the distance until finally the captain hurried to him.

"My lord, we will reach the coast of Japan in 5 minutes."

Shen hardly showed any emotion, but inside he was totally agitated. "And this area is uninhabited?" he asked again with a slight disinterest in his voice.

The antelope nodded. "As you wished. But then we can't go that close to the shore because of the rocks in the water."

Shen waved his wing dismissively. "It's enough if you stop a few meters in front of it. I can handle the rest on my own."

The white peacock waited a while longer until the ship swam close enough to the shore, which consisted only of pure vegetation and large round stones.

Shen tied his lance sword to his back, which he had previously wrapped in a cloth. The people didn't have to see right away that he was armed. And a small holdall that he slung on his shoulder. Then he stood on the railing and searched the coast for a suitable landing place. But before he could jump off, the captain held him back. "But if you want to go back to China, then you have to come into the port of Koyosho. That's where we will drop anchor."

Shen nodded. "I know about that." Then he flapped his wings vigorously and pushed himself off the ship. Because the deck wasn't very high, he had to use a lot of strength to keep from falling into the water. Peacocks could not fly very well, at best they could glide when jumping from a great height. Eventually, Shen reached the rocky shore on dry feet. Once there, he shook his feathers briefly and looked around. Big rocks were lying around everywhere, and behind that was a large wooded area. Shen let out a deep sigh. It might have been nicer to enter a port, but the white peacock didn't want to take any chances. If Yamato was so upset with him, maybe other Japanese residents also knew a white peacock. And the last thing he needed was a riot. He just wanted to get undisturbed to the village further inland. He pulled out a card. According to the plan, he would have to go a bit into the forest until he came across a path. He put the map away again and went straight through the bushes.

Po, who was still clinging to the ship, covered his mouth helplessly. The swaying journey over the whole hours didn't do his stomach any good. Besides, he couldn't even distract himself with anything. Everywhere just water, water, sea, water, coast... His eyes widened when he saw a white figure was disappearing between the trees.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait!"

Quickly, the panda pushed off the ship that was sailing further along the coast and paddled towards land in the barrel. After a good marathon swim, panting, he reached the safe land. He boldly grabbed a rock and pulled himself out of the water. After a minute of breathing pause, the black and white bear squeezed out of the barrel and threw his arms in the air with joy. "Land!"

The panda was so relieved that he kissed the stones. But in the next moment, something pinched his face. "Ouch!"

Po jumped up in shock and rubbed his sore nose. A small crab had pinched his snout. Outraged by this "kiss," the shellfish crawled away between the stones while Po was still dealing with his kissing accident.

"Japan hurts badly," he lamented. But then he remembered why he was here at all and looked around searchingly. Where was Shen?

The forest seemed peaceful and innocent, but Shen was not affected by the tranquility of nature. Again and again, the peacock violently slapped a fern aside or pushed away a disturbing branch. Now and then he paused when he thought he saw a white figure in the sunbeam that shone through the canopy of leaves. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer. He stopped and took a deep breath. Then he looked around carefully. He'd managed to endure the tension on the ship, but now he was restless and nervous. Lost in thought, he let his eyes wander and wondered whether he was crossing the spot in Japan that his brother had walked on at some point.

Japan was not entirely unknown to Shen. He had read a lot about it when he was at school, or when business people from Japan came to Gongmen City and reported on their country.

Nevertheless, his father's concerns had never particularly interested him.

Shen's wings spasmed. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to feel something. Some people claimed that siblings had something in common emotionally. They would even be able to sense each other's presence. After a while, he opened his eyes again in disappointment. He didn't feel anything. Eventually, Shen forced himself to keep walking until he came upon the anticipated forest path. He looked around again to see if anyone was on the way. Seeing no one, he continued on his way.

"Mm, not a huge difference from home," Po muttered to himself, wandering through the thickets of the Japanese forest. He didn't know where exactly to go. He could only walk straight ahead, hoping to stumble upon something useful that would put him back on Shen's trail. He stopped abruptly as he crossed a wide path.

"Oh man, finally a piece of civilization." Happy about this discovery, Po took a few steps on the forest road. The panda looked left and right. Which direction had Shen gone? Po scratched his head helplessly. His eyes wandered to the ground, where he discovered a bird's footprint on a piece of damp earth. It was still fresh and judging by the size it could only have come from a large bird. Po jumped for joy. So Shen had gone left.

"And Shifu always says, I can't see any tracks," the panda smiled to himself and now also went down the street to the left.

But it didn't take long for Po to face a new problem. The problem of a fork in the road. Po studied the characters on the signs that stood in the middle of the fork. He could only decipher them to a limited extent, and even if he could, he couldn't do much with the place names. He didn't even know where exactly he was in Japan. Somewhere south-west, that was clear, but where did he have to go now to get to his destination?

Suddenly, Po's nose caught something. There was some delicious smell in the air. Interested, the panda raised his head higher and pointed his nose into the wind. "Mm, that smells really good." The scent came from where the road went down to the right. Since he couldn't think of anything better at the moment anyway, he followed the smell and turned right. It wasn't long before he came to a large house that resembled a small restaurant.

"My rescue!" Po cheered. He hadn't eaten in a long time and maybe Shen was even there. He climbed a set of wooden stairs and carefully, he pushed the door open. The room behind was in semi-darkness. The light shone only partially through the small windows. Also, not many guests were present. Only a few goats, a few sika deer and an older badger sat at tables around the room.

Po's gaze wandered to the counter, where behind it stood a honsho wolf with an apron, looking rather bored at the guest. When he saw the panda come in, he just barely raised his eyebrows. He was probably used to strangers.

"Konnichiwa," he murmured with a slight nod, which made Po pause for a moment. Was he able to make himself understood here at all?

"Uh, yes, konnichiwa..." he greeted back, not knowing what to say now. But the wolf twisted his mouth indifferently. "The gentleman comes from China?"

Po lifted his head in relief. "Uh, yeah. You speak Chinese?"

"You hear it. What's it to be?"

Po walked closer to the counter and looked at the menu list, but he couldn't make sense of it. "Uh, what can you recommend?"

The wolf sighed in irritation. "Okonomiyaki, soba, ramen, udon with assorted side dishes, and onigiri are also available to take away in the bag, but it costs extra."

Po rubbed his chin helplessly. "Uh, could you explain that a bit? I mean the dishes."

The innkeeper rolled his eyes. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood for a menu presentation. "Okonomiyaki consists of fried dough with various additives. If you want to call it something else, call it some sort of chopped pancake. Soba are noodles made from buckwheat, also with various additives. Ramen, is also noodles in different forms, depending on what you prefer. Udon are our thickest noodles and come with vegetables and Onigiri are rice dumplings."

Po felt his empty stomach begin to rumble violently. "Mm, that's very difficult." It all sounded delicious. "Then, then, then I'd like to..."

Suddenly, the innkeeper banged his fist on the table warningly. "Can you also pay?"

"Uh, sure." Hastily, Po rummaged in his pocket and pulled out some coins. "I only have Chinese money..."

"No," the wolf declined. "Only Japanese currency or shells."

Po's jaw dropped. "Huh? Can't you change the money?"

"I always did until the last one foisted fakes on me."

Po stood completely lost in front of the counter and stared at the wolf in bewilderment. "Does that mean you don't want to give me anything?"

The wolf crossed his arms. "Exactly."

"Oh, come on," Po begged, unable to ignore the smell of food now. "Make an exception. I... I'm not just anyone. I'm the Dragon Warrior and I became the kung fu champion."

The wolf's mouth twisted indifferently. "And if you were the Emperor of China, either like that or you can go again."

Po put his palms together in supplication. "Oh, please, please, please, please!"

"Never mind," an old woman's voice suddenly spoke up next to him. "I'll pay for the young man."

Po looked at the old lady in amazement. It was a Japanese macaque, or as others called it, snow monkey, although it wasn't pure white. The fur was light gray-brown and the face was red. She wore a red kimono with blue flowers. But what surprised Po even more was that her Chinese was completely accent-free.

"You can choose whatever you want," the old snow monkey lady invited him.

"Oh, that's very nice of you," Po said, still completely taken by surprise.

The lady smiled. "You must be hungry after a ship voyage like this."

Po looked at her in surprise. "How do you know that I traveled with the ship?"

"Your pants are wet from the salt water," she explained. "And algae hang between the toes. And judging by the smell… you had traveled in a barrel."

Po sniffed his arms inquiringly. Did he really smell that strong?

"I know a lot about tourists," she continued. "I used to be a tour guide, you know."

"Oh, then you must know a lot. Could you perhaps give me some information?"

"If I can. Would you like to have tea with me?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then come with me." She waved him over to a low table where the cup and pot were already standing. There she knelt on the floor in front of it. Then she gestured with her hand in front of her. "Take a seat."

Po did the same and knelt at the table on the other side. "Thank you."

She ordered a second cup and before long a cup of green tea was steaming in front of the panda.

"There's not much you can do with age," the monkey lady murmured to herself, "but as long as your mind keeps up. What brings you here?"

Nervously, Po tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "Well, actually I'm looking for a... uh... friend of mine right now. He dismounted here too, and now I'm looking for him. Because he is looking for someone here and I am also looking for him."

"And who exactly are you searching?"

Po leaned towards her. "After a band of ninjas who were supposed to have raided a village a few days ago."

The old lady lowered the cup. "Good heavens, you don't want to see her face to face, do you? Or do you just want to see the raided village? I've never liked black tourism."

"No, no, no," Po denied. "I'm not here as a tourist... it's much more of a... well let's say... a rescue mission... or a search operation. Well, not in the sense that it's not about the ninjas directly, it's about something else. But do you know them? Have they been in the crook business for a long time?"

The old monkey lady raised her eyebrows. "Well, we haven't heard much about them yet, but if we did, there would be nothing positive to report."

Po pricked up his ears. "What do you know about them?"

"Well, there is no hard evidence, just rumors. It is said that they were not even from Japan, but from abroad. Nobody knows exactly how many there are, but they are said to be good fighters. According to legend, they were supposed to have been taken in and taught by a samurai."

Po's eyes widened. "Samurai? Wow."

"However, they killed the samurai and formed their own clan," she explained without batting an eyelid. Po, on the other hand, remained open-mouthed. "They killed their own teacher? That's very macabre."

"Like I said, it's just a rumor. As a tourist guide, I also have to offer tourists something interesting. It could be true, or it could be made up. No one knows exactly what can be presented as fact in such secret circles. Anyway, they went into business for themselves. They call themselves the "Black Tigers"."

"You meant panthers, right?"

"Whether they're panthers or dark-colored tigers, that's what they call themselves and have been known to steal. Sometimes they even loot. Above all, they are after precious valuables. They should even have robbed a treasure museum once."

She paused for a moment, giving Po a chance to ask another question.

"And they also have... a white peacock?"

The monkey lady raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You seem to know much more for someone who isn't from Japan."

Po smiled mischievously. "Well, I know not everything. Only that he is originally from China, he is said to have run away from home as a child."

The Japanese macaque rubbed her chin. "Well, the white peacock has only been sighted for a few years. Nobody knows where he had been before. But..." She smiled at him, "I know."

Po sat bolt upright. "Really?!"

"Well, not everything. But as a tourist guide you get around a lot. When I was a few years ago, and that must have been 20 years ago, I was a bit younger and more flexible. Then I met a small white peacock near a settlement. I found it strange because I had never encountered a white peacock of this species. Maybe pure white peacocks, or peacocks with white spots, but never one with black and red peacock eye spots."

"Yes, that's him!" the panda blurted out. "What do you know about him?"

But to his amazement, the monkey lady shook her head. "I only caught a glimpse of him and then he was gone, as if afraid of being seen. After that I never saw him again. But I can say with certainty that he had been here in Japan since he was a little kid."

Po let his shoulders sag with disappointment. "Oh really? Where was that?"

"In a lonely housing estate. A whole lot further south of Japan."

"Really? Mm." Thoughtfully, Po scratched his lip. This information wasn't necessarily new to him, but Dao must have gotten to Japan shortly after his escape. But how exactly? Had he accidentally boarded a ship, or had he even been kidnapped? He looked at the old monkey lady, but apparently, she had nothing more to report and drank her tea.

"Whatever," Po said after a moment's thought. "Anyway, that's exactly who I'm looking for. And if he's really hanging out with those ninjas right now, that's where I'll have to look for him. Do you know where to find these bandits?"

But the Japanese macaque shook her head again. "No one knows for sure. If anyone knew, the government would have done something about it long ago. They come and go just as suddenly."

Po rubbed his tensed shoulders. So they could only hope to find out more in the raided village. But first he had to get there. And to do that, he had to find Shen first. But before that he urgently needed to eat something.

"Okay, anyway, thanks for the invitation. Does that still apply to the food?"

He pointed between the teacup and the counter, hoping the payment wasn't just for the tea. But the old lady gave him an encouraging smile. "Order what you need."

The panda nodded. "Thank you." And stood up.

"You're such a nice guy," the old monkey lady added. "Just don't get caught by those bullies. It would be a shame to lose someone like you from the world."

Po winked at her. "Don't worry. I became the first kung fu champion." He turned to the counter, but the old monkey lady stopped him again. "And something else, young man. You have chosen a questionable area for your excursion destination."

Po looked at her in surprise. "How so?"

"Although this area is very isolated and mostly hikers or forest dwellers come here, but there could also be anyone lurking behind a bush who wants to rob unsuspecting people. So be careful when you walk the paths."

Po thought for a moment, then he nodded. Those weren't exactly nice tourist attractions here. And he couldn't get the conversation about the ninjas out of his head either. He sort of wondered if messing with a gang of cold-blooded robbers had actually been such a good idea. Po didn't know much about ninjas. Most of these were just rumors. Thoughtfully, Po stroked his stomach. Master Shifu had told him to listen to his gut feeling. Po listened to himself. What was his gut feeling telling him?

In the next moment, Po stood in front of the counter and slapped the table hard with the palm of his hand. "A bowl of soba noodles and a bag of onigiri to go, please!"

Shen had come a long way on the path leading left from the fork in the road. The environment was now a little rockier. Sometimes large rocks protruded from the ground. It was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set. The peacock raised his head when he heard the babbling of a small river. Since he had no water with him, he turned off the path. He knelt down by the river and quenched his thirst. Then he scooped water and wet his face with it.

Suddenly, he felt like he wasn't alone anymore. He couldn't see anyone, but he sensed someone sneaking around. He looked around searchingly. Finally, his gaze got stuck on a bush, between the branches of which it rustled and cracked strangely. Suspiciously enough, Shen unpacked his spear sword just in case. Without taking his eyes off the bush, he crept up quietly. Whoever dared to stalk him, that one should get the shock of his life. Too many had already made the mistake of thinking of him, he would be harmless.

Shen pushed the point of his spear sword forward. Soon he had reached the bush. Suddenly, the noise stopped. Shen tensed his muscles. His gaze almost pierced the undergrowth and he tried to see something between the leaves. Then he saw a very, very slow movement in the branches. The peacock craned his neck. It came towards him.

Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind. Shen let out a scream, but his attacker didn't give him time to defend himself. In the next instant, Shen felt a large body grabbing hold of him, forcefully enveloping him in a millisecond. Shen briefly looked to the bushes, where something was moving again. However, what emerged from the bushes was not a figure, but the end of a large snake's tail tip, while the other end, or more precisely the end with the head, began to wrap its body more and more around its victim. Immediately, the peacock was unable to move. Helplessly, he lay in the slings, only his feet were still free, but the giant snake immediately closed this gap and wrapped its body even more around the big white bird. Shen tried to wriggle out, but the snake's body now also wrapped his neck, making it impossible for him to escape.

"Let go of me!" Shen yelled at him.

In the next moment, a snake's head darted in front of him and stared menacingly into his eyes. "First money, then we can talk about your release," the big snake sneered in a mockingly somber voice. His accent sounded a bit foreign and not like Japanese either, although she said those words in Japanese.

His eyes were mixed brown and yellow, his body was light brown and yellow covered with black spot-like patterns. For a brief moment, Shen was paralyzed. He had never encountered such a large snake before and certainly not been in its stranglehold. With each breath, the python tightened its muscles. Shen found it harder to breathe.

"So what about your money now?" the snake repeated his question impatiently. However, he increased her pressure in the short term. Shen convulsed. Only with difficulty, he spoke through the lips of his beak. He was extremely good at Japanese, so he answered in Japanese.

"I… I don't have any with me!" He tried to free himself, but without success.

The python raised his scaly eyebrows in wonder. He actually wanted to annoy the peacock with his Japanese, but when he answered in Japanese, he asked his next question in Chinese, and that wasn't bad at all. He turned the peacock over so that Shen was hanging upside down. "You seriously claim that you have no money?!" the python hissed. "Fine, I can get it alone!"

Immediately, the tip of his tail searched for the bag which Shen had previously placed on the grass and emptied it. But apart from a few simple travel utensils, there was really nothing in the bag. Outraged, the big animal threw the bag back on the ground.

"Where's your money?!" he roared at the immobilized peacock.

But Shen stood by his statement. "I told you... I didn't..."

"Are you trying to take me for a fool?!" Angrily, the python threw himself on the grass with the peacock and choked the bird even more. Shen thought, he was about to suffocate. He couldn't even reach his feather knives to fight back. Instead, all he could hope for was redemption.

"Hey, is that the famous sumo martial art or what?" another voice asked from behind.

The python briefly stopped his strangling work and stared in amazement at a panda who was holding a paper bag in his paws.

"What are you?" the snake asked rudely.

Shen, on the other hand, became angry. "How are you again...?! What are you doing here...?! You damn…!" The peacock didn't get any further, because in the next moment the python wrapped a part of his body around his beak and Shen was even forced to play the mute for now.

Po cleared his throat. "I'm the Dragon Warrior. And since this year kung fu champion. And I was just wondering why you had a choke hold on my companion. Or is that a Japanese way of greeting tourists?"

The python hissed at the panda angrily. "You must be dumb! This is a raid!" Suddenly, the python stopped and sniffed with interest. The edible smell of onigiri reached his nostrils through his tongue.

Po had to watch in shock as the python simply ripped the paper bag from his paws with the tip of his tail.

"Hey!" the panda exclaimed indignantly. "This is my food!"

But in the next moment the python opened his mouth and let the rice dishes wander into his gullet. Then he threw the empty paper bag at the panda's feet.

"Well then get them," the python sneered with a wide grin and swallowed the onigiris.

Po stared up at him angrily. He didn't take the fun of food-stealing, but he recalled his temper and took a deep breath. "Listen, buddy. I don't know which ant bit you, but what do you allow yourself to steal money from harmless tourists? What kind is that? Want to buy you a palace from this, huh? Or even an island."

The python hissed at him. "You idiot! I just want to get off this damn cold island!"

Po raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well then, do it, or what's stopping you?"

The python leaned toward the panda, scowling. "And how should I pay for a ship?"

"How so? Where are you going?"

"You probably don't care where I come from?"

Po rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Okay, where are you from?"

"From Australia," the python replied succinctly. "And I wanted to go to Africa."

The panda looked at the snake in surprise. "Australia? Africa? Uh, but that's somewhere else entirely. You have to go west and not north..."

A loud hiss from the python silenced him. "I wanted to go there, too! Just some idiot gave me the wrong ship. I wanted to travel to Africa, instead I ended up in Japan. My entire travel money went to waste!"

"Oh." Gradually, Po understood. "That's annoying, of course. Couldn't you complain about the trip? Or why don't you work off the money instead of stealing it from others? Or maybe write to relatives who could send you money?"

"My relatives can be like that!" the python snapped. "And even if, I could work to get off this cursed island, no one would offer me anything."

"But why not?"

The python came closer to him with his head. "Because of these." With that, he opened his mouth. Po's blood froze for a moment when long fangs appeared. "Oh, and I thought because of the size..."

"Yes, yes," the python played down his shock. "What big python has fangs? Don't ask me about the family background. I have no idea what my mother was sick on a venomous snake."

Po swallowed. "Okay, I won't ask."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. A venomous snake was a concern for some people, but a giant venomous snake was probably a tad too high. Viper had also had to deal with such prejudices against snakes, considering the case with the cobra Fu-Xi. Even his own villagers had been hostile to Viper because of the cobra's attacks.

"Well, I sympathize with you, buddy..."

"You don't know anything!" the snake interjected, but this time Po wasn't intimidated by it. "Oh yes, my friend is a snake, too. And together with my other friends, we are the kung fu strong team."

With that, he pulled out a painted photograph showing himself and the Furious Five. "See?" Proudly, Po held the picture up. But the python was not interested in this presentation at all. Angrily, he grabbed the panda with the tip of his tail and started to choke him around the neck as well.

"Spare me your bloviation!" the python scolded. "If you're that snake-friendly, then give me your money!"

Po tried to free his neck, but the python just wouldn't let go. "I only have Chinese money," Po managed to choke out. "I mean, if that's enough for you..."

"How am I supposed to change that now?!" the python yelled louder. "Do you think, they will let me in a bank?!"

"Then I wonder if they'll even let you on a ship," Po said harshly, but that only made the snake angrier. And it didn't take long and Po was wrapped up, too.

"Hey, do you want to kill us both now?!" the panda protested indignantly.

"You would do well to keep your cheeky mouth shut!" the python scolded.

Po felt the python tighten the muscles around him. "How about we take you with us?"

The python stopped. Even Shen looked up in surprise, although he was still in slings from head to toe.

"We want to go back to China as soon as possible anyway," Po continued, "we could take you with us. We could carpool."

The python squeezed his body tighter around the panda. "Are you kidding me?!"

"I'm serious," Po said.

"Then tell me how I should pay for that?" the python inquired angrily.

"By releasing us," the panda offered. "That would be a good deal, wouldn't it? We're allowed to do what we want to do in Japan, and then we'll take you to the mainland. It's not Africa, but it's better than staying on an island."

Po froze momentarily as the fanged python got dangerously close to him. "And how are you going to do that, allowing the captain to take a giant venomous snake onto a ship?"

Po pointed to Shen. "Because he owns the ship. Well, or at least partially. Or well, Master Ox said he would only have limited influence on Gongmen City's administration, so nothing is certain yet, but he could persuade the ship owner to do so."

The python inspected the peacock inquisitively. "He doesn't look that important."

Shen audibly gasped for air at the insult, as far as he could breathe.

"Call it what you want," Po said trivially. "But we could do it this way, if you don't want to be a robber lurking by the side of the road for the rest of your life. But first we have to do something."

The python narrowed his eyes. "And what?"

"We want to fight a gang of ninjas. Or at least get something from them. Or more specifically someone…"

"Those pugnacious bandits everyone is talking about?" the python asked in surprise and let go of Po. "You don't expect me to come with you, do you?"

Po rubbed his freed neck. "I didn't say that either. We could meet at the port."

The python looked at him suspiciously. "And how should I know that you don't deceive?"

"Uh..." Po didn't know how to prove that. "Well, I don't know…"

The python's eyes wandered to the spear sword that Shen dropped during the raid. He picked it up with the tip of his tail and looked at it. "Mm, this seems to be of some value. Then I'll take it with me as a deposit."

Po raised his paw in protest. "Uh, I don't think you're allowed to..."

The venomous python squeezed the peacock even harder, which forced Po to give in. "Okay, okay, okay, just like that. We'll see each other again later, won't we?"

The python hissed. "When you get on the ship. Which is it? And where?"

"It cannot be overlooked. It has red sails. And from what I've read on the scoreboard, the ship will anchor at Koyosho..."

"Fine." Po watched in horror as the python began squeezing the peacock in his grasp again. Shen struggled and gasped.

"Hey, what should that be?!" Po exclaimed, startled.

The python looked at him somberly. "Just so your friend doesn't get any stupid ideas. I have the impression he is a little too aggressive."

A few seconds later, to Po's relief, the python loosened his grip. Po watched wide-eyed as the peacock slid half-unconscious out of the snake's body to the ground. The python didn't care about Shen's pitiful condition and crawled away with the spear sword in the tip of his tail. "I'll await you at Koyosho harbor then."

With these words, he crawled away. Speechlessly, Po stared after him. But then he remembered Shen. Worried, he bent over the peacock, who was lying on the grass, breathing heavily.

"Shen? Shen? Everything okay?! Say something!"

But the peacock wasn't even able to utter a single sentence. Po raised his arms reassuringly. "Okay, okay, okay, first take a deep breath. Breathe normally..."

The panda waved his paws over Shen's face and fanned him with fresh air. After a while, Shen's breathing returned to normal. And as soon as he had regained his composure, his angry eyes wandered to the panda.

Po smiled at him. "Hey, I know how you feel. Viper once had me in a chokehold, too. I can tell you that was an experience that also changed my life a bit. Who would have ever thought legless fellows could exert such force… OUCH!"

In the next moment, the panda was kicked in the pit of the stomach by the peacock. Po rubbed his stomach, his face contorted with pain. "Oh, I just ate."

"You bloody fool!" Shen jumped up angrily. "How could you let him escape?!"

"What's your problem?" Po asked. "You can be glad that I resolved this in a diplomatic manner. Otherwise, he would almost certainly have choked you to death."

"And for that you had to let him get away with my sword?!" Shen yelled at him.

"Shen, we'll get it back," Po tried to calm him down.

"You should have defended it to the death!" Shen looked like he was about to hurl his entire feather knife into the spine of the missing python.

"Calm down, Shen," Po boldly raised his voice. "We'll meet him again in Koyosho at the latest."

"And who guarantees that this legless creature won't auction it off to the next one?!" Shen continued to complain.

Po shrugged. "Why? Just because he's a snake doesn't mean he won't keep his word."

"He attacked me!"

Po grimaced. "Well, would you promise me that, I'd believe you... AH!"

The rest of the cry caught in the panda's throat as Shen held his feather knife in front of his nose. "I would advise you to pray that I get it back," Shen hissed angrily. "Otherwise, your bones will bleach in the sun... On two continents at the same time!"

Po ducked his head, intimidated. "Are you hungry?"

With these words, he took an onigiri out of his trouser pocket, which he had put aside. But Shen swung his wing back and knocked it out of his paw. The rice ball spun through the air and landed in a puddle of dirt.

At first, the panda stared at the mishap with his mouth open. Then he furiously furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Shen reproachfully. "Nice. Do you feel better now?"

Shen let out a loud derisive snort. "How dare you say we'd be back in China in no time?!"

"Well, I can't stay away that long," Po said. "After all, I still have to go to a kung fu festival."

The panda took a step away from Shen as he began to breathe louder and more aggressively. Eventually, Shen put away his knife and angrily swung his robes around. "Why don't you go back to your kung fu club?!"

Po drew his eyebrows together. "Shen, what do you have against kung fu?"

Shen pressed his beak lips together. Po even thought, Shen was about to cry, but then the peacock turned his head to the side in bitterness. "It's none of your business."

"Of course it's my business, I'm your friend."

"YOU JUST IMAGE IT! You and your faked drivel of friendships can go hang!" Shen snatched his bag off the floor and slung it over his shoulder. Po looked at him completely taken aback. Normally, Shen rarely used such language, but at the moment the peacock didn't seem to care what he said. Finally, Shen pointed a feather index finger at the panda menacingly. "And I haven't forgotten that you dragged my son into this!"

Po felt stunned. "What have I said wrong again?"

A glare from Shen and Po recoiled a bit. "Okay, okay, okay… let's just leave it at that. After all, we still have to find your brother."

Shen let out a loud growl that made his crest feathers tremble. There was that word "we" again.

"Can't you just leave me alone?!" the peacock growled grimly. "Only one time?! Besides, I would have to have you locked up. You stowed away on a ship without pay!"

Po looked down contritely. "Sorry, I was just curious..."

The panda caught his breath as Shen scowled at him and pierced him with his eyes. "Curiosity can be very dangerous," Shen whispered ominously.

Po was just opening his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, Shen forestalled him. "What is it?! Just go away!"

"As you wish." Po turned his back on him. "Then I won't tell you anything about your brother what an old lady at the restaurant told me, who drinks tea. And an innkeeper who doesn't accept Chinese money."

This announcement made the peacock sit up and take notice. "What did she tell you?"

Po turned back to him. "So may I come with you?"

"What's that got to do with it?!" It annoyed Shen beyond measure that the fat panda knew more than he did.

But Po didn't make a face, just put on a grin. "I'll only tell you what I know if I can come with you."

Shen narrowed his eyes maliciously. "Blackmailer."

Po shrugged. "Think of it as some form of payment."

The Dragon Warrior looked worriedly at Shen's wings, which tensed menacingly and were clenched into fists. Sighing, Po slumped his shoulders and looked at Shen pleadingly.

"Shen, couldn't we travel on together? At least for a little while? You won't even realize that I'm there."

That would be the hardest part for Shen. This clumsy panda couldn't be overlooked. Angrily, the white peacock folded his wings and turned his back on the panda. Po stepped closer to him shyly.

"Just for a little while, at least?" Po asked. "You know me. Otherwise, I'll just secretly follow you anyway. But if you see me, you can keep an eye on me."

Shen didn't reply, he just stared into the forest. Po let his gaze wander around briefly, then he looked back at the white peacock. "Well, the longer you wait with your answer, the later it will be. It's going to be dark soon..."

"Fine!" Shen interrupted his sermon, annoyed. "Then I allow you to come with me."

Before Po could shout a cheer, Shen's wing crossed his line of sight again. "But I don't take complaints! And I determine the travel speed, understood?! If you can't keep up, I won't stop for you!"

Po swallowed. That was obvious. But he didn't have any other choice anyway if he wanted to accompany Shen. "Alright, I've got it."

A little more relaxed, the peacock dropped its wing again. "So what do you know?"

Po shrugged. "Oh, not much. Except that an old lady told me that your brother had been spotted in a small town over 20 years ago. After that she hadn't seen him again. In return, I learned that these ninjas are said to have a preference for plundering valuable treasures."

Shen raised her eyebrows. "That's all?!"

"I think so."

Shen let out an angry growl. And he allowed himself to be persuaded to do that? Offended, the white peacock turned away from the panda and went back on the path which he had been walking before.

"Uh, Shen?" Po asked, whereupon Shen turned to him annoyed.

"What?"

"Have you really no money with you? I thought you already changed it in Gongmen City."

To Po's surprise, a smile tugged at the corner of Shen's beak. "Panda, do you really think I'd carry it around in my pocket for anyone to steal?"

Po looked at him in surprise. "Where did you get it instead?"

Shen gave a short snort, but then he lifted the edge of his robe and pointed to the hem where something had been sewn. Po took a closer look at the hem. The fabric seemed a little thicker at this point, which couldn't be seen from the outside.

"I sewed the money into my robe," Shen announced in a proud voice, letting go of his coat. Then the peacock passed the panda with his beak held high. Po watched him go for a moment, speechless, then he smiled. "Well then, hopefully we don't have to starve." Then he ran after Shen, obviously looking forward to what else awaited them in the forests of Japan.

"Koyosho" doesn't exist on the map as far as I've seen. It's a word I jokingly put together from Ko 光(shiny), Yo 洋(Western), Sho 商(to trade). I'm not quite sure if you can spell it that way or actually pronounce it that way. If someone speaks Japanese, feel free to correct me. :-)

The name of the python is not known until later.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until then. :-)