The monkeys must really be desperate for food, Malao thought. Or gold. But what would monkeys do with gold?
Several monkeys began grabbing gold bullion from the cart Malao was standing on. The bandits immediately resumed their assault.
Malao took action. He jumped and waved his arms, and monkeys scattered. He twisted and scurried and swiped, and monkeys leaped off the carts. Determined to continue until every last monkey left the area, Malao flipped and kicked and swayed and swung and leaped from cart to cart, and soon a tremendous shrill filled the forest from high up. The monkeys immediately abandoned the carts and returned to the trees.
Breathing heavily, Malao looked into a tall oak tree and saw the large snow-white monkey scowling down at him with its one good eye.
“What did you do that for?” one of the bandits sneered at Malao. In his hands was a bloody spear.
Malao spun around and glared at the bandit from atop a gold cart. He crouched low, ready to spring. His hands trembled.
A second bandit, holding a broadsword, approached Malao. “A better question for our little friend is, Just who do you think you are, meddling in our business? Are you some kind of animal-loving monk? I notice you're wearing an orange robe. You've got to be the tiniest monk I've ever seen.”
Malao bared his teeth and began to shake violently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a huge, hairy man approaching empty-handed. The man was one of the largest humans Malao had ever seen. His face was covered by a heavy black beard and his forearms were blanketed with hair as thick as the greasy mass on top of his head. Extremely tall and large-boned, the man cast a shadow over every bandit he passed. His enormous stomach jiggled and sloshed with every step.
The giant spoke with a deep, thunderous growl. “Quiet! I will handle this. Answer the questions, boy. Why did you do that, and who do you think you are?”
Malao pulled himself tight into a ball in an effort to control his shaking. His teeth rattled as he spoke. “I—I did that because it is not necessary to kill the monkeys. All you have to do is shoo them away. As for my name, it is Malao.”
A few of the bandits laughed. The large man questioning Malao remained dead serious. “Why would you call yourself Monkey?. And why did you choose a Cantonese word for your name? Are you from Canton?”
“I did not n-name myself,” Malao replied. “The Grandmaster of our temple did. He was Cantonese. Our temple was not in Canton, though. It was in this v-very region.”
“And what temple would that be?” the burly man asked.
“It was called C-Cangzhen Temple,” Malao said. “But you would never have heard of it. It was s-secret.”
“Why do you talk about it in past tense?”
Malao trembled. “It was d-destroyed last night.”
The big man paused and his close-set eyes narrowed. He stared at Malao that way for quite some time, as if waiting for Malao to say something. Malao felt like he was about to burst from the tension of the moment.
“Why did you kill those monkeys?!” Malao shouted suddenly. “What did they ever do to you?”
The large man's nostrils flared. “What business is it of yours?”
“Where I come from people don't kill animals,” Malao said. “Especially monkeys!”
“Well, where I come from, boy, we do kill animals— especially monkeys. We eat them. And we enjoy it very much. Why should that concern you?”
“People get along fine without eating meat,” Malao said. “Just look at me. We were allowed to eat meat at our temple for special occasions, but I've never eaten any. Ever!”
A grin spread across the large man's face. “Oh, I believe you. Perhaps if you ate some meat, you wouldn't be so small.”
Malao frowned and the bandits laughed.
The big man seemed to relax. “Let me see if I understand you. You would like me to stop eating monkeys, even though I've been doing it my entire life. Is that what you're saying?”
“Yes,” Malao replied.
“Well then,” the man asked in a polite tone. “Do you have any more requests, young man?”
Malao stood up, his anxiety slipping away. “Well, since you asked, me and my brothers are supposed to uncover the secrets of our pasts. We are orphans. Maybe you could help.”
The big man smirked. “You mean you want me to help you find your parents? Or maybe a long-lost uncle?”
Malao shrugged. “I guess that's what it means.”
“Isn't that sweet?” the large man said, smiling now. “Your temple was destroyed, and now you want Mommy and Daddy to help you seek revenge.”
Malao stared at the man. He suddenly had a feeling he was being toyed with.