Emboldened by Lady Chang-e’s friendly reception, I ask, ‘Dragon sight?’
‘Dragon sight is rooted in the Cosmos. I see much, both far and near,’ Lord Black says.
‘Are you saying you can see through time?’ I ask, wondering whether the rumours about the dragon kings are true – that they are older than Tian, as old as the Cosmos itself. Does this mean he knows what Lady Soo is up to?
‘We are aware of many things,’ Lord Black says, surveying his tiles and not answering my question at all.
Rooster one pecks at rooster two, causing rapid high pitched clucks.
Lord Black takes a tile and, like before, discards it without even looking. ‘There is always logic and order, you simply do not possess the skill to see yet.’
The roosters in my arms wriggle, but I hold them tight. Beyond the willow branches, Lady Soo swans across the meadow in a swathe of yellow accompanied by another bosom-heaving hulijing. From the height and the way she slinks next to Soo, it can only be her under-secretary. Lady Mao? Lady Mew? I can’t remember the name, only that she’s got a sharp face and claws to match. They duck under a cascade of wisteria. The walkway to the formal meeting chambers is behind there – private spaces for negotiations of a more sensitive or confidential nature. I need to get away before they return.
Lord Black continues, oblivious to my sudden impatience. ‘People talk of qi these days, but they have forgotten that qi is but one aspect of the Cosmos.’ He lights a cigar, puffs on it with a look of intense concentration.
‘Oh my moon,’ Lady Chang-e moans. ‘Please spare us your lecture on the Cosmos, Black. We’ve all heard it. Many times.’
He clamps the cigar between his teeth, smiles at me. ‘But Lady Jing hasn’t, have you?’
‘Oh,’ I say, looking around the table for some assistance. Lady Chang-e mutters darkly about Lord Black throwing her off her game. Lady Fen and Pinky are engrossed in their tiles, pointedly ignoring me. I glance towards the wisteria blossoms. ‘No, but I really shouldn’t interrupt your game—’
‘Nonsense,’ Lord Black says, waving away my protest. ‘You of all people should hear this.’
I nod in obeisance. I don’t have much choice, not when a dragon king insists. The roosters wriggle and cluck and continue pecking at each other. My bare arms are criss-crossed with red scratches.
Lady Chang-e knocks back the remainder of her Grasshopper as the called-for apprentice approaches. ‘I need another drink if I’m going to suffer through one of your circuitous lectures.’ She turns to the apprentice, waving her empty cocktail glass. ‘Make it a double this time.’
Lord Black blows a perfect circle of smoke at the Moon Goddess. ‘Very funny Chang-e,’ he says before turning his attention back on me. ‘No matter how small or insignificant you think you might be, the Cosmos makes no distinction.’ He taps the ashes from his cigar into an ornate half shell with tiny figures in boats carved into the rim. ‘Embrace the Cosmos, and you become embraced. Nurture the Cosmos, and you become nurtured. Accept the Cosmos, and you become accepted. Clear your vision, and you will see. Open your heart, and you will be loved.’
I bow, backing away. What a load of sentimental waffle. ‘Thank you, Lord Black, I have opened my ears and received your wisdom. But I’m afraid I really must go.’
As if on cue, rooster two crows with a shrillness that makes my ears ache. Lord Black winces, then inclines his head and waves me away with an apologetic smile.
With the roosters firmly under each arm, I slip down the side of the Hall, keeping well away from the mahjong tables and any groupings of deities.
The small bridge beckons. I glance behind me, no sign of Soo. I hurry across the little bridge and around the spirit screen. The lift lobby is deserted and I heave a sigh of relief. Shifting one of the roosters, I call the lift as a cloud of yellow silk shoves past me; I stumble, nearly dropping my two charges.
Lady Soo stands before me, wrinkling her nose. The roosters have stopped fighting for the moment, and like me, stare at the hulijing.
‘You really must do something about that foreign leech stink,’ she says. ‘We never could wash it off you.’
I thought I’d escaped. Just my rotted luck. I fight the urge to toss the roosters at her head. She smiles, a simpering, vicious thing.
She nods at the roosters. ‘I see you’ve finally found a position to suit your rank. Cleaning up other people’s messes.’
Big Wang’s warning comes back to me.Stay away from Lady Soo.The plenary session is important to him; I don’t want to disappoint him, again. I back up, grip the roosters tighter so I don’t accidentally rake my fingers down her smug face.
She takes my silence as defeat and sneers her triumph. ‘No one wants you, mongrel. Not even Big Wang. He sends you to do menial tasks meant for atoning ghosts. The best thing you could do for everyone is to disappear and never show your face again.’
The raging hornets are back. The buzzing in my head makes my hands shake. But the one good thing about lifelong enemies is I know her tender spots as well as she knows mine.
‘Lady Soo?’ I gasp, eyes wide with mock horror. ‘Have you been sunning yourself?Aiya, so many wrinkles.’
Lady Soo’s expression wavers. Her vanity is so predictable.
‘Queen Mother of the West’s royal jelly does wonders,’ I continue. ‘Her bees collect their pollen from the immortality peach grove.’ I smile sweetly, hearing the lift approach. As the doors open, I give her another once-over. I lower my voice so my words can only be heard between us. ‘Though, I doubt she’ll give you any. She really hates two-faced lying bitches.’
Lady Soo’s repulsively beautiful face twists. ‘How dare you—’ She grabs my wrist, faster than I expected, and yanks me from my escape.
