White Tiger

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Leo looked bewildered as he came into Mr Chen’s office with Gold. I touched him gently on the arm. ‘You’ll find out all about it in a minute, Leo. It’s not that big a deal anyway.’

He nodded. ‘Thanks, Emma.’

We sat around Mr Chen’s desk. It was a nice change to have room to move in the large office. Back in Hong Kong all the meetings were held over the dining table.

Mr Chen shuffled the papers on the desk. ‘Let’s put Leo out of his misery, people.’ Leo grunted.

‘It’s a simple thing, Leo, and I’m sure you’ve probably thought about it,’ Mr Chen said. ‘I only have a limited time here. So do you. Somebody will need to have guardianship of Simone when I go. I’ve decided to arrange for Emma to look after her.’

Leo leaned back. He didn’t say anything. His face was completely expressionless.

‘Are you okay, Leo?’ I said. ‘I hope you’re not too upset by this.’

Leo still didn’t move or speak. His face was a mask of control.

‘I would prefer not to have to order you to accept this decision, Leo,’ Mr Chen said.

Leo leapt out of his chair and stood rigid. Both Mr Chen and I flinched.

Leo studied me searchingly for a long time. I expected him to storm out in disgust any moment.

‘She won’t be safe after I’m gone,’ Leo said without looking away from me. ‘Once they know she’s Simone’s guardian they’ll come straight after her, and she won’t be able to defend herself.’

I didn’t move or shift my eyes from Leo’s.

‘We have two years, and she is exceptionally talented,’ Mr Chen said. ‘She will be able to defend herself against smaller attackers, and I will arrange a guard for her.’

‘She’s not qualified to manage the estate as guardian,’ Leo said, still looking straight at me. ‘She’s just a nanny.’

‘She has an undergraduate degree in business, and has nearly finished a part-time MBA,’ Mr Chen said. ‘But most of all, she loves Simone as her own. She is the most suitable person for the job.’

Leo remained staring into my eyes for a long time. I waited to see what he would do. If he walked out it would break my heart. He was the most loyal and trustworthy friend I’d ever had, short of Mr Chen himself. But the choice was his to make, and I would understand.

Leo dropped to one knee before me and took my hands. ‘I take you as my Lady,’ he said, his voice thick with emotion. ‘I vow to obey you for as long as I live. I will serve you as I have served the Dark Lord. I am yours to command. I only hope that I will prove worthy of you.’ He looked up into my eyes and smiled. ‘Lady Emma.’

I freed one of my hands to put it on his face, and kissed him on the cheek. I touched my forehead to his and we smiled together. We remained like that for a while, sharing.

‘You are my best friend, Leo,’ I said quietly. ‘And I love you dearly. I really don’t know what I’ll do without you.’

When I released him he sat down again and wiped his hands over his face. ‘That’s a big relief,’ he said to Mr Chen. ‘I was worried you might give somebody else guardianship.’

‘Good. Now, let’s go through the details of the bequest and then we can arrange the formalities. All of the Earthly fortune will be left to Simone, with Emma acting as guardian until Simone reaches majority. When I lose it I will do my best to leave the human form behind so there will be no legal entanglements about whether John Chen Wu is really dead.’

I winced.

‘Emma, Jade is a qualified accountant and Gold is a solicitor registered both in Hong Kong and the Mainland. Jade.’

Jade pulled out a piece of paper and read from it. ‘The estate as it currently stands includes the building on the Peak—’

‘Wait a minute, the whole building?’

‘Let her finish, Emma, then ask,’ Mr Chen said.

I sat back. But the whole building?

‘The building on the Peak, the office building in Central, the office building in Wan Chai, and the apartment buildings in North Point and Happy Valley. The house in London, the house on the Earthly Plane at Wudangshan, the hutong in Beijing—’

Gold cut in. ‘That courtyard house was reclaimed for development and demolished. I told you that, Jade.’

‘Yes, that’s right, I forgot.’ Jade drew a line on the paper, then glared at Gold. ‘You should have fought harder.’

Mr Chen waved one hand impatiently. ‘It was inevitable. It was right next to the Palace. I’m surprised we lasted that long. Continue.’

Jade raised the paper again. ‘Other sundry items such as the cars, securities holdings totalling about a hundred and fifty million Hong Kong dollars, cash of…’ She pulled out another piece of paper. ‘About fifty million, but the major assets are the properties.’

I quietly vowed that the fortune would be even larger when I handed it to Simone.

‘Jade and Gold will help you to manage the assets and run the Mountain when I’m gone,’ Mr Chen said.

‘Wait a minute, back up there,’ I said. ‘Run the Mountain?’

‘Somebody has to do it while I’m gone.’

‘No way!’ I shouted. ‘I’ve never been there, and as far as I know I can’t even go! I don’t know anything about running the blasted Mountain! Get the Generals to do it!’

‘The Generals will have their hands full running the Northern Heavens,’ Mr Chen said. ‘They should be okay for a while. I’m sure a quarter of the sky won’t fall down without me.’

‘The Northern Heavens may not fall, but they could be a bit lower when you return, my Lord,’ Gold said, his boyish face alight with grim humour. ‘I suggest the Generals defer to Lady Emma as well.’

‘Good idea,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Jade and Gold will come to you for advice, Emma. I’m sure the three of you will be quite capable of administering everything in my absence.’ He looked around the table, then back to me. ‘Emma, after I am gone, you will have Regency. You will rule in Simone’s name until either she has majority or I return. I know I only mentioned you caring for her, but this is part of the responsibility.’

Everybody stared at him, speechless.

He didn’t seem to notice our reaction. ‘If fortune is on our side, you should have at least two more years before I go. We have plenty of time to bring you up to speed with the management of the family assets and the Mountain. And when I am gone, you will be Regent.’

‘My Lord, this is highly unusual.’ Jade shuffled the papers. ‘You can only offer Regency to one who is family by either blood or marriage.’

Mr Chen gazed silently at me for a long time. Then he looked down at his hands. ‘If I could, I would marry Emma in a second.’ He looked into my eyes again; his own were full of pain. ‘I know she feels the same way. But I cannot marry a woman I cannot even touch. It would not be legitimate; the Celestial would not permit it.’

‘You’re killing me, John,’ I said. ‘You know how I feel. I would marry you in a second too.’

‘Can you Raise her, my Lord?’ Leo said. ‘If you can, then you should.’

‘Much as I would like to, I cannot. Right now I do not have the ability, and frankly neither does she. But Lady Emma certainly has the potential. In fact she has more potential than anyone I have seen in centuries, apart from Simone. I like to think that the two women I love most in the world will find the Tao together.’

Everybody at the table was silent. Finally Leo spoke softly. ‘I wish I could be around to see it.’

Mr Chen rose. He stood motionless and gazed intensely at me. Everything went still. It was as if the entire Universe held its breath.

Mr Chen put one hand on the table in front of him. His voice became loud and firm. ‘I swear that one day I will marry you, Emma Donahoe. I will return, and I will find you, and I will Raise you, and I will take you to live on my Mountain, and you will be mine. This I swear as Xuan Wu, Xuan Tian Shang Di.’

Jade and Gold shot to their feet. Gold knocked his chair over. They stood shocked and silent, staring at Mr Chen. Jade turned to me, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

Mr Chen smiled slightly and sat.

‘What was all that about?’ I said. Mr Chen didn’t reply. ‘Jade? Gold?’

Gold shook his head in wonder. ‘If one such as he swears such an oath, Lady Emma, then the Heavens and Earth will be moved if necessary to ensure that it comes about.’

Mr Chen smiled. ‘It will happen, Emma.’

Gold retrieved his chair, and he and Jade sat, still shaking their heads.

‘I never thought I would see such a thing,’ Jade said. ‘A solemn oath by the Sovereign of the Four Winds, the Dark Emperor himself. It is something to tell my grandchildren.’

Mr Chen and I looked at each other across the table.

‘I will be waiting for you,’ I said.

‘You may have to wait for some time.’

Leo turned away.

‘That’s all of them,’ Gold said, tapping the stack of papers on the table. ‘I’ll see to it that a copy is sent to the Celestial and one is sent to the Hall of Records. We’ll keep a set on the Mountain as well, for reference.’

‘Good, my arm is ready to drop off,’ I said. ‘Can we get back to training now?’

‘We have to do the Oaths of Allegiance,’ Gold said. ‘Everybody who is a sworn servant of the Dark Lord must swear allegiance to you.’

‘Okay, let’s do it,’ I said. ‘I don’t like the idea of you two going down on your knees to me, but if we do it, we do it. I just want to get it over with and return to the training.’

‘It’s more than just us, my Lady,’ Jade said with a small smile.

‘Gold, the Tiger’s here at the front gate,’ John said. ‘Let him in.’

Gold lowered his head and disappeared. He returned a few seconds later with Bai Hu.

Bai Hu saluted John. ‘My Lord.’ He saluted me. ‘My Lady.’

My mouth flopped open. ‘Oh my God.’

‘Is there a problem, Emma?’ John said.

I pointed at Bai Hu, then remembered and dropped my hand. ‘No. No way. The other three Winds as well?’

Bai Hu threw himself to sit at the table and grinned at me. ‘I think about two hundred people will be swearing allegiance to you, my Lady.’ He winked at John. ‘I felt that oath all the way from the Palace. Way to go, Ah Wu. I couldn’t have thought of a better solution. How long will she have to wait?’

‘Between ten and a hundred years,’ I said. ‘Two hundred people?’

‘I’ll take Simone outside to play; this has nothing to do with me,’ Leo said. He saluted John. ‘My Lord.’ He saluted me. ‘My Lady.’

‘Don’t leave me to handle this by myself!’ I shouted. He ignored me and went out. I ran my hands through my hair with exasperation. ‘No way.’

‘Use my hotel in Guangzhou,’ Bai Hu said. ‘The ballroom’s free, plenty of space. When do you want to do it? You’ll need to give everybody a couple of days to get organised. How about the day after tomorrow?’

‘I do not believe this is happening,’ I moaned quietly.

‘Sounds fine,’ John said. ‘Jade, could you take Emma upstairs and help her find something suitable to wear? If you can’t find anything, we’ll need to contact Mr Li in a hurry.’

‘You all hate me.’

‘Only if you want to, Emma, sorry,’ John said. I threw myself to my feet. ‘Come on, Jade. Mission Impossible.’

‘You are quite correct, my Lady.’

We went into my room and shuffled through my disaster area of a wardrobe together.

‘It doesn’t matter what you wear, my Lady, Western or Chinese,’ Jade said.

‘Please, Jade, just Emma.’

‘I’m sorry, my Lady, you’ll need to get used to it.’

I sighed and pulled out my cheongsams. Both of them were falling to pieces from being worn so much. They were all I had apart from a couple of plain dresses and my jeans and shirts.

‘Do you have anything in black?’ Jade said. ‘If you and the Dark Lord were to wear his colours together, you would make a most striking couple.’

A couple. ‘I wish, Jade.’

‘It will happen. Even if Heaven and Earth must be moved.’

I sighed. ‘I wish I’d had a dress made out of that black fabric at Mr Li’s. It would have been perfect.’

Jade held her hands out and a box appeared in them. She put the box on the bed, lifted the lid and pulled out a gorgeous black cheongsam. ‘You mean this?’

‘Where did you get that?’

‘I had it made anyway. He had your measurements, so I just ordered it for you.’ Her voice softened. ‘Now I know why you didn’t want it at the time.’ She smiled gently. ‘And I understand.’

‘I’m glad you’re happy for us, Jade,’ I said. ‘I know how you feel about him.’

‘How I feel?’ she said, confused.

‘I know you disliked me since I started teaching Simone, and you were jealous of me and him.’

She smiled broadly. ‘I could never be jealous of you, I could never feel that way about him, he is far too terrifying.’

‘He’s not terrifying, he’s gentle and kind.’

‘You haven’t seen his True Form.’

‘So why did you dislike me so much?’

‘Mrs Chen was a truly wonderful woman and I thought that nobody would ever be able to care for either of them as well as she did. When you arrived I thought you were trying to take her place, and hated that. Now I know that I was wrong, you are worthy of both their love.’

‘I’m worthy?’

‘Yes. Now try the dress on.’

She held it out to me and I took it. ‘It’s so perfect I can’t believe it.’

It was cut conservatively, with low splits up the sides and a high, stiff mandarin collar. The silk toggles and loops were gold, and the ends of the three-quarter sleeves were trimmed with gold. It swept to the floor, and the golden chrysanthemums shimmered as I moved.

Jade guided me to sit in front of the mirror. She pulled my hair up into a high bun. ‘I will do your hair on the night. I have some elegant antique hair ornaments that my grandmother gave me; they are well over a thousand years old and the colour is perfect. Do you have any gold jewellery? It would not be fitting for you to attend without any pure gold on you.’

‘Twenty-four carat gold? One hundred per cent pure? We don’t have that in Australia, Jade. Most of our gold is either nine or eighteen carat. The first time I saw really pure gold I didn’t even know what it was.’

‘No pure gold?’

‘Not a single bit,’ I said. ‘Not part of the culture.’

‘That is entirely not good enough,’ she said. ‘We must at least find you a nice bracelet.’ Her eyes unfocused.

‘Don’t you dare!’ I shouted, but it was too late. There was a tap on the door and she flitted to open it. John came in, obviously uncomfortable about invading Girl Space. But when he saw me he stopped dead. I rose to show him the dress.

‘Exquisite. I love the colour.’

‘Do you have anything suitable?’ Jade said.

‘Not here. I have some on the Peak, but the main collection is on the Mountain. Go and fetch it for me; you can move much faster than Gold in True Form. Carry it, don’t try to bring it directly. Some of the pieces are extremely fragile and could be damaged by the transition.’

‘My Lord,’ she said, and bowed. She went out.

He gestured for me to follow him to the window. ‘Come and watch. She doesn’t often travel like this, and it will be a thing to see.’

I moved to stand beside him.

‘That dress is superb,’ he said quietly without looking at me. He was very careful not to touch me.

We looked over the lawn at the front of the house. Jade rushed out the front door, then stopped and lowered her head.

She changed into a dragon.

She was about two metres long, glittering with green scales. She had gold claws, and gold fins on her tail and behind her legs. She raised her head, her green eyes flashed, and she launched herself into the air. She didn’t have wings; she flew like a swimming snake, whipping through the air. She accelerated higher until she disappeared.

‘That was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen,’ I said.

‘I agree,’ John said, but he was watching me. ‘She will be about half an hour, Emma. Come down to the garden and have some tea with me while we wait for her. Then you can choose something suitable.’

Half an hour later Jade plummeted from the sky in dragon form, a small rosewood casket held in her front claws. She landed lightly on the grass and bowed to us. Then she changed back into a woman. She placed the casket on the table between John and me, then sat next to me and poured herself some tea.

I leaned to speak softly to her. ‘Where do the clothes go, Jade?’

‘I conjure them as I change,’ she whispered. ‘I make them as I need them.’

‘Your dragon form is beautiful.’

‘Thank you. But I am a very small dragon. Wait until you see Qing Long.’ She gestured towards the casket. ‘Now, let’s see what sort of collection the Dark Lord has. This should be interesting.’

‘Not very much, I’m afraid,’ he said. ‘I’ve never been one for collecting gold. I bought some for Michelle—’

I cut him off. ‘Please don’t ask me to wear anything that belonged to her, John.’ Jade smiled.

‘Very well, then, let’s see what we have,’ he said, and opened the box.

He pulled out a few very nice pieces. All of them had an interesting history or story behind them. Most had been gifts from friends or rewards for service from the Jade Emperor. John obviously didn’t place much value on them in monetary terms.

‘This is a piece of gold jade in the shape of Mercy,’ he said.

I held it. It was Ms Kwan in her Celestial form, sitting cross-legged and holding the urn that contained the bottomless font of Mercy. It was about ten centimetres long and the jade was a striking shade of amber.

‘I thought jade was green.’

‘I am,’ Jade quipped, ‘but the stone can be any colour. Some of the finest jade isn’t green at all.’

‘Here’s a chain for it,’ John said. He threaded the pendant onto the elaborately carved chain. ‘Is this too heavy?’

‘No, I can handle it,’ I said. I popped it over my head. It sat on the black silk and glowed against the chrysanthemums. ‘Perfect.’

He pulled out six gold bracelets and held them out to me. ‘Pick a few.’

I took one with triangular links, without touching him. ‘I like this.’

‘Dragon scales design,’ Jade said. She opened the soft gold hook and put the bracelet around my wrist for me. ‘Fitting.’

John opened a smaller box and held it out. ‘Earrings.’

‘It’s good your ears are pierced,’ Jade said. ‘You can choose something nice.’

I pulled a pair of black jade earrings out of the box. ‘I like these.’ They were flat jade disks with a square hole in the centre, like traditional coins. A large diamond filled each hole. But the jade itself was unusual: it was jet black. I passed them to Jade. ‘They’ll go well with the general colour scheme.’

‘These diamonds are very fine,’ Jade said, turning the earrings over in her fingers. ‘But the jade is spectacular. Black jade is extremely rare, and these are exceptional pieces. But I am not sure that Lady Emma should wear black jade, my Lord. It has many unpleasant connotations. I hate to think that she might share the same fate as its namesake.’

‘I have sworn. It will be,’ John said, and Jade nodded, satisfied.

‘What?’ I said. ‘What unpleasant connotations?’

‘I think it is better that you do not know for now,’ Jade said, ‘but we must arrange a tutor for you. You will require a Classical education, my Lady.’

‘I forbid it,’ John said.

Jade glanced sharply at him. ‘My Lord?’

He didn’t say anything else, so she returned to the earrings. ‘The shape is not entirely suitable, but if it is your wish then there will be no dispute. Where did these come from, my Lord?’

‘Hell.’

Jade gasped and dropped the earrings.

I picked them up and opened my mouth to ask.

‘It is a long story. I might tell you about it later.’ He pulled a small black silk purse out of the bottom of the box. ‘I forgot I had this. Gold would be very upset if he knew.’

‘Gold?’ Jade said.

Mr Chen nodded. He opened the purse and tipped a ring into his hand: a small square piece of green jade set onto a simple gold band. Three gold studs on either side of the stone were the only decoration. The jade was so old that most of the polish had worn away and the stone didn’t shine at all.

‘This is very plain,’ Jade said. ‘Quite unsuitable really. The stone is very good, but it is badly in need of a polish.’

He passed it to her and she turned it over in her hands. ‘Very, very old.’

‘Study the stone,’ Mr Chen said.

Jade touched the stone with her finger and concentrated. She snapped back and her eyes widened. ‘My Lord!’

‘Don’t drop it,’ he said. ‘I don’t think the stone would like it.’

She returned the ring to him, her face full of awe.

He took a deep breath, then let it out. He shook out his shoulders. ‘Give me your hand, Emma.’

I held my hand out.

‘No, left hand.’

‘Oh.’ I held my left hand out for him. His own hand hovered over it, holding the ring, without touching me.

He gazed into my eyes. ‘Will you marry me when I return, Emma Donahoe?’

I returned his gaze. ‘Yes I will, Xuan Wu.’

He quickly took my hand and slipped the jade ring onto my ring finger. ‘Thank you.’ He pulled his hands away and grinned. ‘It would be ironic if I killed you by asking you to marry me.’

‘You’re a complete moron sometimes, John,’ I said. ‘You should have just given it to me.’

‘I wanted to do it myself,’ he huffed. ‘Traditional. Oh.’ He smiled slightly. ‘A diamond is traditional in the West. Do you want one?’

‘I don’t need anything,’ I said, leaning across the table to gaze intently at him. ‘Your promise is more than enough for me. You didn’t even need to ask me out loud; you know we don’t need words.’

Jade sobbed loudly, leapt to her feet and ran into the house, tears streaming down her face. We watched her indulgently.

‘Now that you wear my ring, all will accept you as my equal,’ he said. ‘Jade will ensure that everyone in the Heavens is aware of our pact by nightfall. She is absolutely the worst gossip on the Celestial Plane.’

I studied the ring on my finger. ‘What’s so special about it, John?’

‘This ring was made for the Yellow Emperor himself; his Empress wore it. It is as old as history; it is a Building Block of the World. It is sentient, and its size and shape are dependent on its use. It has been sleeping for nearly five hundred years, but it may wake for you if you wear it constantly. The setting is at least two thousand years old. Don’t lose it.’ He raised his hand. ‘Don’t worry; if it wakes you won’t be able to lose it. It will find you.’

‘What about training?’

‘Remove it for physical training; it will not mind.’

‘How about I wear it on a chain around my neck for training?’

‘I think you are smarter than me, Emma.’

‘Maybe it’s just that you’re cold-blooded—your brain is slower.’

He laughed quietly at that. ‘What about energy work?’

‘Leave it on for energy work. If it doesn’t like the sensation, it will wake and tell you.’

I studied the ring. ‘It can talk? Does it have a name?’

‘It has not spoken in more than five hundred years,’ he said. ‘It once said that it was above such banalities as names; it was much too important to need one.’

‘So I have an engagement ring with attitude.’

‘Yep. You’re a matched set.’

I raised my hand to shove him and changed my mind. He grinned.

Before we returned the rest of the jewellery to the casket, I selected a light plain gold chain, in eighteen carats. It had a traditional spring clasp rather than the bendable hook for pure gold that would break with too much use. I popped it over my head to hold the ring when I was training.

John closed the casket and placed his hand on top of it. ‘Keep it all. You might as well.’

I put my hand on the casket next to his. ‘I’ll keep this for Simone until you come back.’

‘Keep it as my Lady until I come back, and when I return, I will fill it full for you.’

‘No need,’ I said. ‘Having you back would be all that I would need in the world.’

‘Enough.’ He pulled his hand away. ‘You’ll make me rush inside like Jade.’

I raised both hands in surrender. We sat silently together and shared the tea.