now," pondered Sign, "Curio will take this opportunity to attack Peace. But if I ask Peace to go along with me, I'll feel embarrassed in front of Uncle."
Sign then waved to Curio. "Senior Brother, you come with me."
Curio was overwhelmed by her favour and cast a glance at Peace, complacency written on his face. He immediately stepped inside the basket and seated himself next to Sign. He held the bamboo hawser and gave it a few neat jerks.
The basket swayed at first, and then ascended rapidly towards the summit. The moment they rose from the ground, Curio, Sign and Third felt as if they were travelling in a void, borne along on a cloud by the wind. The suspended state in which they now found themselves was unpleasant. When they were halfway up the cliff, Sign looked down. At the foot of the cliff, the human figures had shrunk to tiny dots. The angry cliffs rose up sheer as a wall, towering into the sky. What a wonderful sight! Her head reeled and she felt dizzy. She closed her eyes, not daring to look a second time.
Soon, the basket reached the top of the summit. Curio stepped out of the bamboo vehicle and helped Sign and Third out. On the side of the summit were three big capstans, intricately connected to one another by a bamboo hawser. The three capstans, manned by ten or so men of robust build, functioned by a neatly interlocking mechanism, synchronizing both the upward and downward movement of the basket. The now empty basket was again dispatched on a downward journey to collect more of the guests. The bamboo vehicle made a few more upward and downward trips before finally bringing the old monk and the others to the summit. Two men clad in grey stood by the side of the capstans. They took no heed of either Curio or his party. When the old monk finally joined the Company at the summit, these two men stepped forward and saluted him, bowing from the waist, with great respect.
"Without notifying the Master," said the old monk with a smile in his voice, "I have brought friends along to take advantage of his hospitality. Ha! Ha!"
"As they are friends of Tree the Great Master," replied a man in his prime, with a long neck and broad shoulders, bowing at the same time, "they will surely be welcome guests of my Master."
"So this old monk goes by the name of Tree," mused everybody.
The man with the long neck then turned around in every direction and bowed to all the assembled company. "My Master has been called away on business," said he, "and is not able to be here to greet our distinguished guests. Please accept his apologies."
At this, they quickly returned their bows. "This man lives up here, high on the top of the snow-covered mountain," they all began to ponder, "and dresses very lightly. Yet he shows no signs of feeling the cold. He must be skilled in endomarts, the martial art of developing strength through breathing and other exercises of his internal organs. The manner and tone in which he talks show that he is no more than a servant or one who runs errands. What kind of man must his Master be?"
Tree showed slight surprise at the Master's absence. "Your Master is not home?" he enquired. "How is it that he is away at this time?"
To this the man replied, "My Master left for Ningguta, Six-Manchu-Ancestors Borough, seven days ago."
"Ningguta? On what business?" asked Tree.
The man cast a glance at Valour and the others, made ill-at-ease by the question.
"Say what you want; don't worry about them," said Tree.
"Master said that the enemy fights fierce and furious," answered the man. "He is afraid that he may not be able to defeat him. So the Master travelled all the way to Ningguta, Six-Manchu-Ancestors Borough, to invite the Gilt-faced Buddha to ascend the mountain to give him support."
They started at the mention of the Gilt-faced Buddha. He had been a veteran fighter in the Martial Brotherhood, known as the Invincible Under the Sky among the outlawry for the last twenty years. Because of this name, he had made
Sign then waved to Curio. "Senior Brother, you come with me."
Curio was overwhelmed by her favour and cast a glance at Peace, complacency written on his face. He immediately stepped inside the basket and seated himself next to Sign. He held the bamboo hawser and gave it a few neat jerks.
The basket swayed at first, and then ascended rapidly towards the summit. The moment they rose from the ground, Curio, Sign and Third felt as if they were travelling in a void, borne along on a cloud by the wind. The suspended state in which they now found themselves was unpleasant. When they were halfway up the cliff, Sign looked down. At the foot of the cliff, the human figures had shrunk to tiny dots. The angry cliffs rose up sheer as a wall, towering into the sky. What a wonderful sight! Her head reeled and she felt dizzy. She closed her eyes, not daring to look a second time.
Soon, the basket reached the top of the summit. Curio stepped out of the bamboo vehicle and helped Sign and Third out. On the side of the summit were three big capstans, intricately connected to one another by a bamboo hawser. The three capstans, manned by ten or so men of robust build, functioned by a neatly interlocking mechanism, synchronizing both the upward and downward movement of the basket. The now empty basket was again dispatched on a downward journey to collect more of the guests. The bamboo vehicle made a few more upward and downward trips before finally bringing the old monk and the others to the summit. Two men clad in grey stood by the side of the capstans. They took no heed of either Curio or his party. When the old monk finally joined the Company at the summit, these two men stepped forward and saluted him, bowing from the waist, with great respect.
"Without notifying the Master," said the old monk with a smile in his voice, "I have brought friends along to take advantage of his hospitality. Ha! Ha!"
"As they are friends of Tree the Great Master," replied a man in his prime, with a long neck and broad shoulders, bowing at the same time, "they will surely be welcome guests of my Master."
"So this old monk goes by the name of Tree," mused everybody.
The man with the long neck then turned around in every direction and bowed to all the assembled company. "My Master has been called away on business," said he, "and is not able to be here to greet our distinguished guests. Please accept his apologies."
At this, they quickly returned their bows. "This man lives up here, high on the top of the snow-covered mountain," they all began to ponder, "and dresses very lightly. Yet he shows no signs of feeling the cold. He must be skilled in endomarts, the martial art of developing strength through breathing and other exercises of his internal organs. The manner and tone in which he talks show that he is no more than a servant or one who runs errands. What kind of man must his Master be?"
Tree showed slight surprise at the Master's absence. "Your Master is not home?" he enquired. "How is it that he is away at this time?"
To this the man replied, "My Master left for Ningguta, Six-Manchu-Ancestors Borough, seven days ago."
"Ningguta? On what business?" asked Tree.
The man cast a glance at Valour and the others, made ill-at-ease by the question.
"Say what you want; don't worry about them," said Tree.
"Master said that the enemy fights fierce and furious," answered the man. "He is afraid that he may not be able to defeat him. So the Master travelled all the way to Ningguta, Six-Manchu-Ancestors Borough, to invite the Gilt-faced Buddha to ascend the mountain to give him support."
They started at the mention of the Gilt-faced Buddha. He had been a veteran fighter in the Martial Brotherhood, known as the Invincible Under the Sky among the outlawry for the last twenty years. Because of this name, he had made
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