“Th-th-thank you,” Charles stammered, his lips beginning to turn purple.
Long felt his dan tien begin to tingle, and he turned toward the house. A hunched figure in a hooded overcoat appeared from the opposite side of the structure, and an elderly female voice called out, “Why, Charles! Your sloop looks very different! I hardly recognized it from my window. Come in and dry off. Hok, Malao, Fu! So good to see you. Bring your friends and get yourselves out of this vile cold weather.”
The woman headed back the way she had come and disappeared, and the others hurried after her. Malao led the charge toward the house, followed by Hok and Fu with Charles between them. Long and Xie brought up the rear.
As they approached the home, Long took in the details. The house was small and old, but still in good condition. Most of the window shutters had been nailed shut for the winter, and the heavy front door appeared to have been designed to keep out more than the cold. It also looked like it had been broken down and repaired several times. As he entered the house and closed the door behind him, the old woman saw him eyeballing the pockmarked doorjamb.
“Occasionally, I receive unwelcome or impatient visitors,” she said with a smile. “You, however, will be received like family. Welcome. I am PawPaw.”
Long bowed. “I am Long. Thank you for allowing me into your home.”
Xie bowed, too. “I am Xie. I thank you as well.”
“No need for bows, and certainly no need for thank-yous,” PawPaw said, throwing back her hood to reveal thin gray hair and clear, sharp eyes. “I have not done anything. My home is your home. Tell me, what happened to your leg, Long? I noticed you limping and I can see the lump of a bandage on your thigh. There is one on your left arm, too.”
“It is a long story,” Long replied, unsure how much information he should share. He glanced at Hok.
“It’s okay,” Hok said, pointing to the front door. “PawPaw will understand our predicament better than anyone. She is an ally of the bandits, and is a key link in their information chain. That is how her door got that way.”
PawPaw smiled warmly, and Long found himself smiling back. “I see,” he said. “In that case, I was sliced open by a man with a hidden dagger in the Shanghai Fight Club pit arena, then chased by soldiers under the leadership of a man called Tonglong. Hok sewed me back together. Do you know who Tonglong is?”
PawPaw nodded. “I do. Are you poor dears running from him?”
“Yes,” Hok replied. “That is why Charles’ sloop looks different. He changed its appearance to fool Tonglong. We are in trouble and need to see the bandits as soon as possible.”
PawPaw looked at Long’s leg. “All of you?”
“No,” Hok said. “If you do not mind, we would like my temple brother Long to stay here with you. He needs to heal.”
“Excuse me?” Long said. “You aren’t going anywhere without me.”
Xie laid a firm hand on Long’s shoulder. “Yes, we are. Hok and I have already discussed this, and you have no say in the matter. If it is agreeable with PawPaw, you will remain here while Charles takes the rest of us to Kaifeng in his boat. Once there, Hok, Malao, and Fu will seek out the bandits, while I continue home alone. Charles will head off on his own, too, traveling back to the southern sea in search of the pirates. He will attempt to obtain firearms for us.”
Long frowned.
“You are in no condition to travel overland,” Hok said. “Your stitches need to come out in the next day or two, and afterward you must not put too much strain on your leg or arm. Walking the distances we must travel would be too much for you right now. Once you have healed, of course we would like you to join us with Mong and the bandits. By the time you reach us, we will hopefully have a plan to deal with Tonglong. Someone will then need to share that plan with Xie, and the most likely candidate is you.”
Long looked at Xie.
Xie nodded. “That is right. It is a long and treacherous journey to the city of Tunhuang—my homeland. However, an individual can do the trip relatively quickly, provided he or she has the right equipment. Have you ever ridden a horse?”
“No,” Long said.
“Then you will have to learn,” Xie said. “I have a contact in Kaifeng who breeds horses unlike any other in China. I will take one of his mounts for my journey home, and I will make arrangements for you to have one as well. You must heal first, though. You cannot ride with your leg in that condition.”
PawPaw looked at Xie. “You are the son of the Western Warlord, are you not?”
Xie’s eyebrows rose. “I am. How did you know?”