(Hey guys. This is Chapter 9, after Ping Grows Up Too Fast. I deleted the chapter before finding out that I could simply replace the chapter with the more edited one. I had some typos here. THIS IS CHAPTER 9)
Chapter Nine: The Three Disciples; Ping Catches Interest
Ping had found the letter from Shu two days earlier. After he had read it, he placed it back in the book and resumed what he always did.
Three individuals have made a name for themselves at the Valley, each having his own fighting style. Security calls them renegades but seem to support them. Some civilians call them heroes while others are wary after what had happened to Tai Lung.
Meng Lao, named after Meng Huo and Hu Lao Gate, is a native bear who rose through the ranks as a disciple of Shaolin. He is one of the few Shaolin Warriors to focus mainly on strength, and it is obvious as he is the most muscular of the three. He is also the most outspoken of the three. He wears a tight sleeveless vest and loose cotton-made pants. His clothing is the second simplest of the three.
Hei Li, a grey foreigner wolf and relative of Hei Tong. He, with blessings from Hei, moved to the Valley two years after Shu's death. Li enrolled in a Monastery that focused on the Lung Ying, or the Dragon Style. He focused on agility and speed and is the fastest of the three. He is also the most soft spoken of the group. Li's Monastery has a uniform, yet he usually goes around shirtless and with the Monastery's Dragon-Designed slightly loose silk-made pants. His clothing is the most simple out of the three. He also is the only wolf with longer fur on his head area, as if it was long hair.
The third member of the group was the most mysterious. Meng and Li do not know what he is and describes him as a lion with no mane. He wears an iron mask to cover his entire face. For clothing, he had bought a white robe. Within the robe he wears a light-green vest and blue and orange silk-made pants with Chinese letters on the left leg. He has studied Kenpo and Weaponry. He favors spears, staffs, and has taken the Sansetsukon as his signature weapon and is usually seen with it. He is also skilled in hand-to-hand and is almost as agile as Li. He is the strategist of the group, formulating plans. If he can avoid unnecessary fights, he will do it. He calls himself Zhang Liao, after the officer who fought alongside Lu Bu and became friends with Guan Yu himself. It is said that he has gone abroad and fought many battles there before returning.
These three have become the best in their respective styles and decided to join together. They form a bond that seems unbreakable. Together, they helped keep the Valley peaceful. Occasionally they would get into trouble with the security because of Meng, but either Li or Liao would do something to get them out of it.
Meng Hao was by himself in the Valley, on the way to buy some food and enjoy a few drinks at a local restaurant he frequents.
"Hah, Li and Zhang are missing out on the fun!" Meng grinned with great and unwavering confidence. He was also the alcoholic of the group. However he is more dangerous when he is drunk.
Meng decided to take a shortcut through an alley. Because those who had seen him started to gossip about seeing him, a few bandits decided to steal from him.
Meng looked around, not minding the soft whispers coming from the Valley outside the Alley he took.
"Hm? What was that?" Meng looked around as he heard running. He could not see where they were coming from.
"Aah, I must be hungry… Or need to drink again!" Meng ignored it and continued through the alley. He had forgotten that the alley was not a shortcut but a longer way.
Meng looked around once more as the sound of running came close. He had stopped at a larger area at the alley where a dumpster and a few trash cans were present.
"We have you surrounded, Meng!" the bandits had split up and some of them quickly went around and went through the exit to trap Meng.
"Huh? Heh, there are only four of you? Well, you guys have guts… No one dares to ambush me!" Meng laughed.
"Give us all your money and we'll assure you you won't get hurt!" Two started to draw knives while the other two were unsure about ambushing Meng.
"Tsk tsk… What are thieves up to these days…" A light voice echoed through the alley.
"They're getting more confident, that's for sure… or more stupid…" A deeper voice answered.
"I vote for stupid, I mean c'mon, daggers against Meng?" The light voice said.
"Who…who's there?" The bandits looked around the alley. The two that wew unsure were starting to become nervous and took out their own daggers.
"Ha, you guys are dead now!" Meng was laughing, his confidence rising to greater heights.
"Wh…what?" One of them said.
A figure soon appeared from the exit of the alley soon appeared while another appeared behind Meng and the bandits behind him.
"I…It's… Zhang Liao!" One said in shock, seeing Zhang Liao.
"Li… Hei Li…!" Another recognized Hei Li.
"Typical they're more scared of you than me, Zhang," Li teased Zhang.
"Typical of us making jokes at a time like this… Anyway… Meng can handle all of them, but we should make this easier," Zhang quickly analyzed, placing his paw from the sleeve of his robe to his forehead. He already held his Sansetsukon on his free paw.
"Well, at least let's try and have fun!" Meng said, grinning.
The bandits posed no threat or problem for all three of them. The bandits tried to split up and attack all three of them. Meng simply laughed and knocked two of them out by side-stepping and kicking one on the chin. For the second one, he was able to dodge a knife stab and counter-attacking with one strike to the stomach and another one to the chin.
"Ha! Too easy!" Meng grinned.
"Yeah, I agree," Li agreed with meng. He was the agile one. He simply ducked under an overhead knife swipe and back flipped, his foot hitting the chin of the bandit, knocking him out.
"Liao, do you need help?" Li asked Zhang Liao as both he and Meng had their backs turned on him and didn't hear him fight. As they looked at Zhang Liao, the bandit was already lying down unconscious. Zhang Liao had already rested the center rod of his Sansetsukon on his shoulder, balancing the two dangling staffs on each end. He had his arms crossed. He looked at Meng and Li.
"Sorry, did you say something?" Zhang asked curiously.
"Ah… never mind, let's get these guys to the security hotheads," Meng said.
Li and Zhang agreed, bringing the bandits to security. Security thanked them and went their way with the bandits under arrest. They were now close to the restaurant Meng was going to.
"I could have handled them on my own," Meng said with a grin.
"You, have all the fun?" Li asked, grinning.
"We can't have that now, can we?" Zhang agreed with Li.
"Of course you can! All you have to do is not show up whenever I get attacked!" Meng laughed as he walked with them.
Their popularity and reputation was starting to increase. Many gossiped on Meng's strength and Li's agility. The most popular subject was Zhang Liao. His mask covered his face so it was a popular debate. Some say his face is full of battle scars and he is protecting it. Others say underneath the face is a good-looking individual. Due to his lion-like appearance, few say that he is Shu Ai's spirit, watching over them.
Their reputation soon reaches the Orphanage.
Fei had finally retired and was one of the first to hear of the three Disciples.
"Fei, are you leaving already?" Ping asked, walking to Fei who was thinking.
"Huh? Oh, yeah…" Fei replied with so little enthusiasm.
"Fei, what areyou thinking of?" Ping asked.
"Oh, that's right, you haven't heard of them. There are three individuals who are of different styles. They're becoming famous in the Valley," Fei looked at Ping and told him about the three.
"Oh?" Ping asked, wanting to know more.
"There's Meng Lao. He specializes in Shaolin and brute strength. Then, there's Li Tong. He's agile and focuses on the Dragon Style. Then, Zhang Liao," Fei started to explain.
"Zhang Liao? Isn't he the warrior who fought alongside Lu Bu himself?" Ping remembered some of Shu's stories.
"No, this one is different. No one knows what he is. He wears an iron mask and robes, so most of his body is covered from feet to head," Fei said.
"Any ideas on what he is?" Ping was most interested with Zhang Liao.
"They say he's a lion, yet he doesn't have a mane," was the reply.