Chiun fumed wordlessly.
As they dug, Remo spoke up. "One thing I still don't understand."
"There are many things you do not understand," Chiun said testily.
"Wu Ming Shi. When he walked, he left the screwiest tracks behind him."
"Ah," Chiun said, gesturing Remo back to the tunnel fork.
There he pushed aside loose rock with a sandaled toe and uncovered a foot encased in a soft black slipper, the toe pointing up.
"That is Wu Ming Shi's foot," Chiun pronounced. "Examine it and see how foolish you feel after you behold the sublime truth."
Remo knelt down and removed the sandal. The exposed foot was wrinkled and leathery brown, the nails curved like blunt talons. The ankle skin was withered like a huge twist of beef jerky.
"He could have used a good foot manicure," Remo remarked, "but that's about it."
"Extract the cadaver," Chiun suggested.
Remo shrugged. He pulled away more rock and debris, exposing a second foot. Taking the corpse by both ankles, Remo pulled. He had to twist and turn, because the body was really stuck. He got most of Wu Ming Shi pulled loose from the rock. The body was missing an arm and the head.
But that wasn't what made Remo abruptly drop the body as if it were contaminated.
"What the hell?" he said in surprise.
For Wu Ming Shi's remains had landed chest-down, even though the toes pointed upward.
"This is crazy!" Remo blurted out. "His feet are on backward!"
"Truly," Chiun beamed. "It is the insult I inflicted upon the wicked mandarin Wu Ming Shi, to these many years ago."
"You turned his feet around?" Remo said incredulously.
"It is a simple trick. Perhaps one day I will show it to you."
Chiun padded off, the high carriage of his head telling Remo his pride had been restored.
A call came out of the left-side tunnel. Chiun picked up his skirts in his haste. Remo flashed after him.
They plunged into the candlelit vault.
"Behold!" Kula said, lifting a dirt-clotted skull from the wide hole his Mongols had excavated.
Chiun snatched it from him, wailing, "Another stupid skull! What manner of Mongol trickery is this!" He spanked the dirt from the bony forehead, revealing Mongolian script. Chiun read it with narrow suspicious eyes.
"What does it say?" Remo asked.
"It says, `Know, O hasty one, that the tortoise has more than one egg.' "
"What's that mean?"
Chiun's eyes suddenly lit up. He turned to the waiting circle of Mongol faces.
"To your steeds, sons of Temujin! We ride to Karakorum!"
The Mongols regarded the Master of Sinanju with identical metallic expressions.
"Why should we do this?" Kula asked in a reasonable voice.
"Because that is where the treasure truly lies!" Chiun hissed.
"You swore that it lay here, where we dig," Kula returned, unmoved.
"I was deceived!" Chiun flung back. "The Khagan was having a last jest on us all. We did not dig deep enough at Karakorum. It is there!"
The Mongols folded their arms stubbornly.
Remo stepped up. "Tell you guys what. We gotta get out of here before the PLA comes back. What say we ride up to" He turned to Chiun. "What did you say that name was?"
"Karakorum," Chiun muttered darkly.
"Karakorum," Remo repeated.
"To Karakorum with the white tiger!" the Mongols shouted.
They stampeded from the cave, forcing Chiun to float out of the way of their booted feet.
"I love Mongol enthusiasm, don't you?" Remo asked Chiun.
"Pah!" Chiun spat, storming from the cave.
"Guess you gotta know 'em to love 'em," he muttered happily.
Chapter 38
Elements of the People's Liberation Army made several abortive stabs at interdicting the Mongol column as it moved northward. Mongol war cries discouraged them. A snowstorm came up, rendering pursuing tanks useless. A few jeep forays ended in overturned jeeps with Mongol arrows feathering tires and Chinese bodies alike.
No Chinese had any stomach for a fight after that.
Chiun drew his horse up alongside Remo's.
"How did you learn to ride so quickly?" Chiun asked.
"Fahrvergnugen," Remo said coolly. Receiving no response, he asked, "You know, you led me on quite the merry chase this time."
"It was to protect you. And you did not do so badly, pale piece of tiger's ear."
Remo laughed. "Was Wu Ming Shi really two hundred years old?"
"It was closer to two hundred fifty, I understand. He was an evil man, but he knew many terrible secrets. Now they have died with him and a debt to the House of Sinanju has been finally settled in full."
"Too bad we lost Zhang," Remo said as the snow squall died.
Chiun shrugged. "Zhang's life was his to throw away."
"He went out a hero-which is more than I can say about Fang Yu." Remo's face was hard, his eyes bleak as chips of age-darkened bone.
"It is better to live, Remo," Chiun told him. "I could have been a so-called hero and eliminated Wu Ming Shi many years ago, but others would have suffered for it. Remember this if you ever face such a choice."
"Point taken. Listen, did you really do Amelia Earhart?"
Chiun nodded grimly. "It was during a time when Wu Ming Shi had no need of Sinanju. The Japanese were only a slightly less odious client."
"I can't believe you did that. She was an American hero."
"Heroes are destined for a young death. Remember this too."
"Yeah, well, when I'm head of the House, I won't stoop to taking that kind of work."
"It is too late, Remo. For you have already killed one who is a hero to some-although he was but a kung fu dancer."
Remo looked doubtful. "Who?"
"He was called Bruce. His last name escapes me, but years ago, he enjoyed some minor notoriety in absurd Chinese movies."
Remo blinked. "Not the chop-socky star?" he said hotly. "Little Father, that guy's been dead for years."
"No, he perished in the monastery. You knew him as Sagwa."
"Sagwa!" Remo snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute. The guy I'm thinking of got his acting start in a TV show called The Green Hornet back in the sixties. I remember watching it. Yeah, it comes back to me now. He played Kato, the chauffeur with the mask." Remo's eyes widened suddenly. "That so-called Chinese limo! It was the car Kato used to drive. Black Beauty."
"Black Ugly," Chiun sniffed.
"No wonder he looked familiar, even with the mask. And that's why I recognized the car." Remo stopped. "Oh, my God," he croaked. "I killed Kato."
"No," Chiun corrected. "We eliminated that upstart. For all Masters rightfully share in all credit."
"Trade you a chop-socky actor for an aviatrix?" Remo asked sheepishly.
Chiun beamed happily.
* * *
They linked up with Boldbator's Golden Horde outside of Sayn Shanda after nightfall.
An argument immediately broke out over rights to the treasure of Genghis Khan. Boldbator claimed ten percent. Kula claimed fifteen. Boldbator demanded of the Master of Sinanju why this Kula, a mere bandit, should get five percent more than he, who was the New Khan.
"Because I foolishly made a pact with him to carry the treasure away," Chiun said petulantly.
"But you made the same pact with me-for less."
"But he was at Five-Dragon Cave, not you."
"You commanded me to remain here," Boldbator thundered.
"I know that!" Chiun flared. "But how was I to know the treasure was not in Five-Dragon Cave after all? Oh, this is ridiculous." He turned to Remo in exasperation. "You were there, Remo. Explain it to this nomad."
"Don't look at me," Remo said, backing away. "He's not my Mongol."
The argument raged all day. War threatened to break out between the opposing camps, each claiming to be the ordained bearers of Temujin's treasure, until Remo took Chiun aside and said, "Look, how much of a percentage did you promise Zhang?"