Once more gathered inside the Sword Village's conference hall, the poisoned martial artists had regained their strength. Yong Gui looked over at Bazar Bataar and his two wives before walking toward them.
"Thank you," Yong Gui said, his voice solemn. "Thank you for saving our lives."
"I am not the one you should thank," Bazar Bataar replied humbly. "You should thank Batu for his excellent plan."
"Yes," Yong Gui said, a difficult truth in his words. "He is indeed a very talented young man."
"Chief Yong," Li Jia said, stepping forward. "Batu might be a little mischievous at times, but he is not a murderer."
"Bazar gongzi, he's right about one thing," Yong Gui said, his voice softer. "He's never met Er shixiong before. He's far too young to know about the feud between Er shixiong and Mu Dishi. Er shixiong's last words point directly to Mu Dishi as the culprit."
"How so?" Bazar Bataar asked.
"As far as I know, Mu Dishi is Er shixiong's only enemy," Yong Gui explained. "What I don't understand is why Mu Dishi, after having so many opportunities to kill Er shixiong in the past, chose to kill him now."
"Perhaps someone wanted to lure Mu Dishi back to the martial arts world," Bazar Bataar said, "or perhaps they wanted to sever the friendship between Sword Village and him."
"If I had to pick one," Elder Tong said, "it would be the second one."
"If Mu Dishi returns," Li Kong Bai warned, his voice grim, "there will be many deaths."
"I believe the murderer is not Mu ge," Fu Yuanjun said, defending his friend. "The murderer must be someone who wanted to frame him."
"Let us pray that the murderer is not Benefactor Mu," Monk Ling said quietly.
Standing in the hallway, Kuo Changchang looked into the room. The expression on Kuo Lok's face was one she had never seen before: a look of deep, profound worry. In that moment, she realized her little brother had grown up. He was no longer just capable of taking care of himself; he was now ready to take care of others.
She gently knocked on the door frame, and Kuo Lok looked up at her. He stood, walked to the door, stepped out, and quietly closed it behind him.
"Jiejie," Kuo Lok asked, his voice filled with urgency, "did you find anything that could help Batu's condition?"
"No," Kuo Changchang said, "but some of the elders mentioned a great doctor. They said he was just as good as Doctor Mu, but a little strange. They called him Crazy Chen Fa. The last time anyone saw him was many years ago, in Li Village."
"Jiejie, I'll take Batu there," Kuo Lok declared without a moment's hesitation.
"Ah Lok," she said, her voice grim. "Do you know you'll have to constantly transfer your inner energy to him every twelve hours? If you don't, he'll die."
"I know," Kuo Lok said, his voice firm and unwavering.
"I won't stop you," Kuo Changchang said, her eyes soft with emotion. "Since you were little, you have never been close to anyone. I am happy that you finally have someone you care about."
"Jiejie," Kuo Lok said, his voice softening. "Please tell Mother I won't make it to her birthday, and I might not be home for a while."
Kuo Changchang smiled, her eyes glistening. "I will," she promised.
After Kuo Changchang left, Kuo Lok picked up their two bags and put Bazar Batu on his back. He quietly walked out the back door, beginning their journey.
He had been walking for a long time when he heard Bazar Batu groan in pain. He quickly found a shady spot beneath a large tree and gently set him down. He sat behind Bazar Batu and began transferring his inner energy, giving him the strength to endure. When he was finished, he pulled Bazar Batu's head onto his right shoulder and held him close.
"Lok gege," Bazar Batu asked, his voice weak. "Where are we going?"
"I'm taking you to see a doctor who can help you," Kuo Lok replied.
"Lok gege," Bazar Batu asked, his voice weak. "Do you need to transfer your inner energy to me often?"
Kuo Lok hesitated. "I have to transfer it every twelve hours," he finally said. "To keep the poison from entering your heart."
Bazar Batu smiled. "Then I am very happy," he said. "Even if I'm about to die." He looked up at the branches above them. "Lok gege, can you get me some branches?"
Without questioning, Kuo Lok reached up, broke a few branches, and handed them to him. Bazar Batu began to tie them together.
Kuo Lok looked at the branches in Bazar Batu's hands. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Making an umbrella," Bazar Batu replied.
Kuo Lok didn't question it. "Let's go," he said, and together they continued their journey.
Bazar Batu climbed onto Kuo Lok's back, and the two men began the ascent up Zhúzi Mountain. They went deep into a secluded bamboo forest until they came to a small, ancient pavilion.
Beside the pavilion stood a tombstone with a cryptic inscription: "On the fifteenth day of the month. Listening to the musical melodies with pain." On the other side of the pavilion was a massive cliff. It stretched out, with a large chasm of water separating two opposing faces. Though the cliffs seemed to draw together at the center, the distance was too vast for anyone to jump from one side to the other.
"What does this mean?" Bazar Batu asked, confused.
"I don't know," Kuo Lok replied.
"They said the strange doctor lives up here, but all I see is a small pavilion," Bazar Batu said, looking around. "Lok gege, do you think the house is on the other side of the cliff?"
"The two cliffs are too far apart," Kuo Lok said, his voice flat with despair. "Even with my lightness agility, I won't make it to the other side."
Bazar Batu frowned sadly. "Does this mean I must die?" he asked, looking at the bright orange sunset. He walked to the edge of the cliff, and Kuo Lok quickly grabbed his hand.
"Lok gege, I'm not going to commit suicide," Bazar Batu said, a flicker of a smile on his face. "Even if I'm dying, I want my body to look good." He sat down, and Kuo Lok sat with him. Bazar Batu rested his head on Kuo Lok's left shoulder and tears began to run down his eyes. "Lok gege, can you send my ashes to my parents after I die?"
"I will," Kuo Lok said, his voice a quiet promise.
"You must stay by my body for seven days before cremating me," Bazar Batu continued. "I heard that after we die, we'll stay beside our bodies for seven days and then return home to say goodbye to our family and friends... I don't want to be alone, looking at my corpse for seven days. I'd rather look at you."
"I will stay with you," Kuo Lok promised, gently wiping away Bazar Batu's tears.
They returned to the old pavilion, but the sight of the tombstone filled Bazar Batu with a fresh wave of anger. In frustration, he kicked the stone with all his might. Instead of toppling, the tombstone slid back into the mountain with a low grinding sound. With a rumble, two long platforms extended from beneath the sheer cliffs, slowly stretching toward each other across the deep chasm.
They stared at each other in stunned disbelief. Just as they watched, the tombstone began to move forward again, and the platforms slid back into the cliffs. Bazar Batu kicked the tombstone one more time, and the same thing happened, proving the tombstone was the key.
"Lok gege," Bazar Batu said, "we'll get as close to the edge as we can, then you'll activate the tombstone and use your lightness agility to fly us across."
Bazar Batu then jumped onto Kuo Lok's back, and they stood two feet from the cliff's edge. Bazar Batu handed Kuo Lok a small rock. Kuo Lok channeled his inner energy and sent the rock flying toward the tombstone. With a low rumble, the stone slid back into the mountain, and two platforms extended from beneath the chasm's cliffs.
Using his lightness agility, Kuo Lok flew them down to the first platform, then swiftly leaped to the second, which was now touching the other side.
When the platform withdrew back into the cliff, Kuo Lok grabbed onto a rock face and used his internal force to push them up to the mountain top. Safe once more, they saw a path and followed it. About four hundred yards away, they came upon a small house.
They entered, but the house seemed to be empty. Kuo Lok gently placed Bazar Batu on a stool by a table and went to search for someone. A few minutes later, he returned.
"I didn't see him," Kuo Lok said, still optimistic. "He may just be gathering medicine outside."
"Lok gege," Bazar Batu said sadly, pointing to a small altar on the far side of the room. "Look over there."
Kuo Lok turned and saw the memorial altar. His face fell. "He's dead," he said, the words heavy with disappointment.
Bazar Batu simply nodded. "He's dead."
"I don't believe it," Kuo Lok said, shaking his head. "People say he was a strange man. He must have faked his death to avoid people."
"Lok gege, face reality," Bazar Batu replied sadly. "If heaven wants me to die, then no matter what we do, I will die."
"Don't say that," Kuo Lok said, his voice firm. "I'll go and see for myself. He must be nearby." With that, he rushed out of the house.
"Lok gege!" Bazar Batu shouted, his voice thick with panic. A sudden, crushing tightness seized his chest, and he couldn't breathe. Stumbling toward the bed, he vomited a mouthful of blood. His vision blurred, and he passed out on the day bed by the door.
In his unconscious state, Bazar Batu saw a figure approach him. He murmured "Lok gege," but the figure simply looked at him. He then felt a sudden, sharp pain as a knife cut through his wound. He groaned, a desperate, pained sound. "Who are you? Lok gege, help me!" he cried out before passing out once more.
When Bazar Batu slowly regained consciousness, he turned his head and saw a man in a white robe sitting at a table, calmly drinking tea. He sat up and asked, his voice weak, "Who are you?"
The man turned around, a faint smile on his face. "Oh," he said. "You're awake."
Bazar Batu looked down at his chest, and a strangled scream ripped from his throat. A massive black spider was clinging to his wound, its body bloated as it sucked at the poison. "Take it away!" he shrieked.
"Don't panic, don't panic," the man said, his voice placid. But the horrifying sight was too much for Bazar Batu. His vision blurred, and he passed out once again.
The curtains parted, and a young woman walked in. "Shixiong," she said, a playful cruelty in her voice. "Is he dead yet?"
"Dandan," the man replied, his voice frantic. "Why must you always curse me? This is the first time I've ever treated a living person!"
Chen Dandan scoffed. "You've failed so many times experimenting on animals and insects," she said, sitting down and pouring herself a cup of tea. "A human? I don't even want to imagine the severity of this failure."
"Shut your mouth!" the man yelled, pulling out his knife and lunging for Bazar Batu. Suddenly, an unseen force grabbed him and yanked him away.
Kuo Lok stood in front of the man, his eyes burning with rage. He looked at him and said in a low, seething voice, "If you touch him, I will kill you."