"No wonder you lied to the guards earlier."
Sin Liong reproached.
"Indeed, if I didn't lie, how could I enter easily? And you certainly would have been harmed if I hadn't lied."
"Hmm..., flimsy and nonsensical excuses. So they intend to kill me? Simple enough, do they think I am so easily killed?"
"You do not know the cunning of Kong-kong, Sin Liong. If they used force, you would likely resist, and they have already seen that you are formidable. However, they will deploy venomous creatures to swarm you and kill you in this narrow room! If all sorts of snakes, scorpions, centipedes, bees, and other poisonous animals come to fill this place and attack you en masse, what will you be able to do to save yourself?"
"Hmph, I will try to defend myself. If I fail, I will die, and that will be the end of it. There is nothing that troubles my heart."
"You are arrogant! You didn't ask for my help?"
"Even if I asked for help, if you didn't want to help, what would it matter? Even without me asking, if you want to help, how would you do it? Enough, you will only bring trouble upon yourself, Soan Cu. Nevertheless, thank you for coming and for your kindness. You are a beautiful and virtuous maiden; it is a pity you are among these savage people. Go, do not let your grandfather see you here."
Soan Cu took out a package.
"This is what will save you. Use this medicinal powder to rub onto all exposed skin, and scatter some around you. Not a single venomous creature will dare to approach, much less bite you. Well, my arrival was actually only to hand this over, but we ended up chatting at length. Farewell, Sin Liong."
Sin Liong accepted the package, reaching his hand through the window bars and holding the maiden's arm.
"Wait a moment, Soan Cu."
"What is it now?"
The girl turned around and they held hands. Sin Liong did this because he was deeply moved by the completely unexpected help.
"Soan Cu, do you know what will happen to you if your Kong-kong finds out about this deed?"
"Helping you? Ah, at worst, he will kill me!"
"Hmph, you view the consequences so lightly? Soan Cu, why are you doing this for me? Why are you risking your life to save me?"
"I already told you. You are different from everyone else I have seen on this island. I like you, and I do not wish to hear, much less see, you die. Enough, take care of yourself, Sin Liong!"
The girl leaped and ran out.
Sin Liong stood lost in thought for a moment, then returned to the center of the confinement room and sat cross-legged, calming his heart. Even if Soan Cu had not come to give him the antidote and venomous creature repellent, he would not have been afraid, and it was not certain that those creatures would have harmed him, although he himself had not yet imagined what he would do when the attack arrived. Especially now that he had the powder. He recalled how the inhabitants of Pulau Neraka could comfortably traverse the forests full of venomous creatures because their bodies were already coated with an antidote.
Apparently, this was that antidote. He opened the package and saw a light yellow medicinal powder that would not be noticeable when applied to his skin. Sin Liong sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing, performing *siulian* (samadhi) again. His hearing became extremely clear and sharp, allowing him to catch the sound of hissing and the sound he recognized as bees coming from afar, growing closer and closer. He knew that what Soan Cu had told him was not a lie. For once, it seemed the girl was not lying!
He then opened the package, rubbing the medicine onto the parts of his skin not covered by clothing. His face down to his neck, his hands, and his feet were rubbed evenly. Then, holding the package containing the remaining medicine, he waited. Not long after, the sound grew closer, and suddenly, they appeared! Sin Liong secretly shuddered. He certainly would have leaped up if he hadn't possessed the repellent. From under the door, dozens of small snakes and large centipedes, scorpions the size of a thumb, rapidly crawled into the room, competing with white bees flying in through the window.
Sin Liong quickly scattered the medicinal powder around the floor, and sprinkled some upwards, toward the flying bees. He smiled in admiration at the result. All the venomous creatures, from the smallest to the largest, suddenly simultaneously turned back, lunging and piling onto each other, scattering in disarray to leave the room. The white bees also flew chaotically, hitting the walls, many falling dead, while those that managed to fly out the window collided with each other as if drunk, and soon the sound of the creatures faded away. However, Sin Liong suddenly leaped to his feet when he heard another sound that made his heart pound. The voice of a woman cursing,
"You devils! You crazy humans! If I cannot eradicate you all, do not call me Han Swat Hong!"
Sin Liong leaped toward the window, his hands moved, and a loud sound was heard as all the window bars burst out.
He jumped out of his room, continuing to run out through the corridor. Upon reaching the outside, he saw Swat Hong standing upright with both hands on her hips, two members of Pulau Neraka collapsed and groaning below, while a dozen others surrounded the girl. Sin Liong shook his head. His *sumoi* was indeed fierce and brave. Unbelievably magnificent. Surrounded by the people of Pulau Neraka, she remained completely at ease, not even drawing her sword, even though all those surrounding her held weapons.
"Heiii! Retreat, all of you, do not bother her!!"
Sin Liong had already leaped forward.
"You retreat! Why did you follow me out?"
Swat Hong snapped and glared at Sin Liong with bulging eyes.
"Eh? Sumoi...? I only wanted to help you."
"Who needs your help? Go back to your confinement room with... with..."
However, Swat Hong could not continue her words because the people of Pulau Neraka were now swarming her.
"Wuuuttt... siuuuuttt!"
Swat Hong's body flashed here and there, not only dodging the assault of many weapons but also delivering counter-attacks with her rapidly moving hands and feet.
Swat Hong, moving swiftly and driven by that feeling of anger, was incredibly formidable. She was indeed angry, not at the people of Pulau Neraka, but angry at... Sin Liong! It turned out that, unknown to Sin Liong himself, Swat Hong had arrived at the location earlier, using her infiltration skills so that the guards did not detect her, and she had managed to listen to the conversation between her *suheng* and Soan Cu. Her heart burned! She herself did not know why this was happening, unaware of why she was displeased to hear her *suheng* chatting warmly with a girl! Because of this, her intention to help her *suheng* dissolved, and she merely watched when her *suheng* was attacked by venomous creatures and managed to save himself with the repellent given by Soan Cu.
When the angry Swat Hong witnessed her mother, sentenced to exile, flee from Pulau Es, the maiden immediately sailed using a Pulau Es boat. Her goal was indeed to exile herself to Pulau Neraka in place of her mother, and she did this primarily as a protest against her father. However, because she had never been to the island of exile, and also because she had traveled far from Pulau Es, she began to feel uneasy and terrified thinking about the reportedly extremely dangerous conditions of Pulau Neraka, so she lost her way, landing on empty islands surrounding Pulau Neraka.
Finally, she saw Sin Liong's boat gliding from afar among the mountainous ice floes. She was extremely surprised to see her *suheng* and worried that her *suheng* might be chasing her on the king's orders to force her back to Pulau Es. So, she secretly followed him from a distance until she finally saw her *suheng* land on Pulau Neraka. Using her skills, Swat Hong also successfully landed on Pulau Neraka. She was not worried about attacks from venomous creatures, because before leaving, Swat Hong brought the *batu mustika hijau* that she had previously received from her father.
In certain parts of the seabed near Pulau Es, this green mystical stone is found, which is extremely difficult to obtain, and only a few inhabitants of Pulau Es have managed to acquire it. This *batu mustika hijau* possesses miraculous properties against venomous snakes and all venomous creatures; it is always feared by those animals and can also be used to treat wounds caused by venomous bites. Thus, with the mystical stone in her hand, Swat Hong could easily enter Pulau Neraka without the slightest disturbance from the venomous creatures living on the island.
When Swat Hong arrived in the middle of the island, she managed to see a light, so she waited until late at night and infiltrated the confinement area, intending to help her *suheng*. However, she unintentionally overheard the conversation between her *suheng* and Soan Cu. This was what caused her heart to burn, so when she was discovered by the guards and swarmed, she fiercely rejected Sin Liong's help! Naturally, Sin Liong was astonished by his *sumoi's* attitude and watched with furrowed brows and a worried heart. Six of the attackers had already tumbled down, felled by the movements of the angry