As he was fussing with one of the table decorations, the curtains at the far end of the long room twitched back and four young, muscular-looking Han entered, Novacek just behind. They wore yellow headbands with a wheel—the symbol of the Big Circle Triad—embroidered in blue silk above the forehead. Novacek looked across and smiled reassuringly. Again, Shou had been prepared for this— even so, the thought of being "checked out" by the Red Pole was faintly disturbing. He watched the young men spread out, their eyes searching for anything suspicious; looking under tables, checking the walls for false panels where assassins might hide, even lifting up the bowls of flowers on each table to make sure there were no tiny devices hidden away. They worked with an impressive thoroughness, as if this were much more than simple precaution. If what Shih Novacek said were true, theirs was a cutthroat world down there, and those who succeeded were not merely the strongest but the most careful.
Finished, two of the men stood in the room while the others went into the kitchens to continue their search. While they did so, Novacek came across, bowing to Shou Chen-hai.
"You have done well, Hsien L'ing Shou," he said, indicating the spread Shou had prepared for his guest.
Shou returned Novacek's bow, immensely gratified by the merchant's praise. "It is but the humblest fare, I am afraid."
Novacek came closer, lowering his voice. "Remember what I said. Do not smile at our friend when he comes. Nor should you show any sign of familiarity. Yao Tzu, like most Red Poles, is a proud man—he has great face—but understandably so. One does not become a Red Pole through family influence or by taking exams. The HungMun, the Secret Societies, are a different kind of school—the very toughest of schools, you might say—and our friend the Red Pole is its finest graduate. If any other man were qualified for the job, then he would be Red Pole and our friend Yao Tzu would be dead. You understand?"
Shou Chen-hai bowed his head, swallowing nervously, made aware once again of the risks he was taking even in meeting this man. His eyes went to the Hung Moo's face. "You will sit beside me, Shih Novacek?"
Novacek smiled reassuringly. "Do not worry, Hsien L'ing Shou. Just do as I've said and all will be well. I'll be there at your elbow all the time."
Shou Chen-hai gave a tiny shudder, then bowed again, grateful that the merchant had agreed to this favor. It would cost him, he knew, but if his scheme succeeded it would be a small price to pay.
At the entrance to the kitchen one of the runners appeared again, giving a brief hand signal to one of his compatriots. At once the young man turned and disappeared through the curtain.
"All's well, it seems," Novacek said, turning back. "Come, let's go across. Our friend the Red Pole will be here any moment now."
Little was said during the meal. Yao Tzu sat, expressionless, facing Shou Chen-hai across the main table, one of his henchmen seated on either side of him. If what Novacek said were true, the Red Pole himself would be unarmed, but that didn't mean that he was unprepared for trouble. The henchmen were big, vicious-looking brutes who sat there, eating nothing. They merely stared at Shou; stared and stared until his initial discomfort became something else—a cold, debilitating dread that seeped into his bones. It was something Novacek had not prepared him for and he wondered why. But he let nothing show. His fear and discomfort, his uncertainty and self-doubt were kept hidden behind the thickness of his face.
He watched the Red Pole wipe at his lips delicately with the cloth, then look across at him. Yao Tzu had tiny, almost childlike features; his nose and ears and mouth dainty, like those of a young woman, his eyes like two painted marbles in a pockmarked face that was almost Hung Moo in its paleness. He stared at Shou Chen-hai with an impersonal hostility that seemed of a piece with the rest of him. Meeting that gaze, Shou realized that there was nothing this man would not do. Nothing that could ever make him lose a moment's sleep at night. It was this that made him so good at what he did—that made him a 426, an Executioner.
He almost smiled, but stopped himself, waiting, as he'd been told, for Yao Tzu to speak first. But instead of speaking, the Red Pole half turned in his seat and clicked his fingers, summoning one of his runners. At once the man came across and placed a slender case on the table by Yao Tzu's left hand.
Yao Tzu looked up, then pushed the case toward him.
Shou glanced at Novacek, then drew the case closer, looking to the Red Pole for permission to open it. At the man's brief nod, he undid the catches and lifted the lid. Inside, embedded in bright-red padded silk, were three rows of tiny black-wrapped packages, Han pictograms embossed on the wrappings in red and blue and yellow—a row of each color. He stared at them a moment, then looked up, meeting the Red Pole's eyes, understanding dawning on him. Again he had to fight down the impulse to smile—to try to make some kind of personal contact with the man facing him—but inside he felt exultant. If these were what he thought they were then it was already agreed. He glanced at Novacek for confirmation, then looked back at the Red Pole, bowing his head.
For the first time in over an hour, Yao Tzu spoke.
"You understand then, Shou Chen-hai? You have there the complete range of our latest drugs, designed to suit every need, manufactured to the very highest quality in our laboratories." He leaned forward slightly. "At present there is nothing like them in the whole of Chung Kuo. We will supply you with whatever you require for the first two months, free of charge, and you in turn will provide the capsules without payment to your contacts in the Above. After that time, however, we begin to charge for whatever we supply. Not much, of course—nothing like what you will be charging your friends, neh?—but enough to keep us both happy." Shou Chen-hai gave the smallest nod, his throat dry, his hands trembling where they rested on either side of the case. "And my idea?"
Yao Tzu looked down. "Your scheme has our approval, Hsien L'ing Shou. It accords with our plans for future expansion. Indeed, we had been looking for some while to move in this direction. It is fortunate for us both that our interests coincide so closely, neh?"
Shou felt a shudder of relief pass through him. "And the other bosses . . . they'll not contest you over this?"
It was his deepest worry—the one thing that had kept him sleepless night after night—and now he had blurted it out. For a moment he thought he had said the wrong thing, but beside him Novacek was silent, and there was no sign in the Red Pole's face that he had been offended by the words; even so, Shou sensed a new tension about the table.
"It will be dealt with," Yao Tzu answered stiffly, meeting his eyes. "When the well is deep, many can draw from it, neh? Besides, it is better to make money than fight a war. I am certain the other bosses will feel the same."
Shou took a long breath, letting the tension drain from him. Then it was agreed. Again he felt a wave of pure elation wash through him.
Yao Tzu was watching him coldly. "You, of course, will be responsible for your end of things. You will take care of recruitment and marketing. You will also provide all tea money."
Shou bowed his head, concealing his disappointment. He had hoped they would help him out with respect to "tea money"—bribes; had assumed that they would pay well to buy his contacts, but it was clear they saw things differently. His funds were large, admittedly, since he had tapped into the Health Project finances, but they were far from infinite and he had had extensive experience already of dealing with officials. They were like whores, only whores were cheap.