Black Pearl Chapter 26

However, suddenly the two young beggars who were laughing loudly stopped their laughter after letting out a sound like "ha-haaauupp"

And their eyes bulged, their left hands clutching their necks and their right hands pointing confusedly at their gaping mouths. Unknown to others, due to the speed of Kwi Lan's hand movements, two round pieces of meat that had been on the tips of her chopsticks had now slipped into the throats of the two men through their wide-open mouths.

Four other beggars, thinking that their two friends had choked on food, busied themselves helping, slapping their backs hard while asking questions. However, the two men could only make sounds like mute people because their throats were blocked. Finally, one of them coughed and the round meatball, like a chicken egg, jumped out, while the other, because the meat had not come out and he felt his breath almost gone, desperately shoved his chopsticks into his mouth and pushed the meat in his throat further down. This trick helped, and he escaped the danger of being choked to death.

Kwi Lan, who had punished the two young beggars who dared to laugh at her, had red cheeks. Not only because of anger, but also embarrassment after she heard what those round pieces of meat actually were. She silently cursed the host who served such a dish. This girl was indeed still unfamiliar with all city cuisines, especially such luxurious dishes. Since childhood, she had only eaten simple food made by Bibi Bi Li. Now, to divert attention from the dish she deemed inappropriate, she asked Hauw Lam, who was still laughing, mocking the state of the two beggars.

"And this, what is this? What is it for? It looks like blood."

"Not blood. That is called soy sauce (*kecap*), a seasoning to add saltiness or sweetness to food."

Meanwhile, the two young beggars who were free from the round meats looked angry, standing up and glaring towards Kwi Lan's table. Their four older companions had also turned around, and they were whispering to each other, their faces threatening. Apparently, they were considering what they would do to the two young people without disrupting the flow of the banquet. The six of them were merely ordinary figures who came representing the Black Faction beggars, so they were naturally reluctant to cause a disturbance and chaos at the celebration banquet for the appointment of the Thian-liong-pang Leader.

Finally, they decided to wait until the ceremony ended before giving a lesson to those two impudent young people. At that moment, a commotion was heard outside, a man's shout accompanying a woman's cry. All the guests looked over, and a tall, large man appeared, dressed in robes like a monk, but his hair was long and flowing, and his face was like a lion's, his eyes wide and shining wildly. This man, aged fifty, held a long whip, and with this whip, he herded twelve young and beautiful women, just like a shepherd herding livestock.

Some of these women were crying, while others walked with pale faces and eyes full of anxiety. As soon as he entered the room, this old man laughed, and his face became even more terrifying. His flowing hair, adorned with *cilan* flowers, a type of fragrant flower, moved as he laughed. Seeing this guest, Thai-lek-kwi Ma Kiu's expression changed, becoming joyful, and he immediately stepped down to greet him and bow.

"Ah, it is truly our friend Ci-lan Saikong who has come to visit. This is a great honor for us."

"Huah-ha-ha-ha. The Thian-liong-pang is famous for its Cap-ji-liong (Twelve Dragons) who are truly brave and mighty. Now, the eldest among them is becoming the leader; this truly adds to the prestige of the Thian-liong-pang. Pinceng (I) have come to pay respects to Sin-seng Losuhu, and to congratulate the Thian-liong-pang on its new leader. And because *pinceng* is a poor man who only likes to collect fragrant flowers, *pinceng* can only donate these twelve stalks of fragrant flowers to decorate the chambers of the Twelve Dragons of the Thian-liong-pang so that their rooms become fragrant and allow them to sleep soundly. Ha-ha-ha."

Then the old man cracked his whip above the heads of his twelve captive girls while shouting.

"Come on, quickly kneel before your new masters!"

Since they seemed to know the cruelty of the old man, these twelve girls immediately dropped to their knees, lowering their faces.

The guests present consisted of people from the Black Faction, so this event was not surprising to them. In fact, many of them laughed, and comments were heard here and there praising the twelve girls and expressing how pleased they were to receive such a living donation. Thai-lek-kwi Ma Kiu, his sworn brothers, and the members of the Thian-liong-pang also considered this normal and appropriate. However, because it was an important moment and many guests were present, Ma Kiu felt somewhat embarrassed and awkward. He bowed again and said.

"Ah, Brother Ci-lan Sai-kong, why are you so formal? We do not expect donations. Your presence alone is enough to gladden our hearts."

Although not explicitly refusing, these words expressed displeasure with the donation, as it was given at an inappropriate time.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha"

The old man laughed while stroking his stiff beard.

"I already said, *pinceng* is a poor man and only likes to collect *cilan*. Because I heard that the leaders of the Thian-liong-pang share the same hobby as *pinceng*, I brought these twelve stalks of flowers. Do not worry, Sicu (Honorable Sirs), these flowers are still pure, come from good families, and I specifically chose them for all of you, *Sicu*."

At that moment, the Decrepit Old Man Sin-seng Losu, who had been sitting nodding sleepily in his chair, suddenly looked refreshed and no longer drowsy. He sat upright in his chair, widening his half-blind eyes to stare at the twelve girls kneeling on the floor. Then, as if in a dream, he said,

"The most valuable donation has been given, why so much fuss? If you don't like them, you can herd them all into my room."

"Huah-ha-ha-ha"

Ci-lan Sai-kong burst into roaring laughter, tilting his head back so that his large stomach moved up and down.

"Sin-seng Losu is truly amazing. A man may be old, but the heart must remain young. If Losuhu desires, next time *pinceng* can send a few stalks of younger, prettier, and more fragrant flowers."

"Heh-heh, thank you... this is enough... plenty..."

Although he himself was a man who would not refrain from all kinds of vice, as the prospective leader of a major association, Ma Kiu felt embarrassed hearing this crude conversation. Thus, to prevent his senile master and the *jai-hwa-cat* (flower-plucking villain) Ci-lan Sai-kong from uttering any more inappropriate remarks, he immediately bowed.

"Thank you very much for your donation, we invite you to sit down and enjoy the modest refreshments."

While instructing his sworn brothers to take the girls to the back, he himself escorted the guest to his seat. Hauw Lam frowned, his handsome and usually cheerful face completely changed, his eyes radiating anger. Kwi Lan saw this and felt surprised. Why was this young man so angry?

"What's wrong with you?"

She asked softly.

"What's wrong? Hmm, didn't you see them just now...?"

Hauw Lam answered with a question.

"That Ci-lan Sai-kong, the cursed *jai-hwa-cat*..."

"What is a *jai-hwa-cat*?"

In his anger, Hauw Lam became exasperated and grumbled.

"You truly know nothing. Not knowing the food is one thing, but a maiden with skills like yours, who ought to be a champion in the *kang-ouw*, not knowing what a *jai-hwa-cat* is truly frustrates me. It's as if you are playing a trick on me and pretending not to know."

Kwi Lan was increasingly surprised to see the young man's anger intensify.

"Eh, what is wrong with you? Are you drunk, perhaps? I truly don't know, yet you are angry. Come on, explain, what exactly is a *jai-hwa-cat*? That old man is tedious, ugly, crude, and disgusting, but he looks like a monk. Is a *jai-hwa-cat* a monk? As far as I know, monks like to pick leaves and dig roots for medicine. What is 'picking flowers' (*jai-hwa*) for?"

"You are truly foolish, Mutiara Hitam. That monk is only wearing a monk's disguise, but beneath his disguise, he is the worst kind of villain. What is meant by 'flower' is a girl or a young woman. He doesn't pick ordinary flowers; he is a kidnapper and harasses young girls. You saw those twelve girls..."

"Hmm, they are useless people. They willingly allowed themselves to be used as a donation item. Why bother thinking about those living dolls?"

"They were forced."

"Hmph, I didn't see them being forced. They walked willingly and didn't resist at all."

"They are weak people, how dare they resist?"

Kwi Lan shrugged both shoulders. She still did not understand and did not care about the fate of the twelve women. Hauw Lam became even more annoyed. This strange girl who had captured his heart seemed not only to have an extraordinary character but also a hard heart and did not care about the fate of others.

Suddenly, there was a commotion again, and a man over fifty years old entered from the front room—tall, thin, with a handsome face, a dignified demeanor, and clean clothes cut like a scholar's, though not new. A sword hung from this man's waist. As soon as he entered, everyone knew that this old scholar was angry; his pair of sharp eyes emitted light. He immediately strode into the guest room, stopped in front of Sin-seng Losu, pointed his index finger, and shouted.

"Sin-seng Losu!"