The girl spun her sword and deflected the three machetes before counterattacking, but her sword met with the machetes that parried her attack.
Tiong Li used the Jauw sang-hui move, swiftly weaving his body among the whirling glow of the machetes and all the machete slashes. However, three other machetes were already attacking! Soon, both of them were surrounded and fiercely attacked. The machete formation was truly formidable.
Nonetheless, they were not too formidable for Tiong Li, and even Siang Hwi could defend herself with her sword. The machete attack formation was indeed orderly, but because their individual skills were not too high and their sinkang energy was not too strong, Tiong Li found it easy to fight back. A few people had already fallen and stumbled.
After knocking down eight people with his kicks and hand slaps, Tiong Li invited Siang Hwi to escape. He even snatched the girl's hand and urged her to run quickly using the Jauw-sang-hui technique. Even though the members of the machete formation pursued them, in a short while, the two disappeared behind the trees.
As Tiong Li and Siang Hwi were running, an old hweshio suddenly appeared in front of them, raising his hand to stop them. Tiong Li and Siang Hwi stopped but they were suspicious. They wondered if this hweshio was also an accomplice of Major General Wu Chu, a spy!
"Who are you, lo-suhu, and what is your purpose in stopping us?" Tiong Li asked in a firm voice.
"Omitohud, I saw you two being pursued by the Naga Machete squad, it's best if I help you hide. Aren't you loyal citizens of Sung?"
"And you, lo-cianpwe, aren't you a spy from General Wu C hu?" Siang Hwi, who was also suspicious, asked, her sword ready to strike.
"Omitohud, if I'm really a spy, what would you do, miss?"
"You should be punished!" Siang Hwi shouted, immediately slashing her sword. But the fat old hweshio skillfully dodged. Siang Hwi kept attacking up to seven times in a row, but all her attacks hit empty space and the hweshio jumped onto a high tree branch.
Tiong Li saw the excellent ginkang move and stopped Siang Hwi from continuing the chase.
"Lo-suhu, are you really a spy from Wu Chu who has been assigned to capture us?" he asked, because if true, he himself intended to fight him.
The hweshio floated down. "Omitohud, your sword skill is impressive. Miss, please don't rush. I too am loyal to the Sung Kingdom. How can you think that I am a traitor serving the Kin? Believe me, I intend to hide you and when the situation has calmed down, you can continue your journey. Now, after being chased by the Naga Machete Squad, your situation is dangerous and wherever you go in this region, you will certainly be hunted. I am Ceng Ho Hwe-shio, a disciple of Siauw-lim-pai, don't you still trust me?"
Tiong Li quickly paid his respects. "If so, we believe and beforehand we thank lo-suhu for his kindness."
"Come on, don't just talk, follow me," said the hwe-shio, then climbed a slope towards the temple on the hilltop. Tiong Li and Siang Hwi followed him, and it turned out that the hweshio could run very fast so that Siang Hwi had to exert her strength so as not to be left behind. Of course, this was not the case with Tiong Li who could follow the hweshio without exerting much effort.
The temple was quite large and inhabited by twenty hweshio. And it turned out that they, although not openly opposing the Kin government, were all still loyal to the Sung Kingdom.
Tiong Li and Siang Hwi got two rooms inside, and they also heard when many people arrived outside. The group was the Naga Machete Squad that chased them to the temple, but when Ceng Ho Hwe-shio claimed that the two people they were looking for did not seem to come to the temple, the group believed him without checking and left.
This indicated that the hweshio were trusted by the Kin government. And indeed, this was because the Siauw-lim-pai had never rebelled or shown opposition. Among the Kin officials who adhered to Buddhism, they respected the hweshio from the temple.
After fully trusting Ceng Ho Hwe-shio, Tiong Li and Siang Hwi openly told their experiences and their purpose in entering the Kin territory.
"Lo-suhu, I am a person who was framed by Prime Minister Jin Kui, accused of kidnapping Princess Sung Hiang Bwee, so in the Sung Kingdom, I became a government target to be captured as a rebel. Then I heard that the one who actually kidnapped the princess was Prime Minister Jin Kui's own henchman, and the princess was handed over to General Wu Chu as a gift. That's why we came here to prove whether the princess is indeed here and if possible, I will help her to be returned to the royal city so that my name can be cleared, and the cruelty and treachery of Prime Minister Jin Kui can be exposed."
"Omitohud! Prime Minister Jin Kuj is a very evil and cunning person. General Gak Hui, who was brave and loyal, died in vain only because of the cunning of Prime Minister Jin Kui. If you can help the princess out of here and return to the royal city of Hang-couw, how can you accuse him? There is no evidence that the kidnapper is his person. You have to be very careful when dealing with people like Jin Kui, young man."
"Nonetheless, I have to help the princess. With the princess's testimony that I am not her kidnapper, my name can be cleared, no longer labeled as a rebel. But I don't know for sure, whether the news I received is true that the princess is at General Wu Chu's residence?"
"I too have heard that Major General Wu Chu received a gift of an emperor's daughter. And from the general's family women who worship here, I heard that the princess refuses to become the general's concubine, and therefore she is still a prisoner."
"At the general's house?" "Of course, because that prisoner is a special prisoner, probably to persuade the princess to become his concubine."
Tiong Li nodded. Anyway, he had to investigate the general's residence himself. "Lo-suhu, I saw the Naga Machete Squad was very strong. And their machete weapons are very powerful. Does lo-suhu know the origin of the machete squad?"
"The Naga Machete Squad is a special force formed by Major General Wu Chu, and indeed consists of skilled people. It was formed not too long ago, probably receiving special training at the general's fortress. You must be careful when dealing with them, young man. They are not only skilled, but also rumored to be cruel and easily kill those they hate."
Now Tiong Li was sure. Apparently, Mestika Golok Naga was also with the major general of the Kin Nation. This means that the thief of Mestika Golok Naga, Hak Bu Cu who was killed by Ban-tok Sian-li, handed the heirloom to the major general. He believed that Hak Bu Cu, like Tang Boa Lu, was a Kin accomplice deliberately sent to assist Prime Minister Jin Kui in dealing with the group that hated the Kin government. People like Hak Bu Cu and Tang Boa Lu were skilled enough to carry out that kidnapping, besides some martial arts experts who were the prime minister's henchmen. According to his guess, both Mestika Golok Naga and Princess Sung Hiang Bwee were at Major General Wu Chu's house!
That day, Tiong Li racked his brains looking for a way how he could reclaim Mestika Golok Naga and at the same time free the princess. He had to use his wits. If he only used his martial arts skills, he might be able to enter and exit the place relying on his skills, but to get the princess out? It was indeed a very difficult task, even impossible to carry out! .
"Lo-suhu," he asked Ce ng Ho Hweshio. "Do you know who is Major General Wu Chu's favorite person? Maybe one of his sons, or his concubine?"
"He only has one son although there are several daughters, so he loves his son more than anything."
"How old is his son?"
"Still young, at most five years old. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, lo-suhu. I'm just thinking and looking for a way how I can free the princess and simultaneously find the stolen treasure of the Sung Kingdom."
Tiong Li now had a plan. He had to use that plan, if he wanted to succeed. That night he met Siang Hwi in the temple, and asked her to talk.
"Hwi-moi, I've got a plan. I hope this plan works well, because if not, our journey will be in vain, even it may turn dangerous."
"What's your plan, koko?"
Whispering, Tiong LI told her. "We now, this very night, go to the house of Major General Wu C hu. You don't need to go in, but wait outside while hiding. I will force the major general to surrender the heirloom and free the princess. After succeeding, you take the princess here and hide here."
"How will you be able to force him, koko?" Siang Hwi asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, I've found out his weakness. I will certainly be able to force him to do this. Your job is to escort the princess to this place and hide here waiting for me to come."
"Alright, koko. But be careful. Ciu Bhok Hi with his Naga Machete Squad is very dangerous."
"I know and I will always be careful. We have to wear all black clothes, Hwi-moi and after changing clothes, we leave."
Thus, escorted by Ceng Ho Hwe-shio to leave the temple, the two young people left the temple through the back wall of the temple so as not to be seen by others. Then, the two of them used the fast running technique to descend the hill slope and head to Lok-yang. They easily jumped over the high wall surrounding the city of Lok-yang, then entered the city, sneaking around the houses. Because their movements were indeed light and fast, so they only appeared like two black shadows.
Finally, they were able to approach the house of Major General Wu C hu. "You wait here. Only come out of here if you see me coming out of the gate carrying the princess. Before I appear, never show yourself, Hwi-moi."
"Alright, koko."
Glossary
- Lo-suhu: an honorific term used to address a respected elder, often a martial arts master.
- Golok: a type of traditional Indonesian cleaver-like weapon, often used in martial arts.
- Jauw sang-hui: a martial arts move used in the novel.
- Sinkang: energy or power used in martial arts.
- Ginkang: a term for agility or nimble movement in martial arts.
- Siauw-lim-pai: the name of a martial arts sect in the story.
- Mestika Golok Naga: the name of a precious artifact in the novel.
- Hak Bu Cu: a character in the novel who is a thief.
- Ban-tok Sian-li: a martial arts expert in the novel.
- Tang Boa Lu: a character in the novel who is a henchman.
- Ceng Ho Hwe-shio: a character in the novel who is a respected monk.