As debris rained down on them and dust filled the air, a loud, thriving sound coming from the far right of the cave indicated that the massive stone door at the front entrance had finally dropped. Unknowingly that Cao Fengge had bombed the front entrance and there was nowhere to escape, the remaining martial artists deep underground or not near the front exit were still desperately trying to find a way out of the collapsing cave.
Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo rushed out of the tomb and hurried up the stairwell, with rock debris crumbling and pouring down on them. Some martial artists who had been trapped inside found their way to Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo, seeking guidance. Mu Dishi led Ma Jingguo to the left.
As they approached the end of the tunnel, a shiny object appeared, causing several martial artists to surge ahead of them.
"Light," one shouted.
"That must be the opening!" another yelled.
"Quickly!"
Four martial artists rushed forward, leaving the main group behind. Suddenly, a martial artist ran back toward them, screaming, "Run!"
They saw a round boulder rolling toward them. People started to run backward, but the boulder rolled fast, smashing and killing martial artists along the way. The two people in front of Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo tripped to the ground. Mu Dishi grabbed Ma Jingguo by the waist, and they flew over the fallen men.
They quickly approached the center of the area. It wasn't just one boulder, but from four different directions, four boulders rolled toward the middle, rushing straight at them.
Mu Dishi grabbed Ma Jingguo's waist and jumped high onto a boulder. Then, the chain slowly pulled the four boulders away from the center area. Mu Dishi jumped over a boulder, and he and Ma Jingguo ran away from the path of the converging stones.
While Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo were running for their lives, Mu Dishi stepped on a foot trap switch. Mu Dishi fell to the ground. Ma Jingguo turned around to help Mu Dishi, but was instantly pushed away by Mu Dishi, who shouted, "Leave!"
Ma Jingguo, ignoring the command, instead flew toward the nearest giant boulder, gathering all his remaining internal energy into his right hand. He adjusted his aim and slammed the incoming boulder. His punch managed to knock the boulder into the air, but the massive impact caused Ma Jingguo to fly and land thirty yards away from Mu Dishi.
Ma Jingguo slowly got up and walked back toward the immobilized Mu Dishi. He bent down and pulled the fetters away with his hands as best as he could. After a struggle, Mu Dishi took his feet out of the fetters.
Ma Jingguo supported Mu Dishi with his left arm. They walked toward the end of the tunnel and noticed that the underground tunnel led them to a waterfall. Ma Jingguo asked Mu Dishi to sit down and began to take off Mu Dishi's shoe.
Ma Jingguo looked at Mu Dishi's ankle and said, "The wound is not too deep." He tore a piece of cloth from his own torn clothes and wrapped it carefully around Mu Dishi's ankle. He fixed Mu Dishi's shoe back onto his foot.
Mu Dishi looked at the injured man attending to him. "Why are you still not leaving?"
Ma Jingguo looked up at Mu Dishi, his voice raw with the central pain of his life. "Why did you leave me?"
Mu Dishi answered with cold finality, "I don't want you here."
Ma Jingguo sat down opposite Mu Dishi and said, "You brought Wang Biming here, and Wang Zedong will let him marry you. Is it true?"
Mu Dishi replied, his composure unwavering, "Why would I do that?"
Ma Jingguo pressed him with raw fury. "He is your lover. You made an agreement with him to get married when you are old." He looked at Mu Dishi angrily. "Xiao Shushu, why? Why do you always pick him over me? Huh?" He raised his voice. "From the time I was ten until now, I have never lied to you except to provoke you." He slammed his left hand into the cave wall hard, grinding his teeth.
Mu Dishi noticed Ma Jingguo's sudden, uncontrolled burst of anger. He recognized the pattern. He asked, controlling his voice, "Jingguo, are you still practicing the Devil Fist Manual?"
Ma Jingguo smirked. "The Devil Fist... um... Yes."
Mu Dishi asked, "Why?"
Ma Jingguo's eyes were wild. "I want to show you I can be better than Wang Biming. I will destroy him and take you back." He stood up and hit the cave wall twice. He pointed at Mu Dishi and shouted. "I will show you what Wang Biming can do, I can do better." He grabbed Mu Dishi's front collar. "Xiao Shushu, oh... my Xiao Shushu. You have hurt me many times. When we leave here, I will catch Wang Biming. I will lock you and him. I will torture both of you every day to atone for all the bad, bad things that you and Wang Biming did to me." He sneered and pushed Mu Dishi back.
Mu Dishi spoke calmly, despite the threat. "Jingguo, don't practice the Devil Fist Manual anymore. Do you know that this will slowly ruin your temperament? If you want to be better than Wang Biming, I will teach you the Killer Strings Manual. I promised."
Ma Jingguo laughed bitterly. "Xiao Shushu, I think your promise is ridiculous." He laughed again. "You fulfilled the promise of others, but you forgot the only promise you made to me." He sighed, his mood shifting. "Yes, I am not important. In your eyes, I am never important. Am I right?"
Mu Dishi did not answer.
Ma Jingguo continued, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "In order to love you, I will always chase you. After chasing you for more than ten years, are you tired?" He stared coldly at Mu Dishi. "Because I am."
Mu Dishi did not answer.
Ma Jingguo explained his danger. "In order to stay in Jinfeng Sect, I must practice the Devil Fist. Do you know that they hate me and want me to practice the Devil Fist Manual, making me slowly lose my mind?"
Mu Dishi asked, "If you know, why do you still practice?"
Ma Jingguo shouted angrily, his voice cracking. "It's all your fault!" He pointed at Mu Dishi. "Mu Dishi! You forced me to practice the Devil Fist Manual. You chose Wang Biming because he practiced the Devil Fist Manual. You saved Zhu Mingyang because he practiced the Devil Fist Manual. You chased Wang Zedong because he practiced the Devil Fist Manual. If I practice the Devil Fist Manual, then you will chase after me!" He glared angrily at Mu Dishi. "Mu Dishi, I hate you. I want to rip your chest open and take out your heart to see what color it is. I want to know if your heart is made of stone or flesh. I... I..."
Ma Jingguo then shook his head, the Devil Fist rage breaking, and began to sob. "No... no... I can't hate you... Xiao Shushu... I can't hate... You can hurt me a thousand times or as how much as you want, but I won't hurt you once." Ma Jingguo covered his ears with his hands and continued to shake his head, fighting the madness.
Seeing Ma Jingguo starting to lose control, Mu Dishi's demeanor finally broke. He reached for Ma Jingguo's hands and held them tightly inside his own. "Jingguo, let's go home when we leave here." He stretched out his hand and gently wiped away Ma Jingguo's tears. "At this time of the year, the mangoes around our house must be very sweet." He reached out his arms around Ma Jingguo's waist, pulling him close. "From now on, I will listen to you. I will never leave you. I will not act alone. We will make all decisions together." He looked up at Ma Jingguo. "I have never forgotten the promise I made with you. I really want to travel."
Before the reconciliation could solidify, Mu Dishi suddenly pushed Ma Jingguo against the wall and caught an incoming sword with his left hand. Mu Dishi sent a powerful blow toward the sword bearer, but another person's punch struck Mu Dishi on the left chest.
Mu Dishi staggered back ten steps toward the edge of the cliff, spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked up and with gritted teeth, he said, "Fu Yuanjun."
Fu Yuanjun smiled coldly at the two men. "Ma ge, I'm sorry."
Ma Jingguo, who was already severely wounded and lying behind Mu Dishi, quickly scrambled to his feet. "Fu Yuanjun, what are you doing?"
Fu Yuanjun's smile widened as he delivered the ultimate betrayal. "I'm sorry, the six sects, four clans, and the three households all agreed to kill you. You are a big threat to the martial arts world." He looked directly at Ma Jingguo. "You should have stayed in Sword Village."
Ma Jingguo's voice was laced with madness. "Do you think you can kill us?"
Fu Yuanjun was absolute in his confidence. "I don't think." He smiled, hard and cold. "I know I can."
Ma Jingguo tried one last appeal, leveraging their history. "Fu Yuanjun, after all Xiao Shushu had done for you. You betrayed him!"
Fu Yuanjun scoffed. "I did not betray him. He already knows who I am, but he is still careless around me."
Ma Jingguo, recalling a tense moment during the leader celebration, realized the deeper history. "Xiao Shushu, what did you say to him?"
Mu Dishi, critically injured but composed, replied, "I know he is not Fu Shirong's son."
Ma Jingguo was shocked. "How do you know?"
Mu Dishi provided the simple, devastating truth. "Fu Shirong never married until his death."
Ma Jingguo turned back to the traitor. "Why do you want to hurt my Xiao Shushu?"
Fu Yuanjun shifted the blame back to Ma Jingguo. "Ma Jingguo, anyone can provoke anyone in this world, but why did you choose to provoke one of the smartest martial artists in Central Plains? You became like this because of that person. You know exactly who I meant." He looked at the martial artists who had followed him to ambush them. "Kill them."
Ma Jingguo was taken aback, his lips trembling as he whispered, "Kuo Ju..."
Fu Yuanjun smiled and nodded, detailing the history of vengeance. "Embarrassed her beloved daughter from fleeing the very wedding you agreed to is the first provoke. Kissing her in front of disciples of the six sects and refusing a second marriage is the second provoke. Your action forced her daughter to become a nun is the last provoke. Your refusal reason is Mu Dishi."
Mu Dishi looked coldly at Fu Yuanjun. "Jingguo, don't believe anything he says."
Ma Jingguo took Mu Dishi's hand, and the two slowly walked toward the cliff edge. They could feel the wind and the spray of water on their backs. The closer they got, the clearer they could hear the rushing waterfall below. Mu Dishi stretched out his hand and pressed a stone on the wall. Immediately, a wave of arrows shot out from the wall toward the martial artists and Fu Yuanjun from behind. Fu Yuanjun quickly retreated into the trapdoor tunnel.
As the trap activated, the big boulder rolled back toward Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo. Mu Dishi hugged Ma Jingguo tightly, and as he swung his body around for protection, two arrows pierced his shoulder blades. Mu Dishi then pushed Ma Jingguo down the cliff.
Just as Mu Dishi pushed Ma Jingguo away from the incoming arrows, Ma Jingguo desperately grabbed his hand. The force of the grab ripped Mu Dishi's right metal glove clean off his hand. Ma Jingguo saw at least ten arrows pass by Mu Dishi, and four of those ten struck Mu Dishi.
"Xiao Shushu!" Ma Jingguo screamed. He saw Mu Dishi smiling faintly at him, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. Mu Dishi unleashed Honglei and began to fight against the remaining martial artists.
"Xiao Shushu!" Ma Jingguo screamed again, plunging into the void.