Stratagem One: Deceive the Heavens to Cross the Sea

  Definition: “Use extreme deception and falsehood to create something out of nothing with the aim of surprising the enemy to achieve victory.”

  - The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Ancient Chinese Proverbs and Military Text

  The city skyline evaporated into the gray summer fog. The seasonal monsoon winds blew in the humid air which made everything sweat as they waited for the typhoon rainstorms that will inevitably follow. On the streets, the smell of people – perfume, stir-fry noodles, cigarettes and garbage – mixed and lingered.

  A young girl walked down the street. Her black Mary Janes clicked rhythmically against the hard cement. She wore a polyester blue qipao, a traditional Chinese sheath dress that was popular over a hundred years ago and was the ubiquitous uniform among the schoolgirls of the city. She could almost be mistaken for one of them, but her skirt was just a little too short, her curves a little too round, and her eyes a little too knowing.

  Autumn smiled as she approached the steel and glass fa?ade of the Ritz Carlton. The doorman who was rocking back and forth in boredom tripped over his shiny leather loafers to open the door for her.

  Who said there was no such thing as magic?

  Autumn’s ears popped as the building elevator rose with dizzying speed up to the 108th floor. The elevator doors opened to a sunlit lobby with floor to ceiling windows that looked down on the clouds which covered the city below. Humans really are impressive, Autumn thought to herself.

  A young teenage couple stood on one side taking selfies beside the glass curtain wall. A few feet away, a mother was snapping pictures of her daughter while the father discretely checked out Autumn as she walked by. A young man in sunglasses and blue jeans was less discrete as he looked up from his phone to track her progress across the lobby. He didn’t stop staring until two businessmen in slightly crumpled suits and black backpacks blocked his view. Autumn winked as she walked past them.

  Unlike the airy elevator lobby, the hotel’s reception area was lavishly decorated with black marble floors, dark mahogany walls and shimmering gold oriental style folding screens. Autumn looked around curiously before heading over to a tall, thin middle-aged receptionist in a dark suit.

  Autumn glanced at the man’s name tag and gold watch before smiling beguilingly at him. “Hello, Mr. Lee, my name is Autumn Jade. I’m supposed to meet my uncle in his room, but I forgot his room number. Can you look it up for me?"

  The receptionist cleared his throat. “I am sorry miss, but I can’t do that. You are welcome to use the lobby phone to call him.”

  Autumn shook her head and pouted her glossy lips. "I can’t. My uncle said he was expecting a very important call this afternoon from the chairman, and I must not tie up his phone. Can’t you give me his room number and keycard so I can just slip in?"

  "I’m afraid I can't tell you the room number for a guest."

  "Oh but my sisters Heiya and Mei already went up. I just want to join them."

  Comprehension dawned. The receptionist took out a plastic key card, tapped it against the key card encoder and slid it discreetly across the counter to Autumn.

  "The Minister is in Suite 1602. Please come together next time."

  “I will. Thank you so much Uncle Lee.” Autumn smiled and pocketed the card.

  The elevators to the hotel rooms were located on the other side of the receptionist area. Autumn made her way to them slowly, stopping to check out the ink paintings and blue ceramic vases on display. By the time she had gotten into the elevator, the two businessmen she had passed by earlier hurried in as well. Close up, one of them was older with thinning gray hair messily combed over. The younger one wore wire-rimmed glasses and gripped tightly the straps of his black backpack. He glanced at Autumn frequently and nervously.

  Autumn tapped her newly acquired key card against a scanner and the elevator began moving. She leaned closer to her reflection in the mirrored surface of the elevator door to adjust her hair style, flipping her part from the center to the left then right side. The deacceleration of the elevator seemed to startle her and Autumn stumbled into one of the businessmen. She whispered "1602" in his year before slipping the keycard in his pocket. The man nodded his head once in acknowledgement.

  The elevator doors opened to a thick carpeted hall wall and the hotel signature scent of orchid, bergamot and sandalwood. Autumn walked out and turned left. Halfway down the hall, a heavy-set man in a dark suit was leaning against a wall scrolling on his phone. He stared at Autumn as she approached him.

  "Who are you?" he asked, a bit confused.

  "I’m Autumn. Sorry, my MTR train was late."

  "The girls already went in. I’m not expecting anyone else.”

  He was protesting but Autumn could sense his resolve weakening. He had already partially turned toward the door.

  “It was the train. I couldn’t help it.” She patted her pockets looking for something, then took out a pack of mints. She popped one into her mouth and offered one to the guard. He looked befuddled but took it when she offered it again.

  “Please let me in. I saw the Minister at a talent show last week and he asked me personally to come today.”

  Autumn took a step forward to touch the guard’s arm imploringly. Her chest brushed against the guard’s hand and his eyes lingering on her lips.

  She was exactly the Minister's type, the guard thought to himself, a girlish face and a woman’s body. He stepped aside to let Autumn slip inside the double doors of the hotel suite.

  Inside a golden chandelier the size of a jacuzzi hung over a marbled entryway. Outside the window, Autumn saw Victoria Harbor and the South China Sea. She turned right and walked across thick beige carpets and around a set of intricately carved cherry red shelves.

  A middle-aged man sat on the center sofa. A suit jacket and tie draped over a loveseat. He leaned back on the cushions while two schoolgirls danced to pop music in front of him.

  For a moment, Autumn struggled to control her anger. This man was the finance minister of the city. According to her sources he had been funneling bribes from local construction firms to line his pockets and fund his disgusting habits, yet despite doing their best to expose him, all their attempts had been met with extraordinary bad luck. Autumn suspected he had bought the protection of the city god and she was here to stop it.

  Once she gained control of her gag reflex, Autumn walked over to the sofa.

  “Mei and Heiya JieJie,” Autumn whined in a high pitched voice. “You started without me!”

  The man on the sofa jerked up and turned around. His nervousness faded once he saw her.

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  “Who are you?” He asked, licking his lips.

  “She is my MeiMei, my younger sister,” the girl called Heiya said. “I hope it is okay for me to ask her to come. I wanted her to see this place.”

  “It’s so huge!” Autumn gushed.

  The man smirked. “I’m glad you like it. Do you want a drink?” He gestured to the bottles on the side table beside him.

  “I want a Sprite!” Autumn said. She started walking toward the other girls who started dancing again. As she was passing the Minister grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Close up, Autumn could see a pendant on a red string around his neck

  “Here’s your drink,” he handed a glass to her.

  Autumn took two big gulps before handing the glass back. “Yuck,” she said, wrinkling her nose, “that Sprite tastes spicy.”

  The minister snorted as he took the glass from her. “It's a premium Sprite.” Autumn tried to stand and join her friends, but she stumbled and sat back down on his lap. He stroked her arms as she looked up at him smiling half dazed.

  “I want some Sprite too!” One of the girls who were dancing came over and picked up the glass Autumn had drunk from. The other sat down beside the Minister giggling at Autumn.

  Just then there was a flash of camera lights. It was the older man in the wrinkled suits from the elevator. The Minister startled, tried to stand up and push the girls off him. Autumn and Heiya clung on, making sure the man got several photographs with them in it.

  “Help,” the minister yelled. There was a scuffling noise from the hallway, but the guard did not appear.

  The man shoved his cellphone camera in front of the Minister’s face while he asked with a broadcaster voice, “Minister, what is your relationship with these young ladies? You have been campaigning for more conservative morals and denied cheating allegations. What do you have to say about the current situation?”

  Just then the bodyguard staggered in trying to throw off the younger man from the elevator who was clinging to him.

  “Get them out of here!” The Minister roared.

  Autumn locked eyes with two girls and the three of them scurried out of the room and ran down the hallway to the elevator. A few moments later, the two men staggered in after them with the private security guard stumbling not far behind. Heiya frantically pressed the Lobby button and the elevator door closed in the guard’s face.

  “Did you get what you need?” Mei asked the two men who wheezed and leaned against the mirrored wall of the elevator.

  “Yes.” The young man wearing glasses finally answered. “We were live streaming on our news website. The information is out now and there’s no way for him to undo the damage.”

  The older man turned to Autumn, “Thank you for helping us expose him. We knew he was molesting the girls in the city, but we had been remarkably unlucky every time we tried.”

  Mei said confidently, “I’m sure this time it will work.”

  The younger man looked at the two girls, pushed his glasses up his nose, blushed and said, “I hope you didn’t have to suffer too much for it.”

  The two girls giggled. Heiya said, “Oh this is a trip down memory lane for me and Mei. Reminds me of some of the stunts we did back in the Warlord era.”

  The younger man looked confused. “The Warlord Era was in the 1920s.”

  Mei poked her friend in the ribs. “A lady should never reveal her age,” she admonished.

  Heiya giggled. “You might be a lady, but I’m just a magpie who gossips.”

  Just then Autumn felt a surge of pressure above her. The two girls must also have felt something because they turned in unison toward Autumn.

  “We should get out of here as soon as possible,” Autumn said.

  The small band made their way through the lobby of the hotel and then took the elevator down to the street level. As they existed, a gust of wind swirled around them. Autumn could feel the oncoming of more magic.

  “I think it’s best that we part ways here,” Autumn said. The two men nodded. They thanked her again and quickly walked away and blended in with the crowd heading for the subway.

  Autumn turned toward the other two girls, “Mei and Heiya, you should head out too. It would be easier for me to handle the rest on my own.”

  Mei started to object but Autumn cut her off.

  “I was an Immortal for centuries before you and Heiya were born. I know what I’m doing. Nothing bad will happen to me. But I want you two to go home now so I don’t have to worry.”

  Mei looked like she might argue but Heiya touched her arm gently before turning to Autumn. “We will see you back home?”

  “I promise.” Autumn hugged both girls quickly. Heiya grabbed Mei’s hand, and they hurried toward the end of the block where they were swallowed up by the throng of human traffic.

  Autumn headed in the opposite direction, toward the harbor and the sea. There were no exits this way, but there was a public park, a small patch of grass surrounded by benches, bike paths and some food carts. Autumn ordered an iced tea from a flirtatious food cart vendor. While she waited, she looked up to watch the glow of magical power descend from atop of the Ritz Carlton. When the vendor handed her the tea, Autumn saw strands of golden power flowing around her and around the park. Suddenly the food cart’s owner’s eyes went from flirtatious to vacant. Autumn turned around and saw the local City God march toward her, flanked by two guards.

  They were dressed in western business suits with the only Chinese influence being their richly embroidered waistcoat and tie. Both guards were tall, one was also muscular, while the other was slender. Autumn could see their power tied to the mountains and streams of the island. The City God was short and portly. His power flowed from him, rich from the land they stood on, but also from the jade ring he wore. Autumn frowned.

  “Halt! Woman! How dare you steal from the city!”

  Autumn looked around her in feigned confusion. “Who are you speaking to? Surely not me.”

  “Of course I am speaking to you! Did you or did you not steal from the city’s finance minister earlier?”

  “Oh, you mean this?” Autumn raised her left hand and there hanging from her middle finger was the pendant she had seen around the minister’s neck. It was a pale green jade with a gold thread running through it.

  The City God gasped. “Thief! Give it back!”

  “I don’t think so,” Autumn said. “This is a Seal of Fortune. It belongs in the office of the City Magistrate to guide the fate of the local humans. It does not belong on a human, no matter how much offering he makes to the local god.”

  “How do you know that?” He looked confused and then he gasped. “You are an Immortal!”

  “That’s the first intelligent thing I have heard out of you.” Autumn scoffed.

  She raised both hands and drew an arch around her. As she did so, the air around rippled and she transformed. The blue cotton quipao changed to a black cashmere sweater and black jeans.

  Mahogany hair tinted with auburn flowed down her back. Her skin was pale, flawless and dewy. Slender eyebrows arched over eyes the color of shimmering gold and her plump cherry lips curved in a slight smile.

  “You… You are a fox spirit!” One of the guards gasped and gazed at her with longing and fear.

  “Wicked!” The City God spat at her.

  Autumn saw out of the corner of her eye a magpie twittering from a tree branch close by. Autumn frowned at the bird, annoyed that at least one of her charges had not left as she had asked.

  “I’m a fox immortal and I might be wicked, but you are corrupt and negligent at your job of protecting the city.”

  This reminded the City God why they were here. He snared.

  “You have no proof of that. The words of a fox immortal mean less than nothing. Everyone knows your kind seduces the innocent and spreads lies everywhere you go. You are hereby charged with trespassing and larceny. Guards,” he gestured to the two men behind him, “arrest her.”

  “Your power can’t contain me,” Autumn said amused. She had rarely met a local god so incompetent.

  “I… I’ll appeal to the Magistrate of Heaven!” He blustered.

  Autumn hesitated. She had not planned on dealing with anyone from Heaven today.

  Seeing her reluctance, the City God gloated. He reached into his pocket and brought out a wooden plaque that he raised toward heaven. Autumn watched helplessly as his power traced the lettering on the Plaque of Summoning.

  A gust of wind blew, much stronger than before. Autumn heard the magpie caw in surprise. Autumn fervently hoped that this would cause Miss Heiya to leave like she was supposed to.

  Out of the clouds, a bolt of lightning hit the ground next to them. The City God jumped back in surprise and one of his guardsmen fell. Autumn flinched. She had been expecting this.

  The man that appeared was dressed in hanfu, a much more ancient style of dress. His white tunic was edged with blue embroidery of clouds. His long hair was tied up in a futou.

  “Who summons the Magistrate of Heaven?”

  The short city god fell on his knees. His guards looked at each other and then followed suit. “It’s I, FuChen, the City God of Kowloon. I have apprehended a fox spirit who stole the Jade of Fortune from me.”

  The Magistrate of Heaven frowned. “The Jade of Fortune does not belong to any City God, but the office.”

  “Yes. Sorry. I misspoke.” The City God said nervously. “But she did take the jade. We seek justice from the heavenly court to annihilate her.”

  That got harsh rather quickly, Autumn thought.

  The Magistrate of Heaven glanced at Autumn, before looking back at the City God. “I have strict instructions for cases involving Lady Autumn. If you two could wait for a few minutes, I will return.”

  Autumn nodded and the Magistrate of Heaven disappeared.

  “You already have a rap sheet,” the City God gloated.

  Autumn sighed. She walked over to a bench and sat down to sip from her iced tea which was rapidly warming in the hot humid air. The City God waved his arms in a complicated pattern. After a few tries, golden bars appeared around her. The City God only had a few seconds to admire his handy work before a bird defecated on him and one of the guards. Cursing, they withdrew to find some napkins to clean up.

  Autumn looked at the magpie gleefully hopping on the ground close by.

  “Thank you but that was unnecessary. He will get what he deserves soon enough. You and Miss Mei don’t have to worry.”

  Autumn relaxed and sipped from her drink. This was not the first time she had been in a cage, although the last time was over a thousand years ago.