WHEN Ma Joong had brought the peasant's daughter home, her aunt, a jovial old lady, had insisted that he take- a bowl of gruel there. Chiao T'ai had waited for him in the guard house for some time, then ate his rice there together with the headman. But as soon as Ma Joong came back, they rode out together. Outside in the street Ma Joong asked Chiao Tai, "You know what that girl Soo-niang said to me when I left there?"

"That you were a splendid fellow," Chiao T'ai said indifferently. "You don't know a thing about women, brother," Ma Joong said condescendingly. "That's of course what she was thinking, but women don't say those things, you know, at least not at the beginning. No, she said I was kind."

"Almighty heaven!" Chiao Tai shouted, aghast. "You-and kind! The poor, stupid wench! But then, I needn't worry, you don't have a chance. You haven't got a piece of land, have you? You heard her say that's what she wants."

"I have got other things," Ma Joong said smugly.

"I wish you would take your mind off the skirts, brother," Chiao Tai grunted. "The headman told me a lot about that fellow Ah Kwang. We needn't look for him inside the city; he only comes here occasionally, far drinking or gambling; he doesn't belong here. We must find him somewhere upcountry, that's where he knows his way about."

"Seeing that he's a country bumpkin," Ma Joong said, "I don't think he'll have left the district. He'll have taken to the woods west of the town."

"Why should he?" Chiao T'ai asked. "As far as he knows, there's nothing to connect him with the murder. If I were in his place, I would lie low in some place nearby for a few days, and see which way the wind was blowing."

"In that case," Ma Joong said, "we might kill two birds with one stone if we begin by searching that deserted temple."

"You are right for once," Chiao Tai said wryly. "Let's go there." They left the city by the west gate, and rode along the highway to the guardhouse at the crossing. They left their horses there, then walked to the temple, keeping to the left side of the road, where they were covered by the trees.

"The headman told me," Chiao Tai whispered when they had come to the ruined gatehouse, "that Ah Kwang is stupid in everything except woodcraft and fighting. He also has a mean way with a knife. So we had better go about this job seriously and approach that temple without his spotting us-if he is there."

Ma Joong nodded and crept into the undergrowth beside the gate, followed by Chiao T'ai.

After they had struggled through the dense shrubbery for a while, Ma Joong raised his hand. Carefully parting the branches, he nodded to his friend. Together they scrutinized the high building of weatherbeaten stone that rose on the other side of a mossovergrown court. A flight of broken stone steps led up the main entrance, just a dark opening; the doors had disappeared long ago. A couple of white butterflies fluttered about among the high-grown weeds. Apart from that nothing was stirring.

Ma Joong picked up a small stone and threw it against the wall. It clattered down the stone steps. They waited, their eyes glued on the dark entrance.

"I saw something moving inside!" Chiao Tai whispered.

"I'll slip inside there," Ma Joong said, "while you circle the temple and get in by a side gate. W'e'll whistle if we find something."

Chiao Tai moved away in the undergrowth on his right, Ma Joong crept in the opposite direction. When he estimated he was near the left corner of the building, he came out and stood with his back against the wall. So he moved along cautiously till he had arrived at the steps. He listened. Everything was quiet. He quickly ran up the steps, entered and stood with his back against the wall next to the door.

When his eyes had adapted themselves to the semiobscurity he saw that the large, high hall was empty but for an old altar table against the back wall. Four thick center pillars supported the roof, connected with each other near the ceiling by heavy crossbeams.

Ma Joong left his coign of vantage and made for the door opening next to the altar. When he was passing the pillars a faint sound above his head made him look up quickly and step aside. A large dark shape came hurtling down and hit his left shoulder.

The impact threw Ma Joong on the floor with a crash that jarred every bone in his body. The large man who had tried to break his back had also fallen on the floor but he was on his feet again before Ma Joong and jumped over to him, reaching for his throat.

Ma Joong put both his feet in the man's stomach and heaved him over his head. When Ma Joong was scrambling up the other came for him again. Ma Joong aimed a kick at his groin but he side-stepped quick as lightning, went straight on and locked Ma Joong's torso in a powerful hug.

Panting heavily, each tried to get the other in a stranglehold. The fellow was as tall and strong as Ma Joong, but he was not a trained wrestler. Slowly Ma Joong forced him back toward the high altar table, making it appear as if he was unable to free his arms from the other's hold. When he had him with the small of his back against the edge of the table, Ma Joong suddenly freed his arms, passed them under those of his opponent and locked them over his throat. Raising himself on his toes, he bent the other's torso backward with the throat lock, and as the man's hands let go of him he threw his entire body weight into a powerful push. There was a sickening snapping sound, and the man's body went limp.

Ma Joong loosened his grip and let his opponent down to the floor. Panting, he stood looking down at him. The man lay quite still, his eyes closed.

Suddenly he moved his arms in a queer, futile gesture. His eyes opened. Ma Joong squatted down by his side. He knew the man was done for.

The fallen man looked at Ma Joong with small, cruel eyes. His lean, swarthy face twitched. He muttered, "I can't move my legs!"

"Don't blame me!" Ma Joong said. "Well, judging by your condition we shan't enjoy a long acquaintance, but I may as well tell you that I am an officer of the tribunal. You are Ah Kwang, aren't you?"

"You can rot in hell!" the man said. Then he started groaning. Ma Joong went to the door, whistled on his fingers and resumed his position by Ah Kwang's side.

As Chiao Tai came running inside, Ah Kwang started to curse. Then he muttered, "That stone-throwing trick is one of the oldest in the trade."

"Your trying to jump on my neck from the roof beam isn't so new either," Ma Joong replied dryly. To Chiao Tai he added, "He won't last long."

"At least I killed that bitch Soo-niang!" the man grunted. "Sleeping with a new fellow, and that in the master's bed! For me the hay in the loft was good enough!"

"You made a slight mistake in the dark," Ma Joong said, "but I won't bother you with that now. The Black judge in the nether world will doubtless explain everything nicely to you."

Ah Kwang closed his eyes and groaned; his breath came in gasps when he said, "I am strong. I won't die! And there was no mistake. Brother, that sickle cleft her throat till it struck the bone."

"You are a handy fellow with a sickle," Chiao Tai remarked. "Who was the fellow she was sleeping with?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Ah Kwang muttered through his clenched teeth. "But he got his too. The blood spouted from his throat, all over her too. Served the bitch right!" He began to grin but suddenly a long tremor shook his broad torso and his face went livid.

"Who was the other fellow who hung around there?" Ma Joong asked casually.

"There was nobody there but me, you stupid bastard," Ah Kwang muttered. Suddenly he looked up at Ma Joong, panic in his small eyes. "I don't want to die! I am afraid!" he said.