In response, the man simply leaped and attacked him again, this time with even more force. His blow was a deadly one, as the hand that lashed out at his head contained a internal chi that could shatter boulder, let alone a human head!
He became curious and immediately blocked the blow with his arm, deploying the internal chi around his body. "Dukkk!" The attacker was pushed back, and Han Beng was elated to see that in terms of internal chi, he still had a slight advantage. This boosted his spirits, and he began to strike back!
However, the man's movements were so agile, it seemed that none of his attacks made him nervous, and he even managed to counter them with equally powerful counterattacks! They fought earnestly, and Han Beng had already used the martial arts he had learned over the past five years, but nothing could penetrate his opponent's defenses.
He was so curious, and with a loud, shrill cry, Han Beng unleashed his secret technique, the Flying Eagle Martial Art. However, he was once again stunned because the man seemed to be familiar with this martial art and was able to dodge it with pinpoint accuracy.
The Flying Eagle Martial Art's movements were incredibly fast and unpredictable. How could this man dodge it so easily? He must have known this martial art. He knew it! Only his teacher knew it.
Han Beng jumped to the side to avoid a kick and studied the man. His build was tall and imposing! Ah, who else could it be but his teacher? Although he wore a mask and black clothes, his body shape was his teacher's, and even more convincingly, the man knew all of his martial arts!
He knew it was his teacher himself who seemed to be testing him, so he wanted to please his teacher and attacked earnestly, using all his strength and using Flying Eagle Martial Art to his best!
Under such intense pressure, the masked man began to use the same martial arts technique. A fierce exchange of blows ensued, and in this match, Han Beng felt that although he had a slight advantage in terms of internal chi, he was completely outclassed in his martial arts moves.
"Slap!" Twice their hands met, and the masked man's body was pushed aside. However, his hands slipped, and suddenly the bundle of clothes was taken from the young man's back!
Han Beng dropped to his knees. "Master, disciple admit defeat!"
The man stopped, pulled off his mask, and it was Liu Bhok Ki. He threw the bundle to Han Beng, wiped the sweat from his face and neck, and took a deep breath.
"Who said you lost? I only won a little in terms of the maturity of our martial arts skills, but if you fight seriously, I won't be able to survive. Look, my body is already sweating. Han Beng, you be careful on your journey, don't carelessly use Flying Eagle Martial Art unless absolutely necessary. Don't injure people too easily, let alone kill them.
"All the teacher's instructions and advice have been ingrained in disciple's memory and of course disciple will obey them."
"Now, go quickly, my disciple, go before sorrow touch my heart because of this separation!" Liu Bhok Ki sounded loud.
Han Beng understood his teacher's pain, so he immediately got up, saluted once again and then left there with wide strides into the forest to quickly disappear from his teacher's sight.
The morning sunlight began to dispel the fog that shrouded Ki Hyan Tung village. The birds and roosters welcomed the sunlight with their chirping and crowing, shouting to each other and full of joy. The lights of lanterns hanging in front of the small houses in the village had begun to be extinguished, and smoke could be seen rising from the kitchen.
The mothers had begun to boil water, ready to make warm drinks and breakfast for their families. Here and there could be heard the impatient shouts of mothers to their children, the cries of small children and the loud screams of children, the grumbling of fathers in hoarse voices.
The sunlight began to revive the village, not only rousing its inhabitants to start work, and the birds and all kinds of animals, but also stirring the large and small trees after they had fallen asleep and were cold.
The farmers began to prepare themselves to work in the fields waiting for a simple breakfast, at least a drink to warm their stomachs, which had fasted all night.
Suddenly there was the sound of hoofbeats and a group of people dressed in soldier's uniforms entered the village on their horses. There were fifty of them headed by a commander and two assistants. As soon as they entered the village, they took a confined stance, guarding all corners, especially the four entrances to the village.
Hearing the hooves of many horses entering their village, the farmers looked at each other with changed faces. I don't know who whispered first, but now they are all whispering with scared faces.
"Black Uniform Troops....!"
Black Uniform Troops were very famous and very feared by people in the villages. The Black Uniform Troops were troops whose soldiers were dressed all in black and their job was to find and collect workers from the common people to be used as workers to build the Great Canal.
Because the Black Uniform Troops held such high positions and absolute power, and even their commanders were given the right to take action against rebellious people so they were naturally greatly feared.
Power is indeed something very dangerous for humans. Once in power, people will forget themselves and look down on others. From this power arose various bad and evil deeds. People who were worried that they would be taken and used as forced labor did not hesitate to bribe or pay off the commanders and soldiers of the Black Uniform Troops!
Not only did they bribe with their possessions, but some even gave up their daughters if they saw how much the commander or his officers were attracted to their daughters.
Although the government itself took the policy of paying the workers' salaries, in practice, the salaries were withheld, disappeared into the hands of who knows which of the thousands of officers, and the workers worked without pay, even their rations were reduced so that many of them died of exhaustion or starvation.
This further frightened the people so that even the poor always wanted to avoid being taken and forced to work on the Canal.
As soon as Black Uniform Troops' name was whispered, the villagers of Ki Hyan Tung were in an uproar! Mothers wept, children hid under huts and in latrines, shivering. The girls hid because they had heard how Black Uniform Troops were rude and womanizer, never leaving a village girl unmolested.
And the village men scrambled out of their homes, intending to escape the village to avoid being discovered or captured. However, they were shocked to see that the village was surrounded, and those who tried to flee were met with cracking whips and powerful kicks from shod feet that knocked them over! The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
"All the villagers, come out and gather here!" several officers shouted repeatedly.
"Anyone who flees or resists will be killed!"
"Men here, and all women and children over there!"
With pale faces and bodies shivering with fear, all the residents were forced to leave their homes and hiding places. They had heard how several villages were burned down by Black Uniform Troops just to force the inhabitants out of their hiding places!