The muttering voices of the gathered martial artists inside the small temple abruptly died down, their attention no longer on Kuo Lok and Bazar Batu. A stunned silence fell over the room as every head shifted to the front entrance. A few hushed whispers filled the silence: "The Yueguang Sect..."
Li Donghai stepped forward, his voice strained. "I believe our meeting has nothing to do with you, Miao guniang , or the Yueguang Sect."
Miao Mingzhu's beautiful smile widened. "True, your meeting has nothing to do with me," she said, her voice like silk, "but the Mu treasure map you mentioned has everything to do with my sect." Her smile turned cold. "Now, if any of you have a piece of that map, hand it over, and you will be handsomely rewarded."
As if on command, numerous Yueguang disciples appeared at the temple's entrance, silently blocking their only way out.
Yang Yun's face hardened. "And what if we don't?" he challenged.
Miao Mingzhu gave a chilling, contemptuous scoff. "Then everyone here will die horribly."
Suo Dongmei stepped forward. "We don't have it," she said flatly.
Miao Mingzhu's smile never wavered. "But I heard someone mention the map and a certain Mu Dishi," she replied, her voice filled with knowing amusement.
Fa Goutin, desperate to explain, blurted out, "Our meeting today is about capturing Mu Dishi so we can force him to draw us a new map."
Miao Mingzhu burst out laughing, a light, mocking sound. "He once told me he only glanced at it twice. He doesn't pay attention to such trinkets."
Suo Dongmei's eyes narrowed. "And you believe him?"
"I have to believe him," Miao Mingzhu said, her voice dropping, "because Ma Jingguo's life is on the line." Her eyes scanned the faces of the martial artists. "But I don't believe any of you." Her little green snake hovered above her hand as she gave it a soft pat on the head. "Bring her in."
Two of her disciples dragged a woman into the temple. Miao Mingzhu reached out and lifted the woman's face, revealing a disfigured visage. "She used to be very beautiful," Miao Mingzhu said, her voice now filled with a disturbing coldness. "But because she lied to me, she ended up like this."
The woman, Mo Ehuang, let out a pained sob. "Miao Mingzhu, kill me," she pleaded, her voice raspy.
Miao Mingzhu simply laughed, a light, mocking sound. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're my test subject. I couldn't be so heartless as to kill you." She giggled again. "If any of you lie to me, this will be your fate."
Bazar Batu, who had watched the scene unfold with a frozen horror, grabbed Kuo Lok's thigh with a trembling hand. He leaned in and whispered, "Lok ge ge, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid," Kuo Lok whispered, his voice low and firm. "I won't let anything happen to you."
A sharp, piercing voice cut through the air. "What are you two whispering about?" Miao Mingzhu demanded, her beautiful face a mask of cold suspicion as she walked toward them.
Bazar Batu instinctively scrambled behind Kuo Lok, burying his face into the young man's back. "We didn't say anything," he mumbled into Kuo Lok's robe.
"I clearly heard you," Miao Mingzhu said, her voice dropping to a dangerous hiss.
Kuo Lok, seeing Bazar Batu's genuine fear, spoke up. "She says she is scared," he said simply.
Miao Mingzhu looked at Kuo Lok, her beautiful smile turning predatory as she spoke. "To be honest, no one can compare to Mu Dishi," she said, her eyes never leaving him. "But you... you're not bad at all. Very handsome." She took a slow, deliberate step toward him.
Just then, Bazar Batu looked up, his eyes widening in terror at the sight of Miao Mingzhu's green snake flicking its tongue. He screamed, "Lok ge ge, kill that snake!"
Before Miao Mingzhu could even react, Kuo Lok's hand shot out. He grabbed the small snake's head and squeezed, his grip so immense that the snake's eyes popped instantly. Its body slowly went limp, slipping from Miao Mingzhu's arm to the ground as a stunned silence fell over the temple.
"Why did you kill my snake?" Miao Mingzhu demanded, her voice a low, dangerous hiss of pure anger.
Kuo Lok looked at her blankly. "Um... she told me to kill it," he said simply.
Miao Mingzhu's rage was replaced by a moment of utter heartbreak. Her eyes fixed on the limp, dead snake on the ground. "You..." she whispered, her voice choked with grief. "Kill them."
One of her disciples, missing the emotional shift, asked, "Kill them all, or just these two?"
Miao Mingzhu smacked the disciple hard on the head. "You idiot! Kill them all!"
With Miao Mingzhu's command, the Yueguang disciples immediately descended upon the other martial artists, turning the temple into a chaotic battlefield. Ignoring the brawl, Miao Mingzhu lunged directly at Kuo Lok, her face a mask of furious vengeance.
Kuo Lok, sensing the imminent attack, channeled his eternal energy. The ropes binding his hands strained, then snapped with a sharp crack. Free of his restraints, he launched a powerful counterattack, meeting Miao Mingzhu in the middle of the room. A whirlwind of power and rage, their duel became the violent eye of the storm as the chaos raged around them.
Two Yueguang disciples swung their swords at Bazar Batu, but he rolled across the concrete floor, narrowly escaping their blades. As another disciple charged, Bazar Batu reached into his robe and hurled a small wooden box at him. The disciple expertly cut the box in half with his sword, but the action released a puff of red powder that coated his face.
Bazar Batu quickly stood and shoved the disoriented disciple into the path of a second swordsman. In the chaos, the second disciple's sword plunged into the first one's abdomen. The second disciple stumbled back from the shock, hitting his head on the sharp edge of a stone table where a Buddha statue sat. Both men collapsed dead.
With his attackers eliminated, Bazar Batu began cutting the ropes that bound him.
More Yueguang disciples flooded into the temple, adding to the chaos as they began attacking Kuo Lok, Suo Dongmei, Fa Goutin, Li Donghai, and Yang Yun. In the midst of the brawl, Miao Mingzhu's eyes fell on Bazar Batu, still struggling to free himself.
With a graceful, fluid motion, she flew over and grabbed him by the back of his collar, yanking him upward. Then, with a vicious kick to his right leg, she forced him to his knees.
"Little boy," she said, her voice dripping with cold malice, "pay me back my snake."
Bazar Batu struggled wildly. "Let go of me!" he demanded. In his desperation, he managed to get a firm grip on Miao Mingzhu's right hand and bit down as hard as he could.
A gasp of surprise and pain escaped her lips, and she instinctively lashed out, hitting him hard on the left shoulder. She then shook her right hand violently until Bazar Batu's teeth finally let go. He struggled to his feet and promptly vomited a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
Miao Mingzhu picked up a fallen sword and began to walk toward Bazar Batu, her movements slow and menacing. Seeing her intent, Kuo Lok acted instantly, kicking away the three disciples in his path. He then used his Dragon Palm Strike to pull Bazar Batu toward him in a flash.
Miao Mingzhu hurled the sword at Kuo Lok, but he used his Dragon Palm once more, deflecting the blade with a surge of energy and sending it flying into one of the Yueguang disciples.
Kuo Lok pulled Bazar Batu close. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice full of urgency.
Miao Mingzhu's gaze swept over the entire room, her voice cold as ice. "Kill them all," she commanded.
With that final order, the Yueguang disciples launched a full-scale assault on the martial artists of the Central Plains.
Kuo Lok grabbed Bazar Batu's tied hands and, in one swift motion, swung him onto his back. Bazar Batu's legs wrapped tightly around Kuo Lok's waist as he held on, his hands still bound above his head. With his companion secured, Kuo Lok began a counterattack against the charging Yueguang disciples.
As Bazar Batu watched the fierce battle unfold, a powerful wave of emotion surged through him. His heart hammered in his chest, not with fear, but with a strange, unexplainable sense of relief. For the first time in his life, clinging to the back of this powerful young man, he felt completely safe.
From his vantage point, Bazar Batu leaned in and whispered, "Lok ge ge, is there a special person in your heart?"
Kuo Lok deflected a sword with a kick, then replied simply, "Everyone in the Jinfeng Sect is very special to me."
Bazar Batu burst into laughter, a light, relieved sound in the midst of the carnage. "I mean," he clarified, "is there someone you like?"
"No," Kuo Lok replied simply. He snatched a sword from a fallen Yueguang disciple and, in the same motion, slit the man's throat.
"Do you have anyone you like?" Bazar Batu asked again, his tone now playful.
"No," Kuo Lok said. He kicked a second disciple, sending the man flying into another and knocking both of them down.
"Very good," Bazar Batu sighed, a wave of relief washing over him. He clung tightly to Kuo Lok. "Lok ge ge, are we friends now?"
"Mm," Kuo Lok hummed in response, his voice calm and steady.
Watching from a distance, Miao Mingzhu's eyes narrowed. The seemingly naive young man was incredibly skilled. Seeing the fight turn against her, she grabbed Mo Ehuang and began to drag the woman out of the temple, a strategic retreat to ensure her own escape.
"Help me! Someone, please help me!" Mo Ehuang's desperate cries echoed through the temple. "I don't want to go back! I don't want to be her test subject!"
In the middle of the chaotic fight, Kuo Lok focused, gathering his powerful internal energy into the palms of his hands. He then launched a powerful, unseen force, a Dragon Palm Strike that pulled Mo Ehuang from Miao Mingzhu's grasp and brought her safely to his side.
Yang Yun gasped, a look of utter shock on his face. "Dragon Palm Strikes."
Fa Goutin, his voice laced with bewildered fury, demanded, "Who are you?"
Kuo Lok, without looking away from Miao Mingzhu, replied calmly, "I am Kuo Lok, from the Jinfeng Sect."
Suo Dongmei's eyes widened, her voice a disbelieving whisper. "You are..."
"I'm the son of Kuo Jing Song," Kuo Lok finished, his voice cutting through the remaining sounds of the battle.
Miao Mingzhu gave a soft, contemptuous scoff. "Kuo Lok from the Jinfeng Sector," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "you owe me a snake." She then turned to her underlings. "We're leaving." She offered Kuo Lok one last smile, a look of chilling admiration on her face, before departing.
Kuo Lok gently helped Bazar Batu stand, his hands checking his friend for injuries. "Are you hurt?" he asked.
Bazar Batu shook his head, a look of utter awe on his face. "No..." he stammered, then smiled. "Lok ge ge, you're awesome."
Suo Dongmei bowed slightly. "Kuo shixiong," she said with newfound respect, "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."
Fa Goutin also bowed. "Thank you," he said, his voice sincere. "Without you, we would not have stood a chance against that evil woman."
Kuo Lok approached Fa Goutin, his expression perfectly neutral. "I have something to ask of you, Qianbei."
"What is it?" Fa Goutin asked, still recovering from the chaos.
Kuo Lok's voice was a calm, disarming murmur. "If you don't mind... I would like to squeeze your right breast."
Bazar Batu burst into a fit of gleeful giggles, while the entire room full of martial artists let out a collective gasp of shock.
"Huh... whaaat?" Fa Goutin stammered in disbelief.
Kuo Lok explained simply, "You squeezed Bazar Batu's breast. She said if I squeeze yours, she'll let the matter go."
Li Donghai cleared his throat, his face a mixture of embarrassment and pragmatism. "Chief Fa, since you were in the wrong, just let him do it. As martial artists, we shouldn't concern ourselves with such a small matter."
"We don't care," Yang Yun added, nodding his head stiffly.
Fa Goutin let out a long, weary sigh. "Alright," he mumbled, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
Kuo Lok leaned forward and, with a calm, methodical motion, squeezed Fa Goutin's right breast three times. Then he lowered his head in a polite gesture. "Thank you, Fa Qianbei," he said softly. "And I'm sorry."
Inside the temple, two elders and Suo Dongmei tried to comfort a humiliated Fa Goutin. Ignoring the attempts at consolation, Suo Dongmei's gaze remained fixed on the figure of Kuo Lok.
Bazar Batu called out to the other martial artists. "Are you guys heading towards Yong Sword Village?"
"We are," one of the men replied.
Bazar Batu looked at the group of humbled martial artists with a smirk on his face. "Well, see you all in Sword Village then," he said, his voice dripping with victory. He turned and grabbed Kuo Lok by the arm. "Lok ge ge, let's go."
He dragged Kuo Lok out of the temple and through the front gate, only letting go once they were safely outside. "Um... we should go into town and find a place to sleep," he suggested, his bravado replaced by an odd nervousness. "It's not far from here."
"You've been here before?" Kuo Lok asked, his voice full of simple curiosity.
Bazar Batu cleared his throat. "I... I visited once," he stammered, avoiding Kuo Lok's gaze.
As they began to walk away, Kuo Lok looked at him and asked, "Are you happy now?"
Bazar Batu nodded, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Lok ge ge, I am very happy," he said. He then looked at the road ahead and a mischievous idea came to mind. The walk to town would take another hour, and he was not about to walk.
He turned to Kuo Lok, a pitiful expression on his face. "Lok ge ge," he pleaded, his voice soft and trembling. "My leg is hurt. Could you carry me on your back, please?" He blinked his eyes twice, looking up at the easily manipulated man.
Kuo Lok looked down at him, his heart softening with sympathy. Without a word, he turned and lowered himself, his back facing Bazar Batu. "Climb on," he said simply.
A bright smile broke across Bazar Batu's face. He quickly scrambled onto Kuo Lok's back, and the two of them made their way down the long, dusty road toward town.