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."Is not!" Remo flared."It is deadly.Do you covet my Masterhood so much that you would stoop to mere poison?""I did not-"A single hand rose."It is one thing for you to covet my throne," intoned Chiun."It is another to employ poison to achieve it.The House has not used poison since before the Great Wang.A simple blow while I sleep would have been sufficient-not that you would have landed such a blow or survived the attempt, but it would have been acceptable."Remo shook his head."You're being ridiculous.""Am I? You would not be the first who attempted to supplant me as Master.You would do well to remember what befell him."Chiun was referring to his nephew, Nuihc.His brother's son had been Chiun's first pupil.He had turned against his village and used his deadly skills for evil.Chiun had personally eliminated Nuihc in order to save Remo's life, and had mentioned the matter rarely over the past decade.The fact that he brought it up now only angered Remo more."Look," Remo protested, growing hot, "I'm trying to honor you here! Why are you giving me all this BS?""Because you are giving me poison duck.I will not eat it, and I suggest you do not.""But you gotta eat the duck!"Chiun drew back, his clear eyes hardening.His long-nailed fingers found his Page 20ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwrists and disappeared within the tunnel of his sleeves.He cocked his head to one side."I must?""It's supposed to be your kohi! Remember? This way you can turn one hundred!"Chiun became angry."I am only eighty!" he snapped."I will always be eighty.I will never age, thanks to your white thick-headedness, and I will never die.""You won't?" Remo asked, taken aback."I cannot afford to," Chiun squeaked."For I am the last of my line, and my only successor is a pale piece of a pig's ear who covets the treasure of my ancestors."Remo put his hands on his hips."You know that isn't true.And I'm sick of apologizing for not realizing you weren't dead that one time.Pulling this'poisoned duck' scam is a low move.I went to a lot of trouble preparing this bird!""Then you eat it," Chiun sniffed."I will," said Remo, reaching out to rip loose a shriveled brown wing.He brought it to his mouth.The Master of Sinanju watched with silent interest.Remo's strong white teeth took hold of a string of meat and pulled it loose.He had barely tasted the greasy meat when, faster than Remo's Sinanju-trained reflexes could avoid it, a nut-colored hand swept out.Remo thought for an awful moment that his front teeth had been pulled.One moment he was tasting meat and clutching a duck wing.Then both were gone.Remo tasted the duck on his tongue and swallowed involuntarily.As soon as the greasy morsel hit his stomach, he knew the duck was poisoned.His dark eyes widened with shock.One hand over his mouth, he made a dive for the bathroom.After he had emptied the contents of his stomach-mostly stomach acid-into the toilet bowl, and his vision had begun to clear, he heard Chiun's voice, calm but interested."You did not know the duck was poisoned.""Of course I didn't!" Remo snapped, wiping his mouth with the back of his thick wrist."Unless this was clever subterfuge to lull my newfound suspicions," Chiun continued thoughtfully, stroking his wispy beard."Then why'd you pull the duck from between my teeth?"Silence.The pause lengthened.Remo got off his knees, which were rubbery from the aftereffects of the shock to his highly attuned nervous system-and Chiun answered."Because I did not wish to be burdened with the disposal of your worthless round-eyed carcass."And the Master of Sinanju swept from the room.Soon, the sounds of broadcast-quality British voices once again filled the apartment.Remo moved swiftly into the living room and did something that had gotten untold hotel bellhops, apartment house superintendents, telephone repairmen, and other rude persons maimed or killed more effectively than if they'd stumbled across an organized crime summit in progress.He switched off one of Chiun's soaps and stepped before the dark screen, blocking it.Chiun's facial hair trembled.His eyes narrowed until they resembled the seams on old walnut shells [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]