It seems that last night Leng Souw-hiang slept soundly.
Now his spirits have recovered.
The loss of a lot of blood had made his face look very pale, but now a faint red hue had appeared on his cheeks.
It seemed he was recovering quickly.
With experienced eyes, he could immediately discern the purpose of Wie Kie-hong's visit.
He didn't wait for Wie Kie-hong to speak, he had already asked, "What's the matter?" "Father!" though Wie Kie-hong's courage had now increased a hundredfold, when the words reached his lips, he hesitated, "there is a matter I wish to inquire about." "What matter?" "When you sent my biological father to settle an affair, I want to know what the affair was." "Why are you asking this?" Leng Souw-hiang's tone was very calm.
He didn't seem surprised. "I want to know the cause of my father's death..." "You don't trust me?" Suddenly Leng Souw-hiang's face changed.
"I don't mean it like that... I've only ever heard rumors about my father's death.
Even you never saw his body.
And last night, you saw my biological father's heirloom sword yourself.......
this makes me think there's a possibility my father might still be alive.
Adoptive Father, maybe my father didn't complete the task he was supposed to handle properly, so he didn't dare return to see you...." "Nonsense!" Leng Souw-hiang began to get angry, "why do you have such thoughts?" isn't this tarnishing your own father's name? your father was very loyal to me, he never forgot his gratitude.
Kie-hong, tell me, who told you to ask me this?" "No....
no one...." Wie Kie-hong was a bit nervous.
"Kie-hong!" Leng Souw-hiang's tone turned gentle again.
"Even though I rarely leave the house, I know everything that happens outside.
your father is indeed dead, for many reasons, I couldn't send anyone to retrieve his body.
But rest assured, I understand your thoughts." "But the sword...." "Now I regret telling you about that sword.
The person is dead, his belongings would surely be easily taken by others" "Surely my father didn't die of illness" "Correct.
He was indeed murdered" "Then it all matches, the person who used my father's heirloom sword must be related to the cause of his death.
I won't lie that I wish to investigate this matter" "You wish to do this, there's no harm in that.
But right now you can't investigate it directly.
Kie-hong! heed my words.
Do not disturb Thiat-yan" "I don't understand.
what's the connection between investigating the cause of my father's death and Thiat-yan?" "I suspect, the person who tried to pry open the window last night is closely related to Thiat-yan." "Is there evidence?" "No, just my suspicion." "Could it be....was the task my father was handling at that time also related to Thiat-yan?" When Wie Kie-hong entered the room, Leng Souw-hiang was lying on the bed.
Now he jumped down and stood upright.
His face looked tense, he was panting.
Wie Kie-hong had never seen him this angry.
"If you still trust me, and still regard me as your elder, heed my words.
If you don't trust me, you are free to leave this place.
You are free to do as you wish.
No one can stop you" Wie Kie-hong was clearly resigned.
The method taught by Tu Liong had completely failed.
The great debt of gratitude prevented him from pressing forward.
Moreover, his fundamentally good nature didn't want to hurt Leng Souw-hiang.
He returned to his room.
With just one look, Tu Liong knew what had happened........"I know you failed to ask, and instead got scolded severely. Isn't that right?" "Ah...!" Wie Kie-hong could only sigh deeply...
"This is more than enough, if Leng Taiya doesn't want to tell the truth, and instead becomes emotional, it shows that the task he assigned your father is something that cannot be disclosed to others." Wie Kie-hong seemed to disagree with this statement.
But he just frowned and said, "Why do you say that?" "Am I wrong?" "If Leng Taiya gave a task that can't be disclosed to others, wouldn't my father also be unable to disclose it when he left?" "Ah...you've read too many books.
It seems you've tangled yourself with words.
Who doesn’t have secrets?" Secrets are indeed not meant to be told to anyone.
Tasks that cannot be disclosed to others must surely be petty matters." After Tu Liong said this, Wie Kie-hong felt uneasy.
After a moment of silence, he continued speaking.
"Now I don't know what to do anymore" "If you don't want to know the truth, you can relax and sleep at home.
If Thiat-yan comes here, then you can tell him...." "Why are you teasing me?" Clearly you know how much I want to know my father's whereabouts.
If he's alive, I want to see him, if he's dead, I want to prepare a burial and build a proper grave." "Then you must go find Thiat-yan" "Find him?" "Exactly, didn't he say he wanted to make an exchange with you back then?" Wie Kie-hong found it difficult to make a decision.
Suddenly he thought of Hiong-ki.
Thus, he brought up a new topic, "Tu toako, have you ever heard of someone named Hiong-ki?" "Why?" "He came here looking for me.
He hoped I would warn you." "Warn me? What does he mean?" "He hoped you wouldn't get involved in this matter" "Actually, he didn't need to come to you to warn me again, he already met me yesterday.
We've had extensive discussions.
His words left a deep impact on me.
Kie-hong, didn't you say that I've changed a lot?" "What is your decision....?" "Rest assured, I won't betray Cu Taiya, but I won't blindly follow him either.
I understand everything that happened.
Gratitude must be repaid, but it can't rely on that alone, don't you agree?" "Is Tiat Liong-san a bad person?" "Why do you suddenly ask that?" "If he is a bad person, then execution is a fitting retribution.
If he's not a bad person...." "In my view, whether Tiat Liong-san is bad or good doesn't matter, it's unrelated.
The most important thing is to understand the motivations of our elders.
What is their intention in plotting against Tiat Liong-san together?" "Is that what you wish to know?" Tu Liong nodded.
"Then you must seek Thiat-yan for an explanation, it's essential" Tu Liong nodded again.
"Alright.
I will go find him" "Be cautious of Boh Tan-ping who is always by his side" "Oh...?" "It's best if you can speak to Thiat-yan privately.
Boh Tan-ping is a good friend of Tiat Liong-san, but he's also Cu Taiya's adopted brother" Wie Kie-hong looked very surprised. The two young men had already seen Cu Siau-thian as the mastermind of chaos.
Tu Liong felt trapped in this awkward situation, feeling conflicted, his straightforward nature fueled his curiosity, compelling him to uncover secrets, yet his gentle heart couldn't bear seeing Cu Siau-thian in trouble.
The situation Wie Kie-hong faced was much simpler than Tu Liong's.
From various perspectives, Thiat-yan seemed to have no further connection with Leng Souw-hiang.
If Wie Kie-hong wanted to find him for a talk, it wasn't a difficult task.
0-0-0
Thiat-yan wasn't surprised to see Wie Kie-hong's sudden visit.
It seemed he had anticipated everything.
Upon seeing him, he smiled and asked, "How was your visit to Sie-san?" Wie Kie-hong didn't answer.
He directly stated his purpose: "Thiat-yan! you once spoke of an agreement, do you still remember?" "Of course I remember" "Does it still stand?" "It still stands." "Good! Then I'm willing to make an exchange with you" Thiat-yan examined him closely from head to toe.
As if by doing so, he could peer into his heart.
Glossary of Terms:
1. Leng Souw-hiang - A character, possibly a master or elder figure.
2. Wie Kie-hong - A character, likely a young protagonist or disciple.
3. Tu Liong - Another character, possibly a friend or companion of Wie Kie-hong.
4. Thiat-yan - A character with potential connections to the central conflict.
5. Cu Taiya - A character, possibly an elder or authority figure.
6. Boh Tan-ping - A character known to be close to Tiat Liong-san and Cu Taiya.
7. Tiat Liong-san - A character whose moral alignment is questioned.
8. Hiong-ki - A character mentioned in passing, possibly with a warning role.