The next time Cong woke up, he felt better. His limbs weren't quite as heavy as the night before, and though his stomach was still sore, he figured that a nice stretching session would help. Sitting up, he squinted through the semi-darkness of early morning to see that Shifu was up already, sitting and meditating by the window. The red panda's ear twitched.

"Monkey," he said softly. "Good morning."

"Morning," Cong replied.

Forcing himself to stand, Cong stretched out gingerly then rolled up his mat and placed it against the wall. He moved silently through his friends, who only shifted as he passed. His presence was familiar enough that they didn't worry, and just that fact made tears well in his eyes. He settled at the window, assuming a meditative position. He didn't dare try to stress his muscles by using his tail, as he usually did back at the Jade Palace, so he settled down on his haunches and took a deep breath.

He and Shifu sat there for several minutes before the red panda spoke again.

"Monkey," he said gently. "I heard what you said to Tigress last night. You are not just a thief."

Cong flinched, glancing over covertly, but Shifu didn't move. "But I am a thief, Mas…Shifu."

Shifu's ear twitched. "You will not call me master anymore?"

"Am I still your student?" Cong countered, a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"Why wouldn't you be?"

Cong gritted his teeth. "Haven't I brought dishonor to your name? I am a lowly thief that has no honor. Why would you want me as a student?"

Shifu didn't answer for another few minutes. Cong's insides writhed in shame, and he couldn't focus his attention enough to meditate, so he gave up and curled up by the window, glancing out into the growing light of dawn. The monkey was startled as a soft hand settled on his arm.

"If you have brought dishonor to me, then I brought as much dishonor to Oogway."

Cong blinked, glancing over his shoulder to see Shifu's serene face. "What do you mean?"

"I was a gambler in youth," Shifu replied solemnly. "I put myself deeply in debt to many debtors. Oogway took me in and helped me to pay them off. When I was finally resolved of my debts, I was a free man, only I wasn't. I still desired to gamble, and I made a big mistake, Monkey. I bet a treasure of the Jade Palace in my desperation to feed my old addiction. The wager was placed, and only then was I aware of just what I'd done. I had to go back to my master and admit what I'd done."

The simian studied Shifu's face. "What then?"

"I did not want to tell Oogway what I had done, but I knew that he would hear about it. I figured that it would be best for him to hear it from my own lips. I will never forget the look on his face."

Cong nodded. "Disappointment, but not anger," he mused. "He did not make the telling easy, and it was an effort just to admit it."

Shifu pressed his thin lips together. "I take it you have had the same experience?"

"When I admitted that I was a thief to him. He knew much about me that I never told the rest of you."

"I know. I hope to rectify that in the next few months," Shifu said. "But Oogway was very disappointed in me. That look on his face made me want to wither away, but I still asked for his advice."

"And what was it?" Cong asked.

Shifu shifted forward to settled beside his student, staring at the beautiful pink and orange streaks in the sky. He kept his voice quiet, so as not to disturb the others. "He told me to be honest with my wager. If I lost, I was to give up the treasure that I had bet." He paused. "Thankfully, I won the bet, but there was no…"

"Rush," Cong supplied.

"Yes. No rush in winning. From that moment on, I never gambled again."

Cong tittered, curling his tail around himself. "I would not say that, Shifu."

Shifu's ear twitched, and he glanced over. "What do you mean?"

"You have gambled more in the last twenty years than you ever did before."

The red panda frowned. "Explain."

Cong watched as the sky lightened even more. "You gambled on Ty Lung, and you lost that one. He shattered you, and it took many years to pick up the pieces. We can still see the cracks sometimes. And then, you took an even bigger gamble with Tigress, once again offering your heart to a child that could, for all you knew, turn out as bad, or worse, than Ty Lung. You won that one. She healed you very much before you met me or Mantis or Viper or Crane."

Shifu stared in surprise. "I suppose you are right, Monkey, but—"

Cong continued, barely hearing Shifu's response. "And you gambled with four strangers whom you did not in fact call for to defend the valley against Boar. You took them in and opened your home to them, and eventually your heart as well. You gave your time and energy to training them, and Tigress, in five new styles of Kung Fu, a feat that even Master Rhino of the Masters' Council could not do."

"Yes, but—"

"And that gamble you won, too," Cong pressed on. "And we became the Furious Five, a group of warriors almost unparalleled for many years. And during our fight with Boar, we inspired a young panda to become nearly obsessed with Kung Fu. And he spent years learning all he could of the Masters', from Masters Rhino, Ox, and Croc, to us, the Furious Five, who lived high above him in the Jade Palace. And then he was eventually chosen as the Dragon Warrior."

Shifu tried to cut in again. "But Monkey—"

"And then you took a gamble with Oogway over Po. At first, you did not want to bet for a strange panda, a creature that you did not believe worthy of your time and energy. But when Oogway left, you took his words to heart and put everything for Po. You bet us, the Jade Palace, the Valley of Peace, and even your own being that Po was the Dragon Warrior. And you won. Because Po is the Dragon Warrior. Against all odds, a fat panda learned and mastered Kung Fu in only a few weeks. And it's all because of your gamble."

Shifu's mouth was slightly ajar as his wide grey eyes stared at his student. He had meant for this time to strengthen and heal Cong of his pain and shame, but the monkey had twisted things to minister to Shifu's own tattered soul. He couldn't talk, couldn't think of anything but Cong's wise words.

Cong's expression was peaceful as he studied the now-blue sky. "You see, Shifu," he murmured. "You have mastered your addiction to gambling, and in fact turned it to good. And I suppose if there was hope for you, there is hope for me. Thank you, Master."

There was the sound of soft movement behind them, and Shifu turned to see all of his students staring between him and Cong, open-mouthed. However long they had been awake, it was obvious that they had heard most of what Cong had said. It was clear that none of them had thought of his gambling in that way before. And Shifu found tears in his eyes.

"Monkey, you surprise me as much as Po does," he said, his voice heavy.

Cong blinked, turning to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Because of what you are, you see things differently. None of the others saw that truth that you so casually spoke of. Even I did not think of that. Thank you, Monkey.

And peace settled over Monkey's soul, and he accepted his name with a nod. His stomach growled, and he rested a hand over it. "I suppose it is time for more food."

"Yep," Po said, sitting up and rubbing his paws together. "Do you think we could go to that great place you mentioned last night?"

"I'm afraid it is a long walk, and I know I do not have the energy to make it," Monkey said. "Perhaps I could treat you to it in a few days. For now, there is a noodle shop two blocks east that serves incredible tofu pudding. It comes with brown sugar sauce and ginger, and it is some of the best in the region."

Po stood up. "Sounds good to me. You up for a walk, Tigress?"

"Of course," Tigress said. She stood and as she went to roll up her mat, she dropped a fan. It was the one Monkey had picked up from the market stall. He picked it up and fanned it out, staring at the beautiful design.

"Nice fan," he said, closing it and handing up to her. "Adding it to your collection?"

Tigress studied his face, but he kept it serene. He had a gut feeling that revealing that he was the one who had saved Tigress's dignity was not a good idea. And just like Oogway taught him, he followed it. She took it back and carefully tucked in into a pack.

"Yes. A good passerby gave it to me."

Monkey furrowed his brow. "Good how?"

Tigress stood up ramrod straight. "Po, let's go." And she walked right out of the room without another word.

"Tigress! Wait!" Po gasped, hurrying after her.

"Somebody attacked her and got the best of her," Viper said softly. "She's embarrassed about it."

"Who could get the best of Tigress?" Monkey asked, making a face. But his mind was full of the face of that arrogant jerk that had nearly taken advantage of a female of his own species.

"No clue. She doesn't remember much," Crane said uneasily, ruffling his feathers.

"The memories will come out sometime," Shifu said, standing up. He was back to his usual serene self. "And if they come out before we leave, we will be sure to discuss matters with whoever it was."

Monkey shrugged. "I just hope she's okay."

Shifu's jaw tightened, and his ears flattened. "She refuses to go out without somebody with her. She's afraid."

Monkey recalled the frantic swish of her tail, her wild eyes looking for a way out of the male tiger's way, her desperate dash for freedom, which had failed from lack of thought and calm nerve. He nodded, noticing a feeling that he would run into Chen Fan again.

"What is the news of the Serpent gang?" Monkey asked, settling down and changing the subject.

"'The joyous announcement has spread through the city,'" Viper said, quoting the shop owners.

"Everybody's celebrating," Mantis said. "Because, and I quote, 'Nearly every single gang member has been arrested, including the infamous leader, Fu."

Crane smiled. "'Thanks to the work of an inside spy that Master Shifu, student of Master Oogway of the Jade Palace, sent amongst their ranks.'"

Monkey blinked. "And I'm the spy?" he surmised.

"It appears that way to the public," Shifu said.

"What about Mantis?" Monkey challenged.

"He brought back reports from you," Shifu replied.

"But that's not true!"

"Isn't it?" Mantis retorted. "I brought back news of our conversation to Shifu and the others. That fulfills the criterion."

"So…That's it?" Monkey asked. "Nobody else knows I was a slave? Nobody else knows I'm actually a thief? Nobody knows about any of that?"

"It is not their business," Shifu said. "And don't worry. You will receive some form of punishment when we return to the Jade Palace. That should assuage your guilt."

Monkey worried his bottom lip. "The citizens of the Valley…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Were informed that the thief gave up his stolen articles and would be punished accordingly by me," Shifu replied. "Everything was returned, and no more harm was done. Are you satisfied?"

The simian relaxed, blinking away tears. "Thank you, Master." He paused then smiled. "I hope Po and Tigress get back soon. I'm hungry."

"Me, too," Shifu said. He placed a hand on Monkey's shoulder. "And you're quite welcome."

Monkey's heart soared, and he bowed low to his master. He couldn't help but thinking that Shifu was better than Fu in every way.