Ice Island Palace Chapter 24

Since childhood, she was accustomed to roaming in forests and mountains, so she knew this kind of terrain well, unlike the desert, which was barren and terrifying. That night, she stayed in a forest atop a hill, and from this high vantage point, she saw lights of fire at the foot of the western slope, meaning there must be human dwellings there. Her heart rejoiced, and the next morning, she set off west. Who would have thought that the journey down the hill would be extremely difficult, traversing ravines and smaller hills, so that even when the sun was high, she had not yet reached the place she suspected was a village, whose lights she had seen the night before from the hilltop. She was delighted when she saw a building not far ahead.

Even though she was extremely tired and sweat drenched her face and neck, upon seeing the building, Maya forgot her exhaustion and walked down the slope again. Surely, that was the village she had seen last night from the peak. However, how disappointed she was when she realized that the temple, which must have once been large, was now ruined due to war and left neglected. Part of the roof had collapsed, the floor was mossy, and the walls were moldy. Even so, it was decent enough for a place to rest in such scorching heat. Suddenly, Maya quickly entered the building, slipped in, and hid beneath a dilapidated stone table, the front of which was covered by fragments of a former statue.

Her heart pounded nervously because she was barely quick enough to hide, as the flash of shadows arriving was incredibly fast. They turned out to be two men: one dressed as a Yucen officer, and the other a Han man in his twenties, dressed like a high official, a youth who possessed a pair of strange and restless eyes, yet whose speech was refined and whose face was oblong and jutted forward like a horse's face. An ugly and unpleasant face! Maya did not dare to move or even regulate her breathing because she suspected that the two men, especially the Horse-Faced Youth, surely possessed high martial prowess. They whispered.

"Is it true he is coming here?" "Undoubtedly,"

Answered the one dressed as the Yucen officer.

"As usual, he rides alone. Twice before, my comrades and I ambushed him, but he is cunning and always managed to escape."

"But are you absolutely certain that he is the courier (messenger) connecting Commander Khu with his master?"

The Horse-Faced Youth asked again, pressing for certainty.

"It is him! He is indeed skilled at disguise and always manages to contact Commander Khu in a clever way that leaves no trace, but I am certain he is the one."

"Shh, here he comes. Leave it to me. I will be the one to capture him!"

The Horse-Faced Youth whispered.

The Yucen Officer nodded and hid behind the wall, while the Horse-Faced Youth, with movements as light as a flying bird, shot up onto the remaining roof, above the low wall, and stretched out toward the road in front of the temple. Although Maya could only peek through small holes or cracks among the statue ruins, and could not clearly see the road, she also heard the approach of a horse from the sound of its hooves, which grew increasingly distinct. The heart of this young girl pounded nervously. She realized that something terrible was about to happen, even though she had no idea who the two men were or who the newcomer was whom they considered the messenger connecting Commander Khu with his master! What did all this mean?

After the sound of the horse's hooves was very close and arrived in front of the temple, suddenly a loud neighing sound was heard, followed by the clamor of clashing weapons, the sound of people fighting. Maya used her lightness of body, slipped out, and found a hiding place outside, behind a cluster of flowering trees, and peeked. She saw a middle-aged man, simply dressed and bearing a heroic demeanor—presumably the rider—fighting against the Horse-Faced Youth. The man wearing the wide-brimmed hat was valiant, and his movements were extremely skillful, but to Maya's surprise, the Horse-Faced Youth was even more formidable, forcing the wide-brimmed hat man to retreat while only parrying, spinning his sword which constantly blocked a curved *golok* in the youth's hand.

"Are you not Siangkoan-sicu, who assists at Suma-kongcu's residence? Why are you attacking me?"

However, the Horse-Faced Youth did not answer and attacked even more fiercely, pushing the wide-brimmed hat man further back.

"You... you are betraying the kingdom...?"

The wide-brimmed hat man cried out, trying to parry the *golok* that flashed toward his head, but at that moment, the right hand of the Horse-Faced Youth, which was empty because his *golok* was held in his left hand, struck forward with a palm strike.

"Blukk! Aiihhhh....!"

The wide-brimmed hat man was struck in the chest and spat fresh blood, yet he still tried to slash his sword toward his opponent. Horse-Face tilted his body, his *golok* flashing forward from the side.

"Crokk!"

A horrifying scream was heard because the wide-brimmed hat man's right arm was severed right at the elbow! Maya watched all this without blinking. If it were only a sight like this, she had seen it every day when she was a captive of the Bhutan gang, even worse things! But what astonished Maya was that the wide-brimmed hat man was still alive, using his left arm to pull out an envelope and attempting to put the envelope into his mouth.

"Crass!"

Again, the *golok* flashed, and this left arm was also severed, causing the letter to fly out and be snatched by the right hand of Horse-Face. The wide-brimmed hat man groaned and still managed to utter his last words while gasping,

"Siangkoan Lee.... kill me but.... do not disturb.... Khu-ciangkun....!"

Maya was forced to look away when she saw the Horse-Faced man step forward, swing his *golok*, and.... sever the neck of the wide-brimmed hat man. He turned toward the Yucen officer who had appeared, saying,

"Take his head!"

The Yucen officer, his face beaming with joy, grabbed the hair of the head that was now separated from the body, praising him.

"Your martial prowess is truly extraordinary, Siangkoan-taihiap! To possess such remarkable skill while still so young! Our King will surely be delighted to hear about the exposure of this fake Commander Khu's secret!"

"I am only carrying out my duty. Let us go!"

Said the Horse-Faced Youth, who was none other than Siangkoan Lee, the former servant and assistant to Commander Suma Kiat. The two men then walked away, Siangkoan Lee carrying the seized envelope, while the Yucen officer carried the head that was still dripping blood. For some reason, Maya was deeply intrigued, and her feelings inclined her to help the man called Commander Khu.

She did not know the details of the affair; she only knew that the wide-brimmed hat man was a messenger connecting Commander Khu with his master, she also knew that the Horse-Face was called a traitor and named Siangkoan Lee, and she was impressed watching how the wide-brimmed hat man, in his final moments, still wanted to protect Khu-ciangkun and even tried to destroy the envelope! She did not understand what all this meant, but at a single glance, she felt dislike, even hatred, for the Horse-Faced Youth and sympathy for Commander Khu, whom she had never met. Therefore, seeing the two men walk away, Maya secretly followed them from a distance. She suspected that Commander Khu was in danger—she did not know what kind—so she wanted to see the development and, if possible, warn Commander Khu so he could escape the danger. Why was Siangkoan Lee in that place?

As we know, Siangkoan Lee was a former servant who became a disciple of Commander Suma Kiat. After the Commander's only son, Suma Hoat, left the capital city and ran away due to heartbreak, Siangkoan Lee became the only disciple deeply trusted by Suma Kiat. In fact, Siangkoan Lee proved to possess extraordinary cunning, and now, without hesitation, Suma Kiat drew this disciple in as his assistant, consulting with him and arranging internal strategies to face his enemies. The incident concerning the Thio family, in which Minister Kam Liong interfered, increased the resentment and dislike in Suma Kiat's heart, especially since the affair resulted in his son's heartbreak and departure.

He, along with his allies and with the help of the Yucen people, had successfully destroyed his number one enemy, the Khitan Royal Family! Now he began to observe and desperately wanted to overthrow the person he hated the most but also feared the most: Minister Kam Liong! Finally, thanks to his shrewdness and the investigations of his spies who were willing to use bribes to uncover secrets, Suma Kiat heard that the departure of an auxiliary commander of Minister Kam Liong named Commander Khu Tek San was not to guard the border, as rumored, but rather that he had been smuggled into the Yucen court and held a position there as a trusted person of the Yucen Government.

In reality, Khu-ciangkun was working as a spy in Yucen, operating for the interests of the Sung Kingdom, or more accurately, he was working under the orders of his master, Minister Kam Liong, who always harbored suspicion regarding the movements of the Yucen people! Thus, Suma Kiat then assigned his disciple to investigate the matter and ensure that Minister Kam Liong's disciple was exposed and sentenced to death! Such an event would certainly sharpen the relationship between Yucen and Sung, and this was exactly what Suma Kiat and his allies—the nobles and commanders who were displeased with their emperor and ready to rebel given the opportunity—desired. Although he was still young, Siangkoan Lee proved capable of working very well. He did not want to crudely accuse Commander Khu, who was highly respected in Yucen as a brave and mighty commander who always participated in battles defending Yucen.

He had to be able to show proof to the Yucen King. He knew that if Commander Khu was working as a spy in Yucen, there must be a way for the commander to send news of his investigations to his master, Minister Kam Liong. Finally, after diligent investigation, he managed to find out that there was indeed a courier connecting the master and disciple. With the guidance of a Yucen officer, Siangkoan Lee finally succeeded in killing the courier, severing his head, and seizing his letter. Then, armed with these two pieces of evidence, he departed for the encampment of the Yucen King, who happened to be in the area for a cleansing operation. The Yucen King was accompanied by his commanders, including the trusted Commander Khu!