Once upon a time, the world of martial arts was filled with intrigue and danger. In a dimly lit room, two figures sat facing each other, their expressions grave.
"Have you met your father?" one asked.
"I have," the other replied. "What did he say?" "He said nothing," came the somber reply. "Oh...!" The first figure let out a sigh.
"He has been poisoned by someone," the second figure continued, his voice heavy with emotion. Tu Liong felt as though a sharp needle had pierced his mind.
Though shocked, he maintained a calm demeanor.
"When faced with any issue, you must not be too subjective. The death of Leng Taiya is a fact. But it may not be true that he was poisoned by someone; perhaps he died harboring a grudge."
"You mean he committed suicide?" the first figure asked, incredulous.
"Perhaps. In the old days, during the glorious era of the Ceng dynasty, if a master ordered his servant to die, the servant dared not disobey. That’s why they always carried poison with them for such occasions. Leng Taiya was a government official. He would have known this."
"But he had no reason to commit suicide," the first figure argued.
"He might have wanted to avoid something," Tu Liong suggested.
"Tu toako, I want to ask you something. How did you know that Leng Taiya died harboring a grudge?" the first figure pressed.
"Cu Siau-thian has thrown all the blame on Leng Souw-hiang. Of course, he must kill Leng Souw-hiang to ease his heart."
"So, in your conclusion, Leng Taiya did not commit suicide," the first figure surmised.
"Think about it. Someone could have killed him by stabbing a knife in his neck, but no one could have forced him to drink poison. If someone secretly poured poison into his drink, that assumption is unreliable, especially since the situation was urgent. If someone wanted to kill Leng Souw-hiang, they wouldn’t use such a slow method."
"You’re saying that Cu Siau-thian wanting to kill Leng Souw-hiang is one thing, and the death of Leng Souw-hiang is another. Do you think these two things are unrelated?" the first figure asked.
"Correct," Tu Liong confirmed.
"Tu toako, I have always trusted you. What should we do now?" the first figure asked earnestly.
"Go meet Thiat-yan," Tu Liong instructed.
"Should I go alone?" the first figure inquired.
"Yes. But you must remember one thing," Tu Liong warned.
"Tell me," the first figure urged.
"Do not trust her too much," Tu Liong advised.
Wie Kie-hong widened his eyes in disbelief. Unconsciously, he let out a long breath. The world seemed terrifying, as if there was no one he could trust.
"What’s wrong?" Tu Liong asked.
"Your words shocked me," Wie Kie-hong admitted.
"Why?" Tu Liong pressed.
"Thiat-yan... she..." Wie Kie-hong started but was cut off.
"Don’t ask anything," Tu Liong said mysteriously. "Everyone always prioritizes their own interests. Only after gaining benefits do they consider others. Even then, it’s not as much as their own interests. People who only care about others can almost be said to not exist. Wie Kie-hong, heed your friend’s advice: never trust anyone too much, not even me."
"Tu toako! If that’s the case, isn’t the world going mad? I’ve respected you since I was a child, admired you. I’ve considered you my own brother, and now you say I can’t even trust you..." Wie Kie-hong lamented.
"This is just a metaphor... Now, you should go quickly. I can tell you one more thing: Thiat-yan appeared in the forest earlier to save Cu Taiya."
"Oh...!" Wie Kie-hong exclaimed.
"With this conclusion, you can decide how to question her... The only thing that can reassure you is that she won’t easily order Boh Tan-ping to harm you," Tu Liong assured.
Wie Kie-hong said nothing more and rushed out, his steps reflecting his disturbed thoughts.
0-0-0
The sun began to set. By the time Wie Kie-hong reached San-poa alley, several houses had already lit their lamps. It was the time when lamps were first lit.
Miss Thiat-yan had promised to tell Wie Kie-hong when the lamps were lit, so now was the perfect time.
The door to Boh Tan-ping’s residence was open, and someone came out to greet him. Upon seeing Wie Kie-hong, they immediately said, "Wie Siauya, Miss Thiat-yan is waiting for you."
Following the servants into the house, Wie Kie-hong was led to a room where Thiat-yan sat in front of a table, even having prepared incense for the room.
"Nona Tiat!" Wie Kie-hong greeted coldly. "Judging by the situation, it seems you have the information I want to hear."
"Sit down!" Thiat-yan said with a single word.
Wie Kie-hong sat facing Thiat-yan, scrutinizing her with suspicion. Yet, Miss Thiat-yan’s eyes were crystal clear. Even a good lady like this could deceive him. Was the world truly mad?
"I know what you're thinking," Thiat-yan said softly.
"I'm just thinking of one thing," Wie Kie-hong admitted.
"You’re guessing what lie I’ll tell to deceive you," Thiat-yan accused.
"No! You’re not that kind of person," Wie Kie-hong insisted, though his words belied his thoughts. The world could indeed change a person’s nature and character.
"I’m glad... Now I can tell you the truth... About ten years ago, I met your father... Since he was a few years younger than my father, I called him Uncle Wie. Over the past ten years, we kept in touch, and even in recent days, we’ve met often..."
"Really?" Wie Kie-hong’s breath became heavy upon hearing her words.
"Look at yourself. You already don’t trust me," Thiat-yan observed.
"I trust you. I trust you. I trust you..." Wie Kie-hong assured, but his heart told another story.
"Before you arrived, I even met your Uncle Wie," Thiat-yan continued.
Wie Kie-hong held his breath, not daring to make a sound.
"Uncle Wie has instructed me to tell you that he can’t meet you just yet," Thiat-yan revealed.
"How long must I wait?" Wie Kie-hong asked urgently.
"Soon," Thiat-yan promised.
"No, I must see my father immediately. I can’t wait any longer, even if it’s just for a moment," Wie Kie-hong insisted.
"Listen to all I have to say. Even if you can’t wait, you still must wait. Uncle Wie also asked me to convey two more matters to you," Thiat-yan said.
"Oh... What matters?" Wie Kie-hong asked.
"First, in Leng Taiya’s residence, there is a storage room. Inside, there’s a paper umbrella stored in a long box. This umbrella is a famous product from Ho Lam. On the handle, there's an engraved inscription 'Yap-yang-tiang-tai-san-ceng' (Yap-yang brand umbrella made in Tiang-tai) branded with a hot iron. Bring this umbrella to me, and Uncle Wie will surely come to retrieve it..."
Suddenly, Miss Thiat-yan paused.
Wie Kie-hong waited silently for her to continue.
"Second, for the time being, he wants you to avoid Tu Liong..." Thiat-yan added.
"Why?" Wie Kie-hong exclaimed in shock, almost leaping from his seat.
"You need not ask. Your father ordered this. Do you need to ask why?" Thiat-yan countered.
"How do I know that my father really told you this?" Wie Kie-hong questioned.
"First, go find the umbrella. Once you find it, it will prove I’m not lying," Thiat-yan explained.
Her words made sense. Wie Kie-hong’s emotions calmed as he gently spoke, "Miss Tiat, it’s not that I don’t believe you. But you’ve done many things that arouse suspicion. For example, in the forest..."
"Too coincidental, isn’t it?" Thiat-yan interrupted.
"You secretly helped Cu Siau-thian," Wie Kie-hong accused.
"I deny it," Thiat-yan replied.
"You don’t need to deny it. It's the truth," Wie Kie-hong insisted.
"I deny secretly aiding Cu Siau-thian. I only admit that in the forest, I saved his life," Thiat-yan explained.
"What’s the difference?" Wie Kie-hong asked skeptically.
"Saving Cu Siau-thian’s life doesn’t mean I’m helping him, but because he cannot die yet. If I hadn’t shown myself, you might have succeeded in killing him earlier," Thiat-yan stated.
"But you shouldn’t have let him go," Wie Kie-hong argued.
"I intended to capture him, but I used a tactic and pretended to let him go. Don’t you understand?" Thiat-yan asked.
"I don’t understand," Wie Kie-hong admitted.
"There’s no need to debate this now. Go find the paper umbrella I mentioned. Only that umbrella can prove whether my words are trustworthy or not..." Thiat-yan concluded.
"Alright! Will you wait for me here?" Wie Kie-hong asked.
"Of course. If you can bring me the umbrella, you’ll prove I’m not lying to you. After that, there will be much more to discuss," Thiat-yan agreed.
Wie Kie-hong immediately left, determined to return quickly. He wanted to resolve the turmoil in his heart as soon as possible.
0-0-0
The Leng residence was still tightly guarded. The news of Leng Taiya’s death by poisoning was not known to many, and the servants attending to Leng Taiya showed no suspicious behavior under Wie Kie-hong’s surveillance.
Wie Kie-hong quickly went to the storage room. It was vast, and he started rummaging through the items, trying to find the umbrella box. The search seemed daunting, but after a long while, Wie Kie-hong finally found it.
Opening the paper-wrapped box, a strong smell of oil wafted out. Despite the years, the paper umbrella looked new. He inspected the handle, and indeed, the words Thiat-yan had mentioned were engraved there, branded by a hot iron.
Miss Thiat-yan had not lied. She couldn’t have known about such an item in Leng Souw-hiang’s storage room. Even he didn’t know.
He quickly returned to San-poa alley, his feelings about Thiat-yan shifting once more. Now, he didn’t suspect her at all. But...
Suddenly, Wie Kie-hong felt a pang of doubt. If Thiat-yan’s words were trustworthy, then Tu Liong had lied to him. Had he misjudged? Or was Tu Liong trying to obscure the truth? Furthermore, according to Thiat-yan, his father had instructed him to avoid Tu Liong for the time being. Why had he given such an instruction?
On one side, a question; on the other, another question mark. Both pressed upon him heavily. He could barely continue walking.
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him...
"Are you the young master from the Leng family?" the voice asked.
"Who?" Wie Kie-hong quickly turned around, looking behind him. The other person’s movements were equally swift, seeming to always be behind Wie Kie-hong, wherever he turned.
"Wie Siauya, please don’t turn around," the voice requested.
"Who are you?" Wie Kie-hong demanded.
"Don’t worry about who I am. I only have three questions for you. The first question, is your adoptive father Leng Souw-hiang dead?" the voice asked.
"That’s correct," Wie Kie-hong confirmed.
"Where is Cu Taiya?" the voice inquired.
"I don’t know," Wie Kie-hong replied.
"Are you going to meet Thiat-yan now?" the voice asked.
"Yes," Wie Kie-hong answered.
"To show my gratitude, I want to give you a warning. Don’t go to San-poa alley," the voice advised.
"Why?" Wie Kie-hong asked, bewildered.
There was no answer.
"Please tell me why I shouldn’t go to San-poa alley," Wie Kie-hong pleaded.
Still, there was no response. He could only guess at the identity of the person who had spoken to him based on the voice impression. The person sounded like they were in their forties or fifties, with an old and raspy voice. It was a unique voice.
---
**
Glossary:**
- **Tu Liong**: A character in the story, likely a martial artist or someone involved in the martial arts world.
- **Thiat-yan**: Another character, possibly a female martial artist or someone with significant knowledge and influence.
- **Wie Kie-hong**: The main character who is navigating the complex world of martial arts intrigue.
- **Leng Taiya**: A deceased character, once a government official, whose mysterious death is central to the plot.
- **Cu Siau-thian**: Another character involved in the plot, possibly antagonistic.
- **Boh Tan-ping**: A character mentioned in relation to Thiat-yan, possibly a subordinate or ally.
- **Siauya**: A term of respect, possibly indicating "young master" or "young lord."
- **Toako**: A term of respect for an elder or senior, similar to "elder brother."