Spring had been upon us for a month. The Liong-san mountains, from foot to peak, were a lush green as all the plants bloomed and flourished, creating a cool and fresh atmosphere. The spring breeze blew gently, making the grasslands sway like a sea of grass. Standing mid-slope, looking up to the peak of Liong-san, the peak seemed to appear from behind the surrounding clouds, as if it hung from the sky, with parts still white from leftover snow. Looking down, the view was breathtakingly beautiful.
Clusters of forests were interspersed with steep ravines, and beneath them, the green-yellow fields, small villages, and vast grasslands were visible. A winding river, like a dragon descending the hill, expanded as it receded.
The morning's air was incredibly clear. The morning sun shone brightly, and from dawn, there was a flurry of activity along the slope. Birds flew and chirped in response to each other while small animals, like squirrels and rabbits, were out searching for food.
God's power was everywhere, giving life and joy to anything and anyone who could embrace it. God's blessings were abundant, never lacking, available to all creatures, moving or still. Always available to sustain life or to enjoy life.
Water, air, sunlight, never-endingly nurturing all that exists on this earth's surface. God's power lies within our eyes, allowing us to see everything visible. God's power lies within the stunning beauty of the universe. All we have to do is open our eyes to enjoy it all.
However, it is regrettable. Sometimes we fail to see all this beauty. Are we blind? Our physical eyes are not blind, but our inner eyes are. Our minds are filled with all sorts of problems, distracted by all kinds of problems created by our own thoughts, so even though our eyes are open, we cannot see how God's power works and the results are spread wide before our eyes.
Look at the clouds moving around that peak. How miraculous. Look at the tips of the branches full of leaves dancing in the wind. How amazing. Feel the flow of the fresh cool air into our lungs. How delicious and refreshing.
Listen to the chirping of birds, the melody of the river water, the whisper of the grass moved by the wind. How melodious. Yet all of this disappears, passing merely before our eyes, our ears, our senses, each busy with its own thoughts, piled with problems. Blessed is the one who can enjoy all of this.
Life is a blessing. Life is a pleasure, life is happiness.
Almost everyone in this world is chasing or seeking happiness in various ways, even some people torture themselves in search of happiness! Yet, if we reflect, why are we seeking happiness? Why do we yearn for, need happiness? The answer is only one, that is, we seek happiness because we FEEL unhappy. Isn't that the case? We yearn for happiness because we feel unhappy.
Happiness is a state of the heart and feelings. If in a state of unhappiness, we seek happiness, can we find it? Isn't it more important to investigate, what makes us unhappy? If the reason that makes us unhappy no longer exists, do we need to seek happiness? Of course, we don't, we don't need happiness anymore because we ARE already happy!
Just like health. In a state of illness, chasing health is clearly impossible.
Health is a state of the body. If the cause that makes us sick or unhealthy is gone, we don't need health anymore because we are already healthy! However, just like health, we don't feel happiness, do we feel healthy when we are healthy? We only feel the need for health when we are sick.
The same goes for happiness. We don't feel how perfectly God created us, how happiness is already in us, but we only feel it when something bothers us, so we feel unhappy. Praise be to the God of Love. His blessings are abundant. It is up to us to be able to accept them or not. On the cold peak of Liong-san (Dragon Mountain), which from the slope seemed surrounded by clouds and silent, it wasn't quiet that morning. On the flat peak full of large rocks, four people could be seen sitting cross-legged facing each other, apparently arguing.
"Sian-cai!"
One of them, a tosu (a Taoist priest), cried out.
"We from the Hoasan-pai always take responsibility for our actions. If we took that mestika golok, you would certainly acknowledge it! Yet I dare assure that none of us committed that act!" This tosu was Thian Seng Cu, a prominent figure from the Hoa-sanpai, a renowned tosu, about fifty years old, tall and thin.
"If any of the guards died from a Tiat ciang (Iron Hand) blow, it must have been someone else who stole our sect's technique and used it. We would never use Tiat-ciang to kill and steal the mestika golok!"
"Omitohud!" A fat hwesio (Buddhist monk), also about fifty years old, exclaimed. "What Tosu Thian Seng Cu said also reflects my thoughts! A guard has been killed by an Ang-see-ciang (Red Sand Hand) strike, but I dare guarantee that the strike was not carried out by a disciple of Siauw lim-pai. A Siauw-lim-pai disciple would not steal the mestika golok from the palace's treasure vault!" The Hwe-slo, named Tek Hwat Hwe-slo, was a third rank figure from Siauw lim-pai.
"O-ho ...." One of them, who was dressed like a scholar, loudly exclaimed. "If the Hoa-sanpai and the Siauw-lim-pai didn't take the mestika golok, does anyone suspect that the Butong-pai took it? We are also not the thieving type to steal the mestika golok. Although some of the guards died from the Touw-kut-teng secret weapon, I dare guarantee that it wasn't the act of a Butong-pai disciple!" The man dressed as a scholar was Kiang C un, a skilled Butong-pai figure. He was over forty years old, of average build, but his pair of eyes were striking, sharp as a hawk's.
"Sian-cai... ! It is indeed impossible for any of us to have stolen the mestika golok. We from Kun-lun-pai never suspected the sam-wi (you three), just as we know nothing about the disappearance of the mestika golok. The death of a guard from a Pek-lek-jiau (Thundering Hand) strike is not evidence that our disciples did it. Each technique that has been taught by hundreds of disciples can leak out and be learned by others, then used to slander us! So we invited the sam-wi to gather on Liong-san to discuss this matter, not to accuse each other. The thief has used our techniques and secret weapons to kill the guards. So it means our four sects are being slandered. It is our duty to investigate and capture the thief who is slandering our four sects!"
"Hmmm, Ciong-tosu's words are indeed true!"
The man called Ciong-tosu was a tosu from Kun-lun-pai, tall and large with a long beard down to his chest, appearing very robust in his fifties.
"Therefore, I hope we all return to our respective sects and mobilize our members to investigate. It is not easy to investigate the thief, so the only way is to find the mestika golok. And the only way to lure the thief is to announce that the stolen mestika golok is fake!"
The other three nodded in agreement. Just then, laughter rang out and a fine black light rushed towards them. Everyone avoided the strike of this secret weapon, except for Kiang Gun, the Butong-pai figure. He used two fingers to catch the secret weapon.
"Touw kut-teng (Skull Penetrating Spike)!" He exclaimed, recognizing the secret weapon from his sect.
"Impudent, who used the Touw-kut-teng?"
Everyone jumped and turned towards where the secret weapon had come from. They saw a man, about fifty years old, tall and bulky like a giant with a black face, standing not far from them, hands on hips, laughing uproariously. Kiang Cun stepped forward and challenged loudly, "Who are you, daring to use our Touw-kut-teng secret weapon?"
"Ha-ha-ha! Besides Touw-kut-teng, I can also use Tiat-ciang from Hoa-san-pai, Ang-see-ciang from Siauw-lim-pai, and Pek-lek-jiau from Kun-lun-pai. Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
The black-faced giant was indeed arrogant. His face was terrifying. His head was bald, his sparse hair was stiff like wire, as were his beard and mustache, stiff and mixed with gray. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes large and bulging, his nose large and his mouth wide. Every part of this man seemed big and thick, his tall and bulky body was sturdy and muscular like a rock.
Glossary
- Sian-cai: A respectful term often used to address older or higher-ranked individuals in a martial arts sect.
- Tosu: A term used to refer to a Taoist priest.
- Hwesio: A term used to refer to a Buddhist monk.
- Hoasan-pai, Siauw lim-pai, Kun-lun-pai, Butong-pai: Names of martial art sects in the novel.
- Sam-wi: A term used to refer to 'you three' in a respectful manner.
- Mestika golok: A term used to refer to a treasured sword or weapon in the novel.
- Tiat ciang, Ang-see-ciang, Pek-lek-jiau, Touw kut-teng: Names of special martial arts techniques or secret weapons belonging to the respective sects.