White Tiger

learning?’
    ‘Years,’ I said.
    Leo nodded. If I told Mr Kim the truth, that I had been learning for less than a year, he wouldn’t believe me. He’d think that I was playing him for a fool or showing off.
    ‘You sure you won’t come in and teach?’
    ‘I’m sorry, I can’t.’
    He shrugged. ‘Very well.’ He grinned at Leo. ‘Thank you, my friend. Come and let me give you something cool to drink. Both of you are exhausted.’
    ‘Thanks.’
    When we arrived home after dinner Mr Chen charged out of his study and pointed at us. ‘Both of you, in the dining room, right now.’ We sat across from him.
    ‘Emma, the demons now know exactly how good you are. Why have you done this stupid thing?’ I shrugged.
    ‘Leo, was this your idea?’ ‘Yes, my Lord.’
    He glared at us. ‘Leo, swords. Emma, bladed weapons.’
    ‘Yes, sir,’ we said in unison, saluting. ‘Is this going to happen again?’ ‘No, sir.’
    ‘Shall I pin a target to your back, Emma?’ ‘I think there’s one there already, my Lord.’
    He winced, then rounded on Leo. ‘How about a sign, Leo? “The God of Martial Arts teaches me; challenge me and see how good I am”?’
    ‘What she said, my Lord. There’s one already there.’
    He sighed with exasperation. ‘Go and sharpen those blades.’
    We both rose, fell to one knee saluting him, and went out.
    There were twenty-nine swords and sixty-three other weapons with blades. After we’d finished sharpening them, neither of us could move.
    But it had been completely worth it.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
    W e stood opposite the mirrors as Simone floated the chi around the room. ‘Back to your hands,’ Mr Chen said. The chi returned to Simone’s hands and hovered above her outstretched palms. ‘Back inside.’
    She took a deep breath, her eyes widened, and the chi dropped into her hands. ‘Good. How do you feel?’ She glanced up at him. ‘I feel okay.’ ‘Do you need to sit?’ ‘No, I’m okay, Daddy.’ ‘Good. Emma.’
    I generated the chi and held it above my hands. I had slightly more than Simone had managed. ‘To the mirrors.’
    I floated it off my hands and moved it towards the mirrors.
    ‘Now. Try something. Walk to the centre of the mats, leaving the chi there. Sometimes you will need to move yourself while you have the chi. Do you think you can do it?’
    I concentrated on keeping the chi motionless and nodded. ‘Try.’
    I took a careful step forward, still holding the chi next to the mirrors. I wanted to say how difficult it was, but I couldn’t speak and perform the tasks at the same time.
    ‘Way to go, Emma,’ Leo whispered from the doorway, breaking my concentration. The chi snapped back and hit me in the abdomen, knocking me flat.
    I came around with their concerned faces hovering above me. I raised my hand. ‘Help me up, Leo.’
    Leo took my hand and helped me to my feet. I staggered and he put his arm around my shoulders to hold me.
    ‘I’m okay,’ I said, pushing him away. ‘It goes away very quickly.’
    ‘Sorry, Emma,’ he said.
    I shoved him. ‘I’m ready. Let’s try it again.’
    ‘No,’ Mr Chen said. ‘I think you’ve done enough for the day. Both you and Simone are ready, Emma. We’ll all go to the house on the hill in Guangzhou for a couple of weeks, there’s more space for you to move the chi around there. Leo, help Emma back to her room.’ I opened my mouth to protest. ‘Let him, Emma, that’s an order. You are very drained and I think you need the assistance.’
    ‘How do you do that?’ Leo asked as he helped me down the hallway. ‘Do you just concentrate and it comes out?’
    ‘Something like that,’ I said. ‘All of the tai chi and chi gung work that we did before leads up to being able to move the energy outside the body.’
    ‘I do them too. Do you think I could do the chi if I tried?’
    I stopped and looked up at him. ‘You know what would happen if you did, Leo.’
    He opened my bedroom door. ‘Yeah. But sometimes I think it would be worth it.’
    After he’d helped me inside I embraced him and buried my face in his huge chest. ‘Leo, if you try to do energy work and activate the virus, you won’t die from it because I’ll kill you first. Simone and I need you. We all need you.’
    He stroked my hair. ‘Yeah. I know.’
    ‘Promise me you won’t try.’
    ‘I promise,’ he whispered, then released me and went out.
    A week later we threw our duffel bags into the boot of the Mercedes and headed out to