“Let me try,” Ashley huffed, shoving me aside.
I scowled. I could’ve saved her wasted effort by telling her there was no point in bothering … but for that shove, she could suffer a little. I stepped aside.
Ashley’s hands stretched toward the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
“There’s no use trying to pick that up, sweetie,” said a low, raspy voice when Ashley’s fingers were just millimeters away.
My hand grasped the hilt of my sword. The sound of multiple swords being drawn echoed throughout the room. I whirled around, as ready as the others were to hack the latest enemy to pieces—and froze.
Our big, bad enemy was … a tiny old lady. She couldn’t have been taller than four feet. She wore a golden robe with a white sash. Her hands were behind her back, and she smiled serenely at us. Something about her seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. A hooded figure stood beside the old lady, although their face was shrouded in darkness.
For a moment, I wondered if the woman was my grandmother. Then I shook my head. No. My ancestors hadn’t shown up to help the entire time I’d been in Diyu. Why would they show up now?
I demanded, “Who are you?”
“I’m warning you, I won’t hold back just because you’re old,” Jordan shouted.
The elderly woman raised her hand. The figure by her side—her assistant, by the looks of it—unsheathed a sword from their side and raised it toward us. Its blade was black as night.
Ashley narrowed her eyes. Jordan took a slight step back but didn’t lower his sword. I stood my ground, too. No way was I gonna let Granny Underworld and Assistant Evil intimidate us.
“Let’s not fight,” Ren said. “We can talk this out.”
The elderly woman sneered at me. “You won’t be able to lift the Ruyi Jingu Bang if you don’t drink the Tea of Strength.” The old woman brought her hands out from behind her back, revealing a cup of hot, steaming tea.
“The … Tea of Strength?” I looked at Moli.
Moli lifted her gaze toward me and nodded solemnly. “It looks like the Tea of Strength is your best bet if you want to gain the ability to pick up the Ruyi Jingu Bang, Faryn. You should drink the tea.”
“The Tea of Strength will give you strength surpassing that of any mortal,” the old lady explained, pushing the cup closer to me.
On the one hand, I wasn’t a big fan of tea in the first place, especially not the kind that some strange old lady had brewed in Diyu. On the other hand, unless I magically sprouted the world’s most massive muscles, no way could I lift the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
“You sure you don’t have bubble tea on you instead?” I asked the tea lady. “At least some Capri Sun?” She just glared. Guess that was a no.
My eyes darted from the tea to the assistant’s black sword to the Ruyi Jingu Bang, then back to the tea.
“Fine. I’ll drink,” I declared, hoping I sounded bolder than I felt.
“Faryn, are you sure?” Ren stepped closer to me. In a lower voice, he added, “What if she’s trying to poison you?”
I bit my lip. That was a risk I was going to have to take. Besides, if Moli was vouching for this old woman, then she had to be okay or, at the very least, not plotting to send me to an early grave. Right?
“Well, if you do die, you’ve already made it to the last place before ascending to Heaven,” Ashley said in a bright voice.
“Comforting.” I sighed. I stood in front of the old woman. She was still smiling as she raised the cup of tea.
I took it from her hands and sniffed it. The aroma was … odd. “What kind of tea is this? Oolong? Matcha? Earl Grey?” I was babbling, but I couldn’t help it. Some weird old lady was forcing me to drink tea. In the Underworld.
“It’s a special tea with many different flavors,” the old woman explained impatiently. “Five-Flavored Tea. Now, hurry and drink up, sweetie.”
The assistant stepped forward with their sword pointed at me. I brought the cup to my lips. My mind raced. Five-Flavored Tea … why did that sound so familiar? Had I heard it somewhere before?
“Wait,” cried Ashley. “I know you!”
I froze, the edge of the teacup pressing against my lip. The old woman tore her gaze away from me toward Ashley.
“You’re the Lady of Forgetfulness, who makes souls drink the tea to forget the memories of their past life. You’re Meng Po!” Ashley pointed her finger in accusation.
“What?” Jordan and Ren burst out at the same time.
Meng Po. The name brought one of Ye Ye’s stories to the surface of my mind, of the Lady of Forgetfulness, who helped spirits move on to their next lives at the last stage of the process. Ashley was right. And I’d nearly fallen right into Meng Po’s trap. I gave Ashley a grateful look, and she nodded.
Then I whirled on Moli. “You led us to Meng Po? Why?”
“You’ve got the wrong idea,” Moli said, shaking her head rapidly. “Meng Po wouldn’t harm mortals. She’s not unfair, you know. She’s a sweet old lady. Really.”
Meng Po nodded and gave us a crooked-teeth smile that wasn’t reassuring at all. “That’s right. This tea is different. It’s not my Five-Flavored Tea—although if you wish, I could brew you some of that as well. It’s quite tasty, if I do say so mys—”
“No, thank you!” Jordan bellowed.
The old lady frowned. “This is the Tea of Strength. Just try it and see, sweetie,” Meng Po crooned at me.
I didn’t care if Moli thought Meng Po was trying to help us. I didn’t trust this lady as far as I could throw her. “Not a chance.”
I dropped the cup, but the old woman lunged forward to catch it before it
