A satisfied smile struck across her face as Miao Mingzhu wiped her hands together, pleased with her quick decision.
Instead of arguing with Miao Mingzhu, Yan Zhanjin chose to help Cao Yanmei up first. He knew Miao Mingzhu had simply tried to de-escalate the volatile situation.
"Thank you, Miao guniang," Yan Zhanjin said, but then he scoffed, finding it absurd that he was thanking his enemy.
Miao Mingzhu ignored Yan Zhanjin and turned Ma Jingguo around. She stared at the unconscious man for a moment, then looked back at Yan Zhanjin. "I thought you and him were on the same team, so what made him want to hurt you?"
Yan Zhanjin offered a quick excuse. "I don't know. Maybe it's because he was angry that Cao guniang didn't tell us where Mu Dishi is heading."
Miao Mingzhu smiled wickedly. "But that isn't enough of a reason why he would want to kill you." She looked up and met Yan Zhanjin's eyes, realizing her earlier prediction about Ma Jingguo's instability was correct. "The way he acted just now is like that of someone who's suffering from a qigong deviation... don't you think?"
Yan Zhanjin sighed, choosing not to deny the truth. He helped Ma Jingguo into a sitting position and slowly pulled the needle from the back of Ma Jingguo's head.
Ma Jingguo grunted and slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Yan Zhanjin and asked, "What just happened?"
Yan Zhanjin looked at him, his expression serious. "You didn't remember?"
Ma Jingguo thought for a moment and shook his head.
"You were..." Yan Zhanjin began, but he was interrupted by Miao Mingzhu.
Miao Mingzhu suddenly cut through the tension. "What level are you?" she asked Ma Jingguo directly.
Ma Jingguo, confused, shot back, "What do you mean?"
Miao Mingzhu pressed, her eyes cold. "What level are you in the Devil Fist Manual?"
Ma Jingguo's voice was barely a whisper. "Eight."
Miao Mingzhu smiled, a sinister twist of her lips. "No wonder you lose control. Has anyone told you that practicing the Devil Fist Manual requires a high price?" She stared at Ma Jingguo. "You may be powerful, but soon you will lose your sanity and all those memories. The person who taught you the Devil Fist Manual must have hated you very much."
Ma Jingguo looked alarmed. "What do you mean?"
Miao Mingzhu scoffed with disbelief. She then revealed the painful truth. "Have you ever thought about why... Chief Wang and Wang shixiong never practiced further than level five?" She watched his reaction closely. "Because the more you progress, the greater the impact on your memory. Soon you won't even remember who you are. You will have the mind of a toddler." She smiled cruelly. "It's called the Devil Fist Manual for a reason."
Yan Zhanjin, horrified, asked, "What about Mingyang?"
Miao Mingzhu scoffed again. "You saw it with your own eyes," she accused. "Zhu Mingyang had to stop at level six. Don't you remember what happened in Jinfeng Sect? He almost killed you by allowing Mu Dishi to control him."
Ma Jingguo murmured softly, the reality of the deception crashing down on him. "Why did she lie to me?"
Miao Mingzhu seized the moment. "She must hate you very much." She looked at Ma Jingguo, her voice turning coaxing. "Young master, why are you still being so nice to those people?" She studied his pained expression, sensing his vulnerability. "Mu Dishi is right in one thing. Anyone who tries to approach him always wants something. Do you think Mu Dishi is willing to bring these people here? He made a deal with them."
Ma Jingguo's eyes flashed with fresh anger. "What deal?"
Miao Mingzhu smiled, sealing the trap. "If he brings Chief Wang here, Chief Wang will let my da shixiong marry Mu Dishi." She watched Ma Jingguo's expression darken, knowing he had taken the bait. "Do you know that they swore their marriage in Mu Village?"
Ma Jingguo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his body trembling. He vividly remembered what Mu Dishi had told him years ago: that Wang Biming once proposed marriage to him when Mu Dishi turned eighteen.
Miao Mingzhu continued her devastating manipulation, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Two young couples are sitting in the beautiful bamboo forest. Looking at the moon, holding hands, let the moon witness their vows. How romantic is this? Sweet... very sweet..." She gazed intently at the fury contorting Ma Jingguo's face. "My da shixiong gave Mu Dishi a necklace, and Mu Dishi has been wearing it on his head. I believe you have noticed it."
Yan Zhanjin cried out desperately, "Ma-xiong, don't listen to her!"
Miao Mingzhu ignored him and drove her final psychological stake. "Ma Jingguo, you might think that if you practice the Devil Fist Manual with all your heart, you would be Mu Dishi's equal, but you are wrong. Devil Fist was created to destroy the Killer String Manual is only a rumor. You are the killer string when Mu Dishi orders you to kill. As far as I know, people who practiced Devil Fist Manual are crazy in the end. Have you ever wondered why no one is afraid of Devil Fist Manual?"
Yan Zhanjin looked at Miao Mingzhu angrily and shouted, "Stop talking!"
Miao Mingzhu delivered the final, crushing blow, smiling triumphantly. "Because whoever completes Devil Fist Manual will eventually forget everything. At the end, he will not remember how to use the Devil Fist fighting techniques." She gestured to the reality of his situation. "Now, you see that the people who encouraged you to practice really want to hurt you. When you finish it, you won't even remember who Mu Dishi is. They say the person you want to remember the most is the first to be erased from your memory."
A Beixing disciple rushed toward Cao Yanmei, breathless. "Young Master sent a signal. They entered the cave."
Cao Yanmei immediately stood up, her expression resolute. "Everyone moves now." She looked down at the immobilized Ma Jingguo. She had a genuine soft spot for him, having never seen someone who loved another so much and was willing to go through thick and thin for that person.
Cao Yanmei walked to Ma Jingguo and offered a final piece of aid. "You follow us. My brother said there are many traps from here to the cave."
Ma Jingguo slowly stood up and closed his eyes, his emotions hidden, then fixed his cold gaze on Cao Yanmei.
Cao Yanmei continued softly, "I can only take you to the entrance cave, but my father requested I not go in. Everyone who is here is here to seek happiness; I hope you find yours." She then looked at her subordinates, and the entire group began to walk quickly up the mountain.
After listening to Miao Mingzhu, as he walks up the lonely mountain path, Ma Jingguo finally understood why Kuo Ju hated him so much. Until now, he did not regret what he did. If he could go back in time, he would still leave Kuo Changchang to pursue Mu Dishi. He felt guilty, but he would choose Mu Dishi because he truly loved him. He might pretend not to care about Mu Dishi and the people around him, but the truth was, knowing that Mu Dishi had never forgotten Wang Biming genuinely hurt him.
Yan Zhanjin looked at Ma Jingguo, knowing the turmoil raging in his friend's mind. Yan Zhanjin had recently learned a devastating truth about Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo's mother's identity made his relationship with the Wang family close. Though Ma Jingguo hated Wang Biming, the man was Ma Jingguo's uncle—and his own rival in love for Mu Dishi.
Ma Jingguo turned to the doctor, posing a painful question. "Zhanjin, you know that Zhu-xiong loves you no better than his brother. Why do you continue to like him?"
Yan Zhanjin met his gaze, his reply clear and simple. "Just because he doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about him, it doesn't prevent me from liking him. I like him for no reason, and I never expect anything in return."
Ma Jingguo's voice was strained. "Wang Biming told me that Mu Dishi has always loved me. I don't know if it's true."
Yan Zhanjin offered the only practical advice. "Why don't you ask him when you see him?"
Ma Jingguo confessed his self-delusion. "Every time he lied to me, I would coax myself into saying that wasn't what he meant to say. Somehow, if I kept telling myself that, I would feel better. Every time he leaves me, I hold onto the smallest hope of reuniting with him."
Yan Zhanjin asked gently, the core question striking at Ma Jingguo's heart. "Ma-xiong, if loving him hurts you so much, why do you still love him?"
Ma Jingguo couldn't find the answer. He looked at Yan Zhanjin and said, "I don't know." This question pierced him deeply. He didn't know why he still loved Mu Dishi; although Mu Dishi had repeatedly hurt him, he had loved him for so long that Mu Dishi had become his favorite medicine, his addiction beyond control. "Maybe, chasing him gave me a purpose to live."