Wie Kie-hong took the letter.
There was not a single word written on the envelope. After he took the letter out, all that was written on the letter was: "Every slander has its beginning, every debt has its owner.
I do not wish to trouble those uninvolved.
Nor do I allow others to interfere.
I hope you know your place! A warning from: Thiat-yan (Iron Swallow)." After reading the letter, the person who delivered it did not leave immediately; it seemed he was waiting for Wie Kie-hong to say something.
"Who sent you to deliver this letter?" "Thiat-yan." "Was Bu Tiat-cui killed by Thiat-yan?" "I don't know." "Alright, take me to meet Thiat-yan." "I apologize, I have no orders to do that."
Wie Kie-hong's face changed a bit, as if he was contemplating something, but he did not act immediately.
He was not rash.
He could see, no matter what trick he might use, this person would not betray his master.
"What are you waiting for?" Wie Kie-hong's voice remained calm.
"Waiting for your answer." The letter in Wie Kie-hong's hand began to be torn apart but was not discarded.
After he finished tearing it, he said coldly: "This is my answer.
If one day Thiat-yan falls into my hands, I will surely tear him apart just like this letter..."
After saying this, Wie Kie-hong continued to walk out.
After opening the door to the garden, he saw that outside there were still four more people.
Some were standing, some were kneeling, some were pacing back and forth.
At a glance, they seemed like passersby, but they were certainly people sent by Thiat-yan.
If he had attacked earlier, it seemed he would not have easily won the fight.
At the mouth of San-poa alley, Wie Kie-hong rented a horse-drawn carriage again.
He asked the driver to quickly take him back to the four-story building blocks in the east.
He realized that Thiat-yan not only had great strength but also could move very quickly.
It was clear that he had carefully planned and prepared everything long ago.
At a glance, his extraordinary abilities were evident, and from the letter given to him, it could be seen that the earlier murder was not the last but a beginning.
He planned to discuss this thoroughly with his adoptive father.
He also wanted to know why such things could happen.
To face a strong enemy, he had to understand the origin of the events.
Now Thiat-yan had become Wie Kie-hong's number one enemy.
Wie Kie-hong had returned to the alley where his stepfather lived.
He saw that Leng Souw-hiang's residence had a guest because there was a white horse tied at the entrance.
He recognized this horse very well.
The owner of this horse was Tu Liong.
He was originally from Mongolia.
Because his original name was too long to remember, he was given a Mandarin name that was short and simple according to Han grammar.
Tu Liong was tall and big; he loved to fight, especially in hand-to-hand combat, and he was truly very skilled.
Tu Liong was the bodyguard of Cu Siau-thian, who was very famous in Pakhia. As for Cu Siau-thian, Wie Kie-hong did not know much about him.
He only knew that Leng Souw-hiang was very proud with others.
However, with this Cu Taiya, he really showed respect; he admired Tu Liong greatly.
Seeing the white horse now, he quickly ran inside.
Although Tu Liong had Mongolian descent, he had long assimilated into Han culture.
The only Mongolian impression left was his appearance and stature. Seeing Wie Kie-hong, he quickly stood to greet him.
He clasped his hands in front of his chest and said with feeling: "Kie-hong, you are back?" "Tu Toako, how long have you been here?" "Quite a while.
Cu Taiya heard that there had been an incident here, so he sent me to come and find out.
But I couldn’t find out much because Leng Taiya would not see me.
How can I return to report if I can’t meet him?" "Tu Toako, you must understand this.
My adoptive father is old, and he was recently seriously injured; he experienced a severe shock.
His spirit must be very unstable.
He needs a lot of rest!" "Did you see who did all this?" "No." "Did no one see the criminal enter the house?" "Why are you asking all this, Tu Toako?" "Alright, I won’t ask anymore.... Kie-hong, where did you go earlier?" "Doing a small task given by my father....
Also, Tu Toako, please have a seat for a moment, I will go in and check on him."
Leng Souw-hiang had ordered several people to guard the entrance to his room.
Of course, Wie Kie-hong could enter without being stopped.
After Leng Souw-hiang saw him, his face immediately changed.
"Is the matter settled?" "Father, Bu Tiat-cui is dead." "Hah?" "Someone got there before me.... When I left, someone gave me this letter.
Take a look!" After Leng Souw-hiang finished reading the letter, cold sweat immediately poured from his head, and his heart seemed engulfed in thick fear.
"Father! What really happened?" "You must remember the contents of this letter.
Sweep the snow in your own yard; do not worry about the snow on others' roofs.... Is Tu Liong still outside?" "Yes." "Did you tell him anything?" "Not a single word." "Tell Tu Liong to go home and inform Cu Taiya that this small wound is not worth remembering; he can visit again after it heals." "Alright."
Wie Kie-hong immediately carried out his father's orders; he went out of the room and informed Tu Liong of what his father had instructed.
Tu Liong immediately took his leave, but he asked Wie Kie-hong to accompany him out.
"Kie-hong," Tu Liong said while walking, "I want to tell you something.
After the perpetrator injured four people, they still wanted to kill one more person to achieve their goal. Do you know who the fifth person is?" "Who?" "My master, Cu Taiya." "Really...?" "I would not lie to you.
I came here mainly to talk to you.
Kie-hong, give me a little hint."
Wie Kie-hong remained silent; he did not know how to respond.
"Now you are not as open and straightforward as before." "My heart feels heavy...
Tu Toako! If Cu Taiya already knows he will be the next target, he surely knows who the perpetrator is." "I understand what you mean.
All of this is just speculation; it needs to be investigated further.
Kie-hong, just a little hint is enough." "My father did not tell me anything.
But based on my guess, the perpetrator is likely a woman, a very young lady."
Even though Tu Liong only asked for a small hint, what Wie Kie-hong said seemed to satisfy him greatly.
It seemed that this phrase was what he wanted to hear; he immediately said: "This is enough....
This is enough, I will leave now.
Give my regards to Leng Taiya later."
Tu Liong mounted his white horse and began to ride away, urging his horse to go very fast, which made Wie Kie-hong feel a bit strange.
He thought of chasing him to get a clear answer, but he did not do so.
Tu Liong was someone who always moved quickly.
Even when meeting with Wie Kie-hong, he always kept a distance, so when Wie Kie-hong wanted to know something from him, not everything he asked could be immediately answered by him.
Su-cie, the housekeeper who lived in Leng's residence, approached; she was the maid who had taken the young woman to meet Leng Taiya.
Slowly, she said: "Wie Siauya, there is something I want to discuss with you." "Oh?" Wie Kie-hong noticed that Su-cie's demeanor was very serious, and he felt a bit worried.
"Wie Siauya, did Leng Taiya not tell you who committed the crime against him?" "No." "Strange.
Why wouldn’t Taiya tell you?" "Actually, even without being told, we can all guess; it must be the young female guest who came in the morning." "Wie Siauya, it's not that I want to shirk my responsibilities, but based on my observations, that woman might not be the perpetrator.
When she left, I still saw her say goodbye to the master." "Did you see it with your own eyes?" "No, I waited for them outside the room." "Did you see my Gihu (adoptive father) at that time?" "No.
I only saw that female guest come out of the room.
While paying respects, she told the master to stay in place." "Steward Su, this is just her trick to avoid bigger trouble; she doesn’t want to cause chaos."
"Wie Siauya, your words make sense, but...
but...
wouldn't it hurt to lose a hand? Why did I not hear the master scream in pain?"
Wie Kie-hong furrowed his brows until they almost met.
He could not think of a reasonable explanation to answer this question.
Leng Taiya's residence was filled with people skilled in martial arts.
As long as Leng Souw-hiang called, no matter how skilled the woman was, she could not win.
But Leng Souw-hiang made no sound; he was truly resigned, this...
Glossary:
1. **Thiat-yan**: Iron Swallow, a character name.
2. **Bu Tiat-cui**: A character name.
3. **Tu Liong**: A character name, a bodyguard of Cu Siau-thian.
4. **Cu Siau-thian**: A character name, Tu Liong's master.
5. **Leng Souw-hiang**: Wie Kie-hong's adoptive father.
6. **Tu Toako**: A respectful term used for addressing Tu Liong, where "Toako" means elder brother.
7. **Wie Siauya**: A term used to address Wie Kie-hong respectfully, where "Siauya" means young master.
8. **Gihu**: A term referring to an adoptive father.