**Chapter Translation**
Indeed, how much wealth does Tiat Liongsan have that would warrant harming him? What benefit would Leng Taiya gain from harming him?"
"I'm telling the truth."
"If so, explain it to me."
"Alright... Tiat Liong-san possesses a massive blood-red diamond. Rumor has it he got it from a wandering queen and brought it into the city. The first person he sought was Hui Taiya. Hui Taiya owns a bank. His subordinates working there are experts at appraising the value of items. After careful examination, it was determined that the diamond is worth over a hundred thousand foreign currency. Of course, Hui Taiya wasn't willing to pay such a hefty price to acquire the blood-red diamond. So, he slashed the selling price to fifty thousand foreign currency. Tiat Liong-san isn't someone who doesn't understand the value of goods. When he realized that the sales agreement had been tampered with, he angrily left."
"Mmm... continue your story."
"Later, this news reached Leng Taiya. He scolded Hui Taiya for not immediately informing him about the matter. At the same time, Leng Taiya ordered me to monitor all of Tiat Liong-san's movements. After some time, Tiat Liong-san returned to Pakhia City..."
"Was he still interested in selling the diamond?"
"Yes. But this time, he didn't take it to Hui Taiya. Hui Taiya is a merchant skilled in buying and selling. He would surely buy it at a very low price and sell it at a very high price. Such a trading system is written in the sacred book of merchants."
"Is there anyone else with enough money interested in buying it?"
"There is! Apparently, the person is a wealthy collector. He intended to give the diamond to his concubine. Once Tiat Liong-san reached Pakhia City, I immediately informed Leng Taiya. Leng Taiya's movements were also swift. Before Tiat Liong-san could meet this wealthy collector, he was captured by Oey Souw. By the second day, Tiat Liong-san had lost his head."
"What about the blood-red diamond?"
"It was placed inside a yellow leather suitcase he always carried."
"And the suitcase?"
"It was stored in the government confiscation warehouse. When Tiat Liong-san was captured by Oey Souw, the suitcase was seized. Leng Taiya immediately instructed someone to retrieve the suitcase from the warehouse."
"I heard the suitcase was entrusted by Leng Souwhiang to be guarded by you."
"No! The suitcase given to me by Leng Souw-hiang was empty."
"I'm not surprised to hear you say that. Leng Souwhiang wouldn't hand over the large blood-red diamond to you so easily... do you know Wie Ceng?"
"Of course, I know him. He comes here every day. He says he's here to check his fortune, but he's actually gathering information."
"Do you know about him leaving the city?"
"I do."
"For what purpose did he leave the city?"
"To investigate the valuable item owned by Tiat Liong-san."
"Why investigate it?"
"Cu Taiya! You don't need to ask about this! Leng Taiya is afraid of losing the diamond."
"The result?"
"I don't know what happened to Wie Ceng and Leng Souw-hiang. But I do know one more secret."
"Oh?"
"Wie Ceng is secretly helping Thiat-yan. Miss Thiat-yan is Tiat Liong-san's only child."
"Oh, is this news true?"
"If it's not true, you can cut off my head."
"Is Wie Ceng currently in the city?"
"I don't know."
"According to circulating rumors, Wie Ceng is Leng Taiya's trusted assassin. Is this true?"
"Not incorrect. Hui Taiya has been killed by him. Leng Taiya has repeatedly ordered him to kill Thiat-yan, but he never did."
"Then who killed Leng Taiya?"
"That I don't know. I just heard of his death from your mouth."
"Then where is the blood-red diamond now?"
"I don't know. My guess is that the diamond might have been sold by Hui Taiya."
"For years, I've been used by Leng Taiya. Some even accused me of being the mastermind behind Tiat Liong-san's downfall. I've been the scapegoat for years, do you know?"
"I've only heard about it."
"Regarding this matter, do you have any other views?"
"I... I don't know what to say."
"Alright! Quickly release Tu Liong and Wie Kiehong. Don't say anything about me. I've been a scapegoat all this time; it's best I bear it until I die."
"Alright, alright... I'll go now."
"Bu Tiat-cui! If I find out you've lied even a little, or if you've harmed Tu Liong or Wie Kie-hong, I certainly won't forgive you."
"How could I dare?"
"Quickly go!"
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard from inside the room. Then came a painful scream. Finally, only the voice of Cu Siau-thian was heard speaking loudly: "Bu Tiat-cui! One can't harm the heart of a tiger, yet a tiger always intends to harm others. I truly didn't expect this."
Tu Liong immediately grabbed Wie Kie-hong's hand. The two of them quickly broke the closed window and rushed inside the room. They saw Bu Tiat-cui holding a sword, while the small knife in Cu Siau-thian's hand had pierced Bu Tiat-cui's heart. The situation seemed very straightforward. Bu Tiat-cui had thought of attacking Cu Siau-thian suddenly. But Cu Siau-thian killed him in self-defense.
"Cu Taiya!" the two shouted together in shock.
"Eh..?" Cu Siau-thian appeared surprised to see them there.
"Wie Kie-hong, Tu Liong... are you both okay?"
"Cu Taiya, we've been here all along."
Cu Siau-thian released his grip on the knife. The knife was still embedded in Bu Tiat-cui's chest. Bu Tiat-cui's body fell backward with a thud and didn't move again. Cu Siau-thian’s stab was truly precise.
"Kie-hong!" Cu Siau-thian said regretfully, "I didn't want to kill him. I haven't clearly asked about your biological father's whereabouts. I haven't got... Ah! I didn't expect him to act like this."
"Cu Taiya," Tu Liong also sounded very regretful, "I don't know how to express what I'm feeling. I just feel that misunderstandings between people are very common. Actually, hearing the truth isn't that hard to accept. For example, now..."
"Now!" suddenly a voice interrupted from outside, "now I've caught the person with the fox's tail, and I'm going to show everyone."
As the words finished, the person who was speaking entered the room. That person was Thiat-yan. All three people in the room looked at her. Each of them probably had different thoughts. Everyone must be guessing what her words meant.
"Thiat-yan!" finally Tu Liong spoke, "what do your words mean?"
"Wie Siauya!" Thiat-yan said coldly, "why don't you ask Cu Siau-thian for an explanation?"
Wie Kie-hong immediately turned her gaze to Cu Siau-thian. She saw that Cu Siau-thian was frozen there as if turned to stone. It seemed like Wie Kie-hong had never seen Cu Siau-thian like this before. He looked very uncomfortable.
"Sister Yan!" Tu Liong said calmly to her, "it seems all mysteries have been solved. Why are you still interfering?"
"Cu Taiya! I must admit you are really clever. Tu Liong, I only need to say one word, and you should understand. I arrived here before you all. Therefore, I know more than what you’ve heard. Do you understand?"
"Continue."
Now Tu Liong's expression also changed.
"You both must know the secret of the 'traveler's bridge to the sky' deception that many people like. Its double deception confuses people. But if you know the secret used, everyone would laugh. Only the double deception used by Cu Siau-thian earlier was performed much better."
"Double deception? Could it be that Cu Siau-thian was talking to himself earlier?” That’s impossible! No one could mimic another’s voice that well. But if Bu Tiat-cui was forced to confess, that also seems impossible."
Cu Siau-thian didn't say anything. Thiat-yan continued her words, "It's really unexpected that in this world, there's someone as clever as Cu Siau-thian and someone as foolish as Bu Tiat-cui. It's rare for these two to work together."
"Thiat-yan!" Cu Siau-thian finally spoke slowly, "whatever scheme you have against me, I no longer care. Just don't twist the truth. At least don't make these two young people see the world as a very evil place..."
"Cu Taiya, the world itself isn't evil. It's the character of the humans living in it that's evil... I greatly admire you. You've used tactics very well. From start to finish, everything you planned went perfectly. First, you captured the two of them, then you intentionally released them. Very cleverly, you involved Bu Tiat-cui. That's why the two came here to find out. Once they arrived, you started staging a 'small play', making them both become faithful listeners."
"You’re saying that Bu Tiat-cui’s words earlier were all my creation and I forced him to say them?"
"That's right."
"Why would he listen to my orders?"
"Firstly: he wanted to live. Secondly: you promised him a large sum of money. After that, you would make him disappear to erase any traces."
**
Glossary of Terms**
1. **Tiat Liong-san** - A character, possibly the owner of the blood-red diamond.
2. **Leng Taiya** - A character involved in the conspiracy and monitoring Tiat Liong-san.
3. **Hui Taiya** - A bank owner and part of the initial diamond appraisal.
4. **Oey Souw** - The person who captured Tiat Liong-san.
5. **Cu Taiya** - A character who is conversing and possibly involved in the larger conspiracy.
6. **Bu Tiat-cui** - A character who ends up dead in the confrontation.
7. **Wie Ceng** - A character who is secretly helping another character, Thiat-yan.
8. **Thiat-yan** - The daughter of Tiat Liong-san.
9. **Tu Liong and Wie Kie-hong** - Characters who are trapped and released as part of a scheme.
10. **"Traveler's bridge to the sky"** - A metaphorical or literal technique for deception.