Tigress, after a long ride through China's greatest sights, was ready to move. The boon of extra leg space and elbow room was appreciated, but it only put a bandage on the problem. The fact of the matter was that sitting still for extended periods of time while only being able to listen to road trip songs was, simply put, not fun.

Evidently, this experience was not universal. Just as Tigress rolled her head to feel the satisfying pop of her neck, the other carriage, the one belonging to the advisor Ping Zhou, stopped. As soon as the doors were opened, both Ping Zhou and Master Shifu walked down, still in conversation, and laughing uproariously. Tigress stared at them as they passed, unable to stop the shiver running up her spine.

She turned back to the carriages to see the other students similarly stretching. Oogway, on the other hand, crawled out of his ride like something dead and beaten. "Tigress," he said wearily, "the next time you have the opportunity to travel between two people who hate the same way, refuse."

Tigress would not laugh. She would not. Because laughing would be disrespectful to her grand-master. And Tigress was not disrespectful. All the same she had to hide her mouth behind a paw to not break polite manners.

"I am," she began shakingly. She coughed into her fist twice and banged her chest before she felt she could continue safely. "I am sorry for your discomfort, Master Oogway."

Master Oogway looked her up and down before shooting a knowing, mischievous smile. "Are you really?" he asked.

Tigress looked away as a chuckle escaped her. "Maybe not as sorry as I should be."

Oogway laughed. "I fear that too much time spent in hate has made me weary. I'll be leaving you all to reacquaint myself with an old friend. I feel the need for more pleasant company."

Tigress raised one brow. "An old friend like Madame Ying?"

Oogway smiled and shook his head. "No, this one actually enjoys my company. He runs a tea shop in the inner quarter. If you have need of me, send for the Jasmine Dragon tea house. I'll probably be playing checkers there."

"Shouldn't you at least wait until we know where we're staying?"

Oogway ambled away, waving away her concerns. "If I know the emperor as well as I think, I know where he'll be housing us for our stay."

Ping Zhou's head swiveled to follow the old turtle. "Where is he going?" he asked with mild curiosity.

"To meet an old friend, apparently," Tigress answered.

Ping Zhou shook his head, then straightened himself. "Well he'd better know where he's going. I will not be held responsible if he gets lost."

"My master is not one to wander off without purpose," Shifu said. "He'll be back, I assure you."

Ping Zhou gave it a moment of thought before shrugging. "Well, as long as someone can retrieve him, it should be fine. Come along all, I will show you to your rooms. Only the finest accommodations in Nanjing will do for the emperor's guests!"

The advisor walked onward with effortless confidence, not even looking back at the mass of martial artists as they followed.

The goose led them across the streets, each with enough lanterns to make the night seem alive. Even despite the dark, people were still milling about. Tigress nearly tripped over a collection of kids, all chasing one who held a kite. Viper gave a friendly smile when a pig from one of the shops waved. Another pair of a dog and a cat were arguing loudly over the correct prices of cotton.

It was almost wholly unfamiliar to Tigress. Navigating crowds was nothing new, but normally that was only reserved for day time and holidays. That so many people could live in a single place, and still have business into the late night was baffling.

"Move along," Ping Zhou called. "You'll have all night and tomorrow to explore the city to your liking once we get to your lodgings, but we do have to get there." How the advisor was able to keep track of them without looking at them, Tigress could not say.

Red seemed to be the color of choice. Red wood mixed with the occasional brown and white, giving a vividness to the streets. The further they walked, the more painted walls appeared, depicting mighty dragons and awe-inspiring gods. It seemed to Tigress that the wealth of someone could be measured in how many colors they had in their walls.

The residents also seemed to follow this trend. Long, vibrant robes belonged to many of them, some of which touched the floor as they walked by. Tigress briefly felt the need to watch her step after nearly tripping over one pig's excessively long trail.

Tigress caught the eyes of a pair of rabbits wearing the type of daring, fancy, collar-exposing dress that she had briefly seen among Madame Ying's collection. They gave her a quick glance up and down, and a derisive scoff at her outfit. Tigress herself replied with an indignant huff. She waited until the stared at her face, and then pointedly turned her gaze away from them.

Ping Zhou perked up as they rounded the corner. "Oh, look, one of our city's famous landmarks: the Jubao Gate!" In the dark it was hard to make out, but its size certainly seemed impressive. At the top of a hill a stone gate topped by a pagoda roof stood between the city and the wilderness. A long straight road stretched up to the gate's mouth.

"An impressive defense," Shifu remarked.

"Indeed," Ping Zhou said. "With a full company of weapons and soldiers, this gate could stand five hundred years or more."

"Has it ever seen real combat?" Shifu asked mildly.

"Well. . . admittedly, no."

"Hmm."

Ping Zhou gave an awkward honking cough into his wing before waving his guest forward again. "Come, come, I'm sure you'd all appreciate getting to your quarters after such a long journey. I'll see you all settled soon!"

With that said he waddled ahead hurriedly. Tigress felt somewhat pressed to keep her eye trained on the goose in the twists and turns of Nanjing. Simultaneously unimpressed by the goose's attempts at retreat and impressed at the speed at which he did it, it was something of a surprise when they finally stopped in front of a large, multi-stored inn with green and yellow trimmings.

Ping Zhou pushed the doors open wide as they stepped in. "Welcome," he said, "to the Jade Castle!"

Tigress and Shifu shared a single, silent glance.

The inside was just as ornate as the outside, with an abundance of lanterns and some expensive landscape paintings adorning the walls. The wooden floors were polished to a shine. Even Tigress' steps hardly seemed to leave any dirt. Ping Zhou was already talking to the rabbit at the reception desk by the time she finished looking around.

Ping Zhou turned back to his guests beaming with pride and holding a clutter of objects. After a short hike through some oddly fancy stairs, they arrived at a spacious room on the second floor. "I'm told that each floor has their own commons area, so that guests can enjoy their time without disturbing anyone else."

He then deposited his cluster onto a small table. "Here are your room keys, a map of Nanjing for your personal use, and a bill of the opera available. Your luggage will be up shortly for you to sort as needed. I must insist, however, that the rooms not be co-ed. There have been just a few too many incidents otherwise."

Shifu nodded. "I assure you, we will be the image of propriety."

Apparently satisfied, Ping Zhou drew himself up and bowed. "Then in that case, I will leave you to get settled. I must be off now, a councilor's work is never done, as they say."

Tigress watched the diminutive bird pad away before turning her attention to the bill. They were divided by regional category, with Peking and Yue being the largest categories.  "'The Drunken Concubine?'" she read aloud in confusion.

Viper soon appeared over her shoulder. "Oh, I remember hearing about that one. It's a comedy about a concubine being stood up by the then-current emperor."

Tigress chuffed. "I'm surprised the now-current emperor would allow such a play in his theater."

Shifu hummed. "One of Oogway's first lessons; there is wisdom in accepting one's faults."

It took most of Tigress' self control to stay silent. Returning to the bill, she continued to read off operas. 'The Heavenly Maid and the Mortal."

Viper perked up. "You think it has any relation to Houyi and Cheng'e?"

Tigress quirked an eyebrow. "Who?"

"You've never heard that story?" Monkey asked.

Tigress shook her head. "I'm afraid not. What is it about?" She held up a finger as Monkey grinned. "And don't say 'It's about Houyi and Cheng'e'."

Monkey deflated as Crane cleared his throat. "It's about the moon goddess, and how she was at one point a mortal. She was married to a builder named Houyi."

"Wait, I thought Houyi was an archer?" Viper said.

Monkey shook his head. "I always heard he was a carpenter."

"No, no," Mantis chimed in. "He was a chemist. The whole 'Elixir of Immortality' business went down because he invented it."

Shifu cleared his throat, and all the students turned to him. He inspected his flute. "There are many versions of the story, with their own interpretations. The end result is always the same however. In the end, he is mortal, and she is not." Shifu gazed at them from over his instrument. "If you would like, I would be happy to tell you the version of the story that I grew up with."

Tigress was silent for a moment, staring in shocked curiosity. "That. . . sounds like a nice idea," she offered mildly.

Shifu nodded, and held the flute gently to his lips.

***

A piping hot cup of jasmine tea was poured into a plain cup with a green band around the rim. The server, a rounded, aged boar of stout yet sturdy build sat himself across the table. He was mostly hairless on top, but wore a full and well-groomed beard. His uniform was a pleasing and disarming array of green and white.

Oogway savored the tea's warmth and scent before taking a careful sip. "As always, my friend, your tea is as carefully balanced as a fine table."

The boar nodded gratefully. "And as always, your praise means a great deal to me." He then grinned and gestured at the checker-patterned table. "But if you think you can distract me with flattery, then you have another thing coming!" The boar then took up a circular tile emblazoned with a white flower and set it in the center of the table.

Oogway smiled lopsidedly. "The White Lotus gambit? Quite the opening gamble, isn't it?"

The boar huffed. "Of course! You know me well enough by now. Have I ever shied away from hard decisions."

Oogway chuckled, before his smile fell. "I can only assume you face one now." He then placed a tile, this one with a stylized boat.

"Not me, no." The boar shook his head. "But my nephew on the other hand, he is facing a great trial. He chases after what he wants with a singular focus and drive that cannot be stopped."

Oogway hummed as the boar placed down a jade tile. "You worry that what he wants and what he needs are two different things."

"He has been chasing honor for so long. By the time he attains it, he will no longer be the person that needs it."

"That's the true problem with honor," Oogway commented idly, as he checked his opponent. "It can never truly be attained. Or awarded. Or earned. Either it exists inside you, or it doesn't."

The boar nodded. "Honor can only ever be recognized. In truth, it's not honor he seeks, but recognition. It pains me that he must earn such."

Oogway nodded, momentarily overwhelmed by bittersweet memory. "If your nephew truly is an honorable soul, then he will find what he needs in time. You have seen him grow too much to do otherwise." The two shared a smile, content. Oogway then grinned again, indicating the now locked game board. "In the meantime, I believe I'm about to win."