Hell to Heaven (57 page)
Authors: Kylie Chan
‘He didn’t even ask about my injuries,’ I said.
‘He may not have noticed,’ Gold said. ‘And if he did, he probably didn’t care.’
‘It’s okay to stay in the wheelchair,’ Simone said. ‘It’s only been six weeks, and you’re still bright pink.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I want to be standing for this. I want to show the Lion the respect he deserves. I can’t be in Celestial Form like you, so this is the best I can do.’
We were in the square in front of the Hall of Purple Mist on Celestial Wudangshan, the Disciples standing in neat rows in their black uniforms, covering the whole area. The students around the edges of the square held black banners on long pikes: half were plain black—the livery of the Dark Lord; the other half were black with the silver motif of the Seven Stars of the big dipper, the most potent constellation in the Heavens and the symbol of his power. The banners snapped in a Celestial breeze provided for us by the dragons floating above.
The Celestial Masters stood behind us, most of them in Celestial Form. The human Masters stood in the front row of the assembled students in their black Wudang uniforms.
‘If you need a hand let me know,’ Simone said quietly, and I nodded.
Leo, in Celestial Form, walked up the centre of the students; Michael behind him on his left and Martin on his right as escorts, also in Celestial Form. As Leo
passed each row of students they fell to one knee to acknowledge him.
He stopped in front of me and Simone. Martin and Michael moved to stand with the Celestial Masters behind us. Leo kneeled and saluted us, and we nodded back.
I held out one hand and the forge’s head demon reverentially passed me Leo’s new sword. I staggered slightly at the weight of it; the sword was way too big for an ordinary mortal to handle. Simone moved to help me but I shook my head. I held the sword horizontally with both hands and raised it. As I spoke, a stone amplified my voice for me. I wished my vocal cords were more healed; my voice sounded weak.
‘Wudangshan welcomes its newest Immortal, Leo Alexander, the Black Lion. He has served the House of the North with integrity and honour and now takes his rightful place among the Masters of Wudangshan.’ I held the sword out to him. ‘This sword is a gift to you from the House of the North. You are no longer a Retainer, Lord Leo. You are a Celestial Master of Wudangshan.’
He stood and took the sword with both hands. ‘I vow to use this sword in the service of the North and the Celestial.’
‘Turn around and show them,’ Simone said.
Leo shrugged slightly, turned and raised the sword for the students to see. He seemed surprised when they all jumped to their feet and erupted into applause, some of them whooping and whistling with delight.
‘Well, how about that,’ he said, his voice amplified by the stone, and the students cheered even louder.
Michael broke ranks first, coming to Leo and giving him a huge hug. The other Masters quickly followed and Leo was surrounded by a scrum of wellwishers.
I used the opportunity to take Simone’s hand. ‘I think I need some help.’
She caught me and I leaned on her as she helped me to my wheelchair.
‘This is a turnaround,’ I said. ‘I’m in the chair and he isn’t.’
‘Oh, look,’ Simone said. ‘That’s so cute.’
Martin had come to Leo and given him a hug as well, and kissed him on the cheek. For a long moment they gazed into each other’s eyes, seeming to forget everybody else around them. Then they broke apart and grinned.
‘About time,’ Simone said.
I materialised in the living room. The furniture was gone, the carpet as well; the floor was bare concrete covered in dust. I went to the wall where my sword was usually clipped but it was empty. A faded rectangle showed where the photo of the family—Emma, Simone and me, Leo and the Tiger—used to hang. I went down the hall to my office; it was empty. The training room was devoid of weapons and the mats were gone; again there was just the bare concrete floor. I went to my room; everything was gone from there too.
I wandered through my home, alone and bereft. Where were they all? My Emma? My Simone? I dropped my head. Perhaps the Demon King had attacked them…but surely I would have known? But I was so weak, so drained…
Had I possessed my love again? I checked…no. She wasn’t with me; I was alone.
I raised my head and concentrated. My child, my Lady, where were they?
I couldn’t see them. I couldn’t find them. I fell to my knees with grief. Surely they weren’t dead? I would have known. Where were they?
I changed and returned to the sea.
The Serpent takes its smallest form and drifts through an oil slick, choking on the filth in the water, suffocating on the debris.
The Turtle stands in the snow on the highest peak of the Western Heavens, gazing up at the perfectly black sky with its steadily brilliant stars, not sure what it is seeking.
They cry. There is no answer.
A
NOTE ON LANGUAGE
The Chinese language is divided by a number of different dialects and this has been reflected throughout my story. The main dialect spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese, and many of the terms I’ve used are in Cantonese. The main method for transcribing Cantonese into English is the Yale system, which I have hardly used at all in this book, preferring to use a simpler phonetic method for spelling the Cantonese. Apologies to purists, but I’ve chosen ease of readability over phonetic correctness.
The dialect mainly spoken on the Mainland of China is Putonghua (also called Mandarin Chinese), which was originally the dialect used in the north of China but has spread to become the standard tongue. Putonghua has a strict and useful set of transcription rules called pinyin, which I’ve used throughout for Putonghua terms. As a rough guide to pronunciation, the ‘Q’ in pinyin is pronounced ‘ch’, the ‘X’ is ‘sh’ and the ‘Zh’ is a softer ‘ch’ than the ‘Q’ sound. Xuan Wu is therefore pronounced ‘Shwan Wu’.
I’ve spelt chi with the ‘ch’ throughout the book, even though in pinyin it is qi, purely to aid in readability. Qing Long and Zhu Que I have spelt in pinyin to assist anybody who’d like to look into these interesting deities further.
Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter: A harbour on the south side of Hong Kong Island that is home to a large number of small and large fishing boats. Some of the boats are permanently moored there and are residences.
Admiralty: The first station after the MTR train has come through the tunnel onto Hong Kong Island from Kowloon, and a major traffic interchange.
Amah: Domestic helper.
Ancestral tablet: A tablet inscribed with the name of the deceased, which is kept in a temple or at the residence of the person’s descendants and occasionally provided with incense and offerings to appease the spirit.
Anime (Japanese): Animation; can vary from cute children’s shows to violent horror stories for adults, and everything in between.
Bai Hu (Putonghua): The White Tiger of the West.
Bo: Weapon—staff.
Bodhisattva: A being who has attained Buddhist Nirvana and has returned to Earth to help others achieve Enlightenment.
Bo lei: A very dark and pungent Chinese tea, often drunk with yum cha to help digest the sometimes heavy and rich food served there.
Bu keqi (Putonghua) pronounced, roughly, ‘bu kerchi’: ‘You’re welcome.’
Buddhism: The system of beliefs that life is an endless journey through reincarnation until a state of perfect detachment or Nirvana is reached.
Cantonese: The dialect of Chinese spoken mainly in the south of China and used extensively in Hong Kong. Although in written form it is nearly identical to Putonghua, when spoken it is almost unintelligible to Putonghua speakers.
Causeway Bay: Large shopping and office district on Hong Kong Island. Most of the Island’s residents seem to head there on Sunday for shopping.
Central: The main business district in Hong Kong, on the waterfront on Hong Kong Island.
Central Committee: Main governing body of Mainland China.
Cha siu bow: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed bread bun containing barbecued pork and gravy in the centre.
Chek Lap Kok: Hong Kong’s new airport on a large swathe of reclaimed land north of Lantau Island.
Cheongsam (Cantonese): Traditional Chinese dress, with a mandarin collar, usually closed with toggles and loops, and with splits up the sides.
Cheung Chau: Small dumbbell-shaped island off the coast of Hong Kong Island, about an hour away by ferry.
Chi
:
Energy. The literal meaning is ‘gas’ or ‘breath’ but in martial arts terms it describes the energy (or breath) of life that exists in all living things.
Chi gong (Cantonese): Literally, ‘energy work’. A series of movements expressly designed for manipulation of chi.
Chinese New Year: The Chinese calendar is lunar, and New Year falls at a different time each Western calendar. Chinese New Year usually falls in either January or February.
Ching: A type of life energy, ching is the energy of sex and reproduction, the Essence of Life. Every person is born with a limited amount of ching and as this energy is drained they grow old and die.
Chiu Chow: A southeastern province of China.
Choy sum (Cantonese): A leafy green Chinese vegetable vaguely resembling English spinach.
City Hall: Hall on the waterfront in Central on Hong Kong Island containing theatres and a large restaurant.
Confucianism: A set of rules for social behaviour designed to ensure that all of society runs smoothly.
Congee: A gruel made by boiling rice with savoury ingredients such as pork or thousand-year egg. Usually eaten for breakfast but can be eaten as a meal or snack any time of the day.
Connaught Road: Main thoroughfare through the middle of Central District in Hong Kong, running parallel to the waterfront and with five lanes each side.
Cross-Harbour Tunnel: Tunnel that carries both cars and MTR trains from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon under the harbour.
Cultural Revolution: A turbulent period of recent Chinese history (1966–75) during which gangs of young people called Red Guards overthrew ‘old ways of thinking’ and destroyed many ancient cultural icons.
Dai pai dong (Cantonese): Small open-air restaurant.
Daisho: A set of katana, wakizashi, and sometimes a tanto (small dagger), all matching bladed weapons used by samurai in ancient times.
Dan tian: Energy centre, a source of energy within the body. The central dan tian is roughly located in the solar plexus.
Daujie (Cantonese): ‘Thank you’, used exclusively when a gift is given.
Dim sum (Cantonese): Small dumplings in bamboo steamers served at yum cha. Usually each dumpling is less than three centimetres across and four are found in each steamer. There are a number of different types, and standard types of dim sum are served at every yum cha.
Discovery Bay: Residential enclave on Lantau Island, quite some distance from the rush of Hong Kong Island and only reachable by ferry.
Dojo (Japanese): Martial arts training school.
Eight Immortals: A group of iconic Immortals from Taoist mythology, each one representing a human condition. Stories of their exploits are part of popular Chinese culture.
Er Lang: The Second Heavenly General, second-in-charge of the running of Heavenly affairs. Usually depicted as a young man with three eyes and accompanied by his faithful dog.
Fortune sticks: A set of bamboo sticks in a bamboo holder. The questioner kneels in front of the altar and shakes the holder until one stick rises above the rest and falls out. This stick has a number that is translated into the fortune by temple staff.
Fung shui (or feng shui): The Chinese system of geomancy that links the environment to the fate of those living in it. A house with good internal and external fung shui assures its residents of good luck in their life.
Gay-lo (Cantonese slang): gay, homosexual.
Ge ge (Putonghua): Big brother.
Guangdong: The province of China directly across the border from Hong Kong.
Guangzhou: The capital city of Guangdong Province, about an hour away by road from Hong Kong. A large bustling commercial city rivalling Hong Kong in size and activity.
Guanxi: Guanxi is a social concept where people have built a network of others that they can call upon to help them when needed. The more guanxi you have, the more others will be willing to assist you when you are in need.
Gundam (Japanese): Large humanoid robot armour popular in Japanese cartoons.
Gung hei fat choy (Cantonese): Happy New Year.
Gweipoh: (lit: ‘foreign grandmother’) The feminine form of ‘gweiloh’, suggesting a female foreign devil.
Gwun Gong (or Guan Gong): A southern Chinese Taoist deity; a local General who attained Immortality and is venerated for his strengths of loyalty and justice and his ability to destroy demons.
H’suantian Shangdi (Cantonese): Xuan Tian Shang Di in the Wade-Giles method of writing Cantonese words.
Har gow: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed dumpling with a thin skin of rice flour dough containing prawns.
Hei sun (Cantonese): Arise.
Ho ak (Cantonese): Okay.
Ho fan (Cantonese): Flat white noodles made from rice; can be either boiled in soup or stir-fried.
Hong Kong Jockey Club: a private Hong Kong institution that runs and handles all of the horseracing and legal gambling in Hong Kong. There can be billions of Hong Kong dollars in bets on a single race meeting.
Hungry Ghosts Festival: It is believed that once a year the gates of Hell are opened, and all the ghosts who do not have descendants to care for them are free to roam the Earth. Offerings of food and incense are left on roadsides, and in towns operas are performed to entertain the spirits.
Hutong (Putonghua): Traditional square Chinese house, built around a central courtyard.
ICAC: Independent Commission Against Corruption; an independent government agency focused on tracking down corruption in Hong Kong.
Jade Emperor: The supreme ruler of the Taoist Celestial Government.
Journey to the West: A classic of Chinese literature written during the Ming Dynasty by Wu Cheng’En. The story of the Monkey King’s journey to India with a Buddhist priest to collect scriptures and return them to China.
Kata (Japanese): A martial arts ‘set’; a series of moves to practise the use of a weapon or hand-to-hand skills.
Katana: Japanese sword.
KCR: A separate above-ground train network that connects with the MTR and travels to the border with Mainland China. Used to travel to towns in the New Territories.
Kitchen God: A domestic deity who watches over the activities of the family and reports annually to the Jade Emperor.
Koi (Japanese): Coloured ornamental carp.
Kowloon: Peninsula opposite the Harbour from Hong Kong Island, a densely packed area of high-rise buildings. Actually on the Chinese Mainland, but separated by a strict border dividing Hong Kong from China.
Kowloon City: District in Kowloon just before the entrance to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.
Kwan Yin: Buddhist icon; a woman who attained Nirvana and became a Buddha but returned to Earth
to help others achieve Nirvana as well. Often represented as a goddess of Mercy.
Lai see (Cantonese): A red paper envelope used to give cash as a gift for birthdays and at New Year. It’s believed that for every dollar given ten will return during the year.
Lai see dao loy (Cantonese): ‘Lai see, please!’
Lantau Island: One of Hong Kong’s outlying islands, larger than Hong Kong Island but not as densely inhabited.
Li: Chinese unit of measure, approximately half a kilometre.
Lo Wu: The area of Hong Kong that contains the border crossing. Lo Wu is an area that covers both sides of the border; it is in both Hong Kong and China.
Lo Wu Shopping Centre: A large shopping centre directly across the Hong Kong/Chinese border on the Chinese side. A shopping destination for Hong Kong residents in search of a bargain.
Love hotel: Hotel with rooms that are rented by the hour by young people who live with their parents (and therefore have no privacy) or businessmen meeting their mistresses for sex.
M’goi sai (Cantonese): ‘Thank you very much.’
M’sai (Cantonese): Literally, ‘no need’, but it generally means ‘you’re welcome’.
Macau: One-time Portuguese colony to the west of Hong Kong in the Pearl River Delta, about an hour away by jet hydrofoil; now another Special
Administrative Region of China. Macau’s port is not as deep and sheltered as Hong Kong’s so it has never been the busy trade port that Hong Kong is.
Mafoo (Cantonese): Groom.
Mah jong: Chinese game played with tiles. The Chinese play it differently from the polite game played by many Westerners; it is played for money and can often be a cut-throat competition between skilled players, rather like poker.
Manga: Japanese illustrated novel or comic book.
Mei mei (Putonghua): Little sister.
MTR: Fast, cheap, efficient and spotlessly clean subway train system in Hong Kong. Mostly standing room, and during rush hour so packed that it is often impossible to get onto a carriage.
Na Zha: Famous mythical Immortal who was so powerful as a child that he killed one of the dragon sons of the Dragon King. He gained Immortality by unselfishly travelling into Hell to release his parents who had been held in punishment for his crime. A spirit of Youthfulness.
New Territories: A large area of land between Kowloon and Mainland China that was granted to extend Hong Kong. Less crowded than Hong Kong and Kowloon, the New Territories are green and hilly with high-rise New Towns scattered through them.
Nunchucks: Short wooden sticks held together with chains; a martial arts weapon.
Opium Wars: (1839–60) A series of clashes between the then British Empire and the Imperial Chinese
Government over Britain’s right to trade opium to China. It led to a number of humiliating defeats and surrenders by China as they were massively outclassed by modern Western military technology.
Pa Kua (Cantonese): The Eight Symbols, a central part of Taoist mysticism. Four of these Eight Symbols flank the circle in the centre of the Korean flag.
Pak Tai: One of Xuan Wu’s many names; this one is used in Southern China.
Peak Tower: Tourist sightseeing spot at the top of the Peak Tram. Nestled between the two highest peaks on the Island and therefore not the highest point in Hong Kong, but providing a good view for tourist photographs.
Peak Tram: Tram that has been running for many years between Central and the Peak. Now mostly a tourist attraction because of the steepness of the ride and the view.
Peak, the: Prestigious residential area of Hong Kong, on top of the highest point of the centre of Hong Kong Island. The view over the harbour and high-rises is spectacular, and the property prices there are some of the highest in the world.
Pipa: A Chinese musical instrument, shaped like a mandolin, but played vertically with the body of the instrument held in the lap.
Pocky: A popular Japanese snack, which is a box of stick-shaped biscuits dipped in flavoured sweet coating.