However, with lightning speed, Bayisan had already lunged forward, and his swordsmanship was truly magnificent. It seemed Bayisan was no ordinary disciple of Ban-pi Lo-cia; he had apparently received tempering and inherited the highest level of martial arts, in addition to the skills he had learned from experts in the northern and western regions.
The sword in his hand flashed, transforming into streaks of rolling light, and the wind it generated let out a terrifying whistling sound. Kwee Seng was secretly impressed. What a pity, he thought. It was rare to find a young man with such formidable skill, and it was truly regrettable that such fine ability belonged to a youth of low moral character. A person with this level of skill could certainly uphold the great name of the Khitan people, who had been known since ancient times as a strong race and resilient wanderers. Facing Bayisan's sword, which could not be taken lightly, Kwee Seng was forced to draw his fan, and only with the fan in his left hand could he ward off all the dangerous threats from the sword. Conversely, Bayisan was greatly shocked.
His master had once told him that a young hero named Kwee Seng, nicknamed Kim-o-eng, had emerged in the *kang-ouw*. However, his master had not spoken of the young man's prowess, so he was truly startled when he saw how the youth, armed only with a fan, was able to counter his sword. In fact, all paths of his sword now felt blocked; every opening for attack was completely sealed! Disaster, he thought. Even if he could defeat this young scholar—a highly doubtful prospect—it would take a very long time. This fight against the scholar was not important to him; more crucial was Lai Kui Lan, whom he had left in the hotel room. The effect of his pressure point strike would not last long, especially since the girl possessed considerable martial skill. If he continued to engage this scholar and Lai Kui Lan managed to free herself from the *totokan*, she would surely escape and flee. If she ran back to the fortress, it would be difficult to capture her again.
He would suffer a double loss: first, losing such an enticing potential victim, and second, his plan to draw General Kam Si Ek as a Khitan ally would fail completely. Thinking thus, the clever Khitan youth let out a loud, high cry, almost an ear-splitting shriek, and then his sword moved, thrusting like the arrival of a dozen arrows. Kwee Seng was startled. That shriek almost reached a level that could endanger an opponent. If this Khitan youth trained diligently and received guidance from an expert, he would surely succeed in mastering a screaming technique like *Saicu-ho-kang* (Lion's Roar), which could paralyze an opponent merely by projecting sound! Moreover, the shriek was followed by such a fierce sword attack.
Truly, this Khitan youth was astonishing and dangerous. Kwee Seng quickly spun his fan, and fearing that his fan might be damaged facing that rain of thrusts, he yielded ground and leaped backward. However, Bayisan used that opportunity to move his left hand. Black objects flashed, and Kwee Seng smelled a highly unpleasant odor as he dodged and the black needles passed before his face. Poisoned needles, even more vicious than the poisoned needles belonging to Liu Lu Sian! To dispel the foul smell, he took a gulp of his *arak*. But Bayisan leaped away, saying,
"Stinking beggar, your master has no more time for..."
Bayisan's words stopped right there because suddenly he tumbled down and his body went limp! It turned out that Kwee Seng had, swift as lightning, spat liquor from his mouth and followed up with a pressure point strike using the tip of his fan. His movement was as fast as a lightning bolt, completely unexpected by Bayisan, whose back had already been sprayed with the liquor. The Khitan figure collapsed, rolling onto his back. He tried to rise but failed and fell again. In an instant, Kwee Seng was standing near him, pointing the handle of his fan at his chest. Now, Kwee Seng's voice was stern and commanding.
"Bayisan? What relation are you to Kalisani?"
Bayisan was extremely cunning. If necessary, he was capable of acting cowardly to save himself. He instantly understood that his life depended on this answer. Without hesitation, he said,
"He is my Cousin Brother. Just wait for his revenge, because you dared to insult me!"
Kwee Seng laughed heartily and stepped back.
"Ho-ho-ha-ha! You intend to use Kalisani's name to frighten me? Aha, hilarious! Precisely because you are his cousin, precisely out of respect for him, I spare your filthy life—not because I fear him in the slightest. Hmph, lowlife who tarnishes the great name of the gallant Khitan people!"
Kwee Seng spat, hitting Bayisan's face, then the youth left Bayisan, running quickly toward the village.
When he entered the room through the window, he saw Lai Kui Lan still lying supine on the bed, tears streaming down her face, but the girl was now able to start moving weakly. Kwee Seng quickly used the tip of his fan to strike her vital points, and Kui Lan was freed. The girl leaped up, her face reflecting great anger. She adopted a fighting stance, her small hands clenched into fists, her eyes blazing as she looked around, searching.
"Where is he? Where is that cursed scoundrel? I want to fight that scoundrel to the death!"
"Calm down, Miss. Bayisan is gone. I lured him out of the village, and he is now lying there, struck by the handle of my fan. Fortunately, the danger has passed, Miss, and it would not be good to cause a commotion in this inn, drawing many people and leading to questions that would be very detrimental to your reputation..."
Suddenly, Lai Kui Lan looked at Kwee Seng and dropped to her knees before the young man, weeping. Kwee Seng was confused and gently touched the girl's shoulder.
"Ah, what is this, Miss? Please rise and sit down. If you wish to speak, do so properly; do not kneel like this."
Lai Kui Lan suppressed her sobs, then rose and sat on a chair. Kwee Seng remained standing, drinking his seemingly endless supply of *arak*.
"Kwee-taihiap, you have saved my life..."
"Ah, you were not threatened by mortal danger. How can you say I saved your life?"
"Kwee-taihiap, how can you say that? The danger threatening me at the hands of that scoundrel was worse than death..."
The girl wept again, then quickly wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
"Until death, I, Lai Kui Lan, cannot forget Taihiap's kindness..."
Suddenly, her cheeks turned red, and the light in her eyes gazed at Kwee Seng's face, full of gratitude. Seeing that look, Kwee Seng looked away and drank his *arak* again.
"Just forget it, Miss, and thank Heaven that evil will always surely be destroyed."
"Ah, where is he? I must kill him!"
"He was struck outside the village."
After saying this, the girl quickly went out and ran into the darkness. Kwee Seng shook his head. Indeed, Bayisan deserved to be killed, but he felt awkward toward Kalisani, the Khitan figure admired by everyone in the *kang-ouw*. Therefore, he did not want the young lady to kill Bayisan, and he secretly followed Lai Kui Lan from a distance. However, his heart was relieved when he saw that by the time Lai Kui Lan arrived outside the village, Bayisan's shadow was no longer visible. He felt admiration again. That Khitan youth was truly extraordinary, able to free himself from the pressure point strike so quickly.
When Kui Lan returned to the room with disappointment, she did not see Kwee Seng, only a piece of written paper on the table. She picked it up and read the neat and beautiful handwriting.
The servants saw you arrive with him. It is not good for you to stay here longer; it is better to return.
The letter was unsigned, but Kui Lan knew who had written it. With a long sigh, she leaped out again and ran toward her master's fortress. The girl did not know that Kwee Seng was secretly following her from afar, just in case she encountered Bayisan again. Only after the girl entered the fortress did he walk slowly back to his inn, enter his room, and sleep soundly.
The following evening, Kwee Seng walked slowly, climbing Liong-kui-san hill. Fortunately, the night sky was not blocked by clouds, so the still-large moon shone brightly, illuminating the extremely difficult path. The young man was secretly amazed by the state of this unfamiliar mountain, shuddering as he witnessed the extremely deep ravines, and he regretted why he had asked Lu Sian to come to a place like this yesterday. If he had known the mountain was so dangerous, he would certainly have chosen another location. But since it was too late, and he knew that Lu Sian was skilled enough to climb this mountain, he continued his ascent. Exactly at midnight, he arrived at the peak of the hill.
The peak was a flat area about fifteen square meters wide, covered with thick grass. The south and west sides were difficult climbing areas, while the north and east sides revealed gaping ravines—ravines whose depth was unimaginable, as only a terrifying dark black color was visible. Far below, apparently in the eastern ravine, the sound of trickling water could be heard, but the water itself was not visible. When he arrived at the spot, Kwee Seng looked back and drew a long breath. He had known all along that someone was following him, and he also knew that person was none other than Lai Kui Lan. When he reached the difficult, rocky section earlier, he had secretly slipped away and taken another path down, and he saw that the person shadowing him was indeed Lai Kui Lan.
He remained silent and did not greet her, then continued his journey, even making sure not to take too difficult a path so that the young lady shadowing him could follow safely. He speculated about the girl's intentions and finally concluded that she must also want to see the continuation of his business with Lu Sian. Suddenly, he remembered that Lu Sian had a strange temperament. If she discovered a third person was present, she would surely be angry; it was not impossible that her ferocity would arise and she would attack Kui Lan. Because of this, Kwee Seng decided not to ascend, quickly running back down to meet Kui Lan. It can be imagined how startled Kui Lan was when she suddenly saw Kwee Seng standing before her, not far from the peak. They stood facing each other, staring, and Kui Lan became even more flustered.
"Uh... ah... Kwee-taihiap... I... I wanted to tell you about... about why I ended up coming with... that scoundrel. Since I couldn't find Taihiap there, I... I came here because I knew that Taihiap would surely come here tonight."
These words were spoken hurriedly and stammeringly, making Kwee Seng feel pity, unwilling to tease her with pressing questions.
"You are very strange, Miss Lai. Why do you want to tell me about that? But never mind, since I see that the person I intended to meet here has not yet arrived at the peak, you may tell your story. Now, I ask, how did you meet and become captured by Bayisan? Sit down so we can talk comfortably."
Lai Kui Lan breathed a sigh of relief, then she sat on a rock, facing Kwee Seng, who sat on the ground.
Glossary
- Ban-pi Lo-cia: The master or leader of a group, implied to be the teacher of Bayisan, known for his formidable martial arts.
- kang-ouw: The martial world or Jianghu; the community of martial artists, heroes, and villains.
- Kwee Seng: The protagonist, a young scholar and martial arts expert.
- Kim-o-eng: Kwee Seng's nickname, meaning "Golden Eagle Hero."
- Khitan: An ethnic group or people, often depicted in Wuxia as strong, resilient, and sometimes antagonistic figures from the northern regions.
- Saicu-ho-kang (Lion's Roar): A powerful martial arts technique involving projecting sound (a shriek or roar) to paralyze or defeat an opponent.
- Liu Lu Sian: A female character mentioned in passing, known for using poisoned needles.
- Kalisani: A highly respected Khitan figure in the *kang-ouw*, whose name Kwee Seng respects, leading him to spare Bayisan.
- Lai Kui Lan: A young woman with martial arts skill who was captured by Bayisan.
- Kwee-taihiap: An honorific meaning "Great Hero Kwee," used to address Kwee Seng respectfully.
- Liong-kui-san: The name of the hill or mountain where Kwee Seng arranges to meet Lu Sian.
- totokan: A pressure point strike; a technique used in martial arts to paralyze or incapacitate an opponent by striking specific vital points.