At the corner of the dilapidated temple, Miao Mingzhu quickly pulled Wang Biming to his feet, shielding him behind her frail body. As the first four men rushed toward them, Miao Mingzhu threw four pink balls at the attackers, before rushing forward to engage the others and Suo Dongmei.
Suo Dongmei shouted an urgent command, "You four, leave her alone! Go kill Wang Biming, and I will take care of her!" The four men immediately changed course and began to attack Wang Biming.
Two of the attackers quickly seized Wang Biming's hands, while the other two struck his abdomen with devastating force, causing him to fly backward toward Yongzheng and Xue Horan. Wang Biming collapsed beside Xue Horan, vomiting a mouthful of blood onto the dusty floor.
When Wang Biming looked up, he saw the beautiful youth looking down at him. He recognized the distinct features of the youth from the past, though he saw that the person was still in his teenage years. Wang Biming stretched out a trembling hand toward Xue Horan and murmured weakly, "Dishi..."
As Wang Biming crawled toward Xue Horan, Xue Horan quickly moved behind Yongzheng. Still unnerved by the earlier assault from Beggar Li, Xue Horan feared Wang Biming might attack him. Startled, he grabbed Yongzheng's left arm with one hand and clutched Yongzheng's robe tightly with the other.
Yongzheng looked down at Wang Biming, then turned his head to speak softly to Xue Horan. "Horan, you don't have to be afraid, because I'm by your side."
Just then, a man swung his sword toward Wang Biming, who was crawling toward the two friends. Yongzheng rushed forward instantly, kicking the man's wrist. The man's sword clattered to the floor. Yongzheng snatched the sword, swung it sideways, and struck the man's forehead with the flat of the blade, causing him to stumble back into another attacker. The two men quickly recovered and flew forward, engaging Yongzheng in combat.
Wang Biming managed to crawl to Xue Horan's side and grabbed Xue Horan's hem. Feeling sorry for Wang Biming, he lowered down to help Wang Biming, but Wang Biming gently took his left hand. Wang Biming smiled weakly, tears welling in his eyes. "Dishi, you are not dead! I knew you would still be alive." He lifted Xue Horan's hand, placed it against his right cheek, and then kissed it tenderly.
Xue Horan was about to pull his hand away, but he felt Wang Biming's hot tears wet his skin. The man's genuine, desperate affection moved him deeply, and he decided not to withdraw his hand. Xue Horan let Wang Biming hold his hand until the injured man finally fainted from exhaustion and blood loss.
Just as Wang Biming collapsed, an assassin rushed toward the pair. Xue Horan immediately drew his sword, slashed the blade across the man's chest, and kicked the man away with his good foot. The man died instantly, falling directly in front of Suo Dongmei.
Suo Dongmei roared, her attention instantly drawn to the unexpected killer. "How dare you kill him!"
Seeing that Suo Dongmei was distracted by her dead subordinate, Miao Mingzhu seized the opportunity. She threw a green snake at the assassin leader. The snake flew quickly through the air and bit Suo Dongmei's hand. Suo Dongmei screamed in pain, violently threw the snake away, and chopped the reptile in half with her sword.
Miao Mingzhu chuckled, a cruel sound. "Suo Dongmei, even if you kill my child, I will forgive you, because you will meet her in hell soon."
Suo Dongmei was livid. "Miao Mingzhu!"
Miao Mingzhu laughed, savoring the moment. "If you didn't follow us, you wouldn't end up like this!" She sighed dramatically. "I guess this is the price you paid for redeeming your title in the martial arts world. How pitiful!"
Suo Dongmei, knowing the danger of the snake's venom, threw her sword to the ground and grabbed a subordinate's sword instead. With grim determination, she stretched out her left hand and savagely cut it off at the wrist. Suo Dongmei screamed in raw pain, and her men immediately rushed to her side.
Miao Mingzhu rushed to Wang Biming and confirmed he had passed out. She looked at Xue Horan and said, "Help me carry him out."
Xue Horan shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do help you."
Miao Mingzhu snapped angrily, "You do it, or I will kill you!"
Xue Horan stood his ground. "Even if you kill me, I won't be able to help you much. I sprained my ankle."
Miao Mingzhu then paused, changing her approach. "Is he your friend?"
Xue Horan replied, "We just met."
Miao Mingzhu smiled, a chilling expression. "Well, that's enough." She squeezed and sharply pinched Xue Horan's throat. She looked past him and shouted, "Stop fighting!"
Yongzheng, who was fighting two men, looked over at Xue Horan and Miao Mingzhu. He instantly dropped his guard and commanded, "Let him go!"
Miao Mingzhu grasped Xue Horan's neck tightly, her gaze icy on Yongzheng. "Kill them and take him out of here, or your friend will die!"
Yongzheng, a Taoist convert who wished to no longer kill, knew he had to stop fighting. The best compromise he could make was to immobilize the assassins and allow Miao Mingzhu and Wang Biming to escape. He rushed toward the thirteen people. In a blur of motion, Yongzheng tapped the acupuncture points of the remaining assassins, rendering them immobile. He then walked back to Miao Mingzhu.
Miao Mingzhu was furious. "I told you to kill them all!"
Yongzheng argued, "They are immobile. You can easily run away."
Miao Mingzhu sighed heavily, conceding the point. "Carry him out first."
Yongzheng refused. "I won't leave him behind."
Miao Mingzhu's grip tightened on Xue Horan's throat. "You are not qualified to argue with me. Do it, or he dies!"
Helpless, Yongzheng carried the unconscious Wang Biming onto his back, slowly walking out of the old building toward the main entrance.
Miao Mingzhu immediately hit two of Xue Horan's front acupoints, paralyzing him. She then picked up a sword from the ground and began to systematically slit the throats of the twelve immobilized people. Unable to watch the brutal slaughter, Xue Horan squeezed his eyes shut.
Miao Mingzhu walked over to Suo Dongmei, who was bleeding profusely from her severed wrist. "You shouldn't have chased us to gain your name in the martial arts world. If you chose to leave us alone, it may not be like this for you today."
Suo Dongmei snorted painfully. "If you want to kill me, kill me. There is no need for words. Death for me is as light as a feather. I'm not afraid; I will meet you in hell."
Miao Mingzhu looked down at her. "Okay, as for going to hell together," she smiled, savoring the moment. "I am honored to send you to hell first."
Miao Mingzhu slit Suo Dongmei's throat. She then reached into her inner robe, took out two green powder balls, and threw them toward the four beggars. The entire building was quickly illuminated by the fragrance of sweet peas. The four beggars began choking and vomiting blood, collapsing to the ground.
Xue Horan was terrified by this final act of unnecessary cruelty. He angrily said, "Why are you killing them?"
Miao Mingzhu shrugged. "They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Xue Horan was aghast. "You are so wicked!"
Miao Mingzhu grabbed Xue Horan's front collar. "You don't know how many wicked people there are in the world. If I don't kill them today, they will kill me tomorrow. If they die today, then there will be less enemy for me to kill tomorrow." She unblocked Xue Horan's acupoints, dragged him out of the building, and walked toward the main entrance.
Outside the temple, Miao Mingzhu and Xue Horan caught up with Yongzheng and the unconscious Wang Biming. Heavy rain began to fall in the evening sky, and the four of them slowly disappeared into the storm.