Suddenly, Cu Siau-thian approached him.
"Tu Liong, I see you've been quite busy all day." "Mmm..." "Have you made any progress?" "I've found Thiat-yan." "Oh! Your actions are swift." "Even though I've found her, what can I do? I can't represent those she's harmed to seek revenge.
Even if I could avenge them, I might not be able to judge her immediately.
Cu Taiya, even if I tell you, you might not believe it.
Thiat-yan's control over her followers is immense; she came here well-prepared." "I know," Cu Siau-thian's voice was heavy, "in my lifetime, I've faced many foes.
I admit the young lady called Thiat-yan is the most formidable enemy I've ever encountered.
I have a bad feeling." "Oh...?" "I feel that the sword she carries is already at my throat." "You don't need to worry.
I've arranged for a very skilled warrior to guard this residence.
Everything is well-prepared." "I'm not afraid.
It's just that..." "Cu Taiya, I will soon meet with Thiat-yan." "Ah... how did you come to face her so quickly?" "This meeting is for discussion, not for martial arts competition.
If there is something she holds in her heart, she can discuss it with me." "I know what she wants to discuss with you." "Ah, you already know?" "She wants to tell you not to interfere in this matter, so she can act freely." "Regardless, I will not agree with her request." "You must be able to reason.
When forced, you must agree...." "Are you telling me to just surrender?" "I understand your nature, and you are always straightforward, but facing this opponent, you cannot use that strategy.
In the art of war, a soldier is not afraid of being deceived.
Deceiving the enemy is also a war strategy."
Tu Liong remained silent.
Although he didn't agree with Cu Siau-thian's suggestion, he didn't openly oppose it either.
After a moment, he spoke about another matter: "Cu Taiya, I have already visited Tan Taiya.
According to him, at the time you injured Tiat Liong-san, you didn't show yourself at all.
Outsiders wouldn't know this secret, so Thiat-yan didn't come looking for you."
"That's just her strategy.
In fact, everyone knows.
The letter left for me explained it already."
Tu Liong said nothing further.
Seeing that Tu Liong seemed to want to rest, Cu Siau-thian soon left him.
He had come just to gauge Tu Liong's emotions.
Tu Liong lay on his bed.
He genuinely tried to restore his energy.
He had a feeling that his meeting with Thiat-yan this afternoon would not be an easy challenge.
He felt Thiat-yan was not someone easy to deal with.
After pondering this and that, he eventually fell asleep.
But suddenly, he woke from his sleep, knowing he wasn't awakened without reason. Sure enough, beside his pillow lay a letter, and on top of it was an iron ornament shaped like a swallow...
Thiat-yan! Tu Liong immediately jumped off the bed, his emotions suddenly surging.
In broad daylight, Thiat-yan could infiltrate the heavily guarded residence of the great lord, even coming to his bedside and leaving a warning letter; this was truly unexpected.
Tu Liong did not take time to see the letter's contents.
He immediately ran out of the room, looking in all directions, but found nothing unusual.
In the house's terrace, guards were patrolling back and forth, as well as in the yard, so how did Thiat-yan penetrate such tight security to enter his room? Why did she come here? Moreover, they would meet soon anyway... Ugh! Miss Thiat-yan was really showing off, acting to intimidate, so later if she wanted to discuss some condition, her position would definitely be superior...
'Don't expect too much.' Tu Liong laughed quietly in his heart.
He then returned to his room and opened the letter.
Its contents were only a sheet of white paper with six characters meaning "respect gods and demons, but keep your distance." What does this mean? Tu Liong pondered, suddenly gaining insight.
Thiat-yan wanted him to stay away from Cu Taiya.... At this moment, Tu Liong received another premonition.
In Thiat-yan's eyes, he was an obstacle; of course, he should feel proud.
Then he lay back on the bed, but he couldn't fall back asleep.
Therefore, he thought, since he couldn't sleep anymore, he might as well arrive early at the meeting place.
Before leaving, he still checked and tightened security.
The guard team he had selected himself, which he thought couldn't be easily penetrated, had been bypassed by Thiat-yan so effortlessly.
For him, this was a great humiliation.
0-0-0
The Tong-ceng tea house was a place he frequently visited.
The owner immediately recognized him.
He greeted him warmly, even serving him personally.
Tu Liong said he was waiting for some friends, to avoid arousing the owner's suspicion.
The time was still long.
Tu Liong sat on a bench and closed his eyes.
A cup of hot tea still emitted steam.
Waiting until the appointed time was not easy.
But the awaited finally arrived as promised.
It turned out not to be several people, but just one person.
And this person was not Thiat-yan; it was Boh Tanping.
"Who are you?" "My name is Boh Tan-ping." "Boh Tan-ping?" Tu Liong had never heard this name before.
"Are you here representing someone to meet me?" "Correct," Boh Tan-ping replied coldly, "Who I represent, you surely already know...
....let's start talking." "I'm sorry, if we are to talk, I want to speak directly with the person.
I won't talk to you." "Young Master Tu!" Boh Tan-ping's attitude was very cold, yet still polite, "In fact, we intended to invite you to come to the house and talk nicely, but you insisted on not going.
You invited us to come here, and now we have come.
What more do you want?" "I'm sorry, Mr. Boh, I don't want to say anything to you." "Whether you speak or not, it doesn't matter.
Miss Thiat-yan, our mistress, just wants to convey a word.
You already know what she wants to say." "Respect gods and demons, but keep your distance?" "That's right." "Who are the gods and demons?" "You figure it out yourself...." Boh Tan-ping immediately stood up.
"Wait!" "She only conveyed that word.
You think about it yourself."
However, Tu Liong didn't want to be fooled so easily.
Just as Boh Tan-ping turned to walk away, Tu Liong immediately reached out and tightly grasped Boh Tan-ping's left wrist.
Boh Tan-ping should have been surprised, but he didn't appear startled at all; he should have been very angry, but his emotions remained very stable.
He maintained his polite demeanor as before.
He spoke coldly: "Young Master Tu! This is not a suitable place for a fight." "If you want to fight, why choose a place?"
Suddenly Boh Tan-ping jerked his wrist.
With ease, he freed himself from Tu Liong's strong grip.
Tu Liong was shocked; this was really unexpected for him.
He was still young, his temperament was still very volatile.
If his emotions suddenly erupted, the consequences would be hard to avoid.
Tu Liong immediately reached out again.
He knew this wasn't the right place, nor the right time.
But he didn't care.
This time Boh Tan-ping dodged easily, not only dodging but also managed to slap Tu Liong's hand away hard.
Then he continued walking towards the exit.
Tu Liong grew more emotional; he knew that if he fought here, it would surely cause a commotion that would attract people's attention.
He then looked around, his eyes landing on the cup of hot tea still steaming.
Without thinking twice, he reached out and picked up the cup, and due to the quick motion, he didn't feel how hot the cup was.
With one motion, he threw the cup of hot tea towards Boh Tan-ping.
Before it was released, he even managed to spin the cup.
The cup now spun rapidly like a top, but not a single drop of tea spilled out.
The cup flew quickly towards Boh Tan-ping's head.
Although Boh Tan-ping had his back to Tu Liong, he remained alert.
Somehow, he knew exactly the direction of the cup.
He leaned slightly to the left.
The cup immediately flew past his head.
Before hitting the exit door, Boh Tan-ping quickly extended his hand.
With two fingers, he managed to catch the hot tea cup.
He immediately turned and threw the same cup back towards Tu Liong.
Tu Liong was truly astonished.
Boh Tan-ping apparently possessed high skills.
The cup flew closer.
Tu Liong couldn't do anything.
If he dodged, the cup would shatter against the wall, and people would surely gather.
Finally, he used his hand to deflect the cup from below.
The cup was thrown towards the room's ceiling.
The cup spun erratically, spilling tea everywhere.
Nimbly, Tu Liong avoided the splashing tea.
But a few drops still hit him.
While the cup was still flying in the air, Tu Liong glared angrily at Boh Tan-ping.
The tea cup fell back down.
After passing his face, Tu Liong shifted slightly backward.
When the cup nearly touched the ground, Tu Liong immediately kicked it.
---
**
Glossary:**
1. **Cu Taiya** - A respectful title, possibly referring to an elder or superior.
2. **Thiat-yan** - Likely a character's name or title, meaning "Iron Swallow."
3. **Tu Liong** - The protagonist of the chapter.
4. **Boh Tan-ping** - A character who represents Thiat-yan.
5. **Tiat Liong-san** - Possibly a location or a person's name associated with an event in the narrative.
6. **Nona Thiat-yan** - Miss Thiat-yan, indicating respect or formality in addressing Thiat-yan.