The large group of martial artists stopped at the foot of the mountain, where a small, obscured path cut through the bushes leading up. The martial artists looked at each other, their eyes burning with eagerness. Immediately, three groups of ten people each rushed onto the narrow path. Cao Wenyan was about to chase after them, but was stopped by his father, Cao Fengge.
Cao Fengge's voice was cold and pragmatic. "Yan'er, let the pawns go first."
Just as another group was about to step onto the path, they were all frozen by the sound of chilling screams. Painful cries for help echoed clearly down the mountain.
Cao Fengge watched the scene, utterly unmoved. "That's why we let the pawns go first," he explained to Cao Wenyan. He then turned to Cao Yanmei. "You camp here. If we encounter any trouble, you can come and rescue us." He pulled Cao Yanmei closer and whispered intently in her ear. "Remember what I said."
Cao Yanmei nodded dutifully. "Father, be careful." She then grasped Cao Wenyan's hand. "Ge, be careful."
Cao Wenyan smiled reassuringly at her. "Only follow the mark we leave you."
Cao Yanmei nodded. Mu Dishi then pulled the jade hairpin from his hair—the one he took from Ma Jingguo's pillow—and handed it to Cao Wenyan. "Once you make it to the gate, insert this hairpin into the smallest dragon statue's mouth," he instructed. He leaned in closer to whisper. "Once you've entered, only walk on the white pebbles on the floor. That should open the door."
Cao Wenyan smiled genuinely at Mu Dishi. "Thank you for your concern," he replied.
Wang Zedong swiftly seized Zhu Mingyang's neck with his hand, his grip tight. He looked menacingly at Mu Dishi and demanded, "You lead the way, or he will die."
Cao Wenyan immediately protested, "Leader Wang, we only agreed for Mu gongzi to show us where the gate is."
Wang Zedong dismissed the protest, tightening his grip on Zhu Mingyang's neck. "That's between him and you. It's not me." He stared at Mu Dishi with cold, menacing eyes. "Lead the way."
Mu Dishi simply rolled his eyes at Wang Zedong—a casual, disrespectful gesture—and began to walk away into the dangerous path. Cao Wenyan, grabbing a water bag, quickly followed behind him. Cao Fengge, Wang Biming, Wang Zedong (still dragging Zhu Mingyang), and the rest of the martial artists eagerly followed.
The martial artists watched in horror as they encountered the fate of the first thirty people who had rushed ahead: some were trapped, and some were already dead on the ground.
One of the injured martial artists, nailed to a tree with an old bamboo tip piercing his chest, cried out weakly, "Chief Cao, save us!"
Cao Fengge looked at the wounded man. "Sure, I will help you," he said dispassionately. He pulled a sword from one of his follower's sheaths and sent the blade directly into the martial artist's neck. "In your case, it is better to die than to endure the pain and then die," he rationalized, his voice cold. He glanced at his subordinates. "When they decide to come here, they should know the consequences."
The group continued to walk slowly on the path, led by Mu Dishi. After walking about halfway, they approached a cliff spanned by a wooden rope bridge. The bridge planks were worn out and many were broken. Mu Dishi stopped by a small tree and picked up two bright green leaves. He gave one to Cao Wenyan.
Mu Dishi instructed him, "Put it in your mouth, don't chew."
Miao Mingzhu, observing the environment, looked at Wang Biming and Wang Zedong. "The air here is poison," she stated. She picked up a green leaf and sniffed it carefully. "Pick only the green leaf and put it in your mouth, but don't chew."
Gu Yingjie, asked, "Why?"
Miao Mingzhu pointed toward two massive, distant trees. "They are poisonous trees. These trees are also poisonous trees. When you breathe in the air, the poisonous leaf you put in your mouth will act as an antidote. If you eat or chew the leaf in your mouth, once you are out of this area, you will be poisoned and die."
Wang Zedong frowned furiously, spitting out a curse. "That bastard Mu Jia Long!"
The martial artists watched Mu Dishi pick up a leaf and put it in his mouth, and they immediately began to pluck leaves from the same tree. Mu Dishi walked slowly and deliberately across the rope bridge, and the martial artists followed one after another. On the other side of the cliff, some of the following martial artists became dizzy and began to vomit blood.
"What's wrong with us?" one shouted in panic.
"Mu Dishi, tell us!" another demanded.
Mu Dishi offered no response. He simply spit out the leaf in his mouth and continued to move forward, leading the unharmed people to follow him again.
Cao Wenyan, looking concerned, asked, "Mu gongzi, is there any poison here?"
Mu Dishi replied with a detached air. "I don't know. Last time I came with Long Da Ye, he told me to pick up a green leaf and put it in my mouth." He looked pointedly at Cao Wenyan. "The next part we have to travel at night."
When Wang Zedong heard this, he angrily dragged Zhu Mingyang toward Mu Dishi. He demanded harshly, "You mean, we have to wait till night?"
Mu Dishi's voice was frigid. "Be my guest if you don't want to wait. This road is open to anyone who wants to go."
Cao Fengge stepped in to mediate. "Leader Wang, don't be too hot-headed. You were able to wait for twenty years; what's so bad about waiting a couple of hours more? If Mu gongzi said to wait until midnight, there must be a reason."
While the others were setting up camp and resting to eat, a small group of clan chiefs sat around the bonfire, talking quietly amongst themselves.
A nervous chief whispered, "What do you think they have us wait like this for?"
Another chief murmured back, his eyes darting toward the main alliance. "I believe this is part of their plan. They will make us wait and kill us secretly."
A third chief nodded grimly. "Think about it, Mu, Gu, Cao, and Wang—the four major households are all here. Do you think they will let us have a share? I don't think so."
"What should we do?" the first chief asked, worry evident in his voice.
The group concluded, "Let's wait and see. Even if we manage to reach the door, we can't open the cave without Mu Dishi."
At around midnight, the rocks around the mountain began to glow. The green light illuminated the darkness, forming a clear path up the mountain. Mu Dishi stood up, took Cao Wenyan's hand, and the two silently started walking. Cao Fengge and his men quickly followed.
Seeing Mu Dishi and Cao Wenyan leave, Wang Biming grabbed Wang Zedong's hand, and they followed the pair up the mountain.
As Mu Dishi and Cao Wenyan walked past a large fairy statue with its two hands resting on its abdomen, Mu Dishi quickly pushed the statue's hands back into its stomach. Instantly, the glorious, luminous path vanished. He then led Cao Wenyan, Cao Fengge, and their men along the mountain path in the complete darkness.
Some martial artists had managed to quickly follow Wang Biming and Wang Zedong. When the rest of the martial artists realized what had happened—that the blazing light had disappeared—they frantically began to pack up to catch up. They were halfway up the mountain path and muttered anxiously among themselves.
One of the men declared, "Doesn't matter. Let's go." The large number of people began to climb the dark mountain path. Suddenly, in the pitch darkness, the man's painful screams resounded throughout the mountain.
Because they heard the screaming, the rest of the martial artists did not dare to move again and waited until morning.
Down in Sword Village, after an entire day of searching, Yan Zhanjin finally discovered that Ma Jingguo was being held captive in the bamboo hut behind Mu Village. He realized that if he wanted any chance of saving Zhu Mingyang and Gu Yingjie, he desperately needed Ma Jingguo's power.
Early on the second morning after the martial artists left for the Mu Treasure Cave, Yan Zhanjin quickly made some food and walked to the bamboo shed. He saw Yong Taihua and several Sword Village disciples sitting together, tightly guarding the hut.
Yan Zhanjin approached Yong Taihua calmly. "Yong-xiong, Mu Dishi told me to take good care of Ma-xiong."
Yong Taihua looked suspicious. "When? I haven't heard Shizun say anything about that."
Yan Zhanjin leveraged his medical knowledge, his expression serious. "When Mu Dishi put him in a coma. He didn't know. People can only starve for four days before death. He can only live for two days without water. If Mu Dishi comes back and Ma-xiong happens to die, can you afford to explain that to Mu Dishi?"
Yong Taihua stared back, unconvinced. "Don't try to lie to me."
Yan Zhanjin challenged him sharply. "Are you a doctor, or am I a doctor?"
Yong Caixia, stepped forward hesitantly. "Ge, he may be right... Ma Jingguo refused to eat. If this continues, he will die."
Yong Taihua hesitated, realizing the gravity of his responsibility. "Okay." Yan Zhanjin started to walk toward the door, but Yong Taihua stopped him one last time. He then looked at the two nearby guards and instructed them sternly, "Check him. Except for the medicine and a bowl of soup, don't let him bring anything in."
After the two guards thoroughly checked him, Yan Zhanjin was finally able to enter the hut. He walked to the bed and saw Ma Jingguo lying there, his eyes burning with silent fury. Yan Zhanjin sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke in a low, conspiratorial voice, "Ma-xiong, I'll help you get out of here. If you want my help, then blink twice."
Ma Jingguo immediately blinked twice.
Yan Zhanjin pressed his condition. "But if you are going after Mu Dishi, you have to agree to take me with you."
Ma Jingguo again blinked twice.
"I will pull out the needle for you," Yan Zhanjin promised. He carefully reached behind the back of Ma Jingguo's neck and pulled out the two remaining needles Mu Dishi had left. Just then, the door swung open, and Yong Taihua walked in.
Yan Zhanjin, without missing a beat, quickly picked up the bowl of soup and started feeding Ma Jingguo. He spoke cheerfully while spooning the soup into Ma Jingguo's mouth.
"If Batu and Lok-xiong were here, that would be great. You know Batu likes making scarecrows. He'd put three at the back of the garden, three at the front, and one on each side." He smiled brightly. "Maybe he'd even put two in his bedroom." He continued to feed Ma Jingguo steadily.
Ma Jingguo instantly understood Yan Zhanjin's metaphor. The simple story about Batu's scarecrows was a detailed map of the current guard arrangement: three guards in the front, three in the back, and one on each side, totaling eight disciples outside. Yong Taihua and Yong Caixia were currently inside the room with them.
Yan Zhanjin smoothly took the empty soup bowl away. "Ma-xiong, I won't bring you food in the morning. I saw a special plant a bit far away from here, and I will set off at five tomorrow, because I must pick up the plant before sunrise."
Yong Taihua, impatient to resume his guard duty, frowned. "Hurry up and leave already!"
Yan Zhajin stood up. "I am done." He picked up the two bowls (the soup bowl and the one he brought the medicine in) and followed Yong Taihua out of the room.
Before dawn, Ma Jingguo slowly got up, his muscles still recovering but his mind fueled by fury. He quietly slid open the concealed back door behind the bookcase and slipped out of the bamboo shed. He moved with brutal efficiency, knocking down the three guards positioned at the rear. He ran past Mu Village, sped along the dirt road to the cemetery, and then down the small, familiar path. There, waiting patiently, he saw Yan Zhanjin holding a leash attached to a beautiful white horse.
Ma Jingguo and Yan Zhanjin leaped onto the back of the white horse in a unified motion. Yan Zhanjin gently rubbed the horse's neck. "Xiao Bai, let's go to Yingjie," he urged softly.
Xiao Bai neighed loudly, responding to the command and the urgency of its riders. As the sky behind them exploded with the vibrant colors of the rising sun on the horizon, Xiao Bai charged up north, heading directly toward the Mu Treasure Cave.