Among these guards, there are many skilled individuals...
...he thought and quickly leaped down and ran into the garden. A guard spotted his shadow and yelled in pursuit. Several guards joined the chase. However, Tiong Li's body floated up to the wall fence with a swift motion, then jumped out and disappeared into the night's darkness. He managed to escape, but he was nearly surrounded!
Since it was impossible to conduct an investigation that night, he ran quickly back to the inn. However, their two rooms were vacant. There was no sign of Siang Hwi, instead, he saw a dagger stuck on the table, piercing a piece of paper. His heart pounded as he read the note.
"If you want to meet the girl, go to the southern hill of Fu-niu-san."
Tiong Li discarded the dagger, pocketed the note, and once again bolted out of the window. His heart pounded anxiously. His search for the kidnapped princess of Sung Hia ng Bwee had been unsuccessful, and now Siang Hwi had been kidnapped as well! Could Siang Hwi have been kidnapped that easily? He didn't believe it. The girl was highly skilled and capable of defending herself, even had many potent poisonous strikes. Only a highly skilled person would be able to suppress and kidnap Siang Hwi. But why did the kidnapper leave a note? Clearly, the kidnapper lured him deliberately to Fu-niu-san. He was not afraid. Even if he had to go to hell to save Siang Hwi, he would!
Fu-niu-san was located to the south of Lok-yang city, so he left the city through the southern gate, and ran quickly towards the hill. However, the night was too dark for him. He had no choice but to walk slowly towards his destination.
Only the next day, when the sun began to shine, did he reached the foot of Fu-niu-san. Where should he go? The hills were vast and surely had countless slopes! But suddenly, in the dim dawn, he saw a flickering fire on a slope in front of him. That was the only fire visible in that entire area, there were none elsewhere, it couldn’t be a coincidence. Someone must have given him a sign! Without any hesitation, he climbed the slope in front of him.
That fire turned out to be a bonfire intentionally made in front of a large hut! And around the hut stood a dozen people, all holding a saber. From the glow of the bonfire, Tiong Li saw that the sabers they were holding were all large sabers engraved with dragons. Mestika Golok Naga! Why were there so many? Tiong Li remembered the saber he had once seized from Si Golok Naga. The Mestika Golok Naga held by Hak Bu Cu turned out to be fake, and now so many people were holding sabers identical to Mestika Golok Naga. They must all be fake!
He became very worried about Siang Hwi's fate. Thus, he bravely leaped forward, and the crowd immediately surrounded him.
The door of the hut swung open, and to his great surprise, Tiong Li saw a tall, big man of about forty standing upright with a similar saber in hand. And next to him stood Siang Hwi! But the girl was free and even smiling at him!
"Hwi-moi. !"
"Koko, you have finally arrived."
Siang Hwi ran to Tiong Li and the young man held both of her hands. "Hwi-moi, what's happening? Why are you here?"
"Let me introduce you, Koko. This is Ciu-ciangkun. He invited me here because he said it would be too dangerous if I stayed at the inn. He said you may not succeed and if the inn where we were staying was discovered, we would definitely be pursued and captured. So he brought me here and deliberately invited you to come. They treated me with respect and kindness, Koko. And Ciu-ciangkun knows Subo." Ciu Bhok Hi, the commander, saluted Tiong Li. "We have heard of your name, Brother Tiong Li. Aren't you the fugitive from the Sung Kingdom? And this young lady is a student of Ban- tok Sian-li who I happened to know. My name is Ciu Bhok Hi and I am the commander of the Dragon Saber squadron that helps Grand Commander Wu Chu. We all know that you are heading to the grand commander's mansion."
"But if you already know, why lure me here, and not surround and attack me there instead? What does all this mean?"
"Ha-ha-ha you are so impatient. Come inside the hut, Brother Tan Tiong Li. Let's talk inside!"
Bravely, Tiong Li approached, and the three of them, Tiong Li, Siang Hwi, and the commander, entered the hut. Meanwhile, it was getting bright outside, but the indoor lamps were still lit.
Tiong Li and Siang Hwi sat on chairs facing a large round table, opposite Ciu Bhok Hi. After studying his guests with full attention, Ciu Bhok Hi sighed deeply.
"I didn't expect the person who rocked the Sung Kingdom to still be so young. You've even managed to stand up to fighters like the late Hak Bu Cu and Tang Boa Lu, it's truly admirable!" "Ciangkun is too kind. It would be better if Ciangkun quickly explained the purpose of luring us both here."
"All of this shows that Grand Commander Wu Chu is someone who can appreciate and respect skilled people like Taihiap. Our commander does not want to greet Taihiap as an enemy, but rather he would be very pleased if Taihiap agreed to help the Kin government. In the Sung Kingdom, Taihiap is an enemy, a fugitive, so it would be better if Taihiap started living here from now on. Grand Commander Wu Chu has prepared a high-ranking position for Taihiap and Siocia."
Tiong Li furrowed his eyebrows. Apparently his arrival in the Kin Kingdom was misinterpreted by them, they thought he was fleeing from being a fugitive of the Sung government.
"Hmm, I am a fugitive because I was framed, suspected of kidnapping a princess from the Palace. That's why I have to prove that I am not the kidnapper, and I heard that the princess is in Grand Commander Wu Chu's mansion."
"That's true, but Grand Commander Wu Chu is not someone who likes to kidnap women. He received the princess as a gift from someone "
"I know! It must be from Prime Minister Jin Kui, right?
That Prime Minister is truly cursed!"
"Enough, Taihiap. My task is just to persuade you to work with our grand commander. What's your answer?"
"What if I refuse?" "Taihiap, your skills may be high, but know that our Dragon Saber squadron is a very strong squadron and we think that you two will not be able to escape from here safely. But we do not want this to happen, so we hope Taihiap will consider it carefully."
"Hmm, if I accept, what's my task?" "The Kin Kingdom and the Sung Kingdom have been in a good relationship.
There has been an agreement between the king and the Emperor Sung not to attack each other. However, there are still many former followers of Commander Gak Hui who do not want to accept this peace and they still like to cause chaos and attack our troops. Taihiap's task is to eliminate these disruptors who are on the border, for the sake of maintaining good relations between the two countries."
"Hmm, what’s your opinion, Hwi-moi?"
"I surrender to you, Koko," the girl honestly said because she indeed was confused thinking about it.
"What I don't understand at all, how can you know our movements, Ciangkun?" Tiong Li asked Ciu Bhok Hi. The man who was asked laughed.
"Ha-ha-ha, this shows our meticulousness, Taihiap. Since you entered our territory, we have received the news that you two might enter our area and we have spread spies to investigate. And when you two were at the inn, at the restaurant, the incident with the rude officers, we knew about all those events."
"Ahhhh!" Tiong Li gasped. "I get it now!
The old man with the cape!"
"Ha-ha-ha, he's just one of our spies, Taihiap. Now, know that we are all very well prepared. If all our forces, combined with Taihiap's skills, Grand Commander Wu Chu will be very pleased and with Taihiap's help, all the disruptors on the border can be completely eliminated."
"No, I regret that I cannot accept the offer of a position by your commander. Besides, I still have a lot of personal matters, I also do not want to be tied by any position anywhere. Send my apologies to your commander."
"Taihiap, what else is hindering Taihiap from helping the Kin Kingdom? Many warriors are helping him, even Kang-ouw figures are also helping. If there are personal matters, Taihiap can rely on us to handle them."
"Ciu-ciangkun, Li-koko has clearly stated his disagreement, isn't it clear to you yet? Know that once Li-koko makes a statement, it won't be taken back and we both won't comply with your request!" Siang Hwi said, who seemed pleased with Tiong L i's rejection.
"Good! Then don't expect to get out of here safely! There are only two options, become a friend or become an enemy!" said Ci Bhok Hi as he leaped out.
"What now, Koko?" "We fight them and flee!" Tiong Li calmly said "Get your sword ready, because this Dragon Saber squadron might be dangerous."
Siang Hwi drew her sword and they both also went out of the hut. And they saw that they were surrounded by eighteen people, all holding sabers, led by Ciu Bhok Hi.
Seeing their stance and formation, the saber line seemed to be very neatly organised.
"Ciu-ciangkun, we do not want hostility.
So, let us go!" Tiong Li continued to plead.
"Surrender or die!" Ciu Bhok H i shouted, and he ordered his men to attack. Three people rushed forward and attacked Tiong Li with their sabers while three others attacked Siang Hwi.
Glossary
- Tiong Li: The main character of this story. A skilled fighter who is on a quest.
- Siang Hwi: The female character who seems to have been kidnapped but is in fact helping Tiong Li.
- Fu-niu-san: A location mentioned in the text, possibly a hill or mountain.
- Subo: A term of respect used for an older person or a superior.
- Mestika Golok Naga: A type of saber weapon mentioned in the story, known for its dragon engravings.
- Hak Bu Cu: A character who appears to be a deceased skilled fighter.
- Tang Boa Lu: Another character who appears to be a deceased skilled fighter.
- Ciu Bhok Hi: The antagonist of this story, he is the commander of Dragon Saber squadron.
- Ban-tok Sian-li: A martial arts school or sect, where Siang Hwi is a student.
- Jin Kui: The Prime Minister mentioned in the story.
- Panglima Gak Hui: A commander who has followers causing chaos on the border.