Master Liu taught me to practice first. "Stand here and clench your legs. Every muscle should be tight from your toes to your buttocks!" I giggled at the word and he rapped me on the back with a wooden paddle that seemed to come from nowhere. I winced and watched him slip the paddle back into his sleeve. "You must hold your muscles tight for one hour at breakfast, noon, and night before you sleep."
I tried. The first time I set to practice and got into stance, tightening my calves, thighs, and even butt, I thought, "This is easy!" After ten minutes my butt was burning and my legs felt like they were on fire. Panting, I asked, "Godfather is this useful? I wont be standing still being beaten! I want to learn to fight! I want to learn Kung Fu"
The short wooden paddle appeared in Master Liu's hand again and he knocked lightly on my head, saying, "In one year you should have the muscles required to learn. If you don't practice, you can't use Kung Fu well. Practice every day! I will ask your parents to watch you. So you aren't tempted into laziness when I'm not around."
My mom peeked her head into the spare room where I stood in my fighting stance. "Xiao Yong it's time for bed. And…" She added, sounding curious, "What am I watching you for?"
Master Liu laughed. "Developing his stance like this," He gestured to how I was standing, my legs and butt clenched tightly. "It will build a strong foundation for him and help his supernatural eyes. Each day he needs to practice in the morning, at noon, and night for an hour. Don't let him be lazy, and don't let him stop." He told her.
Hearing that it'd help my eyes, my mom practically lit up. "Don't worry, Master Liu! I'll watch him. If he tries to get out of it, I'll encourage him…" She pointed a menacing finger in my direction and grinned.
I felt a very real fear from the way her eyes looked. Master Liu smiled back at her.
The next morning, Master Liu went out with Zhao Laohei, he didn't tell me where.
"Get to it!" My mother told me, and made a mock strength squat. She set the kitchen timer for one hour while I set my feet. Any time my legs loosened, or I started to wiggle my hips from side to side to alleviate the burning she voiced a little "Ah, ah, ah!" and waggled her finger.
I felt my face grow hot with frustration. After the hour was up and I was holding back tears of pain, she let me have a small breakfast and directed me to my father's large desk for homework. I wanted to complain, but didn't dare oppose her, thinking instead of the coming hours of strength practice in my future.
Zhao Jie and Yuan saved me by coming over to play. Noticing my tears as they came into the main room, Zhao Jie whispered to me in a little boy's secret tone, "Xiao Yong, what's wrong with you? Did you get into trouble?"
I sighed and replied as maturely as I could muster, "No. I'm not in trouble. Master Liu's here and he insists that I train my body. My legs are so tired!"
"Huh?" He asked. So I stood up and made the stance. He copied my posture and said, "Just like this? That's so easy!"
"Try it for an hour!" I dared. "You'll die!"
Zhao Jie smirked and hunkered down in the position again. After a few minutes I saw that his legs were trembling and he looked curiously bored. "It's not that hard." He said stubbornly.
"It's not that hard!" I mocked, unable to suppress a smile.
"Master Liu asked you do that?" Zhao Yuan asked, "I mean, is he teaching you Kung Fu?"
"The great Kung Fu!" I told her, excitement numbing the pain in my lower half. "How did you know that?" I looked at Zhao Yuan doubtfully.
Zhao Yuan put on her teacher face and replied, "I read several kung fu novels. Masters begin to practice by strengthening their foundation. After that, they can practice great kung fu like Eighteen Ways of Beating Dragon!"
I nodded at her, my resolve firming. I'd keep practicing.
Two policemen came to our door an hour into the day. I leant an ear to their conversation with my mother and found out that they'd come to take the green man. They handed her 100-yuan as payment for his room and board. She took the money hesitantly and asked whether the officer was sure.
"Please take it ma'am. It's our duty. We've been instructed to repay you for your kindness." They firmly, but pleasantly led the man and his smelly green coat out of our house and onto the street.
I saw the money clutched loosely in my mother's hands and imagined a pile of ice cream.
Master Liu and Zhao Laohei returned at three that afternoon. Zhao Laohei's hand had been hurt, and was wrapped in a large ball of gauze. Zhao Yuan and Jie hurried to ask their father what happened.
He said, "I tripped and cut myself on some quartz, but I'm fine."
Master Liu clapped the man's shoulders, "Zhao Laohei, you must be tired. You can stay home and rest tomorrow. I can continue alone. In fact, I think you know what comes next. I'll rest tonight and prepare to take him down tomorrow."
Zhao Laohei looked shocked and turned to the Master, "Master Liu. Let me go with you! I know the area, you'll get lost if you go without someone! What will we do if you end up lost?"
Master Liu looked at him unfazed, saying, "I've been into ancient tombs bigger than that cave. Imagine me lost, do you think I'm a fool?"
Zhao Laohei fell silent.
My parents had entered the room and were standing by my side. My dad cut in politely and asked Master Liu, "Master Liu, where is it you'll be going?"
"We've tracked the paper man to the quarry. That is where Zhao Laohei cut himself on the quartz." He told us.
Zhao Laohei took over, "When we got there the ribbon began to tremble. Master Liu used their connection and led us to a cave. He used it to imprison the ghost there. It can't escape!"
I chimed in, "Godfather, what if the ghost gets out?"
Zhao Laohei answered for him, "Impossible. There is nothing around the quarry to cut the connection, even if someone tried to interfere, there's no way they'd know how." He looked at Master Liu as if to confirm his assessment.
"Lots of kids in the village go there to play in the summer. They swim in the water and use the caves to play hide and seek. Zhao Jie and I went last year!"
Master Liu frowned at me. He answered slowly, "If someone goes into the cave, they'll die. I don't know what would happen if someone attempted to disconnect ribbon or its connection to the paper man."
He turned around as if to go.
Before reaching the door he spun back around suddenly. He rushed into the spare room, and then said to Zhao Laohei, "Prepare some candles and amulets. I'll need your peach wood sword and some clean water! Quickly, I'm off to the cave at once!"
Zhao Laohei rushed into action. While he was organizing his bag he said without looking at anyone in particular, "It'll be safe, it's afternoon now. Even if the children usually play there, they won't this time. It'll be okay to wait until tomorrow…" His face looked panicked and pallid.
Master Liu shook his head at him, "No, there is no more room for error. I'm responsible for this mishap. If I can't stop him here, I don't know where he'd go next."
The master's eyes fell on me, "Xiao Yong does anyone go to the quarry other than children?"
I thought hard for a moment and said, "Rabbit traders. There're rabbit paths in the forest around the quarry. I've seen groups of men stomping through the woods. Sometimes during the day, but usually later…towards sunset!"
My dad was nodding beside me, "Xiao Yong is right. When Wang Qi had a dog, he often climbed the mountains and came back at night..."
Master Liu's face colored with impatience. He turned once more to leave. He didn't turn back, but called to me, "Xiao Yong, with me."
"Why…" I started.
Master Liu said, "To catch the paper man! I need your help again! If we catch him I'll buy you as many ice cream cones as you can eat."
"Cake too?" I asked, sliding it in there casually.
He nodded raptly.
Excitement bubbled over any apprehension I felt of seeing the paper man again. "He's not as bad as the headless ghost…" I thought.
"Why are you taking him?" My mother called after us. I didn't expect to hear defiance in her voice.
"Don't worry, my dear." He turned to look at her. I am his godfather. I won't hurt him. There's no time for questions! Xiao Yong will be safe with me. You though," He pointed at everyone else in the room, "Should not follow us."
He put his hand under my arm and half-dragged me out the door before my feet realized they should be working. Mom called us to a halt and handed me a wrapped lunch box. She gave me a small, strained smile with the box. Master Liu, still pulling me along, brought us to the northern slope. Twenty minutes later we were on the edge of the quarry, looking down at the small pond and the gaping cave adjacent.
We circled the quarry and found the path he had used with Zhao Laohei earlier that morning. The cave loomed at us with its huge black mouth. I saw the red ribbon tied to a jutting outcrop of quartz and a spatter of blood that must have been from Zhao Laohei's hand.
Master Liu checked the ribbon. It was stretching towards the open mouth of the cave like an invisible hand was pulling it. He nodded, saying, "Okay. Nobody's touched it."
"What's it doing?" I asked.
Master Liu replied in his old wise man voice, "The ribbon was soaked in blessed water. The paper man can't approach or surpass it before he adapts to his new body. I am sure that he's in there." An old finger rose to point at the cave. "If he comes out, the ribbon will hold him here. An easy snare for a malicious being.."
Master Liu's voice was light, but his expression was serious. He checked the ribbon again and took out several yellow paper amulets from a pocket on his robe. He picked up a piece of quartz and pressed an amulet to the red line.
"These are thunder amulets that belong to Yang." Master Liu told me. "They'll prove very useful against our paper friend.
A thought flickered through my head and I couldn't keep it, "Godfather, since he's made of paper, can't we burn him?" I half shouted.
He shook his head and laughed, "Xiao Yong, the spirit went into the paper body. It isn't paper any more. It's a special person now. Taoism has the power to call on soldiers of golden armor. Soldiers who were originally made of paper."
He looked again serious, "Now… call on a ghost who can enter the paper. Then you'll have a soldier, one powerfully formed and strong enough to be invulnerable."
I didn't understand, but nodded knowingly.
Master Liu continued, "Nothing in this world is perfect. Everything, even golden soldiers, has vulnerability. We can use this," He gestured towards the quartz, amulet, and red ribbon, "To knock open his gate of vitality and separate the soul and entity.
"Oh." I said, trying to sound casual.
Master Liu smiled knowingly, "I'll teach you later. You may not be my apprentice, but you can learn a skill or two."
Zhao Laohei, and my father just behind him, appeared at the edge of the quarry and began down the path we'd taken. They carried many of the things that Master Liu had asked for.
Master Liu squared his body with the cave and set his legs into a stance that I now recognized. It seemed that Master Liu was preparing to fight…