Xiao woke up at four in the morning. He didn't want to waste any time finding a place to make love to Jiang. By 4:30, he had stuffed his pockets with carrots, bean sprouts, three egg rolls, and a compacted handful of sticky rice. He borrowed two bowls and two sets of chopsticks and scribbled a note for XiaoXiao, telling her he'd be away all day. He left the note beside her pillow; hoping she wouldn't worry, knowing she would. Then he crept slowly out the door, holding his breath until he had stepped far enough away to no longer hear the sounds of XiaoXiao's snores.

The sun rose as he rounded the only corner in the village and he started to whistle gaily and shrilly. He didn't know what he was happier about: being free or spending the entire day with Jiang, but no matter what the weather or what happens, he knew it was going to be glorious spending the day with Jiang. He would spend all morning by the Great Wall, near the bend of the river, waiting for Jiang, waiting in lust and anticipation, trying to contain himself in more ways than one.

Barely ten minutes outside the village, Xiao reached the forest, that frightening place where he'd been molested. Automatically, he turned back, one foot after the other, hurrying to safety, racing back to XiaoXiao. Then, just as suddenly, Xiao stopped running. The sun had crept further up the sky and the day was bright enough to give Xiao the courage he needed to conquer his fear. I have three choices: I can go back to the village and spend the day cowering in bed or I can walk all the way around the forest and be late for my date with Jiang or I can face my fears and enter the forest. Yesterday, Jiang said we must be men; we must face our fears. Today I will face mine! Xiao whistled more loudly as he summoned his courage. One way or another, I shall conquer my fears.

As he entered the forest, Xiao remembered the place where he had been attacked; he remembered fighting off his nightmares, fighting the demons that tried to seduce him, and he forced the memories deep inside the crevices of his mind. I can't face all my fears at once, but I'll never let them overpower me again. Soon I'll be with Jiang; he'll understand when I tell him how I faced my fears. I'll show him I'm a man now. I'll show him I can face my fears.

As Xiao stepped deeper into the forest, he realized it wasn't as frightening as he remembered in his dreams. The birds were chirping hungrily and the sun glimmered through the verdant trees. But then, it happened again, in an instant, Xiao heard strange animals scurrying around him, he turned quickly, scratching his arm against wild blackberry vines, but he faced his fears and stood tall, knowing nothing could ever deter him again.

Halfway through the forest, Xiao heard a twig snap. It can't be a man. It's not a man sound. Xiao froze, not in fear, but in determination, wanting to discover what was lurking nearby, knowing that if he remained still long enough, the thing behind him would continue on-unless it, too, was a man.

The sound got closer and Xiao sweated, wondering what he should do. How long should I wait before I flush it out? Xiao waited, almost too afraid to be unafraid.

The stag was huge, larger than any deer Xiao had ever seen and it bolted as soon as Xiao moved toward it, bobbing its tail back and forth through the trees as Xiao laughed. One fear down . . . how many more do I have to face? Xiao was confident now. He knew he would never back down again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

XiaoXiao was dreaming again and moaning in her sleep . . . or was it the characters in her dream who were moaning; she wasn't sure. She was sure, however, that she was at the Great Wall, pricking up her ears as she had done when she was a little girl, listening to the sounds of the rapids a hundred meters away. But now, in her dream, in her old age, when her hearing was failing, she heard the faint sound of digging-it was as if there was an army of workmen digging underneath the Great Wall. No, it wasn't digging exactly, it was more like clawing, scratching, digging fingernails into rock and dirt-it was the sound of terror-of men trying to escape their fate. Then XiaoXiao felt the earth quake as her mind raced in and out of consciousness. This is impossible, there's nothing under the Wall. How can I hear people digging? XiaoXiao dreamt she saw the legendary Meng Jiangnu crying and screaming outside the Great Wall. This is wrong! Meng Jiangnu and Wan Xiliang, were only legends; they weren't real. Then XiaoXiao saw Meng sitting on a huge rock, shouting so loudly that a portion of the wall collapsed, revealing her husband's body and a thousand dead workers hidden inside a cave, buried underneath the wall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Even though Jiang had planned to spend the entire day with Xiao, Mei corralled him into taking her on a Sunday morning country expedition. Jiang had no idea what a country expedition was, but he liked the sound of it and thought it would be romantic to spend some time with Mei. I'll spend the morning with Mei, kissing her, holding her, and then I'll spend the afternoon with Xiao and we'll play a few special games of ourselves.

"I've packed lunches for each of us," Mei said, "and I bet we can find some berries in the countryside; I'm sure we can find something sweet."

"I like the sweet thing you gave me last time," Jiang said as he held Mei's hand, rocking it back and forth so it gently rubbed against her leg and, although the feeling exhilarated Jiang, it quickly annoyed her, who Jiang's hand bruised her leg-the same one injured by her sister last night.

I can't believe how fast Wu Jiang is, Mei thought. Just the other day I thought he'd never like me and now-Mei dropped Wu Jiang's hand and raced ahead, "Catch me," she shouted, "if you're man enough."

Wu Jiang responded instantly, he felt as if he were diving off the side of the Great Wall into the raging river, struggling to beat the clock, racing for victory.

"Follow me; we need some privacy."

Jiang laughed, "How can we ever have privacy if you shout your head off like a silly girl." Jiang regretted that he spoke so quickly, but his mouth rattled on anyway, "Be quiet or I'll spank you." It's just the way girls are, they want us to chase them, but they can't think we're that stupid. We play our own games, not theirs.

Mei giggled, continuing to race, pretending she wanted to win, but knowing she wanted to lose, knowing she wanted Jiang to beat her-but not that way-he'll never beat me, I know he can only love me, love me, love me, and someday soon, I'll be Wu Mei! Wu Mei! Wu Mei. I wonder how long it will be before Wu Jiang marries me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sung Li rose early. He had heard that Xiao was going to spend the day near the Great Wall at the place where it butted up against the river. Perhaps I can do him again, perhaps he'll get used to it; I'd like to have fulltime boy, at least until mine gets older.

Genji prepared rice for the morning meal and since the children were always hungry, she generally gave half her share to them. On weekends and days when he didn't have to work, Sung Li gave half his share to the children, as well.

"The sun's up," Sung Li said, "I need to go out for a while."

Six-year old Chin-Yi screamed, "Tell us a story, daddy, tell us a story first."

"When I return, I'll tell you a new tale; I'll tell you the most exciting fairy tale you've ever heard."

Genji scolded her husband, "You've already told the children every tale ever written. Do you honestly think you're going to think of a new one now?"

I will-even if I have to fly up into the bluest sky or dive into the deepest seas and ask the gods personally. I'll find one, don't worry. Who's the storyteller here, you or me?"

Genji and the children laughed as one as Kwok-Chu screamed, "Bye, bye daddy, but when you come home, make the story extra-long and extra good,"

"Sung Li hugged his wife and kissed each child twice before he left. "I'll be home before the evening falls; be ready for a great story then. Be ready for something new."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xiao decided to search the area around the Great Wall looking for a secluded meeting place-a cave, a rocky fortress-somewhere away from prying eyes where he and Jiang could make love. Engulfed in the shadow of the monstrous wall above him, he walked until he reached one of the fortresses that stood higher than ten men standing on each other's shoulders. Although he couldn't see the top, he knew it was just as wide because he had run along it a hundred times, but now he felt like a blade of grass, overpowered by the vastness of the stones above him, as he yearned to picture the men who had built the Great Wall. Xiao looked in both directions, seeing nothing but the serpentine wall, undulating up and down the mountain like a thousand mile long brown snake ready to squeeze and encompass and overpower anyone who attempted to subdue it, aware that it stretched across all of northern China, stretching, for all he knew, to the very end of the universe itself. I can't even see my shadow; it's as black as night. I wonder what could live here. Then he spotted a bird's nest and watched several squirrels scampering up the wall. I guess animals live in darkness and in light-just like men. Xiao heard a strange sound-almost as if something was trapped underneath the wall, it was a roaring, ripping sound and for a moment Xiao thought he felt the earth sinking beneath him.

Xiao stood with quivering knees, as his mole twitched and twittered, he realized he had his first epiphany: This is the place of my dream, this is where the butterfly turned into a mole and dug under the Great Wall.

The quivering stopped and Xiao fell to his knees and, using a stone, began to dig into the loose earth at the foot of the wall. Within a few moments, the hole grew deeper until the pit collapsed, nearly taking Xiao along with it, as the dirt and rocks slipped noisily away, revealing a stone ramp leading down into a cavern. At the last moment, just before the hole collapsed, Xiao scurried back, trying to avoid being sucked into the void and falling into the cavernous pit that was forming in before him. Moments later, after the dust had settled and the hole had stopped deepening, Xiao crept forward, peering down at a ramp that extended ten meters into the ground beneath the Great Wall. As Feng Xiao's eyes adjusted, he watched the dirt and pebbles slide down, down, down the ramp, windlessly, mysteriously, as if the hand of the great goddess Kuan Yin was brushing it aside. I feel like I've been here before, like I was that mole, digging here a hundred lifetimes ago. Xiao started down the ramp, which was high enough for a man to walk down without stooping. After talking six steps, Xiao turned around and easily walked back to the top. I should make sure I'll be able to get back. I don't want to be stuck in a cave for the rest of my life. Xiao climbed up and down the ramp, going deeper each time. Only the gods know what's down there; I just hope it's not the home of one of the Four Dragons or the resting place of the souls of the Ancient Ones hiding there, waiting for . . . Xiao didn't believe in dragons-not any more-and he didn't believe in the souls of the ancient dead either, but he did feel it wise to think these thoughts-just in case.

At the bottom of the ramp, Xiao entered the main cavern and bumped into the first of a hundred stalactites. The ceiling was over five meters high and the cave extended several hundred meters in both directions. It appears to be both natural and manmade, but how can that be? As his eyes adjusted to the light, Xiao saw a dozen side tunnels rushing off in every direction. I'll explore each one, but I'd better wait for Jiang. I don't want to get lost here. For a moment, Xiao stopped thinking about exploration; he needed to prepare a place to relax and have some fun with his lover. The longer Xiao stayed inside the cavern, however, the more he realized there was an abundance of natural light filtering in from somewhere. At first, he thought it came from the watchtower overhead, but then he realized that would be impossible. The watchtower was at least fifteen meters above him and it was made of solid stone. There's no way light can filter through. Suddenly, Xiao realized he wasn't squinting anymore. He could see everything clearly. The walls are glowing, it's almost as if they're luminous, but that's insane. Rocks don't glow. Then Xiao realized that he had never seen a tunnel open before his eyes either nor had he seen a ramp rear up out of the perpetual darkness. Perhaps this place is magical! Perhaps it was created by the gods! Xiao wanted nothing now, except to share these wonders with Jiang, but he didn't want to feel stupid by announcing that a place was magical. He'd wait for Jiang and his opinion. Xiao took off his shirt and spread it on the ground. This will make a great bed. Keeping track of the main tunnel behind him and its exit ramp, Xiao wandered off, peering into the entrance of the first of the side tunnels. This is where the butterfly flew in my dream. I wonder what it was trying to tell me. I wonder what this means.

Xiao's shoulder felt like it was on fire! He touched it and it felt as if his butterfly mole was alive-vibrating, moving, dancing up and down as if it was struggling to fly away, or dig deeply into the earth.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What about this place," Mei asked, "Is this secluded enough?"

"You're the one looking for a secret place, not me!"

Mei started to unbutton Wu Jiang's shirt as he unbuttoned hers.

"You're fast, aren't you? I thought all you boys were as slow as Xiao."

"Let's not talk about Xiao, okay? Let's talk about us."

Mei giggled as she loosened the buttons on Wu Jiang's trousers and watched them slip to the ground. "We might as well get comfortable," Mei said. "It could be a very long day."

"Indeed," Jiang nodded, "indeed."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sung Li easily picked up Xiao's trail. He even found the place in the woods where the boy had stopped. Perhaps he encountered something ferocious, Li laughed, like a pack of killer squirrels . . . or a chipmunk. He's such a little boy, maybe that's why I want him so.

Silently Sung Li continued stalking Xiao, following the Great Wall toward the river. He'll be impossible to lose now, but no matter where he goes, I'll find him now.

Sung Li followed the Great Wall three kilometers but saw no sign of Feng Xiao. The entrance to Mo's newly discovered cavern was obscured by brush and unless you knew exactly what the landmarks were -by the bend of the river, at the bottom of the rapids, about a two kilometers past a unique staircase that was as steep as a ladder, carved out of the sheer mountain and, unless you knew the exact place, you'd never be able to find the cavern because it was protected by the Great Goddess Kuan Yin . . . and by her ancient magic!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sung Li stopped in the woods near the river and pulled out his long thick cock. I want that boy's ass. Doesn't he know that? Why's he playing with me? Sung Li thought about Xiao's hot young ass as he jerked his cock, shooting his seed deep into the river, watching it sink to the bottom, wondering what the fishes were going to have for dinner, wondering if they enjoyed the taste of his sweet masculine seed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wu Jiang and Mei were rolling on the grass making love for the second time in ninety minutes. His hard cock had penetrated her easily and, even though she said she was a virgin, Jiang didn't believe her in a heartbeat. Girls her age are never virgins, but she moaned like she enjoyed him as much as he enjoyed her and Jiang didn't want to stop; he didn't even want to think about stopping.

Meanwhile, Mei thought about her wedding. Will An be jealous if I get married first? Will An wait for Hon-kee? Will the whole village turn out for my wedding-or do I want to wait for a double wedding with An? Then, incredibly, all thoughts of her wedding flew out of her mind as Jiang fucked her, fucked her, fucked her, forcing his thick hot throbbing cock deep inside her, playing with her, wondering how many times she'd be his.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An joined Jiang and Mei at noon and they had a small lunch while looking at the Great Wall, wondering how long it would take to swim down the river.

"I bet you can swim to the ocean, I bet you can swim all the way to India."

"Why would I want to go to India?" Jiang laughed. "Why would anyone want to swim to India?"

"Well, I didn't mean it literally," Mei snarled. "I meant you could swim as far as you wanted to, anywhere you wanted to."

"I know. Xiao and I are the best swimmers in the province."

"Xiao, Xiao, Xiao, why do you always have to mention that boy's name?"

"I didn't know Xiao could swim. I thought he was afraid of the water."

"Why do you even mention his name?" Mei screamed.

"He's my friend and if you want me as a friend, you had better like him, too."

Mei pouted.

"Don't you understand? There's only one man in any family; there's only one boss! If you want to be my friend, you had better learn to like my friends, and that means Xiao." Jiang blushed. He hated to make scenes but he already knew that the one thing any woman needed was a man's strength and power.

Mei nodded in agreement. An did not.

"You, too, An, you're my friend, if you want to stay my friend, you have to be nice to Xiao, too."

An nodded disagreeably.

"No more games, okay?"

"Games?"

"You know what I mean: no more name calling. Don't be so childish. We're adults now; we must act like adults. Even you, An." Jiang laughed loudly and the girls quickly joined in. He was their friend; they'd remain friends forever and they would learn to like Feng Xiao-no matter how difficult that might be.

"After lunch, I'm going to walk both of you home, I promised Xiao I'd spend some time with him."

"Don't bother," Mei said, "we're big girls now, we can walk ourselves home."

"Don't pretend to be mad at me, okay? I can see through you. If you want to walk home, go ahead, walk. The dragons aren't going to get you . . . today." Jiang laughed and soon the girls were howling hysterically.

"I'll see you in school tomorrow-if I don't see you later tonight."

As soon as An turned her back, Jiang touched Mei on her ass, "I'll try to see you tonight and don't let the dragon monster eat up you, okay? Save the best parts for me." Jiang smiled. So did Mei.

Mei quickly caught up with her sister as the two girls headed off toward the village as Jiang tucked in his shirt and marched to his secret rendezvous' with Xiao, at the foot of the rapids next to the Great Wall. Hopefully, Xiao had discovered a safe place to play, but if he hadn't, they'd spend the rest of the day looking for a place for the next time. Next time? I can't wait for the next time! I want Xiao now. Jiang's tumescence showed proudly in his trousers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sung Li arrived home angry. He had wanted Xiao's ass! I'll get it tomorrow or the next day, but I will get it! Now and now, I promised to tell a story to my children, but which one? Li thought for a moment and then decided to tell the Tale of the Four Dragons. I don't know if they've heard it before, but if they have, they'll be smart enough to keep that our little secret. Part of Sung Li's secret family game was that whenever he told his children a story, they pretended it was new. Even if Sung Li had recited the verses a hundred times, his children always marveled at the new stories he told. Usually Sung Li made up stories as he went along just like his father and grandfather, who had been the village story tellers. It's a gift from the gods, I guess, it's a gift-and I'm lucky that I know how to use it. Sung Li knew he could tell any story, any lie, and everyone would believe him.

"Daddy," nine-year old Qi-Han screamed, "Tell us a story!"

"After dinner, Qi-Han, after dinner, wait until then."

"I can't wait," Chin-Yi cried, "start now."

As always, Sung Li succumbed to the desires of his children. While Genji prepared dinner, Li began.

"This is the story of the Four Dragons," Sung Li began, "There is a surprise at the end, so listen carefully, and don't fall asleep."

The children settled on the floor at their daddy's feet as Sun Li related one of his favorites.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Many years ago, there were no rivers or lakes anywhere on the earth. The only source of water was in the Eastern Sea, in which lived four dragons: the Long Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon."

"One day the four dragons flew from the sea into the sky, soaring high into the air before they dove back to earth, then up again, higher and higher, playing hide-and-seek in the clouds."

"Just like us. I love hide-and-seek," eight-year-old Kwok-Chu shouted.

"Suddenly, the Pearl Dragon blasted smoke," Sung Li continued, "as flames of fire shot from her face, she screamed, 'Come here, look what I see.'"

"'What's going on?' The Long Dragon asked as the others looked where Pearl Dragon pointed."

"What did they see, Daddy, what did they see?"

Sung Li patted Chin-Yi on top of his head and continued: "They saw earth people laying fruit and cake on the ground and burning great sticks of incense. They saw the earth people praying and offering gifts to the gods. Then the Yellow Dragon squinted up his eyes real tight exactly like this-can you squint like the Yellow Dragon? Good, now back to the story and keep your eyes wide, wide open! The Yellow Dragon did what you just did, he squinted and squinted extremely hard until he noticed a white-haired woman, kneeling on the ground with a thin boy on her back, and the dragon listened and listened until he heard-"

"What did he hear, daddy?" Chin-Yi begged.

"He heard the woman murmuring and moaning and praying to the gods, 'Please send rain today,' she prayed, 'gracious god of heaven, send us rain. If we don't get rain, we'll have no rice and if we have no rice, our children will starve.'"

"Are there really dragons and gods in heaven?" Kwok-Chu asked, but Li continued without answering, as he stroked his eight-year-old son's face lovingly.

"The woman continued praying, 'You haven't sent rain for two months, almightily gods, please send us rain.'"

"Then the Black Dragon cocked his ears and listened intently. He strained so hard, it was like trying to listen to the wind on days the wind never blows. He listened until he heard a man crying to the gods. 'Our crops have withered, the grass has turned yellow and our fields have cracked under the scorching sun, please, merciful gods, send us rain.'"

"The Yellow Dragon was angry. 'Look how desperate these people are,' he cried, 'if they don't get rain soon, they'll die.'"

"The Long Dragon nodded in agreement and said, 'Let's fly up to the Jade Emperor and beg for rain.' Then he leapt into the clouds and the others zoomed after him, flying up, up, up to the Heavenly Palace. Can you zoom, can you zoom like that, my children-come with me, let's zoom up into the sky, higher, higher, and listen."

"Remember, the Jade Emperor was in charge of everything in heaven and on earth. He was the most powerful being in the universe and he was not pleased to see the dragons rushing in on him in the middle of his dinner. The Jade Emperor slowly lowered his chopsticks and glanced down his nose at the four angry dragons. 'Why do you come here instead of staying in the sea where you belong?' The Jade Emperor screamed angrily, 'And why aren't you home eating your dinner?'"

"Sensing that the time was right, Genji stopped the story. 'Come to dinner now-and no more talking. You've driven me crazy today with your jabbering. I need a few moments peace.'"

All the children complained at once, but Sung Li agreed with his wife. He had to sleep with her and listen to her complaints, and he knew discretion was best solved before bedtime.

"Your mother's right," Li said, we'll all eat in peace and quiet, and I'll continue the story after dinner."

The family ate their meal in silence and when they finished, they passed their bowls and chopsticks Genji.

"I'll clean up," Qi-Han said, "so you can finish the story, and mommy can listen, too, if she wants to."

Genji sat on the on the bench next to her husband, delighted to rest her feet, as she listened to the rest of the story.

"Many, many years ago-"

"No, Daddy, don't start over," Chin-Yi yelled, "start where the dragons went to the Jade Emperor to beg for rain. Remember, the place where the people were starving."

"Excellent memory," Sung Li replied as he rubbed his son's shoulders, "now let me finish the story."

"The Long Dragon stepped in front of the Jade Emperor and said, 'Their crops are withering, your majesty. Please send the people rain.'"

"'As soon as I finish my dinner,' the Jade Emperor bellowed. 'Bother me later!'"

"The Jade Emperor was just like Mommy, wasn't he? He made everyone finish dinner before he'd listen to the end of the story."

"Yes," Sung Li lied, knowing placation was the easy way to end discussion. "You're a bright young boy, figuring out life so quickly. Now, on with the story."

"The Jade Emperor continued, 'Leave me alone, go back to the sea where you belong and I'll send buckets of rain when I finish eating.'"

"Actually, the Jade Emperor only pretended to agree. He was so busy enjoying his dinner that he had no desire to stop, let alone make it rain on the starving people. Instead, he listened to the fairies sing and everyone knows that fairies are much more exciting than earthlings."

"I've never seen a fairy," nine-year old Qi Han said as his brother, Kwok-Chu added, "I have, Daddy, I've seen lots of fairies."

"I'm sure you have, my son," Sung Li said. "And so have I. I've seen more fairies than you'd ever believe. But it's getting late and you do want to hear the end of the story, don't you?"

"Yes," all the children screamed at the same time. "Tell us the rest. We'll be quiet."

Sung Li smiled, still thinking about his special little fairy.

"'Thank you, majesty,' the four dragons replied as they fluttered and flapped their wings and flew out of the throne room, knocking down three of the fairies and spilling the emperor's wine, but pleased that the Jade Emperor would send rain to their people."

"Ten days passed, and, of course, the Jade Emperor forgot all about his promise. He didn't send one single drop of rain and the people suffered so mightily that they began eating anything they could find. Some of them ate bark from the trees, others ate grass from the ground, and still others ate the thick white clay they had used to make bricks."

"Yuck," Chin-Yi said as Kwok-Chu put his hand over his brother's mouth, silencing him for the rest of the evening.

"Seeing all this, the four dragons felt sorry for the people because they knew the Jade Emperor cared only about himself and his big fat stomach so they realized they'd have to rely on themselves to help the people, but what could they do? "

Chin-Yi raised his hand, but everybody ignored him.

"Seeing the vast sea, the Long Dragon said he had an idea."

"'What is it? Out with it quickly,' the other dragons demanded."

"'There's plenty of water in the sea. Let's scoop it up and spray it into the sky so the water will fall like gentle rain and save the people from starvation. '"

"'Hurray!' The other dragons shouted, as they flapped their wings in joy."

"'We must be careful, otherwise the Jade Emperor will punish us if he discovers our trickery.'"

"'I'll do it anyway. I must save the people,' the Yellow Dragon said as she blew fire from her nose, 'Let's do it before any more of the people die.'"

"The Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon were not to be outdone. They flew to the sea, scooped up water in their mouths and flew high into the sky where they sprayed water over the earth. The four dragons flew back and forth all day, making the sky dark all around them and before long the seawater became rain pouring down from the sky."

"'It's raining! The crops will be saved,' the people shouted as they leapt in joy, watching the rice stalks rise from the rain-soaked fields."

"Meanwhile, the god of the sea saw everything and flew up to heaven to report it to the Jade Emperor."

"'How dare those dragons bring rain without my permission!' Jade Emperor shouted, as he ordered his heavenly guards to arrest them. The four dragons were outnumbered and were quickly arrested and brought back to the emperor's palace."

"'Bring me four mountains to cover them so they can never escape,' the emperor screamed to the Mountain God."

"The Mountain God hurled four mountains into the air as the Jade Emperor cast the dragons to the earth and the mountains fell upon them one by one, burying the dragons forever."

"Imprisoned as they were, the four dragons never regretted their actions. Determined to continue to serve the people, they turned themselves into four great rivers, flowing out of four great mountains, crossing the land from the west to the east until they finally emptied into the Great Sea-and that's how our four great rivers were formed: the Black Dragon River in the north, the Yellow River in the center, the Yangtze farther south, and the Pearl River in the far south."

Sung Li smiled at his children. The baby had fallen asleep and the rest of the children's eyes were closing rapidly.

"It's time for bed. Go to bed before the Jade Emperor sends his generals to toss a mountain on top of you."

Genji loved the story as much as her children, but secretly she still believed in the ancient gods and wondered if the Jade Emperor was still as powerful as he had been in olden times. I must trust my husband; he'll never let anything happen to me . . . or to my children-fairy tales are just fairy tales, after all. Besides, there are certainly no fairies here in our village.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Quickly the children went to bed and Sung Li took his wife, thrusting into her deeply, penetrating her until they were both fulfilled, even though he could only dream about the other fairy, the fairy that had eluded him all day.

Sung Li had planned to sneak out of the house first thing in the morning, but Qi-Han was stationed by his bed, waiting. "Tell me a story, daddy, tell me another story."

"You can't spend your entire life listening to fairy tales," Sung Li laughed. "Find something else to do."

Nine-year old Qi-Han planted both his legs firmly, digging his toes into the dirt floor and gazed up at his daddy with his infamous lips-pushed out, eyes-staring up, hands-at his sides glower that usually melted Sung Li's heart.

"I'll tell you one more story, but let's wait until tonight when your brothers are awake; then I'll share it with everyone, okay?"

Qi-Han continued to pout, but for the first time in months, his father ignored his oldest son. "Not now, boy."

Qi-Han smiled at his daddy, afraid that if he uttered a sound he'd renege.

"Someday soon," Sung Li said as he rubbed his son's head and pressed his hand lightly against Qi-Han's ass. "I'll teach you a secret game, but you must be at least this tall first, okay?" Li pictured Feng Xiao in front of him as he held his hand to the top of Xiao's invisible head. "In the meantime, I want us to learn to trust each other totally, okay? I want you to keep secrets and obey me, can you do that? Can you grow just a little bit taller and practice being discrete?"

"What's discrete?"

"It means you can keep a secret and as soon as I know you can, I'll show you a new game. Li gently dropped his hand from his son's ass and hugged him.

"What kind of game, Daddy?"

"Later, my son, later-"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Genji moaned and struggled in her bed, convincing Li that she was pregnant. Genji always behaved that way when she was pregnant, and Li hoped they'd have another boy.

Sung Li finished dressing and then hugged his wife, "I have a few duties to perform this morning. I need to track down a few miscreants." Then he looked at his oldest son, "My big boy, bring your mother a cup of tea. Can you do that? Can you be a big boy for Daddy today?"

Qi-Han hurried away feeling proud of himself for the first time in his life. Soon he would be a man; soon he would be old enough to play a new game with his father.

As soon as his son stepped away, Li whispered to his wife. "Don't wait up for me, just remind the children that I'll share another fairy tale as soon as I can, but work comes first, okay?" Li gently touched his wife's stomach. We have good news cooking, don't we?"

Genji, her eyes glistening in joy, nodded; her husband always seemed to sense when she was pregnant.

"Will we have enough-?"

Sung Li gently put his fingers to his wife's lips. Genji asked the same question each time she brought him a new mouth to feed. "Don't worry, Ill provide for everyone even if I have to rob the tax man."

Genji knew her husband was as incapable of committing a crime as he was of harming one of his children. Genji placed her head against his shoulder and smiled as she caressed his right arm, thanking the gods they had sent her such an honorable man.

After promising Qi-Han and Kwok-Chu once more that he'd share a story with them when he returned, Sung Li left the house as quickly as he could.

Qi is such a big boy. Soon, I'll be able to take him into the woods . . . but first he must learn to be discrete.


On to Chapter Eleven
A Door Marked Tao
Back to Chapter Nine
First Love
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