Mu Dishi looked down at the ground and walked away slowly; his pace deliberates but heavy. He refused to look back, unable to hide the tears that were already blurring his vision.
The decision was forced upon him, driven by a memory from the stream in Mu Village just days ago, when Yan Zhanjin and Monk Ling had approached him.
Monk Ling began, his tone somber. "Benefactor Mu."
"What are you two doing here?" Mu Dishi asked.
"Benefactor Mu, this is in regard to Chief Xin."
"What about him?"
Monk Ling explained the danger. "You know, Chief Xin practices the Devil Fist Manual. He has reached the highest level of the manual, but he has not gone mad because of the inner strength of Benefactor Zan hovering in his body. Since Sunset Sect is the fifth household of Central Plains, we must stop Chief Xin by destroying the rest of the blocked meridians inside his body."
Mu Dishi's voice was utterly indifferent. "Why should I help you destroy his blocked meridians?"
"If it is not destroyed, within two years, Benefactor Ma will lose his mind and cannot escape from qi deviation, because the two different energies flowing in his body will start to attack each other."
Yan Zhanjin stepped forward, appealing to Mu Dishi's knowledge as a martial artist. "Mu ge, you understand that Ma Jingguo will go crazy sooner or later if he continues to practice the Devil Fist Manual."
"He promised that he would stop," Mu Dishi murmured.
"You are also a martial artist yourself. You know what will happen when he loses control completely. He doesn't care who is who. He will kill anyone standing in front of him," Yan Zhanjin warned.
Mu Dishi looked sharply at Yan Zhanjin. "You want me to destroy all his meridians and paralyze him?"
"That is the only way out," Yan Zhanjin confirmed.
Monk Ling offered the moral justification. "Amitabha... Benefactor Mu, the choice to save many lives and Benefactor Ma is in your hands. The right to choose is yours." Monk Ling bowed and walked away.
Yan Zhanjin pulled out a small cloth bag. "Here, this is the antidote to the poison that Ma Jingguo gave you. Kuo shifu has unlocked four of the eight blocked acupuncture points. If we destroy the other four, Ma Jingguo will lose all his internal energy, but his life will be saved." He quickly followed Monk Ling.
As the cruel memory left his mind, Mu Dishi sighed, the burden of the decision crushing him, and continued walking toward his own home. He suddenly stopped, his eyes falling on Wang Biming, who was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. Mu Dishi slowly walked past Wang Biming, heading into the distance.
Wang Biming remained leaning against the tree, eyes still closed. "Dishi, are you going to greet me?"
Mu Dishi did not speak, his pace unwavering as he continued to walk away.
Wang Biming instantly rushed forward and blocked Mu Dishi's path. "Dishi, I have been waiting for you for two days!" He glanced around. "Ma Jingguo finally released you."
Mu Dishi sighed, frustration lacing his voice. "Wang Biming, get out of my way. If you don't want to die, don't approach me anymore." He shoved Wang Biming aside. "Get out of here!"
As soon as Mu Dishi pushed him, Wang Biming realized Mu Dishi's internal energy had not fully recovered. He instantly grabbed Mu Dishi by the left collar, pulling him close. "Your poison has not been completely removed yet?" He lowered his head intimately. "Let me suck it out for you."
"Let go!" Mu Dishi spat out, forcefully pushing Wang Biming away again.
Standing behind them, Ma Jingguo had been watching the scene of pushing and pulling, his face contorting with jealous rage. He finally broke, his voice dripping with malice.
"You two love each other so much, why don't you get married earlier? This can save a lot of people's confusion." Ma Jingguo clapped slowly, his laughter brittle and maniacal.
"Jingguo…" Mu Dishi began, a mixture of guilt and exhaustion on his face.
Ma Jingguo looked coldly at him. "Xiao shushu, was it so hard to just tell me you still love Wang Biming?" He smiled viciously at both of them, his voice mocking the old martial arts world. "I think you two are the best example of the old saying, 'The longer the fermentation of the wine, the better the taste.'"
Wang Biming pulled Mu Dishi tightly into his arms. "If that is the case, would Chief Xin be kind enough to step away and leave Dishi alone?"
Ma Jingguo smiled—a cold, terrifying sight. "Alright, I will let him go with you. Even so, I am willing to hold a wedding for the two of you, so the two of you can live and die together." He erupted into loud, mocking laughter.
Mu Dishi lowered his voice, his tone flat and utterly serious. "If you don't want to die, you must leave now."
Wang Biming refused, clinging to him. "I will leave with you."
Mu Dishi's rejection was firm and absolute. "Wang Biming, I hate you, and I will hate you forever. If there is a chance, I will definitely kill you."
Wang Biming lowered his head and whispered into Mu Dishi's ear, a desperate exchange. "Follow me, I will tell you who killed Chen Dandan and clear Ma Jingguo's name."
Mu Dishi spun around quickly, not realizing how close Wang Biming was. Their lips brushed. Wang Biming seized the opportunity, forcefully kissing Mu Dishi in a brazen display right in front of Ma Jingguo.
Ma Jingguo dashed forward toward Wang Biming in a blinding fury. Wang Biming shoved Mu Dishi away and launched an attack. Ma Jingguo easily blocked the punch, instantly grabbing Wang Biming's left arm. Ma Jingguo concentrated his inner strength on his right fist, aiming a heavy blow intended to shatter Wang Biming's arm and break the bones into pieces.
A golden needle flew directly toward Ma Jingguo's fist. He quickly retracted his hand, but the golden needle still scored a painful scratch across the top of his right hand.
In raw anger, Ma Jingguo slammed his fist into Wang Biming's back. The powerful punch sent Wang Biming staggering to the ground at Mu Dishi's feet. Ma Jingguo quickly flew forward, unsheathing Honglei. He planted his right foot heavily on the injured Wang Biming's left back, and the tip of Honglei swung to rest a mere inch from Mu Dishi's throat.
Wang Biming screamed, "Ma Jingguo, don't!"
Honglei barely grazed Mu Dishi's skin. Ma Jingguo's eyes were blazing red, and he glared at Mu Dishi. "Why?" His lips trembled with a rage that bordered on agony. "WHY?!" he roared fiercely at Mu Dishi.
In the next instant, Mu Dishi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Mu Dishi slowly slumped sideways. Ma Jingguo savagely kicked Wang Biming very hard in the abdomen, sending him flying twenty yards away. Ma Jingguo sheathed Honglei and caught Mu Dishi, preventing him from collapsing completely.
Mu Dishi reached out and gently wiped Ma Jingguo's bleeding hand with his sleeve. He looked up at Ma Jingguo and whispered, "Jingguo… I... I'm sorry." He then fainted in Ma Jingguo's arms.
Ma Jingguo slowly wiped the blood from the corner of Mu Dishi's mouth. He tenderly kissed Mu Dishi's forehead and held him tightly in his arms.
Tong Keung approached from behind Ma Jingguo. "Chief, we are ready to go up to our sect."
Ma Jingguo stared coldly at the crumpled figure of Wang Biming. He picked up Mu Dishi. "I hope you will enjoy your time in our sect prison cell."
In a large, spartan room, Ma Jingguo sat meditating on the edge of a bed. He heard Yuan Chaomei walk in and set a bowl of medicine on the table. He opened his eyes.
Yuan Chaomei picked up the bowl and walked over to Ma Jingguo. "Chief, he will be fine. He fainted because he used internal energy forcibly." She looked at Ma Jingguo pointedly. "You do know that you still have the last four acupoints that need to be unblocked."
"I know," Ma Jingguo confirmed. He looked at Yuan Chaomei. "Chaomei, what will happen to me if the acupoints are not released?"
"The inner energy you don't have remains unchanged. Within two years, when Right Guard Zan's internal energy and your internal energy start to attack each other, you will die." She sat across from Ma Jingguo. "That time, because Kuo shifu didn't know that you transferred his blows to your benefit, but since they already knew about the issue, they would try to destroy the rest of your blocked acupoints. They might ask him…"
Ma Jingguo placed the empty bowl down, his voice sharp. "Who?"
Yuan Chaomei hesitated. "I'm afraid of offending you."
"Speak," Ma Jingguo ordered.
"They might ask Mu gongzi to destroy the last four blocked acupoints. You are very close to Mu gongzi. With him by your side, you always relax your vigilance. It is not difficult for him to destroy your acupoints."
Ma Jingguo looked at the unconscious Mu Dishi. "Xiao shushu will never hurt me."
Yuan Chaomei sighed, her eyes full of pity. "Chief, do you really believe it, or do you just say that to appease your injured heart?"