**Chapter Translation:**
If he had been by Leng Souw-hiang's side during the incident, the perpetrator might not have been able to sever Leng Taiya's hand so easily.
Three renowned medical specialists were summoned to Leng Taiya's residence to treat his wounds.
Thanks to their skills, Leng Souw-hiang's life was saved.
While his physical injuries could be healed, the emotional scars were difficult to mend.
After the incident, he secluded himself, refusing to meet anyone.
Leng Souw-hiang ordered everyone to leave him alone, except for his adopted son, Wie Kie-hong.
"Kie-hong!" Leng Souw-hiang's voice was weak, yet his demeanor remained composed. "Sit down; there is something I wish to tell you." Wie Kie-hong moved a bench and sat beside the bed.
"I heard that Hui Ci-hong, Tan Po-hai, and Oey Souw are also severely injured..." Leng Souw-hiang articulated each word clearly, "If that's true, I can speculate about the perpetrator's origins." "Father!" Since his biological father's death, Wie Kie-hong addressed Leng Souw-hiang as such. "I heard the perpetrator is a young woman, merely twenty years old." "Indeed, she is young, but you must not underestimate her.
Her entire being exudes the aura of a fierce killer, very dangerous to confront...
Kie-hong, I have a task for you now.
But remember! You must not tell anyone about this task!" "Understood, father." "Across the San-poa alley, at the residence of the Su-cen king, there's a fortune teller who always carries a divining banner.
He is called Bu Tiat-cui.
When you meet him, give him this...." Leng Souw-hiang produced a jade ornament from beneath his pillow.
Judging by its color and surface lines, it was clear that it wasn't a valuable item. "Give this to Bu Tiat-cui, and he will provide you with a small box made of imported leather." "Father! Should I bring the box back to you?" "No!" Leng Souw-hiang's voice was firm. "You must immediately travel north of Tai-ouw and dispose of the box in the sea." Wie Kie-hong was taken aback.
Leng Souw-hiang reiterated his command: "Kie-hong, remember two things.
Even if it costs you your life, you must not let anyone seize the box you will be carrying, and you must not look inside it!" "Understood." "Leave now, go alone, and ensure no one follows you.
Make sure no one recognizes you!" "Understood." This year, Wie Kie-hong was just twenty-two or twenty-three.
He should have been looking for a bride and getting married.
However, he had made a vow before the gods that he would not take a wife until he clearly understood what had caused his biological father's death.
He followed all of Leng Souw-hiang's orders, except for the one about finding a wife.
Despite his youth, Wie Kie-hong was very experienced.
His calm demeanor and commanding presence seemed innate!
After agreeing to his father's orders, he promptly left the Leng family residence.
He didn't take his own carriage but went to the alley and hired a carriage.
The carriage stopped in front of the San-poa alley.
Wie Kie-hong got off there.
First, he looked around, observing his surroundings.
Then he leisurely walked into the alley in a relaxed manner, where the Su-cen king's twenty-hectare residence still stood, though the alley was now bustling.
Many carriages flowed like water through it.
He continued walking in, and after some time, he finally saw a sign that read "Bu Tiat-cui."
The place was a house with three courtyards.
The garden entrance was half-open.
Wie Kie-hong entered casually.
After passing through the garden gate, at the entrance of the house before him hung a plaque with a poem: "Believe it or not, you may try immediately... Accurate or not, it will soon be known, once passed, knowledge will be gained." Even a three-year-old child could recite these lines from memory.
He stood at the entrance, keeping his hat on as he glanced inside.
In a light voice, he called out, "Is anyone inside?"
There was no response.
Wie Kie-hong pushed open the entrance door and asked again.
But still, no answer came from within, so he walked straight in.
The building's living room was not much different from an ordinary living room, with side rooms on the left and right.
At the entrance of the right side room hung a bamboo curtain, in front of which was a wooden plaque that read "Honored guest, please enter."
Wie Kie-hong walked over and parted the bamboo curtain.
He continued to walk inside.
Inside, he saw Bu Tiat-cui seemingly asleep at a table.
But he quickly realized his mistake.
Bu Tiat-cui wasn't sleeping at the table; no one wakes early just to sleep at a table.
Moreover, the entire room was in disarray, suggesting something had happened here.
Wie Kie-hong approached to examine Bu Tiat-cui's condition and was immediately startled. He had never seen anything like this before.
There was an iron needle embedded between Bu Tiat-cui's eyebrows.
Judging by the needle's appearance, it was very long.
At least forty centimeters in length.
Now, only five centimeters of it were visible outside his forehead.
The needle had penetrated thirty-five centimeters into his brain.
No blood was visible.
Bu Tiat-cui had died very cleanly.
It seemed the perpetrator was truly ruthless.
Wie Kie-hong hadn't forgotten his given task.
Unfortunately, he couldn't find the box he was supposed to receive.
Perhaps someone else had already taken it.
What was Bu Tiat-cui doing before he died? Wie Kie-hong meticulously examined the room.
He discovered that just before his death, Bu Tiat-cui was writing.
A writing brush lay on the floor, with black ink splattered everywhere.
But whatever he had been writing, the letter had been taken by someone else.
Wie Kie-hong could vaguely imagine the murder scene.
Two tall, burly men stood on either side, holding him firmly.
Another person forced Bu Tiat-cui to hand over the box they sought.
They pressed the long needle between his eyebrows to threaten him.
If Wie Kie-hong's guess was correct, it seemed the perpetrator had already obtained what they wanted.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have killed Bu Tiat-cui.
Based on the room's condition, Wie Kie-hong speculated further.
Bu Tiat-cui wasn't forced to reveal the box's hiding place, but the perpetrator had found it by ransacking the room.
Wie Kie-hong felt no need to linger in the room any longer.
He needed to quickly return to Leng Souw-hiang and report all he had experienced, to see if Leng Souw-hiang had another way to resolve the issue.
He promptly stepped out.
But as he exited the building and entered the garden, he suddenly stopped.
When he had entered, he hadn't closed the garden gate.
But now it was tightly shut.
Moreover, he hadn't felt any wind at the time.
If the door had closed due to the wind, Wie Kie-hong would have heard the sound of it slamming shut.
Having mastered martial arts for decades, all martial artists possess an intuition that something is amiss.
Therefore, Wie Kie-hong considered two possibilities...
First, when he entered the side room, someone was still in the central room.
They took advantage of his presence in the side room to slip out quietly and close the door.
Second, someone was still inside, planning to do something, intentionally closing the garden gate so passersby wouldn't notice what was happening inside.
Wie Kie-hong believed the second possibility made more sense.
If the enemy quickly fled, they wouldn't discreetly exit while closing the door.
The chances were slim.
Closing the door from outside might make a noise, arousing more suspicion.
Now, Wie Kie-hong was alert, ready for anything, as he made his way out.
Sure enough, suddenly someone appeared and stopped in front of him.
However, his prediction wasn't entirely accurate.
Only one person emerged, and they didn't appear to be attacking.
The person seemed to be around thirty years old, tall and burly, with a rough demeanor but light and agile movements.
In one hand, they held a piece of paper.
They promptly raised the hand holding the paper and extended it toward Wie Kie-hong.
Wie Kie-hong immediately understood what the person wanted.
**
Glossary of Terms:**
1. **Leng Taiya** - A character's name, likely a significant figure or elder.
2. **Leng Souw-hiang** - A character's name, possibly a leader or elder in the story.
3. **Wie Kie-hong** - The protagonist of the chapter, an adopted son.
4. **Hui Ci-hong, Tan Po-hai, Oey Souw** - Names of characters, possibly fellow martial artists or allies.
5. **San-poa** - A location, possibly a district or area within the story's setting.
6. **Su-cen** - A title or name, possibly referring to a local ruler or dignitary.
7. **Bu Tiat-cui** - A character's name, a fortune teller in the story.
8. **Tai-ouw** - A geographical location, possibly a region or body of water.