Black Pearl Chapter 138

"Why are you rushing like someone who is terrified?"

"Hmph, you are truly a chatterbox. I am indeed afraid."

"Afraid of whom?"

"Idiot, my Guru, of course. If he comes, I won't escape death, and the Khitan Crown Prince won't be saved."

"Ah, is your Guru angry because you killed that hwesio?"

Kwi Lan stopped running, looked at the young man, and stomped her foot.

"Siang Ki, you are truly a chatterbox. And stupid. That hwesio was killed by Suheng, didn't you know? Suheng is allied with that hwesio and the treacherous Sung officials. This is none of my business; the important thing is that I must save the Khitan Crown Prince. Do you want to help me? Good, now you had better gather your skilled comrades, then follow me to the Yellow River valley west of Lok-yang, at the foot of Mount Fu-niu-san. That is the headquarters of Bouw Lek Couwsu and his spy network, and that is where the Crown Prince is held captive. Well, see you in the enemy's lair."

Kwi Lan then leaped and ran, leaving Siang Ki and his friends standing dumbfounded, utterly shocked and astonished.

Hearing Kwi Lan's account, he remembered Kiang-kongcu's message and his face suddenly changed. A prospective nikouw? Who would consider his apology? Ah, of course. Who else could Kiang-kongcu have meant but Miss Song Goat. His fiancée, heartbroken and feeling humiliated, must have decided to become a nikouw. And it seemed Kiang-kongcu had met Song Goat, which is why he gave such a message. However, the matter Kwi Lan brought up was immense. Even if he didn't care about the fate of the Khitan Prince, if Kwi Lan attacked there alone, it would be extremely dangerous for the girl. He had to follow her and bring a sufficiently strong beggar force.

"Let us gather our friends."

He said, and they departed to prepare a strong beggar force. They gathered these friends from the capital city and Lok-yang. Once complete, Siang Ki led thirty leaders of the kai-pang, traveling separately so as not to attract attention, heading toward the location Kwi Lan had indicated.

All guests present at Suma Kiat's welcoming party were escorted by the palace guards. After being questioned and examined one by one, none of them admitted knowing Cheng Kong Hosiang. In fact, everyone claimed not to know Suma Kiat, and had only attended out of respect for Prince Kiang and especially the name of Kiang-kongcu. Kiang Liong secretly conferred with the authorized official, then released them all, but from that moment on, the movements of all these officials were constantly monitored. Then Kiang Liong met the Emperor and recounted his experiences investigating the movements of the Hsi-hsia people. The Emperor received this report patiently, then issued an order to all his generals to strive hard to prevent the outbreak of war.

"No matter how small, war remains a catastrophe for the people. Therefore, it must be avoided as much as possible. Contact the Hsi-hsia nation and investigate their demands. If they only desire material wealth, We would rather sacrifice some assets than bring disaster upon the people."

This imperial order would later bring misfortune upon the Sung Dynasty itself. Because of orders like this, frequently issued by this peace-loving and anti-war Emperor, the position of the Sung Dynasty became increasingly weak, so that eventually it could not withstand the catastrophe when it arrived. This order also caused the relatively small Hsi-hsia nation to grow stronger and later pose a threat as great as the Khitan nation.

Kiang Liong was extremely disappointed to hear this order. However, of course, none of the generals dared to disobey. With an uneasy heart, Kiang Liong returned to his parents' home. How could he rescue the Khitan Crown Prince if the emperor forbade the use of force against the Hsi-hsia people? And where was the captive Khitan Prince? He recalled the incident in the garden. Seeing how Suma Kiat secretly killed Cheng Kong Hosiang and also seeing Suma Kiat's attitude when Mutiara Hitam hurled those serious accusations. That night, he invited Suma Kiat to his room, locked the door, and with a fierce expression said,

"Now, you must tell me all your secrets, Piauw-te."

Suma Kiat looked at his cousin, sneered, and sat down on a chair. Without saying anything, he poured the wine available on the table into a cup and drank, his eyes narrowed in mockery. After the cup was empty, he placed it slowly and unhurriedly on the table, only then turning to answer.

"Piauw-heng, I have no secrets whatsoever."

"Suma Kiat. You can lie to others, but not to me. Do you think I didn't notice your confusion when you saw Mutiara Hitam about to reveal secrets in the garden? And... you killed Cheng Kong Hosiang, surely to silence him, right?"

"Ha-ha-ha, Piauw-heng. You are truly unfair. Why do you defend Sumoi, defend that beggar, and other people, yet pressure your own cousin? Truly, you are a brother not worth being proud of. Now you are even shouting and accusing me of baseless things. Hmph, perhaps you dislike and are jealous that I came here, yes? You don't like seeing the fact that I am your Uncle's son? I will see what Auntie says when I tell her about this."

Suma Kiat rose from his seat, intending to leave through the door. But with a flash of lightning speed, Kiang Liong's body flickered and was already standing in the doorway. His face was fierce, his mouth curved in a cold smile, concealing a heart burning with anger. His voice hissed softly,

"Suma Kiat, don't play games with me. You killed Cheng Kong Hosiang, who seems to truly be a liaison and helper for Bouw Lek Couwsu. You are conspiring with rebels and enemies, using our home, defiling and tarnishing our family's good name. Tell me, how far have you gone with this deviation? Do you know about the captivity of the Khitan Crown Prince? Answer truthfully if you don't want me to use force against you."

Suma Kiat's demeanor suddenly changed. He stood straight, hands on hips, and his face reflected a rage that made his handsome features look savage. His lips curled into a mocking, half-sneering smile, and his eyes narrowed, from which shot out a sharp, strange gaze. Then he laughed, his head tilted back and his stomach convulsing, a long, booming laugh, yet it stopped abruptly, and his face did not join the laughter at all. A devil's laugh, or the laugh of someone insane.

"Kiang Liong, you go too far. Do you think I am your subordinate that you can order around just like that? You seem to forget that I am a guest, that I am your Mother's nephew. Everyone else might be intimidated by your name, but I, Suma Kiat, have never been afraid of anyone in my life. You don't need to threaten me with empty words; you may use force, I am not afraid."

After saying this, Suma Kiat swaggered forward with a puffed-out chest, intending to leave, ignoring Kiang Liong who was blocking the door. Kiang Liong roared,

"Devil brat, don't hope to leave this room before you confess."

While roaring, Kiang Liong's right hand pushed Suma Kiat's body back into the room. Suma Kiat laughed, quickly tilted his body, and suddenly his left fist struck hard at Kiang Liong's neck, while a quarter of a second later, his right hand followed with an open-fingered strike toward the flank. This second strike was a fatal blow, the poisonous and extremely vicious Siang-tok-ciang strike.

"Clap-clap..."

Kiang Liong's parry was extremely fast and powerful because the young man already knew his cousin's skill, and seeing that fatal blow, he became angry and parried, channeling his sin-kang into his hand. Suma Kiat's body was thrown back and slammed into the wall, while Kiang Liong felt, with shock, how hot his parrying arm had become. Suma Kiat was only dazed for a few seconds from being thrown against the wall. He immediately leaped up again, his face completely red, his mouth twisted in a sneering smile.

"Piauw-heng, are you truly inviting a fight?"

"Hmph, it is not I who is inviting a fight, but you who is provoking trouble. You choose: confess honestly, or must I give you a beating first?"

Answered Kiang Liong, his voice fierce and his gaze sharp. Suma Kiat smiled and bowed.

"Ah, my good Cousin Brother, how dare your Younger Brother be disrespectful to you? Please forgive me, and let us talk nicely."

While saying this, Suma Kiat approached Kiang Liong. This young man fundamentally also disliked conflict with his mother's nephew, as this would certainly trouble his mother. So he remained patient, suppressing his anger, and said,

"That is what I want, Piauwte. Now tell me properly about..."

"Wuuuutt.. dukkkk.."

Kiang Liong's body was thrown backward and tumbled across the floor.