White Tiger

‘Emma, the demons all know about you now. If you want, I can move you somewhere safe where they can’t get you.’
    ‘No. We won’t have much time together before you go. I know you promised to come back for me, but there are no guarantees in life. I want to spend as much time as I can with you now. Besides, I’m here to look after Simone.’
    He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. ‘We really are a pair of fools.’
    ‘I know. Lie down.’
    He stretched his long legs under the covers and I pulled the blankets over him, careful not to touch him. ‘Now get some rest.’
    ‘Is that an order?’ he growled. He wriggled under the covers and banged his head on the pillow. ‘Damn straight it is.’ I turned to go out. ‘Emma.’
    I turned back to him. ‘I love you.’
    ‘I love you too, Xuan Wu.’ I had a sudden inspiration. ‘How about later this evening I go into my room and call you on your mobile?’
    He shot upright to stare at me. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. His gaze was very intense as he shook his head.
    ‘Is that a no?’
    He fell back onto his pillow and his voice floated to me, soft and deep. ‘No, my love, that is very much a yes.’
    I went out to talk to Jade and Gold. Leo was right. My life was about to become a hell of a lot more interesting.

Glossary
A NOTE ON LANGUAGE
    The Chinese language is divided by a number of different dialects and this has been reflected throughout my story. The main dialect spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese, and many of the terms I’ve used are in Cantonese. The main method for transcribing Cantonese into English is the Yale system, which I have hardly used at all in this book, preferring to use a simpler phonetic method for spelling the Cantonese. Apologies to purists, but I’ve chosen ease of readability over phonetic correctness.
    The dialect mainly spoken on the Mainland of China is Putonghua (also called Mandarin Chinese), which was originally the dialect used in the north of China but has spread to become the standard tongue. Putonghua has a strict and useful set of transcription rules called pinyin, which I’ve used throughout for Putonghua terms. As a rough guide to pronunciation, the ‘Q’ in pinyin is pronounced ‘ch’, the ‘X’ is ‘sh’ and the ‘Zh’ is a softer ‘ch’ than the ‘Q’ sound. Xuan Wu is therefore pronounced ‘Shwan Wu’.
    I’ve spelt chi with the ‘ch’ throughout the book, even though in pinyin it is qi, purely to aid in readability.Qing Long and Zhu Que I have spelt in pinyin to assist anybody who’d like to look into these interesting deities further.
    Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter: A harbour on the south side of Hong Kong Island that is home to a large number of small and large fishing boats. Some of the boats are permanently moored there and are residences.
    Admiralty: The first station after the MTR train has come through the tunnel onto Hong Kong Island from Kowloon, and a major traffic interchange.
    Ancestral tablet: A tablet inscribed with the name of the deceased, which is kept in a temple or at the residence of the person’s descendants and occasionally provided with incense and offerings to appease the spirit.
    Anime (Japanese): Animation; can vary from cute children’s shows to violent horror stories for adults, and everything in between.
    Bai Hu (Putonghua): The White Tiger of the West.
    Bo: Weapon—staff.
    Bo lei: A very dark and pungent Chinese tea, often drunk with yum cha to help digest the sometimes heavy and rich food served there.
    Bu keqi (Putonghua, pronounced [roughly] ‘bu kerchi’): ‘You’re welcome.’
    Buddhism: The system of beliefs that life is an endless journey through reincarnation until a state of perfect detachment or Nirvana is reached.
    Cantonese: The dialect of Chinese spoken mainly in the south of China and used extensively in Hong Kong. Although in written form it is nearly identical to Putonghua, when spoken it is almost unintelligible to Putonghua speakers.
    Causeway Bay: Large shopping and office district on Hong Kong Island. Most of the Island’s residents seem to head there on Sunday for shopping.
    Central: The main business district in Hong Kong, on the waterfront on Hong Kong Island.
    Central Committee: Main governing body of Mainland China.
    Cha siu bow: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed bread bun containing barbecued pork and gravy in the centre.
    Chek Lap Kok: Hong Kong’s new airport on a large swathe of reclaimed land