a ghost gambling on one of the sloping rooftops.
“Isn’t that your ancestor, Mulan?”
Sure enough, it was. Although Ren now donned a straw hat, covering his bald scalp, she recognized his thin silhouette and religious robes.
“Ren?” Mulan called. “Cousin Ren?”
Her ancestor’s eyes widened when he saw her. Mumbling something to his friends, he stuffed his gambling tiles into his pocket and opened a fan to hide his face.
“Ren, I know that’s you.” Mulan jumped onto one of the wooden beams supporting the house Ren and his friends were on and started to climb.
Seeing her approach, Ren panicked and started to flee to the nearest roof. But Mulan was too quick. She saw he’d left his cane behind, and she used it now to trip him.
“Aiyah!” he cried. Sheepishly, her ancestor floated down from the roof. “Why, cousin Ping, what a surprise to see you here.”
Shang grabbed Ren by the collar and lifted him. “I thought you said the ninety-seventh level was the highest one you could go to.”
Ren mustered a nervous chuckle. “To be fair, Captain, it was Liwei who said that.”
That wasn’t good enough for Shang. “You lied to us.”
“Um, well…you see, Captain. It’s quite a long story.” Ren’s hands went to his neck as Shang tightened his hold on his collar. “Ack! And rather difficult to tell since I’m…choking.”
Mulan put her hands on her hips. “Let him go, Shang.”
Shang dropped Ren. The ghost again tried to flee, but Shang stepped on his robe.
“Save your breath,” said the captain. “Unless you really think you can outrun me.”
“Point taken.” Ren dusted off his robe and straightened his collar.
But now he had to face Mulan. Anger simmered inside her as she remembered how much danger Ren had put them in—by not warning them about the Cauldron, and even insisting that it was off their path! They might not have made it out in time, and worse yet, they could have been killed.
She crossed her arms. “What kind of monk are you, Ren, to lie to us?”
“H-honestly, cousin Ping,” Ren stammered, “I didn’t think you’d find me up here.” He tried to collect himself. “You see, I have an unfortunate gambling habit, and I owe Jiao over there a good sum.”
Mulan looked up and saw Jiao—the ghost with the glasses from the Bridge of Helplessness. His mouth slid into a crooked grin, and he waved.
“Many of the ghosts started to bet on how far you’d get through Diyu before being killed.” Ren rolled up his sleeves. “And I made a wager with Jiao on whether or not you’d beat Huoguai.” Seeing Shang’s glare, he cleared his throat nervously. “I bet you would, of course. Ghosts have a habit of gambling, you see. Helps pass the time. But I can’t leave this place if I have any outstanding debts.…”
No wonder Jiao and so many ghosts had tried to thwart them. It wasn’t about being angry at all; it was about winning bets!
“Let me guess,” Mulan said, passing him back his cane. “Jiao also bet that we wouldn’t make it to the top. And he said that if you misled us, he’d forgive your debts.”
“I didn’t mislead you.”
Mulan crossed her arms. “You purposefully sent us to the Cauldron when there could have been another way.”
“It wasn’t purposeful!” Ren insisted. Leaning on his cane, he took off his hat and pressed it against his chest. “I did warn you that you’d have to cross a few unsavory chambers.”
“You didn’t warn us about Huoguai,” said Shang through his teeth.
Ren winced. “I hoped you might bypass him.…”
“Bypass a fire demon?” ShiShi growled. “You must be dreaming.”
“It was the fastest way,” Ren insisted, cowering under ShiShi’s and Shang’s glares. The monk pressed his hands together and composed himself. “Besides, I had faith you would defeat him.”
ShiShi harrumphed. “Did you, now?”
Ren held his hat as a shield. “Cousin Ping,” he appealed. “You are so clever, after all. Most everyone is quite happy that you’ve vanquished him. It’ll make traveling around Diyu so much easier.”
“So now she’s a hero, thanks to you?” ShiShi cried. “You could have gotten us all killed.”
“She?” Ren repeated.
Mulan sighed. Best to come clean to her ancestor. “I am Fa Mulan. I made up the name Ping so no one would become suspicious when I took Baba’s place in the army.”
Ren drew a sharp breath. “So you lied to your ancestors. Sounds familiar.”
“She lied to do a good deed,” said Shang sharply, “not so she could pay off her gambling debts. You two aren’t the same. Not