The night was pitch dark. The air is thick, and the entire village of Ban-Hok-cung is wrapped in night blackness and only illuminated by a little light from the candles that came out, penetrated the gaps in the walls of village houses and some stars which happen to be not covered by cloud.
The village guard's bell rang out twelve times when, between the roof tiles of the house, flashed the shadows of three people who were moving very agilely. The three shadowy figures jumped through several blocks of the house, and finally, they jumped on top of Han Siucai's house, which had been silent because all of its inhabitants had fallen asleep.
After checking the situation, around the house is quiet; one of them used his machete to dismantle the windows. With one smash of the window open, and along with the movement, there was a child's scream echoed out of the room. They ignored it and jumped straight through the window.
Han Siucai and his wife were shocked to hear the child's screams, and before they knew for a fact what had happened, suddenly appeared that three men armed with machetes had appeared in front of his bed! Mrs. Han was about to shout, but one of the guests of the night stretched out his hands quickly and pierced the veins of the beautiful lady so that she became limp. The young lady couldn't do it in the slightest fight back when the villain who knocks her in lightning fast pick her up and take him jump out of the window.
Han Siucai's courage arose. He cursed, "You bastard! Give me back my wife!" But the curse had not yet been out of his mouth, two machetes snatched, and he collapsed with blood showering all over, and died instantly after murmuring, "... Lian..."
An old grandmother, Han Siucai's mother, was in hasty enter the room because he heard a noise, but she came only to bring her life to an death at the end of the machete, stabbed in the chest! Blood splattered out of the two corpses filled the room, blackish-red! Repugnant!. What a horror!
"Hey, brother, where is the child?" asked one of the second villain.
"I don't know, that's their child bed!" They approached with a violent face. One uncovered the mosquito net, the other lifted the machete, ready to smash. But it turns out that the small bed is empty. Where did the little ones run away that they look for?
It turned out that when she heard the window being smashed by people, Han Lian Hwa, Han Siucai's daughter, was the only one who slept in that room as well, and she screamed in fear, got down from bed and immediately ran out. So that she did not see her mother being taken away by people, and his father and his grandmother were murdered.
"Let's look for the child. There is no way she can go far. Just now, she is still screaming in this room." Said villains who lead the invasion.
"Okay, brother, we have to find and kill the child; if not, surely Young Master Bong will be angry with us."
They searched the house, and a waiter who helped the Han Siucai household they killed in the process. But they can find and see the girl's shadow! They are immediately chased out. Finally, after searching for entire place, they saw the girl running away from her house, fell to the ground, and was crying softly. They immediately chase after her, the leader of the villains, who runs faster than his junior, very quickly able to catch up with the little girl, and without saying anything, he immediately raised the machete and swung it towards Han Lian Hwa's neck!
Traaang!" The sound of his machete clashing against something hard was heard, sparks flying!
Thai-pa-cu Kong Liat, the Big Leopard, was shocked and looked at his machete, which had a slightly flattened tip.
"Bastard!"Who dares to play crazy with me!" he shouted.
Suddenly, there was a strange sound of laughter followed by the exit of a Monk carrying a large staff.
"Siancai, siancai... how cruel is your heart. You killed her father and even you killed her grandmother, and now you want to kill her as well?"
"Hey, don't be a coward! Who killed?" deny Kong Liat with shock and worry because what he did got caught.
"Ha-ha... it turns out you're a coward. Dare to do it, but don't dare to take responsibility. If it's not too late, won't you have shed so much blood?" answered the monk.
Meanwhile, Siauw-pa-cu Ban Kim Ji was impatient and worried about reproach,
"Brother, what's the fuss about? Just get rid of this bald man, I'm the one who cleaned up that child!"
With those words, he immediately moved towards Han Lian Hwa while Thai-pa-cu turned his machete, then, with the Flying Eagle Strike The Rabbit movement, attacked towards the monk's neck.
"Hm, lowly people who don't know humanity!" The monk screamed as he jumped in the direction of Han Lian Hwa, quickly, until the Thai-pa-cu attack didn't work.
Siauw-pa-cu, who swung his machete to kill the child, was outpaced. Before his machete could harm the child, the monk parried it with his staff and then grabbed Han Lian Hwa with his left hand.
The two leopards (their titles) became very angry, and together they attacked. Kong Liat attacked from the left with the trick Take the Pearl on the Dragon's Head, his machete making a whistling sound as it struck the monk's neck, while his younger brother attacked with the trick King Fisher Catching the Fish, his machete attacking from the right towards his enemy's waist.
But even though he was being attacked from left to right while carrying a small child, the monk remained undeterred. He used his right hand to twirl his staff in a feint, "Squeezing the Mountain Across the Ocean". By slightly tilting his head downward, he dodged Kong Liat's attack, and the twirl of his staff deflected Ban Kim Ji's machete.
After only a few moves, the two criminals were no match for the monk. Each time their machetes collided with the staff, they felt a stinging pain in their palms, nearly causing their machetes to slip from their grips.
"Back off!" Kong Liat signalled to his friends, and they immediately jumped out of the battle, but the monk didn't want to stop there. Luckily, he swung his staff quickly and with a "snap!" sound, Ban Kim Ji's left leg was hit by the staff.
Ban Kim Ji screamed in horror and collapsed to the ground helplessly. His left leg was broken.
"People like you should be killed, but I refuse to break the taboo on killing. Well, I hope this lesson will change your bad behaviour," he grumbled at his victim. Then he pushed his body after Kong Liat, who fled in terror when he heard the screams of his injured friend.
Who is Han Siucai, who was murdered? And why was he killed?
Several years ago, when Han Bun Lim was still engaged to Lo Kim Eng, he sowed the seeds of enmity with Young Master Bong. Han Bun Lim lived alone with his mother, and their engagement to Miss Lo Kim Eng had occurred when they were still children. Lo Kim Eng was the daughter of Lo Sim Tat, a small trader in Lun-kee-cun village, several dozen li away from Han Bun Lim's village.
The seeds of the enmity were sparked by Young Master Bong, a notorious womaniser. One day, Young Master Bong saw Lo Kim Eng's beauty and fell in love with her. Based on the power of his father, the wealthy Bong, who was known for his influential connections with the village and city leaders, Young Master Bong ignored the fact that the girl already had a fiancé. He proposed marriage through a matchmaker.
Of course, the proposal was rejected by the Lo family, which angered Young Master Bong. But the young man was powerless to harm or disturb Han Bun Lim, as he had an uncle in the city who held the rank of Tihu and was renowned as a just and honest man. So he held back his resentment and watched with envy and curiosity as Han Bun Lim, after passing the exam and earning the title of Han Siucai, married his fiancée.
Several years later, due to his advanced age, Han Siucai's uncle resigned from his job, returned to his village, and passed away a few years ago.
Meanwhile, Han Siucai had a daughter, Han Lian Hwa. He lived with his wife, mother, and daughter, as Lo Kim Eng's parents had also died when a severe infectious disease raged through their village.
The wealthy Bong family's influence grew when its eldest son was given a position, which he obtained through bribes from higher officials. As the youngest and pampered son, Young Master Bong became increasingly unruly. He remained curious and resentful of Han Siucai and his wife. Besides being known for his greed for beauty, Young Master Bong also enjoyed gathering martial arts teachers, consisting of playboys and womanisers, to learn from them and also to keep them as his bodyguards.
On one afternoon, the village of Ban Hok Cun was in an uproar over the appearance of a beggar who was demanding alms by force. At every door, he demanded money and wouldn't leave the threshold until he was given it. And he demanded a fixed amount! He wouldn't give less than five chi! Some offered two chi, but the beggar crumpled the money, crushing the two copper coins! Naturally, this caused a commotion and fear.
Upon hearing the news, Young Master Bong immediately gathered his thugs and searched for the troublemaker. He wanted to show off his power, and he was curious that someone in his village would dare to act so recklessly, as if not afraid of him!
Young Master Bong and his thugs saw the beggar standing in front of a liquor store. His clothes were tattered, his left foot was shod with new shoes, and his right foot bare; his body was tall and thin, but his eyes were sharp. Seeing the man's completely unthreatening state, Young Master Bong approached him and shouted,
"Hey, skinny dog! You dare mess up our village? Get out of here if you want your skinny bones to survive!"
The beggar turned to Young Master Bong and looked at the young man and his men with mocking eyes.
"Hmm, hmm, there are a lot of green flies in this village. No wonder there's a honeycomb!" He then looked away and ignored them.
"You bastard!" Young Master Bong shouted and ordered his men,
"Beat this old dog!"
Six thugs approached the beggar with grinning faces. They looked down on him, thinking they would easily obey his orders. Pang Houw, the hero known as the fiercest and bravest of all Young Master Bong's thugs, swung his coconut-sized fist, striking the beggar's ear. Pang Houw was nicknamed "Ouw-goe the Black Buffalo." His arm strength was hundreds of kilograms, and he had been practising his hands to hit sand for years, so his punches were incredibly powerful.
Everyone assumed the beggar's head would crack or at least turn blue from the Black Buffalo's blow this time. But their suspicions were wrong. The beggar calmly waited until Pang Houw's fist was close, then, with a whip, he tilted his head to dodge it, then caught the fist with his left hand and squeezed gently.
Everyone was amazed to see the Black Buffalo cawing like a buffalo being slaughtered as its large, hairy arm was gently squeezed by the beggar's thin, small hand. The beggar just laughed, ho ho ho ho ho.
"Heh, heh, heh, someone like this wants to be a hero?
You've chosen the wrong person and wasted your gold for nothing!" he said, looking at Young Master Bong.
"Let's gang up on him!" shouted the Black Buffalo's thugs.
But suddenly, Young Master Bong shouted, "Hold on!" and all of his men abandoned their plan to attack the beggar.
Young Master Bong had a brilliant idea. He saw that this beggar was no ordinary person and was far more skilled than his thugs. He could judge that those worthless rice bags wouldn't be able to defeat the skilled beggar, so he employed a profitable strategy. With a sweet face, he took a step toward the beggar and raised both hands in salute.
"Forgive me, the young me, for not knowing your skill."
The beggar looked at Young Master Bong, or rather, he examined the young man's luxurious and expensive clothing. Then he burst out laughing.
"Ah, I'm a lowly beggar, unworthy of your respect, Young Master," he replied respectfully.
"I hope you will forgive my friends for their impudence."
"It's okay, it's okay. If we hadn't fought, we wouldn't have known each other," replied the beggar.
"May I know your noble name?"
"People call me Cong Cit the White Faced Tiger."
Young Master Bong was delighted because he had heard the name Cong Cit, the White-Faced Tiger. In the world of robberies, there was a lone robber named Cong Cit, but he had now retired from his career.
He saluted again. "I've long heard of your famously dashing name. It's truly fortunate today to meet you and get to know you. This meeting must be celebrated with a drink of wine and a hearty meal."
"A hearty meal? Wine? Ha-ha! Young Master knows exactly what I like." The beggar laughed heartily, sticking out his tongue and licking his lips. Holding the thin beggar's hand, Young Master Bong walked toward the largest wine shop in the village, accompanied by all his men.
Thus, with sweet talk and subtle tactics, Young Master Bong managed to lure the White-Faced Tiger into his building and become its protector. Cong Cit, the White-Faced Tiger, was indeed a morally corrupt man. Despite his great intelligence, he was still very greedy for worldly wealth and pleasures. Therefore, within his building, the wealthy young master felt he had found a very pleasant resting place or nest.
With Cong Cit's presence, Young Master Bong's influence grew even more, and he was feared by all the villagers and surrounding villages more than people feared demons. And because of this loyal protector, Young Master Bong planned a revenge campaign against Han Bun Lim.
On the pitch-black night described at the beginning of this story, Young Master Bong ordered three of his bodyguards, Cong Cit's disciples, to kidnap Mrs. Han and exterminate the entire Han Siucai family. The cursed task was successful. Mrs. Han was kidnapped, and the entire household was murdered.
Fortunately, Han Siucai's only daughter, Han Lian Hwa, escaped death thanks to the help of a Monk warrior, titled Hwat Khong Monk from Ban Hok Thong temple, who was travelling to collect donations from villages to repair his temple.
As previously recounted, Hwat Khong Monk followed Kong Liat the Great Leopard while carrying Han Lian Hwa. He deliberately slowed down his pace because he intended to follow Kong Liat to his den.
"Damn it, Young Master!" Kong Liat complained after jumping down into the back room. Without wasting any time, he explained that they had succeeded but had been thwarted by a cunning monk.
When Kong Liat arrived, Young Master Bong was drinking wine with Cong Cit, while Kwee Seng, the head disciple who had kidnapped Mrs. Han, was standing guard over the young woman, who was tied to a chair with a cloth gagged over her mouth. Only tears were streaming down her face. She had just woken up from her stupor.
Hearing Kong Liat's story, Young Master Bong became furious, as did Cong Cit.
"You fools!" He cursed his disciples. "You two couldn't even defeat a monk. Are you worthy of being called my disciples?"
Young Master Bong's attention shifted to Mrs. Han, also known as Lo Kim Eng, who had regained consciousness. He immediately approached the young lady and removed the gag from her mouth.
"My sweet, you've finally fallen into my hands," he said dully.
Mrs. Han, who had been listening to Kong Liat's story and knew that her husband and mother-in-law had died, couldn't help but sob.
"You... you animal-hearted person...! What did we do wrong that you did such a cruel thing...?"
"It's your fault. Why didn't you just accept my proposal and marry that poor siucai? Now husband and your daughter have left you. Your husband is dead, and your daughter doesn't know where she is, then you'd better live happily with me here..."
"My daughter... Lian Hwa... where is my daughter...?"
"Ha, ha, ha! Don't look for your daughter, it's useless!" mocked Bong Him Kian, the womaniser young master, with a grin.
"Young Master... help my daughter... help her who is innocent."
"Hem, if I bring your daughter, will you be my lover here?" asked the shameless young master.
"Help my daughter, let me be a servant, let me be anything, as long as my daughter is safe... please…" the miserable mother wailed.
Suddenly, The White-Faced Tiger Cong Cit, who had been watching the young master's behavior with a happy smile, jumped to the corner of the room, grabbed a spear, and with a shout, "Bastard, don't run!" he flew out the window, followed by Kwee Seng, his student nicknamed the Little Tiger.
It turned out that Cong Cit's trained ears could pick up the sound of footsteps that others couldn't hear, due to the lightness of Hwat Khong Monk's feet, who was lurking from atop the roof tiles. Hwat Kong Monk was surprised by the skinny man's skill, but he was prepared. He had tied Han Lian Hwa to his back and was now awaiting the enemy's arrival, staff in hand.
Cong Cit jumped in front of him and blocked his spear.
"Hey, you shameless bald bastard! How dare you come and cause trouble at night!" he scolded.
"Ha, ha! You can twist things around. Who caused the trouble? Who killed someone? Who kidnapped someone's wife?" Hwat Khong replied, waving his staff.
"What do you care about other people's business? Do you have nothing to do at your temple that you're wandering around here? My young students might not be able to fight you, but I, The White-Faced Tiger Cong Cit, will smite your bald head!"
Hwat Khong was also shocked to hear his enemy's name. He knew the skill of the White-Faced Tiger, who was once so famous for his spearmanship that he was nicknamed the "Spear God." However, he calmed his nerves and immediately charged with his staff.
Cong Cit parried with his spear, and when the staff collided with the spear, flames appeared, and both were sent flying backwards. It was clear that their strength was evenly matched.