The man jerked awake from the impact . “ Wake up , we ’ re not done here yet , not for what you have done ……” What had he done ? He could not recall . The only thought he had was that of his son , yes , he was doing this for him .
Carrying only a string of copper coins only to be used on special occasions , Hong ’ s impoverished appearance drew the attention of many well-to-do townsmen . He was taken aback by the suddenness of advances of two foreign-looking strangers , presumably European Christian missionaries , who presented Hong with a pamphlet about their religion .
Christianity : Jesus is the answer , it wrote .
Hong was so thrilled about his newfound popularity that he had not bothered to read the pamphlets he had just received , nor did he notice the crowd of people gathering curiously at the other end of the street . Born with an inquisitive mind , Hong decided to take a peek to find out what the fuss was all about .
“ -This man , an ex-official who vowed to serve the Shanghai county government , and swore allegiance to the country and to protect the Chinese , has betrayed us shamelessly by stealing from us for decades . We do not tolerate such treachery .”
He jostled through the disturbed crowd . The closer he got , the more apparent the noises became . Instantly regretting his curiosity , Hong froze at the sight in front of his eyes .
“ For his crimes of treason and disloyalty to the country …... I hereby sentence this man to death .” He delivered the final cut into the man ’ s chest . An dry inaudible sound escaped from Hong ’ s quivering lips . Papa .
Part Four
Hong spent several nights in the Shanghai Jade Dragon Tavern , where they sold cheap wine in large quantities and even cheaper comfort from well-dressed female companions . Even so , Hong wanted to be alone with his drinks , not wanting the realisation of his father ’ s death to sink in .
As a result , he had completely forgotten about his examination results until the morning he finally succeeded in dragging himself home and read his letter .
The raging flames devoured the unrolled parchment like a ravenous tiger , filling the fireplace with an intense anger . The paper burned , condemned to die as pitiful grey ash , as was Hong ’ s hopes and aspirations . He had failed the Imperial Examination .
Hong stared vacantly into the fire , his once self-assured gaze now devoid of all emotion . His eyes fixated onto the image of the dancing flames , and he wondered how they could crackle so passionately whereas he felt nothing at all .
The air in the hut thickened with smoke , causing Hong to feel sleepy and confused , and he fell asleep , exhausted and hungover .
A disoriented Hong stumbled around blindly in the empty void of his conscience , desperate for a way out . As if someone had heard his prayers , a glowing entity descended from the heavens , illuminating the space with a blinding white light .
He had a face like the rising sun and eyes like flaming torches , and spoke to him with a voice of a multitude , “ Come , child . He has been awaiting your arrival .”
Expecting him was a seraph clothed in a black robe with an intricate pattern of an airborne dragon . He was stroking his long , golden beard , from which he miraculously pulled out a handsome-looking sword and a seal stone with the words ‘ TaiPing TianGuo ’ ( The Heaven Kingdom of Eternal Peace ) engraved into the chop , and bestowed them upon the dumb-stricken mortal .
The jade-encrusted sword glowed with a gentle brilliance upon Hong ’ s palms . It was much lighter than it looked to be .