“Li from the street, where have you hidden Shi Men? Speak now, or feel the sting of my fist!” Li was too terrified to speak. He just rose to his feet and shivered uncontrollably like a fever-stricken man, unable to utter a single word. His silence further provoked Bu Siong, who with a swift kick, overturned the table in front of Li. Plates, bowls, and cups clattered to the floor amidst a chaotic cacophony. Two thickly powdered singing girls fainted from fright. Recognizing his dire situation, Li tried to escape. But a swift swipe of Bu Siong’s left hand caught and gripped him, “Scoundrel, where do you think you’re going? Won't speak, will you? Well then, feel my hand!” Bu Siong’s hand slapped him hard.
“Smack!!” Li felt as though his face was shattered and he groaned in pain.
“Shi Men has just run away from here. Let me go, I have nothing to do with your affairs.” Bu Siong was seething. He threw open the window, and Li's body was hanging out of the loft, outside the window.
“You want to leave, do you? Well, off you go!” Bu Siong tossed Li’s body out and as it plummeted down, hitting the road, his head cracked open and he died. But Bu Siong didn't care and he had already leapt away to pursue and search for Shi Men. However, from his hiding place earlier, Shi Men had heard everything. With his heart pounding in fear, Shi Men hastily continued his escape, scaling the wall into the adjacent house's garden and sprinted away as if chased by a demon. When Bu Siong couldn't find Shi Men and saw Li's body sprawled on the road, he kicked the lifeless body.
“Ah, that's Secretary Li,” spectators informed Bu Siong.
“What did he do to you that you killed him, Bu-Ciangkun?”
“The one I wanted to kill was Shi Men. He hid Shi Men, so I killed him!” replied Bu Siong. With a murder committed, the security guards soon arrived at the scene.
However, none of them dared to arrest Bu Siong. They only surrounded him to prevent his escape. Then they tried to persuade Bu Siong to surrender and face justice. Bu Siong realized his mistake. He deeply regretted why he had to kill Li in his rage, when he was after Shi Men. But what's done was done, and he surrendered, being brought to the court with the witnesses and the two singing girls, detained as a murderer. The incident on Lion Street shocked the entire city and as is typically the case with rumors, the news about the incident was quickly exaggerated, even falsely claiming that the victim was Shi Men.
Everything in this world undergoes changes. Nothing in this world is permanent. Seasons change and dominate the surface of the earth. There's light and darkness, heat and rain, just like the ups and downs of human life, where at times people live in pleasure, but soon replaced by hardship. We tend to chase pleasure and avoid pain. Why don't we delve into suffering, studying in great detail what is this thing we call sorrow?
Why do we only let ourselves enjoy pleasures and refuse to fully comprehend what is sorrow? We usually run away from sorrow, distracting ourselves, forgetting it through drinks, shows, and other forms of entertainment. But by doing so, we have not truly understood what sorrow is and cannot cure the disease or the cause of the sorrow. When in a fearful flight, Shi Men entered the yard of the house next to the restaurant, a female servant who happened to be in the garden screamed,
“Thief! Thief..!” Lo Fu, the doctor who owned the house, came running and upon seeing Shi Men, he smiled.
“Ah, it's you, Shi-Kongcu. Fortunately, Bu Siong didn't catch you but instead killed your friend. Now they've taken him to the court. That murder will certainly put him in serious trouble, possibly a death sentence. You don't need to fear any more and can now return home safely, Shi Kongcu” Overflowing with relief and joy, Shi Men heard the extremely good news. He then said his goodbye, walking out with an air as if he was just a visiting guest of the doctor’s family. He forgot how he had frantically ran like a rat being chased by a cat.
Once home, Shi Men immediately recounted everything to Kim Lian. They cheered with joy because Bu Siong was caught for murdering Li, freeing them from the threat. Heeding Kim Lian's advice, Shi Men sent more gifts to the court. He bribed the chief prosecutor with fifty tails of pure silver and a beautiful set of silver wine utensils. Even the guards at the office received gifts, and none of them refused. The result of the bribery became apparent the next day when Bu Siong was brought before the Chief Prosecutor. The official's attitude had completely changed compared to when Bu Siong filed his complaint. He furrowed his brows and glared fiercely with a stern voice.
Glossary
- Shi Men: A character in the story who is being pursued by Bu Siong.
- Bu Siong: A character in the story who is seeking Shi Men, driven by anger.
- Li: A character who hides Shi Men and is killed by Bu Siong.
- Bu-Ciangkun: Honorific for Bu Siong, showing respect.
- Shi-Kongcu: Honorific for Shi Men, indicating high social status.
- Kim Lian: A character who advises Shi Men.
- Lo Fu: A doctor who helps Shi Men when he is on the run.