Ten guards, swords drawn, formed a tight circle around the man in white and Zhu Mingyang. The man in white was standing close behind his guard, a vulnerable silhouette relying on Zhu Mingyang's strength.
Cao Wenyan pointed a finger at the man in white. "As long as you leave him, everyone else can leave here alive," he declared, his voice cold and confident. After a few silent, tense minutes, it became clear no one would surrender. Cao Wenyan's smile vanished. "Very well," he said, the words a chilling command. "Kill everyone."
Bazar Batu lurched to his feet, but Kuo Lok grabbed his hand, holding him in place. Kuo Lok shook his head firmly.
Bazar Batu's brow furrowed in frustration. "Why?" he whispered.
"Which group do you want to help?" Kuo Lok asked, his gaze fixed on the tense standoff.
"Of course, the blind man's group," Bazar Batu replied instantly.
At that moment, Cao Wenyan acted. He plunged his sword directly into Zhu Mingyang's already injured shoulder. Simultaneously, Cao Yanmei moved like a shadow, slipping behind the incapacitated Zhu Mingyang and delivering a swift, vicious blow to the man in white's left shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Cao Wenyan then quickly stepped forward, blocking Zhu Mingyang's path and ensuring he couldn't get to his master.
Instantly, five guards rushed forward, their swords drawn, and began to attack Cao Yanmei, a desperate attempt to protect their master.
Cao Yanmei's eyes flashed with impatience as she looked at the five men in multicolored clothes. "What are you waiting for?" she snapped.
Without hesitation, the five men leaped from their table, drawing their blades. They joined the fray, immediately attacking the five guards who were defending the man in white, turning the already brutal skirmish into a chaotic whirlwind of steel.
Meanwhile, the man in white stood in the middle of the open dining area, a still, vulnerable figure in a sea of violence. As the clash of swords and shouts of men erupted all around him, he began to feel around in front of him, his hands reaching out into the empty space. He took a slow, tentative step forward, his voice a low whisper as he desperately called out for Zhu Mingyang.
Cao Wenyan broke free from the melee, a predator with a single-minded purpose. He flew across the room, aiming a decisive palm strike at the defenseless man in white.
Just as the blow was about to land, Bazar Batu leaped forward, throwing himself in front of the man. Cao Wenyan's palm slammed into Bazar Batu's back with a sickening thud. The sheer force of the strike sent both Bazar Batu and the man in white flying. They soared twenty yards through the air, crashing violently into a table and shattering it to pieces. The broken table landed directly in front of Fu Yuanjun, Yong Taihua, Yong Caixia, and Elder Tong, their confrontation having just landed on the elders' doorstep.
Ignoring the chaos of the tavern, Kuo Lok rushed to Bazar Batu, helping him to his feet. The man in white, having been shielded by Bazar Batu, was uninjured. But as soon as Kuo Lok pulled him up, Bazar Batu coughed, a mouthful of dark, fresh blood erupting from his lips and staining the ground.
Without a moment's hesitation, Kuo Lok guided him to sit down, positioning himself behind his friend. He placed his palms on Bazar Batu's back and began to transfer his inner energy, pouring his life force into his friend to heal the devastating internal wound.
The moment Zhu Mingyang saw the man in white and Bazar Batu sent flying into the table, something inside him snapped. A terrifying, dark energy surged through his body, rushing in from all directions. The pain in his injured shoulder vanished, replaced by an unstoppable rage. He lost all control, becoming a whirlwind of destruction, killing anyone standing in his way.
Cao Wenyan and the five-colored men immediately shifted their attention, now fighting for their lives against this new, out-of-control force.
Amid the chaos, the man in white called out, his voice filled with terror, "What's happening?"
"He went mad," Yong Taihua replied, his voice a disbelieving whisper.
Elder Tong uttered, his gaze fixed on the brutal fight, "I thought I would never see it again."
Fu Yuanjun's face was pale. "What is he using?"
"That's the Devil Fist Manual," Elder Tong said solemnly. "The Devil Fist is on the same level as the Killer Strings."
Yong Taihua's eyes were wide with a mix of fear and disbelief. "Does that mean no one here can beat him?"
Elder Tong sighed grimly. "I don't know anyone other than Kuo shifu or Mu Dishi."
Fu Yuanjun's voice was a whisper, filled with bitter irony. "And neither of them are here."
"Mu Dishi somehow managed to successfully complete the Killer Strings Manual," Elder Tong continued, a hint of awe in his voice. "By the look of it, that person has not successfully completed the Devil Fist Manual. That's why his internal qi is backfiring."
Kuo Lok gently pulled his hand away from Bazar Batu's back, his expression somber. He helped his friend sit upright.
Fu Yuanjun's eyes were fixed on Kuo Lok, a look of shock and dawning realization on his face. "Kuo shifu isn't here, but he is here," he said, his voice a disbelieving whisper. He looked directly into Kuo Lok's eyes. "Xiongdi, you are the only one here who can stop him."
Kuo Lok glanced at the crazed Zhu Mingyang, who was now a whirlwind of destruction, attacking his own men. With a flash of righteous anger, Kuo Lok leaped to his feet. He met Zhu Mingyang's brutal assault with a Dragon Palm Strike.
Zhu Mingyang grabbed a guard by the neck, snapping it with a sickening crack. He threw the body into the kitchen as if it weighed nothing. He then released a flurry of furious punches at the five men in colored clothes. One by one, they fell to the ground, vomiting blood.
With the five men dispatched, Zhu Mingyang focused his attention on Cao Wenyan, unleashing a relentless assault. After a series of brutal blows, one of his punches landed squarely on Cao Wenyan's right chest. The powerful force of the strike sent Cao Wenyan flying, slamming him into the wall with a bone-shattering thud.
Zhu Mingyang turned his attention from Cao Wenyan and lunged towards him. Cao Yanmei flew forward, sword drawn, but Zhu Mingyang met her attack with cold efficiency. He blocked her sword, twisted her wrist with a sickening crunch, and sent the weapon clattering to the ground. He then grabbed her by the neck and lifted her clean off the floor.
At that moment, Kuo Lok appeared behind Zhu Mingyang, delivering a Dragon Palm Strike to his back. But Zhu Mingyang didn't even flinch. Instead, he simply smashed the struggling Cao Yanmei against a table. He then spun around, grabbed Kuo Lok's right palm with his left hand, and drove a powerful punch into Kuo Lok's abdomen. Kuo Lok managed to block the blow with his left arm, but the sheer force of the attack sent him flying backward, slamming into a thick wooden flagpole.
Zhu Mingyang smirked. The flagpole behind Kuo Lok didn't break instantly; it seemed to hold for a moment before snapping in the middle, its top half crashing loudly onto the roof of the kitchen.
The man in white stood up from the ground, intent on walking toward Zhu Mingyang. But Bazar Batu grabbed his hand, trying to hold him back.
"Don't you hear him, qianbei?" Bazar Batu asked.
The man in white simply pulled his hand away and began to walk slowly toward Zhu Mingyang, his voice calm and clear as he counted, "One... two... three... four... five..."
Zhu Mingyang, his eyes still cold, looked at the man in white and lunged forward.
The man in white continued counting, his voice unwavering. "Six."
Zhu Mingyang was twenty yards away, a blur of motion.
"Seven," the man in white whispered, his voice calm and clear.
In a flash, Zhu Mingyang's raging fist was inches from the man in white's face. Every person in the tavern, injured and uninjured alike, gasped in a single, collective sound of horror.
The man in white sighed softly. He reached out and gently took hold of Zhu Mingyang's angry fist. With a patient, careful motion, he slowly straightened his guard's fingers, placing the now-open palm against the side of his own face.
"Mingyang," he said, his voice soft as a whisper.
Zhu Mingyang's head tilted, his eyes filled with a terrifying, vacant rage.
"Mingyang... it's time to wake up." The man in white turned his face to the left and gently pressed his lips to Zhu Mingyang's palm.
A shudder ran through Zhu Mingyang's body. His jaw clenched, and he ground his teeth together for a few moments, fighting the last vestiges of the dark energy. Slowly, he pulled his hand from the man in white's face. His breathing began to slow, his concentration stabilized, and he regained control of himself.
His eyes, now clear, looked at the man in white with a heartbreaking tenderness. "Are you hurt?" he asked.
The man in white smiled softly at Zhu Mingyang. "I'm not injured," he said. "Let's clean up your wound."
"Okay," Zhu Mingyang replied, his voice a low rumble.
He lowered his body, and the man in white climbed onto his back. Together, the two began to walk toward the exit. The owner of the tavern slowly and cautiously emerged from behind the kitchen counter, his eyes wide with fear.
"Mingyang," the man in white said softly.
Zhu Mingyang reached into his robes and pulled out a large silver ingot. He placed it on a splintered table and said, his voice firm, "This is to compensate for the damage."
The two men walked away, disappearing into the crowded inn as if nothing had happened.
Bazar Batu slowly approached Kuo Lok, his face a mask of concern. "Lok ge ge," he asked softly, "are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Kuo Lok replied, his voice a little strained.
Bazar Batu reached out and gently took hold of his arm. "You were fantastic," he said, his voice filled with genuine awe.
As the words left his lips, something gave way. With a sudden, violent cough, Kuo Lok's body shuddered, and a dark gush of blood erupted from his mouth. He went limp, falling forward into Bazar Batu's arms.
"Lok ge ge! Lok ge ge!" Bazar Batu cried, pulling Kuo Lok into his arms and holding him tightly. "Please don't die. You promised me you'd accompany me across this land, seeking great adventures. Lok ge ge... please wake up..."
Later that night, Kuo Lok slowly opened his eyes. He saw Bazar Batu asleep, his head resting against the side of the bed. As he looked at Bazar Batu's face, he felt his heart begin to beat faster. He reached out and gently moved a few strands of hair from Bazar Batu's face, a motion that woke him.
Bazar Batu let out a tired yawn. "You finally woke up," he said, before his face suddenly fell. Tears welled in his eyes. "I thought you were going to die! Who knew you vomited so much blood?" He scrambled onto the bed, lay down beside Kuo Lok, and wrapped his arms around him. "Lok ge ge, do you know how scared I was?"
"Don't cry," Kuo Lok said, gently wiping a tear from Bazar Batu's cheek. "A man sheds blood, not tears."
Bazar Batu sniffled. "I'm not a man yet. I haven't lost my virginity, so I still consider myself a boy."
Kuo Lok was a little confused by the statement. "But... aren't you a girl?"
Bazar Batu's eyes were sincere. "I am dressed in boys' clothes. That means I am a boy."
Kuo Lok hesitated, his gaze dropping to Bazar Batu's lips. "Can I...?"
Bazar Batu smiled, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Go ahead."
Kuo Lok blinked in surprise. "You don't know what I was going to ask? Why are you giving me permission so quickly?"
Bazar Batu's smile widened. "You were going to ask if you could kiss me, right?"
Kuo Lok lifted Bazar Batu's chin and kissed him softly on the lips. After a long moment, they parted, and Kuo Lok pulled Bazar Batu into his arms.
Bazar Batu laughed quietly, the sound muffled against Kuo Lok's chest. "Lok ge ge," he teased, "since you're a man and I'm a boy, does kissing me count as a crime?"
"I don't know," Kuo Lok admitted honestly.
"Back then, you said it was a crime to marry an underage lady. So does that apply to kissing an underage boy?"
Kuo Lok slowly loosened his embrace, a worried frown on his face. "Then, I should sleep on the floor."
Bazar Batu burst into laughter. "My heart is still that of a boy, so you've broken no rule of the martial world." He raised his head and kissed Kuo Lok's chin. "You are so dull."
As they lay there talking, they suddenly heard two men chatting as they walked past their room. One of the voices said, "Xiao shushu, if we had arrived earlier, we would have witnessed that ultimate battle."