The Ultimate Obsession by John hale

Introduction
I had many reasons to be loyal to Jiang Li Feng. She and her husband had done
much for me when I'd first arrived in Shanghai. I'd come to China to escape the
corruption and vicious cruelty that had plagued my career in Europe and America.
Everywhere I looked, the mobs ran the cities. It made my job nearly impossible
and I was tired of bending to the will of madmen. And then I met the Fengs.
They'd fed me, housed me, taught me the ways of the twisting labyrinth that is
Shanghai's streets. They told me so much...but not what was most important.

I found out that Fai Feng, Jiang Li's husband, owed an amazing monetary debt to
the Eastern Triads, a loose collection of nationalized crime syndicates working
together throughout the Far East. I found out about it on the day it all went
wrong.

I'd gone scouting for detective work in this new city of mine. Intuition, or perhaps
simply a frustration with the size and depth of Shanghai's complexities led me to
the Thousand Blessings Tea Shop. The sun was setting and I wanted to get a gift
for my boarders. While I was there I heard the Fengs name being said by men in
the back room. My grasp of Shanghaiese was lackluster to say the least and they
were speaking with heated tones, but the tone and what words I could
understand painted a violent picture. Before they noticed my intrusion, I slipped
out of the tea shop and hurried home. But even then, I was too late.

I found Fai first, sitting bolt upright at the kitchen table. He was dead and cold,
though I could not tell what had killed him. No poison I know of could cause such
a frozen stance.

Jiang Li was in the back room. Whatever had been done to her was beyond my
capacity to understand. She had no wounds on her body, but she was reacting as
if she'd been stabbed or shot. The life was leaking out of her. As I knelt down the
older woman looked up at me croaked a "thank you". I asked her what she
thanked me for.
"Because you have let us spend our final days in virtue, helping one in need. It had
been so long...I forgot how good it felt. Remember that power is only as great as
the heart that wields it."

The local police arrived shortly thereafter, but I was already gone. This was a Triad
hit and they wouldn't investigate. If they found me there I would just be made a
patsy. And I couldn't let that happen. I had business with the Triad.

I returned to the Thousand Blessings tea shop, only to find Park Fang, the
proprietor, sitting out front. He casually waved me inside. The look in his eye was
unsettling.

A moment later I was ushered into the presence of Kong Xian-Nu, a Daughter of
Heaven of the Eastern Triads. She was surprisingly young, nowhere near her
thirties. But in her eyes I could see the severity of a loyal participant in the Triad's
crimes. Ms. Nu steepled her fingers together and looked at me from behind her
ornate wooden desk.

"Do you know why you are here?" she asked politely.

"I came here to--"

"That is not what I asked you. Do you know why you have been brought into my
presence?"

I shook my head.

"We heard about the deaths of Fai Feng and his wife. It is a regrettable
occurrence, but one we will require your services to rectify." Nu drifted slowly to
her feet and circled the desk, coming to rest only a short distance from me. "We
did not carry out the execution of Fai Feng."

The lie drove caution from my mind. "I was here before. I heard your people
talking about Feng, and I know he owed you money."

She gave me a thin smile. "No. We were discussing Fai Feng, that is true. But the
money you heard mentioned was not the payment we were referring to. He had
amassed serious debts at the racetrack recently and his carelessness had put him
in our debt. He offered to exchange, instead of money, information about
a...group he and his wife belonged to."

The Daughter of Heaven sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "His
information was more valuable than any money we could have been owed and I
fear he was silenced before he could speak. We want you to find out who killed
them, John. You will be rewarded handsomely, of course, and also you will be able
to avenge your friends' murders."

"Why should I believe you?"

Kong Xian-Nu gave me a chilling smile. "Because we own Shanghai, detective. If

we wanted this buried, it would be buried. We have no need for patsies here."

Ms. Nu nodded to her soldiers and I rose, sensing that I was being dismissed. I
didn't like it, not one bit, but she had a point that I couldn't deny. They'd pushed
me into the back room so fast I doubted that they'd hesitate to kill me if I was a
threat. And they did own the police. They had no need for me in any way but the
one that I sold myself as, a detective.

Fai and Jiang Li were in the afterlife, if there was one. And I had a killer to find.
The Investigation
Searching the Crime Scene
Victim: Jiang Li Feng & Fai Feng
Age: 70 & 67
Location: Shin Wey Road
Approximate time of death: 10 p.m.

It was midnight and I returned to the scene of the crime. The cops were gone,
either because of the Triad or just plain indifference. After all, it was just a pair of
old people, right? Who cares?

I've been in a lot of cities in my life and it always amazes me the ways they're all
the same. You can paint a sign in a dozen languages and the people inside still
have the same issues, same crutches. Indifference is the worst of them, I think.

I picked the lock on the Fengs' front door and slid inside, careful to avoid the gazes
of any curious neighbors. The house was dark and I kept my lamp dim, but I was in
familiar surroundings, so I could navigate without incident.

The police hadn't moved the bodies. From the look of the house, either the true
murderers or the Triad (if indeed they were two different parties), had obviously
put the screws to the police, because to my eyes they hadn't even looked around.

Forcing the memory of the Fengs from my mind, I snapped into detective's mode,
thinking like a cold machine as I surveyed the room. Even under more focused
scrutiny I couldn't begin to guess what had killed them. The signs on Fai's body
made no sense. Looking at his arms, I could detect the separation of muscle from
bone at nearly every major joint. The same signs were evident on the legs and
torso. It was as if whatever had killed him caused half the muscles in his body to
contract violently...and all at once. The muscles in the human body worked in sets,
flexor and extensor. If you had both contract at once, the muscles would either
crush the bone or just break free of their moorings. Fai was old and his muscles
weren't strong enough to crack the bones. They just...snapped. My only solace in
the sight of Mr. Feng was the knowledge that given his age and frailty, he probably
died immediately. Besides, I didn't need a medical degree to know that the heart
was a muscle.
What could do this?

Jiang Li's body wasn't like her husband's. Instead, she had suffered from another
form of execution, one slower and crueler. Seeing her body on the floor reminded
me of when she expired in my arms, as if the life itself was being drawn away. I
was beginning to believe Kong Xian-Nu about her denial of the Triad's
involvement. They didn't work like this. Torturing the elderly was a bit much, even
for them.

With the two bodies searched and only the gruesome details elaborated on, I
turned my attention to the rest of the house. Nu said that the Fengs were involved
with some sort of group, one that made the Triads visibly nervous. As
unimaginable as this was, it was my only lead. The bedrooms and bathroom were
almost devoid of belongings. But under the bed I found a small, locked box. The
key's location was lost on me, but I managed to beat the lock off with the butt of
my gun. Inside, folded neatly, were a pair of black silk gloves. As I gently lifted the
gloves out of the box, two things struck me. First, the gloves were old. Secondly,
there was an embroidery pattern across the wrist and back, forming a strange but
clearly deliberate design. I couldn't place its origin, but I took the gloves anyway.
They seemed too conspicuous all alone in that lockbox.

The only other clue to be found at the Feng's residence was the almost too-
obvious clue. Their home was on the ground floor of a shikumen apartment, a
typical sort of dwelling in Shanghai. There was a porch upstairs, but it the door
was secure. And the downstairs door and all of the windows were closed and
locked. I had to pick the lock to get inside. But when I'd first arrived, the door had
been open, which meant that the lock was functional at the time of the murders.

They'd let their killer in.

Winter Blossom Silk Market

I headed over to the Winter Blossom Silk Market. Tourists made their way through
the vibrantly colored reams, as the salesmen circled like predatory animals.

I wanted to talk to Huan Yue Qian, the Silk Merchant.

Detective: "Can you tell me anything about these gloves, or perhaps about the
design embroidered on them?"
Huan Yue Qian (Silk Merchant): "Ah, what impressive gloves. The stitching is so
fine I can hardly see it. These gloves were made with a great deal of care,
detective. The pattern is also quite familiar, although I can't place where I've seen
it before. I will check my records. Please come after 5 p.m. and I will hopefully
have something for you then."
Kong Xian-Nu

Ms. Kong Xian-Nu nodded to me as I entered. She seemed eager to know my

progress, although her true motives were still a mystery.

Detective: "Do you know anybody who had a motive to murder the Fengs?"
Kong Xian-Nu: "Well, that is the question, isn't it? I'm afraid that I know precious
little about the Fengs, save that Fai Feng frequented the racetrack. It's common
for gamblers to spend their winnings at the Ritz Bar, I am told. Perhaps Ms. Wu
will know more."
The Ritz Bar

Despite the early hour, I headed over to the Ritz Bar, an establishment frequented
by various denizens of the Shanghai underworld. The place was crowded with
chatting locals, as always.

Lurking near the back, I could make out the shape of one of the bar's regulars. He
was the local fixer, and it seemed like every city had one, if you knew where to
look. An unpleasant person to deal with, but one who was sometimes necessary.

I wanted to talk to Zheng Wu, the Bartender.

Detective: "Do you know a Mr. Fai Feng? He was an older man. I'm told he
might've come in here after he watched the races."
Zheng Wu (Bartender): Wu seemed to pick up on the word 'was' immediately. Her
nervousness gave her away.

"Well, you didn't hear this from me, but Feng was a bad gambler. He had a friend
who used to loan him money when he got too deeply in debt, but they had a fight
some time ago. Guy probably stopped doling out the cash. His name was Wang
Li."
Wang Li

Wang Li seemed startled by my presence at his home. He didn't seem to expect

anyone knowing about his connection to Feng.

Detective: "I'm told that you loaned a great deal of money to Fai Feng. He was a
friend of yours, correct?"
Wang Li: "Yes. We had a falling out some time ago, due to his indifference to the
money he owed me. But I did not kill him, detective, or his wife."

Detective: "I have reason to believe that Fai was attempting to sell information
he possessed to the Triad, perhaps in order to repay his debts. Would you have
any idea what sort of information he had that was so valuable?"
Wang Li: Wang cringed.

"The Fengs were...connected, detective. I do not know the whole of it, but I
believe that Fai and his wife belonged to a group of some power. I know little of
the details, even its name, but I can say that in their younger years, they both
displayed great power and resourcefulness. Perhaps their deaths are somehow
tied to this group.

"Once, in a drunken stupor, Feng spoke the name Jiao Wan, and that he was
somehow the Fengs' compatriot, perhaps in this group. He may know more."
Jiao Wan

Jiao Wan's role in the murder was, if anything, a mystery. But nonetheless, he was
a lead worth looking at. I was greeted cordially by the older man, and I found
myself reminded of Fai by his distinguished, yet guarded countenance.

Detective: "I'm told that you were a 'compatriot' of Fai Feng. What could he
have meant by this?"
Jiao Wan: "I really have no idea, detective. I knew the Fengs through their career
as actors. I was a writer, myself, once upon a time."
Grand Theatre

I went to the Grand Theatre, the nexus of Shanghai society.

I wanted to talk to Patricia Green, the Stage Manager.

Detective: "Jiao Wan, the writer, told me that Fai and Jiang Li Feng were stage
actors. Could you tell me about the Fengs?"
Patricia Green (Stage Manager): "I'm afraid that they were a bit before my time,
detective, but I have heard many great things about them. I'm afraid that I can't
reliably tell any of the tales, but Lok Jiang, the calligraphist, was a great fan of
theirs."
Calligraphist

There was a quiet city park favored by artists and the Shanghai philosopher
crowd. Quiet types mostly, not really my scene, but I wasn't there looking for
enlightenment.

I wanted to talk to Lok Jiang, the Calligraphist.

Detective: "I am told that you're a great fan of the actors Fai and Jiang Li Feng.
Could you tell me about their productions, specifically those written by Jiao
Wan?"
Lok Jiang (Calligraphist): "Ah, those were such delightful works. Jiang Li was quite
a beautiful woman and her lightness of step and grace on the stage was matched
only by her husband's. They floated about, like two swans, in the plays written by
Jiao Wan. The only one I've heard of specifically was called "Black Hands", and
Jiang Li wore the most beautiful silk gloves for it. It's an old theater story now,
about how the two of them wore their gloves during the play, and even the writer
himself wore a pair, perhaps in tribute, to the debut."
Jiao Wan

I returned to the home of Jiao Wan. He greeted me curtly and allowed me inside.

"What can I do for you, detective?"

Detective: "I was told at the Theater that you were a playwright of some
renown, and that you once wore gloves similar to the ones I found at the Feng
house. What is so special about those gloves, Jiao?"
Jiao Wan: Jiao seemed disturbed by needling and a thin, apprehensive look fell on
his face.

"If you seek those who hide in plain sight, detective, perhaps your manner of
looking is what requires change. Black can be white, left can be right; it is all a
matter of reflection.

"Now, if you would be so kind, I am expecting company. Please feel free to return
later, but for now I'm afraid that I must ask you to leave."
Twist #1
I returned to the home of Jiao Wan, only to find him sitting in his chair, much as I'd
left him. However, his skin had gone pale and his eyes, though opened, had no life
in them. A small rivulet of blood descended from his nose, indicating that he'd
died of a brain hemorrhage. Again the symptoms of this strange death captured
me. People who died of internal upheaval at the very least fell down. This violated
everything I knew of forensic science.

And what made matters worse, Jiao said that he had been expecting company. His
killer, perhaps? I still believed that the killer had been let into the Feng home.
Who was this aggressor that was so welcomed by all of their victims?

As I pondered the possibilities, the clock caught my attention. It was 5 o' clock and
I had an appointment with Huan Yue Qian.
Winter Blossom Silk Market

I headed over to the Winter Blossom Silk Market. Tourists made their way through
the vibrantly colored reams, as the salesmen circled like predatory animals.

I wanted to talk to Huan Yue Qian, the Silk Merchant.

Detective: “Have you found out anything about those gloves, Huan?”
Huan Yue Qian (Silk Merchant): "Yes I have, actually. The silk is rough, indicating
that these are clearly not decorative gloves. The stitching, I would suppose, was
made by a master tailor...one I would like to meet, should it be possible. As to the
embroidery, I realized that I've seen the strange it before on a dress I mended
some time ago. I took the liberty of checking my records for the woman's name.
Ming Xiao. Perhaps she can explain the significance of it."
Ming Xiao

Ming Xiao proved difficult to find, but eventually I came upon her home, a small
but respectable apartment in the oldest part of the city. She was a young woman,
no more than twenty with round glasses and a humorless demeanor. She sat
primly and her eyes never left me. There was visible displeasure in the way she
looked at me.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

Detective: "I was told that you may be able to identify the design embroidered
on these gloves. You had the pattern placed on a dress some time ago, did you
not?"
Ming Xiao: Ming Xiao shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It was the first time I saw
her eyes leave mine.

"If you have any care for your own survival, detective, I would advise you to leave
those gloves with me, go back to wherever you came from, and never even think
of Shanghai or the Fengs again."

The look in Ming's eyes was severe, and as much as I knew she was hiding, there
was no way I was going to get it out of her with just a pair of gloves.

Detective: "Three people are already dead over this. Now if you know anything,
it's in your own best interest to tell me."
Ming Xiao: The strangest thing happened just then. There was a change in Ming
Xiao's eyes, as if she was suddenly...different. Her voice was softer, more silken
and fluid. Her composure became less forced, more graceful. And she smiled
when she looked at me.

"Seek your understanding in the past, my friend. Heed the advice of the dead and
take your search to the source of all wisdom...the past."
And then, as quickly as she had changed, Ming returned to normal. There was
flash of anger in her eyes as she rose from her chair and pointed to the door. She
didn't look like she was open to argument, either.
Research #1
It was a clever ruse, but I had it. Whatever
had happened to Ming, she'd given me the
key. What Wan had said about
reflection...and what Ming had said about
boundaries...It all made sense now. I taped off the sections of the gloves'
embroidery, framing the weave into a strange pattern of lines crossing one
another. Then, when I held them up to a mirror, I saw that they were in fact
characters, hidden by excess lines, certainly, but definitely there.

Bo Wu Bu Hang Zhu...Mist Walkers.

The next few hours were a long, silent dissection of Chinese history. It wasn't easy.
But if I wanted to know who had killed the Fengs and why, the answers had to lie
in the past. Kong Xian-Nu feared these Mist Walkers, and the Triad was not known
for being skittish.

Although the history books bore no mention of the Bo Wu Bu Hang Zhu, I

eventually came upon the name in the most unlikely of places...poetry.

As the gray mist drifts off the sea,

The Walkers move and see all.
In search of Power with the blink of the eye,
The ultimate obsession, the greatest of goals.

Poems rarely translate well, but I got the idea. The only tangible lead that came of
this was the name of the author, one "Xi Shi". I researched the name and found
that, although the woman had no files in the Shanghai records, the name Xi Shi
was that of a goddess, one of the four mythic beauties of China. It made me
rather curious about this Xi Shi, if that was her real name, and what connection
she might've had to the Fengs.
Kong Xian-Nu

I returned to the base of the Eastern Triads to speak to Kong Xian-Nu. The same
unsettling air still thrived around the Daughter of Heaven.

Detective: "Who are the Mist Walkers?"

Kong Xian-Nu: Ms. Nu sneered.

"So you know. My compliments, detective. You have discovered a name that will
call the darkest spirits in this city to your doorstep. As to your question, the Mist
Walkers were a cadre of mystics, an ancient and evil group who lusted after power
through means that can be only defined as sorcery. Their magics were as simple
and plain as the attacks of a skilled martial artist, although swifter and far more
deadly. It is said that a Mist Walker could make a man's blood race in his veins
with no more than a gesture, or kill with a glare. While I cannot validate these
myths firsthand, I can at least say that what I've heard makes me very grateful for
this fact."

"As to what I know of the Fengs and the Bo Wu Bu Hang Zhu, the order is to my
knowledge dead. I believed that the Fengs might have inherited the secrets of
their ancestors, but I doubt that they themselves were Mist Walkers. By all
accounts, they vanished centuries ago."

Detective: "Have you ever heard the name Xi Shi before?"

Kong Xian-Nu: If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed that Ms. Nu was
capable of such fear.

"Do not speak her name here. She is the one we sought, the hereditary guardian
of the Bo Wu Bu Hang Zhu, the Mist Walkers as you call them. It is said by some
that the name is passed down from mother to daughter and that woman is the
greatest of the Mist Walkers. If she is who we are hunting, detective, than I fear
that this investigation has attracted the worst kind of attention. You must find Xi
Shi before she finds us!"
Twist #2
With a heavy heart I knelt before the Maitreya Buddha of Longhua Temple. Jiang
Li's final words still haunted me. As she lay there, dying, all she seemed to care
about was that she'd died doing a good deed. She didn't speak the name of her
killer, or even indicate that she cared that she was dying. It was as if she felt that
she'd deserved it, or that her death had served a purpose. There were too many
questions, and more were appearing as I descended further and further into my
investigation.

The Taoists tell us not to strive, to allow what we seek to come to us. But this isn't
my way. I am a seeker of evil. I cannot sit idle and cultivate wisdom like a farmer
cultivates his crop. I am a hunter.

A faint wind blew past my ear and I knew that I was not alone.

"John hale."

"Xi Shi," I replied, refusing to turn around. The Xi Shi, she who bore the name of a
goddess, wielded a gaze that paled the benevolent beauty of her namesake. She
was pure danger unwieldy to any other hand, a weapon that masters itself. "What
do you want?"

"What makes you think I want anything," she asked, her voice like honey. There
was movement, but still I did not turn. If she wanted me dead, I doubted that
anything could stop her. It was strange. She made not a single sound as she
moved, but I could still sense her. The air shifted when she was near.

"Xi Shi, mistress of the Bo Wu Bu Hang Zhu."

Her laugh was like a faint murmur of wind in the trees. "Yes, I know who I am. But
do you? Do you know who you are dealing with, detective?"

I thought of Fai and Jiang Li and bit my lip. "A killer. A remorseless murderess."

"There's that, yes." The whimsy in her voice set my teeth on edge. "But there's so
much more."
A crinkling sound at my feet caught my attention and I looked down. There were a
pair of flowerpots near the shrine to the Maitreya, the Cloth Bag Monk
incarnation of Buddha. The sound came from the flowers shriveling, turning black
before my eyes.

"What the--"

And there she was, standing but a breath away. She was about 5'9", a slim and
beautiful middle-aged Chinese woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail. The
lines on her face were few and spoke of a person oddly calm for one who wielded
such power. She wore an attractive smile and a long leather coat that covered her
body. A strip of embroidery came down from her right shoulder to her heart,
proclaiming her allegiance with the same symbols as the black gloves. She was an
alluring creature, strangely personable in appearance. I had expected someone so
much more severe, more withdrawn and arrogant. But the eyes of Xi Shi bore
instead the simple knowledge of what she was and proclaimed the needlessness
of arrogance and dry repose.

"I am power, the force of water haunting the air." She smiled gently and looked
into my eyes. "And I come to kiss you goodnight." That was the last thing I saw
before I blacked out.

I awoke again the next morning, still at the Maitreya shrine. Longhua temple was
peaceful in the morning, and I could hear the hum of the mornings earliest hours
steadily rising. I didn't know why she'd let me live, but only that she had and that
there was a reason for this. And it was that fact that I believe scared me more
than anything I had seen thus far. She was real. However, she could do what she
did, either by hypnotism or some other craft, she could take hold of a person and
bend them to her will. I was feeling very out my league then and decided that I'd
probably need help a bit closer to her...arena.
Bookshop

I went to a bookshop that specialised in foreign language mystery novels. In

addition to the usual clientele, the owner allowed a few colorful individuals to sell
their own services between the bookshelves.

I wanted to talk to Li Rong Xiao, the Fortune Teller.

Detective: "I need to know if you have anything on the Mist Walkers?"
Li Rong Xiao (Fortune Teller): Li Rong Xiao almost fell off her chair. "Please warn
me again before you say something like that. I am an old woman and I don't need
to die of shock. And to answer your question, there are no books on the Mist
Walkers."

Detective: "The Mist Walkers are a very secret group, Li Rong. How do you even
know about them?"
Li Rong Xiao (Fortune Teller): Li Rong sighed and slid off her stool. "Detective, I do
not know what you think you are dealing with, but I assure you, there is a price to
be paid for those who delve too deeply into the secrets of the Mist Walkers. I
should know. But if you insist on knowing more, I would like you to meet
someone. My brother, Hong Xiao, was...connected to them. He may be willing to
give you the answers you seek."
Hong Xiao

Hong Xiao, much like his sister the fortune teller, conveyed the image of being
almost impossibly old. He seemed only half-present when I first saw him, as if he
was looking straight through me, to address my shadow. But when we sat down at
a table in his small apartment, he laced his fingers together and addressed me as
a friend.

Detective: "Do you know of anybody with a motive to kill the Fengs?"
Hong Xiao: In response to the question, Hong Xiao reached into his pocket and
withdrew a pair of cards, which helaid out on the table in a diamond formation.
He turned the cards over slowly, one by one, seemingly very interested in each of
them. When at last he looked back to me, I almost jumped.

"So you seek Xi Shi, or at least the Triads do. You may find the counsel of Fargo
Lang insightful, as well as my daughter Ming, although I imagine you've met her
already. If you need to know more about Mr. Lang, ask my sister. I believe she
knows him."

Detective: "Are you a Mist Walker, Mr. Xiao?"

Hong Xiao: "No, although I will choose not to be insulted by the question,
detective. I am a humble fortune teller, like my sister. I simply avoid the more
public uses of my talents, and occupy myself with the study of worldly wisdom."

Detective: "Could you do some research for me on Xi Shi? I can't seem to find
anything on her at the hall of records."
Hong Xiao: "I will do what I can, my friend. I sense in you a common spirit, much
the same as I sensed it in Jiang Li, once upon a time. I knew her, although
impersonally. I will also attempt to fill in some gaps by way of divination, but it will
take time. Xi Shi is not the sort of woman who is generally found against her will.
Come back at six, please."
Ming Xiao

I returned to the home of Ming Xiao and confronted once again her noteworthy
lack of hospitality.

"You are unwelcome here, detective. Conclude your business quickly."

Detective: "Your father is Hong Xiao, the Fortune Teller's brother. Does your
family's talent have anything to do with your membership in the Mist Walkers?"
Ming Xiao: Being so accustomed to Ming Xiao sneering, her smile took me as a
complete surprise, and the outright viciousness of it didn't help matters either.

"You will die young, detective. It does not take a medium to see that. Rest
assured, when my mistress has exhausted your usefulness, she will kill you like a
dog! There is no defense against the Bo Wu Bu Hang Zhu."

Detective: "It would seem that Xi Shi is killing off all the remaining members of
the Mist Walkers, where do you think that leaves you?"
Ming Xiao: "Soon to die, and I do so gratefully for the supremacy of my people.
Do not do me the insult of thinking I would betray my oaths to defend my own
life."
Thousand Blessings Tea

Against my better judgement, I went to Thousand Blessings Teahouse, a raucous

hangout popular with laborers and travelers.

The city leadership of the Eastern Triads had a space in the back where they
discussed their dark business.

I wanted to talk to Park Fang, the Tea Merchant.

Detective: "Was Ming Xiao here last night, roughly after the time I left?"
Park Fang (Tea Merchant): "Yes, detective. She often comes by after 10, which I
believe was the time when you so suddenly left."

Detective: "If I'm reading the chronology correctly, Ming Xiao was here
specifically in the time between my departure before 10 and left before my
return at midnight. Does it strike you as odd that she was so visibly in the Triad's
home base at that time?"
Park Fang (Tea Merchant): "I do not know what you are implying, detective. Ming
Xiao is an old friend of mine, and though I know little of her origins, I do not doubt
the reasons for her presence. She enjoys fine tea and the company of her elders.
That is all."
Bookshop

I went to a bookshop that specialised in foreign language mystery novels. In

addition to the usual clientele, the owner allowed a few colorful individuals to sell
their own services between the bookshelves.

I wanted to talk to Li Rong Xiao, the Fortune Teller.

Detective: "Have you ever heard the name Fargo Lang before?"
Li Rong Xiao (Fortune Teller): "Why yes. Mr. Lang works at the University. He is,
now that I think of it, a researcher on ancient Chinese mysticism. He may know
something about the Mist Walkers, although you did NOT hear that from me, nor
did you hear the name from my brother."
Fargo Lang

Fargo Lang was a professor from afar at Tongji University.

Detective: "I'm told that you may know something about the Bo Wu Bu Hang
Zhu, the Mist Walkers."
Fargo Lang: "I've encountered the names more than once, if that's what you're
asking. They're the sort of group that you could search the public records and
history books for a lifetime and not find the answers you seek. From what I can
tell, they have a clear and definite policy about cleaning up loose ends."

"As to their abilities, I have gathered that they seek a sort of spiritual
empowerment that, amongst other things, imbues them with great vitality. Their
will becomes a weapon and through the basic sameness of all human bodies, they
can bring about...reactions, as they see fit. The science of this is beyond me, but
whether or not it is myth I cannot say."

Detective: "I had a member of the Mist Walkers threaten me a while ago. I'm
looking for a friend of hers, a woman named Xi Shi."
Fargo Lang: "Ah...Xi Shi. That is the name of a Chinese goddess, one who presides,
oddly enough, over makeup and cosmetic sales. She is a symbol of beauty. No
doubt the group uses the name in homage to the power of worldly beauty. Xi Shi
is the hereditary title of the leader of the Mist Walkers. If the events you've
described to me are any indication, I believe I can see what they are up to. Xi Shi is
purging her own group, perhaps to remove all loose ends."

Detective: "Do you know about any people connected to the Mist Walkers in the
Shanghai area? If this is a purge, maybe I might get to them before Xi Shi does."
Fargo Lang: "I have received correspondence from two individuals, in fact, who
may either be independent scholars in this field, or members-in-waiting. It's
rather frightening how the general knowledge about this group is that they're a
long-dead myth, considering how many in this city have knowledge to the
contrary. In any event, their names are Ziang Ho and Cong Chao, respectively a
man and woman located somewhere in Shanghai."
Ziang Ho

Ziang Ho was a fat, middle-aged man who obviously had a job that required a
great deal of sitting down. He greeted me politely, but with some apprehension.
He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

Detective: "Are you a Mist Walker?"

Ziang Ho: "No, although I'm now regretting talking with Mr. Lang. I'm not a Mist
Walker. I just know a bit about them, largely from my youth.

"When I was a child, my father ran a hotel here in Shanghai. There was a woman
who lived there for some time, along with her young daughter. A woman with no
husband and a young girl was enough to capture the attention of my father, and
he attempted to learn the secrets of the pair. Suffice it to say, he did get the
answers he sought, but at the cost of his life. I have seen the work of a Mist
Walker in action. Their power is no myth."

Detective: "The child you mentioned, the woman's daughter, how old was she?"
Ziang Ho: "She was about five years my senior. I was six at the time, and she was
nearly a woman. I cannot remember her name, but I do recall that she bore a
striking resemblance to her mother. I always used to get them confused.

"The only other thing I know that may be of use to you is about the mother. After
my father died, I made it a point to memorize the residence application she had
made with us. The name she went by was Xi Shi, and she had formerly resided on
Hong Qiao Road. I did my own research and found that the entire block had
burned down in a fire. You may be able to find out more in the local records. It
was a...memorable blaze, I am told."
Research #2
According to old news clips, the area of Hong Qiao Road where the great fire
occurred had been a large housing block for less-than-permanent residence. It
was, at least at the time, owned by one Sheng Lee. The article did not say much
about the fire, only that it obliterated the entire block, including the local records.
But it did mention that the sort of people that lived there were usually young
artists, such as actors and writers. I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew some of
the people who'd been living there at the time. But while that possibility was
almost impossible to confirm, I had what I needed: a name.
Shen Lee

The first thing that struck me about Shen Lee was how amazingly old he seemed. I
could only begin to guess his age and was astonished that at his advanced age he
lived alone.

Detective: "Please tell me what you know about Xi Shi, the leader of the Mist
Walkers. I need to know what really happened on Hong Qiao Road all those
years ago. It may help me find her before she kills again."
Shen Lee: "I remember the declaration that the woman made. She said: 'It is time
for our great power to be drawn together. We stand here for one last time as one.
Go now into the mass of the city and when it is time, I shall come for you. Speak
nothing of this and wait. This is my final order to you, my noble Mist Walkers.'

"That woman was Xi Shi. She was young then. I do not know where she went after
it burned, only that she and her followers vanished into the darkness."
Cong Chao

As fate would have it, Cong Chao was an elderly woman who apparently lived at
the Ritz. A cursory investigation of her background revealed that she was a lifelong
member of the Eastern Triads, and one of the few Daughters of Heaven allowed to
retire with her head intact. When she saw me coming, Chao nodded and
motioned to the opposing seat in her booth.

"So you are the detective my successor has hired. I was expecting a much more
seasoned detective."

Detective: "Your enemies are dropping like flies, Cong Chao. I need to know
what you know."
Cong Chao: "I know only about parties that sadly, are now deceased. My
apologies, detective."

Never was there a more insincere apology.

Twist #3
The relative peace of the Ritz died suddenly, as the sound of a door slamming
behind me silenced everyone in the room. I turned to see Kong Xian-Nu and two
of her enforcers, storming in. They looked like they'd been through a war.

Cong Chao smiled and said something in Chinese. Nu responded angrily, both
giving me the occasional glance to confirm that I had no idea what they were
talking about. They were mostly correct, but not entirely. My knowledge of
Shanghai's language was less than stellar, but I knew the word 'mother' when I
heard it. Under the guise of wiping my mouth, I concealed a grin that surely
would've gotten me killed. When the ranting subsided, I looked up at Nu.

"So, is there a problem."

Nu snarled. "That...that woman has killed three of my men."

This time I successfully resisted the urge to smile. "Sounds like she's trying to send
you a message."

"She is," snarled Chao. With the two women side by side, I found myself ashamed
that I hadn't noticed the resemblance before. They were as related as two people
possibly could be. It was undeniable as their animosity towards each other, a
factor now far easier to understand. The Daughter of Heaven was displeased that
her mother wasn't dead, and her mother was displeased that her daughter was
losing to a one-woman reaping machine.

"How goes your investigation," asked Nu, dropping heavily beside me, "Tell me
you're having some success tracking her."

Chao sneered, clearly shamed by her daughter's blatant and overt display of
emotion.

I shrugged. "I have leads. I believe that I'm close. I just need some time to..."

"We're out of time, detective. Now give me one good reason why I should let you
walk out of here in one piece." Nu glared at me, then jumped as someone kicked
her under the table.
"John knows of you and I, Nu, and my past and has made many valuable
connections."

Nu bit her lip, but her rage did not dissipate. "If I'd hired the detective to
investigate us and not the Mist Walkers, then perhaps I'd be pleased by this. But I
don't see the connection."

"That's because you're headstrong and foolish," said Chao, "It has a great deal to
do with the ultimate goal of finding Xi Shi. Let the detective do the job."

Nu grunted. "Very well. Just be sure to notify us when you have discovered Xi Shi's
whereabouts. Do not attempt to take her down on your own."

I emphatically nodded. No, I was not, nor will I ever be, that stupid. I took a brief
glance at the clock and confirmed the time. It was 6 o' clock and Hong was no
doubt waiting for me.

"Very well then," said Nu as she rose, "Then I will await your call to arms,
detective. Now get back to work!"
Hong Xiao

Hong Xiao nodded politely and we resumed our places at his table.

Detective: "Have you found anything, Hong?"

Hong Xiao: "I have, although you would not like it. To the best of my meager
abilities I have combed text and ether in search of Xi Shi. I have read portends
relating to a man named Shen Lee. He apparently has had some run in with Xi Shi
in the past. If you find him, please inform him that his wife on the other side
misses him and wishes him well. Also, she made some mention of forgiving him
for his indiscretions with a lady of ill-repute. I do not enjoy prying in the affairs of
others, but the name Cong Chao does stand out in my mind. If he had an affair
with such an infamous character, perhaps there is more to pursue with those
two."
Shen Lee

I returned to the home of the spry ancient Shen Lee.

Detective: "I was told that you had an affair with Cong Chao of the Eastern
Triads, some time ago. Was she there during the fire?"
Shen Lee: The old man sneered.

"Hong Xiao has a big mouth, my friend. But yes, I did have an affair with Cong
Chao and she was there the night of the fire. She saw Xi Shi as well as I. Though
she won't speak of it freely, she also mentioned recognizing her from somewhere
else. Perhaps she will tell you, now that Xi Shi has set out to either rule or destroy
the whole of Shanghai's underground. And do me a favor, while you're at about
town. Remind Hong Xiao that if he continues talking about my personal business, I
might be inclined to describe HIS familial affairs! Now go away."
Cong Chao

I returned to the Ritz Bar, impromptu home office of Cong Chao, former Daughter
of Heaven to the Shanghai Eastern Triads.

Detective: "It has come to my attention that you have had an affair with Mr.
Shen Lee and that you were there the night the Mist Walkers burned his
property to the ground. Who was she, Cong Chao?"
Cong Chao: "Who she was has no consequence, detective. She is not the Xi Shi
that you are looking for. Surely by now you have discovered that the name is a
title, passed from mother to daughter throughout the generations. They steal the
power of men's bloodlines and add it to their own, thus making every Xi Shi
stronger than the last."

Detective: "If the woman you saw was her mother, then maybe looking into her
can help me find the present Xi Shi and end all of this. So tell me, dammit!"
Cong Chao: Cong Chao smiled. It was the single most vicious, evil expression I
have ever seen on a human face.

"You will not speak to the former Xi Shi, detective. She is dead. You should know
this, after all. You are investigating her murder, the murder of Jiang Li Feng, former
mistress of the Mist Walkers."
Kong Xian-Nu

I returned to the base of the Eastern Triads to speak to Kong Xian-Nu. The same
unsettling air still thrived around the Daughter of Heaven.

Detective: "According to Cong Chao, Jiang Li was the mother of Xi Shi and former
bearer of the title. If that's true, then we may have a way to find her."
Kong Xian-Nu: "Yes...by finding the next in her line. If we compare the ages of
Jiang Li and the woman you've described, we get an idea of roughly when they
produce their successor. If we compare these dates, it is believable that she would
be a young adult by now, roughly my age. Perhaps the key here is figuring out who
her father was. If you can do that, perhaps you can discover her next move."
Twist #4
The door to Ming Xiao's home was open when I arrived. The house was empty.
She'd vanished, and from the looks of it, there was neither struggle nor haste in
her departure.

It was a scene befitting Ming Xiao's composure that even in her disappearance she
was decisive and calculating. I knew that no one in town would be able to help me
find her. She was gone.
Hong Xiao

Hong Xiao nodded politely and we resumed our places at his table.

Detective: "Your daughter is missing. Have you any idea where she has gone?"
Hong Xiao: Hong Xiao cringed.

"Yes, I know where she's gone. And I imagine you can guess why I have been
helping you on this. I cannot tell you where to find the woman you call Xi Shi,
because I do not know. All I do know is that my daughter has the heart of a man
who owns a place of temporary residence somewhere in the city. I have heard the
family name before, in her mother's description of past residences. Ziang Ho is the
boy's name. Perhaps he will be able to help you find my daughter before her
mother gains complete control over her."
Ziang Ho

I returned to the mysterious Mr. Ziang Ho.

Detective: "I need to find Ming Xiao, Ziang. Where is she?"

Ziang Ho: Ziang Ho smiled.

"So you've finally caught up to speed. Let me fill you in, detective. I know who
Ming is, or rather, who her mother is. I'm older than Ming, and I know better than
she what it means to be Xi Shi. And that is why I offered to let her stay in my
family's hotel, which I have emptied out for the night, so that she and her mother
have some time alone together. Here is the address. I imagine that Xi Shi is already
there."
Xi Shi

When I arrived at the hotel, Ming Xiao was waiting for me in the lobby.

"Follow me, detective. I'll take you to her."

We went to the lounge and there she was, patiently sipping her tea while sitting in
an armchair; Xi Shi.

"Greetings."

Detective: "Why did you kill your own order, Xi Shi?"

Xi Shi: "Because it was time, my friend...because it was time. There is no longer a
need for the many and varied powers of the Mist Walkers. There is only one, and
that is all that is necessary. Simply put, I killed them for power."
Conclusion
I drew my gun and leveled it at Xi Shi.

"Don't move," I said. She smiled and cocked her head, pleasantly amused.

"Oh my, John. Are you still trying to win?"

Ming Xiao brushed past me, seemingly indifferent to the gun I had leveled at her
mother. I glanced at her and noticed that she seemed dazed, only physically there.
Mentally, she was somewhere else. Xi Shi gently set down her teacup, smiled, and
the graceful fashion that was hers, rose.

"Do you know why I brought you here, detective?"

"I--" And then I froze. It was all falling into place. The Mist Walkers were dead.
Ziang Ho's plan was so transparent. How could she not have known? And the clue
about the gloves, courtesy of Wan, who had died just after telling me. Even the
murder of the Fengs, done not just when I was gone, but when I was in easy
running distance to the house and would hear what the Triad was discussing. It
was a complicated, oblique way of going at it, but it'd worked.

And now she bowed. "Yes." Xi Shi raised a hand and I felt my hand letting go of my
gun. The muted thud as it hit the carpet might as well have been a meteor hitting
earth, for all it meant to me.

"And now," said the Mist Walker softly, "You will fulfill your final purpose." Xi Shi
turned to Ming, who was standing beside her like a statue. "Your first test, my
child. The heart, I think." Xi Shi smiled. "Break the detective's heart."

I tried to bolt but found the eyes of Xi Shi holding me fast. And the tightness in my
chest was growing.

"Ming..." I stammered, but she wasn't listening. In her eyes I saw the same
haunting confidence, the same power as I did in her mother, and even her
grandmother, Jiang Li, the woman who'd taken me in to make into her
granddaughter's practice dummy.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the silent lounge. Xi Shi slid sideways, casually
allowing a bullet to pass to its ultimate destination, the wall five inches to the
right of my nose. Xi Shi smiled and turned around to greet Nu, who was standing
in the stairwell, gun in hand.

And she told ME not to come alone, I cursed silently.

The Mist Walker gestured to her daughter. "Finish the detective," she said, and
gave chase to Nu, who fled up the stairs. With Xi Shi gone I was not bound, but I
could slowly feel my heart giving out as Ming squeezed the life from me. My legs
gave way and I fell. My breath came in harsh gasps as I clutched at my chest. Ming
smiled as she watched me die. But I was the one laughing when I fell forward onto
the solution.

The shot echoed through the hotel and I swore I could hear Xi Shi's rage. Ming lay
on the ground, a bullet lodged in her shoulder. She was good, but not her
mother's equal, and while she was focused on my heart she couldn't bind my
hands. I looked over the whimpering form of Ming Xiao. She was alive. That
established, I dashed up the stairs after Xi Shi.

As I ran, it struck me odd that I was hurrying to the defense of a ruthless crime
lord. Kong Xian-Nu was no virtuous maiden and her death wouldn't have made
the world any poorer in kindness. But there were some things you had to do.
She'd saved my life, even if it was for her own purposes. And when I heard her
screaming from the sixth floor, I threw myself from the stairwell and looked down
a hallway that seemed to never end.

Xi Shi stood over Nu, who was collapsed on the ground, choking. The Mist Walker
glared at me. "You shot her." The hate in her eyes made me wonder why I was still
alive.

"In the stomach," I lied, "And she'll bleed to death if you don't get her out of here
now. So what's more important?"

She smiled. Against all logic, against all I thought I understood about the depths of
her evil, she smiled. "You know, I was rather proud that I'd added clairvoyance to
the line's talents. But--" A scream rose from the lounge below, so terrifying that it
penetrated five ceilings and floors, up into my ears. "I cannot abide failure." The
eyes of Xi Shi shimmered and now I understood why she wasn't killing us in her
fastest and deadliest way. We were ants to her and she was as much a goddess as
her namesake, however bleak and twisted. She wanted us to suffer.

Xi Shi spread her arms wide, fingertips grazing the walls of the hallway, and
walked towards me.

"Stop!"

She didn't. I pulled the trigger and winced as the hammer fell on a dud. Her smile
grew as she moved in, faster and faster, towards me. Where her fingertips
touched the walls, fire streamed outward, down and up the walls, across the floor,
consuming all but parting for her passage. How powerful was she, that she could
stroll so comfortably through a living inferno?

Behind her, Nu gasped as the air returned to her lungs, but the gasping soon gave
way to choking.

"Are you ready for me, detective. I--"

Downstairs there rose shouting as a group of unknown men stormed the building.

"The Triads," I grunted, mentally adding I hope.

Xi Shi smiled. She stood inches from my face, just as she had when we first met.
"We'll meet again," she whispered in my ear, and then, much as before,
everything went black.

The next thing I saw was the face of Park Fang at the Thousand Blessings Tea
Shop, standing over me, wet rag in hand.

"He's awake," the old man said.

Kong Xian-Nu entered the room and leaned over me. "Xi Shi escaped."
No, I mused, we escaped. I closed my eyes, only barely able to imagine what the
Triad was going to do to me over this. They'd lost men. Nu had lost standing. And I
was the only one around to pay. So it came as a great surprise when Nu helped
me to my feet and looked at me.

"You saved my life. Normally, I would have a man killed rather than owe him that
sort of debt, but you faced a foe of great power for someone that you had no
reason to save. For this, I will let you live...this time."

I nodded, my head still spinning from my time unconscious. "What happened with
the hotel? Did you find Ming Xiao?"

Nu nodded. "Burned. Xi Shi let her burn, no doubt for her failure." The Daughter
of Heaven smiled. "And I thought Cong Chao was merciless."

There was moment of silence and I got the impression that I should leave while I
still had a chance. As I left, I nodded to Park Fang, Nu and all the other familiar
faces in the Eastern Triad's Shanghai office, praying that I'd never have to see any
one of them again.

As the cool night air hit me, I found myself thinking of three women, three
generations of killer, and the legacy of Xi Shi. Jiang Li had chosen me to be the test
subject for her granddaughter. But had this all been Xi Shi's design, or her
mother's? Jiang Li knew my strength, and her final words still haunted me.

"Power is only as great as the heart that wields it."