The four friends finally reached the small village down the mountain and made their way to a crowded inn. Though it was late, the main dining hall was a lively scene, bustling with a mix of travelers and martial artists. A weary waiter quickly led them to an open table in the corner.
The voices of travelers and martial artists alike filled the inn. The friends were unable to avoid overhearing the conversations of those sitting closest to them. Suddenly, a snippet of news cut through the noise, reaching their ears. It was the news of Yong Hao's death.
A martial artist at the table to their left leaned in. "I heard a rumor that Monk Hao was murdered by a stranger," he said.
A woman at the same table shook her head. "I heard something different. They say Monk Hao was killed by Mu Dishi to avenge the death of his family."
A man at the table slammed his fist down. "That evil Mu Dishi! The main six sects and four clans let him be, and he repays that kindness by committing such a heinous crime. The monk buried his family and even guarded their grave. He has no shame!"
Another man joined in. "If he hadn't been so skilled in Shaolin back then, he would have been killed and died terribly."
"No wonder he's a loner," someone else muttered, dismissing him entirely.
"With an attitude like that, no one will ever care for him," one man sneered.
"That Mu dog," another spat in agreement.
Suddenly, a jug of wine flew through the air, hitting the second man square in the face. The jug shattered, and the man was drenched in wine as he leaped to his feet.
A man in an iron mask sat on the upper deck, leaning on the railing, a jade flute in his hand. "If you are so brave," he said, his voice cold and clear, "why not say that to Mu Dishi's face? Only dogs bite from behind. A real man stands in front of another and faces him."
"It's him," Bazar Batu said, his eyes fixed on the man. He glanced at Kuo Lok. "The man from Sword Village. The one from the Yueguang Sect."
"You know him?" Yan Zhanjin asked, surprised.
Bazar Batu's face hardened. "We fought him in Sword Village. If he's here, that means your girlfriend is here too."
"So, he's your enemy then?" Yan Zhanjin pressed.
"Either," Bazar Batu replied, his expression unreadable.
The man in the iron mask took a slow drink from his cup. "Mu Dishi may have an indifferent attitude that most people dislike," he said, his voice cold and deliberate, "but everything he does has a purpose. He would never speak ill of someone behind their back. If he wants to kill a man, he will walk to him and do it, just as he did in Shaolin." He took another drink. "He's not a coward like you, who can only sit here and gossip nonsense."
From behind him, a woman emerged. It was Miao Mingzhu. "So," she said, her voice dripping with condescension, "you losers couldn't defeat Mu Dishi with your fists, so you decided to fight him with your words instead?"
She looked down and her eyes landed on Kuo Lok. A smile spread across her face, and she gracefully flew over the railing to land in front of him. "Kuo Lok from the Jinfeng Sect," she said, her voice filled with feigned surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Seeing Miao Mingzhu, Bazar Batu's entire attitude shifted to one of open anger. He rolled his eyes and said, "Miao guniang, there are so many men out there. Why do you insist on bothering Lok ge ge?"
Miao Mingzhu smiled sweetly. "A beautiful lady like me likes a handsome, manly man like him. I don't see anything wrong with that. A beautiful lady is a natural match for a handsome man."
"True," Bazar Batu countered. "Lok ge ge is handsome, but a little dull. A smart person like you should find a smarter husband."
"Oh, but I'm not as smart as you," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
At a nearby table, a martial artist gasped. "That is Miao Mingzhu of the Yueguang Sect!"
Miao Mingzhu smirked at him, her eyes filled with cold amusement. "Bazar Batu," she said. "You're a lucky bastard. I honestly thought you would be dead by now."
Bazar Batu simply smiled. "Thank you for the compliment, Miao guniang. But you should really thank the man in front of you."
At a nearby table, a martial artist shouted up at the masked man. "You speak so highly of Mu Dishi! Do you have some connection to the Yueguang Sect?"
Another man rose to his feet, his voice filled with fury. "Who are you? Mu Dishi's partner?"
The man in the iron mask let out a short, cold laugh. "It depends on what kind of partner you're referring to," he replied, and then, with a graceful leap, he jumped off the upper deck. "But if Mu Dishi wants me to be his partner," he said, landing lightly on the floor, "I won't refuse."
Ma Jingguo's voice boomed from the front entrance of the inn, cutting through the chatter. "I'm sorry, but my xiao shushu already has a partner."
He stood in the doorway, and his eyes were fixed on the man wearing the iron mask. The entire inn went silent as every person turned to stare at the front door.
Ma Jingguo looked at the crowd, his gaze full of fury. The men who had been badmouthing Mu Dishi swallowed hard, a lump forming in their throats. They knew that if Ma Jingguo was here, Mu Dishi was not far away.
Chen Dandan was still panting when she noticed the handsome young man with white hair walked directly toward the man in the iron mask, already talking about a martial artist named Mu Dishi.
"Who is he?" Chen Dandan asked Bazar Batu.
"That's Ma Jingguo," Bazar Batu replied. "He has a rivalry with Lok ge ge."
"I thought he was Mu Dishi," Chen Dandan said, her voice filled with surprise. "Everyone stopped talking the moment he walked in."
The man in the iron mask strode forward, confronting Ma Jingguo directly. "Are you Mu Dishi?" he demanded.
"You talk as if you know Mu Dishi very well," Ma Jingguo sneered, "but you don't even know what he looks like."
"I only have rumors to go by," the man in the iron mask replied, his gaze fixed on Ma Jingguo. "But on second thought, I don't believe you are Mu Dishi."
Ma Jingguo's smirk widened. "What changed your mind?"
A smile touched the masked man's lips. "Mu Dishi's phoenix eyes are unparalleled. His soft pink lips, beautiful face, long bushy eyelashes, and flawless skin make him look like he just came from a painting. When his eyes sweep over you, your entire body fills with a profound sense of desire."
Ma Jingguo clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, and he began to breathe heavily, a vein pulsing in his neck.
The man in the iron mask continued, his voice full of amusement. "His hair is silky black and has a sweet fragrance." A small smile spread across his face, and he let out a soft giggle. "When you hug him from behind, the warmth of his body sends a sudden thrill of arousal through you."
"SHUT UP!" Ma Jingguo roared, his voice filled with a desperate fury. He flew through the air, launching himself at the man in the iron mask.
The man in the iron mask's left hand caught Ma Jingguo's fist, stopping it cold. At the same time, he used his jade flute to strike Ma Jingguo's chest. Ma Jingguo flipped over his head to avoid the blow, landing hard on a nearby table. Two swords, knocked from their sheaths by the impact, flew into the air.
Without hesitation, Ma Jingguo jumped, unsheathing both swords in midair before charging the masked man with a furious war cry.
The man in the iron mask simply smirked and easily dodged the attack, flying back just out of reach. "Wuming technique?" he said, avoiding another blow. "If this was taught by Mu Dishi, then he would tell you not to concentrate on your opponent's face, but on their movements."
From his corner, Bazar Batu watched the fight with growing understanding. He finally realized why the man in the iron mask kept talking. Ma Jingguo was blinded by his rage, paying no attention to anything but the masked man's face. The constant taunting was a clever tactic, a way to make his opponent lose focus.
Bazar Batu stood up and shouted, his voice echoing through the inn. "Ma ge, he's tricking you! Don't listen to his nonsense!" He raised his voice even louder. "Remember what I told you two years ago? The more people who talk about your wife, the more it means you chose the right person!"
The man in the iron mask went absolutely still, then his body seized with a sudden rage at Bazar Batu's words. He threw a powerful punch at Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo managed to block the blow with his two swords, but the masked man's strength was so immense that both blades shattered into pieces.
The masked man's fist continued forward, aimed directly at Ma Jingguo's heart. Ma Jingguo just barely managed to block it, but the force of the blow sent him flying back, where he landed with a thud on the floor in front of the inn's main door.
"You go to hell!" the masked man roared, sprinting toward his stunned opponent.
Suddenly, a figure flew from behind a side door, intercepting the masked man's fist in midair. It was Mu Dishi. He countered with his own powerful blow, sending the man in the iron mask stumbling back into a wooden pillar. Mu Dishi then knelt to help Ma Jingguo to his feet.
The martial artists and travelers in the inn gasped in unison, the whispered name of "Mu Dishi" spreading like wildfire through the stunned silence.
The man in the iron mask laughed, a harsh, cold sound that echoed in the stillness. "So," he said, "you are Mu Dishi."
Mu Dishi didn't reply. He simply rolled his eyes at the masked man, a gesture of profound disinterest.
The man in the iron mask's lips curled into a smile. "Little white hair man," he said to Ma Jingguo, "those are the phoenix eyes I told you about earlier."
Mu Dishi turned to looked at Ma Jingguo and asked, "Why do you pick fight with him?"
Ma Jingguo clenched on his chest and said, "Because he..."
Mu Dishi glanced around the inn, his eyes sweeping over the crowd of martial artists and travelers. He turned, his voice flat and dismissive as he said, "Let's find a different inn."
As Mu Dishi turned to leave, the man in the iron mask sprinted forward, his hand reaching for Mu Dishi's shoulder. Seeing the move, Ma Jingguo quickly grabbed the man's hand, but was met with a brutal chest blow that sent him stumbling backward.
Seeing Ma Jingguo stagger past him, Mu Dishi spun around, landing a powerful strike to the masked man's chest. The man flew through the air, landing lightly on his feet in the middle of the inn.
Enraged, Mu Dishi surged forward, launching a single guzheng string straight at the man in the iron mask.
The man in the iron mask moved swiftly, using a combination of his footwork and the nearest pillar to vault himself out of the way. He scrambled up to the second floor of the inn as Mu Dishi's guzheng string followed closely, a silent, deadly thread chasing after him.
Miao Mingzhu seized the opportunity, her hand a blur as she sent four small, green snakes flying at Mu Dishi's back. With a swift backflip, Mu Dishi evaded the attack, twisting in the air to send four golden needles slicing through the air. The needles struck true, killing the four snakes in an instant.
In the ensuing chaos, Mu Dishi dropped a handkerchief that was wrapped around a necklace. The man in the iron mask, seizing the moment, snatched the handkerchief from the floor.
"Give it back!" Mu Dishi commanded, his voice tight with urgency.
Ignoring him, the man in the iron mask quickly unraveled the handkerchief, his eyes widening at the sight of a light green pendant necklace. "This is?" he asked, his voice full of genuine surprise.
Mu Dishi's cold eyes fixed on the man in the iron mask. "Give it back," he said, his voice flat and dangerous, "or you will die here."
The man in the iron mask gently traced the surface of the green pendant with his right index finger. His eyes were locked on the item, and he spoke in a soft voice. "If you tell me who this belongs to, I'll give it back."
"It belongs to Biming," Mu Dishi replied, his tone as cold as ever.
The man in the iron mask looked up, and his voice was suddenly filled with a disarming warmth. "Who is he?" he asked.
"Someone I can only see in my dreams," Mu Dishi answered.