Life of Bāo - Chapter 26
June 29, 2023
In Chapter 25, a decision is made to continue, and the destination is the west peak of Mount Hua. It is not just any mountain, but one of the most dangerous mountains in the world. Chapter 26 begins with their introduction to Syaoran, an experienced climber. Don’t forget to pack your mountain climbing boots. Enjoy.
Chapter 26
June 29, 2023
It was mid-morning, and Master Zhao, Bāo, Yan, and Juān stood at the recommended guide's paint-peeled front door. Dogs immediately barked loudly, and scratching could be heard on the other side of the door.
A loud voice shouted. “Go away! I don't want any.”
Bāo could see a torn curtain in the front window. Blue light from a television flickered off the window and curtain.
Master Zhao knocked again. A loud voice sliced through the door. “I told you I don't want any. Go away!”
Bāo saw the curtain move as if someone had peeked through it. The door flew open. “Dammit, how many times do I need to tell you people!” A thin man wearing a torn collard white T-shirt, baggy grey sweatpants, and worn brown sandals stood with a beer can. His black hair was unkept and pointed in all directions. “If you are from another charity, I will release these dogs.” Two dogs were behind him. One was an old beagle whose stomach nearly touched the ground. He was the loud one. The other dog was a small cocker spaniel that repeatedly jumped in the air and spun circles on the faded tan carpet. The man turned to the dogs and shouted, “Would you shut up? Go in the kitchen.” The beagle turned as if in slow motion. The spaniel needed a little boot of encouragement, which the man happily provided. He shouted again, “Kitchen!”
Master Zhao persisted, “The attendant at the monastery –.”
The man cut Master Zhao off immediately after hearing the word monastery and said, “Oh no. Now I get it. I can't believe it. You do a guy one favor, and the beggars come calling.”
“We are not beggars. We need to hire you,” Master Zhao explained.
“Hire Me? For what? You can't afford me. Now go away.”
Master Zhao said, “We will pay you.”
“How much?”
“You haven't heard our need to hire you yet.”
The man scratched his crotch. “Well, I guess you have a point there. Come in, but if I don't like your proposal, you'll be out of here faster than a bullet train.” The beagle started to howl. “Quiet! Damn dogs.”
As they entered the house, Bāo observed open food containers and empty beer cans covering the kitchen table, countertops, and small coffee table. The house was small. Untamed, a soap opera filled the television screen in the living room, and a single unmade bed was along a sidewall. A torn brown leather recliner and stained geometric patterned cloth couch were covered with dog hair. Four wooden chairs surrounded a cluttered dining room table. Pictures hung haphazardly on one wall and lined the floor below.
The man turned the volume down and asked, “Do you want a beer?” He pointed to the chairs and the couch, “Have a seat.”
Yan looked at the chairs around the table, occupied by papers and books.
“Don't worry,” the man said, “You can move those. Put them anywhere.”
Juān whispered to Yan and Bāo, “I'm not confident with our prospective guide.”
Bāo stood looking at the photos on the wall and those on the floor that had not been hung yet. Their recommended guide was pictured with two or three people, always with a mountain in the background. One photo showed him smiling, hanging with a rope ready to rappel on the side of a mountain.
Master Zhao stated, “We need a mountain guide.”
The man took a long sip of beer and said, “Is that right.”
Master Zhao said, “I should have introduced myself and my friends. My name is Zhao Sun Feng,” And then pointing to the trio, “This is Bāo, Yan, and Juān.”
“I’m Suen Jie, but you can call me Syaoran (pronounced Show-Ran).
Master Zhao used his requested name and asked, “Syaoran, we need a mountain guide to Mount Hua.” Master Zhao knew Syaoran meant Little Wolf and wondered how he got that nickname.
“Where on Mount Hua?”
“Lotus Flower, the West Face.”
“You don't need me for the West Face. A rapid cable car will take you to the top in fifteen minutes. As many as 20,000 people go there daily.”
Master Zhao removed the copy of the West Face photo from his pocket. He circled the exact spot on the mountain. “This is where we want to go.”
Syaoran, alarmed, said, “Are you crazy?”
“The monastery attendant said you would be the one to get us there.”
“We are entering the rainy season. Even if not the rainy season, it would be very dangerous.” Syaoran looked at the teenagers and asked, “And this is your climbing group?”
“Yes, me and these three.”
Syaoran scratched his head, saying, “I don't know.”
Sensing his apprehension, Master Zhao used another tactic to gain agreement: He set the photocopy on the table and asked, “If you were to guide us, how would we get to this location?”
Syaoran picked up the photo of the mountain face and cave. He paced back and forth, “We would take the cable car to the top like everyone else. We must arrive early in the morning to avoid crowds and have more room in cable cars for our gear. Once at the top, we would hike to this ridge.” He turned the photo and pointed to the ridge. “Then, and here's the fun part: we would secure lines here and rappel down one hundred feet to the cave entrance. That's the only way, and you would still be 5000 feet above the valley floor. So far, this is the easy part.”
Yan, sitting at the table, questioned, “If that is the easy part, then what is the hard part?”
“Well, as I said, the cave entrance is 5000 feet above the valley floor. You cannot rappel down. There is only one thing to do.”
Yan said, “Go up.”
Syaoran said sarcastically, “You're the bright one in the group.” Then he continued, “Yes, go up. You would need an ascender, an auto-locking device, at least eight carabiners, and two slings each. Oh, and a harness, of course. The mouth of the cave is one hundred feet from the top, so two hundred feet of rope, at a minimum.”
Master Zhao proposed, “We will give you ¥70,000.
Syaoran raised his hand and asked, " Do you have climbing experience?” Only his hand was raised.
Master Zhao looked around the room. Knowing Syaoran needed money said, “¥90,000.
Syaoran countered, “¥90,500, and you buy all the supplies.”
Master Zhao countered, “¥90,000. We will buy the supplies and have someone watch the dogs.”
Syaoran said, “You are a tough negotiator. ¥90,000, you pay for the supplies, two cases of beer, and someone watches my dogs.”
Master Zhao stood, bowed, and said, “And two cases of beer after we return safely.”
As they left the house, Bāo asked, “Who will watch the dogs?”
***
Ong Jin, the Dragon Head, looked in the mirror. A bespeckled man with salt and pepper hair looked back at him. He knew earlier that day that he would need to run. Taking off his glasses, he took an electric razor out of the drawer. The distinct whirl of the blade, moving back and forth, made a high-pitched noise, which muffled some as the razor ran through his hair. He started at the front of his hairline and slowly moved the razor to the crown of his head. After two more passes on either side of the first, he saw what he remembered from his childhood visit to the circus - a clown. The only thing missing was the red nose. He quickly completed the task. Running his hand over his head reminded him of a warm lightbulb smooth to the touch.
Looking at himself now, the man in the mirror was bald. He lifted the orange inner robe over his head and let it fall into place. It was a skirt covering the lower body. Next, he placed an orange robe over his upper body, covering the undergarment's top. Finally, he put on the Sanghati, a yellow double-layer robe of Bhikkhus, covering over the robe and undergarment. He slid his feet into sandals and held mala beads in his right hand. He stepped away from the mirror. With his hands folded, he bowed three times.
He placed ¥400,000 and a plastic ghost gun in the bottom of a satchel. He slung the satchel over his shoulder, exited the hotel, and bowed in acknowledgment to anyone who respectfully bowed in his direction. There is no need to call my family. They will all be dead before the night is over. I wonder if they have special accommodations for monks on a train?
***
It was evening, and Master Zhao sat in the monastery library and reviewed their schedule for the next day. They would practice tomorrow. Syaoran, their guide, would meet them at a mountain bluff near Song Shan Mountain. He informed the group that the heaviest equipment would be the dynamic climbing rope. They would need two rolls of 200 feet weighing 20 pounds each, each fitting into a large backpack. The library attendant said, “You're up late.”
“I’m going over details for the trip. By the way, the guide you recommended is ornery.”
The attendant laughed, “That's a kind description. He is the best, a war hero.”
Master Zhao raised his eyebrows in curiosity, “A war hero?”
“He fought in the Cambodian War. He was a mountain ranger, a sergeant who led a small platoon of twenty. They were airdropped at the southern base of Phnom Aural, the tallest peak in Cambodia. The mission was to ambush a Cambodian military compound on the other side of the mountain. Over 200 Cambodian soldiers pinned them down in the mountains. They lost only five men. He managed to get the others back to their base drop. He received the Medal of Bravery with nine stars.
“How do you so much?”
“He's also my brother.”
Surprised, Master Zhao said, “Your brother. What did the nine stars represent?”
“Nine kills. They only go to nine. He had many more that day. It haunts him. I light incense every day for him.” The attendant added, “Since you shared your destination with me, I have researched the west face of Mount Hua. A giant earthquake occurred one hundred years after the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Han, and Wu. The cave you pointed out appears to be on the face of Mount Hua. Records tell of a landslide, causing the plateau to fall into the valley. This resulted in what the west face looks like today. Before the earthquake, there was access to the cave on the plateau. It was quite an easy hike then. However, since the fourth century, it has been isolated. Generally forgotten.”
“Master Zhao deducted, “That explains how a cave entrance could exist on the side of a mountain.”
The attendant said in a worried tone, “Your quest is very dangerous. If you reach the cave, you may be the only people to enter in over 1600 years, maybe longer.”
Master Zhao thanked him and said, “Your input is greatly appreciated. I ask a favor. Would you light an additional four incense sticks upon our departure?”.
“Certainly.”