The sun hung high in the afternoon sky, an oppressive golden orb. The air was thick with a humid haze, making every breath a chore, every step a drag. Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo, exhausted by the sweltering heat, sought refuge in a small roadside pavilion, its shade a meager comfort against the stifling humidity.
Ma Jingguo pulled out his handkerchief, his movements tender, and began to wipe the beads of sweat from Mu Dishi's brow. "Xiao shushu, it's too hot to walk now," he murmured, a gentle smile gracing his lips. "Let's wait until the sun cools slightly before we continue."
Their respite was short-lived. Soon, a large group of villagers, their faces etched with weariness and despair, shuffled into the pavilion. One man, his eyes hollow, settled beside Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo.
"Where are you heading?" Ma Jingguo asked, his voice soft with concern.
"We are heading down south," the man replied, his voice raspy.
"Why?"
The man's shoulders slumped. "Three months ago, a group of bandits broke into our village and robbed us. They stole everything. They kidnapped many young women and killed countless men." He shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "People have just recovered from the war, but natural disasters have hit us. As if that wasn't bad enough, there are so many bandits now, and the government has done nothing. Many people are homeless and hungry."
"Did the government provide assistance?" Ma Jingguo pressed.
"They did," the man scoffed bitterly, "but the bandits took it all."
Just then, a formidable group of twenty men approached the pavilion. Nineteen of them were dressed in black, their expressions grim, while one man, striking in white robes, rode a pristine white horse. A man in black walked beside the horse, holding its leash. They stopped abruptly in front of Mu Dishi, Ma Jingguo, and the huddled villagers.
The man in white, his voice smooth and calm, addressed the man holding the leash. "Mingyang, why did you stop?"
Zhu Mingyang, the man in black, looked up at his companion. "There are villagers here."
The man in white smiled, a gentle, almost ethereal expression that didn't quite reach his eyes. He addressed a villager. "Can you tell me how far Li Village is from here?"
"Why are you going there?" the villager asked, suspicion in his voice. "There are bandits along the way."
The man in white's smile widened faintly. "We have some business there."
"We are from Li Village," the villager explained, "but due to the bandits, we decided to leave. Otherwise, we would die of hunger."
Ma Jingguo's eyes flicked between the two newcomers, then to Mu Dishi. He leaned in conspiratorially, speaking in a low, teasing tone. "Xiao shushu, those men look pretty tough. The man beside the horse is as handsome as you, but the man riding on the horse is as beautiful as you." He chuckled softly, a playful glint in his eyes. "However, you are still the rarest peach in Xiwangmu's Pantao Garden."
As Ma Jingguo's words reached him, Zhu Mingyang's hand slowly, almost imperceptibly, reached for the hilt of his dao sword.
The man in white, sensing the subtle shift, spoke softly. "Mingyang, no trouble."
Zhu Mingyang's hand reluctantly withdrew, his grip tightening on the horse's leash instead.
Mu Dishi's gaze, sharp and assessing, lingered on the young man in white. "Regrettably," he observed, his voice cutting through the humid air, "he is blind."
"Blind?" Ma Jingguo exclaimed, his voice rising in surprise, betraying his shock.
Zhu Mingyang, his patience snapped, pulled out his dao sword with a hiss and rushed towards Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo, reacting swiftly, narrowly avoided Zhu Mingyang's furious strike. The two men immediately engaged in a fierce exchange, their blades clashing, while the frightened villagers scrambled across the road, scattering in terror.
In the sudden commotion, the white horse became spooked and dashed forward, its rider, the man in white, thrown violently into the air. Mu Dishi, with a flash of incredible lightness agility, moved like a phantom, flying forward to snatch the man in white from his fall. Both Ma Jingguo and Zhu Mingyang instantly ceased their fight, rushing towards Mu Dishi and the blind man.
"Let go of him!" Ma Jingguo and Zhu Mingyang shouted in unison, their voices filled with concern.
The man in white, surprisingly calm despite being suspended in Mu Dishi's grasp, spoke softly. "Mingyang, I order you to stand down." Immediately, Zhu Mingyang sheathed his dao sword back into its scabbard. The man in white turned his head towards Mu Dishi and offered a serene smile. "Thank you for saving me."
Mu Dishi stared at the young, handsome man. His eyes, in particular, captured Mu Dishi's attention, reminding him vividly of Wang Biming. This man in white possessed the exact same eye shape as Wang Biming, and one thing Mu Dishi cherished most about Wang Biming was his eyes—how, when sunlight struck the iris, their light brown color almost transformed into a radiant hazel.
Ma Jingguo felt a sudden, fierce surge of anger and jealousy well up in his heart. He watched the expression on Mu Dishi's face, the subtle softening in his gaze as he looked at the man in white. A fever of jealousy burned in Ma Jingguo's eyes. He wanted to be the only person most important to Mu Dishi, to receive his full and undivided attention.
Mu Dishi, his senses keen, detected a faint, faded odor from the man in white's hair. "How long have you been blind?" he asked, his voice low and probing.
"Watch your words carefully," Zhu Mingyang snarled, stepping forward protectively.
The man in white smiled calmly. "Two and a half years."
Mu Dishi walked towards Ma Jingguo, then addressed both the man in white and Zhu Mingyang. "You better pay attention to what you eat, because the poison will eventually kill you."
Without warning, Zhu Mingyang fell to his knees, his face pale with shock. He looked up at Mu Dishi, his voice a desperate plea. "Yisheng, please help him see again!"
"I can't help him because I don't know what poison he is consuming," Mu Dishi stated, his gaze falling on Zhu Mingyang. "If he stops taking the poison, then his condition will improve, and he will be cured. This poison needs to be taken for a long time to kill the host without leaving any evidence."
Ma Jingguo saw Zhu Mingyang kneeling on the ground, his heart aching with sympathy for the man. He knew it took immense courage for a man to kneel down and beg like that, confirming that the blind man must be incredibly important to him. He walked to Zhu Mingyang, gently helping him to his feet. "My xiao shushu doesn't lie. Go back and think about who might want to hurt him."
Mu Dishi, with an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist, handed two gleaming golden needles to Zhu Mingyang. "Some poisons are tasteless and colorless," he explained. "These golden needles can detect poison even if the poison is tasteless or odorless."
Zhu Mingyang took the golden needles from Mu Dishi, his brow furrowed. "How are these needles different from other needles?"
Ma Jingguo chuckled, a note of pride in his voice. "It's because these needles are made by the famous Mu family!"
The man in white smiled faintly at Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo. "I've read about the famous yisheng Mu Jin Hua. Thank you." He stretched out his hand, and Zhu Mingyang quickly took it. "Mingyang, give our food and some of our money to the villagers."
Following the instruction, Zhu Mingyang dutifully donated part of their food and money to the grateful villagers. He then led the man in white back to the white horse. Zhu Mingyang knelt on the ground, and the man in white stepped onto Zhu Mingyang's thigh, then Zhu Mingyang pushed him onto the horseback with his hands. With Zhu Mingyang gripping the horse's leash, the twenty men resumed their journey in the direction of Li Village, leaving Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo alone once more in the pavilion with the villagers.