ShaoShu

= Book Description = (Books Description): Little street urchin ShaoShu has always wanted to belong. His small size makes him an easy target for bullies and baddies and this little "mouse" always needs a place to hide. When he is befriended by Hok and Ying, he thinks he has found a new family, and eagerly tags along as they continue on their travels. What he doesn't know is that his new friends are the most wanted criminals in China, and their adventures will land him in the middle of a battle not only for their lives, but for the future of China itself.

= History = Having first met Hok and Ying at the end of Eagle, ShaoShu stowes aboard the Man-o-War captained by the devious Tonglong. Using his flexibility and uncanny ability to hide, ShaoShu (Little Mouse in Cantoneese), stays aboard the boat for several days, before he is discovered by a cat, belonging to the enigmatic gunslinger Lei, or thunder.

After convinging Tonglong (Mantis), that he would be a valuable addition to his crew, he goes with him to a cemetary, and is able to assist the Mantis in retrieving a key from the ashes of his (Tonglong's) father.

ShaoShu remains with Tonglong for the remainder of the book, nearing the end, he fetches up a a fight club, where he gets hired into the service of a man named Golden Dragon, who is going to be fighting Lei that night. ShaoShu befriends Golden Dragon, and even aids him when, after defeating Lei, and sustaining a wound to his leg in the process, Golden Dragon, who is none other than former Cangzhen monk Long, to escape the soldiers and the fight club.

Back in Tonglongs service, ShaoShu repeatedly tries to escape, but is repeatedly foiled by the wily Mantis, even though the Tonglong doesn't seem to know it. Finally, in the head of a battle with the bandits, during which Tonglong is unhorsed and wounded by Ying, ShaoShu escaped, and traveled with Ying as they followed Tonglongs regiment to the Forbidden City.

During this period, ShaoShu befriended the Emperor, who had been captured by Tonglong and put in a crate. ShaoShu snuck food to the emperor and gained information from him, such as the location of the secret passage that Ying would later use to sneak into the emperors chambers. ShaoShu was present at the banquet after the fall of Tonglong and the death of Ying, and the emperor invited him to live in the forbidden city, as the latter could be "a fun place for a boy."