"They are the rebel leaders, Your Majesty!" continued Ouw Yang Sian, his face darkening.
"Damn vile scum!" The Emperor cursed, clenching his fist. "They even dared to kill. Ciang Sun Hok, gather the troops and crush the rebels in that region!" he ordered Ciang Sun Hok. This martial arts master declared his willingness and the meeting was dismissed because the Emperor was mourning his son's death.
Prime Minister Jin Kui at his home hosted a feast for his subordinates. They celebrated their joy, having emerged victorious. The Emperor had resumed his distrust of the fighters! Their mission was accomplished.
"Kui To Cin Jin, we now face Tan Tiong Li. The young man is extremely dangerous. We must kill him quickly for he is a major threat. But his martial arts skills are formidable. Who can match and kill him?"
"Tai-jin, do not worry. I have three acquaintances in the north. They are hermits in Luliang-san, Thai-hang-san, and the Fen-ho River valley. They are highly skilled elders in the jianghu (martial arts world), and I know well that they are loyal to the Sung Dynasty. If I ask for their help to deal with someone rebelling against the Sung Dynasty, I believe they would be willing."
"Excellent! Invite them here, Kui To Gin-jin. It would be great if they would become our permanent assistants, if not, it would be enough if they were willing to face and defeat Tan Tiong Li!"
"Yes, tai-jin. I will arrange for them to assist us."
The party continued until late at night and until they were all drunk, drunk on alcohol and drunk on the joy of victory. A mind filled with desire always justifies all human actions. Even if the heart and mind know that an act is wrong, desire makes the mind defend and try to justify the act, against its own conscience. Each person knows what is right and what is wrong.
Is there any thief in this world who does not know that stealing is wrong? All thieves must know that. Yet they continue to steal and their desire-filled minds justify their actions with all kinds of excuses. Understanding and knowledge cannot fight against desire, once it has gripped the heart and mind. Desire makes an excellent servant and a horrible master.
But who can make desire a good servant and restrain it from becoming a master? Only the power of God can. We are unable to control desire with our hearts and minds. The only way is to surrender to God completely with trust and faith. This is all we can do and if God wills, then we will be masters over our own desires, making them good servants, and extremely useful in our lives.
Not becoming a rampant master that drives us to commit all sorts of misguided deeds.
0o—dw—o0 Tiong Li and Siang Hwi strive to track Ban-tok Sian-li. But where should they start? The woman surely no longer resided in the Death Valley of Yang-ce River which was ransacked and burned by the government troops. And she was skilled in covering her tracks, moving without leaving traces. Thus, Tiong Li and Siang Hwi wandered all the way to the northern border. Eventually, Siang Hwi said to her lover.
"Koko, I think it's futile to track grandmother. She probably didn't go far. Grandmother must be deeply offended by the government for the destruction of Death Valley. And with grandmother's character, she won't let it go unanswered. I guess, she won't stray far from the royal city, looking for a chance to take revenge."
"On whom is she going to take revenge?" "Perhaps grandmother is investigating the mastermind
behind the attack on Death Valley."
"It's clear that the mastermind is Prime Minister Jin Kui."
"In that case, grandmother will find out and take revenge on the Prime Minister. So, we should return to the royal city. Who knows we might find her there."
Thus, both of them journeyed back to Hang-couw. As soon as they approached Hang-couw, they were identified by scouts working for Prime Minister Jin Kui, who promptly reported their presence to their master.
At that time, at the residence of Prime Minister Jin Kui, three guests had arrived two days prior. They were three hermits who had just been brought in by their friend, Kui To Cin-jin, who successfully persuaded them to confront Tan Tiong Li, portrayed as a rebel leader alongside Gak Liu.
The three men were Im Seng Cu, the hermit from Luliang-san, Ban Hok Seng-jin, the hermit from the Fen-ho River Valley, and Sin Gi To-su, the hermit from Thai-hang-san. These three hermits were indeed friends of Kui To Cin-jin, from before he became a fighter serving under Jin Kui. For the three elders, Kui To Cin-jin served the Sung Dynasty, a fact they wholeheartedly approved of. They admired the late General Gak Hui, who they believed was loyal to the Sung Dynasty until his last breath. Even though the area along the Huang-ho River all the way to the north was occupied by the Kin people, they remained loyal to the Sung Dynasty in their hearts. If the Sung Dynasty launched an attack on the north, they, even though they were hermits, would surely support it.
So, when Kui To Cin-jin, who they considered a loyal servant of the Sung Dynasty, visited them and requested their help to confront and capture a formidable rebel, they did not hesitate and departed for the south to show their loyalty to the Southern Sung Dynasty. Thus, when the scouts reported the appearance of Tiong Li and Siang Hwi, the Prime Minister asked the three to confront the "rebel". The three elders promptly set off. They were also very curious to hear that Prince Kian Cu had been murdered by rebels.
Tiong Li and Siang Hwi, while journeying towards the royal city, met with fighters and heard about Prince Kian Cu's murder and that Jin Kui was blaming the fighters for his death. Upon hearing this, they were shocked. The fighters told them that hero Gak Liu was certain that his five men, who were tasked with escorting the prince, could not possibly have killed him. They themselves were also killed and although the fighters suspected a third party had murdered the prince and was framing them, they had no evidence or witnesses.
"This is definitely the work of that vile Jin Kui!" Tan Tiong Li exclaimed, but without witnesses and evidence, how could he report to the Emperor? He was saddened to hear that the Emperor was furious and increasingly viewed the fighters as rebels. He hurried towards the royal city to hear for himself what had happened.
Suddenly, their journey was blocked by three men dressed like hermits. One of them was holding a black staff and all three were looking at him with disapproval, their eyebrows furrowed. Seeing the three men blocking his path, Tiong Li quickly paid his respects to the three hermits and said politely and kindly.
"Good afternoon, sam-wi to-tiang (three To priests)."
"Young man," said Im Seng Cu, who was holding the staff. "Are you the one called Tan Tiong Li?"
Tiong Li looked surprised. "Yes, to-tiang. My name is Tan Tiong Li. May I know who the sam-wi are? And what you need from me?"
"Tiong Li, you are a rebel! Surrender and we will arrest you!"
"Ah, to-tiang! Why would you say that? I am not a rebel at all, in fact, I am fulfilling the Emperor's command to recover the Mestika Golok Naga!" Tiong Li objected. "Who are the sam-wi?"
"I am Im Seng Cu from Lu-liang-san," said the tall and thin man who held the staff, and the conversation continued,
Glossary
- Ouw Yang Sian - A character in the story, likely a high-ranking official or noble.
- Ciang Sun Hok - Another character in the story, described as a martial arts master.
- Jin Kui - The Prime Minister in the story, depicted as an antagonist.
- Kui To Cin Jin - A character who is a friend of the three hermits and serves under Jin Kui.
- Tan Tiong Li - The protagonist of the story, known for his formidable martial arts skills.
- Im Seng Cu, Ban Hok Seng-jin, Sin Gi To-su - Three hermits from Luliang-san, the Fen-ho River Valley, and Thai-hang-san, respectively. They are skilled martial artists loyal to the Sung Dynasty.
- Liang-san, Thai-hang-san, Fen-ho River valley - Locations in the story where the three hermits reside.
- Sung Dynasty - A historical dynasty in China; in the story, characters show loyalty towards it.
- Kin people - Refers to the historical Jurchen Jin dynasty, opponents of the Sung Dynasty.
- Gak Liu - A heroic character in the story, known for his loyalty to the Sung Dynasty.
- Prince Kian Cu - The murdered prince in the story, his death sparks conflict.
- Mestika Golok Naga - A significant item in the story that the protagonist is tasked to recover.