“I suppose,” Hok said. “Where is it we are going, then?”
“To the Pet Market,” Ying replied.
“Why?”
“I once bought a large supply of dragon bone from a pet vendor here. We'll start with him.”
“There is a market for pets?” Hok asked.
“Yes. It has been fashionable for some time here to keep wild animals as pets. The more exotic the pet, the more expensive it is, and the more expensive it is, the more fashionable it is.”
“That is unfortunate,” Hok said.
Ying shrugged. “It is what it is.”
Ying worked his way through the crowd to a series of small, out-of-the-way streets and back alleys. Half an hour later, they arrived at an open-air marketplace.
It was essentially a long, narrow street illuminated by hundreds of oil lamps hung from the eaves of the surrounding buildings. Various vendors had laid out blankets and set up tables, stacking bamboo cages high into the air.
The Pet Market had the feel of a typical outdoor night market but smelled very different. Thousands of animals were on display, each supplying its own assortment of odors, none of them pleasant. For once, Ying's face scarf wasn't such a peculiar sight. Many of the vendors and customers wore them to shield themselves from the horrible smells. There was also a tre mendous amount of noise. Birds chirped, cats meowed, and dogs barked. It was as if each animal group was trying to outdo the others.
Everything was represented here, from scales to fur to fins. Some of the animals were in decent shape, but most were not. The majority of creatures were housed in dirty woven-bamboo cages without food or water. Ying saw lizards and snakes of all sizes, their bodies covered in sores, their noses rubbed raw from trying to push their way out of the enclosures. There were rats and monkeys cowering in their own filth, their mange-ridden fur falling out in clumps. Turtles and tortoises were stacked upside down in large pyramids, serving as boundaries between vendor displays. Even Ying, who normally cared little about the welfare of lower life-forms, was uncomfortable.
Hok leaned close to him. “I don't like it here. Please hurry.”
Ying nodded and scanned the marketplace. About halfway down the street, he saw the man he was looking for standing next to a gigantic cage filled with hundreds of small, colorful birds.
“Follow me,” Ying said, pushing his way into the crowd.
The pet vendor Ying was heading for was a grizzled old man with short, thinning gray hair. His hands were heavily scarred from handling creatures with claws much of his life. Without question, he had the largest collection of exotic creatures in the market. His display contained stack after stack of cages, but it was the sole uncaged creature that captured Ying's full attention. It was an eagle. The bird was not in a cage, but instead was tethered to a large perch.
Ying stared at the enormous bird as he pushed forward. Eagles were powerful, intelligent, and tenacious. They were to be respected, and they were to be feared. Though he would never admit it, if he'd had to pick a kung fu style to learn besides dragon, Ying probably would have picked eagle style.
Sadly, the bird Ying was looking at was dull brown and covered in grime. Many of its feathers had fallen out. Its talons were covered in sores and its eyes were cloudy. It was in horrible condition. Even so, the eagle managed to retain a certain pride and strength that could be felt as well as seen. Ying supposed that was why it was on display. It was likely going to die soon, yet it was clear that when the time came for this eagle to leave the world, it would gladly take you along with it.
The pet vendor straightened when he saw Ying and Hok coming. “Good evening,” he said with a slight bow.
Ying nodded back. “Good evening. You and I have done business in the past. I am hoping we can do more tonight.”
“Excellent,” the pet vendor said, clasping his scarred hands. “How can I be of service?”
“I am looking for powdered dragon bone.”
The pet vendor paused and looked around, then leaned forward. “Dragon bone, you say? What do you need it for?”
“What difference does it make?” Ying asked.
“I could get in serious trouble for selling it to you.”
“Trouble? For selling dragon bone?”
The pet vendor nodded. “The leader of the largest black-market network in the region is prohibiting anyone from selling it, even if they're not in his network—which I'm not. He usually doesn't pay attention to me, and I want it to stay that way. If I sold some and word got out, my days would be numbered.”
“I promise not to say a word,” Ying said. “How much dragon bone do you have?”
The pet vendor glanced around again. “How much money do you have?”