Do you like stories with mystery and suspense? Strange and “wyrd” ones? Well, if you do, keep reading and enjoy Eggcentricsagas. If you are just joining Eggcentricsagas, you might want to start from the beginning: A La Mano: Part 1-The Treasure
He got weak in the knees when Long Wu listened to Mingzhu’s fate. She was to be delivered into General Qiang’s hands to do with her what he wanted. Her uncle, Rong Song, was negotiating with the corrupt military man and using his niece as payment. Long knew better and kept a stony expression on his face but, inside he was filled with rage tinged with fear for his beloved. Determined, when he got a chance, he would seek her out and tell Mingzhu of her uncle’s devious plans.
That night after dinner, while his boss and the general with his henchmen got drunk, Long made his way surreptitiously to Mingzhu’s private rooms. After hearing his soft knocking on the door, one of her women opened it. Her eyes flew open wide. From inside, Mingzhu asked quietly, “Who is it that dares to come to my chambers at this hour?”
Closing the door partially, the girl whispered to Mingzhu. Shortly, it opened again and, she admitted Long. The servant girl put her fingers to her lips and motioned her head towards Mingzhu’s matron. Slumped in a chair in the corner, the biddy was snoring. Tiptoeing noiselessly across the room, they went out onto the balcony.
Brightly shining, the moon illuminated Mingzhu’s waist-long, dark hair cascading down her back. She turned and smiled at Long before shooing her attendant back inside. Beckoning him closer with one of her delicate fingers, she then turned to face the garden below. The girl pointed down at something. His heart racing with desire, he walked to her and looked to where she was indicating. A great egret stood stock-still at the edge of koi pond; its feathers glowing from the luminous moon rays. Suddenly, the memory of the bandit attack on the river from so long ago came flooding back. He recalled the sudden flight of the large white bird from the marsh plants that day and what happened afterwards.
Anxiety replaced Long’s passion. He quickly told her about her uncle’s nefarious dealings with the general and their schemes regarding her. “You must come away with me, my love,” he pleaded.
“But where will we go? The general and my uncle will seek me out.” Looking at him with large, frightened eyes framed by thick eyelashes, she fingered the pearls around her slender neck. Then placing her hand over his, she stated, “It is too dangerous.”
“I won’t let them take you away without a fight.”
The briefest of a smile played upon her red lips before they parted. A soft sigh escaped them. “You can’t fight an army.”
Overwhelmed with love, he grasped her shoulders gently, looked deeply into her eyes, and said, “I will die trying.” She moved into his arms and, they kissed ardently. They broke apart when they heard a loud rustling below and watched as the great egret rose in the moonlit sky and flapped away. Seeing this, Long said, “We must leave now.”
“But…”
Without waiting for her to voice her resistance again, he pressed her for information. “How can we get out of here without being seen?”
“There is a secret exit that my uncle had made in case of an emergency.”
Long grasped her hand and pulled it. “Let’s get out of here while we still can.”
Understanding the urgency, she led him back into the hallway. They crept down it, listening to the drunken revelry below until they reached her uncle’s suite. They went into his bedroom closet and, Mingzhu reached up and pulled on a rope suspended from the ceiling. A trapdoor opened and, a wooden ladder descended. She climbed up it with Long following. He stepped off onto the flat part of the multi-inclined roof. She was already lowering another ladder made of large bamboo rods strung together with rope over the side of the building.
A sudden noise behind him alerted Long to danger. He motioned Mingzhu to start down the ladder. He climbed up onto the higher section of the roof, laid low, and waited. Shortly, a head popped out of the opening from the closet. A ruffian stepped up onto the roof followed by another thug. The second brute asked the first, “Where are they?”
Long’s heart sank when they both spotted the ladder hanging over the side of the roof and walked over to it. As they peered downward, the first brute muttered, “There she is but I don’t see him. He must already be in the woods.” He turned to the other man and said, “You go down the ladder and I’ll let Nui know that they are outside the wall and in the forest. Use caution; he’s dangerous. Don’t forget what Nui ordered: don’t harm her but kill him if necessary.”
The second thug nodded and began to descend the ladder. As he disappeared, the first hoodlum began to return to the trapdoor. Long had already jumped stealthily from his hiding position and blocked the man’s way. The man yelled for his companion and reached for his weapon. Anticipating this, Long delivered a swift ax kick and knocked the knife out of his hand. Then he dispatched two rapid elbow strikes in succession; one to the man’s throat and one to his face. The man gurgled in pain through his broken larynx as blood spurted from his nose. He stumbled backward and fell off the roof.
The other hood had reappeared, but witnessing his companion’s fate, he rapidly descended the ladder. Long hurried down the ladder after him. When he reached the man, he used powerful kicks to dislodge him. Long continued downward and, jumping to the ground, started to turn around. A rope net landed on him. Entrapped, he could not escape before the butt of a rifle hit the side of his head.
Sharp pain on his toes brought Long back to consciousness. He reacted and gave a violent kick. The rodent squealed before scurrying off to his hole. His head smarting and his mind foggy, Long opened his eyes groggily. Sitting up, he looked around. The flickering torch in the aisle outside dimly lit the iron bars of his prison cell.
Next: The Mysterious World of Dr. Wu: Part 9-The Tempest
