The room, situated high in the Beijxing sector, was large and dominated by a screen window that overlooked the sprawling city. Cao Wenyan walked in, balancing a tray holding a plate of food and a steaming bowl of brewed medicine. He set the tray down on a nearby table, his movements painstakingly quiet.
Mu Dishi was seated on the floor near the large window, his back straight, lost in meditation. He was clearly channeling his inner energy to heal himself, a process Cao Wenyan knew should not be interrupted.
Cao Wenyan sat down quietly and began to prepare a separate brew. He poured water into a small pot, heated it with careful precision, and then added the crisp green tea leaves that Mu Dishi favored. It was a silent, devoted ritual of waiting for a powerful man to return from his inner battle.
Cao Wenyan sat patiently, his gaze fixed on Mu Dishi's handsome, stoic face. When the wind drifted in from the screen window, Mu Dishi's long, silky black hair danced lightly around him. Cao Wenyan allowed himself a brief, cherished memory: he was lucky to have kissed Mu Dishi once. He touched his own lips, still recalling the softness of that moment.
Finally, Mu Dishi opened his eyes. The meditation ended abruptly, and he rose, walking over to the table where he took a seat opposite Cao Wenyan. His gaze, however, was cold and utterly devoid of warmth.
Cao Wenyan ignored the chill. He smiled happily at the man he served and immediately offered the bowl of medicine. "Today," he asked tentatively, hoping for a sliver of acceptance, "if I have lunch with you here, would it be alright?"
"Whatever," Mu Dishi replied coldly, his gaze sliding past the younger man. "This is your home. You can do whatever you want."
Cao Wenyan refused to be dismissed. "Even if this is my home, you are my special guest," he insisted, placing the full weight of respect into the title. "I have to be respectful." He poured the freshly brewed green tea into a fine porcelain cup and placed it directly in front of Mu Dishi. "I know you like green tea."
Mu Dishi picked up the teacup, his fingers cool against the warmth of the porcelain and drank. He set the cup down, his dark eyes finally focusing entirely on Cao Wenyan.
"What is your purpose of wanting to be close to me?" he asked, treating Cao Wenyan's affection like a political move or a tactical alliance.
"Purpose? I don't understand," Cao Wenyan replied, feigning confusion while his fingers delicately adjusted the tea saucer.
Mu Dishi picked up a bowl of rice and chopsticks and began to eat, his movements economical and precise. "Everyone close to me always has a purpose," he said, without looking up. He finally met Cao Wenyan's eyes, the coldness returning. "I don't have the map, and I cannot draw you a new one."
Cao Wenyan smiled, realizing he needed to meet Mu Dishi's pragmatism head-on. "Well, if you put it that way. My purpose is that I really, really like you." He deftly picked up a piece of meat from his own plate and placed it inside Mu Dishi's bowl. "And, I don't need the map," he added, his voice dropping slightly to a strategic confidence. "My father already has the map. He just doesn't know how to open the treasure cave."
Mu Dishi paused, the chopsticks still near his mouth, focusing on the true leverage. "Do you want me to tell you how to open the treasure cave?"
Cao Wenyan met the gaze calmly, performing a masterclass in diplomacy. "If Childe Mu is willing to tell me, I will be very grateful, of course. But if you don't tell me, I don't mind at all. I will not force you. I would much rather cherish our friendship."
He continued, his smile softening the explicit terms of his offer. "I will not lock you, either, Childe Mu. You are free to go to any place you like in Beijixing. The only thing I ask is that you don't wander into my father's private yard. This is all I want."
He leaned forward, the tea ritual complete, his tone inviting. "If you feel better, I can even show you around the area myself."
Mu Dishi looked directly at Cao Wenyan, a rare, unvarnished expression crossing his features. "Thank you for saving me," he said.
Cao Wenyan's smile widened, warmed by the acknowledgment. "If you are ever in danger," he vowed, his tone utterly sincere, "I will risk my life to save you without hesitation."
Mu Dishi's expression turned inward as the words dragged a terrible memory to the surface. He recalled the moment Mo Ehuang had shoved him into the gaping maw of a burning building. He had been utterly helpless, knowing that all his inner energy had been drained, leaving him seriously injured and unable to move. He hadn't wanted to die there, but there was nothing he could have done.
The very next instant, a side wall cracked with a loud, splitting sound. Cao Wenyan burst through the opening, rushing headlong into the flames and smoke. He moved with stunning speed, delivering a powerful kick that connected squarely with Mo Ehuang, sending the attacker swaying two feet backward.
Cao Wenyan didn't pause; he immediately helped the paralyzed Mu Dishi to his feet. They rushed for the breach in the wall, their only escape, but a new threat descended. Hua Jian flew into the structure, his own kick landing brutally on Cao Wenyan's right chest. The force of the blow sent Cao Wenyan stumbling backward, slamming him into the half-burned wreckage near Mo Ehuang.
"Kill them," Mo Ehuang roared, his voice thick with malicious fury. The two conspirators closed in on the trapped pair.
Amidst the growing heat and falling debris, Cao Wenyan grabbed Mu Dishi's waist, supporting his Mu Dishi's paralyzed weight while using his damaged right hand to desperately block Hua Jian's relentless attacks. The burning temple was collapsing beams began to fall around them.
Cao Wenyan quickly shifted their weight, pulling them toward the crumbling breach in the wall. Hua Jian roared and charged for the kill.
Just as Hua Jian closed the distance, Mu Dishi gathered the last, precious vestiges of his inner energy. Two flashes of gold erupted from his fingers: golden needles that shot unerringly into Hua Jian's eyes.
The Hua Jian's charge turned into a wild stagger as a deafening, agonizing scream tore from his throat. He was blinded.
Disoriented and blinded, Hua Jian frantically grabbed Mo Ehuang's left hand. Mo Ehuang barely noticed. She saw Mu Dishi and Cao Wenyan poised to escape through the breach in the wall and violently yanked her hand free, lunging forward to grab Mu Dishi's left belt.
At that exact instant, Cao Wenyan saw a massive burning beam plummeting down upon them. With a primal shout, he delivered a savage kick to Mo Ehuang's stomach, forcing her to stumble backward into the blinded Hua Jian.
The path was clear. Cao Wenyan quickly scooped up the helpless Mu Dishi and vaulted through the open wall just as the burning roof collapsed.
Behind them, Mo Ehuang's scream of agonizing fury pierced the roar of the fire: "Mu Dishi!"
The memories of his near-death escape washed over Mu Dishi. He was not the type of man who didn't return a favor, rigidly living by the Mu Family rules: to avoid any "hurtful feeling," there must always be an equal trade for services rendered.
"I don't want to owe anyone any favor, so," Mu Dishi began, preparing to propose a transactional repayment.
Cao Wenyan, who had been watching Mu Dishi chew his food, smiled subtly. He quickly changed the subject, knowing that Mu Dishi was a man of few words and would seize any opportunity to settle the score and restore distance.
"Childe Mu, how about I take you out to get some fresh air?" Cao Wenyan offered, his voice cheerful. "This might improve your condition."
Mu Dishi barely glanced up. "Whatever."
The next morning, the sun's first rays illuminated the roof of a pavilion nestled beside a beautiful lily pond. Mu Dishi stood alone in the center of the structure, gazing out over the water.
Cao Wenyan walked over and paused beside him, the silence between them weighted with the previous day's revelations. He handed Mu Dishi a small, intricately carved wooden box.
"This is for you," Cao Wenyan said softly.
Mu Dishi took the box. He lifted the lid, his eyes focused on the contents: two smooth, golden bells. He pulled them apart, and a thin, incredibly resilient long guzheng string appeared, wound tightly between the two bells. The material shimmered, looking strong enough to cut through steel.
"Mo Ehuang took yours," Cao Wenyan explained softly, confirming the painful loss. "I hope this can replace what you have lost."
Mu Dishi closed the wooden box, his expression unreadable, and handed it back to Cao Wenyan. He said coldly, "There are things that cannot be replaced."
"I understand," Cao Wenyan replied, taking the box back without hurt. "But I still hope that my determination and dedication will change your mind."
Mu Dishi ignored the emotional plea entirely. "I don't like to owe anyone," he stated, returning to the transactional rules of his family. "If you bring back the jade hairpin that was given to Miao Mingzhu of Yueguang Sect. I will help you open the Mu treasure cave."
"Childe Mu, are you willing to help us?" Cao Wenyan asked, needing to hear the commitment formalized.
Mu Dishi nodded. "I will help you as a repayment for you saving my life. From now on, I will not owe you anything." His eyes held a final warning. "I warn you that it is best not to enter that cave."
Cao Wenyan let out a heavy sigh. "To be honest, that's not what I want. I don't care about that treasure cave, but my father does." He looked intently at Mu Dishi, setting aside the political negotiation for a pure, emotional plea.
"Childe Mu," he asked softly, accepting the transactional nature of their future departure, "when you are fully recovered, could you please not leave without saying goodbye? If you don't mind, I want to send you off."
He offered his final, heart-wrenching invitation: "If you want to stay here forever, you can."
Mu Dishi offered no reply to the desperate invitation.
Cao Wenyan smiled, accepting the silence. "I know you are an untouchable man, Childe Mu," he said, his voice soft with devotion, "but as long as I look at you, I'm satisfied enough."
In the next blink, three flashes of silver went straight to Cao Wenyan at the speed of lightning.
Instinctively, Mu Dishi threw his body forward, pushing Cao Wenyan behind him. He waved his sleeves, deflecting the deadly attack. The three daggers fell harmlessly at their feet.
Two figures—a man and a woman—appeared before them, swords drawn and pointed.
The cost of the defense was immediate and brutal. Mu Dishi spat out a mouthful of blood, his inner energy shattered again, and slowly fell, collapsing heavily into Cao Wenyan's arm.
Cao Wenyan cradled the injured man, his eyes shifting from tender concern to absolute, lethal coldness as he stared at the attackers. He used a thumb to wipe the blood from Mu Dishi's mouth.
Gritting his teeth, Cao Wenyan roared the name of the man: "Rao Zhengsheng!"
Rao Zhengsheng, equally cold, replied, "Cao Wenyan."
Cao Wenyan, his arm tightly supporting the slumping Mu Dishi, his voice shaking with restrained rage, spoke. "Do you know that forcing him to use his inner energy now is equivalent to asking him to commit suicide?"
Rao Zhengsheng remained unmoved, his expression icy. "I don't care," he stated bluntly. "As long as I can hurt you or your father physically or mentally, I will be very satisfied."
Cao Wenyan gritted his teeth, the cold fury that replaced his previous tenderness now absolute. He looked down at the blood on Mu Dishi's lips, then back up at his attacker. "I'm going to kill you."
Mu Dishi coughed violently, vomiting another mouthful of dark blood. Without a second thought, Cao Wenyan grabbed his waist, and the two men shot out of the small pavilion like arrows, landing hard on the nearby street.
The rough impact of the landing shook Mu Dishi, and he immediately vomited yet more blood.
Cao Wenyan's face was white with panic. He tightened his grip on the injured man, his usual composure dissolving into raw fear. "Childe Mu, please hang in there!" he pleaded; his voice choked with worry. "I tried so hard to save you. You must live!"
Rao Zhengsheng and Dong Lanying closed in immediately, their blades flashing, forcing Cao Wenyan to move. With Mu Dishi critically injured and collapsing in his arms, Cao Wenyan knew he couldn't afford to fight. His priority was escape and sanctuary.
He channeled his inner energy, not into an offensive strike, but into the ground beneath his feet. A rock tore loose from the dirt and shot through the air, aimed directly at the towering alarm bell nearby.
The rock struck the bell with a thunderous gong, sending the metallic structure swaying and echoing the urgent emergency intruder warning across the sector. Almost instantly, the nearby doors burst open, the five colored Mic with the Cao guards rushed in with their weapons and searching for the source of the alarm.
Red Mice rushed stepped forward with rushing Cao guard, Young master, we will take care of these two flies."
"Good," Cao Wenyan acknowledged, without sparing another glance for the battle. He secured Mu Dishi in his arms and quickly rushed toward the safety of the secluded back residence.
As they moved, Mu Dishi's consciousness began to fray. He believed he saw Ma Jingguo picking him up, carrying him along a steep mountain path rather than the smooth street. He was not sure when or how Ma Jingguo had appeared, but the voice was unmistakable.
He heard Ma Jingguo's familiar, worried voice: "Xiao shushu, you going to be fine."
Mu Dishi drifted in and out of the blackness. He tried to raise his head but couldn't clearly make out the face of the person carrying him. Yet he knew the truth: Ma Jingguo would always appear whenever he was in danger. He murmured softly into the warmth of the shoulder supporting him, "Jingguo…you are here now."