Shenmue 2 Storyline

The story continued with the arrival of Ryo aboard the ship at the shores of Aberdeen, Hong Kong. As Ryo alighted, he looked once again at the letter Master Chen gave him.

''Wan Chai, South Carmain Quarter, Yan Tin Apartments, 205-- Tao Lishao''

That was the address of Tao Lishao, the elder master who Master Chen instructed him to find. Ryo came across an old couple playing music with Chinese musical instruments and a boy told him that it was a song wishing luck to travelers. Ryo put some money in the box for good luck. The blind old man asked where Ryo was headed and he said he was looking for Wan Chai. The old lady directed Ryo the way. Down the road near the dock, Ryo found several tour guides trying to engage him. One of the men took a picture of Ryo while he walked past. The Chinese woman and her daughter who alighted with Ryo warned Ryo that the man would insist to sell the photo to him but he did not need to buy it. She spoke of the Free Stay Lodge which offered free lodging and thanked Ryo for helping her daughter on the ship before bidding him farewell.  

Ryo came across a crowd watching a muscular man winning an arm wrestling match. The organizer asked Ryo to participate and agreed to help Ryo out if he won. It was ten dollars a bet. Ryo agreed and won the match which surprised them. Ryo asked the organizer about the way to Wan Chai and he told Ryo to go the man selling bird feed and follow the street to Wan Chai.

Ryo was almost knocked down by a speeding bike driven by a sexy girl with long orange hair wearing orange bikini top and dark grey pants. They had a short argument before the girl realized he was Japanese. She asked him his name and said hers was Joy and to beware of thieves. With that, Joy sped off.

Ryo passed the man selling bird feed and as he walked further down the street, a frightened boy ran to Ryo asking for help from several thugs who were after him. A fat thug with Mohawk haircut who was carrying a radio on his shoulder and two other thugs emerged from the nearby alley and told Ryo to mind his own business if he didn't want to get hurt. Ryo let down his bag as he prepared to fight them when the boy suddenly took his bag and threw it to one of the thugs. All of them began to run and soon, Ryo lost them, along with the Phoenix Mirror which was inside the bag.

At an eatery, Ryo asked two guys sitting by the road about the group of four who stole his bag. They were infuriated by Ryo's questioning and demanded payment from Ryo. Ryo refused and they were about to attack him when Joy appeared and stopped them. They left without a second word. Joy laughed after Ryo told her about those who stole his bag and said the boy's name was Wong and she just saw him at Pigeon Park. Ryo left at once for Pigeon Park located near the man selling bird feed.

Ryo saw Wong playing at the park from a distance and ran towards him. Wong saw him coming and ran away. Ryo chased Wong to a deserted spot and Wong called to the similar group of three who ganged up with him for help.  They refused to give back Ryo's bag and Ryo gave them a good beating which left Cool Z, the fat thug with Mohawk haircut running off in fear. The other two thugs, Sam and Larry were injured and Ryo demanded them to return his bag.

Wong relented and said he would bring Ryo to his bag. Ryo followed Wong to a narrow alley some distance away and Wong retrieved his bag which was placed on the top of a bin. Ryo saw that all his belongings were intact, however, all his money was gone.Wong cowered in fear telling him that the guys spent it on gambling. Wong pleaded Ryo not to hurt him and Ryo asked him to show him the way to the address in the letter. Wong drew him a map and left. 

Ryo arrived at Wan Chai's Green Market Quarter and met Joy again. Joy asked if Ryo knew karate and has a place to stay for the night. Ryo said it was none of her business. Joy told Ryo that the Free Stay Lodge was closed for remodeling but he could try the Come Over Guest House and if he mentioned her name, he could get a discount. Much to Joy's frustration, Ryo left without saying thanks. When Ryo reached the Come Over Guest House, Joy showed up again on her bike and told him to go in. Ryo said he wanted to but he lost all his money. Joy told him to just stay for the night and she would bring him to a place to earn some money at 8am the next day. With that, Joy drove off again.

Inside the Come Over Guest House, Ryo asked the man at the counter for a room but he said there was no vacancy. Ryo said Joy told him to come and he then threw Ryo a room key labeled '203'. Ryo went to the room upstairs and kept his bag in the wardrobe before opening the window for some fresh air.  

Ryo continued his search for Tao Lishao and arrived at South Carmain Quarter. He passed by a park where an old man was practicing Taiji. The old man asked Ryo to spar with him. He countered Ryo's move with a palm move. Ryo did not know one could attack with Taiji. The old man explained that most styles begin with force and develop into softness while Taiji begin with softness and develop into force. Softness does not mean there is no force and one cannot be complete until both is attained. The old man introduced himself as Jianmin and Ryo told him his name. Jianmin guided Ryo the way to Yan Tin Apartments which was only a few walks away.

Inside at the lobby, Ryo saw the name Tao Lishao labeled on the mailbox of Room 205. Then, a grumpy old lady mistook Ryo for a land shark and asked him what he wanted. Ryo said he was looking for Tao Lishao and she asked what would a punk like him want with Tao Lishao. She insisted  she would never leave this place and slammed the door in his face. Ryo knocked on the door of Room 205 and a sloppy looking man opened the door. He said Tao Lishao has moved away. He hasn't eaten all day and said he would tell Ryo for the right price. Ryo did not have any money so he couldn't give him any.

At 8am the next morning back at the Come Over Guest House, Ryo heard the rumbling of Joy's bike downstairs. Joy told him to come downstairs. She then drove him to the Worker's Pier and asked the foreman to let Ryo work there. Ryo's job was to carry crates from one place to another with the help of another worker. After work, Ryo received his salary for that day. Ryo ran into the man who took Ryo's photo earlier at the dock and he insisted for Ryo to buy the photo, reducing the price upon each rejection. He became angry when Ryo said he did not ask to be photographed. Joy came and asked the man to take two photos of her and Ryo to which the then intimidated man quietly obeyed. She then gave one to Ryo and kept the other for herself. Joy drove off without paying the man and he chased after her in vain.

Ryo returned to Room 205 at Yan Tin Apartments and gave the tenant some money for Tao Lishao's new address. He said Master Tao was at Man Mo Temple located at Scarlet Hills just east of Wise Men's Quarter. He said Master Tao was a scary person and told Ryo to mind his manners.

Ryo arrived at Man Mo Temple and saw a lady praying before the altar. She wore a deep red dress and her hair was tied in a long and thick ponytail flowing down to her back. Ryo asked her if she knew Tao Lishao and that he was from Japan. The lady said she did not know about Tao Lishao and left. A man with mustache wearing white Chinese robe asked if Ryo wished to seek the Master and after seeing Ryo's introduction letter from Master Chen, said the letter was not enough for Ryo to meet with the Master. He asked if Ryo knew about the four Wu De. Ryo said he did not. The man said the Wu De was necessary for those who practice martial arts and Ryo would have his meeting with the Master only if he understood the Wu De.

Upon leaving Scarlet Hills, Ryo met the lady in deep red dress again and asked what she was doing at Man Mo Temple. She said she has a single wish and was praying everyday for her wish to be granted. She said Ryo seemed to have a wish too. Ryo asked her about the Wu De and she said that any martial artist of true virtue would know and suggested for him to ask one. Ryo visited Jianmin at the park and asked him about the Wu De. Jianmin requested to spar with Ryo first and they exchanged their different styles.

Jianmin ended the fight by hitting Ryo with a move known as the Iron Palm of Taiji. Jianmin later showed Ryo how Taiji developed into force before the huge tree of red leaves in the park. Jianmin hit the tree bark using Iron Palm and told Ryo to do the same and cover the ground with falling red leaves. Only then will he tell Ryo about the Wu De. Ryo tried multiple times before he finally got a hang of the move.

Jianmin then told Ryo about one of the Wu De, Gong (功)—Everyday, without neglect, to keep training. 

Jianmin hit the tree bark effortlessly with the Iron Palm and walked away, triggering a heavy rain of falling leaves as he left.

Ryo visited the martial arts school at the Green Market Quarter for information on the other Wu De but was denied entry before the master, Zhoushan ordered his disciples to let him through. Ryo asked Master Zhoushan about the Wu De but he said that he has no right to talk about the Wu De as he has ruined the life of his disciple and it was his fault that his disciple has fallen into the wrong path and landed up as a street performer in Golden Quarter.

In a shopping mall at Golden Quarter, Ryo found a man sleeping before one of the stores. When the man learnt from Ryo that he was from Japan, the man gathered the nearby shoppers to watch Ryo perform karate by smashing a rock apart. Ryo succeeded in doing so and the watchers threw in money for the man.  Ryo found out the man was Zongquan, the disciple Master Zhoushan mentioned. Zongquan at first thought Master Zhoushan spoke ill of him to Ryo but when Ryo told him that Master Zhoushan blamed himself for being powerless, Zongquan expressed remorse and wrote a letter requesting Ryo to pass it to Master Zhoushan.

Ryo passed the letter to Master Zhoushan and the contents read:

‘’I have broken Jie but could not get rid of tune nor fist.’’

Ryo asked what it meant and Master Zhoushan said one of the Wu De was Jie (戒)—Judge yourself without conceit and do not show moves thoughtlessly. 

Ryo then asked what Zongquan meant by not being able to get rid of tune nor fist. Master Zhoushan explained as those who love songs whistle tunes endlessly, a martial arts master is devoted to training. What Zongquan meant was although he has broken Jie and ended up as a street performer, he has not abandoned the path of martial arts.

Ryo learnt from Master Zhoushan about a barber named Zhangyu who knew much about martial arts and owned a barber shop at Three Blades Street at the Lucky Charm Quarter. Ryo visited the barber and saw Zhangyu sitting alone in the shop smoking. Ryo asked him about the Wu De and he said he would talk while he trimmed Ryo’s hair.

Zhangyu said the Wu De was important to those who study the martial arts and  those without them often strayed from the path and were hated by others. Those people were often killed when they were off guard, like when they were having tea or sitting at the barber’s. Zhangyu suddenly held the razor against Ryo’s throat and told him not to move. Ryo stayed still for a long while before Zhangyu withdrew the razor and laughed, amazed by Ryo’s guts despite his young age. Ryo said the razor’s motion was sharp but he did not feel any menace.

Zhangyu said, ‘’be brave and stay calm to make the right decision’’. That was Dan (胆), one of the Wu De. 

Zhangyu advised Ryo to try the Bloom Tailor shop as many martial artists went to the shop to make their uniforms. The Bloom Tailor shop owner spoke of Guixiang, a woman who lived in the Yan Tin Apartments and was a master of Taiji.

Outside the Yan Tin Apartments, Ryo saw the grumpy old lady pestered by several land sharks and one of them was about to get rough with the old lady for refusing to move out. Ryo pushed the man off balance and fought the rest. One of them tried to ambush Ryo but fell down unconscious by a subtle tap of the old lady's palm around his waist. When Ryo asked about Guixiang, the old lady revealed she was her. Guixiang asked Ryo the reason for standing up for her. Ryo said anyone would. 

Guixiang said that was the fourth Wu De—To act without hesitation, to do what is right. However, she forgot what it was called and said to ask Master Mo at Man Mo Temple.

The temple was under cleaning when Ryo arrived and visitors were not allowed to go in. Ryo sneaked in to find a temple keeper whining about cleaning away the soot on the walls and said Ryo has to give service first before he asked anything. Ryo agreed to clean away the soot in his place as he needed to meet with Tao Lishao. As Ryo wiped away the soot on one of the walls, Ryo saw the word Yi (義).

The man with mustache arrived and told Ryo that Yi (義) was one of the Wu De. He learnt that Ryo had known the four Wu De and then asked why Ryo sought Tao Lishao. Ryo said he was told to seek the master to find Zhu Yuanda who knew why his father was killed by Lan Di. Ryo said he swore to take revenge. Meanwhile, a lady dressed in blue qipao (the same lady in deep red dress who Ryo saw praying at the temple) approached and said that taking revenge was no different from murder and if his father really wished this.

Ryo dismissed her lecture saying he was talking to Master Mo, not her. Master Mo then told Ryo that the lady was Tao Lishao. Master Mo bowed before her and took his leave. Tao Lishao said among the four Wu De, Ryo only has Gong(功) and Dan(胆).  Ryo went after her to the yard outside where she told Ryo to attack her to test his martial arts level. Ryo refused to fight her as she was a woman.

She advanced to attack him forcing him to fight back. Ryo used all his moves but all of them missed her. Ryo was getting tired and his punch was intercepted as Tao Lishao locked Ryo’s arm backwards and placed both her fingers at the back of Ryo’s neck, known as the point of Dianxue which easily stopped the opponent’s attack. She said if she was the person whom Ryo sought revenge, he would already be dead.

She revealed her true name to be Hong Xiuying and gave Ryo a place to stay. Ryo followed her to her room at the Da Yuan Apartments. There, Xiuying told him to sleep on the sofa when he asked where he would be sleeping as there was only one bed. Next morning, Ryo was greeted by Xun Fangmei, an energetic Chinese girl who was Xiuying’s assistant. Fangmei said Xiuying wanted Ryo to go to Man Mo Temple’s library.

There, Xiuying instructed Ryo to air out the library books at the back yard and told Ryo nothing about Zhu Yuanda. When Ryo finished the task, Xiuying told Ryo to do the same for the next morning. Ryo asked Xiuying to tell him about Zhu Yuanda but she told him to focus on this task for the time being and that she would think about it. Ryo asked around and learnt about the Wulinshu, a book about martial arts which Zhu Yuanda wrote and that Wise Men’s Kung Fu shop might have it. The shop owner said the Wulinshu contained the descriptions of various schools of martial arts and it was kept in Man Mo Temple.

Ryo found out from Master Mo that it was kept in the temple library and Ryo found it after airing out the books the next day. The bookshelf however was locked. Outside the library, Ryo met Xiuying and asked her to show her the Wulinshu but she said he didn’t need it yet. Ryo persisted and Xiuying caught a leaf falling in front of Ryo with both her fingers and asked Ryo to try it.

Ryo failed to catch any as the falling leaves were too fast. Xiuying said that even a single leaf becomes impossible to catch unless one is calm enough to concentrate. Ryo focused and managed to catch one and persuaded Xiuying to show him the Wulinshu. Sensing Ryo’s impatience still, Xiuying said she would talk about the book only if he could catch three falling leaves consecutively. Ryo succeeded alas and Xiuying said he has regained his calm, but was still far from a mind as clear as a polished mirror. 

To clear the mind like the quiet surface of the water. Concentrate on oneself, and staying calm. That is the state of the serene mind, like a polished mirror, as Xiuying said.

Xiuying said that his mind was too focused on revenge and he needed to calm his mind to see the true nature of things. She then passed him the bookshelf key and reminded Ryo to take good care of the book as there was no other copy. While flipping through the Wulinshu, Ryo saw the name Zhao Sunming described as the master of Tiger Swallow style. Ryo recalled Lan Di mentioning that name before his father. Ryo found a piece of paper fell out from one of the pages, a paper with four circles drawn on each side. The four circles on the front have Chinese characters within each of them.

Ryo found out from the shop owner at Wise Men’s Kung Fu that the drawings on the paper represented the Chawan Sign, a code which martial artists used to communicate with each other. He said that Guixiang knew about it. Ryo visited Guixiang at Yan Tin Apartments who invited him inside for a cup of tea. There, she explained that the Chawan Sign was a secret code used among masters of the same school.

She also explained each of the four characters’ meaning—Heaven stands for time, Earth for place, Comrade for person and Dragon for actions. The other four circles at the back of the paper represented the position of the cups which when arranged in the pattern shown on the paper, symbolized one as a friend of Zhu Yuanda. She taught Ryo the arrangement of the cups and to wait at places where people gather such as tea houses. Once a friend of Zhu Yuanda saw it, he would give Ryo a sign. She warned Ryo not to make other patterns as some could be dangerous.

Outside Xiuying’s room, Ryo saw Xiuying sitting by the desk looking at something. As she noticed Ryo standing outside the door, she wiped the falling tear from her face and left curtly saying that Ryo could have knocked. Ryo saw a photo which Xiuying accidentally dropped on the floor while she left. Ryo saw it was a photo of a little boy and a little girl and at the back two names were written, ‘Hong Xiuying’ and ‘Hong Ziming’.

Ryo learnt from Fangmei the next day that Xiuying was raised in an orphanage with her brother, Ziming. One day, Ziming suddenly left and no one has heard from him since. Fangmei knew this as she was raised in the same orphanage but she told Ryo not to tell Xiuying about their conversation. While Ryo was airing the books that morning, Fangmei offered Ryo a cup of tea and as Fangmei stared at Ryo drinking, she reminded Ryo of the kitten back home because of her eyes. When Fangmei asked why he was looking at her, Ryo disclosed this thought which annoyed her and she walked off. 

Ryo arranged the cups at Dou Jiang Diner and waited there for someone who might notice it. After some time, a man passed behind him leaving a note and walked out the diner’s door before Ryo could get to him. The note said to wait at Dou Jiang Diner at 8pm. At 8pm, a man in brown suit entered the diner and told Ryo that he served Zhu Yuanda. The man asked for Ryo’s agenda before several thugs broke in.

Ryo defeated them but the man in brown suit was already taken away. Ryo ran after them and a dramatic fight ensued down the aisle of food stands. Ryo brought down those in his way and a woman in red jacket and zebra pants tried to ambush him. Ryo noticed and tripped her with a leg sweep. She got up as numerous thugs stood behind her, ready to charge at Ryo. Xiuying who has been watching secretly behind the stands advanced on the thugs and wiped them out without anyone noticing. Seeing the unexplained defeat of her men a moment later, the woman escaped in fear thinking it was Ryo who did it.

Ryo helped the man back to the diner and he introduced himself as Zhang and said that Zhu Yuanda has hidden himself from the Chi You Men and even he himself did not know where he was. He said the man hunting Zhu Yuanda was Dou Niu of the Yellow Heads clan. There was a man named Ren of Heavens who was an enemy of Dou Niu and might have more information. However, Ren was a dangerous man. Aberdeen was where the Heavens was based.

Ryo returned the Wulinshu to Xiuying who dissuaded him from revenge and finding Ren but was in vain. Ryo told her to leave him alone and she left him to do as he wished. Ryo found out from Joy that the members of the Heavens could be found in the warehouses at the pier. Ryo met some of them inside Warehouse No. 8 and told them to bring him to Ren who was their leader. They refused and a fight started.

They lost the fight and one of them agreed to bring Ryo to Ren and in turn lured him to a place in Beverly Hills Wharf where Ryo was surrounded by groups of Heavens members, including Cool Z, Sam and Larry who stole his bag earlier. Outnumbered and without Guizhang’s assistance, Ryo was beaten up and woke up some moments later to find himself wounded on a boat belonging to the little boy, Wong. Wong told him the Heavens did not know about that location and to rest for the night. 

The next morning, seeing that Ryo was bent on finding Ren, Wong gave him his own lighter with the Heavens mark on it. He said to show it at the gate of Beverly Hills Wharf and the guys would let him in. Ryo found Cool Z and gang who demanded him to pay $500 in order to meet Ren. Ryo said he would only give the money to Ren in person and they brought him to a warehouse where Ren awaited.

Ren was a smart looking and charismatic guy who wore an unbuttoned blue jacket which revealed his well toned body and has a white cloth wrapped over his head. Ren took the money from Ryo and tried to knife him but was stopped by Ryo's quick reflexes. Ren agreed to take Ryo to Zhu Yuanda and drew him a map and told Ryo to meet him there. Ryo followed the map's directions and arrived at the abandoned office at Fortune’s Pier and followed Ren in.

Inside, a group of people including the woman in zebra pants were negotiating a deal. Ren turned the lights off and knocked out most of them and ran off with the money on the table. When the lights came back on, Ryo realized Ren has left and he defeated the remaining thugs who saw him there and left the woman running off again. Ryo saw Joy and Wong outside and Joy told him Ren has gone to Pigeon Park. Ryo saw Ren and gang playing happily with their stash at the park. The others were shocked when they saw Ryo coming. Ren said he would agree to bring Ryo to Zhu Yuanda if he could catch him. All of them ran off in different directions and Ryo chased Ren to a building undergoing construction in Lucky Plaza.

He caught up with Ren on the roof and jumped on the poles which fell apart causing both of them to fall onto the canopy of the truck parked below. Ren picked up the Phoenix Mirror which dropped out from Ryo and examined it before Ryo snatched it away. Ren found out from Ryo about his plan for revenge and decided to help Ryo as he smelt money involved in it. Ren told Ryo that Zhu Yuanda was in Kowloon and that he would wait for Ryo there.

Ryo went to Xiuying's apartment to bid her farewell but she wasn't there. Instead, he saw Fangmei who was saddened by the fact that he was leaving and she hugged him tightly. Fangmei gave a lucky charm to Ryo saying it has been with her since the day she was abandoned.  The person who found her said she was smiling then. Fangmei also gave Ryo a photo she took with Xiuying and Master Mo with the others. Fangmei said there weren't many photos of Xiuying so it was quite precious. Fangmei wished Ryo good luck and confessed her feelings to Ryo. She told Ryo he didn't need to say anything but she hoped that he would come back again someday. Ryo promised he would. 

Ryo visited Xiuying at the temple to tell her about his departure for Kowloon. Xiuying asked Ryo if he understood Yi (義). Ryo said it was to act without hesitation, to do the right thing. But he would not forgive Lan Di even if it meant breaking the rule. Ryo's words reminded Xiuying of her brother, Ziming when they were young. Then, Ziming was bent to take revenge on those who killed their parents, even if he had to sell his soul. Therefore, he set out to join the Chi You Men who knew about the identity of their parents' killers. Before he left, Ziming told Xiuying to take care of herself and promised he would return.

Xiuying told Ryo to fight her to test his skills as she has heard that Lan Di has no mercy and Ryo would not survive if he couldn't even defeat her. Ryo tried to hit Xiuying but failed. Xiuying saw all the various weaknesses of his moves which exposed his vulnerable spots including Yintang, Yifeng and Haidixue. Xiuying said if she was Lan Di, Ryo would already be dead. Xiuying asked Ryo to try hitting her for once. Ryo attacked again but was neutralized and hit back several feet by a forceful elbow move called the Counter Elbow Assault, one of Bajiquan Liudakai. The move was to avoid the enemy's strike and lunge forward. As the enemy loses balance, one strikes with the Elbow Assault.  Ryo practiced the move under Xiuying's guidance before leaving for Kowloon.

Kowloon

Ryo took the bus and alighted before the gate of Dragon Street, Kowloon. Ryo saw Cool Z waiting down the street and followed him to Ren's hideout in the basement. Ren said the hideout was safe and Ryo could get some rest there when he needed to. They saw Joy outside the hideout and she was curious about what Ren was up to but Ren went on without explaining anything to her. Ren brought Ryo to Yang, someone who used to work for Zhu Yuanda and who then worked at a Chinese medicine store called Great View Herbs located in Great View Building.

Ryo showed Yang the paper with the Chawan Sign drawing and Yang agreed to contact Zhu Yuanda and told Ryo to go to the Dancing Dragon Building and say the password 'Dragons don't sleep' to a man dressed in black there who would then bring Ryo to Zhu Yuanda.

Ren told Ryo he was not going as the area was Dou Niu's territory and his face was known. Ryo went to the Dancing Dragon Building alone and after saying the password, the men dressed in black said that Zhu Yuanda was waiting upstairs. Ryo was guided to a door at the 8th floor and waiting for Ryo was a fierce looking and bald humongous man sitting on a chair.

He wrapped Ryo's face with his strong arm and lifted him off the ground. Ryo was unable to break free. Ren arrived and beat the thugs guarding the door and he pulled several punches on the humongous man who he called Dou Niu but Dou Niu was not affected at all. Both Ryo and Ren were overpowered by Dou Niu who ordered his men to lock them up in a cell.

Imprisoned, Ryo's left hand was cuffed to Ren's right. Ren was frustrated and said he decided to save Ryo as he thought he could make some money from it. He began to complain but Ryo said to focus on finding a way out. On the third day, Ren yelled to the guard saying that Ryo has fainted and they would not find out anything about Zhu Yuanda if he died. The guard opened the door and both Ryo and Ren punched him in the face to knock him out. Unable to find the key to the cuffs on him, they ran. Soon, Dou Niu's men were running all over the place looking for them.

They hid in a deserted room to avoid being seen. There, Ren could not hold it any longer and intended to take a leak while Ryo looked away. Two of Dou Niu's men came in and they crouched down behind the wall at once and forced their way through after bringing them down by surprise. After running for a while, they found an empty room that led to the rooftop. The stars revealed the Big Dipper in the night sky. Ren learnt then that the person Ryo was seeking revenge on was Lan Di. Ren knew the Chi You Men as a nasty organization and Zhu Yuanda as the former big boss of Hong Kong before hearing that he lost it all.

Ryo told Ren there was another mirror--the Dragon Mirror and that the mirrors were connected to the Chi You Men. Ren did not know anything about it but began to smell money involved again. They spent the night sleeping on the roof cuffed to each other. They woke and left the roof the next morning and made it to the elevator where they saw the woman in zebra pants in it. They worked together and struck her down before Dou Niu arrived. Both Ryo and Ren ran away and came to a exit door which led to a sheer drop outside the building. They ran back the way they came to gain momentum while Dou Niu drew close and ran as fast as they could towards the exit jumping at the same time and made it to the lower roof of the opposite building just before Dou Niu caught up.

Back at the hideout, Wong helped to pick the lock on their cuffs on the condition that Ren must bring Ryo back to Wan Chai. Ren promised but after Wong freed them, Ren broke his promise and brought Ryo to confront Yang. Ren beat up Yang at Great View Herbs for setting them up. Yang said he has no choice as Dou Niu threatened him. Ryo forced Yang to reveal any information he knew and Yang said that Huang the wiretapper at Tea Break Building might know about Zhu Yuanda's whereabouts.

Huang's room was empty when Ryo arrived. He searched the room but the only thing that might proved useful was a bin of cassette tapes. He brought them back to Ren's hideout and played them one by one without sleep. They learnt from the recording in the last cassette tape that Yuan, the woman in zebra pants has captured one of Zhu Yuanda's men and decided to force him to reveal Zhu Yuanda's location.

Outside at Dragon Street, a blind man playing fiddle asked Ryo to listen to a song. Ryo said he was looking for Yuan and the blind man said the wind or the sounds may tell him what he needed to know. Ryo recalled there was a sound of a bell on the tape recording. Ryo found out from the people that the sound of bell was often heard coming from an orphanage at Moon Child Building located on the 8th floor.

A child there said he has seen Yuan with a talking bird at her side. Ryo soon learnt from bird sellers that the talking bird was a myna bird and that a shop called Nine Birds Shop at the Three Birds Building was the top shop in Hong Kong which dealt with myna birds. The store keeper recalled a special customer who owned a myna bird and would buy the best bird feed at his shop every evening. Ryo hid at a concealed spot and waited until evening where he was joined by Ren.

Yuan arrived as expected and they tailed her across several streets and buildings as she visited various shops including a knife shop, a diner, a home appliance shop and a medicine shop which sold stuffs like gooey solution soaked with wall lizard. Yuan was much disgusted by that shop. Yuan finally returned to her apartment and Ren suggested to flip a coin and decide who to break into Yuan's room. Ryo lost the bet and thus went to knock on Yuan's door.

When she opened, Ryo kicked the door forcefully and knocked her unconscious. They found Zhang tied up behind the table and heard thundering footsteps coming, those that belonged to Dou Niu. Ren said 'hide in the closet' twice in front of the myna bird and both of them found a different hiding spot. Dou Niu came in and knew there was intruder in the room after seeing his partner Yuan lying on the ground. The myna bird then repeated Ren's line 'hide in the closet' twice. Dou Niu opened the closet expecting to see the intruder hiding in there. Taking this chance, Ren and Ryo kicked Dou Niu into the closet and blocked it with a cabinet to prevent him from getting out. They helped Zhang back to the hideout. Zhang said Zhu Yuanda was at the Ghost Hall Building and gave Ryo a key with a Black Tortoise design.

The Ghost Hall Building was a dilapidated building where most of the entire floors have fallen apart revealing a void which spanned all the way to the highest floor. The elevator however was locked, thus the only way up was through the stairs. On every level, wooden planks were used as bridges between the huge gaps in the floors. Ryo ascended the levels by crossing the planks carefully and after much effort, came to a door labeled with Five Star Corps on the 10th floor.

Ren appeared and joined him saying that he got the elevator key from a snitch. Past the door was a room filled with Chinese antiques, paintings and furniture, including the same banner as the one in Ryo's dojo. However, there was no sight of anyone there. Ren volunteered to keep watch outside the door while Ryo searched the room for clues. One of the cabinets housed the Hazuki uniform. At a corner of the room, Ryo found a Buddha statue with keyholes and one of them fitted the Black Tortoise key that Zhang gave him. At different locations, Ryo found three other keys designed after--Blue Dragon, Red Phoenix and White Tiger--and slotted them into the statue. The cabinet shook and shifted aside and revealed another room where an elderly white haired man wearing round spectacles in apple green Chinese robe sat behind the desk.

Ryo learnt the elderly man was Zhu Yuanda himself after he told him his name. Zhu Yuanda figured Ryo was Iwao's son by his surname--Hazuki. Meanwhile, Yuan and Dou Niu who have been following them all this time arrived. Ren signaled Ryo to run and he escaped out of the window. Dou Niu tried to grab Ryo who ducked towards the window and was pushed out landing on the awning below before hitting the roof floor.

Ryo was confronted by several Dou Niu's men waiting for him on the roof but they were not his match. Dou Niu jumped down from the window smashing through the awning and fought Ryo himself. Dou Niu delivered a mighty punch to Ryo's face who fell to the ground, unable to move. As Dou Niu walked towards the helpless Ryo, Xiuying walked between them and unleashed a powerful move on Don Niu who gave a painful cry.

Ryo woke up three days later in a chapel and saw Xiuying in her deep red dress standing nearby. Xiuying has treated Ryo's wound and told him to take it easy. Xiuying said Zhu Yuanda was taken by the Yellow Head. Ryo learnt from a sister entering the chapel that the place was where Xiuying and Ziming grew up.

Xiuying said her brother, like Ryo, sought revenge and lost himself to the evil path. Xiuying said Ryo must not succumb to the evil path. Ryo got up and bowed gently to Xiuying saying he still have to go. Ryo saw Wong outside the chapel and Wong said they were in the Thousand White Building and that Ren was waiting at his hideout for Ryo. At the hideout, Zhang learnt of what happened at the Ghost Hall Building.

Joy found out Zhu Yuanda was taken to the Yellow Head Building, which was Dou Niu's hideout. Zhang said Dou Niu was ordered by the Chi You Men to find Zhu Yuanda. Ren decided to give up going after Zhu Yuanda as he did not want to risk his life by going against Lan Di. Ryo insisted to go and Zhang said he would try to gather information and told Ryo to keep in contact using the Chawan Sign.

Ryo visited all the entrances to the Yellow Head Building and found that they were heavily guarded. Ren changed his mind and decided to find a way in with Ryo. They split up to gather information and Ryo tried the Chawan Sign at one of the tea houses and waited. Someone slipped Ryo a note written with ''Moon Child Building, Room 503''.

The room was pitch black when Ryo opened the door of Room 503 at the Moon Child Building. The man inside said Ryo could turn back if he was afraid. Ryo entered and the man asked to spar with him, saying that darkness offered him the perfect environment to test Ryo's skills. Ryo was at a loss being unable to see where his attacker was. The man said not to rely on sight and that a disturbed mind could make one impatient. He asked if Ryo knew the Wu De.

Ryo recalled the Wu De--Dan (胆) and he began to calm himself to make the right judgment. The man told Ryo not to rely on his eyes when in darkness and to dismiss all other thoughts and see with his mind's eye. Ryo finally hit the man and mastered the move--Predictive Explosion. The man then turned on the lights and Ryo realized he was the blind man playing the fiddle at Dragon Street and that he could see. The man knew Ryo was Iwao's son and said Iwao came to that place twenty years ago and that Iwao has much interest in the Chinese martial arts. Both Iwao and the man became friends and exchanged their knowledge on moves.

The man was shocked and grieved when Ryo said his father was killed by Lan Di. The man then gave Ryo a photo of a scout who finds talented practitioners of martial arts to send to the Chi You Men. If he picked Ryo, he might get a chance to get into Yellow Head Building. But first, Ryo must win at street fights.

Ryo found out the locations of three street matches. He challenged and defeated each fighter, one by one in the presence of the scout. The scout noticed Ryo and asked to meet at Dragon Street at sundown. At the meeting spot, the scout gave Ryo the photos of three fighters--Rod, Greg and Chunyan and told Ryo to defeat them.  These fighters have never lost a match before. Ryo set out to challenge Rod, a swift and strong fighter and defeated him in the ring.

Ryo then visited Greg, a well built wrestler at the Blue Dragon Garden and saw Ren there. Ren mocked Greg and challenged him to a fight but pushed Ryo up to take his place in the fight. Ren made his bet and the fight began. Ryo defeated Greg and Ren was disappointed. Ryo asked him why and he said his bet was on Greg. He walked away, annoyed at Ryo.

At the Black Heaven Building, Ryo found Chunyan, a merciless female fighter dressed as a cow girl who used Jeet Kune Do. He saw Chunyan pushed her fallen opponent off the edge of the floor and plunged into the depths to his death. Ryo stepped forth to challenge her and the organizer claimed Ryo to be the next victim. Ryo countered her moves swiftly and threw her towards the edge where she hang on for her life with one hand. Ryo walked towards the edge and just when she thought Ryo was going to loosen her grip, Ryo pulled her up.

She questioned Ryo’s action but Ryo did not answer and walked away. The scout who was watching was convinced of Ryo's fighting potential. At the earlier meeting spot at Dragon Street, the scout handed Ryo a map and said to come alone to the basement of the Thousand White Building at noon two days later. Ryo showed Ren and Joy the map. Joy did not know there were basements in Thousand White Building.

Two days later, Ryo followed the map’s directions and arrived at the underground passages that were accessible from the Thousand White Building’s basement. There, the scout said to follow him and that the executives were waiting at the end of the hall. Ren appeared and knocked the scout unconscious. They explored the underground passage and came to a locked metallic door. Wong unlocked the door using his lock picking skill and said he heard from Zhang that Zhu Yuanda was being held captive on the 17^th floor in the Yellow Head Building.

Wong was worried about them but Ryo promised him that they would return safely. Wong gave Ryo a map of the Yellow Head Building which he got from Zhang. Ren and Ryo made their way up several floors of the Yellow Head Building by ambushing the patrolling guards in black suits along the corridors. They found the Yellow Head hangout in a room on the 5^th floor and Ren again tossed a coin to determine who to charge in. Ryo made the wrong guess again and became the one to kick the door open. Ryo brought down the men inside and took their radio.

On their way up, they heard on the radio that their attack on the 5^th floor was already discovered and the men were gathering on the 8^th floor. They were discovered before long and chased by Dou Niu’s men. Ryo and Ren managed to block their way by breaking the wooden structures hanging along the corridors.

On the 13th floor, Dou Niu nearly caught up with them while Ryo was crossing the wooden plank across the wide gap in the floor. Ryo made it across in time and kicked the plank off to prevent Dou Niu from crossing.

On the 14^th floor, they were hindered by Yuan who chased them with a chainsaw but they managed to block her off by breaking the corridor structures.

On the 15^th floor, Dou Niu caught up with Ryo as they ran and he knocked Ryo down. Dou Niu tried to step on Ryo who dodged in time and the floor gave way under his weight. Dou Niu fell to the lower level and became stuck in the debris.

On the 16^th floor, Yuan continued to chase after Ryo and Ren who ran and defeated more Dou Niu’s men who tried to  stop them. At the elevator lobby, Ryo defended himself from Yuan’s chainsaw with a metal bar and tripped her using a leg sweep. The disarmed Yuan fought Ryo bare handed and lost the fight. Ryo kicked her into the elevator and Ren cuffed her hand to the hand rest. Ren forced Yuan to reveal where Zhu Yuanda was and she said he was on the 40^th floor and the key to the elevator was in the watchmen’s room on the 18^th floor. Ren kicked a bin of filth towards her splashing the contents all over her body as the elevator door closed.

More of Dou Niu’s men found them at the lobby and Ren threw the radio to Ryo telling him to go ahead while he fought them off. Ryo was eventually persuaded and went on ahead. Ryo defeated the men in the watchmen’s room on the 18^th floor and took the keys from the key press. Ryo realized the elevator to the 40^th floor was not working and he activated the one leading to the basement using one of the keys.

At the basement, Ryo witnessed a cage fight where a samurai fought and finished off his opponent with unique moves. Ryo descended the stairs to the cage and saw Joy being tied up and lying unconscious on the ground. The men in black suits tried to stop Ryo from saving Joy but the samurai named Master Baihu said he would allow Ryo to do so if Ryo could defeat him. Ryo defeated Master Baihu who did not give up and used his most powerful moves on Ryo but was overcome nonetheless. He asked Ryo’s name and said he shall remember it. The men backed away as Ryo woke Joy and freed her. Joy said there was an elevator there that went up to the 40th floor.

In the elevator, Ryo asked Joy her reason for coming to such a dangerous place. She said she wanted to save Ryo. Ryo said he never asked for her help and she chided Ryo for his attitude. She then revealed Wong was taken up to the 40th floor. The design of the 40th floor was grand with a huge bust of Dou Niu facing the elevators.

Ren called Ryo through his radio and Ryo told him that Joy and himself were on the 40th floor. Ren was surprised that Joy was there and said he was on his way. Ryo and Joy arrived at Dou Niu's office where several tough looking men in black suits prevented them from going further. Ryo defeated them and forced one of them to reveal that Zhu Yuanda and Wong were on the roof. Ryo told Joy to wait for Ren while he took the exterior stairs up to the roof, fighting off several more men in black suits who tried to stop him.

Ryo reached the roof and saw a man in black suit knocking Zhu Yuanda out on his wheelchair. Ryo went forth and a chopper emerged from behind the edge of the building and standing on the rope ladder hanging from it was Lan Di.

Ren and Joy arrived and the chopper lowered to retrieve Zhu Yuanda. Meanwhile, Dou Niu who was carrying Wong over the edge of the railing threatened to throw him off the building if they tried to save Zhu Yuanda. Dou Niu laughed maliciously at the fact that he finally earned the right to serve Lan Di and the whole city would belong to him. Wong then bit Dou Niu's arm and Dou Niu tossed him away and Ryo caught him.

As the black suited man signaled at the descending chopper, Ren rushed to attack him and Joy helped Zhu Yuanda from his wheelchair.  Lan Di signaled and the chopper ascended, leaving a furious Dou Niu who was bent to destroy Ryo once and for all. Ren said he would take care of the incoming black suited men while Ryo fought Dou Niu. Ryo faced Dou Niu in a furious battle. Ryo managed to hold off Dou Niu's attack which angered him even more. Dou Niu then charged like a raging ox at Ryo repeatedly who dodged away. Ryo was running out of stamina and he knew he needed to find a way.

Then, he recalled Xiuying's words, ''concentrate on yourself, and staying calm. That is the state of a serene mind, like a polished mirror.'' Closing his eyes, Ryo concentrated on his mind as Dou Niu charged towards him for a killing blow. At that instant when Dou Niu struck, Ryo opened his eyes and avoiding the attack, he lunged forward hitting Dou Niu in the chest with the Counter Elbow Assault move. Dou Niu was knocked back and fell alas motionless to the ground.

Lan Di signaled for the chopper to take off while his cold glare fixed on Ryo. With that, Lan Di was gone again.  As they watched the chopper departed, Ren told Ryo he would not give up.  

  

They brought  Zhu Yuanda back to the hideout. Zhu Yuanda learnt from Ryo of Iwao's death and Ryo asked him why Lan Di killed his father. Zhu Yuanda said Lan Di wanted to avenge the death of his father, Zhao Sunming. Zhu Yuanda said Lan Di's real name was Zhao Longsun, son of Zhao Sunming. Lan Di believed Iwao killed Zhao Sunming but Zhu Yuanda did not know exactly what happened. All he knew was that Zhao Sunming died and Iwao brought Sunming's mirrors back to Japan.

Zhu Yuanda said Zhao Sunming was his best friend and he would have become a legendary martial arts master if he have lived. Ryo showed the Phoenix Mirror to Zhu Yuanda who confirmed it was the mirror once owned by Zhao Sunming. Ryo told Zhu Yuanda that Lan Di took the Dragon Mirror. Zhu Yuanda said when both mirrors were paired, they formed a key to the treasures hidden away in order to revive the Qing Dynasty.

Ren was hyped up about the mention of 'treasures'. Zhu Yuanda asked Wong to turn out the lights and light the candle. Zhu Yuanda placed the Phoenix Mirror on the table next to the candle and exhaled smoke from his cigar. Seven dots of light started to appear above the mirror which Zhu Yuanda said were indication of the treasure's location. But only when combined with the light pattern from the Dragon Mirror could one know where the location was.

Zhu Yuanda said to go to Bailu Village in Guilin, the place where Sunming and Iwao trained when they were young. The mirrors were made of Phantom River Stone found only in that village and the descendants of the one who made the mirrors lived there too. Zhu Yuanda said Lan Di was headed for Guilin as well.

Before Ryo left, Wong gave him two coins from Ren, one with heads on both sides and the other with tails on both sides. Ryo finally learnt why he always ended up making the wrong guesses. Ryo kept them as tokens and bid both Joy and Wong goodbye as he walked out the gate of Dragon Street. In his hideout, Ren thought over Zhu Yuanda's words about the treasure and threw his dagger at the map where Guilin was marked.

It was already night time when Ryo visited Man Mo Temple and saw Xiuying practicing martial arts under the bright full moon. Ryo was curious about her last move and when he asked about it, Xiuying said it was named Demon's Triangle, one of Badazhao of Bajiquan. Master Mo passed Ryo the move's scroll and Xiuying said the move was explained in there.

Xiuying learnt Ryo was going to Guilin and passed him a white stone designed in the shape of Yang (the opposite of Yin). Xiuying recalled her brother Ziming giving her the stone when she was a child and he himself kept the other half of the stone (Yin). Ziming had told her to cherish it. Xiuying said she did not wish for Ryo to follow the same path as Ziming, striking with hatred and eventually destroying himself. Ryo said he could understand how Ziming felt and he believed Xiuying did too. Ryo said he would not die and Ziming must be alive somewhere as well.  Ryo bowed before Xiuying and left.

Guilin

Ryo arrived at Lang Hui Shan, Guilin on a boat and alighted as it docked by the shore where kids were playing and jumping into the water.  Ryo asked one of the villagers who lived there about the way to Bailu Village. The villager said he has been to Bailu Village several times during his younger days as a traveling medicine peddler but not anymore due to his age.

He said Ryo needed to climb several mountains and that some of the cliffs would make one dizzy. The thick forests clouded the distinction between left and right. He said it would take two days to get there if one could keep from getting lost or it could take an entire life. He told Ryo to watch out for wolves.

While traveling down the road beside the flowing river, the sky suddenly turned dark and it started to rain heavily. Ryo ran on and as he reached the river bank, he saw a struggling white deer carried by the rushing river and a girl in earth colored clothes sprinting on the opposite bank. The girl jumped into the river in an attempt to save the white deer. Ryo let down his bag and jumped in after her. The girl held on to the white deer unwilling to let go despite Ryo's persuasion. He swam ahead to intercept them and pulled them towards the bank.

The rain had stopped when Ryo awoke by the riverside with the girl lying next to him. He held her up and woke her. She was relieved to see the white deer safe on the shore. She said she had to save the white deer as it was the guardian of her village. Ryo wondered if there was any relation between the white deer with Bailu Village as 'bai' meant 'white' and 'lu' meant 'deer'. Shenhua then revealed that she was from Bailu Village. Ryo asked her to lead him to the village and she agreed. She said her name was Shenhua and Ryo introduced himself as well. On their way, they shared their origins with each other and Ryo learnt that Shenhua has lived in Bailu Village with her father all her life.

Shenhua said there were various legends told in Bailu Village and the village has existed for hundreds of years. Long ago, it was said the village suffered from drought and then there was a forest fire. When the village was surrounded by flames, a white deer appeared and led the villagers to a spring in the mountains. The villagers thus escaped from the forest fire. From then on, the white deer appeared occasionally, saving the villagers from many other dangers.

Shenhua said there were fifty people living in Bailu Village and that they were all nice people. However, there were inconveniences as the village was surrounded by mountains. Thus, the villagers lived off the gifts from the mountains. 

Down the path, they came across endless fragrant olive trees in bloom. Shenhua said that in China, these trees were called ‘gui’ and woods were called ‘lin’. Thus, Guilin meant the woods of fragrant olives. Shenhua said that her father was a stonecutter in Bailu Village and he would find various stones in the mountains’ stone pits and create beautiful works from stone.

Shenhua said she wanted to show Ryo some of her father’s creations when they reached the village. Shenhua asked about Ryo’s father and Ryo said his father taught him a lot of things but did not continue the topic as he was reminded of his father’s death. They talked about flowers and Shenhua said she loved them. She asked Ryo what a florist was when Ryo told her about his childhood friend Nozomi and her florist shop. Shenhua found it strange that flowers needed to be sold as flowers were found everywhere.

Ryo was curious how Shenhua could recognize the paths. Shenhua explained she knew the direction from the sun’s position and the signs along the paths such as strangely shaped trees and stones, as well as places with drinking water. Shenhua said to follow the animal trails if one ever lost his way as they would always lead to water.

As the sky grew dark, Shenhua asked Ryo to run with her while there was still light. At one point, they saw an area filled with fireflies in the air. Shenhua told Ryo to be careful when he saw light shining low near the shrubs as snake eyes shone very much like fireflies and one could get bitten if one's hand is put out carelessly.

Shenhua led Ryo to a cave along the cliff side where travelers used to take shelter from the rain. Ryo saw a hawk soaring across the surrounding landscape outside the cave. They found firewood in the cave and Shenhua said whoever passed by there must have spent the night in the cave. Ryo gathered more wood in the cave and they sat around the campfire and chatted about their lives.

Shenhua said she would plant vegetables and feed the goats in her free time. There was no school in Bailu Village thus she learnt anything she needed to know from her father and the villagers. Ryo learnt that Shenhua was sixteen years old, two years younger than himself. Ryo talked about his friends such as Nozomi, Guizhang, Tom and Goro.

Ryo showed Shenhua the photo of Nozomi and himself taken at the harbor and Ryo said he gave her so much trouble. Ryo told Shenhua about her kidnap by the Mad Angels and Shenhua was relieved to hear that Ryo saved her in the end. Shenhua learnt from Ryo that Nozomi was in a country far away called Canada. Shenhua asked if he wished to see her but Ryo said there were things he needed to get done first.

Ryo then talked about Tom and said that he was a real funny guy from the States who sold a foreign food known as hotdog in town. Ryo said Tom was always singing. Next was Guizhang who Ryo described as a stubborn and proud guy who respected his father with all his heart. Shenhua asked where Guizhang was and Ryo told her that he got hurt as a result of saving him back in Japan. Ryo felt guilty but Shenhua said she didn't think Guizhang has any regrets as her father once said that was what a Chinese loyal friend would do. Ryo shared that Guizhang's skills in Chinese martial arts were really something and he would like to spar with him again if he ever gets the chance.

Ryo then mentioned Goro who started off bullying and taking money from people when he first met him. Yet deep inside, Goro was a nice person and he stopped doing those things. Ryo also said Goro was eager to please and started calling him 'bro' out of nowhere and that it was owed to him Ryo was able to get a job in the harbor carrying crates. Shenhua shared there was a similar job in the village but Ryo explained the crates were carried using machines, a term Shenhua was unfamiliar with.

Shenhua asked if Ryo came to China alone. Ryo said he went to Hong Kong to meet a master named Tao Lishao and showed Shenhua a photo of Xiuying. Shenhua said Xiuying was beautiful. Ryo said Xiuying taught him some moves and he wouldn't be alive if he had never met her. Shenhua said her father told her that people meet because of destiny and that Ryo did not meet Xiuying by accident.

Shenhua heard Ryo's stomach growling and giggled, saying she would prepare a big meal with rabbit meat for him when they got home the next day, though she said she was not that great of a cook. Shenhua said sometimes her father would catch rabbits, pheasants and turtledoves from the mountains. Ryo shared that he has never thought about meals that way as all he needed was to buy the meat or vegetables. Soon, they went to sleep.

Ryo woke up a few hours later and went outside the cave. There on the edge of the cliff, he practiced Taiji. Shenhua came out and saw him when she realized he was not around in the cave. Ryo told her that he learnt Taiji in Hong Kong from watching mostly. Ryo said it was about breathing in the power from the earth and collecting it in the center of the abdomen.

Shenhua said there was much power in the trees, water, stones and everything and that she always gains power from the forest. They heard the howl of wolves and Shenhua said there were many wolves in the area and the name Lang Hui Shan meant Wolves Mountain. Shenhua said sometimes the wolves attack people at night but they would be safe as long as the fire was burning as they would never come near a fire. Shenhua said she would watch the fire and told him to get some sleep.

A while later, Ryo heard singing and realized it came from Shenhua who was sitting on a tree outside. Shenhua said it was an old song of Bailu Village about the landscape of Guilin. They woke to a clear day the next morning and continued on their journey. Shenhua said the strangely shaped mountains Ryo saw all around were called Shanqing, mountain with a pure and beautiful shape.

Ryo learnt Shenhua has never seen the sea before as she has never been outside Guilin. Shenhua said the flowers and animals kept her company and talked to her when she went to the forest. She said she did not know how to explain it but those who lived in the same forest could understand each other. Shenhua's usual path was blocked by fallen trees caused by the heavy rain earlier.

They took the other path and came to a river with rocks. Shenhua crossed with light steps by stepping on the rocks followed by Ryo. They soon reached the point where Shenhua was familiar with and she led him to a path filled with colza blossoms.

Shenhua said she liked the evening chrysanthemums most and Ryo said his father liked lilies. He remembered Nozomi bringing some for his father one day. The path soon led to a large tree with branches shaped like a spider's legs. Shenhua said the villagers named it the Spider Tree and the tree marked the halfway point to Bailu Village.

They came upon the side of a spring which the water's color changed five times from noon till evening. Thus, it was called the Five Colors Spring. Ryo witnessed the spring changed color and asked how it happened. Shenhua was puzzled by Ryo's question as she never thought of the spring's ability to change color as something strange.

Further on, they arrived at a rocky area with an artificial looking scenery due to the strange shapes of the rocks. Arms of rocks extended from the sides of the tall vertical rocks forming bridges high above the flowing river beneath. Shenhua explained the strange shapes were created by wind and water over a long period of time. It was a dangerous crossing due to the narrow rocks.

After making it across, they came to a branching point with stone lion statues. Shenhua said it was an ancient Chinese sign placed on the roads that branched off. The stone lion king was a talisman found everywhere in China and it was taught to Shenhua when she was young that the stone lion protected the village from evil spirits. Ryo recalled seeing them at entrances of the towns in Hong Kong.

They passed an area filled with seeds where Shenhua used to play and blow them since she was a child. Ryo said he used to blow seeds too when he was small. Shenhua said she still does. She closed her eyes and the seeds started to lift upwards into the air by themselves which surprised Ryo.

Ryo asked about the lives of the villagers and Shenhua said most of them cultivated the fields and owned water buffalo or goats. There were horses for people to ride on as well. Ryo also learnt that the houses in Bailu Village have walls made from dirt apart from rare and beautiful stones. Shenhua said those stones could only be found near Bailu Village and used to be treasured by the emperors and nobles in the city.

Ryo shared that his house was made of wood, tiled roof and glass windows and doors. Shenhua said the villagers do not use glass to build houses as glass breaks easily and could not be fixed. Shenhua said the rain did not only flow into the river but seeped into the trees and the earth too. She said thick fog would cover the mountains in the mornings and evenings and one could not even see his hands stretched out before him at such times.

She said the mountains of Guilin were most beautiful when the morning fog embraced them. They heard the gush of flowing water and went to check it out. They saw a flowing river which Shenhua said has been dry for months. She said small waterfalls were made here and there whenever it rained and the river ran into the Lijiang.

Shenhua said her father sometimes has heavy cough especially during the night or when it was humid. She would rub his back to ease his discomfort. Shenhua would bring him herbs and there was also a pharmacy in the village but still, she was concerned about her father's health and hoped his sickness would not get worse.

She said her father has been working constantly but he didn't talk much about his work. As they neared Shenhua's house, Shenhua offered to thank Ryo for saving her life by inviting him for a meal at her house before taking him to Bailu Village.

Outside her house was a big tree and Shenhua said it was called Shenmue and its flowers would bloom every year at this time of the season. She said the tree held a special meaning for her. She said her name, Shenhua was named after the flower of the Shenmue tree.

Ryo shared that there was a tree called cherry blossoms at his home that bloomed during springtime and it held a special meaning for him too. Shenhua said that her house was located at the edge of Bailu Village. Inside the house, Shenhua observed the Shenmue tree while quietly thinking of her childhood days when she used to play on the swing under the tree. Ryo asked about Shenhua's family and she said she only has a father.

She learnt that Ryo's mother was no longer around since Ryo was small and now his father was gone too. Ryo described his father as a stubborn but warm hearted man. Ryo recalled he would pushed the carrots aside during meals as he did not like eating them. Then, his father would look at him sternly and said that while he was sleeping, farmers were already working hard in the fields picking carrots one by one. Thus, he should not waste them. Hearing this, Ryo then agreed to eat them.

Shenhua said she was told that her real parents had died but she remembered nothing about them, not even how they died. Her present father took her parents' place and raised her like his own child and was her only family left.

She used to throw tantrums at her father saying she wanted siblings which reminded Ryo of Fuku-san, whom he used to fight with a lot. Despite Fuku-san was not his real brother, he has become an important part of his family.

Shenhua said the Shenmue tree has been alive for thousands of years . Ryo said he sensed a strange feeling about the Shenmue tree as though it has a spirit, like it was watching and protecting them even as they sat there. Ryo also said that he felt like he knew the tree from a long time ago. Shenhua felt the same way when she played under the tree, like she was being held by it and she would no longer feel lonely.

Shenhua went to make dinner and Ryo saw an interesting stone sculpture on the shelf. Shenhua said her father could hear voices from stone, though she did not know what he meant. After dinner, Ryo found several interesting collections in her house including a book on constellations where the Xingxiu were explained, stars which affected the fates of people and the Big Dipper was one of them.

She said the North Star was said to be the god that deals with death and something bad happens when it flickers, like the night before when she saw the Big Dipper and got a bad feeling. That was why she couldn't get to sleep and started singing.

Ryo noticed a painting of mountains on the wall and Shenhua said those mountains were scary and those who set foot there never returned. No one would go near those mountains anymore. On a table, Ryo saw a piece of paper with drawings of the mirrors on it. Ryo took out the Phoenix Mirror and noticed it was a perfect match. Ryo asked what the drawing was and she said her father told her that it has been in their family since long, long ago but he wouldn't tell her anything about it.

Shenhua asked Ryo about the mirror and Ryo said it was given to his father but she said the Phantom River Stone could only be found in Bailu Village. Her father at the Stone Pit might know something. Her father had said he was going to finish something. She agreed to bring Ryo there to meet her father the next day as she would bring him food every day.

The next morning, Shenhua asked Ryo about the mirror with the dragon design and Ryo said it was stolen by his father's killer, Lan Di. Shenhua said that a village legend spoke of ancient emperors with mirrors made from Phantom River Stone and the rulers fought for the mirror, trying to get its hidden power and some even lost their lives as a result. She said she was getting scared and hoped nothing evil would happen.

As they came to a pass, Shenhua sensed something was amiss as there wasn't a single bird around. She said usually the migratory birds settled there and chatted with each other.  They rushed to the Stone Pit, each lighting a torch by the fire at the entrance and walked down the steps leading into the darkness of the pit below.

Shenhua called for her father but no answer came. She placed the food on the table and went to search for him. They came to a door further in which Shenhua said has always been locked. They realized it was ajar and thought maybe her father was inside.

They entered and came to a much wider cavern with streams of water flowing down from the rocks above. Ryo found a paper with writings on the stone ahead and Shenhua picked it up and noticed it was her father's handwriting. The writings read:

''Dear Shenhua, my work is done. The Phoenix entrusted to our people is now complete. The time of destiny has come. Shenhua...go with the one who holds the Phoenix, and find the proof. Yield yourself to the one...and go together.  I shall give you the family treasure, the Sword of Seven Stars. Think of the sword as a part of me and keep it with you. I shall always watch over you.''

Ryo picked up the ancient looking sword on the stone. Shenhua did not understand what her father meant. They searched the area and found a pedestal with a slot at the top. The sphere at the bottom of it was glowing. Ryo unsheathed the sword and inserted it into the slot but it could not go in all the way no matter how hard Ryo forced it down.

Shenhua told Ryo to let her try. As her hand reached for the sword, both their hands were repelled by some unknown force unleashed by the sword. Ryo withdrew his hand and Shenhua positioned hers above the sword without touching it and the sword slowly descended fully into the slot.

At the opposite end, a structure appeared out of the ground. At the upper portion of the structure, Ryo realized a circular slot with a design similar to the one on the Phoenix Mirror.  Ryo placed the Phoenix Mirror on the slot and the inserted sword at the other end lifted up into the air by itself. Light began to converge around the Phoenix Mirror before a ray of red light shot towards the sword which bounced off and lit up a torch.

The fire from the torch trailed down the rope tied to it passing and lighting up several other torches along the way. The darkness of the cavern faded and revealed two gigantic stone mirrors that looked exactly the same as the Dragon Mirror and Phoenix Mirror.

As they watched on, Shenhua began to recite:

''From a distant land in the East, from across the sea, he shall appear. He does not know of the strength hidden within him. The strength that would destroy him...The strength that would fulfill his wishes. When he is ready, he shall seek me out. And we shall brave together the rocky path. I shall wait...This encounter has been my destiny since ancient times. A Dragon shall emerge from the earth, and dark clouds shall obscure the heavens. A Phoenix shall descend from above, its wings will create a purple wind. In the midst of the pitch black night, a morning star shall glisten, alone...''

Ryo asked her what that poem was and Shenhua said it has been told in the village from long ago. Shenhua began to realize that Ryo might be ''the one who holds the Phoenix'' as written in her father's letter. Ryo and Shenhua then turned and looked at each other with silent realization.

Thus the story goes on...

What happened to Shenhua's father? Where is Lan Di? What danger awaits in Bailu Village? Was Zhao Sunming really killed by Ryo's father and why? What is the secret behind the mirrors? Will Ryo run into Ziming? What happened to the migratory birds?   

These are the questions Shenmue fans have been asking for the past 14 years and finally the answers are coming. So if you like the story until this point, please pledge for the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign to give Shenmue 3 the budget it deserves and not just for Shenmue 3, but for the possibility of subsequent installments which without, Ryo's revenge will never be achieved.