At the front gate of Sword Village, Yan Zhanjin and Yong Caixia meticulously checked all the offerings—white flowers, paper money, and joss sticks—to be burned for the late Chen Dandan. Yong Caixia then directed the workers to send the offerings to the Yong family cemetery and paid them for the delivery.
Yong Caixia sighed. "It's almost lunchtime. Let's go meet da ge and the others."
As they walked back into the Sword Village Manor, they tried to figure out who might still be around. They realized Bazar Batu must be the only person still left in the main manor, so they decided to meet him first and then wait for the others to return.
Walking down the corridor, Yan Zhanjin asked, "Would you like to eat out with us?"
"I'll go," Yong Caixia agreed, frowning sadly. "There's nothing to do at home. Everything reminds me of Dandan."
Yan Zhanjin noticed her sadness. "What's wrong?"
Yong Caixia confessed, "I'm thinking, if da ge decides to remarry... I don't know if I can accept his bride. I think if I accept his bride, it means I betrayed Dandan."
"Dandan is my shimei. We grew up together," Yan Zhanjin assured her. "I know she wants Taihua to be happy. It may be difficult, but we have to accept the fact that she is no longer here. Taihua has no reason to stay single. So, if Taihua decides to remarry, all we can do is support him. He didn't betray Dandan." They stopped, and he patted her left shoulder lightly. "So, you didn't betray anyone."
Yong Caixia sighed. "I will burn this paper money for Dandan tomorrow morning. Would you like to come?"
"Then let's go together. Ask Taihua if he wants to come," Yan Zhanjin suggested.
"You don't need to ask him, he will already arrive before we get to the cemetery tomorrow," Yong Caixia said, before suddenly freezing.
"What?" Yan Zhanjin asked.
Yong Caixia whispered, "Bazar gongzi…"
Yan Zhanjin looked up and saw Bazar Batu lying motionless on the ground. He rushed to Bazar Batu. He held the young man in his arms; his voice laced with worry. "Batu... Batu..."
Bazar Batu weakly opened his eyes. "Zhanjin... I know how the murderer killed Dandan..."
"How? Tell me!" Yan Zhanjin pleaded.
Bazar Batu strained to speak. "He is... he is... so beautiful..." He fell limp in Yan Zhanjin's arms.
Yan Zhanjin shouted, "Who and how? Batu, wake up!"
Yong Caixia quickly sprinted toward the main conference hall. When she burst through the doors, she found Kuo Lok, Kuo Wenqian, Yong Taihua, and Yong Gui still deep in conversation. She rushed in, screaming the tragic news. "Batu is dead! Batu is dead... someone killed Batu!"
Kuo Lok, Yong Taihua, Yong Gui, and Yong Caixia rushed to the small pavilion, where they saw Yan Zhanjin sitting, watching Bazar Batu running around, pretending to catch butterflies.
Kuo Lok asked, confused, "What's wrong? Yong guniang said that Batu was dead."
Yan Zhanjin shook his head. "No, he's not dead. I thought he would die, but he was just poisoned."
Yong Caixia asked, "Poisoned? What kind of poison?"
Yan Zhanjin ignored the question for a moment and spoke to Bazar Batu. "Batu, look over there, there are many butterflies over by those bushes." He pointed to his left.
Bazar Batu giggled suddenly, walked over, raised his hand, and jumped. Bazar Batu then opened his clasped hands and began to cry. "It flew away! Not fair. It flew away."
Yong Gui asked, "What happened to Bazar gongzi?"
"The people who poisoned Batu really have a weird sense of humor," Yan Zhanjin replied.
Yong Taihua pressed, "What do you mean?"
Yan Zhanjin explained, "Instead of giving Batu a deadly poison, the attacker gave him a potion called 'Drunk One Hundred Days'."
Yong Taihua admitted, "I haven't heard of that one yet."
"This isn't a typical poison; it's a love potion used in brothels. Whoever ingests it will feel drunk and believe anything they are told. If you don't believe it, take Batu as an example." He looked at Bazar Batu, who was still sobbing. "Batu, your butterfly flew back and landed on your right hand."
Bazar Batu instantly stopped sobbing, looked at his right hand, and smiled. "It really came back to me."
Yan Zhanjin concluded, "This potion causes people to hallucinate and believe anything that is said to him."
Kuo Lok asked, "What is the cure?"
"There is no cure," Yan Zhanjin said. "The individual will return to normal after one hundred days."
Yong Caixia looked concerned. "Then we must pay more attention to him, lest he hurt himself."
Yan Zhanjin remembered the urgency of the moment before. "He told me before fainting that he knew how the murderer killed Dandan."
Yong Taihua realized the implication. "Then this case confirms that the person who poisoned Batu must already know that Batu knows who the killer is."
"Maybe," Yan Zhanjin agreed.
Yong Gui made a decision. "Lok'er, you and Bazar gongzi must stay in Sword Village."
Yong Caixia seconded this. "Lok ge, this may be the safest place for Batu at the moment."
Kuo Lok walked over and gently took Bazar Batu's hand. Bazar Batu giggled and said, "Lok gege, you are so handsome. I want a kiss now."
Kuo Lok maintained a calm, steady voice. "Batu, you are very sleepy now, and you are going to sleep."
Bazar Batu nodded and yawned. "I'm sleepy." He immediately fainted in Kuo Lok's arms.
Kuo Lok picked up Bazar Batu and carried him toward their room. He placed Bazar Batu on the bed and gently kissed his lips. He closed the door and returned to the small pavilion.
A disciple walked in and announced, "Chief Yong, there are three villagers who came asking for help. They are waiting for you in the conference hall."
Yan Zhanjin looked at Kuo Lok. "Go ahead. I will take care of Batu."
Yong Caixia added, "Lok ge, don't worry. I will be here with Yan ge."
"Thank you," Kuo Lok said. He then walked away with Yong Taihua and Yong Gui.
In the main conference hall of Sword Village, the leaders of the six sectors, four clans, and other martial artists were already seated. Yong Gui walked in and took his chair.
"Chief Yong, we have come to ask for help," the first villager pleaded.
"What's the matter?" Yong Gui asked.
"Pirates have caused us trouble recently," the first villager explained. "They steal our crops or burn them."
The second villager cried. "We are just ordinary villagers. We have to pay a large fine if we want to make a claim to the court. We don't have the money to do this. Our only hope lies in you."
Yong Gui sighed. "Don't worry, the Central Plains martial artists will help." He motioned to a servant. "Take them to rest."
After the three villagers left, Yong Gui addressed the assembled martial artists. "I think our plan to overthrow Sunset Sect has to be postponed for the time being, because Xin Taiyang has not made a move. Moreover, with Mu gongzi by his side, it is difficult to defeat him now."
Tang Jianyu agreed. "Chief Yong is right. At this time, the well-being of the villagers should be our top priority."
Num Chingmei proposed a new target. "Since Seventy-two Islands wants to fight Central Plains martial artists so much, let us bring the fight to them."
Rao Zhengsheng offered critical aid. "I grew up in the south, and I know the route taken by the people of Seventy-two Islands. I will draw us a map. In addition, I still have a score to settle with the chief leader of Seventy-two Islands."
"Chief Rao, if you can do that, it will be of great help to us," Yong Gui said. "You can draw a map, and we can come up with a good plan to attack them."
A disciple rushed into the conference hall with an urgent report. "Chief, Xin Taiyang has evacuated all members of Sunset Sect from Mangsha Sect. He is coming here."
Panic rippled through the hall. The voices of many martial artists echoed in the room:
"What?"
"Xin Taiyang is coming, we are not prepared to fight him at all."
"If he decides to launch an attack now, what shall we do?"
Yong Taihua stood up and called for order. "Calm down, everyone." He looked at the junior disciple. "Are you sure he is heading here?"
"Yes, Mu gongzi is also by his side," the disciple confirmed.
Yong Taihua speculated, "If Shizun is by Ma Jingguo's side, he may just be visiting the Mu cemetery. I will go meet them first."
Yong Gui hesitated. "Are you sure?"
Fu Yuanjun spoke up. "Chief Yong, Yong gongzi is Mu ge's disciple. A teacher will not kill his student."
"Taihua, then you go," Yong Gui agreed. "If you think that Xin Taiyang is coming to attack us, then send the signal right away."
Yong Taihua nodded and walked out of the conference room.
Cao Wenyan stood up and made his position clear. "I will make it clear that I will help you fight Xin Taiyang, but whoever dares to harm Mu gongzi, I will not go easy on that person."
The martial artists, already aware of Cao Wenyan's affection for Mu Dishi, remained silent.
Num Chingmei then spoke. "If this is the case, then Chief Cao shouldn't join us in this battle."
Li Kong Bai agreed. "I think what Nun Chingmei said makes sense. If Mu gongzi wants to help Xin Taiyang fight us, then we have to defend ourselves. When fists are thrown and swords are drawn, injuries are unavoidable on either side."
Red Mice supported the decision. "In this case, the Cao family will not intervene, and it will be fair to both parties."
"That is the best for everyone," Yong Gui concluded. He stood up. "Let us end our discussion and wait for Taihua. Everyone should rest and prepare for the worst."
In the guestroom in Sword Village, dressed in a disguise, Wang Biming placed two porcelain vases on the table and picked up an empty bottle. He was furious, not at anyone else, but at himself, having failed to kill Bazar Batu. He recalled how he had rushed, pouring the contents of only the first porcelain vase he grabbed from his inner robe down Bazar Batu's throat, completely forgetting he carried two potent doses.
He said with a bitter smile, "You are such a lucky person to escape death; anyhow, it's a long way from here to Jiangnan, and I still have one hundred days to kill you."