The Tale of the Ghost Eyes Chapter 43 Schoolhouse in the Hell (1)

We chatted for about half an hour, everyone greeting Master Liu with relief on their faces. I watched quietly, my thoughts wandering to You Xiaoqing time and time again. She and I had become real friends. Not at all like Zhao Yuan, she was more like a sister.

Master Liu pulled himself from the ongoing conversations and turned to me. "Xiao Yong, it's been about a year since I saw you last, huh? What do you think about this snake business?"

"I don't think You Xiaoqing is dead." I told him. "Everybody says that she was eaten, but I don't believe it."

"Why not?" He asked. I didn't know what to say and lowered my gaze.

Master Liu asked again. I only shook my head, "I don't know."

My mind darted to the milky snakeskin, but that was a secret between You Xiaoqing and I. I'd promised her that I wouldn't tell.

Master Liu didn't say anything else. He turned back to the adults and responded to my mom, something about food. "Yes dear, that sounds lovely!" He turned back to me. "Xiao Yong, come by my room before bedtime this evening. I want to talk with you. This has been quite a year and we have much to discuss."

"Uhh...sure." I agreed. My bedroom was only just down the hall, but I imagined he'd want to talk out of earshot.

We finished dinner and everyone continued to chat for a while. Master Liu instructed me to begin my strength training and once again began criticizing my posture and giving breathing tips. Zhao Jie and stood with me for a few minutes, but gave up quickly. He hadn't been training as consistently as I.

When the Zhao family left for the evening and everyone had finished cleaning up I went by Master Liu's room as he'd asked. He wasted no time, "She was your friend wasn't she, this You Xiaoqing?"

"Yes." I said.

Master Liu touched my head with a smile, saying, "Aren't you a little young to have a girlfriend?"

I felt my face grow hot. "She's not my girlfriend!" I told him. "She's just a friend."

He laughed, but grew serious and said, "Xiao Yong, you will show me around her home tomorrow. I'll need to see the scene of the incident if I'm to help find your friend."

An excitement blossomed in my chest. I asked Master Liu, "Godfather, do you mean You Xiaoqing wasn't eaten?"

The old man shrugged. "You said she wasn't. How am I to know? I wasn't even here. I will help if I can."

The balloon of excitement deflated as fast as it had risen.

"Xiao Yong," he lifted my chin in one hand. "Your eyes have gotten better, not worse. Tell me, and be honest, has anything strange happened this past year?"

You Xiaoqing and her little snake flashed to the front of my mind. A picture of the forest filled with hundreds of birds screaming at once came next.

I thought for a moment. I couldn't tell him about the little snake because I'd promised. I could tell himabout the yellow bird though. After all, Zhao Jie knew about it too. I opened my mouth and the story fell from me as if it'd been waiting for the chance.

When I finished, Master Liu touched his chin, saying, "The emperor bird, eh? Up to now, I've only met her once. She usually nests in wild animal territory. Why did she choose your small village? Maybe it's not her..." He gazed at the floor in silence.

"What is she? What's an emperor bird?" I asked.

Master Liu said, "The emperor bird is legendary. There are no records of her, but there's a legend about an emperor bird among ancient Taoists. They say that the power beneath its nest is very great. It's only legend, you understand. Probably not even true."

His face said differently, that it could be true or quite serious.

I started to speak, but he cut in, "You said You Xiaoqing met this yellow bird of yours? And you took her into the woods? Why?"

I meant to keep my secret and started to bend the truth, but his eyes stared deeply into mine. I couldn't keep anything from him. My mind raced and I considered what Zhao Jie knew, what my mom knew. I decided I couldn't tell him about the snake.

I explained as I had to my mother. I told Master Liu about You Xiaoqing's strange obsessions with the bird. "She wanted to see the birds that Zhao Jie and I had, but they were gone by then.

Master Liu started to murmur to himself, "There must have been a connection. It's already been a year since then? I need to see her home." He told the room.

His expression cleared and the wrinkles smoothed from his great forehead. He smiled a little and said, "I'm much less busy this year. And your training progress impresses me. So," He clapped a hand on my shoulder, "I will reach you Da Hong fist tomorrow."

The next day, Master Liu did teach me several things, small steps to add to my training.

"This is a pithy formula," He said, "It'll help you keep your pace. Remember it well."

"What's pace?" I asked.

The old man thought for a moment and then snapped his fingers saying, "It's similar to the inner power of those masters you see on television."

"Kung Fu has a corresponding formula." He went on. "It must be refined internally and externally. Half the work with double results!" He sounded very proud.

We finished practice and then had breakfast. Master Liu reminded me of what was in store for the day and we gathered out things. We set out down the road and stopped by the Zhao house. Master Liu popped his head in the door and I heard him speaking with someone. A moment later, Zhao Jie joined us on the street.

"Now we're ready." He said, and we started off again.

When we passed the school however, Master Liu stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" I asked, darting my eyes around as if You Xiaoqing would be there waiting for me, just as she had on the day we went into the forest.

"Your school…" He spoke softly, "Has very heavy Ying air." I followed his gaze to the playground where several children were playing makeshift tag. "With so many lively students, then Yin air should dominate the area… How strange."

Without a word he turned and marched towards the building. Zhao Jie and I followed him into our classroom wonderstruck and deathly curious. He stopped just inside the doorway and sighed an old man's disappointment. "It is so dark in here." He told us.

Zhao Jie peeked his head around Master Liu and nodded up at him. "We sleep in here on rainy days, it's not a very fun place." He said.

Master Liu looked around and asked, "Who's in charge of the key?"

I said, "At first, You Xiaoqing had it. Her home is so close by. Now the teacher has the only copy."

The old man nodded his head and said, "Show me her home then."

We left the school and returned to the main road. "Is there something wrong with the school?" I asked him.

I watched the wrinkles on his forehead crease downward, but he said, "No." and I knew was lying.

We rounded the bushes that Zhao Jie and I had once hidden behind and came to You Xiaoqing's yard. There were toys and random items scattered in front of the house like it had been abandoned in a hurry.

Master Liu knocked on the door. No one answered. He shouted, "Is there anybody here?"

A middle-aged woman slammed the door open. She was looking down at her feet and reeled back in surprise when she saw Master Liu. Her eyes darted to Zhao Jie and I with a frown.

"Are you classmates of my Xiao Qing?" She demanded.

My mind fumbled over the nickname, but I quickly made the connection. Zhao Jie and I nodded. She returned to Master Liu, "Who are you? I've never seen you before."

Master Liu introduced himself, saying, "I am Xiao Yong's godfather. My surname is Liu."

Master Liu was famous in my village. He'd garnered quite the reputation from solving so many problems. At the mention of Liu, her eyes brightened. She welcomed him in and started speaking in a flood, "Master Liu, have you heard about the snake? Can you save my daughter?"

Master Liu didn't answer, "Show me around her room, please."

She led us to a room on the side of the house. Reaching the doorway, she pushed the door open as she had a thousand times since her daughter disappeared. It swung open easily.

A cold air rushed out of the room and overtook me. Zhao Jie shivered next to me. You Xiaoqing's mother didn't seem to notice. A frown appeared on Master Liu's face that turned his old face unpleasant.

The room before us was tidy and neat. A white desk sat next to the open door. Many books were piled edge to edge atop it. Next to the books were a slew of bottles, each filled with a different tiny insect. Zhao Jie let out a low "wow" and moved to look at all of the butterflies, locusts, moths, and beetles inside.

"They're still alive." He awed.

Master Liu turned to the grieving mother, "Did your daughter collect these?"

She nodded, "Xiao Qing loves these things so much. She's a very deft and meticulous girl."

Master Liu nodded and gave the room another sweep.

"Why?" The woman spoke, her tone now anxious. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Master Liu only shook his head and said, "Take Xiao Jie and go into the other room. Xiao Yong and I will stay here. I need to perform a very special rite that cannot be observed." His stern eyes bore into the woman.

She nodded vigorously and took Zhao Jie's hand, leading him out the door. Her hand sprang back into the room grabbing the doorknob.

"Leave it open!" Master Liu called. "Just go…" His voice faded off as he approached You Xiaoqing's bed.

Beside the bed was a small table with a little golden box sitting alone. Master Liu walked slowly to the box and opened it.

Chapter end