"This...I can't accept this," Ip Man, recognizing the value of the pills, humbly declines, "you should keep it for yourself."
"I told you to keep it," Tony places in his hands and closes his fingers, "right now Zhun needs it more. There's still a few more pills left, let Zhun take it."
First he was still hesitant, but then mildly accepted, "Thank you Hui."
Tony smiles warmly to his master before saluting in departure. Because today is a very important day for him.
It is the day to exact the revenge that he has been waiting for all those years.
Somewhere in the city lies a room silent, solemn, and deathening.
A room where even a fragranceful flower will wilt its colorful petals and lose its perfect beauty.
The once decorated white painted walls are chipping away, revealing the regular stone blocks that exist in every building.
Taking away the purpose it once has in this big silent room.
The floors are concrete with some rubbles against the corner. Placed closely against the wall was a bed that was made more resembling a small table. On top of it is a dirty stained bed sheet that was left behind.
Near the back of the silent room sits a woman on a wooden chair, looking out to the sky.
It was an expression bleak of hope, eyes that seemed to have no soul.
Her hair is askew behind her back untied. The skin of her leg that was positioned on the chair was revealed through the thigh split black velvet cheongsam dress.
Long fingers supporting casually her face as she looks motionlessly out into the evening sky.
Disrupting the silence of the room, a knock came at the room and the sound of a woman called from the outside, "Zhi Yan. Colonel Sato is here."
Coming into the room is Colonel Sato, a short man wearing Japanese army outfit.
With a cap that has one yellow star in front. While wearing circular trimmed framed glasses.
She stands up from the chair seeing the visitor slowly walking to him without looking at him in the eyes.
There was not a sound or sign of hesitation in the way she walks towards him, like a habitual ritual of her day.
Standing in front of him as she slowly unbuttons his color. Colonel Sato observes her with eyes of burning desire. Quietly sliding his right hand up to feel her breast.
Then moving it to touch the delicate softness of her skin at the nape of her neck.
As he moves in to kiss her neck while she's still undoing his military uniform.
Even if centuries go by there will still be the rampant ongoing existence of sex workers. Where there is demand for sex there will be supply for the trade.
Especially in the context of war where women have to use whatever means for survival in the starving harsh reality of violence.
But prositution is not without its vices and necessary sacrifice.
Finishing the sexual consumption Colonel Sato sits in bed naked smoking a cigarette in the silent room.
As Zhi Yan lays on the bed next to him watching him with eyes of expectation.
From the outside the voice of a soldier calls in Japanese, "Sir, General Miura is commanding you back."
Hearing the call from the outside, Sato puts out the cigarette and stands out of bed to get dressed.
Zhi Yan stands naked as she helps the Colonel get dressed back in his uniform. Quickly buttoning up his uniform without muttering a sound.
Getting dressed the Colonel's soldier came in and saluted him. As he was leaving the room Zhi Yan shouted in her badly accented Japanese, "Rice!"
Colonel Sato scoffs at her with condescension and continues taking steps out of the room.
Seeing that she will not be able to receive her compensation, Zhi Yan fearlessly plunges into grabbing Colonel Sato's left arm.
She still looks up at him saying, "Rice!"
Seeing that his ankle was grabbed hold of by the prostitute, Sato looks down at her and pulls out a gun in his anger.
Shouting at her in Japanese, "You dumb whore!"
He kicks away her strong grasp freeing his ankle from her hand. And grabbing hold of her neck he puts her up while strangling her.
With a pair of furious eyes he releases a fearful killing aura intimidating her.
But she was not in the least affected by his intimidation as she continued to hold on to the hand that was strangling her.
Trying to pull it away, while suffocating she was still muttering "Rice".
Freeing the suffocating grasp of his hands, Colonel Sato slaps her left cheek with his hand. Making her fall vulnerably on the ground.
Motioning his soldier with his head to hand her a bag of rice. The soldier throws a bag of rice on the floor which Zhi Yan scurries to keep close to her chest as she kneels on the floor with her head down.
The Colonel curses at her with condescension before leaving the kneeling Zhi Yan who has her face hidden from sight.
Hearing the sounds of their footsteps far into the distance of the silent room Zhi Yan finally lets out the tears.
Dripping vertically like rain drops as she had her head down.
She was holding the bag of rice like it was some valuable treasure. Unwilling to let go.
As though she was afraid that any moment someone would come in to rob it away from her possession.
The once soulless pair of eyes that looked out into the sky were now filled with so much pain.
Her tears were quiet, yet it was like she was trying to cry out her loud screams and shouts to the world.
It was only in this moment inside the deathening and solemn atmosphere of the silent room that she dares to show this vulnerable side to her that she hides away from the outside world.
Finally she lets go of the bag of rice from her embrace and hugs her arms tightly as her tears drip on the concrete ground.
Feeling the skin of her body which now all seems so unfamiliar and not of her own.