Tang did as he said.
"Now, who will go first?" Zhang asked. He looked at Gu and saw his hands were shaking. "Brother Gu is afraid," he said with a smile. "Life and death are governed by fate. I will go first." He stretched his hand onto Tang"s bag and pulled an Emperor Yong Zheng coin out.
"Oh, what a pity!" he exclaimed. "I won"t be able to be the hero." He opened his first and showed the coin to the other four. The five coins were the same size, but the Emperor Sun Zhi coin was about eighty years older than the others and therefore slightly smoother and thinner, although not enough to be immediately obvious.
Chen"s turn was next, and to his disappointment he chose an Emperor Yong Zheng coin.
"Brother Gu, if you please," Zhang said. Gu drew his sword and flourished it threateningly.
"It"s a trick!" he shouted. "You already decided that it would be one of us three."
"What do you mean, a trick?" Zhang demanded.
"They"re your coins, and you had first choice. How do we know you haven"t marked them in some way?"
Zhang"s face went white. "Then what do you suggest, Brother Gu?"
"One of those Yong Zheng coins in your pocket is lighter in colour than the others. Put that in with four dark ones, and whoever picks the light one goes."
Zhang hesitated for a second, then smiled. "Just as you say. But I fear it will still be you who goes to feed the wolves." He surreptitiously bent the light-coloured coin slightly before placing it with the others.
"If neither you nor I lose, I will fight you afterwards," Gu said threateningly.
"It will be my pleasure," replied Zhang. He put the five coins in the bag. "You three gentlemen choose first, then myself and lastly Master Chen, is that satisfactory?"
The Three Devils did not object. "Brother Hahetai, you first," said Tang.
Just as Hahetai put his hand in the bag, Huo Qingtong shouted out in Mongolian: "Don"t take the bent one!" He started in fright. The first coin he felt was indeed slightly bent. He chose another one and pulled it out: it was dark coloured.
Huo Qingtong had seen Zhang bend the coin, and had warned Hahetai because he was the most decent of the Three Devils.
Next was Gu"s turn. Hahetai told him in the thick, unintelligable dialect of northeast China not to take the bent coin. Gu and Tang both glanced angrily at Zhang and pulled out dark coloured coins. Chen looked questioningly at Huo Qingtong.
"Don"t take the bent one," Princess Fragrance said.
Chen knew Zhang would certainly take the unbent coin, thereby giving him both the light-coloured coin and the chance to escape with the girls. But as Zhang put his hand into Hahetai"s bag, Chen saw Gu looking covertly at Huo Qingtong, and realised they would never let him take the girls with him. Uncertain of what to do and with no time left to think, he suddenly blurted out: "Take the bent one! Leave the flat one for me!"
Zhang started in shock and drew his hand back. "What do you mean, bent?" he demanded.
"One of the two coins in the bag has been bent by you. I want the one that"s not bent." He put his hand in the bag and pulled out the dark coin. "You"ve caused your own funeral," he said to Zhang with a smile.
Zhang"s face went dark and he drew his sword. "We had agreed that I would choose first," he said, and swung the blade at Chen"s neck. Chen ducked and thrust his dagger at Zhang"s stomach. The two fought closely for a moment. Suddenly, Zhang flung his sword at Huo Qingtong. Chen was afraid she would be too weak to dodge it and raced over to intercept the weapon. But it was just a diversion. As Chen ran towards Huo Qingtong, Zhang jumped over to Princess Fragrance and grabbed her.
"Get out!"