Again, this chapter contains a few changes on this day, 9/4/2021, giving some improvements and little background stories to most of the Nine.
GrayZeppelin
Episode 2: Brothers for Life (6 - 11)
Chapter X
Rather Disappointing Day, Act One
I. (XIV) Tea House.
The three warriors sprinted near the stream across the cobblestone bridge, searching for the cousins that Li Shan pointed to look for them. As Peng called the twins, both pandas in the clay building with upward tiles went out from the brown door and spotted the snow leopard, tiger, and peacock, waving at them. Ultimately, only they recognized one of Po's friends to support. The twins greeted the Nine and accepted Chen Xing and Lao some support, while all Masters of Jade Palace were absent to stop the incursion.
The four followed the leopard as they reached the next bridge, where several citizens of the Valley scampered out to the heart of the village, screaming for help.
All five sneaked to the Tea House as they mounted on a wall structure beside the red gate. Ahead, green bamboo structures using a heavy metal pole barricaded the entrance door of the three-story building. The twins peered at multiple windows opened briefly, and one of the bandits shut one shutter with a low grunt.
Peng pointed to a villager on a top left corner window. "Over there," he guided all eight eyes at the dark blue dame who waved her feathers at them. Lao and Xing glimpsed the geese as a dark green crocodile snatched a villager and slammed the window close. A gigantic Boar carrying a long stick with a ball and spikes gazed through most square buildings as all five ducked down their heads. After a short time of looking, the massive boar infiltrated the Tea House after a lead bandit knocked a large wooden to the left flank and now shouted the gang to barricade the next entrance.
Frightening voices within a three-story Tea House roared. "Looks like these bandits are holding off villagers inside," Peng regarded. "They're using them as hostages."
"They're robbing a cash box and everyone's money!" a goose villager screamed from behind.
Lao caught looking above the building's red roof. Sensing multiple windows as the peacock found one above, a large window with dark surroundings inside could manage to fit Lao. "Xing and I go above, and you three go below," Lao informed, pondering his new idea to infiltrate. Then he palmed Xing's back of his left shoulder. "Remember the plan of mine? As above, so below, Xing?"
Xing gave a thought, recalling the Nine's as above, so below procedure. The tiger noticed his brother's plan as if Xing stood in Mrs. Yan's clothing apartment and watched Lao enter the window on the second floor while soaring or climbing. Xing grinned. "Great idea," the tiger nodded while Peng and the twin pandas missed their scheme. "Lao and I have a plan."
Slammed fist; coins dribbled like a river. The clan of Boars spat curses on frightening villagers, forcing them onto the ground. "STAY DOWN! SHUT UP!" one of the boar bandits shoved a giant pig in a gray robe toward the table, flipping him off guard. Plenty of crocodile bandits over the counter searched some safe chest somewhere inside the Tea House. Three geese, two pigs, and two rabbits, including a terrifying child bunny with her mother held through under mahogany dashes. Most bandits considered that Furious Five and Dragon Warrior got late to save this Valley. Many crocodiles and boars, including a fluffy panda, reconsidered the Five's whereabouts.
A gray boar with a square jaw and black mohawk in a dark brown sleeveless shirt urged the alpha hog. "We better hurry, boss. Those goons from Jade Palace will be here any moment now."
"They'll face us soon enough," the giant boar said, glaring at his comrade. "If any of them attempt to save these people, they'll grieve their dead people in this Tea House."
One of these large boars battered fists on walls, two crocodiles hammering their tails, smashing tables. One reptile and two hogs flipped rabbits and pigs as their pockets poured out of yens on brown bags. Vexation was their type, which their hunger devours villagers; intimidating the eyes of innocence satisfied them. The Masters of Jade Palace would have handled the situation quickly if they had been here. Only five were up to this dangerous circumstance: save every hostage without getting killed.
Lao ascended through the large opening spot. Dim and Sim crept through the right side of the restaurant. Next to the peacock near the opened window, Chen Xing waited for Peng while the snow leopard returned his cloak from Mr. Ping's restaurant to disguise himself. Peng's true dream seemed similar to Po's trance of becoming a Dragon Warrior in controlling the chaos of rumbling battle and outraging bandits inside a restaurant's large house. Peng immediately clunked the entry's barricade, fragmented in bits.
Many bandits turned to the front door. "Who is that?" the lightweight boar pointed to a traveler.
A figure in a hooded, cotton-gray cloak entered, passing most collateral tables and chairs. Boars and crocodiles began to ponder their perplexing heads, warily eying on the guest not from here, as one of the boars was aware of him. One reptile grasped the bunny villager's feet and wobbled him as if yens dribbled out of pockets. Most of the bandits peered at the traveler when thoughts piled and flooded.
Xing and Lao above sneaked through supporting woods below the roof, observing hostages at the following structure beside the dash table. Peng searched for one good table with only a portion of a few scrapes, beginning to sit on the mahogany chair.
"Hey! Hoodie! Get lost!" the gray boar wavered his fist ahead of the guest.
The giant hog palmed his chest. "Relax. I've seen this guy before. Give him a drink."
The gray boar snapped his amber eyes at the rabbit on the wooden dash. "You heard him! Serve tea!"
"Yes, sss—sir!" Quivering his arms and paws wasn't easy enough for the rabbit, a co-owner of the goose who ran away outside.
Mumbling his throat, a tan rabbit in a light-brown robe poured a large mug of tea, which his teapot was clinging to the outer circle. "COME ON!" the gray boar rushed him.
"One tea for the guest," the rabbit offered, and the boar shoved him to the next counter after he grabbed the guest's mug, sauntering him toward the newcomer. Many bandits surrounded Peng, their heads and misty eyes glaring at a serene, cautious traveler. Peng guzzled the green tea as one colossal boar with brown and red spikes ambled when bandits moved their spaces.
"Boy, we ain't as dumb as you should have traveled elsewhere. If I was you, you should take a walk, find another place to drink," the gray boar bent his snout, bursting his watery mouth.
"Give this guy a refill," said the boss, turning his comrade an ugly stern. The giant hog clenched the boar's wrist. "Not you. . ." he glared at one of the crocodiles, who stood with a group of green reptiles. "Gahri. Fetch the teapot."
The panda twins embarked on their position on the side of the Tea House apartment as both carried something useful to ambush bandits inside. Something small and tactical. Xing and Lao sought two rabbits of mother and child tremble themselves after boar gave out a smashed fist towards Peng on the front of the table. Fung's right-handed comrade in baggy dark lime trousers beckoned his nod, strolling toward the wooden counter where the rabbit was. As not a single bandit checked for villagers here, a mother rabbit raised her face by staring at two warriors above the ceiling. Xing gestured to her a quiet sign when he pressed his pointer finger to his lips. The mother and child nodded.
Careful enough to approach the guest with the hog boss, Gahri refilled the guest's mug by half. The crocodile scrutinized his draped cloak, unveiling a clouded fur and black tip curving at the end of the cape.
Shit. . . It's that boy.
Gahri gently stepped back as his heart pulsed with shrilling ice, only masking his glance, which the hog boss kept his posture at the guest.
Peng swallowed his green tea as many bandits gained their heads on him closer. Xing, Lao, and the panda twins prepared to unleash their advantage.
"I think your hood gets everyone here nervous, newcomer," said the boar boss, craning his head near him. His breath of Swiss cheese impacted Peng's muzzle. "May I remove your hood and show your face around here?"
The guest gestured his clouded, pointy paw of one moment while sipping his last round of tea, and he placed the cup on the table, swallowing a whole. "No need. I'll reveal my face here. I believe some of you can recognize me."
The traveler removed his hood, revealing the figure's clouded head, black ears, and yellow eyes. A whole group around him and the table filled with thunderous gasps, dispersing away. "I'll be damned," surprised the boar boss, who roughly vibrated his voice. "It's the Great Dragon's nephew."
Peng struck a single straight punch on the giant boar's muzzle, propelling him in the air. Many surrounding bandits were dragged away. "Now!" Peng signaled his paw, and the twins threw two small balls with sparks in the window, and Chen Xing and Lao flung theirs. White smokes soared in after a tiny blast of bombs set aside on the ground. Xing and Lao leaped down a table, and united Peng and two panda twins infiltrate from behind.
Dim and Sum called out the hostages, escorting them all away from the brawl as if plenty rushed over the middle, and a few villagers dashed to the doorway and windows. One bandit nearly sliced Dim's throat after Sum pivoted that sword away using blocks of Kung Fu, swiveling turns. Peng diverted these bandits that surrounded him, including the two of Nine, wherever Xing managed Chi Sao and Lao, battering kicks only and wings to parry from limbs and weapons.
Lao ducked several cuts from the boar bandit who was twirling his spear. The bandit burst his scorching yell from his throat. Outraged, he was savaging himself that boar had been underestimated peacock for the first time. A single cut near Lao's made the aggressor race his clouded mind, briefly staring at the peacock's slash. The blue silk basted the opening stitches itself like meat flesh. The peacock visioned a standard image with a motion of plodding. Lao immediately bounded above and clobbered the boar's cheek, snatching his sword. Ironically, while fighting, Xing and Peng did not glimpse the peacock's flexible speed and reaction, and Lao hammered the crocodile's spike ball above him.
Shou, The Nine's Pirate / Baat Jam Do
Slice attack, butterfly knives, eight cuts introduce. The pirate bull penetrated most of the dummies over the fighting square. Shou positioned another model into the action against the gentle beast; Shou sliced many daggers and a long, heavy stick to use more significant advantage combat by moving side by side and forward. Shou's vital role in sword combat preferred the bull's interest in such reasons as metal-to-metal weapons of choice since Shou's pirate days in the sea from the southeast.
The Masters of Jade Palace encountered one who nearly ruptured their monastery and almost brought their chi energies to the Spirit Warrior. Smaragd hues touched the whole of China as if ghostly streaks of green fiddled their whole bodies, rummaging every prey's heart that was boiling. Billowing clouds reverberated low chuckles of the Jade Slayer, making the Dragon Warrior twitch his head once. He regarded the Nine's Pirate wielding butterfly swords as familiar to jade knives; Tigress inspected her amber eyes at Shou, who spiraled his gray body on the dummy's chest at his left ankle.
The dark crocodile bandit flung sucker punches toward the tiger, simultaneously performing Xing parry pivots and straight fists. The feline sidestepped and did a knife palm under the reptile's throat, suppressing his gasp of air for a brief period. He carried and slammed the dark crocodile bandit near the mahogany dash table, fractured in half.
"Rip them all down!" the giant boar spat at bandits with his brown and yellow teeth.
Tables and chairs are cut down into fragments. Xing and Lao decided to parry swords and most fierce blows hastily. Lao repelled a forceful dagger from another reptile bandit, trying to plunge the peacock. Dim and Sum across the restaurant escorted plenty of villagers away as both bunnies hid under the table dash. Peng spun a kick in mid-air using a hooded cape, blinding close to who was gaining on him. Each shift and the next from his cloak, which billowed with a slash on their faces, disoriented one another, letting a few bandits roar in terror; two crocodiles pounded off their soaring leap after the spinning kick. A lightweight boar snarled with his yellow teeth after he caught in a naked left eye toward panda twins.
Lao shut one bandit from his right side after a forceful sidekick. As soon as the peacock gazed at a lightweight Boar that a bandit tossed the dagger, Lao's feather blade penetrated the weapon at an instant angle gap between Dim's neck, and two swords crossed away from the twin panda. Bandit's knife was thrust into the side of the wooden wall.
"HOW?!" The boar was baffled with surprise, glimpsing at the peacock who had thrown feather knives to his young age and used swinging arms with accuracy at Shui Palace. Lao pinned his hoof to the ground, swimmingly twirling his other foot on his muzzle. The hog was hurling on the wooden structure in between both columns.
"That's a cool blade, dude!" Dim was impressed with the peacock carrying feather blades. "Thanks, buddy! I owe you one!"
The peacock nodded to the twin panda.
Xing growled to one of the bandits that the feline did a front kick to the crocodile, using greatness soft for a power strike instead of harder for wasteful energy. Xing dodged many sharp blades that Lao defended his brother from, and Peng managed to brawl enemies all over the Tea House, one by one. A few bandits diverted away when heroes progressed aggression; these gangs were helpless to make the alternative approach.
A mother rabbit rushed with her daughter, and Dim and Sum guarded them. The ferocious dark emerald crocodile bandit in red baggy pants intervened at the front of the door. Dim and Sum could not manage to repel the bandit's sword to pierce. Both twins drew their necks back; the bandit swung his grip at their cheeks and knocked like a hammer. Xing heard a scream from the child rabbit. The blade shrieked amidst the air, and with immediate haste to intervene ahead of two rabbits, Chen Xing palmed his paws against the side of the bandit's sword.
"Why don't you pick somebody with your own size?" Xing snapped.
"Do NOT outsmart me, boy!" the crocodile clenched his sharp, light brown teeth. "Nobody will put me down! Fear the crocodile who eats dumplings like you!"
"Oh! Before you eat me, I got parasites!" warned Xing.
"NO!"
The crocodile grimaced at him. Xing felt the reptile's muscles weaken his strength. The sword tried to jab through Xing's claws; the tiger controlled a strong thrust with a soft power push. Dim and Sum escorted both rabbits out of affray after escaping Tea House. Both twins foresaw those pandas across intersection brick roads dead ahead, approaching from another side of Valley of Peace.
Mayhem shook the Tea House. Most refused to surrender and continued damaging the restaurant's property, smacking wood everywhere using their hammers and swords. Peng, Lao, Xing, and the twin pandas stood in a full circle, glaring at the gang while they were panting their harsh breaths.
Xing and Lao positioned their Wing Chun stances as they guarded their arms in the center of the bodies (peacock's wings and Xing's arms), and the other three, Peng, Dim, and Sum, used Kung Fu stances. A few bandits begged the others who refused to surrender to tell them not to attack while surrounding these heroes. So far, the bandits realized they damaged the Tea House, and the roof could collapse everyone sooner. Cracking woods deadened to rumbles; the bandits immediately dismantled their weapons, and they all agreed to stop fighting.
A small boar who stood at Xing's height rushed in with his high-pitched war cry, swinging his punch at him; Xing deflected to the center and struck his mighty straight blow at the boar's chest, pushing him off their surroundings. The peacock beside the tiger streaked under the fat crocodile's legs with his blue train after sprinting near Lao. Twin pandas fisted boar and gator as if bandits bounded from the wooden tables. Next to Xing, Peng flipped his body back, uppercutting his whole right foot at the black boar's jaw, knocking him off to the tea dash.
Most bandits dropped their jaws when one thin green crocodile approached in front of Xing. "Gahri, don't go front!" warned one of his crocodile gangs behind Gahri.
The tiger, albino peacock, and snow leopard darted their views at Gahri, whose trembling body froze his left foot, letting Xing guard his chi sao arms in front. Fung's right-hand man breathed in. "Okay, you guys," he spread his limbs gently, eyes scanning the rest. "Everybody. . . just calm down."
"How 'bout I destroy these columns, and then we all calm down with it!" the gray boar snapped, aiming his large metal maul at the third column.
The tiger grimaced with his thick, inaudible growl under his throat before the gray boar began to heave his hammer upward. Xing fetched his brother's feather blade from the peacock's sleeve and pitched it toward the hammer's pole. The weapon's staff snapped in half, and the hammer smashed the gray boar's head, tumbling him onward.
Gahri swallowed hard, quivering his head. "We surrender!" he announced with fear.
Whole bandits around the warriors' surroundings released their weapons to the floor as the crocodile lieutenant Gahri revolved his head behind. Dropping his thin wooden blade, many heard voices and feet rushing to the front door of the Tea House. Black and white bears dressed their homemade armors wrapped with clothes, iron and stained plates above their heads, and bamboo gauntlets, giving a bold look towards them all.
The Boar Clan Leader refused to release big axes as if clenching the axes' grips with a grim look toward every bandit's eyes. "Pathetic fools!" the brute boar spat as he darted his eyes at warriors, rotating his dark hooves around him and bandit companions. "Do you think these guys are the new Furious Five? They are nothing to compare!"
A new Furious Five? It looks like that menacing boar entitled us too soon!
Many ears flicked when Lao's crests rose. They heard wings flapping from the top window where Xing and Lao infiltrated. The goose entered from the door after gliding from the sky. "Master Xing! Master Lao!" exclaimed the goose.
Bandits held their stances as many panda villagers behind twins Dim and Sum guarded their home weapons. Kong landed ahead of the Nine students at once. Xing and Lao submitted their arms; Peng and the twins remained on guard. Kong might have known the battle before asking villagers to understand where two students are wearing blue silks. Kong revolved around his head. "What a mess!" he panted.
"Kong?" Lao widened his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"You both need to get back to Shui Palace!" Kong pointed west in front of Xing and Lao. "It's urgent from Master Ming!"
"These bandits just robbed and damaged the Tea House real bad, Kong," the tiger spoke. "Lao and I cannot return unless we control these gangs."
"The Furious Five and Dragon Warrior! They are there in our village, Master Xing!"
"We know, Kong," Lao realized, pointing his feather knives at bandits. "The panda's dad from Mr. Ping's said that the Masters of Jade Palace went to our village."
"Not just them, Master Lao!" Kong shook. The Nine tilted their puzzling heads while guarding their arms ahead of them. "The Emperor! Emperor Huangdi arrived at our palace twenty minutes ago!"
A mix of surprised and horror faces filled in. Xing and Lao's backs brushed with rime from Kong's revelation. "WHAT?!" the tiger exclaimed.
The peacock's eyes dilated. "The Emperor is in the Prosper Valley?!"
Kong nodded quickly. If Jade Palace masters and Emperor Huangdi are at the Nine's Palace, that is our turn after the Five and Dragon Warrior! Lao thought shockingly.
"DUCK!"
Xing dragged his brother's neck under; a colossal boar's ax spun toward five warriors. The floor was grinding behind, and the boar hurled his black dagger at one of the Nine. Xing snatched the blade with an instant reflex ability as no bandit nor warrior caught sight of the tiger; he flicked the dagger back and penetrated the giant boar's right shoulder near his upper chest.
The boar screamed, collapsing and wrecking on the counter as bamboo cabinets, including metal bells, crushed above him. "Guys, what are you DOING?!" Gahri snapped at his crocodile gangs.
"We'll take care of these bandits!" Dim announced, and Sum added behind three warriors. "You two guys go back to Prosper Valley! We, the pandas, got this!"
"GO!" Lao urged his brother Xing and their new friend Peng.
The peacock tossed two smoke bombs at Dim and Sum, and Lao summoned his weapon from his robe. Once he snatched his own, Lao smashed his small bag of bombs, spreading billowing grayish clouds within a Tea House room, filling anxious screams and the pandas roaring their cries. Gahri and his ran ahead of the smoke; all pandas rushed in full force without stopping, crashing against many bandits. Peng and two of the Nine were nowhere to be seen.
"Those boars are worthless. Somebody ruined my party, and I will disintegrate their flesh and bones for this."
The enormous green crocodile with spiked gauntlets and shoulder pads watched the whole scenery of the Valley of Peace, not as worse turmoil that the giant crocodile could hear distant yells down there. Somewhere down the Tea House, which dots of black and white bears barging into the restaurant, spotted specks of white, blue, and gray scampering to the western path and onward to the side of a thousand steps, inclining on the ridge. The birds soared above as Peng and Xing sprinted with four paws across the village roads near a thousand stairs. Fung's cousin, the ferocious bandit, brightened his eyes and shrunk his pupils.
"There you are," Lidong snarled, pointing to these fled warriors leaving Valley of Peace on the side of the stream. "We follow them where they're heading! Show these little shits no mercy!"
"What about—?" one crocodile bandit Wong was about to ask, but Lidong cut him off.
"This town has warned!" The giant crocodile spat as showing all over Valley of Peace. "Seize them!"
Eight paws trotted with haste and four wings in the air shrieking while flapping near a sauntering road beside the streaming river. Lao would not mind his arms flared with sores in his muscles because he had flown more than ten miles before and beyond more than a thousand. Kong traveled afar ever since he had grown to deliver several mail deliveries and messages before becoming the Nine's Messenger.
"You two guys didn't know about this?" Peng widened his eyes at Chen Xing while the two felines trotted on all fours.
"No!" Xing replied. "Lao and I didn't notice the Emperor is in Prosper Valley. We should have stayed in my village and eaten my grandmother's rice for good. But that was unexpected!"
"Can Lao fly higher?" asked Peng as the snow leopard wondered about the peacock's glide.
"Sure he can! Lao can glide higher at around Jade Palace's height. My brother's job is to keep the sky clear, you'll see! He's got bird eyes to watch!"
Peacocks fly, but only slightly farther, like all avians could manage. Lao searched green tree ridges that he could hover through, then ascended his altitude higher by climbing and bounding on the highest edge. The young peacock was far better at surveying the whole land of bandits and birds filling the sky. There were other possibilities to him that a volley of arrows could appear on either towering mountain ridges. So far, archers were not making their appearance, and that's good enough, alright. Kong followed Lao in a warming sky as the goose had enough courage to support his companion. They surveyed the snow leopard and the tiger sprinting on all fours, going to the tan dirt road and into the bamboo forest.
"Listen, Peng!" the leopard turned to Xing, their claws trotting louder. "If you are going to stay at Valley of Peace, which is fancy to take control of these bandits, that's up to you! Lao, Kong, and I can manage our way home!"
"That's okay, Xing!" Peng smirked. "I'll help you three to reach your place and see Po and Furious Five! I like to see your class and all nine of you!"
"Cool! You are welcome to my grandmother's palace anytime now and even Prosper Valley!"
Lao and Kong immediately checked through soft pillow trees over the vast mountains. The starlight gazed at the messenger, and three warriors rushed in the breeze of awareness. Drums began to thump Xing's heart of worry. The tiger's mistake was not his guilt; the unexpected call was what Kong reminded both students to return home because of Emperor Huangdi's arrival. What if the Emperor could never see both exceptional students of Wing Chun's class? Could he or a master ever mark any student to despair their rank?
We got to warn Huangdi and Jade Palace masters!
II. (XV) Hurtling Hindrance
Niu, The Nine's Defender / Kung Fu Dragon
One of the three legendary Masters of Gongmen gazed at his son's dragon form of Kung Fu. A formidable flow of chi, waving arms, unperturbedly sensible. Niu's both arms of Tai Chi flow were as tranquil from tension. He swirled palms after swinging arms, straight punches, a strong sense of kicks, following sparrows, and spinning. Impressed with the bovine's intro and energy, bringing observers to deafen their awes, the Dragon Warrior was interested in meeting the Nine's Defender; Niu commenced engaging with wooden models after dissipating his tension and let the flow through his strength, rupturing dummies.
Before the Nine's Defender's introduction, Chen Ming introduced a tale of Niu's story that Master Storming Ox first trained his son after the death of Master Thundering Rhino, the foremost steward of the Masters' Council, Niu's godfather. The son of Storming Ox went through dire events by facing students from the previous school who bullied him before his father's class in Gongmen City. For three years after the demise of Thundering Rhino, unable to let Master Ox determine his son's issue to see his father bearing depression, Niu rampaged a whole clan of bandits and students who joined vicious gangs to steal villagers' belongings. They obeyed to kill for no mercy. Niu nearly slew the bandits across half districts of the city after Storming Ox ceased his son's relentless rage. Master Croc regarded his old companion's mourning to their closest friend, and Storming Ox made a terrible mistake unveiling his anger toward his son.
Niu's father told his son to head west about ten miles from the Valley of Peace. Storming Ox needed him to remain tranquil as he and the two Masters met Oogway's feline disciple after Shifu became the tortoise's clever pupil, one of the original Furious Five. On the night that seemed only yesterday to Storming Ox, something he had recalled "wealth of riches" as Chen Ming continued her tale, her grandson found Niu in an affray town. A place where street fighters fought to earn yuans, which brought shame to dishonor kung fu, as Ox feared, and so did Rhino). In the form of Wing Chun, Niu impressively witnessed his striped feline brother defeat the massive boar, save the son of Storming Ox, and convince him to see the present.
His honor virtue was present, becoming the Nine's Defender as he initially wished to be Gongmen City's guardian.
Storming Ox's son had become tranquil for over seven years of Wing Chun that Ming initially provided Niu a capacity for inner peace, which made him prevent aggression. Using a dragon form of Kung Fu, Niu clobbered dummies him a fighting square around him. Ming gave soft chuffs to Niu's father next to her once the Nine's Defender fragmented models, one by one with several blows combination. The last dummy Niu encountered had him tap his hoof on its chest, ripping all model parts from his son's newest gifted talent.
"That's my boy. . ." Master Storming Ox simpered.
Plain grass glossed like the sun.
Mirage waters cast back with bright light.
Chirping leaves embraced the wind.
Xing and Peng leaped above the stream. Both warriors reached for the next side of the meadows through the jungle. Lao and Kong continued soaring above the ocean sky as the peacock and goose surveyed hills and mountains. Again, there were no signs of archers unleashing arrows within the specks of emerald trees.
Peng and Xing advanced straight down into the forest that the road was ultimately not forged in the dirt. For a moment, while their hearts drummed in their chests, Peng quickly gazed next to Xing's left side. A light green river frothed with numerous bubbles trailing onward, and thirty eyes of reptiles glared at them.
"Crocodiles! These guys are catching up!" Peng warned.
"Looks like they've brought some army!" Xing determined. "We stay away from the water!"
Lidong, Fung's cousin, snarled his large foams underwater. Peng and Xing focused on sprinting onward to the blends of dirt and grass, dodging river banks. Above the air, Lao glanced at the bamboo and wooden border filled with boar bandit clans. Gods! Who called the whole army trying to stop us? The peacock gave final glimpses of the edge and his brother racing down the ridge with their leopard traveler.
"Kong! Warn my brother and Peng that there is a bandit border ahead! Tell them to bank left!"
The goose dove toward the two runners as Lao observed several ridges and other meadow terrains filled with endless bamboo trees billowing. Who in Oogway's blessings keeps summoning bandits? In the bamboo forest? Inside the clouds? The peafowl thought dreadfully.
Kong soared above Xing and Peng, like swimming in the breeze. The goose beckoned his main wing ahead. "There's a border where bandits block your path! Lao said you both must bank left!"
"Alright!" Xing noted.
"Gotta jump over the next riverbank, now!" Peng turned.
Both warriors leaped their edge towards another side of open grass to achieve their survival of running on four paws.
Lidong's foams in the sunlight river roared, letting all twenty-eight eyes draw back from their leader. While jumping from Xing and Peng to the next terrain, Fung's cousin bounded off the surface and nearly caught Peng's traveling cape with hard, snapping teeth. SNAP!
"Yikes!" Xing widened and glimpsed at the colossal reptile.
"COME HERE!" Lidong foamed underwater after splashing.
That was a close call! Peng thought after landing with Xing on the other side of the open grassland.
Bao, The Nine's Heaver/ Attack and Defense
The giant ape commenced the second form of Wing Chun, Len-tia Tao. Bao, the mighty gorilla with four hands, rumbled several action dummies around him, spinning their spike limbs. Shocking grounds beneath Bao's two palms, the gorilla smartly booted movable dummy crocodiles as Bao continuously used the second form. The Furious Five and Dragon Warrior visioned Bao that not every bovine but apes supported villagers by bearing heavy objects. What made Po and the Five reminisce about him was when they confronted gorillas who worked their peacock lord back in Gongmen City for heaving heavy cannons.
Viper recalled one in shiny metal armor who was immune to her father's venom fangs as Lord Viper fragmented his, without knowing how dangerous the gorilla bandit became savaged. Instead of her own, which had no fangs to disorient him, she summoned her red ribbon with her tail, tightened around the massive gorilla's limbs. "Bao, block! Bao, attack!" the Nine's Heaver launched his heavy palm strikes toward two action dummies.
He's good. Viper let out her red tongue with approval.
Ming grinned at Shifu. "You might want to embrace the rail, brother," advised the Nine's Master.
"Why?" beamed the red panda master while bewildering.
"Watch," she manifested after gripping the bamboo rail.
The gorilla encountered three heavyweight dummies, and other crocodile dummies gained their way toward Bao. Once the gorilla checked a new lookout, Bao initially bounded and smashed the fighting square with his two clenched hammer hands.
The whole ground shook the palace, including everyone sitting in their seat like jumping in the air.
"OH!" Shifu widened his eyes and caught the rail with Furious Five and Dragon Warrior. The Nine's Master simpered with a delightful giggle.
Everyone applauded, and Shifu palmed his chest as if his heart leveled, then chuckled. Monkey echoed his compelling voice, gesturing his palms in the air. "YEAH! I'll give him my cookies for that big guy!"
The green insect bent his antennas, applauding and stunning on Monkey's shoulder. "What a big ape who climbed on a big tower and roared at birds!" he simpered. "Spatting them like, 'I am the King of THORAX or King of Big Apple!"
Five bandits (two boars and three crocodiles) surged onward the meadow path, exploding with disgust at the two felines. Xing and Peng revolved their heads at five bandits ahead, using their deadly force of weapons to stop running. Peng and Xing considered twice about penetrating through roadblocks down the path. The tiger and snow leopard leaped onto the large brown tree and spiraled their kicks.
"Nothing personal, guys!" Xing commented to bandits as the Nine's Leader, and Peng opposed them.
Peng spiraled triple kicks amidst the air, striking two boar bandits from one side on the grass and the other splashing on the river bank. Chen Xing dodged many tails swinging on him thrice from three crocodiles; Peng caught one and then twirled the second bandit. Xing mainly struck all the soft punches into aggressive combos with Chi Sao's attack and defense strategy.
A full surprise attack as Xing widened his stone eyes, the crocodiles from the river snarled out, and Peng back-elbowed the bandit. Then as Peng immediately snatched the bandit, the snow leopard tossed to Xing, and the tiger gave a powerful sidekick as the bandit flew to puffy green trees over the mountain.
"Nice kick!" Peng impressed.
"Thank you." Xing beamed.
"More bandits on our way!" Kong warned out loud from the sky. "There are fifty of them closing in!
The tiger wobbled his head around the open grassland with the blessing of a light blue river touched by a yellow sun. "How far?" asked Xing.
"NOT far! Hurry!" Kong gestured to them both.
"Oh, shit!"
Xing and Peng sprinted to the next side of the streaming river, where the tiger recalled the path to Prosper Valley as the only route to get there in time.
All the grounds shook, and a horde group of gruesome thugs roared.
Zhao, The Nine's Ferocious / Stealth and Prey
Foams underwater ghastly foamed, and a reptile predator sprang out of the bathing pool. Zhao created a surprise attack against the will of immovable dummies: four limbs and one tail. The crocodile student's spike ball attached to his tail used to enhance like a third clenched hand. His lengthy tail was his typical usage of brutal fighting when surrounded by enemies.
Master Storming Ox reflected Zhao as familiar to one of his reptile companions since a day of Street Fighters were young Thundering Rhino, Croc, and Ox combated against each other for money who would win. Storming Ox is convinced that the reptile student was instrumental in the Nine in protecting Prosper Valley from crocodile bandits within submerges of deep waters. Ming clarified that Zhao was a burglar, but only within the young times that the bad taught the small to be a thief and mischievous predators, fearing those wading near the water. Zhao hated what he had become for being dishonored in front of villagers by threatening them all, unable to feel remorse.
The kid has those eyes. The eyes of my old companion. Does Croc ever have anyone before?
The bovine master pondered the young crocodile.
Lao approached multiple gaps between the living trees from the mountains, his wings fiercely shrieking throughout the murmuring breeze. Kong did not master much of these daredevil gaps as Lao continued whirling his whole body under tree logs separated. Kong usually flew above pillow trees as he wanted to check on Lao. The peacock trained on longing meadows where both felines continued hurtling and farther back billowed with dust clouds, swimming forward with boisterous battle cries.
Farthest around one of the Guilin mountain ridges beckoned a harsh scream, something stirring with rough cries. Light gray and black dots swarmed within the streak of clouds.
"What is that?" Lao feared.
The swarming dots embarked to dive towards the peacock and goose, looming wicked vultures. These blackbirds were the ones that slightly endangered any messengers alone in cloudless skies, even though gruesome birds were careless, and they only killed one goose at a time. Luckily, Kong was with Lao, and this circumstance became much more tricky to handle vultures going after them. The worst part, vultures sought two birds and now engaged in an immediate threat. "LUNCHTIME!" the main vulture with a white fur neck and a croaky voice thundered.
"Get on my back, Kong!" exclaimed Lao.
Lao stretched his train and wings that balanced the breeze over him and Kong. Chen Xing and Peng glimpsed at vulture bandits chasing peacocks and geese beneath the sky. Kong wrapped Lao's neck as the peacock dodged over fifty sharp claws, nearly mauling him and the Nine's Messenger. "Who's calling all the army?" Peng pondered worriedly.
"Looks like our friends back there aren't giving up easily!" Chen Xing pointed to his six and led forward while panting his breath harshly.
"No doubt about that!"
Immediately, the tiger and snow leopard hurtled on the vast clearing, barging into the next bamboo forest. Above trees and beyond, vultures snapped their cries.
Fanshe, The Nine's Serpent / Subtlety
"I've always been proud of you."
The father of Master Viper with gray Fu Manchu echoed, who curled his lengthy body over his daughter in their shoji chamber. His daughter had no sharp teeth ever since but had a gift dancing her sash stick, which the daughter defeated the almighty in the village. Within the dark corridor beside the chamber, the cobra with a broad neck crown launched his body onward, biting the assassin's neck. The killer was a lime python who ruptured the house's front door. And the python was the partner of the gorilla with gloss armor.
The stranger, whose lips and teeth were splattered with dark gores, submitted to Lord Viper. He washed his mouth to bow to him and the Lady, who appeared with her lily flower crown. They slithered toward the cobra, whose light emerald eyes turned down, and the father's tail raised Fanshe's head, sharing his gratitude to him. "I am truly blessed to see my daughter safe from harm. You defined courage, given to seeing the good within you. Since I heard you have no family, I shall accept you as my son and my daughter's adoptive brother."
Fanshe brought his small smile to the two serpents. He had no other returns to offer, but now being adopted was his only beginning to be the reptile of Master Viper's family. He looked to the father's left. The girl with no fangs broke her genuine smile, waving her crimson silk at him.
Awareness tongue, fierce fangs with tasteful venomous of doom presented. The cobra Fanshe slithered upcoming daggers and blades. Fanshe snapped one-to-one weapons and slapped his tail, disintegrating woods and dummies within each opponent everywhere. She remembered him. Her father's protector was always her adoptive brother since she was small, and he was young and brave, the change of heart. Their father, Lord Viper, was unique in unveiling his venomous fangs, manifesting each soul never to underestimate him or terrorize the serpent master.
The cobra would not use his fangs unless any savage bandits were up to the challenge of facing their price towards death. As only clever enough to use his tail instead of poisoning (as he swore not to kill), Fanshe always hammered pressure points, exclusively one hit the other dummy's or bandit's weak spot to decrease their strength and agility. By most of the attacks, Fanshe knew most of throwing daggers and shooting arrows to avoid weapons, which most bandits were wary enough to chop any reptile's head off. As much as he's skillful in dexterity, subtlety was the key to him and his adoptive sister.
Lao swiveled around those massive trees beside the steep mountain; gray and black vultures nearly clawed Kong's back as the peacock eluded into another gap between two large trees. Black vultures snarled. One vulture in front of Lao almost ripped the peacock, making Kong fear while shivering.
"Hang on, Kong!" the peacock spun his whole body. Lao kicked the vulture's chest as the black talon from the bandit retreated both peacock and Kong. The Nine's Brilliance again vortexed his body with his wings, deflecting and knocking ten large birds under the peacock. Ahead of them, black vultures screeched as if their sharp, sunless claws shone.
A sudden growl stormed above the peacock's back. "MASTER LAO!" Kong shouted, but a gloomy vulture bandit tackled Lao and Kong.
The Nine's Messenger went off first before the bandit hit Lao; his glide after a few feathers rented spun out of control. Lao hastily rummaged for within his long sleeve when the blackbird with a white fur neck burst his tongue out. "YUMMY!" the vulture rocked his wings back and forth, extending his talons out. The peacock flung something small, which reflected with a silver mirror. His feather knife plunged the bandit's wing, and the vulture hollered his painful cry, tumbling him down to the streaming river with fifty yellow eyes under the surface.
Lao barely maintained his altitude by spreading his wings wide enough, sensing his feathers in the thick air. The goose flew beside him. "There's more of them on their way, Master Lao! By the Gods, are you alright?" Kong terrifyingly asked the young peacock.
"Get down below! Stay in front of Xing, and he'll protect you! GO!"
The Nine's Messenger dove, knowing that flying with the peacock was the only crucial, but devouring vultures could end his death if he were not for Lao, who saved Kong.
"COME HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" another vulture bent his wings down near the peacock and bellowed his caw, but Lao rounded his foot on the blackbird's neck, descending him with several feathers dusting off.
Three blackbirds bent their wings as the wind entered their feathers and gained more speed. At any cost of any vulture's circumstance, as if they flew near him, Lao revolved his body with sharp feather knives. Birds screamed as one sliced at his cheek, the second hammered on the upper shoulder, and the third behind the back. Plenty of blackbirds withdrew due to the young albino's warning sign. A sign that peacocks could do brutal ways to conclude the enemy's vicious attacks.
Xing, Peng, and Kong went to the forest-like jungle — a few miles from Prosper Valley. The Nine's Messenger spotted crocodiles crawling among branches. One bandit began to jump with his limbs wide open, snarling. "No, you don't!" Xing roared. The tiger leaped from the old tree's large trunk, his sturdy sidekick clobbering the crocodile's right lung.
Peng nearly shattered the branch after he jumped above the tree. The snow leopard almost stumbled into the river full of raging reptiles. Meanwhile, with a sudden impact with loud snaps of branches from above, one of the blackbirds crashed on the crocodile named Irwin, who almost snapped his teeth on Peng's gray cape. The leopard quickly inspected the sky before following the Nine's Leader and Messenger. Chen Xing's brother decreased his altitude, chased by more than five vultures constantly gaining on the young albino.
One gruesome blackbird almost snapped his beak on Lao's train about three feet away, repeating clenches as he stared at his meal, wanting to fill up his belly. "Here's bum-bum!" grinned the vulture with a nasty, white gooey in his mouth.
Lao bent his eyes and beak with annoyance. That is why I despise vultures!
Hong, The Nine's Doctor / Tai Chi & Sai Attack
A couple of bunnies on the gallery side next to Chen Ming and Master Storming Ox chirped their surprises while anticipating one of the students of the Nine: Small prey, silk fur, cinnamon eyes. The bunny swam her body movement, swirling her Tai Chi form. Hong did not mind the peaceful meditation song that geese and pig musicians provided a substantial recommendation to the rabbit. Reminding these aggressors around her in a full circle fighting square made her soft glides, and with each limb to hit, she hailed her chi.
Musicians Village was her home, but always hers when she chose one thing that changed her. A monk in orange robes traveled from Tibet came to a visit for a drink of hot tea and spotted one rabbit in pink hanfu crawl on the soggy mug as three pigs drew their chef knives and daggers. She sought a monk to drive his limbs, swimmingly deflected two blades, and the third flung near the pig's crotch. Later within days, as Hong asked for the Tibetan Mastiff monk to follow his ways, he only invited her to embark on energy. The energy that guides your flow, you swim within the water without your mind flaws, as calmness is your dear friend.
As she was good a remedy, which her family had numerous generations healing those into battles and recovering injuries, she followed guidance from her former monk master, partaking his considerable skills to treat every subject with kindness.
Hong's rapid attacks with soft grips within each dummy's arm shattered one and the other, thrusting her swift limbs. The Furious Five had amazed her talents, knowing a small student rampaged on pounding all crocodile dummies while she bounded over models. She darted multiple model legs within the next step of her two sai blades. Disarming all swords from every dummy's grip and the deadliest slice of sword metal that any opponent would become useless, she swirled her body above them, bounding her kicks against every model.
Oh. Shifu brushed his beard below his jaw. The red panda master sensed his slight movement crawling with insect tips behind. Mantis opened his mouth wide open, looking at the potential of this remedy, the same speed movement as Shifu's natural motion. "Hong's a marvelous student," nodded Shifu. "What do you think about the Nine's Doctor, Mantis?"
Mantis could not shut his tiny lips as if his eyes sketched the shape of red hearts, including his chest dragging to reach a beautiful and lethal bunny student. Hong hurled her last three kicks at the dummy's head, belly, and side of its left knee. "I think I'm in love," Mantis breathed.
Peng, Xing, and Kong reached a blue watery stream river where the tiger and the peacock had traveled there before — four more miles into rumble forests with green grasses. The whispering river was the only path to reach Prosper Valley alive. The tiger turned his head behind on a cinnamon bank river to the right side. None of the ruthless, grim bandits spawned behind dazzling trees and the light brown path. "Looks like our tail is clear!" Xing believed.
"We are NOT clear!"
The young peacock shouted, making three heads turn to their left. Lao kept grunting while continuously flapping his wings with haste. Two black vultures gave their disgusting looks that bent their wicked eyes and spat with white gooey from their pink beaks, almost munching Lao's blue feathers near the peacock's train. "Vultures are on my train!"
"Kong," Xing called the goose. "Get to the Shui Palace and tell the Nine and the others that bandits are on us and heading straight to Prosper Valley! GO!"
"Yes, Master Xing!" Kong nodded to the Nine's Leader and propelled his tiny wings upward. The Nine's Messenger soared away, and Xing and Peng quickly observed the peacock struggling in the breeze with gruesome vultures behind him, getting close.
"Lao! Jump on my back, and grab that vulture's neck!" Xing advised. "You must control his glide! You gotta mean him, brother!"
The peacock still decreased the glide, slowly getting near a blue stream. Two eyes and more crocodile bandits' heads swam above the surface and sniffed the albino's feathers, extending their long mouths. "YOU ARE MINE, NOW!" the vulture with a fluff neck brushed his tongue in his beak. The bandit bent his wing and dove ahead of the peacock.
Under the surface, Lidong billowed his air bubbles, springing out of the water with a hiss of his long mouth with sharp fangs. In an immediate reaction, Lao banked right. "NOOO!" the vulture bandit screeched, and Lidong crushed the vulture in his mouth and splashed into the river.
The peacock landed on Chen Xing's back, and the tiger instantly sprung himself and boosted Lao's altitude. After bounding, Lao snatched the vulture's tail and rounded his rope dart over the gruesome bird's neck.
"OI! Get off meh!"
The second vulture with a long, white fluffy neck yelped; the rope jerked his pink collar up and flew into the air with a sharp wail while Lao stood on the gruesome bird's back with his balance. Peng and Xing gazed at all vultures who gained their altitude, following Lao. Ironically, the vultures were helpless, and they tailed to one of their own who was in trouble with the peacock.
"This is not gonna be a good day for me!" Xing humbled his quivering head. "Looks like I'll be disappointed in front of my grandmother's eyes!"
"Relax, friend!" Peng settled him. "I'll reason the Five and your master that we had trouble coming to Valley of Peace! We'll take care of these bandits, and then you both do your own thing at your palace!"
Lotus, The Nine's Dancer / Greater Speed, Ribbon Dancer
Attractive student, the serenity beam of a lone wolf, the second-best of a ribbon dancer. Po regarded his original name, "Little Lotus," as the she-wolf was given the name at birth from Lotus's mother for the rarest white flower from the Wolves Village. A female wolf who grinned with her sharp teeth and sharpened her small pupils, Lotus enabled Chi Sao and many attacks with defense strike points. Lat Sau, Bong Sao, Kun Lum Tao, and multiple combination defenses in which Lotus nearly mastered the Chi Sao blocks.
A lotus flower had this representation of Tigress, as she mainly wore her qipao with thorn veins and the flower. Part of wisdom, as the petals slowly grew every morning until the night they closed, a lily flower presented resurrection every day. The night almost cast a shadow upon the small puppy after she fled across the hungry forest from the Wolves Village, which scorched timbers and dying embers swimming among her. Month by month, the day silenced the misery; the wolf cub with yellow eyes followed lily flowers to the vast healing meadows and found a sow traveler amidst the dirt road who escorted the wolf to one place that preyed upon Tigress before. Every day, in Bao Gu Orphanage, the she-wolf resided the pain and suffering until one with stone eyes closed her wounds.
Lotus and I do have a disturbing experience in common. Tigress reflected the Nine's Dancer.
Lotus attempted her agility from her paws, twirling her blue ribbon stick as the war machine-like dummies were commencing with the attack on her with primitive weapons. The war machine-like dummies embarked on the onslaught with primitive weapons, and Lotus immediately received her blue ribbon stick. Whirling by using mentality, tightened throughout each dummy's belly without hesitating, Lotus flickered her style of Wing Chun with Chi flow through her arms and pounced many models with swinging ribbon sash that attached a stick. Continuous welting through enemies, the time of Xing and Lao's whereabouts have been late since Shou's confirmation of the bull's demonstration.
The Furious Five and Dragon Warrior Po expected to see the two students appear but did not come after seven students presented. However, considering one of the two, Tigress wished to see Chen Ming's grandson — the Nine's Leader. Nevertheless, as a former lone-striped feline after meeting her aunt and soon seeing her nephew, she could be their family. Now, participating in the next, who was the next student? A key to aspect possibilities is the one who "flies," far brilliant when the Masters of Jade Palace regarded the Nine's Brilliance. An owl? Maybe another avian-like Crane? A mystery should reveal a student soon enough.
Chen Ming found the Nine's Messenger cast his glide down to her in the brightest sky, landing softly beside Ming after his last ten miles of flight travel. Kong murmured to Chen Ming and widened her eyes. Shifu rose his own at his old friend, drawing his head close to the Nine's Master. "Ming? What is wrong?" he whispered, sliding his seat beside her.
Ming darted her stone eyes at the red panda master. "They are in trouble."
Crocodiles floated on the surface as they hurtled on and on, bellowing their foams. Chen Xing and Peng nearly reached the rim of the Prosper Valley, knowing the tiger first spotted the round river bank for a final turn, and the stream was twice the size of the Valley of Peace's rivers.
"Jump!" Xing shouted. Both the tiger and snow leopard sprang their last jump across the stream. Three bandits leaped from the water and hissed with their opened fangs. SNAP!
That was close!
Chen Xing finally searched for the board sign "Welcome to the Prosper Valley," the land of harmony and the Nine's village. Four riverboats parked on the side of those wooden poles they linked with, and one of the rides left with subjects in gold armor. Emperor Huangdi is here! He and the Masters of Jade Palace are at my palace!
They broke their way toward the main section of the light-brown cobblestone road; Chen Xing and Peng told villagers to hide in their complex houses. Once they almost arrived at the Shui Palace, more than a hundred yards away, gold armors were within their stone stances. In front of the Emperor's guards, Masters of Jade Palace and all eight of the Nine (their master included) piled their Kung Fu and Wing Chun stances. The eyes of stone and amber met, making the Nine's Leader slow his pace, the Furious Five alpha dilating hers, and the Dragon Warrior met his clouded leopard companion.
The Dragon Warrior gasped, meeting his clouded leopard companion. "Peng! You're back!"
The tiger and snow leopard skidded the cobblestone. "Guys! Vultures and crocodiles are coming!" Peng announced.
"Sunzi! Where's—?" The Nine's Master was asking her grandson, but the eight of Nine drew their views in the sky.
The Nine and Jade Palace masters gazed at the dark spots swarming above the horizon. Lao bailed his ride from the vulture as he dove forward to Prosper Valley. The Masters of Jade Palace wondered who was the last student of the Nine; they sought a form of blue and white descending with the bird's voluminous train feathers. That could not be him. A haunting figure with a menacing laugh and metals that rattled into the billowing red smoke and the red-eye symbol made the Dragon Warrior horrifyingly widen his green eyes.
Sh-Sh—Shen?
The last student of the Nine was a peacock, who swiveled his body, landed his feet on the cobblestone, and stopped sliding backward to a halt; never before seen him have blue train feathers, cobalt silk with a yin-yang symbol behind Lao's back. Yes. . . Yes, I was. . . Echoed the phantom's silky voice that shivered the panda's spine. Po remembered his old enemy last time on the warship and quickly sought him before the cannon snapped ropes away.
"Shou, my pole!" Lao roared, and the Nine's Pirate behind the group tossed the peacock's weapon before the Nine's Brilliance summoned his smoke bombs from his long sleeves and smashed to the ground full of white spirals all over Lao. Vultures raced down towards the peacock, bellowing their caws at him. One by one, entering the smoke, quick and hard thrashes thudded, silencing their screams. Multiple vultures dispersed the ambush as plenty swung and knocked. The gray smoke vanished, and the crocodile bandits spawned.
The colossal bandit popped his fingers while crushing his knuckles. "This fight is going to be a piece of cake!" Lidong grinned. The enormous crocodile scanned the fading smoke. The tiger stood beside the albino peacock with his len chin stance with Chi sao guards in front of the tiger. The black and white bear and the Five's alpha formed their kung fu stances next to Chen Xing, unveiling Masters, the Nine, and Emperor's guards.
"Uh, oh!" shivered Lidong.
