When Tiong Li regained consciousness and the only word that escaped his lips was "si Golok Naga" before he fainted again, it naturally piqued the interest of Bantok Sian-li.
Her visit to Liong-san was indeed related to the Golok Naga. She had heard about the stolen ancestral sword which hadn't been found even after ten years.
The Emperor's promise of a large reward for the return of the ancestral sword didn't interest her much. What intrigued her was the sword itself because she heard that the Golok Naga was a supremely powerful weapon. She wanted to find it, not to return it to the Emperor, but to possess it for herself.
She also heard that four influential figures from major associations who conducted investigations had been murdered in Liong-san. Hence, she concluded that her investigation could start from Liong-san. There must be a connection between Liong-san and the murderer, who presumably knew about the stolen ancestral sword. Otherwise, why would he kill the four leaders of the major parties, who were reportedly framed by the sword thief!
Therefore, hearing the young man mention Golok Naga, she was naturally intrigued. She then examined the youth and understood why he had fainted again after regaining consciousness. The young man had severe internal injuries, the result of a poisonous blow from an unknown source.
Since she was an expert in poisonous blows, Bantok Sian-li rolled up her sleeves, revealing her smooth, fair arms up to her elbows.
She then placed her palms on Tiong Li's back after turning him over. Her disciple stood watching as her master treated the unconscious young man.
A quarter of an hour later, after Bantok Sian-li's energy channeling treatment, Tiong Li's previously labored and irregular breathing began to normalize. After she stimulated certain parts of his meridians, he regained consciousness.
Bantok Sian-li rose, wiping a bit of sweat from her neck and forehead. She had expended a lot of energy healing the young man. However, she was willing to do so, as she was bound to gain valuable information from him about the Golok Naga.
Tiong Li opened his eyes, sat up in surprise, and looked in shock at the beautiful woman and young girl.
"Who are Ji-wi (you two)?" he asked. But then he remembered, turned around, and saw his master still lying motionless on the bench, so he knelt down near the bench and cried.
"Suhu. ! "
Tiong Li felt the gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder. When he looked back, it was the young girl who touched his shoulder and she said.
"You were seriously injured and it's my master (subo) who healed you. Don't cry and tell everything to master.”
Hearing this, Tiong Li got up and paid his respects to Bantok Sian-li, with tears still wetting his cheeks. "Thank you for your help, auntie."
"I am not your aunt!" a snapping, angry reply was heard. Indeed, it was taboo for Bantok Sian-li to be referred to as an older woman! Her disciple, who was familiar with her master's character, then told Tiong Li, "Master is Bantok Sian-li, you can call her Sian-li (Goddess), not auntie."
Being well-versed in manners, Tiong Li then said, "I apologize, thank you for your help, Sian-li."
"I don't need your thanks, better you quickly tell me where the Golok Naga is!" Bantok Sian-li retorted while staring at him with an intense, investigative gaze.
"Golok Naga...?" Tiong Li looked puzzled. "I don't know about the sword ...".
"Don't lie!" Bantok Sian-li thundered. "When you regained consciousness, you mentioned Si Golok Naga! And now you claim you don't know?"
"Ahh,.Si Golok Naga? Indeed, Sianli. But what I mean is that the giant black Si Golok Naga and his companion, the Living Skull, have killed my master and injured me.”
"What's the connection between the black giant and the Mestika Golok Naga? Now, tell me everything! "
Of course, Tiong Li could guess that the black giant who killed the four prominent party leaders and his father, then with someone like the Living Skull killed his master, might be the thief of the Mestika Golok Naga. However, he didn't want to disclose this to this ferocious woman. He wanted to keep it a secret for himself. He himself would seek the black giant who had killed his biological father and then also killed his master. "I don't know, Sianli. The black giant calls himself Golok Naga and he came with a man whose face is like a living skull."
"Why did he come to kill your master and injure you? What's the reason?"
"I don't know either. Master never had any enemies, but Golok Naga suddenly appeared with his companion and they ganged up on master."
"And its connection with Mesti Golok Naga?" "I don't know."
"Damn! I went through a lot of trouble and expended a lot of energy to revive you and you can't give any clues about the Mestika Golok Naga? Then, what's the point of me treating you? It's better if I just kill you because you've disappointed me!"
The woman lifted her hand, but suddenly the teenage girl stepped forward to shield and hide Tiong Li behind her.
"Master, I disagree! The young man wasn't dead when you helped him. And he didn't ask for help. It was you who helped him, why do you want to kill him now? Look, master, his master is dead and who will take care of his master's body if you kill his disciple too? Master, we can be harsh towards someone who has wronged us, but this young man hasn't wronged you at all!"
The child seemed very brave in opposing her master's will, and strangely, when she made eye contact with her disciple shielding Tiong Li, Bantok Sian-li lowered her hand and took a deep breath.
"Enough, there's no point in killing this child!
Let's go!"
And with a flash, Bantok Sian-li had disappeared from the place. Her movement was so quick, it was as though she had mastered invisibility.
Tiong Li grabbed the hand of the young girl. "Miss, you saved my life! I will remember this for the rest of my life and hope that one day I can repay your kindness. My name is Tan Tiong Li, miss. And may I know your name?"
"My name is The Siang Hwi. Now, I have to go so that my master won't be angry with me!"
Siang Hwi pulled her hand away, then she jumped with a light body and ran quickly, disappearing in no time.
Tiong Li let out a long sigh. His life had just been threatened multiple times, but if God did not want him to die, as per his master's teachings, he would be saved. Initially, he was endangered by Si Golok Naga, but Bantok Sian-li healed him.
Then he should have died at the hands of Bantok Sian-li, but there was The Siang Hwi who saved him. And the recent event opened his eyes that after ten years of learning martial arts, he still had a long way to go before he could defend himself. He couldn't even handle Si Golok Naga and Si Muka Tengkorak Hidup, let alone Bantok Sian-li! The martial arts he had mastered meant nothing.
Of course, the young man didn't know that he was facing martial arts grandmasters. If he encountered figures of a lower level, his martial arts would be more than enough.
He then lifted his master's corpse. The body felt incredibly light and it was only then that he realized how frail and thin his master's body was. It was astonishing how such a frail body possessed great martial arts prowess. But now, where was all that prowess? It disappeared with the death of the body!
So, what is known as martial arts skills is only temporary, not eternal like this body. His master was right. All of this is just a tool! And everyone should strive to be a good tool, not a destructive one! A good tool will be used by God to express his power, while a bad tool will only be used by the devil to wreak havoc!
"Master, I vow to be a good tool for the Almighty God."
He remembered his master's last request before his death. His master asked for his body to be burned along with the hut they lived in. This only implied that after his master's departure, he should also leave the place, so he was asked to burn the hut. He laid the body on his master's bed.
Looking at his master's blood-stained clothes, with a heavy heart and trembling hands, he replaced his master's clothes with clean ones. Then he packed his own clothes into a bundle, and after once again paying respect while kneeling eight times in front of his master's corpse while crying, he said,
"Goodbye, master, goodbye and... safe journey... !"
He himself was confused, whether to say goodbye or wish a safe journey to his master! .
He then gathered firewood, piled it around his master's bed, and then, with tears streaming down his face, he began to burn the pile of firewood. After the fire blazed fiercely, he exited the house, stood in the yard watching the flames consume the hut with tears soaking both cheeks.
" Master ......... master .... ahh , master "
Glossary
- Golok Naga: The name of a sacred and powerful sword that is the object of the story's conflict.
- Liong-san: A location within the story, associated with the Golok Naga.
- Bantok Sian-li: A character in the story, known for her skill in martial arts and her interest in the Golok Naga.
- Tiong Li: Another character in the story, who is healed by Bantok Sian-li and is closely connected to the Golok Naga.
- Mestika Golok Naga: Another name for the Golok Naga, highlighting its sacred and powerful nature.
- The Siang Hwi: A young girl in the story, who saves Tiong Li from Bantok Sian-li.