The man was none other than Liu Bhok Ki. As we know, he was wounded by the Demon Chaser Black Sword in the hands of Sim Lan Ci, and the poison from this sword was extremely potent.
Normal treatment, combined with the use of his internal chi, failed to dispel the poison festering in his shoulder. Sim Lan Ci had told him that, and without the antidote from his mother, Thousand Poison Devil, only the gem on the dragon's head would cure him, so Liu Bhok Ki immediately went to the Death Whirlpool to fight for the young dragon.
It was a coincidence that the long-awaited appearance of the young dragon occurred just a few days after he was injured, and his residence wasn't far from the Death Whirlpool, only a three-day journey.
He hoped that news of the young dragon would also attract the woman nicknamed Thousand Poison Devil to that place.
This left him with two options for healing his wounds. First, to seize the young dragon if it truly appeared, and second, to find Thousand Poison Devil and ask for the antidote! He was also ready with a small boat, which he had rented from a fisherman and tied to a peg, ready to use if necessary.
Since Liu Bhok Ki hadn't appeared in the martial art world for over twenty years, no one knew him. He himself still knew several people who happened to pass by, including Gan Lok the Nine Tail Tiger, an expert from Tai Goan, a northern sect, whom he had once clashed with and only with great difficulty that he defeated him.
There was also Paouw In Tiang from Golden Monkey Clan, a master of the golden staff, skilled in the art of the staff, and an expert of Mount Luliang. These two men were between fifty-two and fifty-five years old, not much older than himself, but since they hadn't seen each other for over twenty years, they seemed to have forgotten about him.
He used to be a handsome and well-dressed young man, unlike now, a middle-aged man dressed simply, bordering on rags. He also knew East Sea Monk, a short, petite monk from the east coast. He still remembered how skilled this monk was, now seventy years old and still looking agile and healthy.
There was another man he recognized very easily. This man was sixty years old, tall, thin, and dressed like a beggar. However, Liu Bhok Ki knew that this man was no ordinary rag, but rather, his nicknamed is Holy Hand Begger King, an expert from Hokkien that skilled in empty-handed techniques.
He still had many people to meet there, and he secretly felt a sense of joy. It would be very lively if a young dragon really appeared on the surface of those dangerous waters.
Suddenly, he saw a group of people with furrowed brows. Damn it, he thought, because from a distance he recognized it was Black Tiger Clan's group. He recognized the black tiger on their chests.
He didn't want any commotion while he was fully focused on the appearance of the young dragon. So he quickly shouldered the bundle and plank, carried it to the boat, untied the ropes, and soon rowed it to the center.
However, he also avoided the area of the Death Whirlpool, because even a highly skilled person would find facing the death whirlpool a meaningless game.
Liu Bhok Ki looked for a quiet riverbank to spend the night. The full moon would rise tomorrow night, and it was said that the young dragon would appear when the moon was full, right at midnight. It would only appear for a few hours, then vanish back into the Death Whirlpool.
More people arrived the next day. Liu Bhok Ki remained aloof from the crowd. It was clear that the martial art world figures who had been hanging around the area were now preparing themselves.
As the full moon approached, the atmosphere became increasingly tense. As dusk approached, many boats were milling about, but they always stayed away from the area of the Death Whirlpool.
According to legend, the young dragon would emerge from the death whirlpool and swim out of the whirlpool, playing and fishing. After eating its fill, it would return to the Death Whirlpool.
Among the boats were two other boats that different from others. Every boat was filled with martial art world figures, those who had deliberately tried their luck, perhaps "fated" with the young dragon that being fought over. At the very least, they had come to see the situation and meet with the great figures of the martial arts world.
However, the two boats were boarded by two ordinary families from different villages. It was just a coincidence that their boats met during their voyage, and they became acquainted, continuing their voyage together in two boats for safety.
One of them was from Hon Cu Village. Si Kian was approximately thirty-five years old. Pressured by local officials to be drafted into forced labor and sent to a river canal construction site, he decided to flee with his wife and twelve-year-old son, Si Han Beng.
He rowed the boat himself, assisted by Si Han Beng. Father and son lived in the Yellow River Valley, so they were familiar with rowing. However, because they lived far from the Death Whirlpool, they had never heard of this dangerous place.
He was forced to flee after hearing that many villagers who had been lured to work on the canal were unable to return to their villages, and many reportedly died at their jobs.
The second family is Bu Hok Gi. Unlike Si Kian, Bu Hok Gi was an official that ran away because of pressure from his superiors. He was forced to gather at least twenty-five men from his village to be used as forced laborers, under threat of arrest and punishment if he failed to secure the required number.
Then, Bu Hok Gi remembered her brother, a high-ranking official, and he ran away to visit him and ask for his help to escape her superiors' threats.
These two families, who still lived in the same area because their village were neighboring villages, were met while sailing when they stopped to spend the night in a nearby riverside.
After they introduced themselves and learned that they had both been victims of forced labor, they felt a sense of shared destiny and became friends. Bu's family fled because they feared their superiors, while Si's family feared the village chief will forced Si Kian into forced labor.
Bu Hok Kian left with his wife and a ten-year-old daughter named Bu Giok Cu. There was also a servant who was in charge of escorting and rowing the boat.
Thus, that afternoon, they arrived in a very busy area outside the Death Whirlpool. Naturally, the two families were surprised to see the bustle, the number of boats milling about.
Not wanting to interfere in other people's affairs, and because they were fleeing, they were afraid of being recognized, even though the place was very far from their village and they had been sailing for over half a month, the two families agreed to move their boats to a slightly more remote location.
It was getting dark, and they wanted to spend the night on the quiet riverbank. Furthermore, their food supplies were running low, and they wanted to find additional supplies by buying them in the village along the riverbank.
Bu Hok Gi and Si Kian immediately left the family them after their boat was landed and they ordered to each family to gather on the river bank that quiet one and don't go anywhere, waiting for them to came back.
They both walked away to the village on the lower river bank as the center the crowd of people gathered at that place.
When they arrived at the village, they saw a crowd of boats going back and forth along the riverbank. Intrigued, they joined the crowd and stood among the people on the riverbank. It wasn't completely dark yet, so they could see what was happening.