Bu Kek Siansu (The Demigod) Chapter 21

Silently, Sin Liong understood that Kwat Lin being taken as Han Ti Ong’s wife, although a common occurrence for a king, would bring many negative consequences, especially for his *sumoi’s* mother. Moreover, he noticed the attitude and change in the former Bu-tong-pai female warrior. However, since he was merely a small child who knew nothing and had absolutely no right to interfere in his *Suhu’s* "Internal Affairs," he naturally remained silent, merely following the developments with an uneasy heart.

The fears of the innocent child indeed came true. Since taking Kwat Lin as his second wife, Liu Bwee suffered tremendous emotional distress.

Initially, she did not feel it when her husband rarely spent the night in her room, as she considered this normal after her husband acquired a new wife. However, her delicate feminine intuition soon sensed the emptiness of the affection her husband showed her. And especially after The Kwat Lin became pregnant, her husband never came to stay in her room again, and if he came occasionally, there was no flirting or intimacy at all—it was only to ask about her health, and it seemed her husband came merely out of courtesy! A woman's heart is extremely delicate; easily offended, easily delighted, easily angered, easily saddened, easily falling in love, and easily hating!

After Kwat Lin gave birth to a son, Liu Bwee’s heart began to be gnawed by jealousy, and this led to intense hatred. She started feeling tormented internally, feeling lonely; the increasing longing for her husband's loving caress tormented Liu Bwee further, intensifying her hatred toward Kwat Lin, whom her husband increasingly adored. Liu Bwee was not a woman obsessed with status. She did not pursue rank and was not at all worried about her status declining if her co-wife was elevated to Empress because she had a son. However, Liu Bwee was a woman starved for affection, so one can imagine the severity of her internal suffering after her love was neglected by her husband, who had fallen under Kwat Lin's spell.

Seeing the internal suffering experienced by Liu Bwee, the royal family members secretly cheered. For them, even if the king's son was not descended from a mother with "noble" blood like themselves, it was still better than being born to a woman like Liu Bwee, merely the daughter of a low-ranking Pulau Es fisherman! Furthermore, their hatred, driven by jealousy toward Liu Bwee, made them favor Kwat Lin, so the birth of Han Bu Ong, the child's name, was welcomed with great joy by the royal family and all residents of Pulau Es as a celebration of the birth of a prince who would become the crown prince! Seven years had passed since Sin Liong arrived on Pulau Es. Just by looking, the state of Pulau Es and its small kingdom seemed unchanged over those seven years; the residents still lived peacefully and tranquilly, full of harmony, just as they had for decades, even centuries.

King Han Ti Ong was no less wise in controlling his small government, ensuring the residents of Pulau Es lived happily, with very few violations occurring. However, truly great and numerous changes had occurred! The Kwat Lin, now the Empress, was officially appointed by Han Ti Ong, displacing Liu Bwee to the position of concubine. Kwat Lin was not only the highest-ranking woman but had also become a woman possessing tremendous martial power, surpassed only by her husband and a few other figures on Pulau Es.

Yet, her desire for revenge against Pat-jiu Kai-ong seemed to have vanished completely! She appeared to live happily, immersed in the loving caresses of her husband and watching her son, now six years old, a handsome and healthy boy (though somewhat small in stature). As a prince, Bu Ong was naturally trained by his own father from childhood. Sin Liong had achieved astonishing progress that impressed Han Ti Ong himself.

All the techniques taught by the king, once practiced, could be performed almost perfectly! Naturally, within a few years, he had far surpassed his *sumoi's* level of skill, and by the time he was fourteen, Sin Liong had left his *sumoi's* level far behind. Not only in martial arts, but also in *sinkang*, he advanced rapidly because, without being commanded by his *suhu*, Sin Liong diligently trained alone under the extremely cold snow, allowing him to absorb the essence of tremendous *im-kang* energy. Besides diligently studying the martial arts passed down by his *suhu* without reservation, Sin Liong was also very diligent in reading the many books found in the palace library.

He was known by all literary experts on Pulau Es, and they were greatly impressed by and fond of Sin Liong, seeing the diligence of this prodigious boy. Sin Liong never tired of reading ancient texts, and whenever he encountered a new character he didn't know, he noted it down to ask the experts later. In this way, although not directly guided, Sin Liong was able to enrich his vocabulary, enabling him to read the most ancient texts in the library. Ancient texts were not like ordinary books; besides having ancient characters, those characters also contained extremely profound meanings.

Because of this, the most ancient texts on the island were rarely, or almost never, read by people. Han Ti Ong himself was reluctant to read those books, because besides being difficult, their contents were only ancient poems that he considered useless and tiring to his brain. Yet, all those books were "devoured"

By Sin Liong! Not only this, but this prodigious child could find something hidden within those poems! He discovered a sequence of powerful martial arts techniques (*ilmu silat sakti*) that were still a "framework," veiled within the difficult-to-understand ancient characters. He even found a technique still kept secret by Han Ti Ong, the technique that had elevated the name of Pulau Es for hundreds of years: the core essence of all martial arts movements.

Using this technique, which he had already mastered, Han Ti Ong was able to defeat seven powerful figures using their own martial arts stances when Han Ti Ong helped Sin Liong in Jeng-hoa-sian. Now, unintentionally, and even without Sin Liong's own awareness, this prodigious boy had found that technique "slipped"

And veiled among the seemingly useless ancient poems. Besides achieving great progress in martial arts, during his time on Pulau Es, Sin Liong also had the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of medicinal leaves and plants by investigating them on the empty islands surrounding Pulau Es.

He was indeed tasked with finding medicinal ingredients on those islands for the benefit of the residents of Pulau Es. And in the opportunity to carry out this duty, Sin Liong did not waste time investigating more plants and their efficacy for human health. With Sin Liong on Pulau Es, many residents had been saved from the danger of illness, and for this, Han Ti Ong was very grateful, so he did not hesitate to pass down the art of acupuncture (*ilmu pengobatan tusuk jarum*) to his disciple.

Besides Sin Liong, naturally, Swat Hong, as the king's daughter, also achieved rapid progress, and at the age of thirteen, she possessed skills that were difficult to match. Thus, almost everyone on Pulau Es achieved their respective advancements. King Han Ti Ong found the happiness of love in Kwat Lin, who had become his Empress. The Kwat Lin herself, who had previously experienced a catastrophe she considered worse than death, had gained many benefits: intimate love, a very high position, and tremendous martial skill.

Only one person gained no progress, neither external nor internal: Liu Bwee! She suffered increasingly severely, especially internally, because for several years, her husband had never approached her again! Her cheerful nature vanished, and now Liu Bwee mostly confined herself to her room, embroidering or reading books. She seemed to have become an ascetic, and although her face showed nothing—still beautiful and sweet, and her clothes always clean—her heart was truly wounded and constantly bleeding, her spirit crushed and burned by endless longing, a thirst for a man's loving caress that was never satisfied.

The situation within the palace—with Liu Bwee's suffering, and the royal family members who still held hatred toward her but saw no opportunity to bring her down because Liu Bwee always remained silent and showed nothing—was like a fire in the husk (*api dalam sekam*) that could flare up or explode at any moment. This was felt not only by all members of the royal family but also by Sin Liong and Swat Hong. Often, Sin Liong missed the playfulness of Swat Hong, which was characteristic of the young woman. When he saw her brooding alone, he sighed deeply, and one time he chided her,

"Eh, *Sumoi*. Why are you brooding and why is your face gloomy? Look, the day is not as gloomy as your face; the sunlight melts the snow with a golden glow!"

Swat Hong looked at the young man and sighed deeply.

"How can I not be gloomy witnessing such a cold situation inside the palace, *Su-heng*? Father is still normal and kind to me, and Mother is kind to me too. But between Father and Mother, there seems to be a deep chasm separating them. I never see them being affectionate and joking together like they used to. Is it because of the Empress Mother...?"

"Shhh, *Sumoi*. We have no right to talk about the elders. That is their own business."

"I understand, *Suheng*. But I see deep sorrow hiding behind Mother's smile toward me. I know how much she longs for Father, a longing that makes her seem crazy...."

"Hushh...."

"I'm not lying, *Suheng*. I often hear Mother muttering Father's name and crying in her sleep. Mother is always restless when she sleeps, and even though she tries to hide it from me, I know how much Mother suffers terrible internal anguish, suffering a longing that destroys her spirit...."

The young woman looked very sad, then said again,

"*Suheng*, what is the point of people loving each other if the result only brings longing and disappointment?"

"That is not love, *Sumoi*. Ahh, you won't understand, and everyone won't understand because it is common to equate lust with love. Lust demands satisfaction, demands pleasure, and wants to possess it for oneself. And all this is what causes disappointment and sorrow, *Sumoi*."

His *sumoi* stared wide-eyed.

"Aihh, you talk like an old man! Where did you get that kind of philosophy, *Suheng*?"

Because she was intrigued, the easily distracted young woman had already forgotten her sadness and became cheerful again, her eyes looking at her *suheng* brightly, full of teasing.

"From... hmm, I think from awareness, *Sumoi*. Not philosophy. I've read enough philosophy, and what is the meaning of philosophy if it's only to be memorized? It's no different from a dead object that is only repeated, used as decoration, made into a tool to fly aimlessly in the empty air. I've read too many books, and perhaps observing the situation brings awareness."

He sighed deeply.

"*Suheng*, you just criticized me for being gloomy. But I also often see you looking sad. Are you unhappy staying on Pulau Es?"

"I like staying here very much, *Sumoi*. I think places this beautiful, societies this peaceful, are rare. However, when I see the prisoners who are exiled to Pulau Neraka..."

"Aih, that is not our business, *Suheng*. Didn't you just say that the matter between Father and Mother is not my business? Then the matter of the prisoners is also completely none of our business."

"You are mistaken, *Sumoi*. The matter of your Father and Mother is indeed their private affair. But the matter of the condemned people is a public affair, our business too. I am very unhappy with that regulation. I will try to remind *Suhu*...."

"But Father is a King, *Suheng*!"

"A King is also human."