Masters ep03 : Legends of the Wulin

08/20/2016
Masters

Episode Three
"The Eight"

Legends of the Wulin

Rose Lin studies the needles she has, one she had extracted from Juju's body and the other which was thrown at her by the old man.  She finds a tiny engraving on each one, and both show identical symbols.  Dawn has broken.  She thinks it is some ancient language, but isn't too sure.   She decides it might be best to visit the "priest," so she gives the hospital to give them notice she isn't feeling well.

David Yezi wakes up, surprised to find his bathroom completely clean and sparkling.  Dry even.  He wonders where Gong Bei is, wanting to have a word with him, as he heads to the kitchen.  Outside the window, he sees the four girls at the courtyard once more harassing some man for his wallet.  Across the building, he sees Tommy once again stealing some of the hung underwear with a wooden stick.  As David steps out of his unit, he finds Gong Bei leaning against the wall beside his door.  Gong Bei bows upon being addressed, apologizes for the mess, and admits he made a mistake of bringing the body to him.  David asks what happened, and he admits he was helping a friend.  David wonders if it was the same "friend" they talked about. Gong Bei explains that it was a friend she failed to save.  He disposed of the body, as per how he was trained, to keep her from getting into trouble. Gong Bei reveals he is of the Blade Dogs, and David recognizes them to be an old clan from his ancestor's time too.  The ones who seek to become the Sword Bastard.  Gong Bei realizes "she's awake" and true enough, Rose Lin soon arrives to visit David.  Gong Bei darts off, walking the opposite direction, slipping out a window to exit via the fire escape.

Rose is happy she caught David before he left.  She offers to buy him breakfast.  David wonders if there was anyone behind Rose, but she admits she didn't notice anyone.  "I think we're the only ones awake... and Tommy." They head for a cafe to have breakfast.

Elsewhere, in another part of the city, Matt Biao awakens to find himself in a foreign bedroom.  He starts to remember arriving at Trevor Wang's guest room as Samantha insisted they go to her father the previous evening.  Samantha and Trevor spent the night talking.  Matt steps out to find the delicious smell of toasted bread, soup, bread rolls, and... more.  He finds the whole dining area filled with numerous dishes and sees Samantha stress-cooking as she boils more, fries more, cooks more... Trevor looks at him from the dining table and motions for him to stay silent.  With a kick without looking, Samantha kicks a chair to the table for Matt to join them.  "Sit."  She clearly is not in a good mood.  She flips the pan and fried eggs fly, she kicks the side table and a plate slides out to catch the eggs.  She then glides the plate to the table and asks Matt if he will have coffee, tea or juice, grumbling about not being "good enough."  The intercom sounds and a delivery arrives for even more food.

Samantha quizzes them both about the Baneful Starving Tiger Dragon. "So he did kill her," Samantha sighs.  Matt soon learns that it seems Samantha's mother died in the past due to some Kung Fu related incident. Matt admits he knows of the historical stories, that of 7 Clans once had to unite against the Infernal Alliance to defeat the Corrupt Baneful Clans had nearly won.    Samantha then asks Matt to tell her about a Clan called the Black Lotus Society. 

At Stabuko, Rose and David finally have breakfast.  The two indulge on some good food then some coffee and tea.  Rose tries to imply David might know a lot of people, but David asks what this is about.  Rose asks of him a favor, given she has so little time to socialize and meet people.  A bell rings, and they both turn to see Auntie Lo step into the place.  She walks up to them, smiling as she asks them about how they seem to be enjoying their breakfast... given the delays in paying rent.  She starts exclaiming the amounts they are spending for the breakfast then asks if they're sure about being able to afford all this.  Rose reminds her she paid for two months the other day.  David starts pulling out small bills and change.  Rose however senses something approaching and she turns to see a hooded man approaching the three of them. Rose shoves the chair to intercept the man, doing this stealthily so the others don't notice. Rose suggests David needs to go, but he continues to dig through his pockets.  Rose sees the man fling a hand at David, wires extending from his sleeve.  Rose catches the wires, entangling them around her wrist then locking them behind her back.  Auntie Lo asks if there's something going on between David and Rose, "I don't want you seducing our priest." Rose insists they are not doing anything of that sort.  David sees the man behind Rose and realizes it is the Metal Delegate he fought the other day.  The Metal Delegate realizes he should stop upon seeing David's withering stare.  

Former Metal Delegate Hoi Lam (Bin Won)

Auntie Lo leaves, having received enough payment from David.  The Metal Delegate accusses David of having chosen a new follower, and Rose finds it amusing the man is being sought to be his "Master."  The Metal Delegate leaves, crushed.  David and Roses return the conversation to the favor.  Rose admits it involves a man, a possible man of violence and passion.  David admits the man is quite smitten with her.  She, however, was thinking of the old man and not Gong Bei, refuses to imagine he'd be smitten.  David admits the man told him himself that he is quite smitten.  Rose is confused about how David says the man did however have an incident with a body in his room, which he was dealing with as a favor to her.  Rose finally grasps that David is talking about Gong Bei instead, admits he's nice, but his intensity probably comes from his line of work. She asks instead if he can check the background of a relic - perhaps find out more about it and have it appraised - given its delicate nature.  She insists neither a museum or a collector would be appropriate. "You do, after know, know some interesting people," she mutters, motioning towards the Metal Delegate outside the cafe.  David insists he is not a detective, but falls silent when Rose pulls out the needle and shows it to him. She insists however its more a relic than a usual acupuncture needle.

 
"Jade!" someone calls out.  Rose feigns not hearing it, not willing to respond to her true name.  Thankfully, it turns out to be just coincidence as someone else mutters, "Tomlin!  Hi!" 

She offers to buy him breakfast for the next month if he has any leads.  The waiter gives them the bill and sadly, that's when Rose realizes her purse is missing.  Not having enough cash, the two realize the best one to pay for the bill would turn out to be the Liquid Metal guy outside.

Samantha was barely seven years old when the Baneful Starving Tiger Dragon found Trevor and his wife.   The two fought valiantly, using their Kung Fu  as the surviving members of the Southern Dragons Pirate Clan against him.  But despite their skill and training the old man would very calmly parry their blows and touch them to show he could have hurt them.  Over and over, he would gently touch them.  But when Diana finally lands a hit on the old man's face, he grows angry and ends up unleashing the power of the Unstained Lotus Mastery upon her.  Twice.  Her body breaks and she dies.  Trevor begs the old man to let his daughter live.  Samantha is angry about how she could have spent the last twenty years preparing to beat him.  Having no clan, she has no right to challenge him anymore. But when both realize Matt is from the Little Forest Clan, Samantha wonders about joining his Clan to challenge the old man once again.  Matt does concede that Samantha never swore any promise to not use Kung Fu.  Samantha leaves in a huff.  Trevor and Matt wonder about the old man's goals.  It was said whoever defeats all the masters shall become the God of Martial Arts, but Matt realizes the man is already outside of it all, being Baneful.  Trevor suggests Matt try to find the other masters, perhaps to battle the old man together.

On Matt's trip home on the monorail transit, he sees posters on the circus supposedly arriving in town in a few days.  He expected a peaceful ride, however, he finds himself confronted by two martial artists. The twins, named Kanto and Johto, challenge him, proclaiming themselves as the Incredible Giovanni Twins.  The two make use of a dance-based martial arts style, and moving in concert, the two make use of paired razor wire ribbons to try to poison him!  Matt's superior Kung Fu, however, bests them, and forces the two to retreat - promising revenge.  One does, however, admit that they maybe should have faced against him based on the original plans. They leap out of the moving train, shattering the windows.

David and Rose talk about Gong Bei as they head out, but catch sight of another man targeted by the four young girls.  Seeing another one victimized by the kids, Rose chases after them!  David opts to dart into an alternate route to lightfoot into an intercepting position.  When Rose confronts the children, she discovers to her surprise that the kids seem to be trained to work in concert!  She is forced to use her martial arts to entangle one child in her own clothes and threaten the others to surrender the stolen wallet.  David lands at the other side, but catches sight of another girl, a fifth, at an upper level seemingly directing the four.  He decides to confront that one.

David lands on the balcony where the other girl is and discovers the child has what looks like what used to be an old stop sign, now used like a war hammer!  David lands on the weapon itself, keeping it on the ground, and with his bamboo fan, taps the girl on the head, showing her his superior skills in martial combat.  The girl grabs the fan, then crushes it in her hand.  David is surprised the child was able to block him... and worse, she seems to be growing at him.  She reaches for a weapon on her side.  David kicks one of the pieces of debris to strike the blade and shove it back into its scabbard.

Liu Ye, Nica Ngo, Barbie Hsu, Bebe Tsu and Kimi (Mini Girls)

Rose notices the girls growling as well.  When she knocks back one of the girls, she is surprised to see the three catch the fourth in perfect sync.   Other people emerge in the area, all wearing dark jackets with hoodies.  They stand on the upper levels, at door ways, and by the balconies.  Rose asks if the girls are friends of the newcomers, but the girls shake their heads.  Rose grabs the wallets the girls have stolen, and turns to face the crowd.  As she returns the Hoi Lam's wallet, Rose hears a howl from above.  The men in the hoodies leave, as if someone was supposed to be with them but isn't there.

David stares as the girl gives out a howl and darts to leave.  David light foots to join Rose at the ground level and watches as the other girls run away as well.  He asks Hoi Lam why he doesn't know lightfoot and the man admits he was never trained in it.  "You know nothing, therefore you have no name."  Rose counters that he did offer to help.  They hear more rushing footfalls, and Gong Bei runs into the area.  He sees the gathered and pulls out a cigarette.  David and Rose walk up to him as he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a lighter.  He looks at them as David warns him they talked about him embracing a life of peace.  Surprisingly, he acts more... brave, claiming no one tells him what to do.  David shakes his head and drags Hoi Lam with him as they leave.  Rose talks to Gong Bei, asking him why he suddenly came in and he admits he sensed danger.  Rose admits they had it under control.  She compliments him for being sweet, which has him end up finishing the cigarette in a single puff out of pride for being called sweet.

Gong Bei is about to flip the cigarette!  Rose realizes this will earn Auntie Lo's ire and moves to stop him!  She catches it with her fingers, snatching it from the air.  A door slams open.  Auntie Lo stares out from the door, looking around, and asks where the guests are.  To Rose's surprise, she greets Gong Bei, then slams the door shut again.  Rose invites Gong Bei to accompany her to her place for now.

The train stops.  Matt leaves the train and walks back home.  He sees Samantha Wang's car outside the compound and she steps out, complaining how she needs to start dressing Matt since he looks like he was in a fight.  She tells him she wants to train, to be part of his Clan, and she insists she doesn't care with what her father says.  "Train me or I will beat you up and take over your clan."  She insist she won't hold back.  Matt decides he might but she has to show first what she can do.  They turn to see David and a man in a business suit walk out of the compound.  David realizes the woman looks familiar and acknowledges Matt's greeting.  He overhears Samantha insisting that Matt teach her to avenge her parents, and he decides to stop.  David realizes Samantha is talking to Matt and realizes he too might have been hiding a secret.  They discuss how Samantha seeks to learn how to fight, and Samantha directly mutters wanting to learn his magic Kung fu, "I spent twenty years being silent thinking I was crazy. I'm not being silent anymore. You can leap mountains! I want to learn that shit!"  Rose and Gong Bei emerge, overhearing the argument and approach as well.  Samantha talks loudly more about no longer wanting to be silent about things and how she needs to do something about it.

The three masters, for the first time, stand before each other at the same time.  

Rose reminds them that Auntie Lo doesn't like noises at this late a night.  Samantha asks her if she does it too.  Rose is a bit surprised, realizing she's never admitted it to the others.  Matt invites them all to head to the back to discuss things.  David admits he has another appointment, however.  Samantha agrees, stating David probably doesn't even know how to protect himself, so its best not to get him in danger.  Hoi Lam feels compelled to defend his master's honor, but David places one hand on his shoulder and reminds him, "She is a woman."  Hoi bows, realizing his master has stopped him. "I have my first lesson."

Matt leads them to the center of the compound, telling the others no one will come out at night anyway.  Even Auntie so long as no one smokes.  Rose sits by the stairs to watch. Samantha is invited to fight Matt, to show her mettle.  She talks about his moves being predictably laughable.  She moves, as if looking like she's preparing to massage dough, but then Matt starts to feel there's a familiarity in her moves.  She knows the basics of Flowing Universe.  Rose offers Gong Bei coffee, and as Rose watches the fight, Gong Bei simply stares at Rose, "It looks like the Flowing Universe. I have never seen it in action. They say with it, anything outside the battle cannot exist."

"Let this first punch be righteous," Matt moves in as he realizes Samantha is waiting for him to move.  Matt unleashes a series of punches, one after the other, and Samantha parries them one after the other, but then, slips through her defenses and lands one blow at her face.  The two bow.  "Your father taught you well, but our ways are different. I can teach you, but your Flowing Universe is impressive."    Samantha admits she only knew it as something her father wanted to do when he had time with her.    She asks if they are all under Matt's clan, and he admits they are not.  Rose realizes Matt is definitely one too.  She turns to look at David, finding it interesting that two masters are in the same place.  David admits he wonders if their presence here is preordained.  He admits he senses a great destiny before them all.

Everyone retires to their home.  Samantha grabs her stuff and asks Matt where she will stay. Gong Bei insists he will stay outside the door to watch Rose's place.  Rose insists thrice that he come inside.  Gong Bei finally relents.  David goes to the edge of the compound, and tells Hoi Lam to leap to the fence, and to keep doing so until he's found a way to do so without using his chains.  David goes to bed.  Hoi begins trying to jump the fence over and over.

Auntie Lo wakes up, hearing Hoi Lam's grunting.  She yells at him at she can see him.  Hoi Lam runs away.

*

David opens his eyes to hear voices.  The voices threaten to burn the whole compound down if *they* do not come out.  He walks out calmly and sees out the windows the men with the hoodies are back.  As he reaches the door, the smell of gasoline is powerful.  He's a bit surprised Auntie Lo has not responded.  The hoodie men are on all the levels of the balconies.  People in the compound are also rushing away, worried at what the men are doing.  At the ground level, David sees the two - who seem to be the leaders of the hoodie men. David yells at them that people are trying to sleep.  "And you don't want to wake up Auntie."  The woman smiles,  holding a plastic spout that is still dripping gasoline.  The man asks who he is and David admits he is just a priest.  He's warned not to get involved as this is between "Clans."  David insists the time of clans is past.

Rose hears the voices and sees the men in hoodies outside.   She hears the female voice suggest that maybe they should just kill the priest to make the other one show up to avenge him.   Rose grabs her scalpel but then realizes Gong Bei is not in the room.  Grabbing her bathrobe, she rushes for the door.  The woman tells David to offer a prayer that "the martial arts master" reveal himself before they start burning everyone down. David admits he will pray for them.

Matt hears the voices.  He realizes they're the same voices from the train.  He turns to wake Samantha but finds her missing from the couch where he let her stay.    He steps out and sees the men with the hoodies.

Rose finds her door slammed shut the moment she tries to open it.  Outside, Gong Bei shakes his head insisting she stay inside and that he will handle it.  "You are not a master of Kung Fu," he tells her.  Rose realizes she has been hiding that fact.  She insists she can fight, but each attempt she makes to try to leave her flat, Gong Bei catches her and tosses her back into the room.

David can see Matt at the lower balcony emerge.  Matt looks up and sees David at the upper floor.  Matt speaks up, complaining why there are loud voices in the morning.  The two turn, and upon seeing Matt, seem eager to start the fight!  "Brother Kanto!"
"Sister Johto?" 

"Prepare for trouble!"
"We'll make it double!"
"To cleanse the world of clan-festation-"
Matt interrupts them, telling them to challenge him properly.  Matt realizes Johto has raised her razor wire to hit the ground and create a spark!

The fight ensures.  The masters use their superior skills to fight the two and their minions.  Matt and David directly go against the twins while Rose finds herself struggling to leave the room due to Gong Bei's desire to keep her safe.

David and Matt's attacks start pelting the twins with conditions, ranging from disorientation to numbing of limbs due to the shock David's strikes cause, to the broken jaw and legs which Matt inflicts with his dangerous martial arts.  Rose eventually realizes she has to distract Gong Bei, so when she shoves the door open, she pulls him close and kisses him!  Gong Bei, overwhelmed, drops to the floor of the room in a daze.  Rose leaps to join the fight.

Realizing they will fail, the twins call for the minions for "one last dance!"  The minions all reveal their razor wire to try to ignite the gasoline!

Rose reveals her mastery of Storm God's Fury as her blows seem doubly effective against the teeming mass of minions.  At the end of the battle, a final attempt to poison Matt is unleashed but fails and the pair ends with a permanent minor deafness in one ear, which shatters their battle conditions.

The two, defeated, learn to their shock that all three of them were martial arts masters.  David chides them for being eager and not in the right.  Kanto however admits their master will be pleased to know the fight will be interesting.  Rose gives them advice on how to recover from their deafness, despite knowing it is a permanent slight deafness they will have to live with from that day on. As they leave, even the minions walk away, defeated.

Auntie Lo (Qui Yuen)

The other residents are watching them, having witnessed the battle.  They return to their homes, shocked and uncertain how to react to what they just witnessed.  David admits he can't make a fist, as his hand seems to be slightly injured from the fight.  The front gate bangs open and they all turn to see the sudden appearance of Auntie Lo.  The three seize up, worried on how she will react.  Auntie Lo, in her jogging pants and shirt, comes into view with Samantha Wang.  The two look at the three, a bit surprised, and wonders if something had happened.  Rose lies and claims there were rowdy trespassers.  Rose insists they handled it and have left.  Samantha notices David's clenching and unclenching hand.  She tells Auntie Lo that it might be best to go inside.  Auntie Lo agrees.  The three hurry back upstairs.

*

The two figures bow.  They narrated to the Baneful Starving Tiger Dragon how they were defeated and the old man seems pleased.  They ask if there is any way to serve him to make up for their failure.  Mist fills the room.  The old man stares at the setting sun.  He fetches something from his mouth, then places down on the tray a jawbone. "I think, you've served me well."

"Call the sixth ring.  It is their turn tomorrow.  Let's make it more interesting. Call the sixth, the fifth and the fourth ring."

*

Auntie Lo finds Tommy at the window.  She asks if he was peeking at someone again and he tells her about what he witnessed.  As Auntie Lo listens to his story of the fight, she turns to the door and mutters, "So they are here." She pulls back the carpet and reveals an intricate sigil on the ground.  "When my great grand father made this place, he said one day this shall be auspiciously special.  I guess that day has come."  She turns to her son and tells him it is time to tell them that the Hundred Ghost Faction still lives.