A small, single boat skimmed across the water, carrying its weary occupants away from the beautiful island where hundreds of butterflies once inhabited. After several grueling hours of sailing, they finally reached the closest dock. They abandoned the boat and continued to walk away, knowing that this place was still part of the treacherous territory of the Seventy-Two Islands.
Rao Zhengsheng was seriously injured and burning with a high fever, but he refused to slow down, driven by the belief that he was responsible for the lives of the other four people with him. He struggled to walk side by side with the group. After two hours of relentless travel, his strength abruptly failed him, and he suddenly fell toward the ground in sheer exhaustion.
Xue Horan reacted instantly, throwing his weight against his eldest brother to prevent him from collapsing. He touched Rao Zhengsheng's forehead, recoiling from the heat. "Yongzheng, Da shixiong can't stand it anymore, we have to rest!"
Yongzheng helped Xue Horan guide the heavy, feverish body of Rao Zhengsheng next to a large boulder. "We can't rest for too long," Yongzheng said, his eyes scanning the surrounding terrain. "If he can't walk, I will have to carry him."
Xue Horan nodded, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Just a while, so everyone can catch their breath. There is a stream below. I'll get some water."
Dong Lanying stepped forward immediately. "I will accompany you."
Rao Zhengsheng's fever was so high that he kept mumbling Xue Horan's name over and over.
Yuan Xiurong, seeing the intimacy of the moment, intervened. "Horan, you rest here with him, and I will go with Lanying." She stood up and joined Dong Lanying, walking quickly toward the sound of the stream.
Xue Horan held Rao Zhengsheng, gently took out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Da shixiong, I'm here. You don't need to call my name anymore."
Rao Zhengsheng opened his eyes and weakly pulled Xue Horan into a hug. "Horan, you are still angry with me. I'm sorry... I never intended to hurt you."
"Da shixiong, I am not angry with you," Xue Horan insisted, though his tone was strained.
Rao Zhengsheng murmured softly beside Xue Horan's right ear, a note of hurt in his feverish voice. "You are still mad at me because you stop calling me Zhen ge."
Xue Horan immediately defended the formality. "We are no longer on Butterfly Island. I have to address you this way to get used to it."
Rao Zhengsheng sighed, his head heavy on Xue Horan's shoulder. "Horan, you are a bad liar."
Yongzheng, who had been standing guard, suddenly turned around and saw Rao Zhengsheng still holding Xue Horan tightly. His eyes narrowed, not at the embrace, but at the horizon. He spoke with urgent authority. "We have to leave now. A large group of people is heading this way."
The arrival of the pursuers was sudden and violent. Wu Jinghua made the first move, her presence announced by the lethal whisper of steel. She threw two daggers directly at Yongzheng. Yongzheng soared into the air, avoiding the blades effortlessly. Immediately, Wu Jinghua sent two more daggers toward Yongzheng's feet. Yongzheng flipped forward in a lightning-quick maneuver and landed, instantly initiating a fierce hand-to-hand fight with her.
Seeing the battle erupt, Xue Horan quickly supported Rao Zhengsheng to his feet. They began to run, knowing that staying would only make them a burden to Yongzheng.
"Let's go," Dong Lanying urged. She grabbed Yuan Xiurong's hand, and the two women, who had been fetching water, fled from the stream. As they ran, they saw Yongzheng engaged in a deadly clash with Wu Jinghua on the nearby hill.
The initial fight escalated instantly as the other leaders of the Seventy-Two Islands joined in. Jiang Koshing struck from the right side, and Hu Hong attacked from the left. Yongzheng blocked their simultaneous strikes with his hands. Then, Yue Kong flew in from behind Yongzheng with a powerful kick.
Yongzheng's left foot slid back, executing a quick split on the ground. He then pushed his upper body violently into the air with both hands, soaring cleanly over the four leaders of the Seventy-Two Islands. The four leaders attacked wildly in the air, but failed to hit the acrobatic fighter. Yongzheng quickly grabbed a handful of loose stones and threw them, scattering the volley like shrapnel at his stunned opponents. By the time the four leaders of the Seventy-Two Islands had regathered and recovered from the projectile attack, Yongzheng had already vanished into the terrain.
Meanwhile, Xue Horan tightly grasped Rao Zhengsheng's hands and waist, supporting his feverish and weakened body as they attempted to escape. Standing positioned on the far right of their path were Cao Wenyan, Red Mice, and twenty Beixing disciples, cutting off their route.
Cao Wenyan sneered, drawing his sword with a chilling flourish. "Rao Zhengsheng, today you will be crushed to death by me." He rushed toward the two brothers.
Xue Horan instantly shoved Rao Zhengsheng back and moved to block Cao Wenyan's attack with his own body. The remaining Beixing disciples, seeing their leader engage, rushed forward to surround the seriously injured Rao Zhengsheng.
Rao Zhengsheng, seeing the imminent threat, drew his sword out of its sheath, his face pale but his eyes resolute, ready to fight until his last breath. He began desperately cutting down the disciples one by one.
Xue Horan's thrown punch went directly at Cao Wenyan's chest. Cao Wenyan caught Xue Horan's fist, yanked the Xue Horan's hand forward, swiftly switched his sword to his left hand, and, in a brutal maneuver, placed the sharp edge of his blade directly at Xue Horan's throat.
Cao Wenyan roared, stopping the bloodshed. "Rao Zhengsheng, stop!"
Xue Horan, with the sharp steel pressing against his neck, shouted desperately, "Da shixiong! Leave me! Just leave…"
Cao Wenyan pressed the blade closer, his voice cold and lethal. "Leave and he dies!"
Rao Zhengsheng knew he was beaten. He threw the butterfly swords down onto the dirt. Before the steel even settled, Red Mice delivered a devastating punch to Rao Zhengsheng's stomach. The heavy blow caused him to collapse to his knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Hit him," Cao Wenyan commanded, his voice cold.
The remaining nine disciples immediately began to brutally kick Rao Zhengsheng, heedless of his injuries.
Xue Horan watched, his eyes wide with terror and anguish. He cried out, "Da shixiong! Da shixiong! Please don't hit him anymore! If you continue to hit him, he will die!" He looked desperately at Cao Wenyan. "Cao gongzi, please have them stop hitting him?"
Cao Wenyan turned his attention from the beating to look at Xue Horan. For a split moment, a shadow of recognition, or perhaps a strange phantom, crossed his face. He thought he saw Mu Dishi standing in front of him.
Xue Horan seized the moment; his voice ragged with tears and pleading. "Cao gongzi, please tell them to stop. I'm begging you. Please…"
Cao Wenyan abruptly roared, "Stop!"
He lowered his sword from Xue Horan's throat. Xue Horan immediately rushed to Rao Zhengsheng, whose body was curled weakly on the ground. Xue Horan held him and used his right sleeve to frantically wipe away the blood on Rao Zhengsheng's face.
Rao Zhengsheng coughed, his voice weak. "Horan, why didn't you run?"
Xue Horan cried, meeting his eyes. "Zhen ge, I stayed, for the same reason you dropped your swords."
Cao Wenyan interrupted their moment, his command decisive. "Take them back to Beixing Sect and wait for father's order."
The two disciples roughly tied the hands of Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan with ropes and began dragging them back towards the Beixing Sect. Along the way, Cao Wenyan refused to let Rao Zhengsheng eat or drink, intensifying his punishment. As the sun climbed high, the heat became stifling, forcing the thirteen people to stop and rest.
Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan were made to sit under a small, sparse tree, supervised by two men. Cao Wenyan then walked directly to Xue Horan, holding a bowl of cool water. He handed the bowl to Xue Horan.
Xue Horan stretched out his bound hands and grabbed the bowl. He immediately raised it to Rao Zhengsheng's lips. "Da shixiong, you drink first." Before a drop could pass, Cao Wenyan slapped the bowl from Xue Horan's hands.
Cao Wenyan picked up the bowl, poured in more water, and coldly handed it back to Xue Horan. As soon as Xue Horan again raised the bowl to Rao Zhengsheng's mouth, Cao Wenyan knocked the bowl away again.
He picked up the bowl for a third time, poured in more water, and handed it to Xue Horan. This time, realizing the futility and danger of resisting, Xue Horan took the water and began to drink. Cao Wenyan watched closely, ensuring the water only went to him. After drinking, Xue Horan handed the bowl back to Cao Wenyan, who turned and left without a word.
Xue Horan immediately grabbed Rao Zhengsheng's face with his freed hands and kissed him, passing a large sip of water from his own mouth directly to Rao Zhengsheng's parched lips. Cao Wenyan, turning slightly, watched the defiance in silence.
Towards the evening, the group of thirteen reached an old tavern on the outskirts of a village. As the men approached, one of the waiters rushed out to greet them. "Are you Cao gongzi?" he hurriedly asked.
Cao Wenyan was curt. "What does it matter if I am him or not?"
The waiter replied, "If you are not, then this tavern has already been reserved. If you are Cao gongzi, then this tavern has already been reserved for you by a lady."
Cao Wenyan frowned. "Who is this young lady?"
A shout came from inside the tavern. "Ge!" Cao Yanmei walked out to meet them. She immediately spotted Rao Zhengsheng, whose face was completely bruised. "Ge, you caught him?"
Cao Wenyan nodded. "Father said to meet here. Where is he?"
Cao Yanmei shook her head. "He left."
"Where to?" Cao Wenyan demanded.
"He went to Sword Village to clear his name. Father wanted me to tell you that you should return to Beixing Sect first. He will see you in Shaolin on the fifteenth of next month."
Cao Wenyan then asked, his tone softening with family concern, "How is mother doing?"
Cao Yanmei smiled reassuringly. "She is in good health. She did have a cold, but she has recovered. Da ge, don't worry. When I left Beixing Sect, she sent me out herself."
One of the disciples interrupted the family talk: "Gongzi, Rao Zhengsheng has been tied up."
Cao Wenyan waved them toward the door. "Let's eat and rest. It will take us two days to get home."
After dinner, Cao Yanmei walked into her reserved room and closed the door behind her. Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed her neck, pressing her violently against the wall. She struggled, raising her head, her voice frantic. "Who the hell are you?"
Yongzheng spoke, his voice dangerously low. "Cao guniang, it's me."
Cao Yanmei recognized the voice but couldn't place the clean face with the man she knew. "You? Who?" she asked, confusion overriding her fear.
"Yongzheng."
Cao Yanmei's eyes widened. "The Stinking Taoist?"