"We are not afraid, Auntie. It's the risk of the martial world; if you don't succeed, you fail. If you don't win, you lose. Sometimes, defeat can cost you your life. We are not afraid!" said Ban-tok Sian-li with a cool and firm statement.
"I’m sorry, toanio and siocia (miss), not that I want to meddle in your affairs, but it's true what Ceng Ni-kouw said. Storming the Prime Minister's palace is extremely dangerous. Prime Minister Jin Kui has invited several palace warriors to guard him, and his position is very strong."
"We are not afraid!" Ban tok Sian-li repeated. "In short, we must kill the despicable Prime Minister tonight!"
Feeling unable to prevent the master and disciple, Kok Bu could only sigh deeply and excuse himself. However, in secret, he gathered some of his most skilled subordinates and prepared to protect the master and disciple. For some reason, he felt unwilling to risk The Siang Hwi's life by letting her attack Prime Minister Jin's residence.
That night was extraordinarily quiet and cold. A clear moonlit night. As usual, after a while, all the residents went home. Especially with the news that troops were searching for fugitives, meaning that homes could be raided at any moment, every resident lived in fear. If the raid is led by a kind officer, the search runs smoothly and no disturbances occur if they don't find the person they're looking for.
However, if otherwise, the troop is led by a cruel officer who takes advantage of the opportunity to loot residents' properties, and doesn't hesitate to harass young and beautiful women.
Among the shadows of the trees, two figures darted swiftly. They were Ban-tok Sian-li and her disciple, The Siang Hwi. Sneaking among the trees, they approached the large building where Prime Minister Jin Kui lived, and soon they were outside the high walled fence.
At the gate of this walled fence was a guard post where dozens of guards gathered. They patrolled the building in shifts.
With light and effortless movements, the master and disciple then jumped over the fence and landed inside. They were now in the garden, and apparently, no guard was aware of their movements. Elated, the master and disciple then climbed up to the roof and from there began to search and scout below.
Suddenly, they stopped moving and perched on the ridge. They saw a young man, who was none other than Jin Kiat, sitting with a middle-aged man in a brightly lit room, eating and drinking.
From the respectful look of Jin Kiat towards the middle-aged man, it was easy to guess that this man must be Prime Minister Jin Kui, the young man's father. The two were eating and drinking, served by several maids and around the room, five warrior guards could be seen on guard.
"A good opportunity," Ban-tok Sian-1i whispered to her disciple. "Let's attack!"
The powerful women descended and abruptly, all the lights in the room went out, plunging it into darkness. They were startled and realized that they were trapped. Suddenly, the room brightened again, but Prime Minister Jin Kui and the maids had disappeared.
Only Jin Kiat was left, now leading dozens of guards, among them was the formidable black giant! They had surrounded the master and disciple.
Recognizing the master and disciple as the people who had once defended An Kiong's family when they were about to be arrested, Jin Kiat laughed mockingly.
"Ha-ha-ha, it turns out you two women are rebels! Catch them! Especially the younger one, capture her alive and don't harm her!"
The guards had already drawn their weapons, and Ban tok Sian-li, aware of the formidable stature and dark face of the black giant, charged at the giant with her sword. The sword in the hands of this female elder glowed black and was very dangerous, as it had been soaked in a deadly poison. Once scratched by this sword, an enemy would die, and there's no possibility of being healed.
Seeing the woman draw her black glowing sword, Hak Bu Cu also drew his saber, hidden behind his robe.
Seeing this saber, Ban-tok Sian-li exclaimed in surprise. "Mestika Golok Naga!"
"You already know my saber! Good, quickly surrender before my saber makes you a headless ghost!"
However, Ban-tok Sian-li had already moved her sword, attacking fiercely by thrusting her sword towards the opponent's chest.
Hak Bu Cu dared not underestimate his opponent. He had already tasted the woman's prowess and had to admit that without the help of the guards, he wouldn't have been able to handle this woman yesterday.
So, he swiftly swung his large saber to parry while exerting force.
"Cringggg ..... trangg!!"
The sword clashed with the saber twice and sparks flew, blinding the eyes. Several guards rushed towards Ban-tok Sian-li and she was then surrounded. Meanwhile, Siang Hwi was also rampaging, surrounded by Jin Kiat and his men, making the girl, like her master, tightly encircled.
The master and disciple fought fiercely and they had successfully killed several guards, but then another group of guards joined in, making them increasingly cornered. As she evaded the flurry of weapons, suddenly Ban-tok Sian-li was struck by a kick from Hak Bu Cu. The kick was so powerful that Ban-tok Sian-li had no time to dodge, as she was busy evading and parrying the attacks of her multiple opponents.
The kick hit her left thigh. Although there was no visible injury, the kick was so powerful that her leg became bruised and the pain was unbearable.
Ban tok Sian-li's body was flung, and she quickly rolled. When two guards chased her with their sabers, she swung her sword, and the two guards fell, drenched in blood and died instantly.
She jumped up again and rampaged. More than ten guards had fallen by her sword, and her disciple had also taken down several guards. But Jin Kiat continued encircling her with new guards coming to help.
The master and disciple were now cornered and in danger. Furthermore, Ban-tok Sian-li had been hit by a kick that slowed her movements, while Hak Bu Cu continued to press her fiercely. As they were both cornered, suddenly there were many shadows flickering, and a dozen people appeared to help the master and disciple. They were dressed like kang-ouw people, and their weapons varied.
However, seeing that it was Gan Kok Bu who had turned up, Ban-tok Sian-li and Siang Hwi knew that they were surely members of Hek-tung Kai-pang who had disguised themselves so as not to be known as members of the beggar association. Thus, they did not wear beggar clothes and did not use black staff weapons.
Regardless, after this group came to help, Ban-tok Si an-li and Siang Hwi escaped from the encirclement. Kok Bu immediately approached them and shouted, "Let's go!"
Knowing that if the fight continued, they would lose and would be endangered by the guards, Ban-tok Sian-li, who had already been injured in the thigh, then jumped away, leading her disciple.
"Siang Hwi, let's go!"
Siang Hwi also leapt away. The assistance of the Hek-tung Kai-pang members allowed them to leave their assailants behind.
At that moment, the right side of the building caught fire, set ablaze by the Kai-pang members assigned to that task. Seeing this, of course, the guards panicked and this opportunity allowed them all to escape, although three Kai-pang members were left behind because they had already fallen and died. Kok Bu led the master and disciple to a secret hiding place of his father, the head of Hek-tung Kai-pang. This place was the home of a high-ranking cultural official.
This high-ranking official was also sympathetic to the fighters and provided his empty house as a hiding place for the Hek-tung Kai-pang leader. No one would suspect this place because it was occasionally used as a resting place for the high official.
Furthermore, there was a family connection between the high-ranking official and the Hek-tung Kai-pang leader named Gan Liang.
The Hek-tung Kai-pang base itself was located outside the royal city. The members of Hek-tung Kai-pang freely roamed the royal city because they never caused trouble, and they helped the fighters secretly, not openly.
Ban-tok Sian-li and The Siang Hwi were welcomed by Hek- tung Kai-pang-cu Gan Liang himself, a fifty-year-old man who still looked robust. Gan Kok Bu's father had heard from his son about the exploits of a woman named Souw Hian Li and her disciple named The Siang Hwi.
When welcoming the two women, Gan Liang, who respected Ban-tok Sian-li, was taken aback. He looked at the woman attentively, then exclaimed in surprise,
"Isn't toanio this Ban-tok Sian-li?"
The one being asked returned the gaze. "How do you know me?" "Who doesn't know Ban-tok Sian-li from the infamous Death Valley?"
Seeing his father's surprised and also uncomfortable demeanor, Gan Kok Bu then invited them to sit. The atmosphere became somewhat tense as Gan Liang was more silent than talkative.
Of course, Ban-tok Sian-li noticed this and bluntly said,
"It seems that Hek-tung Kai-pangcu does not appreciate our presence here!"
"Ah, no! Not at all! I'm just surprised and amazed that Ban-tok Sian-li has suddenly become a fighter who defends An-wangwe. Although in the past, you never cared about the fight, Sian-li."
Glossary:
- Toanio: A term of respect for an older man in Chinese culture.
- Siocia: A respectful term for a young woman in Chinese culture.
- Hek-tung Kai-pang: A fictional sect in the story, likely a group of fighters or rebels.
- Mestika Golok Naga: Translates to "Dragon Saber Jewel", a special weapon in the story.
- An-wangwe: A significant place or group in the story.
- Ban-tok Sian-li: The name of a character in the story, apparently a well-known and respected figure in the martial world.
- The Siang Hwi: Another character in the story, a disciple of Ban-tok Sian-li.
- Death Valley: The location associated with Ban-tok Sian-li.
- Kang-ouw: A term likely referring to a certain group of people in the story's universe.