Tu Liong stood in his place, pondering for a moment before finally stepping forward to the door and knocking with the door handle.
The knock was answered by a maid whose voice resembled that of a child, "Who are you looking for?" "I am here to see Miss Thiat-yan." "Are you sure you have the right house? This is the residence of the Boh family." "I don't care what your master's surname is, but I know Miss Thiat-yan lives here. I'm sorry to trouble you, but please inform her of my arrival."
The maid seemed to think for a moment, and then another figure appeared at the doorframe. It was Boh Tan-ping.
Tu Liong appeared calm, but he knew that Boh Tan-ping was a formidable opponent.
Boh Tan-ping spoke coldly, "So we meet again..." "Unfortunately, you're not the one I'm looking for this time," Tu Liong replied.
"This is my residence, if you're knocking on the door and not looking for me, who are you looking for?" "I am looking for Miss Thiat-yan."
"Miss Thiat-yan?" Boh Tan-ping looked slightly surprised. "Miss Thiat-yan, the only child of Tiat Liong-san. She is quite popular in Pakhia city at the moment. Am I not clear enough?"
"My apologies, you've come to the wrong house..." As he said this, Boh Tan-ping moved to close the door.
With one hand, Tu Liong immediately held the door, and with the other, he aimed to push Boh Tan-ping's chest. He seemed determined, resorting to brute force to attack, not giving his opponent a chance to move.
Sure enough, Boh Tan-ping's right hand swiftly rose to catch Tu Liong's wrist that was extended toward him.
Tu Liong did not remain idle. He flicked his hand in the same manner as when he caught Boh Tan-ping's hand at the teahouse. Unfortunately, Boh Tan-ping was more skilled. Tu Liong couldn't easily free his hand. He had no choice but to step inside to fight Boh Tan-ping more freely.
Inside, a few servants stood frozen, watching the fight. One of them ran inside. Tu Liong didn’t have time to pay attention to this servant.
Tu Liong tried to pull his hand back again. Boh Tan-ping intentionally let go of his hand suddenly. But besides that, he also flung Tu Liong’s hand forcefully.
"HAH!" Tu Liong leapt backward and took several steps back. Boh Tan-ping immediately stepped back toward him. His right hand was once again extended toward him, trying to grasp Tu Liong’s clothes.
Tu Liong dodged and deflected with his left hand. Boh Tan-ping's left hand was not idle either. It quickly reached out, trying to grip his shoulder. Tu Liong's right hand moved just as quickly, managing to grasp Boh Tan-ping’s wrist.
This was his only chance to attack seriously. He pulled his right hand strongly. Boh Tan-ping's body was immediately drawn closer to Tu Liong. As soon as they were close, Tu Liong's foot lifted to kick Boh Tan-ping.
Boh Tan-ping appeared very calm. His free left hand swiftly deflected the kick. At the same time, he dodged and spun to the left. Tu Liong ended up kicking empty air.
'Damn,' Tu Liong thought. Now his position was slightly disadvantageous. Boh Tan-ping was now the one attacking him.
Standing sideways, he couldn’t easily dodge the attack. Sure enough, Boh Tan-ping's hand was already reaching out toward him again. Immediately, Tu Liong’s left hand met it. Finally, the two engaged in a hand grip.
Boh Tan-ping quickly pushed him out. Tu Liong jumped to avoid the door sill on the floor. This time, Boh Tan-ping fell into a trap. It seemed Tu Liong was ready to retaliate for what happened at the teahouse.
Now their positions were reversed. Tu Liong was outside the entrance, Boh Tan-ping inside. After Tu Liong jumped out, he immediately released his right hand’s grip. That hand reached to the right, quickly grasping the iron ring used for knocking.
At this moment, he pulled Boh Tan-ping out while simultaneously pulling the iron ring attached to the door. The thick and heavy door slammed into Boh Tan-ping's right shoulder hard. His shoulder was now trapped. If Tu Liong employed any strategy, Boh Tan-ping’s right hand would surely be disabled.
"Stop!" suddenly, a voice called out from inside the door.
Tu Liong immediately loosened his grip on the iron ring attached to the door. In front of him now stood a sturdy and vigorous young lady. There was no doubt that this was the person Tu Liong was searching for.
Boh Tan-ping was genuinely furious, as if he was about to breathe fire. But in front of Thiat-yan, he could only swallow his anger and retreat.
"Coming to someone's home and causing trouble, isn't that incredibly audacious?" With one large step, Thiat-yan was already in front of Tu Liong.
"You also came to someone’s home and harmed them, isn’t that equally audacious?"
"Alright, I’ve read the message you slipped by my pillow. An eye for an eye has been taken. So why have you come here now?"
In his heart, Tu Liong felt secretly pleased. It seemed the white-browed assassin had accomplished their task well. He was also glad to have someone so skilled by his side to help him. He was pleased because now he stood before Thiat-yan, managing to slightly lift his own dignity.
"Miss, I have a matter I need to explain to you. Words written on paper alone cannot convey what I wish to tell you. Therefore, I had to come here and explain it directly to you."
"What matter is that?"
"Miss, you have your intelligence, and others have theirs. If you think you can come to Pakhia and become a great hero here, then you are gravely mistaken."
"You came all this way just to say this?"
"Of course, there is one more very important matter."
"Speak! I will surely listen to your explanation carefully..."
"You have injured four people, and the great enmity has been avenged. You no longer need to stay in the city. If you do not leave within three days, you will ruin a good relationship with someone."
"Ruin a good relationship with whom?"
"Ruin the good relationship between you and me."
"I don't know you very well. I also have neither a good nor a bad relationship with you."
"Actually, it’s not like that. The favor of Cu Taiya to me is like a mountain. You secretly left a letter at his residence and frightened him. I cannot simply ignore it."
"Oh!" Thiat-yan laughed coldly and said, "Very well, as long as Cu Siau-thian hands over the item I have been searching for, I will surely leave immediately."
"What item is that?"
"When my father was harmed, he carried a yellow leather suitcase. This suitcase was not used as evidence nor announced to the family left behind to be retrieved. Clearly, this item has been taken by someone else."
"Is the item you seek the yellow leather suitcase?"
"Yes."
"There must be many yellow leather suitcases, especially those of the same size, color, or shape. Even if you search for this suitcase for decades, I fear it will not be an easy task. It would be best if you could tell me what item is stored in the suitcase. I believe the item you truly seek is what’s inside the suitcase, am I right?"
Thiat-yan could only ponder. Tu Liong continued to gaze at her intently as if the answer to all the secrets he had sought for so long was clearly written on Miss Thiat-yan’s face.
After some time, Thiat-yan began to speak, "I do not wish to hide it. In truth, I myself do not know what item is stored in the yellow suitcase I am searching for."
"Then this is truly strange. If you do not know what item is inside the yellow leather suitcase, why waste your time, effort, and thought searching for it?"
"You cannot say it like that."
"Oh?"
"Tu Liong, I do not have time for pointless arguments with you. When my father was harmed, I must find out clearly why. If it’s about revenge, my father had no issues with them. I have investigated for many years. When my father was executed, this suitcase was missing. I suspect the reason for my father's death is related to the contents of the suitcase."
"Suppose the suitcase was filled with money. Would your father have lost his life for the sake of wealth, is that so?"
"The people who harmed my father would not need to kill someone just for a little money. If the suitcase was filled with money, it seems not much money could fit in it."
"Then...?"
"You do not need to question further about the suitcase."
"It seems inappropriate for you to say this, miss."
Glossary:
- Boh Tan-ping: A character in the story, introduced as a formidable opponent.
- Thiat-yan: The main character Tu Liong is searching for.
- Tiat Liong-san: Mentioned as Thiat-yan's father.
- Pakhia: The city where the story takes place.
- Cu Taiya: A character mentioned as having a significant influence on Tu Liong.
- Cu Siau-thian: A character mentioned in relation to a yellow suitcase.