The journey to Sword Village continued, and it was already evening when Rao Zhengsheng, Xue Horan, and Yuan Xiurong arrived. They had entered via a back route with a group of surviving martial artists. As they walked past a small hill, they suddenly encountered seventy-one graves. Xue Horan had never seen such a scene of mass burial before; he was so startled and scared that he instinctively held Rao Zhengsheng's hand tightly.
Rao Zhengsheng squeezed his hand. "Afraid?"
Xue Horan asked, his voice subdued, "Zhen Ge, why are there so many graves?"
Rao Zhengsheng explained. "Those graves belong to the Mu Villagers." He pointed to the small mound. "This hill is called Mu Village."
"Why don't they bury the dead behind the mountain?" Xue Horan asked, confused by the exposed placement.
Rao Zhengsheng replied, "I'm not sure. This was decided by the late leader of Sword Village."
Yuan Xiurong offered a thoughtful insight. "I think I understand Yong Qianbei's thoughts."
Xue Horan turned to her. "What do you mean?"
Yuan Xiurong looked at the grim row of stones. "He deliberately buried the people of Mu Village here to remind everyone that they—the martial world—made a big mistake. Also, he wanted to remind the younger generations not to repeat that mistake."
"Mistake? What kind of mistake?" Xue Horan pressed.
Rao Zhengsheng summarized the tragedy. "Many years ago, the three sectors and four clans killed seventy-one innocent Mu villagers. Ten years later, Mu Dishi stormed into Shaolin to seek revenge."
Xue Horan's mind snagged on the name. "Mu Dishi... the person everyone says looks like me?"
Rao Zhengsheng dismissed the comparison. "You don't look like him."
A martial artist walking next to them overheard the exchange. "Young man, although you look somewhat like Mu Dishi, Mu Dishi is a golden dragon among men. By looks and by skills, he suppressed those who were many years older than him. He even defeated the great Shifu Kuo Jing Song!"
Another martial artist interrupted, sighing. "I have seen Mu Dishi once. I understand why men and women praise his beauty." The arrogant martial artist chuckled. "He is very beautifu—"
Suddenly, he was hit hard from behind. The martial artist was launched forty feet away, falling heavily onto his stomach where he vomited a mouthful of blood.
Other martial artists spun their heads around to track down who had delivered the brutal blow. To their astonishment, it was Yong Taihua, the young master of Sword Village and their host.
Yong Taihua said, his voice ringing with fierce loyalty. "Anyone who says bad things about my Shizun must answer to me!" He glared at the shocked martial artists. "If any of you have the same thinking and feelings as this Xiong-tai"—he pointed at the injured martial artist—"do not step into Sword Village!" He made it absolutely clear to the other martial artists that he would not tolerate anyone speaking ill of Mu Dishi.
Yong Taihua then walked away from the group, his juniors following him closely, and the shaken martial artists began to follow Yong Taihua toward the village entrance.
Xue Horan looked toward Rao Zhengsheng, highly suspicious. "Mu Dishi, is Yong Taihua's Shizun?"
A voice answered from directly behind him, causing him to jump. "Yes, and he respects Mu Dishi greatly."
Xue Horan startled. "Yan Gongzi, you startled me!"
Yan Zhanjin smiled faintly. "I'm sorry." He looked around, suddenly noticing the absence of a familiar face. "Huh, where is the young Taoist hero?"
Xue Horan frowned slightly. "He went home."
Yan Zhanjin nodded, understanding the inherent human desire. "No matter how far you go, you will eventually go home, because there is no warmer place in the world than home." With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked quickly toward Sword Village with the rest of the martial artists.
Xue Horan murmured, the realization striking him deeply. "You are right about that."
Rao Zhengsheng grasped Xue Horan's arm lightly. "Let's go."
Once inside Sword Village, the lower-ranking martial artists and those who had nothing to do with the murder of the two gentlemen of Huangshan were directed to rest. The remaining martial artists—those involved or ranked higher in the martial arts world—gathered in the main conference room.
Listening to Yong Taihua brief the assembly, Yong Gui felt compelled to intervene. "There must be a misunderstanding."
Li Kong Bai cut in, addressing the evidence. "In the entire martial arts world, only Chief Cao uses red needle thread."
Yong Gui countered, attempting to establish an alibi. "I know what Leader Li is worried about, but during the whole process of this incident, Chief Cao has been here in Sword Village, discussing with other sects and clans about who should hold the four household's competition this year. He only left a few days ago to visit his father-in-law and his mother-in-law."
Kuo Wenqian suggested an alternative. "There might be another possibility."
Li Kong Bai sought clarity. "Liu Furen, what are you thinking?"
Kuo Wenqian focused on the weapon. "Speaking of threads, Chief Cao is not the only one who could use needles and threads."
Yong Taihua, sensing the inevitable accusation, immediately interrupted. "Liu Furen, are you referring to my Shizun?" He looked aggressively at Kuo Wenqian. "I want to remind you that my Shizun does not use thread. If he wants to kill someone, he will do it in public, just like when he entered Shaolin."
Kong Jinhai attempted to mediate. "Yong Gongzi, I know that you hold Mu Dishi in high regard, but to be honest, no one is very sure that Mu Dishi is actually dead. Also, according to Senior Zhou, they heard the flute melody from inside the Mu Treasure Cave. So, Liu Furen may not be entirely wrong."
Yong Taihua, known for his short temper, exploded. "Those bad things that happened in the martial arts world, one by one, always point the finger at my Shizun first!" He raised his voice in bitter indignation. "My Shizun died in that cave. Why can't you leave him alone? Why are everyone so afraid of my Shizun? Or is it because everyone wronged him and is afraid, he will come for revenge?"
Yong Gui tried to calm him. "Taihua..."
Yong Taihua ignored him. "Did I say something wrong?"
A tense silence fell over the martial artists in the conference room.
Yong Taihua seized the silence to deliver his moral condemnation. "It all started with you so-called orthodox circles who vowed to protect the weak and innocent. As a result, some people in these so-called orthodox circles murdered seventy-one innocent unarmed villagers." He clenched his jaw tightly.
"I'm not surprised at all if one day a very powerful martial artist appears to cause trouble in the martial arts world, because you pushed that martial artist too far and pushed him to the unorthodox side!" He panted heavily, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Each of you knows deep down who is right and who is wrong. Who is black and who is white!" He then rushed frantically out of the conference room.
Yong Gui quickly took control. "Everyone, I apologize for my son's impulsiveness. I suggest that since everyone wants to confirm the death of Mu Dishi, then after Shaolin's annual competition is over, we will return to the Mu Treasure Cave and look for Mu Dishi or Mu Dishi's body. I hope this will put closure to everyone's suspicion."
The martial artists in the conference room nodded in agreement with Yong Gui's suggestion.
Yong Gui added, "When we get to Shaolin, I will also discuss this further with the clans in other sects."
Chen Dandan hurried to catch up with Yong Taihua, knowing exactly where he would be. Whenever Yong Taihua was angry, he always sat in the Mu cemetery, next to the tombs of Yong Hao and Mu Jiao Long. She found him sitting in his usual spot.
Chen Dandan sat beside Yong Taihua. "Yong gege, don't be upset anymore."
Yong Taihua's eyes were still red, betraying fresh tears. He sighed. "I know that Wenqian is still angry with Shizun. I know the entire Jinfeng Sect hated Shizun for breaking up the marriage between Ma Jingguo and Changchang." He clenched his fists.
"Is it Shizun's fault that that crazy Ma Jingguo fell in love with Shizun head over heels? They should hate Ma Jingguo, not Shizun! Why is every little bad thing that happens in the martial arts world my Shizun's fault? Why can't they just let Shizun rest in peace? Whole bunch of bastards!"
Chen Dandan chuckled softly. "Because those old bastards fear Mu Ge greatly." She took Yong Taihua's arm and leaned her head on his right shoulder. "When I first saw Mu Ge, I disliked him, but when I think about it carefully, if Mu Ge is as bad as everyone says, why would Ma Ge love him so much? Ma Ge is like my other Gege besides the great Shixiong. Ma Ge is not a bad person, so the person that he loves must be an incredible person."
Yong Taihua scoffed lightly. "Sometimes, I praise Ma Jingguo; only he could have such patience with Shizun."
Chen Dandan smiled. "That's right, but I guess he loves Mu Ge too much that he accepts Mu Ge's flaws." She looked up at Yong Taihua. "It's like I admit that you always have a bad temper."
Yong Taihua leaned his head on hers. "Fear will make people unreasonable." He dropped a kiss on Chen Dandan's forehead. "Since you know I have a bad temper, will you still marry me?"
Chen Dandan's response was a heartfelt vow. "I will love you like Ma Ge loves Mu Ge."
Yong Taihua patted lightly on Chen Dandan's head. "Silly."
The young lovers sat side by side, watching the sunset paint the evening sky. Chen Dandan frowned suddenly. "Watching the sunset like this makes me miss Ma Ge very much." She hugged Yong Taihua's arms tighter. "When he was still in Jinfeng, he thought Mu Ge died in the fire. He sat drinking and watching the sunset in the back mountain with the lonely grave of Ji Qianbei every day."
In the distance, on the edge of the cliff below the waterfall, a melodious flute echoed inside the hollow wall of the Mu Treasure Cave. The soft melody was played for the wind and the sunset, telling them that this flute player was still waiting in this lonely cave.