"You first, you follow." "That priest could elude one of you." "Do not let him trick you both." "Use your weapon, soldier." "Even a priest understands a sword." "Priest is here, sir." "We'll find him." "Search all the houses and stores." "I want that priest." "I want that priest." "Your tread must be light and sure as though your path were upon rice paper." "It is said a Shaolin priest can walk through walls." "Looked for, he cannot be seen." "Listened for, he cannot be heard." "Touched, he cannot be felt." "This rice paper is the test." "Fragile as the wings of the dragonfly, clinging as the cocoon of the silkworm." "When you can walk its length and leave no trace you will have learned." "May I serve you?" "We seek a priest." "As you can see, there is none here." "Well, then, have you seen a priest?" "Our time is short." "is this establishment a historical monument, lieutenant?" "No, sir." "Or have you a passion for pottery?" "No, sir." "Have you had sufficient time to admire this artisan's talent?" "Yes, sir." "We are here to question the man, lieutenant." "Does something please your eyes, sir?" "Nothing I have seen pleases my eyes, old man." "And nothing you have told me pleases my ears." "Lieutenant." "You can't help him." "If you go up, it's his life as well." "He's just killed the royal nephew." "Get the guard!" "There will be a price on your head, no place to hide." "You must leave the country." "You may ascend." "You men over there, search that group of houses." "The rest of you search over there." "We have to find the priest." "I can throw another pot." "Can I return to life a Shaolin priest?" "Wait." "Where will you go?" "I must gain passage to the land of the lamas." "Forbidden Kingdom." "There's only one pass through." "They will be waiting for you." "But I must try." "You go to your death." "My death is here." "Now I must fly from it." "That man by the pottery shop, hold him." "Are you of this village?" "Do you mean have I lived here all my life?" "I mean I want no sham here, civilian." "No hoax, no long and lingering puzzlement from you." "Do not answer my question with a question." "It may become your epitaph." "I am of this village." "And how do you feed yourself, villager?" "I am the apprentice to the potter, Excellency." "I have just been with the potter." "Where were you?" "l was sent on an errand." "l did not see you return, apprentice." "You're right. I came through the rear." "Through the rear, into the shop." "Soldier, you were stationed at the rear." "Did you see him enter the shop?" "No, sir." "Did you leave your post, soldier?" "No, sir." "I think you had better start talking about the priest, apprentice." "Where is the priest?" "Go, quickly." "What about you?" "There are many cellars in our village." "What sort of secret maneuver is this, lieutenant?" "Sorry, sir. lt was the priest." "He and the potter's apprentice." "I'll go after them, sir." "Why do you always want to run and not think?" "We'll have a word with the potter." "What his apprentice knows, surely he must know." "Who are you?" "I am looking for Sou Kin." "l am sorry." "You are the priest they seek." "Of what order are you?" "Shaolin." "I would not have betrayed you." "Can you tell me where is Sou Kin?" "He is not here." "He will not return." "I must find him." "You are not safe in this village." "Come with me." "Have you a choice, Shaolin?" "Look in those bushes." "Wait here. I will ask where he has gone." "It may be dangerous to inquire of him." "I know who to ask, Shaolin." "My name is Kwai Chang Caine." "I am Po Li." "Po Li." "Po Li, I'm so glad to see you." "They seized me." "I thought I was finished." "Go and bring your commanding officer." "Quickly!" "Tell him the sister of Po San is here, with news of the priest." "What priest?" "What is all this, Po Li?" "What are you doing?" "I am trying to save your life, my brother." "Even a woman of your considerable beauty cannot manage that." "But perhaps a priest can?" "A Shaolin?" "The Shaolin." "Where is he?" "First we will talk about my brother." "Give me the priest, and your brother is a free man." "Or free my brother, and you shall have the priest." "Right." "You're intelligent." "Let us talk intelligently." "I give nothing." "It is not my family which faces death." "Bring me the priest." "Then you shall have your brother." "I shall deliver the priest." "Where?" "When?" "I will bring you word." "Have faith. I shall not desert you." "What are you doing here?" "I am waiting." "Your mother asked me to wait." "My mother is dead." "Do you mean Po Li?" "Yes." "She is my aunt." "l am Po Sing." "l am Kwai Chang." "Welcome to this humble house." "Will you sit down?" "Your home is very gracious." "I suppose it is." "It is the only home l have ever had, so I would not know." "But it's lonely." "You have your father." "He has been gone often, but soon he will be back to stay, Po Li says." "Whenever there is a long silence, it is time for me to leave." "I am sorry, Po Sing." "It is safer for you not to know too much." "Goodbye." "Goodbye, Po Sing." "Sou Kin is in the forest beyond the village." "Between him and you, there are a thousand soldiers with orders to kill you on sight." "No, not that way." "There has been too much activity from this house today." "Here, through the garden." "Beyond is the peach orchard, and beyond lies the forest." "Come." "You are coming with me?" "Yes." "You have risked enough." "l know the forest." "I have played in it since I was a child." "Why are you doing this?" "Do you like the military life, lieutenant?" "It's my career, sir." "My family is a military family, and...." "Sir, you know my father." "And how do you think he became general?" "Well he was a very brave man, sir." "And you are just like your father, lieutenant?" "It is my deepest wish." "Good." "We need brave men in a war." "And we are in a war, lieutenant." "The priest is our enemy." "But wars are not won by bravery alone." "They are won by stealth, deception, spies, informers all the ignoble talents of mankind." "Remember that, lieutenant, if you want to become a general." "Yes, sir." "Thank you, sir." "I appreciate the advice, but...." "But should we not be in pursuit of the priest?" "I am in pursuit of the priest, lieutenant." "I'm in active hunt for Kwai Chang Caine." "You must rest." "It is hard to think of you as a priest." "Yet I am." "Did your family wish you to become a priest?" "I have no family." "You have no one?" "No sister, nor brother?" "I am alone." "You have no one with whom you can talk?" "I am talking to you." "That is not what I mean." "I mean someone you can trust." "I trust you." "Did I fall asleep?" "What is it?" "Oh, please." "Oh, no." "Please, no!" "Help!" "Sou Kin?" "These seedlings are just starting their lives, and mine is ending." "We are equally helpless." "You are a good and faithful man." "He cannot talk at all." "And I hear very little now." "We are a bad combination for the forest." "But we manage." "I talk mainly to my little trees." "Do you know that they need eight years to grow one foot?" "One foot." "Chair?" "No." "No, please." "Thank you." "In those eight years, my little trees will thicken by one inch." "One inch." "But once they are rooted, they are here to stay and so am I." "Now, will you have some tea?" "May I speak first?" "Yes, yes, you may speak." "I did not think that two young people had come through the forest to admire my seedlings." "Forgive me." "You need not apologize." "Because you are young and impatient." "He's just killed the royal nephew." "I am not impatient." "I am Kwai Chang Caine." "I must leave the country." "And you need safe passage?" "Yes, venerable one." "And you were told that only Sou Kin could provide you with safe passage?" "ls this wrong?" "No, no, my son." "My reluctance springs from weariness." "But so long as the world will not let me die in peace among my seedlings how can I withdraw from the battlefield of life?" "I can make no promise." "Sir." "Lieutenant, allow me to introduce Po San." "Like our priest, he is an enemy of the emperor." "He refused to share his land." "So now he is a fugitive." "I beg your pardon, was a fugitive." "Po San is most fortunate." "There is his loving daughter." "He has, in addition, a loving sister, with whom I have an understanding." "She will be here soon to tell me where may I find the priest and I will give her this specimen and the child in return." "What we might call a fair exchange, you see?" "Good." "He has seen our friends in the forest." "You will have safe passage." "No one here will impede your journey." "There is a river which lies to the west." "On the other side, you are safe." "There is a point where the river narrows." "There you will find a boatman." "He will take you across." "On the other side, this will give you admission and acceptance into the Forbidden Kingdom." "I am grateful." "May you have a swift and safe passage, Kwai Chang Caine." "Thank you." "There is no need for you to go on." "You will not find the river alone." "What she say is true." "You will not find the river without her." "Go now, quickly." "Come." "Go, go." "Why do we stop?" "You are safe now." "From here on, there is no danger to you." "This stream leads to the river." "By daybreak, you will find the boatman." "And you?" "Now I can leave you." "Will you be safe?" "You would do better to worry about yourself." "Come on!" "Can I get you some water?" "No, child." "Thank you." "But you are so pale." "No." "When I was little, my mother said I was pale." "She washed my forehead." "l will ask the guard for water." "No." "You will only make him angry." "By asking for water?" "Do you remember what your mother taught you of kindness?" "That every insect on every leaf of every tree deserved your compassion." "Yes, Father, I remember." "These are men of whom your mother was ignorant." "They know only brutality." "They are devoted to savagery." "You will get no water." "Are there many such people, Father?" "Yes, child." "But remember, there are many like you as well." "What plot do you rehearse now?" "I only try to lessen my daughter's fear." "Too late, Po San." "You're in serious difficulty here." "I because I need the priest, and you because your sister is late." "She has promised me the priest." "I promised her you and the child in return." "Where is your sister?" "She is not here." "She is here." "You make war on children." "In war, there are no children." "There is just the enemy." "Prepare to break camp." "How easy life must be for you." "Come, woman." "We have business, you and I." "Yes, I know." "I know what you want." "You want" "Priest." "I want the priest." "Po Li." "I will tell you where the priest is." "See that this boatman troubles us no more, lieutenant." "Yes, sir." "Think the priest will appear, sir?" "The woman could be lying." "She is not lying, lieutenant." "She is a woman, and she is in love." "With the priest?" "Perhaps with the priest." "Certainly she loves her brother and his child." "Love is like war, lieutenant, it gives no quarter." "If she wants the life of her brother she knows she cannot have it until I have the priest." "So he will appear." "Leave the boat here." "Post one man in the boat so he'll appear as the boatman." "Post other troops there, undercover." "The priest will come from there." "Let him come, lieutenant." "Tell your men to let him come." "And when he reaches the boat you have him." "The emperor will be pleased to receive the personage of the priest, sir, but...." "Proceed, lieutenant." "With your permission, sir, the emperor also expected the person of Po San." "You are a slow student, lieutenant." "The emperor shall have Po San." "He shall have the child of Po San and the sister of Po San." "That is why I am so certain of the priest." "Give me your hand, Po Li." "I'm sorry." "l must rest." "You are going home." "Po Li, listen" "You are ill." "You need rest and care in your home." "No." "He won't let us go." "I made a bargain with him." "Call the colonel." "Get back in there." "I made a bargain with him." "Come in." "There is trouble with the prisoners, sir." "Have they escaped, lieutenant?" "Certainly not, sir." "Then there is no trouble." "They are prisoners." "The woman, Po Li, she demands to see you, sir." "I sympathize with you, lieutenant." "For a warrior, guard duty is the most infamous." "But here, your education continues." "First a prisoner can make no demands." "A woman, never." "Whether or not she is a prisoner." "Dismissed, lieutenant." "Yes, sir." "The priest!" "What do you hope to gain by using that?" "The release of certain prisoners, for not using it." "And how do you hope to manage that?" "You will manage it." "Why not." "Tell the guard to release the prisoners." "Guard, this is a priest, Kwai Chang Caine." "Call the lieutenant." "He holds a sword at my throat." "He must not escape." "Do you understand, lieutenant?" "Yes, sir." "I am a warrior, priest." "And I am at war." "And in war, I am a liar, a thief, a cheat." "I am all things which bring victory to me, priest, save one." "I am not a coward." "To the sword you are neither coward nor brave man." "Do you hear that, lieutenant?" "He prepares to thrust the blade into my throat." "He must not escape." "If I move, he'll kill you, sir." "That should be avoided, if possible." "The prime objective is to make the priest prisoner." "How can we do this without causing your death, sir?" "Soldiers die, lieutenant." "We are trained for death." "Move in and take him!" "Wait." "The little girl." "Surely she is not worth your life." "Only the little girl." "Let her go." "Open the gate." "Go." "And the woman." "Leave." "Now put down your sword, priest." "You have gotten everything you can by threatening my life." "There's nothing more to gain by my death." "One thing:" "The man." "The man is a prisoner of the emperor." "You are a trained soldier." "Who is worth more to the emperor, you or him?" "I am too involved in this to make a judgment." "You make the judgment, lieutenant." "Consider the military values, lieutenant." "First priority, capture of the priest." "Second your life, sir." "Let the prisoner go." "Now take him!" "If you disobey my orders I will have you executed, lieutenant." "If he kills me, you are the commanding officer, and your orders are clear." "The priest is to be taken!" "Up on your feet." "Up on your feet." "On your horses." "After him." "Kwai Chang." "The boat is ready." "Yes." "You know that I betrayed you." "I know why." "is there ever enough reason for betrayal?" "I do not know." "Give this to him." "He cannot land alive without it." "But you...." "l will not go." "Will not?" "Must not." "Why?" "I must go another way." "But that way lies the great ocean." "Go." "Quickly." "You know what your life will be like from now on." "I know." "I owe some sort of atonement for what I did to you for other things." "Others will come this way fleeing the emperor's wrath." "They will need help." "You may die." "This much I know:" "I will not die easily." "And I will have much to remember."