“Do you think you can find the Shanghai Fight Club?” Tonglong asked.
“Yes, sir,” ShaoShu said. “It’s only a few li from here. I remember coming straight to this place after the Fight Club Championship.”
“Good,” Tonglong said. “I would like you to deliver a message to the fight club owner. It is something I do not want anyone else to know, and I think you are the perfect person to deliver it.”
ShaoShu pouted. “Because I can’t read, sir?”
“That is right,” Tonglong said. “Because you cannot read.”
Tonglong wrote a single line on the scroll and took a small handful of sand from an ornate container on the desk. He sprinkled the sand over the newly written characters, dusted it off, and checked the ink with his finger. It was dry. He rolled up the scroll and handed it to ShaoShu.
“The fight club owner’s name is Yang. Give this to him and come straight back here.” Tonglong reached into a pouch tied to his sash and pulled out a large gold coin. “This will be yours when you return.”
ShaoShu stared at the coin in disbelief. Shiny objects had always fascinated him, and this was the shiniest thing he had ever seen. Rays of light bounced off it from sunbeams coming in through Tonglong’s unshuttered window. Besides being shiny, that single coin was worth a small fortune.
“I reward those who are loyal to me,” Tonglong said, adjusting his long ponytail braid. His robe slipped open slightly, and ShaoShu could not help but notice another shiny object, the key Tonglong wore around his neck. It was the same one that ShaoShu had removed from Tonglong’s father’s tomb. It looked different from any key he had ever seen, and was entwined with dragons. Tonglong claimed it was the key to the Forbidden City.
Tonglong pulled his robe closed. “I see the memory of my father’s tomb is still fresh in your mind. I will be putting the key to use soon enough. It would be wise for you to not talk about it with anyone. Ever.”
“No, sir,” ShaoShu said, growing nervous.
“Good boy,” Tonglong replied. “Now run along. If you complete this assignment before dark, I will give you two gold coins.”
ShaoShu’s eyes lit up, and he jumped out of his chair. He would love to have two gold coins that size, but he knew that was never going to happen. As soon as he was clear of this command center, he would head in the opposite direction from the fight club and never stop running until he found Ying or Long. He had had enough of Tonglong.
Tonglong ordered his men to open the office door, and as ShaoShu scurried through it, Tonglong gave the men clear instructions to leave ShaoShu alone. He was departing on a special mission.
The soldiers complied.
ShaoShu hurried outside and was immediately struck by how cold it was, even with the sun out. Winter was definitely close. He would have gone back inside to get an overcoat, but realized that he did not have one. This was going to make his escape more difficult, or at least more uncomfortable.
He decided to jog in order to both keep himself warm and get away from Tonglong faster. He had only gone two blocks and was still within sight of Tonglong’s command center when someone began to shout.
“Hey! Kid! You, there! STOP, IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!”
Huh? ShaoShu thought, and he saw a very old man hobble into the road ahead of him. The old man wore a shopkeeper’s apron, and he began to wave his arms frantically.
ShaoShu frowned and slowed to a walk. As he neared the old man, the same voice called out, “Stop, I said!”
Confused, ShaoShu looked around and realized that the voice did not belong to the shopkeeper in the road. Instead, it belonged to an ancient butcher whose store was located across the street from the shopkeeper. The butcher stepped out from behind his meat counter and waved a large cleaver.
ShaoShu stopped dead in his tracks. Behind him, he heard someone else shout, “Keep him there, old-timers! We’re coming!”
ShaoShu turned to see a group of seven soldiers running toward him from the direction of Tonglong’s command center. ShaoShu did not recognize any of these men, however. They were not wearing the red uniforms of Tonglong’s elite team. What was going on? The soldiers ran up to him, and two of them grabbed his arms while a third gripped the back of his robe.
“Nice work,” the soldier gripping his robe said to the shopkeeper. “I will deliver your reward as soon as I process the paperwork.”
“His reward!” the butcher said. “I saw him first! Didn’t you hear me shout?”
“No, I saw him first,” the shopkeeper argued angrily. “The bounty is mine!”
“There will be time to sort this out later, you two,” the soldier said. “Haven’t you both collected enough bounties already? I am not even sure this kid qualifies. He might be too young.”