Jordan turned his head away from Ren and me. I couldn’t blame him. If I were in his shoes and Alex had been trapped in Diyu, I would’ve done anything in my power to get to him. Betrayal or no betrayal.
“How much longer until we’re there?” Sun Wukong yelled.
I checked my compass. The sun had climbed higher into the sky, so it was probably about ten or eleven in the morning now.
“Uh … half an hour,” I guessed.
“We could’ve already been at your warrior mountain if you’d let me take us there in a somersault,” the Monkey King groused. “It’s not too late, you know. You could just let me—”
“No,” I said firmly. I knew all about Sun Wukong’s powers, including his ability to travel 34,000 miles in a single somersault. I also had a hunch that if he tried to bring everyone via godly somersault to the New Order, something would go horribly wrong, and at least somebody might lose a limb or two.
Sun Wukong settled down with a grumble, and I concentrated on the road ahead of me. Ren and Jordan fell silent. The sound of Jordan’s soft snores behind me soon told me why.
“Falun.”
I whipped around in surprise. I’d almost forgotten Mr. Zhao was with us, too. Moli’s father stood. Still unsmiling, he wore a stern expression on his face—one I’d never seen on him before. “The New Order warriors are already preparing for war, aren’t they?”
“I …” Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t totally sure what they were doing.
“We need to alert them immediately. Very soon, we will be entering all-out war with the gods. They must not make the same mistake that the Jade Society did. They must heed our warnings.”
“They will,” I reassured Moli’s father.
Forty-five minutes later, Manhattan’s Chinatown came into view. The place appeared just as it had been when we’d left it. Red lanterns and decorations for the Hungry Ghost Festival hung in the shop windows and streets. Everywhere, people milled about in the markets.
I led the stone lions to a landing in an empty alley.
“We’re here,” I shouted up at Sun Wukong. He and his monkeys hovered above in their cloud, peering down at us uncertainly.
“Hmph. This is a huge downgrade from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit,” Sun Wukong said churlishly. His cloud landed on the ground and then disappeared, leaving a group of monkeys in the middle of the Chinatown alleyway.
The chariot turned back into a coin, which I tucked into my pocket. As I led us out onto the streets, it occurred to me how odd we must look: a trio of dirty, worn-down warriors leading a troop of monkeys, two massive black dragons, and one very angry-looking Monkey King.
Sun Wukong waved his Ruyi Jingu Bang through the air. Nothing happened.
“What was that supposed to do?” Ren asked.
“Turned us invisible,” the Monkey King explained curtly. Just as he finished speaking, a middle-aged businessman bumped into him. “Hey, watch it!” Sun Wukong snapped. The man reeled back, gaping at what he must’ve thought was thin air yelling at him.
“Oh my gods! The peaches are alive!” screamed a nearby shop owner, abandoning his fruit stand. Sun Wukong’s monkeys had helped themselves to the barrel of peaches, which would’ve looked to any outsiders like the peaches were floating in midair. Also, one of the black dragons had accidentally knocked over an entire stall.
Invisibility or no, we’d have to move through here quickly.
“Where can I speak to the king?” Sun Wukong demanded.
“There’s no king here.” Jordan snickered. “But there is Elder Xiong.”
“Then take me to this Elder Xiong!”
I made a beeline across the square, straight for the New Order temple. I had a feeling Elder Xiong would be in there, as he usually was at this time of the day. Once we’d all reached the temple, Sun Wukong waved his Ruyi Jingu Bang again, turning us visible.
Jordan pried open the great black doors and peered inside. “Elder Xiong?”
Several people were inside, praying. The two nearest to the entrance were Elder Xiong and Ba—Zhuang. They glanced up at the sound, eyes widening when they saw me there, along with probably the strangest crowd they’d seen in ages. Xiong stood up, and I knelt down on the floor in front of them. Beside me, Ren and Jordan did the same, followed by Mr. Zhao.
“Faryn, Jordan, and Ren.” Xiong acknowledged us with a nod. “You’ve returned, I see.” He narrowed his eyes. “And … Ashley?”
A heartbeat of tense silence. I opened my mouth, struggling to find an answer. I knew my words would be met with disappointment no matter what I said.
Jordan beat me to it. “Still down in the Underworld.”
“What happened? Why is she down there?”
“Ashley volunteered to exchange her own freedom so we could take a powerful weapon. But we can’t leave her there. We must rescue my sister, Xiong shī fu.”
“That indeed we must,” agreed the Elder. He turned next to Mr. Zhao, who gave him a respectful nod. “Brave Jade Society warrior, please stand. I’ve heard much about your role in rallying the Jade Society warriors against the plot of some of the gods. Thank you, Zhao Boyang.”
Moli’s father had always given me the impression of being a clumsy man, but now he stood tall and proud, back straight, chin up. I watched in awe as the Elders inclined their heads respectfully toward Mr. Zhao.
“The Elders are bowing,” gasped a familiar voice. Ah Qiao. “They never bow to anyone!”
“Shhhhh.” His mother.
Slowly, everyone around me sank to their knees. I did the same.
“Please stand.” Moli’s father laughed nervously. His cheeks were so flushed with heat, we could’ve fried an egg roll on them. “Please. I—I didn’t do much. Really. I just did what had to be done.”
“You may rise,” Xiong called out after another moment. In unison, the warriors rose.
A ghost of Mr. Zhao’s old, jovial smile passed across his lips, but it was gone in a moment. He had changed since the quest of the Lunar New Year,
