"Alright, I'm off, Hwi-moi!" "Wait a moment, koko."
Tiong Li paused his steps and turned back. "What is it, Hwi-moi?"
The girl approached and hugged Tiong Li around the neck. "You... please be careful, koko."
Tiong Li leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I know, I'm not ready to leave you yet, Hwi-moi. Be careful too. Stay away if anyone gets close to this place."
Then Tiong Li disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Luckily for them, the night was pitch black due to the cloudy weather and the wind brought a cold chill. Because of the bad weather, few people left their homes and the surroundings were very quiet. However, security at the residence of the Great General Wu Chu remained strict. In front of the gate, dozens of soldiers were on guard. And Tiong Li knew that there were hidden devices on the roof that could alert them if someone approached from above.
He had jumped over the wall and reached the garden. Presumably, the garden was the safest place as there were many trees. He spied from behind a thick bush and saw two patrolling guards walking towards him with a lantern, chatting. Tiong Li thought for a moment and made a very bold decision. He waited until the two men were close. Suddenly he leapt and his hands moved at once, the two men were paralyzed and the lantern was now in his hands!.
He looked at the two men with the light from the lantern illuminating their faces. The tall man looked terrified, while the skinny one glared angrily. He then paralyzed the skinny one further until he fell unconscious, tied his hands and feet with the man's own belt, and covered his mouth with cloth, then dragged him behind the bushes. As for the tall man, he paralyzed his speech nerves so he couldn't talk. In his paralyzed state, he threatened the man by pointing his sword at his neck.
"Do you want to live?" he threatened.
The tall man nodded weakly. Only his hands and feet were paralyzed.
"You don't want to die?" he asked again.
The man shook his head, his eyes wide with fear.
"Good, then, I want you to take me to where General Wu Chu is. Can you?"
The tall man looked around wildly, clearly frightened and seemingly struggling to make a decision.
"Answer me, or else I'll slit your throat right now!" His sword touched the skin of the tall man's neck. The tall man quickly nodded, indicating his agreement.
Tiong Li then took off the skinny man's clothes and put them on. He disguised himself as a patrolman. Then, with his bare sword in hand, he released the frightened tall man, but even though the tall man could now move his limbs, he still couldn't make a sound:
"Now, take me there. Watch out, if you make a single move that I don't like, this sword will behead you!"
Again he pointed his sword at the man's neck, who appeared to be trembling with fear. Tiong Li was pleased. His choice was correct. This tall man had a small heart and was so cowardly that he would likely obey all his commands.
"Hold this lantern and walk ahead," he whispered. "Act normal when you meet other guards as if nothing happened. And quickly take me to where Wu Chu is!" From behind, he pointed his sword at the tall man's back, and they moved, leaving the garden.
The tall man was indeed terrified. They entered the building from the back door, and the four guards who saw the two patrolmen paid them no attention. Moreover, Tiong Li's face was hidden by the shadow of the tall man holding the lantern in front of him, so Tiong Li's face was hidden in the darkness.
After winding through several pathways, the tall man pointed to a room from afar. Tiong Li saw a man in his fifties, tall and bearded, playing with a young boy.
"Is that Wu Chu?" Tiong Li whispered and 'his captive' nodded.
"Take me to his son's room!" Tiong Li commanded.
The tall man pointed forward, towards the boy who was playing with the tall, bearded man. "You mean that boy is his son?"
The man nodded. "You're not lying?" Tiong Li asked, delighted beyond measure.
How fortunate he was to find General Wu Chu and his son together. Actually, he wanted to kidnap the young son, who was loved greatly, to exchange for the princess and the Mestika Golok Naga. But now, both of them were there. Such a lucky coincidence.
The man shook his head. "Watch out. I'll leave you here paralyzed, if you lie, I'll come back here to behead you. Are you sure you're not lying?"
The man once again shook his head vigorously and Tiong Li immediately snatched the lantern while paralyzing the man until he fell unconscious without a sound as he had already restrained him.
Then, carrying the lantern, he approached the open room. The tall man who was playing with the boy, seeing a patrolman approaching, immediately carried the boy and scolded, "What are you doing here!"
"Please forgive me, ciangkun. Someone is asking where General Wu Chu is."
"Who's asking about me?" the general barked angrily because he was disturbed by the appearance of the patrolman.
"I'm the one asking!" Tiong Li said, and suddenly he jumped forward, and his left hand grabbed the boy.
"Bastard! Return my son!" Wu Chu yelled, charging to reclaim his son. However, even though he was a great general and an expert in warfare, his martial arts skills were still far inferior to Tiong Li's. His attack missed, and instead, the sword in Tiong Li's hand was pointed at his chest.
"Make a single move, and this sword will pierce your heart, ciangkun!" Tiong Li shouted, all the while the little boy in his left arm was screaming and crying.
Great General Wu Chu dared not move, but he managed to shout for his guards. Soon, at least thirty guards filled the room, but they dared not move when they saw their general threatened and the general's son held by a young man dressed as a patrolman. Among the guards were five members of Golok Naga, who immediately recognized the young man whose prowess they had experienced when they surrounded and attacked him.
"Everyone step back! Anyone who dares to move will be responsible for the death of the general and his son!" Tiong Li shouted, causing the encircling guards to instinctively step back. Some ran out to call for reinforcements, and soon the place was filled with troops.
"Young man, what exactly do you want?" General Wu Chu, who remained calm, asked. He was a great general, not easily panicked, although the hostage situation of his son greatly worried him.
"Not much," Tiong Li said, "I want to exchange your life and your son's life for the freedom of Princess Sung Hia ng Bwee and Mestika Golok Naga!"
"But..."
"Don't speak any more. If you don't agree, I'll kill your son first, then you!"
The troops were about to charge forward, but General Wu Chu commanded them not to move. "Don't move! Officer Tong, quickly bring a Golok Naga!"
The one referred to as Officer Tong, a short, chubby man, stepped forward and handed a dragon-engraved sword to Tiong Li. "Is this the Mestika Golok Naga?" he asked Wu Chu.
"Yes!"
Tiong Li took the sword, bent it with both hands while holding the young boy, and the sword broke into two pieces!
"You lied!" he rebuked and pointed his weapon, slightly injuring the general's chest. "Bring the real one or I'll slit your son's throat!" Now, he pointed his sword at the boy's neck, who was screaming in fear.
General Wu Chu looked extremely worried. "Quickly, bring the Mestika Golok Naga from my room, it's hanging on the wall!" he ordered, and Officer Tong quickly ran off. Not long after, he returned carrying a sword in its sheath.
Glossary
- koko: An Indonesian term of address for older brother.
- Hwi-moi: A character's name in the story.
- Tiong Li: The protagonist of the story.
- Panglima Wu Chu: The great general Wu Chu, an antagonist in the story.
- ciangkun: An honorific term used in Indonesian to refer to a respected elderly man.
- Sung Hia ng Bwee: A royal character (princess) in the story.
- Mestika Golok Naga: A mythical sword known as the Dragon Jewel Sword in the story.
- Golok Naga: Dragon Sword, a group or sect in the story.
- Officer Tong: A character in the story, a high-ranking official in the great general's troops.