A second person entered the pit arena and closed the door behind him. This man was several years older than Golden Dragon, and larger. Where Golden Dragon was lean solid muscle, this man was burly. His forearms were larger than ShaoShu's thighs.
Both Golden Dragon and the big man began to stretch as though warming up for exercise. ShaoShu was more flexible than anybody he had ever met, but Golden Dragon impressed him. He stood on one leg with his back straight and lifted his other leg high into the air with both knees locked. His legs were in a perfectly straight line, up and down, with one heel on the ground and the other heel pointed at the sky. That took not only flexibility, but also tremendous strength. ShaoShu couldn't even do it.
After some more impressive moves of flexibility and strength, Golden Dragon looked at the man and said, “Let's roll.”
“Remember to take it easy on me,” the big man replied. “We're just warming up for tonight.”
Golden Dragon nodded, then bowed. The man returned the bow, and they began to grapple.
ShaoShu took a seat next to the pit arena railing. Even though he was in a hurry, he wouldn't miss this for the world.
Within moments, it became clear that Golden Dragon, while smaller, was far superior. His fluid style and lightning-quick moves continuously left his opponent grasping at nothing but shadows. Golden Dragon soon seemed to grow bored, and in the blink of an eye, he slipped behind his opponent, jumped onto the man's back, and wrapped his legs around his midsection. Then he slid his right arm around in front of the man's neck, grasped his own right wrist with his left hand, and leaned backward.
The man choked loudly as Golden Dragon's elbow aligned with his Adam's apple, and then Golden Dragon bent his arm so that his elbow moved away from the big man's throat. The big man stopped choking, but to ShaoShu's surprise, his face turned bright red and then purple, and an instant later, his eyes rolled back into his head and his body went limp.
Golden Dragon quickly dropped to his feet, supporting the much larger man and gently laying his opponent down on the pit arena floor. He checked the man's pulse.
ShaoShu stood and began to clap. “That was great! Is he dead?”
Golden Dragon looked up at him. “No, he's not dead. He's unconscious. Who are you?”
ShaoShu glanced around to make sure none of the workers were close. He leaned over the pit arena railing and said in a low whisper, “My name is ShaoShu, and I am friends with Hok, Fu, and Malao. I have a message for you.”
Golden Dragon's eyebrows rose up. He scanned the fight club, too. “Come down here so we can talk.”
“Me? How?”
“Jump.”
“What?”
“Just jump,” Golden Dragon said in an impatient tone. “I'll catch you. Try to lie down in the air as you fall.”
ShaoShu looked around again and caught one of the workers staring at him. Before anyone could stop him, he swung his legs over the railing and launched himself toward Golden Dragon as though he were flopping onto a bed on his back.
Golden Dragon caught him with ease, setting him onto his feet.
“Well done,” Golden Dragon said.
“Thanks,” ShaoShu replied. He nodded toward the unconscious man, still lying on the pit arena floor. “Is it safe to talk here?”
“Safer than most places in this building. There are guards everywhere, but none of them would dare come into the pit with me. Don't worry about my friend here, either. It will be a while before he regains consciousness.”
ShaoShu grinned. He liked Golden Dragon.
“What is this message you're talking about?” Golden Dragon asked.
“Well, first of all, Hok told me to tell you that—”
Golden Dragon's body suddenly went rigid, and he held up a callused hand.
“What is it?” ShaoShu whispered.
“Shhh,” Golden Dragon said. “Someone is coming. Someone bad. Keep quiet, and let me do the talking.”
ShaoShu listened and soon heard footsteps on the opposite side of the pit arena door. A huge brown face filled a little window in the door, and the door swung inward, into the tunnel. A petite woman wearing a large black silk hood glided into the pit. The gigantic man whose big brown face had been in the window remained in the doorway, his massive arms folded.
Golden Dragon bowed, and the woman asked, “Who are you?”
When Golden Dragon didn't answer, ShaoShu realized that she was talking to him. He was about to reply when Golden Dragon spoke first. “He is my ring boy.”
“Your what?”
“My ring boy,” Golden Dragon said. “He is responsible for assisting me tonight. He will carry my water, my towels, my—”