For three grueling days, Zhu Mingyang was a phantom of vigilance, spending every moment guarding both Mu Dishi and Kuo Jing Song. His mind was a battlefield of stress: he had to ensure absolutely no one inside Jinfeng Sect knew that the veiled figure being healed was the legendary Mu Dishi. He knew that over the years, Mu Dishi had made countless enemies; if word got out, those who held grudges would not hesitate to come knocking on Jinfeng Sect's door with murderous intent.
Early in the morning on the third day, the critical phase began to turn. Zhu Mingyang noticed that Mu Dishi had finally opened his eyes and, with painstaking effort, began to use his own inner strength to assist in the healing process. Mu Dishi also opened his eyes and looked at Zhu Mingyang from time to time, his gaze intense and cold despite his frailty.
Finally, Mu Dishi managed to speak, his voice still weak but carrying a sharp edge. "Who are you?" he asked.
Zhu Mingyang, always prioritizing the mission, replied firmly. "Xiongtai, don't force yourself. You will hurt the person sitting behind you who is currently helping you. Please concentrate."
Two hours later, Kuo Jing Song pulled his hands away from Mu Dishi's back and immediately began to meditate to restore his inner energy. Mu Dishi was doing the same, a sign that the chi flow had stabilized. Knowing the two were safe for the moment, Zhu Mingyang quickly opened the door, finding Ma Jingguo, Kuo Wenqian, and Chen Dandan waiting outside. He quickly closed the door behind him.
"How are they?" Kuo Wenqian asked, urgency in his voice.
"They are fine," Zhu Mingyang answered curtly.
Chen Dandan stepped forward, her eyes bright with impatient desire. "Take the injured man out and bring back my shixiong!"
"Not now," Zhu Mingyang stated firmly.
"Why?" Chen Dandan demanded.
"I will not let you in. This is an important stage. You may kill him if you break in."
"I don't care!" Chen Dandan declared, trying to force her way past him.
"Dandan, he is right," Kuo Wenqian cautioned.
Chen Dandan forced her way forward, but Zhu Mingyang stopped her easily. At the same moment, a furious Ma Jingguo reached out to pound his fist on the door, but Zhu Mingyang anticipated the move and kicked out, sending a sharp blow into Ma Jingguo's side.
The two men instantly began to fight. Seizing the chance, Chen Dandan wrenched the door open, but immediately froze as Kuo Jing Song walked out, the master radiating calm authority.
"Shifu..." Chen Dandan stammered.
"Stop fighting!" Kuo Jing Song commanded. "Don't make any noise. The person inside is using his inner energy to pass the qi through his meridians. If he loses concentration, the things we have worked so hard over the past few days will end in vain."
Zhu Mingyang and Ma Jingguo instantly ceased fighting, looking toward the opened door where Kuo Jing Song stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Kuo Jing Song continued, addressing his relative. "Qian'er, let someone prepare a room for them. It will take him three full days to fully recover." He then looked directly at Zhu Mingyang. "Guard Zhu, I kept my end of the deal. I hope that Guard Zhu will bring Zhanjin back safely."
"I will guarantee his safety," Zhu Mingyang said, his tone resolute, "but in order to ensure his safety, I have to send a message to the kidnappers."
"Very good," Kuo Jing Song affirmed.
"Guard Zhu, you can follow me," Kuo Wenqian offered, leading them to their room.
Zhu Mingyang entered the simple, quiet meditation room and emerged shortly after, carrying Mu Dishi gently but securely in his arms. The bright morning sun, filtered by the Jinfeng peaks, stung Mu Dishi's eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the light. As his vision cleared, he recognized the familiar figure of Kuo Jing Song and the distinctive architecture around him, a stark realization dawning: he was, indeed, inside the Jinfeng Sect.
His gaze snapped to the figure standing nearby—Ma Jingguo. His heart shattered. He could barely recognize the man, who was now bearded and worn, were it not for the familiar, loyal puppy eyes he knew so well. Mu Dishi stared at Ma Jingguo without blinking, his eyes locked onto Ma Jingguo's face, as Zhu Mingyang walked farther and farther away. He wanted desperately to stop Zhu Mingyang, to speak, to call out to Ma Jingguo. He opened his mouth several times, but his throat was raw and his strength too weak; he couldn't make a sound.
Chen Dandan frowned, "Ma shixiong, that person looked at you as if he blinks, you will disappear."
Ma Jingguo was transfixed, staring at the injured, veiled man with agonizing intensity. The figure, the bearing, the air of quiet importance—everything about him reminded Ma Jingguo of Mu Dishi. His heart was pounding rapidly, a frantic, impossible rhythm of desperate hope and grief. He quickly followed Zhu Mingyang, the injured man, and Kuo Wenqian down the corridor.
Zhu Mingyang placed Mu Dishi carefully on the bed, his movements efficient and protective, and immediately closed the door behind them. He pulled a stool to the bedside and sat, creating an instant, vigilant barrier.
"Who are you? What are we doing inside Jinfeng Sector?" Mu Dishi asked, his voice still ragged but sharp with inherent suspicion.
Zhu Mingyang met his gaze directly. "I am Zhu Mingyang. Cao Wenyan held my friend hostage and forced Kuo Jing Song to treat you. For the next three days, you cannot use your internal energy."
Mu Dishi instinctively reached up to lift the veil, but Zhu Mingyang quickly stopped him. He lowered his voice, his tone serious and urgent. "Mu Dishi, keep that on. I heard that everyone thinks you are dead. Now, the only people who know you are alive are Cao Wenyan, my friend Zhanjin, and me. You have too many enemies. Do you really want to show yourself and announce to the martial arts world that you are still alive?"
Mu Dishi slowly dropped his hand down, acknowledging the logic. "If people know that you are alive and you can't use your inner energy for the next three days, what do you think will happen?"
"I understand," Mu Dishi whispered.
Just then, the door was pushed hard and opened violently. Ma Jingguo and Chen Dandan strode forcefully into the guest room.
Zhu Mingyang instantly rose and stood directly in front of Mu Dishi, facing the intruders.
Ma Jingguo approached, his eyes blazing with a strange, frantic desperation. "Get out of the way!" He shoved Zhu Mingyang aside with surprising force, then looked down at the man covering his face with the veiled hat. "Have we met before?" He stared at the man, his breath hitching. The man did not answer, but instead calmly closed his eyes and started to meditate.
"Have we met before?" Ma Jingguo asked again, his hand reaching out to lift the man's veil, but his wrist was stopped by Zhu Mingyang.
Zhu Mingyang grasped Ma Jingguo's hand tightly, his eyes fixed in a warning glare. "Please show some respect."
Ma Jingguo's voice was strained but firm. "I want to see his face."
"Seeing his face, Zhanjin will die," Zhu Mingyang countered, stating the absolute reality of the hostage situation.
"I don't care," Ma Jingguo replied flatly, his grief overriding all reason.
Chen Dandan quickly intervened, grabbing Ma Jingguo's arm. "Ma shixiong, that's enough."
Zhu Mingyang seized the moment to offer a plausible lie. "This person is deaf and mute. No matter how loud you call him, he can't hear you."
"That pair of eyes," Ma Jingguo muttered, his gaze still fixed on the veiled face.
Zhu Mingyang grabbed Ma Jingguo's wrist forcefully. "Xiongtai, if you keep crossing the line, I will stop being polite!" He then yanked Ma Jingguo's hand away from Mu Dishi's face.
Ma Jingguo, defeated for the moment, turned toward the door with Chen Dandan. Just as he reached the threshold, he stopped, turned back to the man on the bed, and spoke in the sweet, heartbreaking voice he had always used for his xiao shushu He even managed a painful smile. "Xiao shushu, should I go get you some green tea?"
He stared intently at the man sitting on the bed. Mu Dishi did not move, keeping his eyes perfectly closed, maintaining his painful silence. Finally, Ma Jingguo walked out of the room.
Outside the small guest room, Chen Dandan hurried to catch up. "Ma Shixiong, what were you doing?"
Ma Jingguo looked straight ahead, his voice heavy with the terrible possibility. "Dandan, that man's eyes, look exactly like xiao shushu."
Inside the room, Zhu Mingyang looked at Mu Dishi, who had not opened his eyes since Ma Jingguo and Chen Dandan left.
Zhu Mingyang asked, "How did he suspect you?"
Mu Dishi answered, his voice low but firm. "If you stayed with someone for so long, no matter how much the individual changed, you can always recognize him with the smallest movement."
Zhu Mingyang studied him intently. "If that's the case, why not go back to him?"
"I have my reason," Mu Dishi replied simply, the weight of his secret life heavy in his voice.
Zhu Mingyang gave a faint, wry smile. "Mu Dishi, somehow, you are very similar to me. We have always dreamed of being loved by someone, but when we finally got our wish, there is always something that separates us from the one we love."
Mu Dishi's eyes flickered, meeting Zhu Mingyang's gaze. "You speak as if you know who I am."
"You don't remember?"
"No."
"We have met before. The blind man in white clothes and his men. I was his guard, Zhu Mingyang."
Mu Dishi finally remembered that chaotic incident on the road where he and Ma Jingguo had first encountered the blind man and his guard. "How is the blind man?" he asked.
"He is fine," Zhu Mingyang said, his tone flat.
"Why don't you stay with him?" Mu Dishi questioned, sensing the deep sadness behind the short answer.
Zhu Mingyang delivered his final, painful truth. "He doesn't need me anymore. He is married and will be a father soon."
Mu Dishi looked at Zhu Mingyang, a flicker of genuine understanding in his eyes. "What you just said is correct, we are somewhat similar."
"Mu Dishi, please return back with me," Zhu Mingyang pleaded, his voice stripped bare. "If you don't, Cao Wenyan is going to kill my friend."
"I understand," Mu Dishi affirmed, dropping all pretense of fighting. "I will not make trouble for you."
Inside the conference hall of the Yueguang Sect branch, Chief Wang Zedong placed four maps and a jade hairpin on the table.
His son, Wang Biming, asked, "Father, why do we want to enter the Mu treasure cave so much?"
"I want to bring your brother home," Wang Zedong replied, his voice heavy.
"Father, what else are you hiding from me?"
"Before your brother committed suicide, he sent me a message saying that he knew the secret of 'killer string.' I asked him, and he refused to tell me. He apologized and committed suicide." Wang Zedong sighed, confirming the tragedy. "Silly child," he continued, dismissing the general belief, "do you think that Mu Jiao Long is that stupid to put his money in there? There might be some treasure inside the cave, but it's only for your brother to live a comfortable life after death."
Wang Biming asked, "What does Cao Fengge want?"
"If I guessed it correctly, Cao Fengge wants the corpse preserve powder that currently covers your brother's entire body, and the ingredients of how to make the powder that Mu Jiao Long hides somewhere inside that treasure cave." Wang Zedong let out a harsh laugh. "Cao Fengge was so crazy about the powder. He killed the entire Rao Family, but he got nothing in the end."
A disciple came in with a letter. "Chief Wang, there is a letter for you."
Wang Zedong laughed and said, "Go ahead and read it."
The disciple read: "Dear Chief Wang, if you want to retaliate against Kuo Jing Song, now is your chance. He has just cured Mu Dishi using half of his internal energy. Both Kuo Jing Song and Mu Dishi's inner energy are cut in half. This is a golden opportunity. Killing two birds with one stone."
Wang Zedong took the letter from the disciple. He looked at the corner and saw a small red flower. Wang Zedong smiled, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Ming'er, summon the ten seniors. I am going to return Kuo Jing Song's Heavenly Palm Strike back to him."