Jeff Stone_Five Ancestors 05 by Eagle

Author:Eagle
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure, General
ISBN: 9781616805555
Published: 2007-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Ying and Hok arrived in Xuzhou under the light of a dazzling full moon. The waterway was crowded with travelers vying for dock space, and the canal front buzzed with a carnival-like atmosphere. Colorful lan terns hung everywhere, and the smell of grilled food and moon cake was thick in the night air.

Ying looked over at Hok. “Mid-Autumn Festival,” he said.

Hok nodded.

Remarkably, a slip opened up ahead of them, and Hok eased the skiff in. Ying tied the skiff off, adjusted the black silk scarf across his face, and climbed ashore.

Hok followed, tightening the green turban on her head. She pointed to a posting board farther down the canal front. Even from a distance, Ying recognized that it was a fight club poster. He also recognized the sketch of tonight's featured fighter. It was Long.

“Should we try to see him?” Hok asked.

“No,” Ying said. “Too risky. The Xuzhou Fight Club is much more secure than the one in Jinan. There are three times as many guards, and there are sure to be soldiers, too. The Emperor never misses a fight club event here.”

Hok tilted her head to one side. “We didn't see the Emperor or his men pass us along the canal.”

“We spent a lot of time on the bank with you in the villages. They could have easily passed by without us noticing.”

“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,

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