Hok stepped around Ying, holding Seh's hand. Seh's arm brushed against Ying's elbow, and Ying felt something move beneath Seh's sleeve. A snake?
Ying smacked his lips. He could use some fresh snake blood. But not right now.
“Count to one hundred before you even think about getting up,” Ying said to the guards.
The guards began to count quietly, “Yi … er … san … ”
Ying backed away quickly staying close to the others. As they neared the point where the alley met the main road, Hok asked, “Which way?”
“Left,” Ying replied. “Then we will make a quick right and another right. We aren't going far.”
They stepped out of the alley into pure pandemonium. People were racing back and forth along a wide street that skirted the burning fight club. Everyone was carrying armloads of items out of the surrounding buildings in case the fire spread.
Ying knew they would be safe in this melee. He lowered his qiang and let Hok continue to lead as he kept watch across their flank. He spotted no one suspicious, and no one took notice of them. As far as anyone was concerned, they, too, were simply fleeing the flames with valuables.
They soon reached the spot Ying had in mind. It was a narrow alleyway slick with slime and reeking of open sewer. It was approximately forty paces long and five paces wide, with a three-story building surrounding it on three sides. Stained windowsills dotted the buildings from top to bottom. All the windows were closed tight to ward off the stench of human waste and other filth that was regularly tossed out of them.
“What is this place?” Hok asked.
“Home,” Ying replied.
“You live here?” Malao said, plugging his nose. He lifted one of his bare feet and wiggled his toes. “This place makes my feet smell as sweet as water lilies! Yuck! Why would anybody live here?”
“Exactly,” Ying said. “Now, lean the qiangs against a wall and leave.”
Malao gave Hok a questioning look.
“Do as he says,” Hok said. “We need to be on our way. We still have much work to do.”
“Work?” Malao asked, leaning his qiang against a wall.
“We have to find someone,” Hok replied. “His name is Charles.”
Fu leaned his qiangs next to Malao's and growled, “Not the round eye?”
Hok nodded. “Yes, the Dutch boy.”
“Why would you help a foreigner?” Ying asked as he gathered up the three qiangs plus the two he carried and headed for a back corner of the alley. He placed the qiangs beneath a large flea-ridden blanket.
“Charles is my friend,” Hok said matter-of-factly “Friends help each other.”
Ying scoffed. “A foreigner as a friend? They are nothing but trouble.”
“You wouldn't understand anything about friendship,” Fu said. “We all know what you did to your only friend, Luk—”
Ying spat and turned toward Fu. “How dare you say that?”
Fu shrugged.
“Do not disrespect me, Pussycat,” Ying said, walking toward Fu. “Do not disrespect Luk's memory, either.”
Seh stepped in front of Fu, his blind eyes seeking Fu's face. Ying saw the snake beneath Seh's robe begin to quiver.
“That's enough, Fu,” Seh said. “We will leave now.”
“Yes,” Hok added, stepping forward and placing her hands on Fu's shoulders. “We all know what happened to Luk was an accident. Let us leave.”
“It was not an accident,” Fu growled.
Ying felt his heart rate begin to rise. “Are you looking for a fight, Pussycat?” Ying asked. “If so, you've come to the right place.”
Seh turned toward Ying and put his hands up as if to ward him off. Ying walked straight into them, pressing his chest against Seh's palms. “Would you like to dance with me, too, Seh?”
“I'm not afraid of you,” Seh replied. “But I'm not looking for a fight, if that is what you mean.”
Ying glanced at the snake outlined beneath Seh's sleeve. It was moving toward Seh's wrist. It had been a long time since Ying had savored fresh snake blood. He smacked his lips and reached for Seh's arm.
A slender blue and black head lashed out from Seh's sleeve. Ying stepped backward, pulling his right hand out of the way while swinging his left hand forward in an eagle-claw fist. He had caught many snakes this way.
Seh must have sensed Ying's movements because he twisted around, jerking his arm and the snake out of Ying's reach. Ying's left hand continued forward, connecting with the small of Seh's back.
Seh lunged away from Ying, but Ying grabbed hold of Seh's sash. The sash came loose, and something tumbled to the ground from beneath Seh's robe. Ying glanced down and his eyes widened. It was a scroll.